Ssarak Dyreackthanose - Catacombs

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Ssarak was at the head of the group of Naga, along with Grey, as they advanced towards the group of students. Given that the matriarch was not especially quick, Ssarak could not charge as quickly as he would have liked, but that did allow him to observe the situation they were advancing into in greater detail. His fellow students were in the thick of combat with yet another group of ridge hounds. He intended to provide relief for them, but in his current state of awareness, he was able to see when another danger presented itself. The snow elf, Aramir, stepped out an alcove and raised her bow well-above the level of the ridge hounds. It was pointed at him, or at least, at one of his allies near to him. He did not have time to think about why, or wonder if she was even going to fire. The only reaction he had was one driven by training. His shield was already raised, and he was already in the front of the group, so he was in a position that he need only move a small amount to place himself in the way of where she appeared to be aiming. As a heavily armored soldier, he had been trained to fight on the front lines, and to use his shield and the steel covering him to protect his allies from anything it could stop, such as the arrows from a shortbow. Fortunately, he also had Grey’s assistance in defending against the arrows, so he was not alone in protecting the Naga. 

After the arrows stopped, Ssarak picked up on a few curious thoughts from Grey, followed by a message. [i][color=f7941d]”E'docsil? A shapeshifter? Where did you see it?”[/color][/i] He asked telepathically. However, their mental conversation was cut short by a roaring voice behind them. Not long after Aramir shouted out about Tyrael’s orders, the demonomancer himself evidently appeared behind them. However, with Grey’s warning about a shapeshifter, he attempted to prod Tyrael’s mind, and to his surprise, he did not find the powerful wards he was expecting. Rather, there were no wards at all. He could read into his thoughts, and was free to use his abilities against him. It was something that immediately lent Grey’s warning credibility, as any of the college’s teachers, especially a demonomancer, should certainly have strong wards. There were several conclusions Ssarak might have drawn from this, but Grey’s suggestion was perfectly possible. Not to mention, while Ssarak’s first glance into “Tyrael’s” mind revealed thoughts that seemed consistent, it did not make sense that Aramir, who was in front of them, would have orders from Tyrael, who was behind them. 

Seeing as he had the ability, Ssarak first decided to give Grey assistance with his initial charge with a simple, but disruptive illusion in the form of an intense, bright light in the center of “Tyrael’s” vision. From there, he sent a message to all of the allies present whose minds he could access, even Baulder. [color=f7941d][i]”No! that is not Tyrael, and that was not his order! It is a shapeshifter; a facsimile. Protect the Naga from the hounds, and the pretender.”[/i][/color] He “shouted” telepathically. Of course, he did not know entirely if his words were true, but it was probable enough that he could be confident saying it. Baulder was the one who had first accepted the order from Aramir, so Ssarak stood at the front of the Naga, ready to guard against him if he refused to listen. Once he was sure that the other students would help, he could give more direct aid to Grey.