D&D Spy?  (That’s what the site said anyway)

Now, this may be a better topic for War of Nytefall: Ravenous, but I felt like I couldn’t risk forgetting it.  Spying and gathering intelligence is still very important in Eradication, especially when you see one of the big moves that Leo Kandrel makes.  In fact, the Dawn Fangs and their enemies have come to see that gathering information is more important than battles.  This is where the real struggle comes from since many events come down to who knows what and who learns of things first.  The side that pinpoints the location of the Fist of Durag could very well turn the tide of the slow-moving war.

Now, I’ve noticed about 6 types of spying that goes on in War of Nytefall.  It’s actually 3 to each side.  There is a 7th that I can’t talk about though because of spoilers.  Let’s leave that one alone and dive right into the methods.

Nyte: Kai Stavros the Spymaster

I would say that Kai is a more traditional spy as long as we’re not talking about the kind that blow up half a city before lunch.  He oversees a global network of agents and contacts that he communicates with through various methods.  Some are magical like portals while others are mundane like messenger birds.  He’s had centuries to hone his skills to the point where there is very little that he doesn’t know.  Kai is the type of spy who tries to stay out of the action and will only get involved if he doesn’t have a choice.  He’s more likely to report what happens than change the ensuing events.  Kai also manipulates others to get the results that he feels are best for his master, Lord Tempest.  For example, he gets the vampire hunters involved in the hunt for Leo Kandrel in order to hide the fact that Nyte was on the move while the truce was still in play.  Everything about him is low key and subtle.

Nytefall: Chastity Sullivan the Gatherer

Chastity is similar to Kai in that she is responsible for a global network, but it is more contacts than agents.  While he operates for a political group (Lord and Lady of Nyte), Chastity created her system to be used by criminals.  Her operation was started when Clyde ran his gang and long before the Great Cataclysm.  She uses her businesses to help spread her influence and make contacts that she can get information from along with supplies.  The biggest difference between her and Kai is that she gets involved with her seduction and manipulations.  She would be more of a femme fatale than a figure lurking int he shadows of a room.  Her charm magic is what makes this possible as well as her lack of inhibitions.

Nyte: Stephanie Talon the Ritualist

Here we start in on the more intrusive and magical methods of spying in War of Nytefall.  Stephanie can get information that Kai is unable to find by using her blood rituals to scry.  This has both advantages and disadvantages.  It is a one-person operation, which means fewer ears and mouths are passing things on.  Scrying can be done from the safety of a castle instead of getting close to the target.  You don’t have to worry about getting attacked too.  Unfortunately, Stephanie does have to be careful about wards, backlash spells, and other magical methods of defense.  People know scrying is possible, so they defend themselves if they are doing something in secret.  Scrying can also be less reliable in that you may only get visual or sound, but not both if the distance or ritual is imprecise.  There’s a time issue too because Stephanie’s method may show here what is about to happen or what has already come to pass, but she won’t be sure of which situation it is.  This is why she usually works best alongside Kai’s network.

Nytefall: Lost the Psychic

Not much to really say here because we can all figure this one out.  Lost has telepathy and the ability to mindjack others.  This means, she can take over a guard in the room to spy on a meeting.  She can also read thoughts from far distances, but this has the problem of her not always knowing who she is spying on.  Without a visual of the person, she might not know what they look like unless they happen to have a mirror nearby.  This type of spying gets you the best purity of information, but it is highly intrusive and going too deep will reveal that you’ve been there.  Unlike the previous methods, this one can inadvertently cause a target to become aware of the spy and they’ll change plans.  Lost wouldn’t know that her information is already obsolete in this situation.

Nyte: Lady Sylvan’s Swarm

I can use Xavier Tempest too since he can change his shape, but I find this one to be a little more interesting.  As a swarm, Nadia can be in an area and observe things.  She doesn’t do this often because she’s a noble, but it is an option.  Even if someone sees the swarm, they won’t think much of it since she can spread out or keep most of them hidden nearby.  If discovered or attacked, she can still survive with all of the information because only one bug needs to live for her to make it out.  Another advantage of this method is that it’s fairly unique to Lady Sylvan . . . Much like the final spying method.

Nytefall: Mab the Dark Mistress

Seriously, she can move through shadows and has learned to put only part of herself in or out of the void.  All Mab has to do is locate the person or place that she wants to spy on and then stick her ear into the area.  This does mean that she won’t be able to see much because of how she has to turn her head.  A risk is if someone sees the phantom body part since it would be pretty obvious what is going on.  Especially if they try to kick it and find that it’s still attached to something in the shadows.