He listened to the rules, several times asking very insightful questions about more advanced tactics, before finally setting up his army in three groups, one around each of his important pieces.  A move that enhanced an individual important pieces survivability, but also diminished his ability to lash out, or so it would appear. He snorted as one of his prying eyes returned to report the party's status, and did a brief sending to alert them that he was dealing with the blue, before returning his attention to her. "Why would I serve the destroyer when my mentor was a healer of Tamara, and I personally favored Hlal for a while? I learned to defend what is important to me, not destroy that which isn't.<br/><br/>Now, though, I must ask, why would a female such as yourself align with a goddess that is nearly as nasty as the drow goddess Lolth, but without the backstabbing tendencies being as strong? Surely you could have done much better building a financial empire before trying to control the world, instead of destroying it?"<br/><br/>His movements were quick and sure as if he was moving without a real plan, allowing her to capture several pieces early, a handful of pawns, two soldiers, and an assassin. While waiting for her to respond, he moved again, and noted that he was finally in position, and that he would probably win within twenty to thirty turns. No longer were his pieces almost randomly scattered in small formations, now they were a single solidified formation, though spread out throughout the board, and he had neatly sliced her army in half with knight piece.