Mr. Pasternack leaned forward off of the wall that he was so firmly grounded to. His ears shifted as he listened, his burp mostly unheard in his lips. Pounding on his chest a bit when the drow lady looked directly at him, he straightened his posture and uniform, "Scouting is my second nature. I'll see your map detailed with the best of notes, as I am the marvelous Mr. Pasternack." Catching the drow's eye, trailing his fingers in the air, "Capable of anything!"
Withdrawing his hand and scratching at his chest fur with it, "I suppose this old council is wise to choose us. They needn't worry, I'll make it back." His smile was filled with confidence.
"Kayniik not good at scouting, but he is quick learner. Will do best to keep Kayniik's squad healthy and return to Kotelia." The goblin responds nodding his head, so that it looks like it is bouncing on his neck ready to snap.
"Kayniik read about old council in study books, but to think they be alive is strange even for kotelia." He says with a finger between his teeth picking at something stuck.
"Ok, so we will have to learn on the job. Not much choice in the matter anyway. Now, what support do we get to the job? We'll need supplies and possibly some weapons and armors for some of us. Also, what about our clearance. It was a hassle getting here. Do we get a special id chit that says KSS agent or something? I we are heading out there and come back with info, it would help to have the gear needed to survive and to not have to go through all the red tape to bring the info here."
Letherin nods. "You'll have permission to draw on stores, and be given an allotment allowance. Over time, if you prove yourselves, the allowance will be increased. How you use that allowance is up to you."
She moves to the map. "Our current plan is to have our new groups head out on cardinal directions. We aren't in a position to track down the dragons and punish them, currently. Until we can confirm we are safe from nearby attacks, we must be careful. First, each of your teams needs to choose a commander. Once you have, you must choose one of the cardinal directions from the city for your exploration."
Moving from the map, she steps over to the bookshelves on the opposite side of the room and takes two scrollcases that are hanging on pegs built into the book shelves. "This is how you will communicate with us while in the field. Any scroll placed within the case will be transported to my desk." She holds up a single finger. "However, it can only work if properly charged by a magic user placing some of their power in it. Therefore, it should be used for emergencies or for regular reports, not frivolously." She pauses for emphasis, then continues. "We can send you scrolls as well. The scrollcase functions similarly to a bag of holding, except it's more like a bag with an opening on each end, rather than a single opening."
"A cunning device", remarks Kincaid. Now that the situation had been explained, he found himself keen to get going. It was amazing the City had lasted for so long despite the disgraceful conduct of the previous Tabula Sententia. Of course the dragon flight had heralded the end the period of innocence. Anything could be out there, and probably was.
Well clearly I should be the leader of our squad! Terexaltherin states, restricting the thought to his squadmates. His broad grin gives away the fact that he doesn't expect to be taken seriously almost as well as the note of humor in his mental 'voice'. After all, none of our enemies would expect it, right? And I could give you all your orders without anyone else hearing them.
After a moment he adds, Though really, I could do that for whoever we do pick to be our commander. It's not hard to relay things, it's just full conversations that are hard to do at the same time.
Rozzev slowly calms down as Lethierin describes the mission, though anyone observing closely could see that his whiskers were still trembling with restrained emotion. He stares for a moment at all the unmarked map area around Kotelia.
After the small coaxing from her team and some time to alone to think Ciaran joined like the others, knowing if she didn't now and they got hurt she wouldn't be able to shoulder the guilt; of their fall or the cities even it might cost her life.
She shrinks, into her chair and a bit literally, during the debriefing but she stays true to her choice to stay. "When will we be sent out on our first mission?"
Mr. Pasternack looks between his group, whiskers wiggling. Clearing his throat, he moves to place his hands on the table and look over the map as well, "Well my friends, let's see here." Tapping the south of the city with his finger, "I guess I'll be the first to promote me to the role of commandant. I can do anything and I'm the most balanced of temperament, and have you seen my natural flair?" Puffing out his chest as he stands straight, chest fluff neatly groomed this morning, "It's quite nice, if I have to say."
Resuming his natural stance, he gestures over the map, "I would also suggest south, because I have a feeling that it'll be the best place for information."
"I would not make a good leader, I am a scout and that is what I am. There is no shame in that. I should think that Kincaid would make a good leader, though I also bow to your wisdom Terex." Hylar does give a slight bow, though the condescension and mockery are evident (but light-hearted).
"I will also bow out of the leadership position. Research is what drive me, not rank. I will support whoever wants the job and advise that person if asked."
Abbo just grunts, but doesn't say anything. The monk was balance, thoughtful and wise most of the time, and he knew what his right position should be. Limiting himself to look at the horizon, he moved slowly to help take point and prepared to march while assuming his hybrid shape - he became larger, meaner and more beast-like, yet somehow kept his peace.
Kincaid replied humbly to Hylar, "I am here to serve in whatever capacity is deemed best. If my lot is to follow, I shall do so to the best of my ability without complaint. If I am called to lead, I shall do my utmost to repay the honor and trust placed in me."
Terex seems... rather surprised that there's even a possibility he might actually be possibly the leader.
Ummm, well... I was kind of joking, but if you would be okay with it I'd do my best to lead...
He looks back and forth at the rest of his squad. ...but really, I do think Kincaid might be better, he admits.
Cygnus had listened to everyone speak, before speaking up, himself. He'd been more concerned with his team's reactions to things than his own, after all.
"As Alpha and Sage of the Moonsfang Tribe, I would be honored to take the position - assuming no one else would object." the golden pooch says as he flickers in and out of vision. "At least in an advisory capacity, if nothing else." he says, tail thumping excitedly, despite the steadiness of his voice.
"I only have two concerns. You seem... quite willing to accept losses amongst our group. I can see that you would prefer to prevent them, but that they're almost expected. What plans do you have in place in the event one of us should fall in the field? Should we expect backup quickly, or not at all?"
Kincaid listened to Cygnus's questions, thinking 'I probably should have asked that myself... He awaits the answer, if any, with interest.
Ciaran wasn't sure how she felt about giving one of the people send spend the past few years with quite literal control over everyone else but was positive she didn't want the position. "I wouldn't able to lead properly, the others are a better choice."
"Mork no lead. Mork make good beer and ale for party after winning. If friend fall. Mork will pick up and carry back. Or maybe Mork will stand and noone lse pick friend up"
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"Kayniik not really leaderstuff parents says. But good following instructions and use the devine to make friends better, or burn bad guys. Kayniik don't object to Cygnus leader." He says giving a little demonstration of his divine powers, waving his glowing holy symbol around imitating spellcasting.
When Kincaid accept the role of squad leader, Rokas puts a hand on his shoulder. "I'm happy you took the job. The clear hierarchy in a group is important. Now you just need to pick a direction. Since we know nothing about what's out there, this will be easy. There is no wrong answer here, which make your first decision as leader pretty easy."
Then, when Cygnus asks about the possibilities of death and reinforcement, Rokas looks up and await the answer.
Kincaid glanced at Rokas not entirely aware he had accepted the job of leader but not denying it either. He replied evenly, "You could be right, unless our betters know something they have't told us yet." Picking a direction at random he said, "Assuming it's up to us, lets try north, and let the other group know our intention."
Mr. Pasternack looked down at his fluffier, more dog-like companion, "An adviser? What with your advice and my good looks, I think we could make an excellent team." Giving the Blinkdog a wide smile, he lowered his voice to a whisper, "And just between you and me, I'm not big on taking losses. I'd love to make some sorta backup escape plans, just in case we get in over our heads."
Looking to Ciaran, the drow woman smiles. "As soon as you possibly can."
Turning to Cygnus, the drow woman nods. "Losses are to be expected, if not desired. Replacements would likely be made as soon as you could return to the city, although depending on how far out you are we might be able to arrange an escort. We might even be able to arrange a teleport spell or something, if we could find a Teleport Node to aim for."
When the two groups seem to settle on Kincaid and Cygnus as the two leaders, the woman nods. "Accepted, Mr. Kincaid, Mr. Cygnus, you are given field promotion to the rank of Lance Corporal, as well as a commission. The rest of you will retain your non-commissioned officer ranks for now that you had in the Military."
"Now then, before you finalize your choice of missions, since we don't want to send out undermanned groups, we had some contingency plans." She leaves the room and returns a few minutes later with a small construct with fake greenery. "This is a Golem that was found in the sub-compartments below the city a few centuries ago. It was placed in storage and forgotten about. We found it in a crate while doing inventory, and had it reactivated. It appears that someone constructed it by taking components and crystals from multiple golems that had been damaged or destroyed, so it has some peculiar ideas about having been 'reborn' multiple times. However, it appears to be as stable as some of your companions." She gives Pasternack a long look, intimating that the golem is at least as mentally stable as him. "So it will be joining your group, Lance Corporal Kincaid."
Kincaid replies smartly, "Aye aye ma'am. Do you have any specific orders for where our mission should begin, or is any direction as good an another?"
Inspecting the tiny golem he asks tentatively, "Welcome to the squad. Do you have a name?"
"No, we can't trust any of the information we have. We'd rather you go out with fresh eyes and get the truth, so you're not second guessing what may or may not be real."
"Understood Ma'am" he replies. He returns to the map and calls Cygnus over, "My intention is to go north, find an easily climbed peak and survey the land from on high. If we don't find anything, we'll find another peak to the west and then to the south before heading back east along the forest border. If anyone is watching the city I aim to find them. Have you thought where you shall venture?"
Turning to the assembled crowd Kincaid adds, "Suggestions welcome."
Abbo limits himself to shake his head in agreement with Terex, when he points a direction more forested.
"Forest good. Lots of trees to smash people with. Yes. Forest. Lets go" he sais with a big grin. Gork seems to look around and tries to lick the lemon from his head
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"No, no, Mork and Gork, you're not going with them. You're supposed to come with us. Though I do agree in regards to the forests... I think I'd prefer the plains to the south. If there's some sort of outside civilization growing nearby, it's bound to be in the lands where they could actively grow their own food. While it's possible for them to hunt and forage in the woods, that's not a long-term threat as they'll starve themselves out long before they can realistically breach us... I think." he looks around. "Does anyone else have any suggestions on that front?"
Ummm... Terex broadcasts his uncertainty to his squad. I'm not so sure about mountains... that's the sort of place dragons live, right? Well... okay, some dragons live in forests, too, but they can't see you from as far away there...
Patently Kincaid explains his reasoning for selecting North, "The whole point of this exercise is finding what's out there. The mountains are the logical place for a scout to spy on the city since they overlook it. Conversely they're a great location for us to watch enemy troop movement. Also they're on our doorstep so they're a good a place to start as any."
He pauses briefly before continuing, "As for the forests, they need exploring too. Still I think any feeling of safety they may give is an illusion. There are all manner of forest dwellers that might assail us and as for Dragons... Well I don't think anywhere is safe from a dragon. They have sharper senses than any of us, the strength to smash hundred season trees aside like grass. They can fly hundreds of miles in a day, if one wanted to find us it would. But you know what, I don't think they're looking. Why would they? After all for the last four hundred years the city has sent out no scouts!"
"So, we head for the mountain. We'll need to get specialize gears for that. I don't know how everyone is in climbing, but it isn't my strength." Rokas turn to the drow woman. "I would like to have access to the store if you please. I'd like to see what's there in terms of maintaining gear. Also, depending on the time we have, I can craft some alchemical stuff that could be helpful to the mission."
Looking back at Kincaid. "Congratulation on the promotion, Lance Corporal, I'm sure it won't be the last. Do you have any request for my crafting?"
Once he gets a response from Kincaid, Rokas is more than ready to get to work on gathering the gear and some crafting if he can.
Kincaid listens to Rokas carefully, his concerns about proper mountaineering were well founded. Fortunately it wasn't quite want he had in mind as he explained, "I'm hoping we don't have to do anything more than a bit of scrambling. I wasn't planning to go anywhere requiring rope, or crampons, at least not at first. As for crafting, well I'll trust your judgement but I imagine some Tanglefoot bags or even the flammable ones would be most welcome."
"Kayniik think open plains good. Can see far even at night and don't have to avoid plants with fire. But it will also be harder to sneak up on others, so thats both good and bad." He responds to the Blinkdog.
I won't need any mountaineering gear, Terex jokes.
I guess your reasoning is solid, Kincaid. There's still an undercurrent of nervousness to the pseudodragon's admission.
"Yes, you can all go visit the storage depot for resupply." She marks down the two teams proposed routes on the map, and then nods. "Now then, you are all, unfortunately, not given the job you came for. You were all deemed unworthy of it. Therefore, you have decided to try your luck as freelance hunters." She hands each team a scroll that she takes from the shelves. "These are the buildings you are staying in now, in the third district, when you are in town. The rents are paid up. The scroll indicates how to open a passage in each that leads to a special staging area, where you can access one of the city Storage Depot's."
The drow woman then retrieves a small box from Geltherian's desk, and hands out ID chits to everyone. "These look like hunter's disks, but if they are exposed to balefire light, they will glow, indicating you are allowed access to certain areas you wouldn't have otherwise. Obviously, revealing this to outsiders is, of course, something I cut your tongue out for." Once all the chits are handed out, and the previous platinum chits returned, she nods. "We'll be assigning a handler to both teams. Your handler will be by your new HQ tomorrow morning, bright and early. They will have a ring with this sigil..." She shows the ring on her finger to each person, so they can recognize it. "Now, any other questions before we regretfully turn you away from employment and send you on your way?" She hands the scroll case to Kincaid and, after looking at Cygnus, to Rozzev.
"So we are so far undercover that we will have assumed identities as hunters? I approve, of course, as a hunter is a perfectly good profession for which I am qualified." "The rest of this I understand as well. Any other method of confirming that our handler is in fact our handler? A phrase? A backup method of checking him or her out?" Hylar asks the question seriously, as being taken by surprise is not something he's quite ready for.
The drow taps the scroll case. "If in doubt, use the case to contact us for confirmation."
When the woman explained they where deemed unworthy and had failed the interview, Kincaid chuckled softly. He would have preferred things to be in the open, but under the circumstances he supposed it was for the best. "No further questions Ma'am, I'm sure we shall all look suitable dejected as we leave." He pencils in three patrol routes on the map, with a twinkle in his eye he says, "I expect we shan't be getting up early to make the patrols indicated on this map."
Mr. Pasternack catches a frog, not literally speaking of course, in his throat. Patting his stomach some, "Is that so? I'm fairly certain I also threw my hat into the ring for leadership, but..." He stops mid-sentence as he eyes the drow lady in thought...He holds up his hands, "No, no this is fine. I'll follow your lead, Cygnus. Just don't ask me to open doors, okay?" A little smile here and there of his feline teeth and he sat back down, leaning over his legs with his hands on his knees. Gesturing with his hand, "I think going south is an excellent idea." Everything is going to plan.
Ciaran felt bad about Pasternack being over looked but she had a feeling it was for the best. "The mountains will be hard to traverse, the forest in the south is our best path." She agreed. "Will our family know or will they think we are becoming hunters as well?"
"Given the reputation of the Tabula Sententia at the moment, even when most people do not know what they actually did, I would think you would not want them to know." The man says, speaking in a harsh voice that seems to be his normal speech pattern. "However, it will eventually leak what the former members were doing, when it does, it might be better to not have been known to be in this organization, at least until we know how bad things really are. Safer as well, for both you and your family. I will not forbid you to tell them, but I do caution you to not tell your drunkard uncle or cousin who can't keep a secret."