As Giggles rears back to bring her full complement of sharp and pointy's to bear, she hears a sharp call from Jazmine, evoking Giggles baser instincts. She quickly swells with bulky muscle before tearing into the elemental with tooth and nail.
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Blood Stone circles around, avoiding being attacked by what could very well be a relation of some sort and calls on the healing powers of his faith. Normally, Torag would look down on this sort of thing, healing when there is still a fow in need of smiting the crap out of, but, being that she is one of his people, and a single lucky hit might change that from "is" to "was", Blood Stone figures he would understand.
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The pathfinders go in for one inspiring takedown. Jazzmine and Giggles pair up around one elemental to knock it top to bottom. Rogan immediately breaks off to take the last one down breaking it apart with his axe.
Blood Stone worries about hurting potential kinship and does some peaceful resolutions instead.
As soon as the threat ends, Nef runs out, along with the rest in hiding, to thank you all profusely. "Thank you, thank you so much! It's a good thing we hired you huh. Marauding elemental gangs are failry common outside the Vault. But they are normally found much much further out, and I don't know if they would attack people so openly. But I guess times are changing huh?"
Searching the elementals bears unfruitful, since they do not carry equipment, they curious markings, etched with precious metal inlays on the elementals bodies are easily recognized by the dwarfs. "Well what dya know, that's the mark of Slagcrusher! He's one of the leaders of this merry band of elemental thieves." They can't be sure why they were attacked so openly, nor their intentions.
After eliminating the threat, you continue on the high road actively looking out for more dangers. But the rest of the journey is uneventful.
When you arrive at the Issawa estate, Nef and Annie begin unloading their cargo. The bronzeskinned and businesslike Zuhair Issawa, a noble Shaitan, introduces himself and inspects the contents of the wagon. After the inspection, Zuhair dismisses your services and thanks you for ensuring the cargo arrives safely. He is curious about the elemental gang attack but does not know the intent or why they operate outside their normal boundaries.
As you return in the evening to the barracks, there is much chatter in the corridors, rumours has it that the General has summoned you for a hearing. You soon find the rumors to be very true from a note is found attached to your room door.
Recruits,
Captain Othis and I have been in communication about several incidents that occurred surrounding your unit in the past weeks. Due to this operation’s ties to Her Imminence’s military and our nation’s sensitive political climate, I take these allegations very seriously. Report to my office at dawn for a formal hearing. Be prepared to present a case defending your actions in training.Sincerely,
General Faiza bint Hanif
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As soon as the threat ends, Nef runs out, along with the rest in hiding, to thank you all profusely. "Thank you, thank you so much! It's a good thing we hired you huh. Marauding elemental gangs are failry common outside the Vault. But they are normally found much much further out, and I don't know if they would attack people so openly. But I guess times are changing huh?"
"Or maybe they just had some extra incentive to this time. . ." he grumbles to himself.
After returning home the the barracks, Blood Stone notices the note on the door, and stops, the revelry of yet another victory, even such an easy one now drained as he reads it aloud. "well, if that isn't the best "welcome back and good job" I've ever gotten,. . ." he says sarcastically.
Ignoring it for the time being, he drops off his gear and, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary makes his way to report back in to the Captain for his normal reporting.
Afterwards, he will try to go grab some grub. If anyone else is around at the time, he will make his way over to them, not really allowing a "no" for an answer as he simply plops down at their table, and ask bluntly of the other soldiers or recruits, "Any idea what this is all about? This some sort of final hazing prank? Or are we just that good, ha ha."
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After the battle, Rogan wipes his blade clean, and continues to keep his guard up for the rest of the trip. "I've done enough protection details to know we should expect more trouble. Whoever tried to ambush us could try again."
After the trip is complete and they successfully deliver the goods, he inquires about the group that attacked them. "What can you tell us about this Slagcrusher? Any idea who he normally works with or what he might be after? Any affiliations?"
Once back at the barracks, Rogan follows Bloodstone to the table with the other soldiers. "Yeah what he said. We've been setup to fail this entire time. There's something up with the captain but I can't quite figure out what it is."
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Among the group, the lieutenant, Dell Darkblade, and a few others sit an merrily chat, happy to share what they know. The lieutenant speaks up. "Slagcrusher eh? He's a common thief. Likes to go after precious stones, not to steal them for resale value or whatever. He just likes to eat them. Those bloody elemental gangs are always up to no good! But they are never a smart bunch. Always individualistic in nature, don't think they ever affiliate themselves with anyone."
Without knowing too much of the details, he also makes a casual remark."Don't be too hard on yourself, the Captain hates everyone to some degree."
Dell hesitates at the Rogan's last comments. As if he knows something more.
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Jazmine is tired and weary when she enters the compound after the escort trip, and in none too good of a mood even before she sees the note pinned to their door. "Allegations?! HEARING?! They are out of their bloody minds.. maybe these people really DO have rocks for brains.. no offense, Blood Eagle.. But this is the last straw. I don't know about the rest of you, but they are going to get a piece of my mind tomorrow, you can bet on that!!" she continues to grumble as she slams into the room and begins to put away her kit. "This has been a set up from the very beginning on their part, while the Pathfinders really think that they can accomplish something here. I can't wait to pass on my report about our treatment here!"
She follows her fellows to the chowhall, hoping to take her mind off of things for a bit with a full belly and then some time with Giggles. I have got to get her back home and into the sun.. she thinks. Hell, we both could use some time in the sun running around the forests before we head out again..
Her musings are interrupted as she sits down with her food to hear Rogan and Blood Eagle questioning the other soldiers. After swallowing her bite of the passable food, she chips in as well.
"Not liking most people is one thing.. setting up fights between recruits and giving one side poisoned weapons is another. Or piling rocks on top of obstacle courses.. or giving bad intel on simple missions. I stopped General Faiza bint Hanif as a disguised thief at the casino the other night, because the Captain fed us her description instead of our real target. I think I managed to smooth things over, but you never know. Now we are being called up to a hearing and investigation. Please.. this could sabotage relations with the Pathfinders and this entire Plane. Help us if you know anything at all.."
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Something causes the Oread to step out from the main group, inviting the pathfinders to a private corner of the room. Out of guilt, he lets it all out nervously.
"I'm sorry! I am an accomplice of the captain. You must know it was unintended, but it was a necessity for me to live! A few weeks before you joined, me and my friends joined the ungrounded full of hope and dreams, but it was instantaneously crushed by the Captain's display of tough regiment and demeaning talks. When you had joined, something changed for us, she had put all her focus into destroying you that she did not pay that much attention to us. We were afraid if we didn't comply that she would come back into treating us like before. I don't know why, but she hates you with a passion. The rigged obstacle, the poison, it was all her ideas, but we were forced to set it out for her."
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Jazmine nods her head, considering the Oread's story. She turns a stern eye to him and says "I can accept your apology, but only if you do what is right to make amends. Words are useless.. actions are what makes a persons legacy. We are being investigated for allegations that Captain Othis brought against us to General Faiza bint Hanif. Will you go with us to tell the General your tale? If you do this, I will speak for you that you came to us with this information and we can see if we can get you off the hook. We need help here, and it seems that your story may prove some of our assumptions." with a small smile, she nudges him with an elbow and continues "You were, after all, following the orders of a superior officer with a history of violence and improper behavior! We can set a couple of tallies right.. yours and ours."
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When the time comes, you enter the conference room as summoned by General Faiza bint Hanif. She and Captain Othis are seated on opposite sides of a mahogany desk in a spacious, immaculate office. Glass cases along the walls display medals, ceremonial armor and weapons, and framed commendations granted to former and current members of the Ungrounded, including General Hanif herself. The general begins by greeting you politely but wastes no time on idle chatter before delving into the list of complaints against the pathfinder. "Good day pathfinders, I hope you have been treated well and find yourselves in good health. Please be seated... I understand you know why you are gathered here. If not let me be quick about this."
"Firstly, congratulations on your exemplary training regime, I've understand you completed the basic training in very good time, not to mention some field duty. I recognize you stopped a mess in the Casino the other night. However, Captain Othis has reported that your behaviour and performance to be dismal, bullying recruits, destroying obstacle courses, attracting trouble in general. And has recommended the pathfinders to be un-associated in any way to the Ungrounded. However, as a responsible General, I required to investigate this myself as I was told the Pathfinders are a very reputable organization."
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Making his way into the room, Blood Stone pays the proper respects as he does so, .
"Good day pathfinders, I hope you have been treated well and find yourselves in good health. Please be seated... I understand you know why you are gathered here. If not let me be quick about this."
"And you as well, General. It's been an experience, but no complaints." Taking a seat, he concludes, "Yes, we have been accused of a few nasty things."
"Firstly, congratulations on your exemplary training regime, I've understand you completed the basic training in very good time, not to mention some field duty.I recognize you stopped a mess in the Casino the other night."
"Yes ma'am. Nothing too difficult, but it was still challenging, and different than the sorts of tests and missions we are used to. However, to give credit where credit is due, the whole casino job was really all Jazmin and Rogan. Their great intuition and superior skills at observation did all the work."
However, Captain Othis has reported that your behaviour and performance to be dismal, bullying recruits, destroying obstacle courses, attracting trouble in general. And has recommended the pathfinders to be un-associated in any way to the Ungrounded. However, as a responsible General, I required to investigate this myself as I was told the Pathfinders are a very reputable organization."[/b]
"And that's something we can understand and respect. It's no secret that Captain Othis and we have had,. . . issues. As I understand it, this is not uncommon. But, I also understand that there seemed to have been something in particular about us that offended the Captain. Maybe us, maybe the Pathfinder Society, we don't know."
"One thing about these charges, one I was not aware of until just now, was that we "bullied recruits". This is an outright falsehood. In fact, in every occasion we have done our best just to be able to fit in. To earn our place here, to learn how things are done here. In fact, anyone can plainly see that my heritage is linked to this plane, and one of the things I've personally tried to do here is to reconnect with that heritage while here. I was very uncomfortable with the notion of attacking my own kind, even in training, and you can ask any of them. I withheld from attacking them, and afterwards, not only did I heal their wounds, I also made every effort to both use it as a teaching opportunity and also to heal their morale and spirits as well."
"We did not call them weak, nor put them down for loosing the trial of battle, but rather tried to build them up following that defeat, showing points to learn from, and that we had been mainly lucky, which we where."
"We as Pathfinders are taught very early on to work as a team, and to rely on others. This is also, more importantly to me, also something that my faith teaches, that the strength of the nation comes from it's bonds to each other, not from the individual." as he references his holy symbol of Torag.
"It is difficult to argue this accusation without actually being accussed of something specific, though. In what cases did we "bully" anyone? Who, and when?"
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The general nods as she considers Blood Stone's choices of words carefully. She seems impressed with his representation of the pathfinders.
The captain on the other hand, fumes and rebukes. "Silver tongued serpents they are! What about combat training! These pathfinders obliterated a group of new inexperienced untrained recruits unfairly!"
The timid oread Dell, steps in to back up Blood Stone's claim of fair treatment to put down the captain, as she eyes daggers in your general direction.
The general silences any further discourse on the matter and adds, "I appreciate the clarity, please do continue, I would like to hear more of your experience within the ungrounded."
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After muttering a few words, Jazmine steps forward and clears her throat. "Ma'am. You may remember me as the guard that stopped you the other night in the casino. The reason I stopped you was that we were sent there to stop the infiltration of the casino by a known con and thief. The captain here gave us this sketch and description of the supposed target, which led me to question you. I believe that this was an intentional misdirection designed to embarrass our team in front of you." With this, she hands over the sketch and description received during their briefing.
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"Sir, I've been trained as a soldier all my life, to serve as a protector of Arqueros. I've gone through similar training before, and taken part in my fair share of sparring fights. But never have I ever seen poisoned blades used in such training. Why? Because that's not how you train recruits, that's how you set them up to fail." Rogan pauses and turns to Dell, motioning him to step forward. "It's such a crazy accusation and may be hard to believe, but this fellow soldier here did it at Captain Othis's command. I do not blame him at all, as he was only following the orders of a superior officer."
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The Captain again attempts to rebuke the pathfinders arguments, in a very hostile-like manner. "These "pathfinders" can't be trusted, being seasoned warriors like themselves they should know every background, it shows bliss ignorance that they don't know who their captain is. And it was never a fair fight, poison was the only way to ensure these other weaklings stand any chance, plus it doesn't cause death and all folk born of this plane are immune to it anyway..."
But she is cut short by the general as she raises her hand and replies flatly. "Silence, Othis. You will waste no more of my time. These judgement that you made does not represent the Ungrounded, I will have to review all your work... I will make sure that I investigate this thoroughly” Within a couple minutes of eerie silence, a pair of shaitan officers moves in to escort Othis out of the office, and the general orders them to secure Othis while she launches a formal investigation.
The General looks to the group, a bit disheartened but nonetheless relieved that the spectacle is over. "Thank you, it has sadden me to see it come to this, but the coincidences as mention are too much to be overlooked. I'm sorry that it has had to come to this. As per the earlier arrangement, you have proved yourselves a great deal here, and it would be in our best interest to work alongside in the future. You are hereby released from Ungrounded duty with an honorary discharge."
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Jazmine looks around, stunned at the sudden turn of events.
"Thats it? We proved ourselves!? Thank the gods!" she exclaims. Getting a hold of herself and their situation, she sobers quickly. "Umm.. what I mean, Ma'am, is that I did not expect the truth to win out quite so well! The Pathfinders will be happy to work with you in the future!" She can't help but gush as her enthusiasm once again wins out.
Turning to her companions, she gives them all a quick and impulsive hug. "I can't wait to get back!! I hope to see all of you around the lodge, and that we get assigned together again at some point!" She rushes back to the barracks, taking a moment to thank the few other members that they have gotten to know along the way. She packs her things and with Giggles in tow, she begins to head for home.