It takes only a few seconds for you to establish a connection.
"We are arriving to your location now. Prepare to receive us."
Damn, I thought to myself. When they want to make an entrance, they don't mess around.
I quickly take control of the squad. "Gear up and get outside now! The support group is coming. Stop whatever you are doing and form up at the east part of the courtyard facing the gate. We have only a few minutes. MOVE!"
"Just when I was about to brush my hair and have another good hot breakfast," Irritated, I gear up and head outside.
Grunts.
Once everyone has formed a perimeter in the eastern part of the courtyard, I focus on the crystal again. When a connection is made, I send this message: "Ready." Immediately, I set the crystal into my lap and remain motionless as part of the procedure to be the homing beacon.
In a few moments, the ground in front of you glows a pale blue light about 40 feet radius. Next thing you know, a circular globe rises up from that spot in a much brighter light. Seconds later, a small number of figures takes shape almost immediately inside the glowing sphere and the light dissipates. Standing before you are 12 elves in a tight circle facing you now. Instantly, you recognize three of them in the middle of the formation.
Directly in front of you about 15 feet away is an armed Highborn elf that you all identify as the commander of the Elonalryn: Glanion Kuendenir. He answers directly to the White Council and no one else. He is only the second ever commander of this elite branch of the Kyonin military...such as it is. A very powerful wizard, he earned is legendary reputation over decades of missions and felled thousands of enemies. Though not an original Elonalryn, he worked up the ranks with is efforts. If Kethelis is stern, this guy is a VERY serious, no-nonsense elf.
To his left is a tall sylvan elf named Jelanin Riverleaf, the warden of the Elonalryn. He is the most powerful druid in the organization and is 3rd highest in the chain of command. His deeds of battle and works of nature are as legendary as Kuendenir. One of the few Sylvan 'nobles' in Kyonin, he takes his job with pride, but much more easier going than Glanion.
On the right of the commander is Lamsalen Tholarath, the Grey elf. This man is in charge of information gathering. During the past few decades, a number of brethren have made a strong push for more psionic abilities within the ranks. Lamsalen is part of the the support unit that is considered a strong telepath. Though not a very strong warrior, he more than makes up for it in organization and advise. In most cases, the higher ups listen to his counsel, rarely is Lamsalen wrong.
A few seconds later, you spot several other members in the formation. Naethel Sar'Jareth, the Highborn, is the champion of the Elonalryn behind Glanion Kuendenir. Sword dancing is his specialty, he alone once cut down a dragon. Gaelafel Alwyn'Lamar the Grey elf is the unit's supply expert. Not a fighter who can destroy enemies, but is very skilled in procurement and logistics. Vanora Filiadyyr is a female Highborn spy who has connections all over the world. The remaining members seems to be a combination of guards, hunters, and workers of varying skills that does not look like Elonalryn.
In the middle of these folks are boxes, chests, racks, and sacks of supplies.
Whoa. Eyes wide.
"It's been a while since we've had such a visit in the field like THIS!"
I step forward before Glanion Kuendenir and salute.
He returns the salute as is military protocol, even though the Elonalryn isn't too strict on such things when alone. You see that he, along with the others, are geared up as if they are here to conduct missions of their own. You know these folks are never unprepared for the basics.
He glances around for a moment or two, taking up the surroundings, then returns his gaze upon you.
"Well done, Adarion Lyrondreth. We expected no less from you up to this point. We shall convene inside this central tower and give you a briefing on what is happening. Be prepared, for this will be lengthy." With a wave of his left hand, the lower ranked elves unfamiliar to you begin to move supplies into the main structure, using spells to do the heavy work for them.
Jelanin Riverleaf nods to you with a smile as he passes by. The psychic, Lamsalen Tholorath, does the same. Only the bladesman, Naethel Sar'Jareth, keeps a stern and watchful look, as if he expects an ambush at any moment. His hand caresses the pommel of his magnificent weapon. Gaelefel Anwyn'Lamar and the spy, Vanora Filadyyr, are busy allocating orders about supplies and perimeter security.
Waves at Vanora Filadyyr. As she passes, I step over to Daelynn and speak to her softly.
"Isn't Lord Riverleaf the most handsome?" giving her a wink.
Gives her an assuring nod of confirmation.
Before he steps into the tower, the nature warden looks around the compound for a few minutes. It appears that he is already making plans on what he wishes to do, only a question of what. A smile breaks his handsome mouth and nods to the squad.
"Flirting time later. Let's get inside."
The supplies are quickly hauled indoors and a few spells were cast to light up the place more. The command group conjures up a table and reveals a large map that takes up the entire surface of the platform. The next thing they do is take positions on one end of the table, with the commander in the middle, giving everyone a commanding look. When he feels that you have all given him his attention, he begins.
"First of all, we shall explain to you what we have learned about the Narlmarches up to this point." He runs his hand along an area in the middle of the map that marks the forested area. All of you are familiar with the features. "This is where we are now, the abandoned keep that we have named Naloth Simvan (meaning Ancient Gate of the North Forest)." He looks up briefly to confirm the new name unto all. All of you notice that there is a bright light on the map where he is pointing, and a symbol of an elven tower shimmers onto the map. He continues. "Five leagues away to the northeast, is the new human kingdom called Kinneth." He hovers his hand into a circular motion at the junction of where the Thorn River exits southward from the Narlmarches. The area he highlights comes alive with still images of houses, farm, and buildings that encompasses about three leagues in diameter. "As of now, this is a small kingdom but it is growing like a plague slowly but surely. They have begun farming and grazing in the plains here to the east, and logging has begun right at the edge of the forest at an old bandit camp converted into a lumber sight. Here in the south, they have created a large village called Woodhaven." It's the spot where an image of clustered dwellings light up. "There's roughly about one thousand inhabitants here, less than half of that number scattered throughout the rest of this human-infested scourge," he says with quite a bit of venom in his voice.
Pausing for a moment, he continues. "There are spots of lairs and other things situated along the northern part of the forest that the humans have cleared out." Pointing to different locations individually, he explains them all. "From our information, this post here was an old temple of the Elk. You may have found this one here, the Statue of Erastil. Several monster lairs have been cleared out and a gold mine over here in the plains is now under their control. This place here is an old castle that has been cleared out by the opposition. Everything else has so far been untouched." He highlights several key locations, including one on Candlemere Lake, and a few locations both in nearby and off to the Kamelands directly east. After all this news, he looks over to Jelanin Riverleaf to take over.
Tapping my chin in thought.
The handsome Sylvan takes a step forward and chimes in.
"We have learned much about the wild life here, but there are still many mysteries going on. Somewhere, there are remnants of a kobold tribe that was ousted from the mines by the adventurers. Just to the southeast of us, a large tribe of lizardmen can be found conducting raids of sorts. There are rumors of a group of trolls somewhere in the Kamelands, but we don't know where they are. In addition, the Narlmarches are loaded with scattered fey running around."
He pauses for a moment, as if something bothers him. "We've also discovered a great worm somewhere to the south. Rumors say it's a forest drake, but we think it may be a green dragon, and a nasty one at that. We have little information about this one, but we are certain this could be your greatest danger in the area."
"Fey, trolls, frogs and lizards. Big deal. But a dragon? NOW, you have me interested." I declare with bravado and eagerness, despite probably being out of line.
I hold my tongue despite the rare rowdiness of my companion. But I do grip the pommel of my sword a bit tightly in anticipation of facing a strong opponent.
Lamsalen Tholarath, the psion, steps up and begins sharing his information.
"Now comes the real stuff. We have learned that the Kingdom of Kinneth is controlled by a group of adventurers. They were called the Daring Delvers Adventuring Company that were paid by clients to conduct missions for a hefty price. This group took up the challenge by the Swordlords of Brevoy to reclaim the Stolen Lands and begin a kingdom under the sworn loyalty to Brevoy. Started off with just eight members, but this has not been a set number due to attrition. We have learned their methods of pacifying the area was very heavy handed, with no attempts at peaceful diplomacy. But recently, they have suffered several deaths and have chosen to create their kingdom as a base for their holdings, spoils, and money making. Therefore, they have become the governing body of Kinneth, but they are still a company out to make money."
He places a book onto the table and slowly slides it forward towards Adarion. "Inside this book are details of what we know about the individuals in command of Kinneth that our spies have accumulated. In keeping it short, The ruler is Baron Vladim Boguslav. He's a native noble who's family fell from grace and he's out to restore his honor. Eight total executives currently operate both the company and the kingdom. We don't know exactly how strong they are, but we do know that this is not a cohesive governing body. We think one of them, a sorcerer named Bolthor Lofnheid, is the most corrupt of them all and may have his own desires. In addition, a grey elf named Galedan Nethlynwyn doesn't get along with the council. He may be a potential ally for us. The rest is covered in the book for you to study in detail. This information is not conclusive."
"Hmm, the possibilities so far..."
The commander steps up to the table and adds in more thoughts.
"We have a plan to find the drake or dragon that may be nearby. If it is a dragon, it's beyond any of you here and we will handle it personally. If we can capture it and make a deal, we may be able to have the dragon attack the humans instead. We will also make some adjustments to improve the conditions of this outpost for further use."
He looks at Adarion directly. "There's a lot to do. What do you propose would be your next course of action?"
Giving this a lot of thought, I pause for a moment, choosing my words carefully.
"Your information says there is a tribe of kobolds displaced by the new kingdom. They should have a score to settle against the humans. IF we can find them and they remain alive in significant numbers, we may have a chance to train them as guerrillas. The same can be said about the lizardmen tribe. I think the trolls would be much more difficult. The more we can use the available resources to put pressure on the fledgling kingdom without our direct intervention, the better."
Vanora Filiadyyr, the spy, speaks for the first time in the strategy meeting.
"Force multiplying is a great idea," she confirms everyone's thoughts. "We don't have any spies on either of these tribes for details, however."
I raise my hand for permission to speak.
"Do you have any information on that logging operation inside the Narlmarches?"
Vanora looks at Claeledar.
"They finished a rather crude lumber operation during the winter," she answers. "They cut down most of the trees in the plains, and have just begun cutting trees at the edge of the forest in numbers. There is about a score of lumbermen with a few guards for security. My spies found three buildings at this camp which is right along the Thorn River. The main purpose of this logging is not for building, but to make money for the Council. They need more money to become stronger and clear more land for their purposes."
I give Daelynn that "look", the one that shows my ire at the thought of a forest being defiled for profit.
"Captain Filiadyyr, are we at liberty to know who our spies are?
Filiadyyr raises an eyebrow slightly to the question, as if to consider whether or not to give an answer.
"There is one person up to this point. His name is Saerethar Moonfire, a grey elf who operates a small leather crafting business. He is the eyes and ears of the kingdom and is working alone. Not only can he tell us what's happening on the inside, but he also has information on other elves in the area. But he prefers to keep a low profile for now. He cannot provide supplies, money, or more personnel, but he can just about do everything else. He sends me what I need to know, and I transfer that information to you."
"How many other elves are we talking about here?"
Filiadyyr didn't hesitate to respond. "There is a very small number of elves in all of Brevoy," she says. "Most of them are huddled up in Restov, but the numbers are less than one hundred in all. A majority of them are Grey and Sylvan elves who are rangers and such. I can tell you that the brethren in Brevoy are very angry with the treatment received by the humans there. Many have left the area to return back to Kyonin, others have stayed. Some of them could be useful to us in the longrun. Inside this new kingdom, only seven elves reside there, including their marshall, Galedan Nethlynwyn."
Looking at the commander, I ask a rather basic yet important question.
"Are we to clear out the Narlmarches entirely or just a small area surrounding the keep? This will help form a time table for us before conducting other operations."
Lord Kuendenir pauses for a moment, then responds.
"That will be your job to secure one square league surrounding the keep. We will leave a small detachment to provide security and support here so that you may have no worries about this outpost being left unsecured. But claiming the Narlmarches for our own is not our top priority." His melodramatic pauses holds weight on the situation. "Remember, your primary mission is to destabilize the new kingdom. Don't make it any easier for them by eliminating the potential threats you can use against them. As long as such threats are not a greater danger to us than to them, most of the land is fine as it is unless we find something that contradicts otherwise."
Wondering if we could use some pissed off elves in our forces.
Commander follows up with the briefing.
"For now there are your options. I will leave within the hour to deal with other teams out in the field. Jelanin Riverleaf will make some adjustments to improve this outpost and leave once that is done to find that drake or dragon to the south. Gaelafel will arrange your supply condition quickly. The rest will stay a bit longer to help out with organization and information as there is a lot of it here. That's all we have for now. The rest is up to you."
"This is what I love about this unit," I think to myself. "They don't guide you by the hand like a child as most commanders would do in most other armies."
"For now, relax and enjoy warmth and rest this day. Tomorrow, you know what to do."
"YES!"
You all get to witness Jelanin Riverleaf conduct some serious druidic magic for the day. With the use of spells and summoned creatures, he fixed the main gate, redesigned the underbrush inside the compound, and repaired overhead cover on the west and main towers. He claimed that the rest will be done in another day or two.
Gaelefel Alwyn'Lamar tasked his helpers to arrange weapon racks, supplies, a cooking kitchen and bunks for all to use. They were not happy with having to clean out the burned up southeast tower, but they used summoned creatures for that dirty job. That tower should also be taken care of in a few days.
Vanora Filiadyyr and Lamsalen Tholarath spend the day organizing information and directing the helpers conduct security and support.
The others left within the hour after the briefing. All of you simply enjoyed a hot bath and hot food, maintenance on your gear, and rested well.
Date: Sunday, 6th day of Gozran, the year 4714.
Time: Morning hour of 6.
Temperature: 20-degrees.
Wind: 11-knots from North by Northwest.
Weather: Snowing. Whatever melted is now frozen and blanked over with snow again.
Wondering why Riverleaf didn't do something about adjusting the weather to our liking.
""Gosh," I say out loud as I hop out from my bunk to prepare for the day. "When they said winters are six months long here, they weren't kidding!"
Recalling our pre-mission briefing, couldn't help but reply to the whiny Highborn.
"It's actually longer. They informed us that winter goes on until middle of Gozran, and spring goes from there to early Sarenith. So, we will see a bit more snow, and lots of rain for another six to seven weeks." I smile wide a grin at Fiavia. "We won't see any real warmth for a while."
Shrugs my shoulders.
"Rather be here than in the desert. Remember desert training in Rahadoum? I thought swamp training in the Sodden Lands was rough. Rahadoum was really bad!"
Slightly growls, remembering desert survival training in that hell.
As the squad are making their preparations for the day, I walk over to the command team that has stayed here. Once indoors, I approach Vanora Filiadyyr and Lamsalen Tholarath.
"My lords, has there been any changes of note?"
Inside the main tower is a beehive of activity, even for this early in the morning. Being a veteran of the Elonalryn, you are not surprised at how things get done in a hurry and with efficiency.
Jelanin Riverleaf is ready to conduct more wonders inside the keep. He nods to you and steps outside the blistering weather to do his work. Gaelefel is already up and getting things more organized with the support team. Vanora and Lamsalen are at a table and greet your salute.
Vanora speaks up first. "A few things have come up. First is that we found out through divinations that the kobold tribe out east was highly disrupted by the leaders of the kingdom." She circles an area of the Kamelands east of where you are now. "They are few in number, roughly about a score of them, and are hiding in the Kamelands about five leagues or so. They may not be a good option as guerillas for now. They have no leader and are in pretty far away." She turns to the psion for his input.
Lamsalen goes next. "We do know that just east of here is the lizardmen tribe." Unlike Vanora, he points to a specific spot, where the Murque River drains into Lake Candlemere. "Close by the lake, we have located their lair. We do know they don't like trespassers and they conduct occasional raids on the humans. The rest is known to us." He looks back to you eye-to-eye. Once you have secured this area, you can attempt to pacify the lizardmen and train them as better guerillas. How you do it is up to you. Oh, one final thing, we think somewhere to the south or southeast is that wyrm. Lord Riverleaf will be looking for it. Do your best not to encounter that beast until we find it first. If by chance it finds you, do your best. That is all we have for now. Good hunting!"[/b]
I salute to the higher commanders and turn around to face my squad.
"Get ready to be out on patrol for the next two or three days in this weather. Get something to eat, do your equipment checks, have your spells prepared, and form up in one hour."
"Oh boy, back into the wilds!" I think to myself.
"Question, do we get to do more hunting or is this another 'thoroughly familiarize the area' patrol?"
Nods
I brief the unit. "We are going to completely secure this area of about 10-by-10 miles. From there, we will patrol in a circle one full league for about a week or so. We need to know what is right next to us and have this place memorized and mapped out."
Standard format. We will begin north, then move counterclockwise using the trees much as possible. Movement speed will be 20-feet/round to maximize stealth and perception chances. If we see something of any importance, we will stop and record it. Contact will be avoided if possible. Formation will be column or wedge if the trees will allow. Bows will be out but no arrows nocked.
Right. Once the squad moves out, you notice going north that the ground foliage is mixed from sparse to medium density. The trees here are medium density, which allows a fair amount of branchiation. The cold winds and snow slows things down to about 10 to 15 feet per round if you wanted to go 20-feet.
The entire day goes by with no incidents. You have in essense "claimed" the hex of 12 miles. You are marked several significant trees, game trails, pools of water, creeks and streams, and so on. You do see plenty of game to hunt and a few spots for wild berries and such. The night goes by uneventful as well, but the weather does not improve at all. Cold, snow, windy, and miserable.
Date: Toilday, the 2nd day of Gozran, year 4714.
Time: Morning hour of six.
Temperature: 23-degrees.
Wind: North, 15-knots.
Weather: More snow, most of it from the wind. All small bodies of water have frozen up again.
Once the team finishes preparations and moves into the northwest hex.
Amual :
Adarion:
Daelynn:
Kethelis:
Fiavia:
Claeledar:
Everyone except Kethelis heard something to your west.