The Shadow Over the Keep

After being told to go in, you walk into the next room, the elf by the entrance gave a short nod to you as you went past. Inside is a large woman, an orc by the looks of it, sitting behind a wooden desk as she sorted through several papers. She has on very decorative white armor with a blue cape and while her head isn't covered by a helmet, showing her short brown hair, a white helmet can be seen sitting on her desk. The armor is the type mostly for show, and would rarely if ever be brought into combat.

Standing next to her is two figures. To her right is a young human woman dressed in a fine red suit. She seemed to minding her own business, lost in her own thoughts as she smoked a cigarette. To the orc's left is a middle aged looking halfling in a blue robe. The halfling looked at you with wary eyes.

The orc woman looked up at the six of you with a quick appraising glance. "No uniforms? Must be mercenaries." She grumbled as she shifted through her papers, looking for one in particular. She seemed to be in a foul mood. She quickly pulled out a paper covered with names, most of which have been crossed out and grabbed a pen, hovering it over the list as she says, "State your names and specialty."

Carl is the first into the larger tent and the first to approach. "Specialist Vega, support and logistics, reporting for duty." He hands his official, still sealed papers directly to the orc knight, bypassing the table. Carl stands at crisp attention while waiting for a reply.

The assingment is written and signed by the general himself. He explains who and some of what Carl is. He outlines his purpose as the logistics and support officer on the team.

He also writes that this paper is to be burned after reading.

When entering the area, Selena glances briefly at each person. The item in the human's mouth is puzzling to her. Smoke comes from it, yet it seems to have no other purpose. In other situations, Selena might have asked what it was. But the halfling's leery looks and the orc captain's cross demeanor suggest this is not the best time.

The man who spoke seemed to have the procedures down. Selena observes his words before saying, "Selena Sequoia, specialties of tracking and wilderness. I have experience as a guard for travelers and have been in combat many times before." She briefly wonders if she needed any sort of papers like what he handed over. When she does not see anyone else with them, she relaxes a bit.

The woman rolled her eyes as she tore up Carl's papers without so much as reading them. "Tsk, of course he'd send someone to babysit me." she complained. "You're not on the list but you got the look of the dog, and I think I know a bit about your lot. What's it like being a pet project? Actually don't answer that because I don't care. I hope you have a broad definition of the term 'support' because most of everything is already over with. Course you and the general wouldn't have known that. He just assumes everyone goes at his pace." she turns to look at Selena, however she purposely didn't dismiss you, implying that she wants you to stay.

After listening to Selena's introduction, the woman let out a deep sigh. "Well aren't you out of your element." As she said that she crossed off Selena's name from her list. "It's good that you can fight, but have you ever fought in an indoor environment? Fighting in confined spaces can be quite different than in open terrain." As she said this the robed halfling spoke up, "Captain, please remember we need as-" "Yes yes, as much combatants we can take." she lazily interrupted. "No armor, just that little spear. You a spellcaster girl?" she asked.

Q had followed the people inside, watched over the few applicants there already. A small noise came from his throat as he stood next to Jared, a noise he would know was a chuckle, and that the best thing to do was to run, hide, and wait until the explosions stopped.

After the Furry-eared woman, Selena, he thought she was called, answered the woman whether she was a spellcaster or not, he would step forward. "The name's Q, and my specialty is frying people's brains, In other words, magic. This is Fel Bunny." He said, holding up his rabbit, then pointed at Jared "That's my personal servant, Jared, and his pet Boar, and the smaller dwarf is my companion, Pete." He did it with such a voice, no emotion showed in it, that it would be very hard to tell if he was lying or not.

As others began introducing themselves, Leo looked to Elean, who looked back to him with a curious gaze.

"..." he waited so as not to be cut off again.

"What? Now? I just did that..." The young flag bearing squire whispered to him, with an annoyed look. As soon as the knight heard this, he let out an exasperated sigh. He didn't even know where to begin with this. So many things wrong, he couldn't even. He didn't even. He just stepped forward when it was his turn to introduce himself, defeated.

"Leonard of House Faust. Paladin Cavalier. My sword and shield work best on the front lines, occupying the attention of the enemy, and defending my allies. I can also call upon divine blessings to aid my efforts and even restore vitality to the wounded," He explained in a clear cut manner, searching out the eyes of orc he was speaking to. He tried to put on a strong front, and truth be told he actually had some real confidence to base this front off of. Aside from his years of training in nobility, he had plenty of martial training and ritual meditation at the Crusader Academy. He graduated into Knighthood as valedictorian of his generation. Though, his skills had yet to be tested in actual combat, he had plenty of skill to be proud of.

Eleanor was much too young to be an actual combatant. She knew this, and so she didn't introduce herself. She just bore his flag, and the sword and shield he mentioned.

Selena tilts her head at Q's response. When he is done, and when Leonard has introduced himself, she speaks to the captain as though nothing has happened. "I have never fought indoors. I am not a spellcaster specifically. However, I can communicate with spirits of nature. They assist me in battle."

Hearing Selena's reply, the woman simply said, "Close enough."

After listening to Q, Captain Stormblade furrowed her brow as she glared at him, then Jared's boar. "Thanks for introducing me to your damned rabbit... and whose bright idea was it to bring that boar into my tent? We have stables! This is an office not a zoo." As she complained she crossed off Jared and Q's names off from the list. The halfling spoke up again, looking at Q, "It's good to see a fellow practitioner amongst us. There are just too many of these brutes here and-" "Brutes, Jacib? We have some of the best soldiers of the king's army here and you call them brutes? Perhaps you'd like to talk about that time when those 'brutes' saved your scrawny back-end from a pig to our friends here." The halfling looked down and meekly replied, "It was a very big pig." "No, no it wasn't."

After Leonard's introduction, the captain examined him. "Paladin, eh? Guess they'd give that title to anyone these days. Have you actually been in a real fight?" She looked down at Eleanor and covered her face with her hand as though she couldn't believe she was seeing her. "First animals now children. This is the last time I try working with mercs." After saying this she put down her hand and crossed off Leonard's name from the list. "Well if it makes you feel any better captain, with help like this I'm sure nobody would blame you if this goes poorly." the woman in red said, finally paying attention. She reached into her pocket and grabbed a small leather pouch filled with cigarettes and offered one to the orc woman. "Want one?" "No, I just need to sleep after this to cool my head."

With a final sigh she looked at Kip who has yet to say anything. "What about you then?"

"Hey, m'not yer servant, dumb elf!" he says at Q, then turning to the Captain "And me boar goes where I go. He's as much a part o' this as the lot of ye, ye hear me?" the dwarf sounds angry and is not afraid to show his true emotions, unlike his partner. "If ye want him out o' ta tent, then the meetin will have ta be taken outside aswell." He crossed his arms looking the orc straight in the eye in defiance. How he hated the greenskins... "Nyway, name's Jared Blunt, and this is Rage Kage. M'a former member of t'Helzron Boar Riders, field commander actually. I've seen war far afore ye were born, child!"

The captain grunted in response to Jared's boast. "You've got spirit, that's reassuring."