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| Yalme | Ser Becklin Uth Viharin |
Darrett Highwater, Ser Becklin’s Squire |
Ridomir “Cudgel” Ironsmile | Mayor Raven Uth Vogler |
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Jeyev Veldrews Cudgel’s Lieutenant |
Lord Bakaris Uth Estide |
Bakaris “the Younger”, Lord Bakaris’s Son |
Room 101—Command & Control Center
Mayor Raven listens intently to each of you. “Thank you. You’ve given me much to consider,” she says. “Loathe as I am to evacuate, you all make very good points.”
Ser Becklin chimes in. “I’m deeply concerned. I’ve heard rumors of strange armies in the east, and now there’s a strange army close to my home. As the most experienced military leader in the room, I expect the worst, but I don’t want to panic anyone.”
Cudgel adds, “I feel responsible for everything at High Hill. I will give the village the complete support of the Ironclad Regiment. I hope for a peaceful resolution with this mysterious army, but one backed by my mercenaries’ spears.”
Mayor Raven Uth Vogler says, “I will do anything to keep my people safe. However, I want more information before acting.”
Right then, a very pompously, and colorfully dressed man barges into the room without knocking, ceremony, nor greeting. He is flanked by two tall, stocky, thuggish looking men in full plate armor. They have swords at their sides and shields before them.
The man immediately lays into Mayor Raven. “Raven, what are you doing!? Why was I not consulted? What is all this going on in my town? Who are all these people? Why are they being allowed into top secret military meetings? Why is that man blue?! Who’s that short lady with the man behind her? Becky! Explain yourself!” he prattles on.
Mayor Raven grits her teeth and waits for his tirade to end. “Lord Bakaris, you were not invited because you were holed up in Westside House. As for your town—you will remember that this town and my family’s name is the same, not yours. You merely reside here, Baron.”
“I may be required by law to defer to you, Lord Bakaris,” Ser Becklin says with seeming infinite patience, “but you are similarly required to use my title. I don’t make the rules. You may refer to me as Ser Becklin—and woe betide your house if you call me ‘Becky’, again.”
The thugs behind Bakaris place their hands on their sword hilts, but Ser Becklin says, “And inform your bodyguards that if they remove those swords from those sheaths, then they have quite literally signed their own death warrants for raising a weapon to a knight of the realm. Normally I would practice mercy, but a Knight I am, nonetheless. This is an emergency situation, so I shan’t tolerate this behavior. They. Have. Already. Stood. Down.”
The two thugs—and Lord Bakaris gulp. He waves his hand and the two thugs back out of the room and stand at attention out in the common room.
“Y-yes . . . well, S-Ser Becklin . . . Mayor Raven . . .” Lord Bakaris says, much more reasonably, “What of the mercenary band that I heard committed a massacre? Has someone parlayed with them? Will you send out a scouting party to look for anything else amiss?”
“That would be Ms. Ironsmile, here,” the Mayor says, rolling her eyes and pointing to Cudgel. “She’s the commander of her mercenary company, the Ironclad Regiment. And this is her Lieutenant, Mr. Veldrews. The traitors amongst them have been killed or captured, already, and those still loyal to Ms. Ironsmile are prepared to help where they can. That’s what we were discussing with Ms. Ironsmile and Mr. Veldrews.”
“As for these ladies and gentlemen,” the Mayor then points to you all. “They are the heroes of High Hill. They put the traitors that massacred our people to sword and won the day. Furthermore, they’ve already returned from scouting and have discovered a large army encamped in the valley to the northwest.”
“W-well . . . excellent!” Lord Bakaris says. “I’ll have to pin some medals on them, or something! Now, what are we doing about this army? Are we going to fortify our walls? We can use that castle of yours Be . . . Ser Becklin. Yes. Thornwall Keep! We’ll hunker down in there!”
“Lord Bakaris,” Ser Becklin says with a dangerous edge to her voice, “Thornwall Keep is not big enough to house the entire town. We’ve got to evacuate, as my friends here have suggested. Mayor Raven agrees.”
“Reluctantly,” Mayor Raven says.
“Wh-what?!” Lord Bakaris balks. “I can’t move my entire household on such short notice!? How am I supposed to pack?!”
“I fear these Red Dragon Army soldiers are part of that greater force,” Ser Becklin says. “I’ve lived in Vogler for decades and know its people aren’t soldiers. They’d need weeks of training and a hundred more professional soldiers to stand a chance in any conflict. I agree with Mery and the rest of my friends: we should be readying the villagers to evacuate at a moment’s notice in case other plans fail. Evacuees can follow the river to safety in Kalaman.”
A knock is heard and a village guard enters, saluting to Mayor Raven and Ser Becklin before whispering to her. She nods and the guard takes his leave.
“There’s a messenger from that army waiting at the River Gate,” the Mayor says. “Shall we go see what they have to say?”
