City of Towers

Swords of the Serpentine Campaign in Eberron

Status: On Hiatus System: Swords of the Serpentine Premise: The players are troubleshooters sheep-dipped from the military by a powerful patron. They are taken from a war that seemingly never ends into a different type of conflict of politics, espionage, and intrigue to eliminate problems and find/retrieve items.

Discuss...

Eversink as depicted in City of Towers

Given that Eversink is described, but not laid out, in a more general manner, I decided to base its layout on Sharn in Eberron. I love that campaign and am comfortable in it. There was also nothing in the description that didn't speak Sharn as far as layout. As a GM, that immediately spoke things to me in terms of the way that the populace interacted in a way that a random city would not have done.

I also fixated on the fact that this could be akin to the Black Company or Malazan, which brought up the idea of the players being sheep-dipped from the military in service to a powerful Noble that's secretly a Sorceror.

I decided not to play a character of my own, instead concentrating solely on the rules and the play as I'm unfamiliar with the system. I usually embed an NPC/PC for the purpose of helping to shepherd along the story, and to provide support for missing abilities. But the setup of Gumshoe I knew would provide for that lack, and the fact that I wouldn't have to feed them clues would help also.

I focus on the patron before play starts- the only thing that the players won't have much input into, though I'm prepared to change that if necessary. It will also give me a chance to play around with the character creation in sort of an abstract manner.

First a name- something that implies old power. Serevid Mawstorm. I decide that she is female, first-born of the current generation, but not the chosen heir. That would be her brother, whom she despises, Tomiard Mawstorm. They have another sibling – Thyanne Mawstorm Her mother died when she was 16, he was 10, and her sister was 8, leaving her to be raised by a distant father that took the fact that he had only one suitable heir very seriously. She took Thyanne under her wing, though her younger sister does not share her dislike of their brother.

Thohaferd Mawstorm is a very stern man; his wife tempered his humors, but with her gone, he lives only for power and his name.

That's enough of the supporting cast for now- back to Serevid. She's highly intelligent, and left to her own devices has trained in the Sorcerous arts. She plays the games of intrigue well, and from behind the veil of another persona – Baran Shade. Never seen, other than fully armored, he is a respected and feared figure.

Her background done, it is time to develop her character.

Serevid Mawstorm

(Portrayed by Katie McGrath)

Name: Serevid Mawstorm Alias: Baran Shade Profession: Sorceror/Thief Adjectives: Mysterious, Duplicitous, Fiery, Talented, Aloof Drives: To Inherit the House, To Gain Power, To Be In Control Allegiances: (+)Ancient Nobility, (+)The Sorcerous Cabal, (+)The Triskadane, (–)Church of Denari

Investigative Abilities

Charm, Command, Intimidation, Liar's Tell, Nobility Corruption, Forgotten Lore, Leechcraft, Prophecy City's Secrets

General Abilities

Bind Wounds, Burglary, Athletics, Sorcery, Stealth, Sway, Warfare

Sorcery Details

Though her mother was a dutiful wife, she was also the member of The Sorcerous Cabal, having married at their behest. Though her daughter would never inherit the House, her mother chose Serevid to inherit her knowledge. Theirs was not the art of the elements, but mastery over the mind. She has learned control of emotion, illusion, secrets, transportation, worship, and other arcane spheres that she holds close to her chest. She hoards that knowledge as the last gift from her mother.

The Bloody Bastards

Having done Serevid, I have many other ideas of characters that I want to connect in the web of intrigue. But I hold off and wait for my players to get together for a session 0 and get their insight into the city and the campaign.

Three friends have decided to join in, but for the duration of this narrative, I'll refer to them by the character names that they have chosen – Baratus, Callendin, and Daakon. Members of Cohort I of the 47th Legion, the Unstoppables earned that nickname as they broke lines and broke enemies, able to get past any fortifications. That was primarily because of the first 'Tent Group'. They had their own name in the unit – the Bloody Bastards. They did the jobs that no one else had the stomach to perform- infiltrating and taking out sentries, blowing lines of egress, scouting ahead to ferret out ambushes, sapping walls, and more extremely dangerous missions.

Everyone liked that bit of background and flavor, so I gave them the pitch to go along with that- they were going to be pulled from the lines and put into an urban environment to be troubleshooters for a powerful patron. Once I told them about the works that had inspired the idea, they came on board pretty quickly!

We'd all played in the Eberron campaign that I mentioned earlier, so the idea of sticking with that for the city and just overlaying the background really appealed to them, and they had many ideas.

Baratus was the sneaky one of the bunch. A Warrior/Sorceror/Thief (Assassin). Daakon was more of a Conan type Warrior/Thief. And Callendin was a Sentinel/Sorceror – an interesting combination.

We spent the rest of the session going through the rules and deciphering areas where we had doubts.

General vs Investigative – As we'd done some Fall of Delta Green, they were very familiar with those.

The class angle was something new, but it wasn't too hard to grasp. In fact, seeing that the penalty was only one point, they decided to all multi-class in order to cover all of the classes. They liked the fact that there was a separation of the skills in that way, and that there was not much penalty for being creative with the classes.

They did wonder about there not being free build points as there were in other games where competence was assumed, and what that meant for the tone of the game, and also wondered at the investigative build points being so much lower- but then they saw how fewer there were in the way of the investigative skills. Allegiances and Enemies seemed like, to a limited extent, Agency, though since this was more political, it made sense that they could be negative.

It seems like with the emphasis on corruption and demons and such that some sort of ability similar to Stability would have been included- but I pointed out that this game has Morale, which seems to in some ways replace that, and in other ways, help the cohesiveness of the party. Preparedness was really welcome.

Combat, while familiar in some ways, was quite different in others. We decided to call it so that everyone could read through how to make things happen, and they could finish the characters on their own with my help.

Baratus

(portrayed by Michael Jai White)

Name: Baratus Profession: Warrior/Sorceror/Thief Adjectives: Cynical, Quick, Witty, Sarcastic, Wiry Drives: Always Finish the Job, Trust Noone, Sentiment has No Place Allegiances: Commoners: +1, Thieves' Guild and Smugglers: +1, Ancient Nobility: +1, City Watch: -1

Health: 11/Threshold 4, Morale: 7/Threshold 3 Armor: 1, Grit: 1

Investigative Abilities

Shared Abilities: Intimidation: 1, Liar's Tell: 1, Servility: 1 Sorceror Abilities: Corruption: 3 Thief Abilities: City's Secrets: 1, Ridiculous Luck: 1, Skullduggery: 2 Warrior Abilities: Tactics of Death: 2

General Abilities

Athletics (Dodge): 8, Burglary: 1, Preparedness: 1, Sorcery: 5, Stealth (Where'd He Go?): 8, Sway: 1, Warfare: 6

Minor/Iconic Items

Short inwardly curved chopping sword with nasty teeth on the end. (Damage Modifier +1) Brace of throwing knives (Damage Modifier +0) Pouch with various metal bits to discourage pursuit Brass knuckles (Damage Modifier +0) Lockpicks Squat in Sharn's Welcome. Battered, blackened leather armor with sweat stains in the arm pits (Armor 1)

Sorcery Details & Background

Baratus was born in the shantytown in the Mud Caves district of the Cliffside ward. His mother was of a former merchant class family that fell on bad times- she was the third generation since their fall. Her mother had regaled her with tales of better days, and the woman had been intent on making her way into a better strata. That consisted, in the end, of being taken into a brothel in Sharn's Welcome. After returning home to have her child, she returned to work in the Brothel, and he found himself spending much time between the two districts.

The particular skillset that he groomed was one of running for bigger players, moving up into more substantial skullduggery as he grew older. It turns out that he had a skill for it. His move to the larger leagues was precipitated by a deal that his mother made with one of her clients to sell the boy. He wasn't sure what she thought she was selling him for, but he prefers to think that she didn't know that it was because of a sorcerous deal with higher powers. The god of murder it seems procured disciples in such a way, and Baratus it turned out was an excellent pupil. Eventually, he was able to worm his way out of the cult when he enlisted, leaving them to think that he was murdered. The god, for some unknown reason, plays along.

The sorcery that he learned in the death cult revolves around blood, decay, and shadows, and though he tries not to bring attention to himself by invoking corruption, it does sing in his spirit as the little god calls to him every time he takes a life.

Notes

Talking to the player, their favorite characters were Quick Ben and Kalam in the Mazalan Saga and wanted to merge the two together into a background. Talking through it, we arrived at Baratus; someone that formerly worshipped a death god, and used that power to augment their assassin's skills.

Callendin in Action

(portrayed by Nicolas Cage)

Name: Callendin Kovalin Profession: Sentinel/Sorceror/Thief Adjectives: Cautious, Secretive, Gaunt, Strongwilled, Intelligent Drives: Power Above All, The Wheel Turns for All, A Plan for Everything Allegiances: Ancient Nobility: +1, Sorceror's Cabal: +1, Church of Denari: -1

Health: 8/Threshold: 3, Morale: 10/Threshold: 4 Armor: 1, Grit: 1

Investigative Abilities

Shared Abilities: Charm: 1, Liar's Tell: 1, Nobility: 1 Sentinel Abilities: Laws and Traditions: 1, Spirit Sight: 1, Vigilance: 1 Sorceror Abilities: Corruption: 3, Forgotten Lore: 1 Thief Abilities: City's Secrets: 1, Scurrilous Rumors: 1

General Abilities

Preparedness: 5, Sorcery: 12, Stealth: 3, Sway: 5, Warfare: 5

Minor/Iconic Items

A fine rapier that was a mustering gift from his father (Damage Modifier +1) A heavy shortsword that he bought for himself when he learned that his father's gift was pretty worthless on the battlefield (Damage Modifier +1) Family signet ring, wax, writing implement, parchment, and string Key to the Family Estate Various liquids in metal tubes in a bandolier that really do nothing, but he casts to the ground to explain his various magical effects. Fine Leather Armor that was a better gift than his the sword his father gave him (Armor 1) A thoroughbred horse that he's had most of his adult years.

Sorcery Details & Background

As the second son, it was left to Callendin to uphold the family service record and join the military. The only problem was the fact that he showed little aptitude for military things. Training only goes so far- at some point something else is supposed to kick in. And it never did for him. He was excellent at parties and navigating the halls of nobility, but the honor of House Kovalin was at stake, and his brother was the heir. He despaired of the day that he would be called to service- and studied the accounts of warfare and strategy and tactics as if his life depended upon it while grooming contacts to possibly get him into position as an Adjunct to one of the officers.

In his studies, he found persistent references to the presence of unseen forces in battle, manipulating events invisibly to help the cause, but stay out of the sight of the Church. It seemed to be a viable way to make up for his lack of talent on the battlefield. But he despaired of over finding anything. One day, he found that there was a treatise in a stack of books that he'd been reading that he was almost sure was not there before. The words in the book touched that empty space where his fear of what was to come lived and tempted him to look for more and to take risks that he'd not been willing to before that time.

As he did more research and hands-on exploration, facilitating contacts beyond the noble courts, he found that there was an almost open secret that powers existed in the city that the Church sought but never found other than the random witch executed to drive these people back into the shadows. He found his master on one of these excursions- a noble like himself that had been forced to leave his house after word of his indiscretions became known. He found he had a hunger for the arts in the pages, and a skill that he'd never found in feats of arms.

He specialized in physical spheres, learning to control air, lightning, and fire with a thought. His fine control of those abilities pleased him and stunned his master, and quickly he outstripped what he could be taught.

At that point, his Master told him that he was ready to fulfill his family's obligation but still had an obligation to him, that he would pass along. The only thing that his Master told him about this obligation was that one day another Master would come to take his knowledge further- to keep his head down and do his service.

He did just that, waiting for someone to come and liberate him from the hell of battle. But no one ever did. And so he began to for the first time apply himself to his job and overcome his shortcomings in battle with his magical works. Some knew that he was a Sorceror but he found that in the field, they didn't care. As long as he kept himself in check, wasn't flagrant with it, and helped them to survive they accepted him as he was. He was almost happy with his circumstances. Of course, when you're happy is when the rug is pulled out from underneath you.

Daakon

(portrayed by Jason Momoa)

Name: Daakon Profession: Warrior/Sentinel/Thief Adjectives: Unrefined, Aggressive, Survivor, Cynical, Independent Drives: Always get out alive, Look out for number one, Word is Bond Allegiances: Commoners: +1, Outlanders: +1, City Watch: -1

Health: 12/Threshold: 4, Morale: 8/Threshold: 3 Armor: 1/Grit: 1

Investigative Abilities

Shared Abilities: Command: 1, Intimidation: 1, Liar's Tell: 1 Sentinel Abilities: Vigilance: 2 Thief Abilities: Ridiculous Luck: 1, Skullduggery: 1 Warrior Abilities: Know Monstrosities: 1, Spot Frailty: 1, Tactics of Death: 1, Wilderness Mastery: 2

General Abilities

Athletics: 8, Bind Wounds: 1, Burglary: 1, Preparedness: 3, Stealth: 3, Sway: 2, Warfare: 12

Minor/Iconic Items

Father's Legionnaire Sword (Obvious, Damage Modifier +2) Very sharp dagger with finger-hilt (Damage Modifier +0) Well-used Bow with very strong pull (Near, Obvious, Damage Modifier +1) Chain Sleeve because he hates armor, but sometimes you have to have something (Acts as Buckler). A Fast Light horse that he stole from caravan owner that wouldn't pay his due. He hasn't named it yet as it hasn't survived long enough. Well used and sweaty leather armor forced on him in the legions, and he gained an appreciation for it (Armor 1)

Background

Daakon was born outside of Sharn, on a nearby farm in Breland. Things became a lot worse for the Brelanders outside the large metropolitan area after the wars- there was a large area to patrol, and more desperate people than there were people to protect the farmland workers from them. Small hamlets in the area started to become too insular to lend aid, so they were on their own.

Daakon's father had been a legionnaire, and though he was trying to put down his sword for a plowshare, realized that not everyone felt that way. In addition to his son's farm chores, he drilled him daily with the old sword that he had left after his muster. In general, his father had a policy that if someone wanted something, he'd give it to them. Too much blood and death during the wars and a real appreciation for the fickle nature of combat had given him that stance.

But some people don't just want to take what they can and move on. Some people thrive on the suffering of others. And by the time his father had seen that in the group, it was too late. He did resist, but that, in the end, didn't help Daakon's mother. While his father was looking to her, he was struck down. Daakon's only salvation was that the man didn't view him as a credible threat. He disabused him of that notion, striking him down with his father's sword. He was 12. His father's last word to him before he expired was, “Survive.” So he did.

From that point on, he put his father's lessons to the test almost daily, practicing the lessons his father had taught him just to survive. Sometimes, when that wasn't enough, he practiced other hard-won skills in the little hamlets, stealing enough to keep him going when the hunting was scarce. In one of these hamlets, he found a recruiting agent for the legions. It was good work, and his belly was full. But he now knew why his father left them behind. But he was a survivor. His father had left him that and the sword that he carried. And he was determined that would always be enough.

More Questions

So, during character creation, certain aspects puzzled the group.

The bit about Grit under 5 or more pieces of iconic gear was puzzling. What did minor and/or iconic mean? There wasn't a reference to that part (probably an oversight), but on p. 156 the question was answered. With that section in mind:

Minor/Iconic Items

Baratus

Short inwardly curved chopping sword with nasty teeth on the end. (Damage Modifier +1) Brace of throwing knives (Damage Modifier +0) Pouch with various metal bits to discourage pursuit Brass knuckles (Damage Modifier +0) Lockpicks Squat in Sharn's Welcome. Battered, blackened leather armor with sweat stains in the armpits (Armor 1)

Callendin

A fine rapier that was a mustering gift from his father (Damage Modifier +1) A heavy shortsword that he bought for himself when he learned that his father's gift was pretty worthless on the battlefield (Damage Modifier +1) Family signet ring, wax, writing implement, parchment, and string Key to the Family Estate Various liquids in metal tubes in a bandolier that really do nothing, but he casts to the ground to explain his various magical effects. Fine Leather Armor that was a better gift than his the sword his father gave him (Armor 1) A thoroughbred horse that he's had most of his adult years.

Daakon

Father's Legionnaire Sword (Obvious, Damage Modifier +2) Very sharp dagger with finger-hilt (Damage Modifier +0) Well-used Bow with very strong pull (Near, Obvious, Damage Modifier +1) Chain Sleeve because he hates armor, but sometimes you have to have something (Acts as Buckler). A Fast Light horse that he stole from caravan owner that wouldn't pay his due. He hasn't named it yet as it hasn't survived long enough. Well used and sweaty leather armor forced on him in the legions, and he gained an appreciation for it (Armor 1)

Final Touches

Taking a look at Health Threshold and Morale Threshold, we could see that Baratus and Daakon had a Health/Morale Threshold of 4/3, Callendin of ¾. All of them have Grit 1 and Armor 1.

Getting that together, the characters were done. After reading a bit, Baratus decided to take Sway 1 as the assassin's template said, and Daakon decided to raise his Sway to 2. As they made the adjustments and decided what they would change, I wanted to get in a bit of adventure so made plans to start them in media res and use flashbacks to set the stage for where they were now. That's for the next post.

Undercity

In Media Res

Their footsteps rang heavy on the old cobblestone, the combination of musty smells and old foliage surrounding them as they raced into the bare light the luminescent lichen supplied. Callendin held their prize – part of a larger artifact that Baran Shade had required of them. It should have been a time of celebration of a job well done, other than the sounds behind them. Unexpected pursuers that had been waiting for them to exit the long-forgotten halls where their prize had lain.

(Note: OOC Notes will be denoted in italics in parentheses. The GM started the session in media res to get the feel for some of the systems and immediately hook the players in the action, planning to resolve the hows with flashbacks as suggested in the rules. In this case, we will engage the Chase rules. The opposition party consists of 4 brutes – athletics 6 – and a Lieutenant – Athletics 8)

While he's never been this deep into the Undercity before, Baratus is quite familiar with the city's layout, enough to recognize the pattern inherent in the particular series of corridors that race by. “Take a left up ahead,” he calls to the other two, as they try to slip into a corridor off to the side.

(Investigative spend on city's secrets to reduce the difficulty to 1 for the round. Baratus spends 3 Athletics (leaving 5) + 3 = 6. Callendin uses the air to push himself ahead spending 3 Sorcery (leaving 9) + 4 = 7. Daakon races ahead nimbly spending 3 Athletics (leaving 5 + 5 = 8.)

The three companions race ahead, scrambling ably over the cobblestones, turning down a corridor almost hidden in shadows. The hope is that the brutes will pass by. Though the brutes are not particularly versed with this place, their mysterious employer is, and has prepared them with a map of this area.

(Spend 3 Malus to reduce the difficulty to 1 for the round. Each spends 3 athletics, reducing them to 3 for the brutes and 5 for the lieutenant, resulting in totals of 4, 5, 4, 4, and 8.)

One of their pursuers surges ahead of the others, keeping pace with the companions. The others struggle with the turn, even knowing about it, and lag a bit behind.

“Quick,” Callendin said. “This way!” He recognizes a marking on the wall signifying a fork, and creates a quick spark of lightning, hoping that the flash and sound will mask which way they went.

(Investigative Spend City's Secrets from Callendin, with a 5 spend in Sorcery (leaving 4) – for the flash/chase – Total difficulty is now 1+2 = 3, and total roll is 5 (spend) + 5 = 10. Baratus spends 1 Athletics (leaving 4) + 5 = 6. Daakon Spends 1 Athletics also (leaving 4) + 2 = 3.)

The flash goes off, causing a raucous noise behind them, as the brutes stumble through the sudden glare.

(Each Brute spends 2 Athletics (leaving 1), and the lieutenant spends 3 (leaving 2), resulting in 4,5,4,7,6 – 3 brutes drop out)

Over the sound of lightning, the companions hear the confusion Callendin's move caused, and realize after the din dies down that the shadow of only two pursuers is visible in the dim light.

“We have the odds,” Daakon says, lagging a little behind the others. “We should take them.”

“The artifact,” Callendin responds, his cloak flapping eerily in the wind he was generating to boost him along. “That's our primary concern.”

“But Shade will want to know who else knows about the ... thing,” Daakon shot back, slowing.

Callendin sighed, knowing he wouldn't sway the big man. “Fine. This is on your head.” He moved to the side of the corridor, following Baratus' lead as Daakon moved a bit further down the corridor.

(Though the Brutes will be startled at the end of the chase, the GM rules that there is no surprise. He does let them know that they will only have a couple of rounds before it's likely the others will join. He also rules that Daakon will go first. He tags Callendin for the next action.)

Daakon charges forward, catching the brute lieutenant just as he comes into view. Taking his sword in two hands, he brings it up under the man's guard, into a diagonal slice.

(Warfare 4 + 5 = 9 which exceeds the Health Threshold 4 = 9. Damage = 1d6 (min 4) + 1d6 + 1 = 4 + 5 + 1 = 10, which is enough to drop the Brute)

The sharp blade slices through the man's chest and face, blood following the path of the blade as it glints in the bare light.

(Daakon turns the next action over to Callendin, who designates the brute for the next action.)

“You know you're next, right?” he says to the lone standing brute. “If you surrender, I might be able to keep him from killing you.”

(Wanting to test both systems of combat, Callendin uses Sway 4 – leaving 1 for possible morale tests. He rolls 4 + 4 = 8, which exceeds the brutes Morale Threshold of 3 by 5 for a critical hit. Damage = 1d6 (min 4) + 1d6 + 1 = 5 + 1 + 1 = 7, which is enough to demoralize the brute)

The man, suddenly realizing that he's alone as he sees Daakon cut down his leader drops his blade. It rings on the ground as he drops to his knees, a pitiful look in his eyes.

(With it getting late, we stop here, and the GM rules that the other brutes see what's occurred and run off into the darkness. The one thing that we note is that combat is deadly, and going first is definitely more important here than it might be elsewhere. It was fun, fast, and the rules made sense. Some things the GM isn't sure were done right, but it was fun and moved the plot along, so we judge it a good night. It was a good intro to the system involved, and we look forward to getting into the meat of the adventure in the next session.)

The Bloody Bastards

A Sanguine Meeting

(The GM decided to do a flashback at this point, to go into what they were trying to accomplish, and establish the adventure)

The blood red moon sat low in the sky, a baleful eye watching over the camp. To have a name like The Bloody Bastards, one would think that it would not be a bother, but the blood moon normally presaged a terrible encounter by the words of the fates.

Callendin had been contacted by the long-promised 'Master' last moon, a shadowy figure that had identified himself as 'Baran Shade'. He'd tasked the sorcerer with finding a couple of good men in his group to help him in the tasks that Shade would have for him. Though he'd made himself useful to the group, he would by no means consider any his friends. But he had to make judgment calls and so that he could tap the right men for the job. Thankfully, he'd judged Baratus and Daakon right, and since then, they'd grown closer, if not friendlier. Though Shade was apparently commissioned for other work there and gave the team their missions, he suspected that others knew that they had something on the side with the man. That would have made him wary, if not for the fact that he'd seen the man in action on one of these tasks, and saw that he outstripped Callendin's own powers.

And so it was that he was not overly surprised when Shade strode into the encampment from the dark, clad in a smoky black uniform, his hood up and face covered as it always was. After all, the moon foretold that there would be trouble.

Callendin had been sitting by the firepit- one of the few they had on the march. It was one of the few times that they'd not been worried about the enemy, in the middle of nowhere. The sky was clear, and even the reddened blot in the sky couldn't kill his mood. One of his books was on his lap opened, but he wasn't concerned with it, lounging back, his elbows in the dirt as he draped his head back with his eyes closed. That restful moment was interrupted by the sudden silence. His head snapped forward, and he saw just who he didn't want to see. This last month had been a whirlwind, and though he had learned a bit, he saw himself as mostly a tool. And what were tools for, but to be used.

Shade talked to their unit leader for a moment, then came for Callendin. “Gather the others, and meet me at the south edge of the camp.” It was a command, not a question, and he didn't wait for confirmation before walking away.

Sighing, he tucked his feet under him and rolled forward to come to a standing position. By now, he knew not to question Shade and turned to find his companions, only to find that they were already there.

“Like we didn't know by now,” Daakon said, not happy at their downtime being disturbed. “I wish I'd said no.”

Baratus remained silent, his flat eyes inscrutable as he eyed the exchange.

“You think I don't?” Callendin shot back. “But if wishes were horses, we'd all have had steak for dinner.” He turned towards their destination, motioning back for them without looking. “Come on. We don't want to keep him waiting.”

With nothing else to say, they walked towards the edge of the camp. Shade stood there, beneath the tree canopy, watching their approach.

“As ordered,” Callendin said when they arrived.

Shade casually waved a gauntleted hand, and a stump appeared to the right of the trio. “Your orders are there,” he said, his voice strangely quiet in the night.

Callendin took the three folded pieces of paper, and saw elaborate script on the outside, their names illuminated in text. Wax sealed the documents, with a sigil that none of them recognized.

Not waiting for the sorcerer, Daakon grabbed the one with his name.

Callendin shot him a glare, even as he handed Baratus his.

Baratus looked at the paper as if it was a serpent, opening his only after the other two had started to do the same.

The orders attached them to Baran Shade for special duty for an indeterminate length of time. “That took longer than it should have,” Shade said as they read. “But now that it's done, we have much to accomplish.”

“Your troop will be moving on soon on other orders- if there is anything you need from camp, I'd suggest that you get it, and join me here quickly.”

Taking that as a dismissal, Callendin turn to leave.

Daakon cursed beneath his breath as they walked back to camp. “Dammit, Cal, what did you get us into.”

For once, Callendin didn't immediately rejoin Daakon's rebuke, stuck in his thoughts. This couldn't be good.

The others were already packing up camp when they returned. They were apparently moving out tonight also. Murmurs greeted them as they drew closer, sidelong glances being thrown their way as their comrades tried to figure out what to say to them.

Baratus was as usual inscrutable, gathering his meagre belongings and saying goodbye to no one. By the looks they gave the trio, he was sure that they already knew. And what else was there to say?

Daakon in contrast, talked a bit to a couple of the guys. They asked questions that he couldn't answer, and said that orders had come down that they were to move to the east- though they really didn't know much more at this point. It was a bit awkward, as his association with whatever was going on had made a lot of exchanges as of late. But not knowing if they'd see each other again made that of secondary importance.

Callendin was somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. Packing up his items and preparing his horse. Talking to the commanding officer to make sure that the orders were on the up and up. He thanked him for looking out for him, which the commander waved off, letting him know that he was a good officer- better than he'd expected at first. He'd known that his time was limited, so wasn't too surprised at the new orders. It was ... better than Callendin had expected.

Their goodbyes and packing done, they headed in the opposite direction from their comrades, towards the rendevouz with an uncertain future. Shade was waiting when they arrived, seeming as nothing but the harbinger of ill fate, almost blending in the darkness. They noticed when they arrived, a piece of paper was on the stump where their orders had been before.

“Make your way back to Sharn, and go to that address in the Clifftop district. You'll receive your next assignment there.” He started to fade from sight, with only a final benediction, “Do not fail me in this.”