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Arden · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 720 Location: Oklahoma

Rebecca pushes her hat back with a finger of the hand holding her glass and nods at Finn's assessment. "Agreed," she says as her eyes scan the maps. "Wish we knew more 'bout the folks there. Stop off in one of these border towns in Begma and see what we can gopher up, I reckon. Kinda s'prised somethin' this close to the GC hadn' been visited in a coyot's age from the look of things."

She runs a finger along the forest path. "That'd be the safe route, yeah? I'm almost tempted to follow the Road." She eyes the rest of the room's occupants and then sucks her teeth briefly. "Meybe."

Ruger · Joined: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 68

Arkadios · Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Posts: 78 Location: Good old Yookay

Kade retires to a seat, wine glass cradle between his hands. He smiles and shakes his head, inwardly he is vexed that he has been ignored, he muses acidly for the nonce, deciding not to speak since he'd likely be ignored again.

We just need to go, what use puzzling over charts, if there are those capable of providing intelligence those same people can tell us where in this misbegotten shadow the trouble is brewing

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:41 am Post subject:

Eric seems to grow bored and stands, the last rays of sunlight shining upon him from a small window to the left of the room, framing his face. As he walks to get some hors-d'oeuvres, he says, "I assure you all, the situation is actually quite simple." He helps himself to small pieces of pate-en-croute and some blue cheese with honey. "The truth is that Begma has had very little relations with Greymoor. The forest path that connects Begma to Greymoor leads through a long forest path and through a mountain range. Begma simply has had little to gain from trade with Greymoor, at least too little to cross such a border on a regular basis." He takes a few bites, and punctuates with a sip of his wine. "Begman officials do not know of our plan to re-route the enemy's forces through Greymoor, and they are not to be made aware of it either. If Greymoor were to fall, Begma would certainly be next. As far as they are concerned, we are simply sending an expedition in order to better secure Begman borders. After all, the late King Oberon has invested much in this small kingdom and we are in fact fulfilling the requirements of our current treaty."

The King takes a few more bites then sits back into his throne. The light outside has faded fully, the sun has set completely and darkness encroaches the room a bit more. "The map of Greymoor certainly is outdated, but I suspect your expedition will be able to fill in the blanks... If we find out where the Black Road falls, a clearer strategy will be available to us. Our information currently comes from sharing intelligence with Begman scouts."

"Your main goal will be to establish contact with the various Kingdoms and convince them to allow us to send our troops for support. Secondary goals include defining a preliminary strategy in defeating the Chaos menace there, as well as preventing large troop movement via the Black Road." Another sip.

"If things should prove to be too difficult, you should of course contact Lords Julian, Caine or Gerard... Which brings me to these," he points to the wooden boxes. "These contain trumps for each of you who do not yet hold a deck of your own."

He looks at everyone in turn, with a wink for Rebecca, as he finishes his food and empties his glass. "I'm open to questions now." His best smile yet appears, casual and classy. A red glow hints at his chest, through his black garment.

Arden · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 720 Location: Oklahoma

Rebecca pulls a chair out from the table and straddles it backwards so she's got her arms propped on the back and facing Eric. "Sounds susp'ciously straight ferward," she notes. "When we leavin', and who 'sides us is goin'?"

Ruger · Joined: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 68

Altair nods, as if to second Rebecca's words. He finishes the last of the wine in one gulp, sucking in every last drop. His smile is gone and his gaze is fixed upon the face of the king. He says nothing, but begins to rap his fingers on the table slowly.

Finn · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 124

"I think that answers Kade's question." Finn begins with a nod to the man he named, before finishing off his tequila in a quick toss of his head, and placing the glass on the old map. The bottom of the glass magnifies the point at which Greymoor supposedly meets with Begma; the shadow path. "None of us have been to Greymoor." He catches Faylinn's eye, and gestures at the glass that now magnifies the somewhat mountainous forest path.

He turns to Rebecca, and nods. "That path is the only way in, as far as we know." Finn considers her notion, "The only problem with following the Black Road is not knowing how many Shadows it will wind through before getting there. With that, we have no way to know about the time differential, and thus no way to schedule our arrival or our plans." Finn smiles, "Though with a Hellride, that still could be an option."

Finn tuns to Altair, and claps him on the shoulder once, before saying, "The King's Will won't amount to much in Greymoor. They won’t know the King of Amber from the King of Siam, so dropping his name will bear only the weight of legend, if it has leaked that far. They may even assume we work for Grandather Oberon, rather than Eric. Their only avenue for world news is that path, after all.”

The Duke of Avalon lifts his eyes to Eric when he begins to speak, his lips press together slightly in disapproval. "You keep using the word 'expedition', does that mean that we will be leading troops to Greymoor with us? Or will they be bivouacked in Begma, ready to enter Greymoor when the way has been cleared?" Finn takes a seat beside Rebecca, sitting straight and tall. “Gathering intelligence as we go is, at best, unwise. We will be starting out at a disadvantage. How long ago was this Begman intelligence shared? Has anyone besides Begma confirmed the information? When we go to establish contact, with whom are we treating? Are their divisions along cultural or even ethnic lines? I take it that our troops can also be available for Trump transport, but in what number and disposition?”

Finn tilts his head slightly, “You are asking for a handful of disparate goals.” He holds up one finger, and then lets it drop, “Permission to stage upon their lands, which implies alliance or conquest, if any of their leaders are at all alert. We must assume that they are. In either case, we need them far more than they need us, a fact they cannot help to be aware of.” He frowns slightly, “Which means we need to create native sentiment for our cause, a kind of insurgency, and we don’t know enough to pull that off, and won’t have the catalyst to do so in a hurry without Chaos hordes pouring in – which renders the issue a bit moot, because if we’re not organized by then, we’re in trouble. Once we’ve located the Black Road, strategy becomes easier, but that assumes that our only enemy is Chaos alone – and not native Greymoorians unhappy with our presence.” He raises an eyebrow, “Do you know the names of any of the leaders we might be dealing with? Whom we might need to play against the other? Are you aware of any current conflicts that we could unbalance in our favor?”

He snorts softly, “It is anything but straightforward.” Finn shakes his head, "Not to put a damper on anyone's enthusiasm, but we're not a strike force, there's larger concerns than simply filling in pretty little tree symbols on a map."

sandrayln · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 244

"I think," Faylinn says as she reaches across to nudge Finn's glass aside slightly, "that what Finn is attempting to ask is, 'is there a plan, or are you simply throwing us in and hoping we will be able to swim?'" She doesn't pause for a response, just continues on while examining the supposed trail. "But he has ever been on the blunt side. What sort of woods are these?"

Arden · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 720 Location: Oklahoma

Eric's daughter smirked; she had said it was suspiciously straightforward. She sipped her whiskey and eyed Finn from under her hat.

Ruger · Joined: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 68

At Finn's words, Altair smirks. "I did not mean to say that his name shall get us far, but rather I will do what is required of me by his name."

He reclines, taking out some paper and tobacco and begins to roll a cigarette. "Of course there is an ulterior motive in all of this. What else are we to expect? However, so many different talents would not be gathered here unless they had a chance of accomplishing any tasks set before us. Either way, is the suspicious manner of this mission going to stop anyone from going?"

He strikes a match and begins to take the cigarette slow.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:54 pm Post subject:

Eric nods through most of the exchange as he processes quickly the questions thrown at him.

First looking at Rebecca, before anyone can respond to Altair's question, apparently assuming it to be rhetorical, he says "You'll be leaving at first tide tomorrow. Arkadios will be doing the navigating, probably, while Gerard will provide temporary protection from the dark waters until you make port in Begma's Sunderland."

"I imagine some of you may wish to Hellride there, but Caine reckons that the Black Road always seems to remain. The troops that you will be taking," looking at Finn now, "will have to travel by sea. This should give time for those who decide to scout Greymoor for themselves to do so."

"You will be taking fifty or so infantry men with lances, fifteen archers, and... Julian has also volunteered twenty cavalry men from his rangers in Arden. The ones led by Sergeant Labro, I believe you're familiar with them, Finn.. Oh and a handful of standard bearers in case there's a need for grand appearances. I'll leave that up to you as needed."

Eric clears his throat, then continues his long-winded explanation, looking at Faylinn as he says, "I'm not about to sacrifice anyone in this endeavor, and I'm sure you understand that competent resources are stretched thin at this time."

"The intelligence that we've received is quite new, I assure you, a week at most, including the time difference, which according to Caine is just about two and a half days in Greymoor and Begma to one in Amber. The map is all that we could muster from Amber's library."

Looking at the rest of you, Eric says, "Greymoor is drawn outside of the Golden Circle by choice. The truth is that they have heard of us but either don't think much of Amber to begin with or are too isolated to concern themselves with matters outside of their lands. Either way, the Black Road remains a multi-Shadow spanning threat and I imagine it can be made very clear that we can offer proper help in destroying its source, as it was done in Avalon... among other Shadows."

Turning to Faylinn, Eric says, "My dear, there is in fact a plan. I wouldn't want to risk seeing who exactly can or cannot swim over a matter of such importance." He chuckles, "I thought it would be more fitting that we introduce our newcomers first... But since that does not seem to be a pressing matter, I will share it with you now." He stands and walks over to the maps. He takes Finn's glass and hands it back to him, then turns the Greymoor map around and places it partially over the Begman map and points at the connecting woods. "There is your connecting area. It is for the most part an overgrown pine forest as altitude is gained, which fades into oak and birch woods. The path descends here and crosses the Black Road about here," he says pointing to the north east of Almirior.

"Since Almirior dominates the conflict with the Black Road, I would like you to begin your diplomatic and support efforts there. If everything goes well, we can trump more troops as needed."

"Technologically speaking, they don't seem to have any more than we do, and certainly not much less. They still live off of the land at an independent level and the threat of a spreading Black Road can go a long way with Greymoor's leaders."

"Finn will be in charge of troops, with the support of Arkadios and Faylinn. Altair, Daniel, Preston and Rebecca will be in charge of dealing with Almirior's King Melor. An alliance is obviously 'de rigueur'. If it cannot be achieved, report to me."

He looks at Rebecca and winks, "This is obviously not set in stone, but where you will start. I want you to report the situation to me directly as things develop. If there is any change of plan, it will come from me, via Rebecca. Be adaptable and as long as you understand the importance of Amber's presence in Greymoor, I imagine you lot will make things go as smoothly as if I'd sent Caine to do the job himself."

"What else can I clarify on the subject?"

Arden · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 720 Location: Oklahoma

Having turned around in her chair to watch Eric, Rebecca didn't say a word until her father opined that the tech was similar to Amber's. Then she cursed lowly, though only Finn was near enough to hear what she said exactly -- which was right filthy, actually.

She was looking fairly disgruntled at the notion of sailing anywhere, but then Eric assigned them into groups and she laughed out loud.

"Ar'ya serious?" She laughs again as she stands from her chair. The King's daughter drains her whiskey glass and adjusts her hat. "Lordy, Dad," she chuckles. She shakes her head and saunters back over to the sidebar for a refill.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:27 pm Post subject:

Eric chuckles and says, "Yeah, I know... I thought I'd give it a try, as usual. As long as you guys get good results, you can assign yourselves to groups as needed. Rebecca, you can go scout with Finn ahead of the others. In the end, I'm counting on you and things will be up to you as a group... Unless I give you more specific goals based on the situation that is..."

Arden · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 720 Location: Oklahoma

She turns after refilling her drink and gestures to Altair and the rest. "Nuthin' personal, fellas. It's jist I am likely the last person ya want to be tryin' a hand at diplom'cy. I'm more like ta get us inna fight then accord."

[OOC: I am assuming the repeated reference to Ruger is actually Altair...]

Ruger · Joined: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 68

[OOC: Thank you Rebecca. I was going to correct that.]

Altair takes the final drag from the cigarette and coughs slightly. He runs his hand through his hair to push it out of his face and sighs. There is a look of bemusement on his face; not quite a smile and not quite a frown. His eyes wander momentarily on the map again.

He raises his empty glass and gestures back to Rebecca. "Not at all an issue, my dear. I find myself far more comfortable in the presence of kings myself, and I am sure that it shall be handled either way."