Affairs in Order

[sliper]

The sun begins to set on Goldcroft as the five men, high ranking members of Lord Croft's Royal Guard, meet outside Sliper's office after being summoned. These men and their families made up Goldcroft's Sword Nobility, each member of which could tell you just exactly how they were related to the Crofts no matter how many generations past or how thin the relation. There was a nervous energy among them as they gathered, as this was unusual.

They seem surprised as Sliper opened the door and exited his office, offering them all a smile.


"Welcome, each and all. I apologize for skipping the pleasantries, as we have much to accomplish. You have all done great work raising Goldcroft's defenses and preparing for enemies foreign and domestic, but now we must be on extremely high alert. I am seizing command of our forces in Aetheron's absence and all orders will come from either from me directly or Lord Croft himself. I will be giving you each a mission vital to our continued prosperity. Your missions are secret, even from one another, with the exception of Warmund and Edmund, who will be working in tandem. I will make this quick. Carlyle, please follow me into my office."

Sliper returns to his office, taking a seat behind the desk made from fine dirimoloth maple gilded with gold and sapphires. Carlyle follows behind him, closing the door, and making his way to stand in front of the magnificent desk.

"Officer Carlyle, your past experience on the seas makes you uniquely qualified for our most pressing task. You will take a company of men to guard the <i>Hallingford</i> in addition to the men already there. Baron Silk has asked for a tour, which will have to wait until I return to the city, but I suspect his interest is more than he lets on. If you see him, or any agent of Devardec or the shadows, sound the alarm and send notice to me at once. I will hopefully be sending you some aid, in the form of creatures more suited to manning the ship itself. Failure to protect and defend the <i>Hallingford</i> will not be tolerated. I trust you understand what that means."

Carlyle bowed his head in a nod. "Thank you for this honor, Lord Sliper."

"You are dismissed. Send in Warmund and Edmund."

Carlyle shuffles out, and does as told. Warmund and Edmund enter.

"Warmund, Edmund, you are to meet me here tomorrow morning. We will be journeying to the surrounding territory on a mission vital to our holdings. Your duty is to protect me and our cargo with your lives. I recommend you each bring an additional soldier you trust on this venture. Trust me when I tell you that this mission is crucial to our continued success. You are dismissed, send in Osmar."

The two men nod and bow, then leave and send in Osmar.

"Osmar, Your mission is to head to Devardec with a group of young recruits, where you will meet with Kylu of the Sun Guard. As part of an agreement between our two cities, he will be training you and your men the in the manner and style that they train their army in Devardec. I trust I need to say no more. You are dismissed, please send in Weoric."

Osmar bows and leaves, sending in Weoric.

"Weoric, I am putting you in charge of Goldcroft's Dwarves. With the return of Baron Streen, I do not want them getting any ideas. This may require that you convince the taskmasters to be kind to them, but perhaps not. Use your judgment. Additionally, go now and find two of them with an ounce of charisma, and please bring them by my office tomorrow at dawn. You are dismissed."

Alone once more, Sliper stands back up and begins to gather his things, packing for tomorrow's journey.

[sliper]

The small convoy made its way through the narrow passes of the northern mountains, passing Mt. Borosa, each man mounted atop his own majestic, pale gray horse, the type native to the plains north of Goldcroft. Even Sliper rode one, eschewing his usual serpent. Sliper rode alongside his guard Warmund in the front. Three younger soldiers rode just behind, one of whom was dragging a cart behind him, its cargo covered by a large swath of velvet, obscuring its contents. Edmund followed in the rear. The wind whipped against them, but overall they kept warm as the Cherrin morning sun shone down upon them.

The trip was uneventful and the convoy moved largely in silence. As Sliper kept quiet, the others followed suit. Eventually, they came upon the entrance to the mountain giant's lair. At this


The mountain giant led them into the cavernous hall where Ern sits on his throne.

"What brings you to me, Sliper of the Golden City?" Ern bellowed.

Sliper took a deep breath as he stepped forward. No matter how many times he had been here before, treating with the king of the mountain giants was never without its anxieties.

"We seek your aid... in a form of a few of your men, to help protect our land from the storms and whatever else may be coming our way. They will be treated as Lord Croft's personal guests, and we have secured lodging suitable to men of their stature, both physical and otherwise."

Ern bellowed back, "You are lucky, Sliper of the Golden City, that I have a few men eager to get out of the mountains and to see more of the world. You have been fair to us in the past... but if they do not receive your respect, you and your city will be pulverized to the ground."

Sliper nodded and breathed a sigh of relief, before motioning towards Warmund, who took the signal to remove the velvet draping from the cart, revealing a cage containing two dwarves dressed in full motley.

"Thank you, King Ern. You are most fair. As a gesture of good faith, I present to you this gift... two dwarves; one male, one female. They are yours to use as you wish.

Ern eyes the dwarves and grunts, the loud noise shaking the humans, dwarves, and the half-elf a bit. "These pitiful creatures are too small to be much use around here, but they do look amusing. My men will report to your gates when they are ready."

Sliper nodded, gathering his men and quickly making for the exit. "I hope they won't get seasick," he whispered. "Now, let us head to Windell."