50th of Fall, 520 AV
It was the strangest dream. The grotto stretched out before him like a autumnal blanket as the sea churned in the distance. He was walking the narrow path that wound down the terrace, his hand gently sliding across the wrought iron rail to steady him against the stiff breezes that occasionally rushed across the cliff face. Although he was lightly dressed in a long gray tunic, the cold did not touch him. Quite the opposite actually. He felt encapsulated in warmth as if he was laying down beside the fire at home.
There was no one on the terraces with him. He was alone on this quiet evening with the sound of waves crashing against the base of the cliff to accompany his footsteps down the path. Without knowing where he was going, he strode with purpose as if his legs knew something he did not. Ahead the sun glimmered through the boughs of a large maple as Syna reached down to kiss the horizon. It was all so beautiful, but then why did he feel such dread?
Nothing about this beautiful garden evoked that in him, and neither could he recall anything that would bother him so in this world. Still he felt an increasing amount of fear as he continued down the stairs till his eyes focused on a against the side of the terrace he had just been on. It flowed away from his gaze, tendrils whipping as it flowed into a crevice in the stone. Karsynwa finally had control of his legs and stopped himself from walking anymore towards the crack in the wall. His eyes were wide with fear as he slowly blinked several times.
He opened them to the familiar sight of his apartment’s ceiling. It was dark, but a torch burning outside filtered a dancing orange light through his window. Breathing in deep, Karsynwa shook his head to dismiss the dream as he rolled over on his side, and propped his arm under the pillow. It was like that he lay for about a bell till the sun started to peak over the horizon, prompting him to get dressed for the day. The Cora apartments were full of early risers so he was joined in the hallway by others who were heading to their respective jobs. Karsynwa nodded respectfully to everyone he made eye contact with but he didn’t slow down to make conversation with them. He generally preferred to keep to himself most mornings before work, and today that was doubly so.
Fortunately, few shared his winding path on the way down to the lodge where he spied an unsettling glimpse of the grotto, still sheathed in darkness from its spot tucked up against the side of the cliff. He dismissed such thoughts as he entered the lodge, filing in amongst a few others of his squad to take a seat in the main room. There a few where having breakfast while a group of men in the back talked with Commander Nodorus. Karsynwa thought their faces were familiar, as he thought they lead other squads in the lodge though he had no personal experience with them. There was one unfamiliar face amongst them. A stern looking Akalak with a cleanly shaved head.
A look around the front table and Karsynwa noticed it was packed with his squad. He took a seat on the end, not taking his eyes off of the small group in the back till they separated a few chimes later. To his surprise, other than his squad the rest of the room filtered out till it was only them and the man Karsynwa did not recognize. He was standing at the head of the table now, speaking to the men on the end though Karsynwa couldn’t make out what was said over the causal conversation of the rest going on with the rest of the table. Eventually more people noticed that he was standing there at the end of the table, and the conversations slowly petered out until a brief silence took over the room.
“My name is Kavinal and I have been assigned to assume leadership of this squad. With winter almost upon us, all members of the Kuvay’Nas lodge are getting a full brief on their new responsibilities that will come with the season change.” Kavinal said, his face stern as he addressed the table. “Go ahead and get ready for patrol, then meet me in our quarters in five chimes.”
The words hung heavily in the air. He hadn’t mentioned anything about Arrel. That didn’t sit right with Karsynwa, and neither did this stranger assuming command of their squad. Part of him had thought they would have promoted from within. However now it was clear that had been a foolish hope. He felt leaden as he went through the motions of dressing for patrol, putting on his gear before following the rest of his squad down the narrow staircase that lead underneath the lodge. Their quarters were not far below. A rather large, empty room with rows of stone benches with small woven pillows on top.
Kavinal was waiting for them at the head of the room. He struck a defiant sort of posture, with his shoulders held straight and arms crossed behind his back. His eyes scanned the room unflinchingly. Karsynwa noticed that the man had a hard face with pale pink eyes set deep and close together. His nose was a short, flat mangled thing that looked as if it had taken a nasty hit in the past. His lips were small, and stretched into a thin light blue line as he studied them with a sever expression. Karsynwa took a seat towards the front of the room.
“I think most of you are well aware that this winter is going to be a difficult one. In addition to the majority of our grain fields burning down before harvest, our fishermen have reported issues with the Suvan not providing as it once has, and the orchard’s produce has been noticeably smaller. Because of this we are going to have to tighten winter grain rations for the majority of the populace, and hope those we sent to Syliras for supplies come back with haste. In the meantime we can expect the prices for other foodstuff to raise significantly if the supply cannot meet the demand, which many on the council have reasoned to be the case. Additionally, we believe there will be passed a similar rationing for water supplies as the Bluevein continues to drop lower.
What this means for the Kuvay’Nas is that every branch will have their roles expanded in order for us to maintain order within the city, and make sure that everyone is treated fairly. While the other branches will be tasked with the supply logistics, we will be focused on making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.
As a proactive measure, we will start by staking out every tavern as that is where the rationing will be doled out. A group of four will be assigned a tavern, with a pair on the inside, and a pair on the outside. The pair on the inside will be focused on gathering any intelligence they can on everyone that comes through. If you spot a potential person of interest, you are then to send one out to the pair that has been watching the entrance of the tavern. While that pair is following the person of interest, the pair inside will leave to go find their replacements before taking a position outside of one of the other taverns. We are in the process of procuring temporary bases near these tavern to shorten the time you have to spend finding your replacement.” Kavinal said, pausing for a chime to let that sink in. For Karsynwa, it was more than a little bit surprising the extent they were going to for one operation. It was larger than anything he’d ever anticipated them doing, and filled him with more than a little trepidation about their mission. This was serious business. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was supposed to be looking for, however looking at Kavinal’s face, he was sure that would be explained soon.
So far it felt like a sound, if complicated plan. There was plenty of room for error on their part because such a large part of their mission rested on the judgment of their members. Not to say that he didn’t trust his squad mates. Just he was well aware of the potential for human error to outright waste their time following most of the men they determined to be persons of interest. Wary, he decided that perhaps he should withhold judgment till he heard the rest of the plan, or plans as they were. Perhaps there was more to this briefing than teaching them a general intelligence strategy.
WC - 1,481
There was no one on the terraces with him. He was alone on this quiet evening with the sound of waves crashing against the base of the cliff to accompany his footsteps down the path. Without knowing where he was going, he strode with purpose as if his legs knew something he did not. Ahead the sun glimmered through the boughs of a large maple as Syna reached down to kiss the horizon. It was all so beautiful, but then why did he feel such dread?
Nothing about this beautiful garden evoked that in him, and neither could he recall anything that would bother him so in this world. Still he felt an increasing amount of fear as he continued down the stairs till his eyes focused on a against the side of the terrace he had just been on. It flowed away from his gaze, tendrils whipping as it flowed into a crevice in the stone. Karsynwa finally had control of his legs and stopped himself from walking anymore towards the crack in the wall. His eyes were wide with fear as he slowly blinked several times.
He opened them to the familiar sight of his apartment’s ceiling. It was dark, but a torch burning outside filtered a dancing orange light through his window. Breathing in deep, Karsynwa shook his head to dismiss the dream as he rolled over on his side, and propped his arm under the pillow. It was like that he lay for about a bell till the sun started to peak over the horizon, prompting him to get dressed for the day. The Cora apartments were full of early risers so he was joined in the hallway by others who were heading to their respective jobs. Karsynwa nodded respectfully to everyone he made eye contact with but he didn’t slow down to make conversation with them. He generally preferred to keep to himself most mornings before work, and today that was doubly so.
Fortunately, few shared his winding path on the way down to the lodge where he spied an unsettling glimpse of the grotto, still sheathed in darkness from its spot tucked up against the side of the cliff. He dismissed such thoughts as he entered the lodge, filing in amongst a few others of his squad to take a seat in the main room. There a few where having breakfast while a group of men in the back talked with Commander Nodorus. Karsynwa thought their faces were familiar, as he thought they lead other squads in the lodge though he had no personal experience with them. There was one unfamiliar face amongst them. A stern looking Akalak with a cleanly shaved head.
A look around the front table and Karsynwa noticed it was packed with his squad. He took a seat on the end, not taking his eyes off of the small group in the back till they separated a few chimes later. To his surprise, other than his squad the rest of the room filtered out till it was only them and the man Karsynwa did not recognize. He was standing at the head of the table now, speaking to the men on the end though Karsynwa couldn’t make out what was said over the causal conversation of the rest going on with the rest of the table. Eventually more people noticed that he was standing there at the end of the table, and the conversations slowly petered out until a brief silence took over the room.
“My name is Kavinal and I have been assigned to assume leadership of this squad. With winter almost upon us, all members of the Kuvay’Nas lodge are getting a full brief on their new responsibilities that will come with the season change.” Kavinal said, his face stern as he addressed the table. “Go ahead and get ready for patrol, then meet me in our quarters in five chimes.”
The words hung heavily in the air. He hadn’t mentioned anything about Arrel. That didn’t sit right with Karsynwa, and neither did this stranger assuming command of their squad. Part of him had thought they would have promoted from within. However now it was clear that had been a foolish hope. He felt leaden as he went through the motions of dressing for patrol, putting on his gear before following the rest of his squad down the narrow staircase that lead underneath the lodge. Their quarters were not far below. A rather large, empty room with rows of stone benches with small woven pillows on top.
Kavinal was waiting for them at the head of the room. He struck a defiant sort of posture, with his shoulders held straight and arms crossed behind his back. His eyes scanned the room unflinchingly. Karsynwa noticed that the man had a hard face with pale pink eyes set deep and close together. His nose was a short, flat mangled thing that looked as if it had taken a nasty hit in the past. His lips were small, and stretched into a thin light blue line as he studied them with a sever expression. Karsynwa took a seat towards the front of the room.
“I think most of you are well aware that this winter is going to be a difficult one. In addition to the majority of our grain fields burning down before harvest, our fishermen have reported issues with the Suvan not providing as it once has, and the orchard’s produce has been noticeably smaller. Because of this we are going to have to tighten winter grain rations for the majority of the populace, and hope those we sent to Syliras for supplies come back with haste. In the meantime we can expect the prices for other foodstuff to raise significantly if the supply cannot meet the demand, which many on the council have reasoned to be the case. Additionally, we believe there will be passed a similar rationing for water supplies as the Bluevein continues to drop lower.
What this means for the Kuvay’Nas is that every branch will have their roles expanded in order for us to maintain order within the city, and make sure that everyone is treated fairly. While the other branches will be tasked with the supply logistics, we will be focused on making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.
As a proactive measure, we will start by staking out every tavern as that is where the rationing will be doled out. A group of four will be assigned a tavern, with a pair on the inside, and a pair on the outside. The pair on the inside will be focused on gathering any intelligence they can on everyone that comes through. If you spot a potential person of interest, you are then to send one out to the pair that has been watching the entrance of the tavern. While that pair is following the person of interest, the pair inside will leave to go find their replacements before taking a position outside of one of the other taverns. We are in the process of procuring temporary bases near these tavern to shorten the time you have to spend finding your replacement.” Kavinal said, pausing for a chime to let that sink in. For Karsynwa, it was more than a little bit surprising the extent they were going to for one operation. It was larger than anything he’d ever anticipated them doing, and filled him with more than a little trepidation about their mission. This was serious business. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was supposed to be looking for, however looking at Kavinal’s face, he was sure that would be explained soon.
So far it felt like a sound, if complicated plan. There was plenty of room for error on their part because such a large part of their mission rested on the judgment of their members. Not to say that he didn’t trust his squad mates. Just he was well aware of the potential for human error to outright waste their time following most of the men they determined to be persons of interest. Wary, he decided that perhaps he should withhold judgment till he heard the rest of the plan, or plans as they were. Perhaps there was more to this briefing than teaching them a general intelligence strategy.
WC - 1,481