The crowd chattered among themselves, though the bickering tone had leeched out and seemed to have been replaced by one of thoughtful consideration. Solomon looked around the room. "So what will it be, gentlemen?"

One of the Long fang tribe representatives stood up. He was an old man, wrapped in shamanistic totems. "We find the Dozen, tear their throats out, rip their hearts from their chests, and take back the world!" A chorus of cheers rose to this. The room had decided, though there were several knots of resistance visible. Solomon unrolled a long parchment. He wispered with the gnome beside him, put a line through something on the parchment, and turned back to the audience.

"Well, if we are agreed, we will select names. If anyone wishes to back out now, feel free to show yourselves to the door." He looked around, his gaze pausing on certain groups. Ater a moment, someone stood, a massive man in blackened plate.

"The Church of Bel wants no part of this. We fight, not resort to trickery. We will lend aid should your adventurers enter our realm of influence, but we will not involve ourselves directly." He turned and left, the two warriors with him hurrying to match his gigantic strides. Solomon looked around again. No one stood to follow the cult of Bel. He scratched another line across the parchment. Letting go of it, it floated in the air for a moment, before slicing itself into horizontal strips. He plucked out two, and put the remainder in a bowl provided by a steward.

"Those of you with sharp eyes and magical talent, please feel free to ensure that there is no trickery here." He stirred the names in the bowl, eyes clsoed. A few spilled out, only to be snatched up by the steward and tossed back in again. Solomon opened his eyes again. "The first group. The Drow Empire. The bards of Darkhallow. The church of Erythnul. The Knights of the Black Rose. The druids of Drake Spire. The church of Eblis." He raised an eyebrow at that. "Not a bad draw for the rest of you, having the demonic patron of refusal to surrender helping you. Please choose your representatives." He waited for the room to quiet a bit as the six groups picked who to send.

"Next group. The orc tribes. The People of the Black Blood. The cult of Prince Levistus. The Iron Dog bandit kingdom." He frowned at the next name. "I don't think any of us expect the cult of Levistus to work hand-in-hand with the followers of Demogorgon, so we'll send one of our own mages. And lastly, the monks of the Way of the Viper." Again, he waited.

"Next. The ogre kingdom of Boss Gramous. The Collective Assassins' Guilds. The church of Hextor. The Sorcerors of the Unseeing Eye. The church of Mammon the Viscount. The Shattered Moon cult."

"Next. The cult of the Devourer Worm. The Grey Dwarves of Low King Kdar Anvilcrusher. The mages of the Blackened Hand. The church of Archduke Baalzebul. The monks of Jokund Mai. The Frink Hivemind."

"Next. The Bone Reavers. The church of The Archduchess Glasya. The barony of Count Julius von Drak. The Ancient Order of Sin. The church of the Red Queen Wee Jas. The hobgoblins of the World's Teeth mountains."

"Last group. The Long Fang Tribe. The Elder Gods cult. The church of Asmodeus. The Plague Land necromancers. The Associated Thieves' Guilds. And... Are the Long fang Tribes still warring with the church of Malar?" A series of snarls from the animalistic priests of the Beast God answered him. "Alright, we'll send one of our own again. Namfoodle, since you made such a stir coming in, you get to go."

Solomon took another drink of water. "Those of you not called are expected to lend aid whenever those who were operate within your lands. Anyone refusing to do so will be dealt with. And please, bear in mind that Queen Harcona raised this Citadel by herself, in one night. Don't irritate her by letting petty rivalries get in the way, hmm? Now, each of the teams will be provided with several items that will prove invaluable. Teams, please assemble by the main gate."

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"There are three kinds of plan. The fast plan, the good plan, and the sneaky plan. The fast plan works because by the time anyone knows you're there, you're already stabbing them in the face. The good plan works because they know you're going to stab them in the face, but they can't do anything about it. The sneaky plan works because while you were listening to me explain all this, I stole your sandwich."