"The drums of war never cease.
For Arcadia always lies in great peril.
How could it not?
Arcadia is a crucible of relentless conflict.
It has ever been so...
An era as long as the mountains are unyielding."

As great powers battle for the continent's fate, I make my own humble contribution.
A neutral witness in a formal but tense meeting between representatives of the League of Arcadia and representatives of the Dwarven Kingdoms in Dragonrage Pass, a stretch of land created by rage-filled dragons. Or so as the myths say."

---

If one were to observe the entire pass under the night sky, one would find camps and fires as far as the eye could see. However, not all of them are on the same side. They are allies though, a relationship created when the goddess Gaia laid waste to Arcadia. While the soldiers of both sides are either friendly or indifferent to each other, there was... uneasiness in the camp where representatives of both armies met.

But the politics was not the soldiers' concern yet and so the soldiers mostly did nothing but lay around and waited for orders. Among the organized regiments, there was one that was... not so organized. They were an assembled force of men and women who were there to help out but is not part of any official regiment. At the head of this unusual unit is one Jarde Devaron who had everyone under his command together around a small bonfire.

Once everyone was present, he spoke. "So uhh... Hello everyone. I'm... pretty sure you all know we're not a regular unit but more of a group of varying fighters. You know, like Chrom and his Shepherds in the stories of legends." He attempted to raise everyone's spirits. "And like Chrom's Shepherds, I'm sure we can get far and accomplish many things despite being an unorthodox unit."

"I'm Jarde by the way. Jarde Devaron. First and only son of King Harald of Ereb." The young man introduced himself. He wore a metal cuirass, gray in color with matching gauntlets and greaves and gray clothes underneath the armor. His hair is short and light brown in color save for a streak of black, believed by many in the Arcadia League to be a sign of corruption.

"Ah, that's a good idea!" Jarde realized. "Why don't we all introduce ourselves? That's the first step to a great fellowship."

With the tensions rising, Myno was awakened by the King of Archanea. He didn't mind. He could pay them back for giving him a new place to call home. Now, here he was, at the pass, strolling around the human encampment. There hadn't been much changes in terms of weaponry and tactics from the fight with Gaia so he was sure he could at least manage to get a good grip on the fighting nowadays. But he was worried about the Dwarven Kingdom. Last he saw them, they already were advancing at a fast rate. Who knows where they were now. Although the rise of Varjo did shock him since Razelia was such a prosperous nation but he soon came to terms with it after history has been explained to him. New rulers, tyrannical rulers, came up and changed Razelia to a bandit wonderland. Guess the world just works in different ways.

His feet was leading him to the 'regiment' he was assigned to. Myno was not sure whether he could even call it a regiment. It must've just been a ragtag group of soldiers who were roped into this. While the Manakete did not mind, considering that he fought in many groups like this back in the war, it was odd seeing as this was a formal meeting between the representatives of the Dwarves and the representatives of the Concilium. Why an unofficial group like this was here was beyond him. But he guessed he'll find out soon enough.

Reaching the small bonfire where the group was stationed around, he lowered his hood as to not seem disrespectful. Then a man spoke up, the leader, and began telling them that the group was more like Chrom's group, the Shepherds. An interesting legend, that was. It seems the man was trying to pep them up. Honestly, Myno wasn't too disappointed with the team. After all, it seemed like everyone was capable and at least they had some variety. Jarde Devaron. Okay, so this is the de facto leader of this unorthodox unit. Then the man said that they should introduce themselves.

He stepped up first. "My name is Myno, a Manakete who fought in the Gaia War." Those were the only words he said before stepping back down, the action saying that he was done. He wasn't sure what else he should say. His home? What happened to his family? No thanks. This was just introduction. His name and what race he is should suffice for them.

Taka came into the camp still keeping his handband on to keep the white hair from getting too messy. However, his immediate reaction to joining the camp was to go to the kitchen tent and grab some extra food to feast on. Upon reaching the tent, he was greeted with much taller and bigger soldiers who were quite aggressive-looking in his eyes. He quickly shoots an arrow across the tent, that ended up hitting the ground, to distract the soldiers as he mischievously grabs a few plates of food.

After his little heist to grab an extra meal, Taka approaches the meeting point that he was instructed to go to from directions on a letter he received. Listening and eating his food patiently as Jarde gave his speech, he waves and offers his new commander a snack from the plates he stole. His introduction of himself was quite nice, thought Taka, seems like a respectable man...hopefully honorable too. After the Manakete spoke, he began his own introduction.

"The name is Taka...an Outlaw from the city of Archanea. Please don't put me on the front lines...would much rather if you have me out back using my bow."

“Is something the matter, Monseigneur?”

Lord Leandre Dubois, son of Valerian Dubois, heir of the Crestwalk barony, staunch ally of King Wilmgard—her friend—pursed his lips. It was the closest he got to a pout without actually expressing it, and Estelle smiled to see it. With her eyes locked on him he fidgeted, then finally removed his helmet. All of a sudden he was less of a soldier-lord and more of a man, the curve of his jaw and nose less angular and more soft. His hair was a mess of brown curls, his fair brow furrowed over troubled green eyes.

“I did not want to leave you bearing my concerns on top of everything else, Estelle. Yet here I am, another weight on your shoulders. There is wisdom in Father's decision, I am aware, but it does not make the loss any easier.”

Estelle smiled and shook her head, breaking the distance between them until she was looking up into his youthful face. “Do not call it a loss, Monseigneur. An absence, perhaps. You know I have served your family with all my heart, and my heart remains forever in my homeland. The only difference now is that my heart must grow to encompass The League of Arcadia.”

Leandre smiled a little in return, crossing his arms over his breastplate. Like every one of his soldiers, he was gilded with the family crest—a field of blue with a golden barrulet and a gryphon engraved in front of both. “I do not question your loyalty in serving elsewhere and you know this. I... I simply do not like this notion of placing you under the protection of another man. Do the Devarons honor those who serve them as Father and his children have? Does he have the foresight of a wise man who provides for his people in times of famine? Does he have the strength of a soldier to be the shield of his people when bandits rise? Does he have the guile of a merchant to foster the prosperity of his people? Does he—”

“Je ne sais pas; that is why I am going, non? I am serving to help, not to be protected or provided for. Our Monseigneur Valerian will know how well he can trust Monseigneur Devaron and the competency of the League soon enough.”

“Oui.” Leandre raised a hand to rub at his forehead and sighed. “Just... did it have to be you? I would that he might have sent one of my knights instead.”

Estelle snorted, the hint of a smile at her lips. “N'importe quoi, I do things your knights cannot and that is why I go!”

“I did not mean—ah...” Leandre threw his hand up, where it landed unceremoniously at his side a moment later. “I do not question your competency, I...”

“Just say it, then. You have wanted to before I left, non?”

Leandre blinked, a slight blush to his cheeks as he averted his face. “It would not be appropriate.”

“Then I should go.”

Estelle managed to turn and move about two feet before his hand clamped around her arm. The grip was firmer than he must have meant it to be, his motions tense and jerky in his armor. Her head moved to face him and everything she expected was there—frustration, shame, affection. For a moment between them, silence. Finally, he leaned down, the warmth of his lips touching her forehead.

“Be safe, Ma Cherie.”

* * *

And now here she was, among strangers who felt familiar. Faces were different, but most of them had that bearing—a confident stride and a genial air of unity. She didn't introduce herself so much as blend in as servants did, materializing at just the right moment as if by magic. Setting camp only sounded easy, but for every soldier there had to be a bed roll, for each group of bed rolls a tent, and for each tent of soldiers a meal to accompany their appetite. Horses needed feed, fire needed fuel, equipment needed maintenance, and everything had to be accounted for.

She was good at that sort of thing, appearing quietly to help service dinner and get tents pitched. Some troublemaker had already caused a stir by firing an arrow in the midst of soldiers eating their food. She'd seen a shock of white hair flee the scene and had 'tsked,' noting that there were already going to be reports of misbehavior finding their way to Prince Devaron. His task was no small one, bringing men and women of very different countries into one unit. An act of desperation, perhaps, or the beginning of a truly unified Arcadian league?

As she made her way to the bonfire meeting among others, she couldn't help but feel a bit out of place. Leandre may have been right about sending a knight—many present were armored or otherwise armed, each with some look of experience. By contrast, she had only her uniform. The lacy headband stuck out from her blonde curls like a hot, glowing brand; she was no soldier, but a creature of finesse and caretaking. Whereas others were accompanied by the clink of blades and armor, she had a frilly black skirt swiveling around her legs. Her only claim to competency on the battlefield was the symbol attached to the front of her choker—the mark of House Dubois and its specialized servants.

Prince Devaron, a manakete veteran, an Archanean outlaw—the rumors of a diverse group truly hadn't been wrong. She made note of each name and silently debated whether or not she ought to introduce herself. It had never been in her nature to leap into the spotlight and she couldn't be sure anyone would care about having a maid in their numbers. Ultimately, however, she was a representative of House Dubois and decided she ought to represent the noble name with pride.

“Bonjour, comrades. Monseigneur Devaron, Monsieur Myno, Monsieur Taka, and all others whom I have the pleasure of greeting tonight, I am honored to make your acquaintance.” Her tone was heavy with accent, but chime-like as she stepped forward and offered a small curtsy. “By the order of Monseigneur Dubois, I am here to serve your every need. Besides the general duties of a servant, I am also trained to heal the wounded and to defend others from magic wielding foes. I look forward to our fellowship as we serve the League.”

The youthful archer stared at the two quite curiously and offers the maid an apple since she acknowledged his presence kindly though he does offer a slab of meat to the Manakete. He was smaller than the maid and laughs a bit as he stands up next to her and give her the apple if she would take it.

"Nice...a maid and a Manakete. And all I have to provide to the table is a few arrows and a bow. Apple ma'am and for you quite Manakete some meat, if you so desire. Guess I better be kind to the two who'll be fighting on the front lines compared to me."

He snickers at his own joke and waits patiently if she would take the gift. His other hand however kept a wary hand on his bow just in case if they would do something strange or suspicious. Never hurts to be extra prepared, he thought, Gramps did say don't trust others too much. His grin on his face though was a real one as he was excited to work with these interesting folks. @Fairess @Polaris North

The prince, an archer, a Manakete, and... A maid? Well, as long as she can fight... This is definitely the most diverse group I've been a part of.

Seeing the variety of people made Alfred both hopeful and wary. Hopeful because it meant that any individual's weakness could be covered by another, wary because it could mean poor unit cohesion, a problem that had led him to leave a few groups in the past. A tight-knit group of soldiers with lower skill would always be better than a group of highly-skilled suspicious strangers.

Alfred looked up from his notes. Usually, he liked to be the first to speak, but it seemed that wouldn't be the case this time. He cleared his throat and said, "I'll be the group's tactician, Alfred. When you introduce yourselves, or at the very least before our first battle, please inform me of your capabilities in battle. It will greatly improve your chance of survival. For example, I have some proficiency in the sword, and am quite skilled in magic."

"...geez someone is straight to the point. And I think our boss should be the one appointing the roles first, just to clarify things. We never know if any of the others could be smart at making battle tactics too."

Taka laughs a bit and sees that the two he offered food to didn't want any. He shrugs and goes back to feasting on his profits as the others kept planning to introduce themselves. His bow now on his lap as he uses an arrow to cut the skin of the apple cleanly. This new tactician who approached them piqued his interest as to what plans he could pull off and strategies to perform.
Hopefully will be able to keep everyone from dying.

"I'm just happy there's more people that are willing to fight in close quarters...that way, less of a chance of enemies getting closer to me."

"A prince...ah, Ereb. I need to go there someday."

Angelise observed the people currently present around the bonfire. She couldn't exactly remember what was the reason she ended up being in this group. A call of glory? Nah, that wouldn't be it. Though, reasons are unimportant. She was content with this group, and perhaps she could actually use her capabilities into a better use now. Even so...ah, this prince reminded her of her own brother. Though, wasn't her brother a lot more stiff than him? Or perhaps Prince Jarde could speak as lax as this due to being outside of the palace? Ah, memories.

It seemed like it was time for introduction. First one was, wait, a Manakete? It was the first time for Ange to see one in person, and just like how the books said, this manakete didn't look like much at first glance. And he immediately returned to his position after saying his one line. Not a man of much words, this Myno was. Having someone that ancient would perhaps be a boon to this group. The next one was...oh, an outlaw? Why was he here instead of a prison? Was Archanea's guardsmen this lax? These other kingdoms were odd, and Jarde definitely picked up quite an interesting bunch of people with him.

The next one was a maid. Simple in appearance, but Ange understood the need to have a caretaker on the group, and as far as she's aware of, maids serving nobility usually have quite the combat ability despite their outwardly appearance. Ange remembered how her own maid was a better fighter than her, but ah, she had passed away a few years ago. Quite a pity. The outlaw was quite openly friendly to others and tried to get them to chat, but before any of them responded, a tactician introduced himself. Ah, just like in those historical battles! A skilled tactician would turn the tide of conflicts with their decisions. Hopefully this man could carry the heavy burden on his shoulders. With Alfred done, Angelise decided that it's time for her to come into fray.

"I am Angelise, second child of King Aravis of Juggdrali. I'm not that used to combat, but I can shoot down an eagle mid-flight if it helps. Pleasant to be in your company."

Ange resisted to brag even more and ended her introduction. She understood that there would be people that were more accomplished than her here, and it'd be of bad taste to brag unnecessarily about her capabilities, especially if it'd be proven to be inferior to someone else's. The outlaw quipped about him being glad that others could cover his inability to fight in close-quarters. In a way, Ange was glad too. She still had to train herself to overcome her physical condition, so it would be vital for her to keep away from her enemies. The less possibility of her being caught at her moment of weakness, the better.

"Man I'm starting to get nervous...we got a genius tactician, a Manakete from legend, a dedicated maid, and another royal. All we need now is some sort of hero to show up and we're already a set group without me."

Laughing at his own sick jokes again, he doubles over and holds his stomach as he tries to get a better view of the princess. He wasn't one to reveal his own family ties considering the fact that he was the one who broke off from them, but he suddenly had a flashback of those times when he too was able to have such a royal name. However, he much enjoyed his time being the outlaw he is and the fact he gets to use his favored weaponry all the time without anyone judging him.

"Well you guys all seem like a rather nice and higher classed group...so if any of my manners displease you, I'm apologizing in advance. Habits such as taking things are kinda hard to break..."

Nyx sat on the side as she watched everyone introduce themselves. She kind of didn't feel like introducing herself as she felt they would reject her. But in a near instant second she heard someone say Manakete. She rose from her seat and spewed out words at a thousand miles per hour "I'm Nyx and I guess I was also involved in the Gaia war as well." She quickly sat back down and looked at her feet.

She didn't really know whether these people she had allied with would be trustworthy after all. Like seriously, she wasn't able to read the tactician and of all the people a bandit, someone who is known for being some kind of thief, murderer or worse. And it wasn't like she could defend herself after all she had no idea what happened that day during the war. Which explains why she doesn't know how to use her powers. All she knew how to do was sit and listen to other people.

Roane watched silently as introductions went around, her hands clammy despite the blaze of the bonfire. The assembled group was...eccentric, to say the least. It was a mosh of fighters, each one as interesting as the next. There were royals, manaketes, outlaws, tacticians--even, to the wyvern rider's surprise, a maid. All seemingly more trained and well-equipped than Roane.

She fiddled with her armor, more self-conscious than usual of its lackluster style. It was old, having been originally her father's, and devoid of any insignia. But it was heartier than most, design replaced with function, and well cared for despite the time. Still, Roane couldn't shake the feeling she always got since her arrival at court a mere three years prior. A silent, judging feeling of her origins and appearance.

Sit up straight, Roane silentlly chided herself, reminders of Lady K'shein's advice echoing in her mind. It's going to be alright. Just relax. Lyth is with you. Her eyes flickered to the side in search of her draconic companion, her tense posture relaxing as she spotted her friend weaving through the gathered crowd with a childish gleam in his black eyes. Though he was smaller than the average wyvern, he was still a large and imposing sight. But he was a comfort amongst strangers nonetheless.

After a moment, Roane slowly stood and bowed deeply. "My name--" She faltered for a moment, inwardly grimacing as her 'bumpkin' roots showed clear through her still present accent, before she forced herself to continue on. "My name is Roane Teresse, procector of Lady K'shein of House Niveana in the kingdom of Ereb." The soft nuzzle of a scaled snout on her side caused a small, upwards twitch on the corners of her mouth. "And this," Roane wrapped an arm around the neck of her wyvern, "is my partner, Lyth. I'm good with an ax, he can fly fast." Lyth pulled away, the smell of food dragging the wyvern lumbering towards a white-haired man, leaving Roane to smile at her new compatriots sheepishly and bow once more.

An outlaw... from Archanea? From what he observed in the days that he was awake, the King was anything but lax in his security. So why was an outlaw like this one roaming around? However, this was no time to bear animosity to the rule-breaker, considering that they would be allies from now on. He then turned his head to the next one who introduced herself, a maid. Normally, Myno would be struck with disbelief that a maid, of all people, would be picked for this kind of group. They were going to battle, not serving a master in household chores. However, her appearances might not let it on, but she did seem competent. Some of the maids at the King's palace were no joke either, so he assumed this one wasn't as well.

Before someone else could introduce himself, the strong smell of meat travelled its way to his nose. He searched for the source and ended up looking at the outlaw, Taka, who was holding out a slab of meat to him and an apple to the maid, who never said her name. Myno was debating whether or not to take the meat from the outlaw. He had just gotten his fair share... or rather, plentiful share of food earlier on, thanks to the generosity of a General from Archanea who knew of him. Before he could decide, another man introduced himself.

Tactician? Well, this is a good addition. Tacticians tended to lead their groups to victory with their strategies and quick-thinking. Perfect. As much as Myno could probably take out a chunk of enemies just recklessly diving into the enemy forces, he at least wanted to get back alive. The man was straight to the point too, good. "I'm a Manakete, Alfred. I can fly and breathe out fire. Although I'm not used to it, I can probably still fight in close ranged using my claws and teeth." Then another one introduced herself, this time being a noble. Although it was odd to hear that she used a bow, from what she said. Last he heard, most nobles took the sword. But since she seemed skilled and confident. He turned back to Taka, who spoke once again. He seemed to be nervous around them, claiming that he was only a mere outlaw and that he could just be replaced with a hero. Now this person was not as confident as the others.

The next one was someone who looked similar to him - pointed ears, no armor and that pendant of hers had a very familiar stone. A Dragonstone. When she spoke, however, Myno was quite surprised. She spoke so fast. Although he managed to catch Nyx and Gaia. She was probably as old as him, maybe a little bit younger, but they both experienced the war. Interesting. He would like to go speak with her later. It had been quite a while since he had met another Manakete, considering his long slumber and the death of his family. He then turned to Roane. She stopped, for some odd reason, and then continued. He then turned to the wyvern. Huh... he never wrestled with a friendly wyvern before. He wondered how that would go. It would be good exercise too. After that, however, the wyvern quickly scurried off to Taka, presumable because of the food the outlaw carried.

Taka, she decided, was precisely what he described himself as. She'd been tempted to accept the fruit he'd offered but had politely declined by shaking her head—it was unacceptable for a servant to eat in front of her betters, much less to eat while others did not have anything for themselves. What made it even worse was Roane's dragon being attracted to the food.

Estelle had never seen such a beast before and promptly backed away as it approached. What odd colors it had in the firelight, scintillating shades dancing across its scales as it moved! And that maw! It looked like it could snap a person in two just with that, and she hadn't even seen its teeth. Her pale blue eyes were wide as she retreated, caught in a stare before she inadvertently bumped into Alfred.

“Je suis vraiment désolé! Veuillez m'excuser.” She promptly turned, offering an apologetic curtsey before realizing she'd slipped into her native tongue. “Apologies, Monsieur. I will do my best to see that you are comfortable in camp—we must have our lead mind focused to make the best plans, non?”

Having embarrassed herself, she would have liked to have excused herself there. A maid's work was never done, and there was cleaning up to do for dinner as well as all the minute details she'd have to sort through getting everyone in the proper tent. There was a lot to consider already—like who could possibly be bunked with a self-declared outlaw and who a noble like Madme Angelise could comfortably share a tent with. The shy Nyx girl, appearing like a manakete, seemed like she would get along with a down-to-earth dragon rider like Roane. Myno seemed to have less sharp a tongue than Taka, so perhaps he would handle sharing a tent with the sensible Alfred? Yes, and then she could be right there to serve any needs of Madme Angelise; the arrangements were coming along nicely in her head!

She wanted nothing more than to be back in motion, arranging everything until it was perfect, but Monseigneur Devraron seemed to just be beginning. Her ivory hands folded in front of her, patient and demure as a dove's wings as she glanced between Alfred and their leader-prince.

So from maid, Manakete, tactician, and noble...we go to supposed Manakete since she looks young but is apparently old and a young woman with an ax and a dragon partner. The supposed Manakete seemed more nervous than Taka which was not a good sign considering the fact she could be one with more power. He'll make a reminder to help her out with that later if he can, maybe a few tricks to go along with it as well. The Wyvern Rider seemed friendly enough...though the Wyvern comforted Taka a lot more than the ax. His legs were already getting a bit wobbly from looking at everyone's swords but the ax really made him shake a bit more than usual. He could imagine everyone making fun of him, all because of his fear for weapons that involve such strength despite that being what he grew up with. No way are these people going to find out...just stay calm, he reminds himself, just laugh like Gramps said. So he thought of the funniest prank he pulled off on a heist and laughed.

Taka really couldn't hold in his laughter as he doubled over once again. This place was really like home, he thought, only these guys hopefully won't be jerks...right? He eyes the large Wyvern that was attracted to his plates of food and laughs even more. Thanks to his constant travels, Taka heard a bunch of different stories and the ones about Wyverns enjoying a good meal seem true. Immediately he gets a plate full of meat ready from all of his hoard and displays it in front of the dragon. Waving at the owner of the dragon and the other newcomers who introduced themselves, he looks at his hoard of food and laughs a bit again. The pile was diminishing and he wasn't one to give food out to only one person due to picking favorites. He grabs his bow and looks at the others one last time as he says,

"You guys keep on introducing yourselves, and I'll be back. Might as well have a meal while talking this much. People tend to speak longer and feel a lot more comfortable with a meal at hand...or at least some type of food. If you guys don't mind me leaving for just a bit."

The sound of wood clashing with wood filled the hall as the soldiers practiced. There were dozens of them, divided into smaller groups of maybe six sparring partners. Standing at the entryway, a large threshold with two large doors, was a rather tall man just under two meters in height. He wore light armor and carried two swords on his left side, one positioned below the other and both in sheaths. His hair was brown in hue and not necessarily long and not actually short. He spoke to a shorter man who had beckoned him away from his students.

“Captain Cylus Thael, you have orders to appear for the parley at Dragonrage Pass. You’ll be joining a special regiment for an assignment. The Orders come from General Thael.” General Thael was, for clarification, Cylus Thael’s sister.

“Ah, Mira. I was hoping she’d send me. While I do love teaching,” he glanced back at the soldiers, several practice swords had been broken since he’d left, “I do miss the action of battle. I’ll get ready with all haste.”

~

Cylus stood by as the others members of their rag-tag group introduced themselves, he was certain that each member was as skilled, or maybe more so, with their abilities as he was with the blade. Even though the group wasn’t as intimidating to look at as an organized unit of soldiers, they, he was sure, were far more deadly by an order of magnitude, at least.

There were two shape shifting dragons, refered to as manaketes; the Prince of Ereb was present, an outlaw from Archanea, a maid who Cylus was certain had more to offer than met the eye, there was also a tactician.

Mira must have something in mind if she’s involved in putting this group together… He considered approaching her and asking about it but had quickly abandoned the idea - she was just as likely to eat him alive as actually answer the question. Cylus feared his eldest sister, she didn’t become a general of a third of the Concilium military by collecting bottle caps.

No one had spoken for a few seconds so Cylus decided to take the opportunity. He stood, making himself clearly visible, “My name is Cylus Thael. I teach swordsmanship at the base in Archanea. I can fight in close quarters but not at a distance and, so you're aware - I wear light armor for speed and agility. I don’t carry a shield for the same.” He’d turned toward the man who’d called himself Alfred as he spoke, letting the man know what he could and couldn’t do.

Eclisse stood by in silence as each member of this little meeting introduced themselves. In all honesty, she was expecting a diverse group of warriors, but nothing this diverse, the manaketes were definitely a surprise to her. The outlaw however, made Eclisse very cautious, she had her fair share of bandits and rogues and none of them were particularly friendly, so you could say her suspicions were justified, but only time would tell if she will come to trust this outlaw.

After everyone else had introduced themselves it seemed that it was Eclisse's turn to introduce herself. She wasn't nervous in the slightest, this could be their very own little mercenary group. She hefted her blade, Blackfang, onto her shoulder and proceeded to introduce herself. "You may call me Eclisse, I'm a mercenary from Archanea, though thanks to my profession I've been to many other kingdoms besides my own. You have my blade, if the pay is good."

Senshi wasn't paying the greatest attention to what was going on around him, he was busy sorting through all of the medicinal ingredients he had brought with him. Muttering to himself as he sorted them into groups, "Rose petals go in with the poison cures, nightshade with the poisons, daisy stems go with the healing potions, and finally juniper go into the poison cure." He finished sorting to see what he assumed was the group he had been drafted to. He thought back to last week when he had just got a decent lead on the bandits who killed his family and ruined his town but before he could head off after them soldiers came into town and drafted a few of the townsfolk into a militia, and he happened to get caught up in it, he came back to reality after a lady with an odd looking sword introduced herself. Senshi stood up and bowed, "Oh, right we are doing introductions, well my name is Senshi. I'm an apothecary from Magi Val, I know how to make potions and use a bow. I would really like to not be in the front lines."

He sat back down and thought to himself, "My this is a rather motley crew I've been drafted to. We have a maid, an outlaw, a wyvern rider, two manaketes, and prince and princess from two different countries. And there was the tactician and the one who just introduced herself. Sheesh, Senshi what have you gotten yourself into?"

There definitely was an uncomfortable feeling around the group...and Taka wasn't that stupid to tell it was partially due to him being an Outlaw. However, he much rather be viewed as this than be viewed as one who was discredited by his family. To make up for the awkward silences and hushes, he starts leaving toward the munitions tent once more.

"I'll be back...guess I'll try to make it up to you nobles and do something nice like the maid over there."

Going inside to notice a much more quiet environment, he was able to peacefully swipe full plates of food. The men were all drunk if not tired from being busy feasting on all the food that was there, though leaving quite a savage mess. There was really no need to take THEIR food, but he took the food that they were about to take later on. Though, his greedy self of course had to go into the kitchen as well and grab a few extras as well. He quickly heads back to the others bringing a small cart to carry the feast he brought with him. On his way back, he was distracted by a rather large cart and was debating about taking the cart or using the small one he found earlier.

"Would I get in trouble if I take it? It's just a cart...not like there's anything of importance to it. Maybe the people won't notice...or should?"

As more members of the group introduced themselves, Alfred took notes on each one, nodding when they spoke directly to him.

Preliminary Notes on the Group:

Jarde– A Lord, the leader of our group. Seems like he will be fighting close up, like your typical glory-seeking noble. Appears to be inexperienced.

Nyx and Myno– Manaketes. Myno claims they can fly, breathe fire, and fight close up using their natural attacks. It seems these will be our powerhouses in the group. Myno seems like he is mentally prepared for battle, Nyx does not. Both claim to have prior experience in battle.

Taka– An Outlaw. Claims to be skilled with the bow. Has a... Casual attitude. Don't give him any important responsibilities until he proves he can be trusted.

Maid— A Maid. Claims to be able to heal. I've heard rumors that servants in Gleivnir are trained in the use of knives, as well. Remember to ask if that is true. As a maid, is likely used to following instructions to the letter.

Angelise— An Archer. Claims to be skilled with the bow. Another noble. Appears inexperienced. Likely a more trustworthy archer than the Outlaw.

Roane— A Wyvern Rider. Claims to be skilled with the axe. Claims to be a representative of another noble house, House Niveana. Likely to be useful ferrying less mobile individ—

Alfred's writing was interrupted when somebody bumped into him, resulting in his pen running over what he had just written on Roane. He could hear the offender apologizing profusely, but he was focused on mourning his lost work. Now that the page had been marred, he would have to tear it out and rewrite the whole thing. It was mildly upsetting, but he would have likely done that anyway, just to clean up the presentation.

After grumbling internally for a few moments, Alfred looked up to see the maid with her hands folded in front of her. She appeared to be waiting for a response to something.

"Oh, apology accepted," Alfred said. "Say, I've heard rumors that servants in Gleivnir are trained extensively with throwing knives. Would there happen to be any truth to that?"

Nyx looked at all the people and shakes her head. She knew fully well most of them have not experienced fear like she had. Most of them would only have heard stories of the Gaia war while she had experienced it firsthand. Anyway, she didnt know who to trust. The only person she felt she could trust would be the other Manakete or the bow knight. Though she was sort of scared of the Mercenary known as Eclisse. Even though she was pretty. The other people she didnt feel like she could trust but she wasnt scared of them. Though she still felt the theif was untrustworthy.

She looked to the tactician and notices him taking notes. She approaches slowly and peeks over the tactician’s shoulder. She notices what he had written about her and shakes her head slowly. He had misunderstood her quite a bit. She was no powerhouse and she had no experience in battles as far as she knows.