Aziz did not look too pleased when the masked man, Yithare, was brought before the rest of them. Whether it was because of his background or the guards was unknown, but in a moment his face was one of neutrality once more. With his hands folded behind his back, he awaited the questions that he assumed would barrage him and the other commanders. So, he was quite surprised when the only one who bothered to speak was the man from the Lunar Watch, whom were nearly as secretive and quiet as his own people. He glanced to Sentinel Balor, who had been staring intently at the masked man, and nodded in his direction. Then, Aziz said, "That, my young friend, is a man called Yithare. He was once one of the witches of the Fire Cults, but has since been tamed to be but an ember of his former self. I understand that it may discomfort you to be working with one of their kind, but it has already been discussed with Justicar Valerian, and she has deemed it necessary. He will behave, or he will have to face your people."
As he was talking, Balor had made his way over to Yithare, and helped him over to a seat where a plate of food was already waiting, as was a servant, who would aid the witch doctor in anything he needed. Major Stonewall gave them both a cold look, then waved a hand at the retinue of guards, dismissing them. As they left the room, Vladimir let out a belch and scooted his chair out away from the table, lounging in it. Four empty plates and several glasses were scattered out before him, and a satisfied look was on his face. Leaning up against the chair was that legendary axe, Opheim, looking as foreboding as ever, even when in such a harmless position. The massive fenrir looked over to Aziz, and gave him a toothy grin. "Boys here aren't that talkative, are they?" he asked, his accent thick, his voice deep and gravelly. "Gonna be a long trip if they have to work with me!" The Commander looked the other way, a look of distaste on his face, clearly hating to have to work with the brute.
The Justicar, however, only looked at the fenrir with interest, which went unnoticed by the thug. However, her gaze slowly slid over to the rest of the assembled warriors at the table. Her face remained blank, her lids low over her eyes as if she were tired. Rather than focus on her own warrior, however, her eyes rested on the armored man, Belrend. Even she knew little of him, but from what she could tell, he seemed to be the formidable warrior, and confident at that. After a few long moments, she stood, and Aziz took his seat next where the Queen had been sitting, and she turned to address the people gathered.
"All of you will be under our command, jointly," she said, skipping right over the formalities. Her voice was light, soft, and overall not what one would expect from a fierce warrior. She continued, "If any of you do not know, allow me to make more thorough introductions. I am Justicar Aura Valerian, of the Lunar Watch." She gestured to the gold armored elf seated nearby, "This is Balor, a Sentinel of the Children of the Dark Sun. He is one of the most cunning and dangerous rogues on the continent, and likely even more deadly than most of the Watch." The elf smiled at that compliment, but made no move to speak. Her gaze then turned to Vladimir, who was idly swirling a glass of wine. "That is Vladimir Karrov, descendent of the founder of Veretta, and the most feared warrior in the world. He is a mercenary, but is no stranger to commanding men, and should be treated with the same respect one would give the rest of us." He grunted his approval, then she turned to Stonewall. "And lastly, this is Major Norman "Stonewall" Bellerin, one of Aeribis's top strategists, and the commander of the Queen's armies in southern Aeribis."
With all of the commanders covered, she continued. "Major Stonewall will be stationed in Fort Kathus, on the plains bordering Conjuska, and will be spearheading negotiations with Pharaoh Ramses, and all defensive measures in the south. Sentinel Balor will be heading incursions into Ezdenah, spying on their people and rooting out any of the witches that he finds within. Vladimir will go wherever he is needed, but I suspect that he will be spending time on the northern borders. I will be in charge of hunting down the cults within Aeribis, or at least the most powerful of them. The ones that seem to be leading the rest. Cut off the head, and the body will fall. You all will be sent around between us to do whatever mission we assign you at the time."
She took a deep breath, then glanced over them. "You will begin working with me. While the majority of the forces will not mobilize for another weak, at best, we will be leaving for the wilderness tomorrow at noon. I have already heard rumors of activity in the east, and so that is where we will start. Enjoy these meals, because after tomorrow, it'll be nothing but rations and whatever you can catch." With that, she turned and left, her own plate little more than picked at here or there. The long coat flowed behind her as she left in the same direction that the Queen had gone in.
Balor merely smiled that same, warm smile he nearly always had on him. He looked to the gathered people, and gave them an apologetic look. "Please, forgive her if she seems a tad... abrasive. Aura prefers to get right down to business, rather than dwell on pleasantries. But, as she said, you all will be leaving with her tomorrow to begin. Just be sure to be careful. None of you have faced demons before, I am sure, and while I doubt I must warn you, I will anyways: They are not like mortals. They will not fight like mortals, or at least most of them will not. They are monstrous creatures of immense power and strength. You will have to out-think them, plan around them, or just plain avoid them until there is a surefire way of making sure that you can kill them."
Aziz waved a hand, silencing Balor. "Please, enough. The Justicar is more than capable of informing them of the dangers tomorrow. For now, let them eat and enjoy themselves. The city has been informed of who they are, and have been told to serve them whatever they need, within reason of course. That also extends to yourself, the Justicar, and you, Vladimir." The fenrir grinned, and looked eagerly towards the door, seemingly read to abuse this gift already. "The servants of the castle will also be ready to serve your every need, also within reason, and have prepared rooms for all of you. So, please, enjoy your stay in Aissur!" And with that, the Aziz left the room as well, leaving them with three of their commanders, one of whom seemed itching to go, only held back by the possibility of being questioned. The others seemed as at ease as ever though, and awaited any responses from the gathered.