"Thank you for coming here.  I know the king has little enough to spare at this time, with everything else that needs his attention, and I appreciate that you are able to come to my aid."

You are in Lady Meridian Theel's council chamber.  She sits at the head of the table.  Seated to her right is General Osmund Wilders, commander of Lady Meridian's army, and on the table in front of them is a map of her territory within the kingdom.  They both point out relevant locations on it as Lady Meridian continues to speak.

"As you know, the Children of the Sea have been quiet for some time.  The business with their Megapod was a significant setback, and they have been taking their time to regroup.  Of course the quiet since then was only temporary, hardly a return to peace.  It seems we are reaching the end of that little reprieve."

She glances to Wilders, who continues "The Children have been launching raids against some of our communities.  Nothing serious, our soldiers are able to repel them with only minor losses at most; we suspect that they are just testing us now while they prepare whatever they actually have in mind.  But the point is that they are coming out again, and attacking civilian locations no less.  We've sent scouting parties to search the area where we think the Children are based, but we've had no luck so far.  It's that bloody magic of theirs, I suspect.  We just can't figure out what they are doing or how to break through it, and we can't commit more of our own men to the task because we need them to keep the people safe from the raids."

Lady Meridian then resumes speaking.  "And this is where you come in.  We need you to find their outpost, or fortress, or whatever it is.  We can provide soldiers for an assault on the place once we know how to get to it.  Any questions?"

It was a full day of riding from the capital to Lady Meridian's manor - how did you interact with each other along the way?  Did anything noteworthy happen?

And now that the expository mission briefing is done, what do you do?

The journey to the palace was fraught with whiskey colas and pool games… none of which seemed to slow them down, strangely.  It was as though the road existed in its own time dimension which their various watering holes couldn’t interfere with.  Music was their constant companion, on the road and off.  It resonated in their bones.

Geezer bows formally, causing his slightly greasy long hair to flop forward.  A grin alights on his ragged face.  “An honor to serve as always, m’lady.  Will any heavy weaponry be available to us for the final countdown?”
This message was last edited by the player at 15:16, Sun 19 Feb 2023.

She nods in response to your bow, and replies "When the time comes, we shall provide what we can.  But let's find out exactly what we are up against before we roll out the big guns."

"If we take the fight to them, hopefully that sends all the signal they need."

Wilders nods and says "Hah, that should teach them, sure enough!  But any decisive action does require that we know where the action is to take place.  How do you think you'll start?"

“Maybe we should start with the location of their last raid.  They may have left a clue behind unintentionally.”

There seems to be general agreement with Geezer's suggestion, and so you are given the location, but no escort (since it is unlikely that they would be able to keep up, or that you would slow down enough for them).

A couple hours later, you ride into Pernarutto, a small town along the Killing Road.  A scout patrol on horseback spots you on the road as you approach and shows you into town.  One of them rides ahead, and when you get to the impromptu barricade at the edge of the town proper, she is waiting there together with Yan Scotus, the captain of the soldiers who are currently stationed here.  He salutes as you ride up, and calls out "Knights, what can I do for ya?"

"Point the way to the nearest bar, for starters.  In the interest of full disclosure, that's usually how we answer that question."

The captain seems taken aback.  He pauses for a beat, then says "And the nearest bar, that'll help you defend us the the sea beasts because...?"

Geezer shrugs with his shoulder.  “Good place to gather information, for one thing.  Also an excellent source of liquid nourishment, which is essential for any effective fighting force.”

Capt. Scotus shakes his head and mutters "Whatever, you're the Knights here."  He then clears his throat, points into town, and gives you directions to a place called the Final Ward.

There aren't many people inside when you get there.  This isn't surprising since it's the middle of the day, not really peak tavern time.  But there are a few people scattered around, on their own or in small clusters, and one older-looking man behind the bar.

There was an emphatic reaction from Udo, "Yaaaaa!" Taking a moment to remember where he was and the company he was keeping, he constrained himself

"We'll be the paragons of professionalism, don't you worry. It's just like Geezer said, it's a recon visit. People are willing to talk when given some social lubricant."

First things first: Geezer searches for a pool table.  Failing that, he looks for darts.  Or any other similar form of entertainment.  Is there music?

There is indeed a lone pool table in one corner, currently unmanned.  No music plays right now.

Geezer checks out the pool table.  Is it the kind you have to pay to use?  Either way, he’ll rack ‘em up and ask if anyone else in the band group wants to play.

A few cues are leaning in the corner near the table.  Balls are in pockets, and a triangle frame is sitting empty on the table.  There's no chalk though.  It looks like you can play for free.

As you start setting up for the game, two guys who had been sitting at another table approach and ask if they can join in.  You notice that they are wearing the black and green tunics of Lady Meridian's army.

“Gladly.  And welcome.” Geezer racks ‘em up again.  “Here on business?”

"Aye, as long as those damned Children are still about.  Don't know where they'll be next, but we've got to be at least kind of close."

"That's kind of why we're here," Geezer says.  He sips as he looks across the pool table like a general observing the scene of tomorrow's battle, wishing he had a shot glass of perpetual refilling.  "Name the game."

You get to playing, and to trading boasts - first over the game itself, and whatever wagers or trick shots you might choose to make, and then turning toward martial exploits.  These soldiers speak with the bravado of men who at least know how to wield a sword properly and may have even drawn blood at some point, but have never lived through a pitched battle against a serious opponent.

Geezer casually mentions the recent attacks, without even diverting his attention from the table.  He hopes to get something from them… maybe even something they didn’t mean to let slip.

Then he carefully takes his shot.  Nothing like hearing one stick and two balls cracking together.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:21, Mon 24 Apr 2023.

"Funny thing," one of the soldiers says as he lines up his shot.  "When they hit a few weeks ago, I know we fought 'em off okay, but I don't remember anything about how they approached or how they left.  Just remember putting a halberd into one of 'em."  He punctuates his statement with another satisfying crack, hitting a ball at an oblique angle to send it into a corner pocket.  He then stands up straight (more or less) and turns directly to you.  "So what are you lot doing then?  Reinforcing our defensive lines, or hunting the slimy bastards down?"

"Hunting them down, if we can."  He eyes the table, taking careful note of the location of each ball.  He tries to envision where they will travel when his friendly rival takes the most logical next shot.  "So, did they seem to appear out of nowhere?"