Thanal Palace - emergency meeting

[Adder]

Frederick, Thane of Zerdargia, walked across one of the public rooms of the palace, his feet crunching on broken glass scattered on the floor.

There weren't many dwarfen buildings that had windows, but this room was intended to show off the gardens to visitors and especially to make some races feel more at ease, for some got claustrophobic in the normal dwarfen rooms which were intended to mimic the underground caves that were their original home.

Frederick looked out at the storms raging across his city and grimaced. Standing at the window, a gust of wind blew some fragments of glass out of the frame and it tinkled from the mail shirt that he wore.

He fretted as the time wore past and he waited for his visitors to arrive. The storm had been the last straw and even his mother had not objected as he firmly took this position.

Eventually some squat figures emerged from the gloom and he sighed in relief before turning and returning to the conference room where he would hold the meeting.

[Adder]

Frederick was sitting calmly at the desk when the three dwarfes were shown into the room and he waved them to seats, nodding in greeting to them as they sat.

You know why I have called you here this brightening. We have always relied upon our military might, especially the reputation of the Veldar. But this war has seen the staked raised to levels that we cannot afford to ignore.

He looked around the grim faces that regarded him and he steeled his heart against the objections that these dwarfes were sure to raise.

They had dedicated their lives to protecting a secret and had thwarted many attempts, even by fellow dwarfes, to divine that secret.

You have all witnessed the devastation that is being caused to the city. So far little lasting damage has been caused and the civilian casulaties have been light.

What you may not know is that reports from the battlefield outside the city show that most of the armies out there have been devastated, both those of our attackers and those of the cities who came to our aid.

At first sight, the news that our attackers have been defeated might be cause for celebration, but the news is instead grave. Whilst the armies have been destroyed the mages who controlled them have not been destroyed.

Let me be frank. The armies were never more than a distraction for those mages, toys if you like to be expended. Now that those toys have been destroyed the mages will take direct action. I am told that arcana employed indicates that there are several mages of the highest level.

He shook his head and allowed the news to sink in to the sullen faced dwarfes who faced him.

The next attacks are likely to be arcane and we will have little defence. I need to get the population out of the city, those that remain and prepare a new defensive location.

He met each of their stares in turn. You know what that means. We can't be seen to leave the city for the remaining enemy forces currently hiding in the Dolwoods would ambush.

We need to take a task force and clear the escape route, and you are the ones that can guide that task force. I need to know your thoughts and I want your agreement to this.

He leant forward against the table and faced them down. For once he was not the slightly too young and dominated by his mother Thane. This was the leader of his people and he wasn't going to let a few members of an extreme cult stand in his way. They could agree or they could sit in gaol, he couldn't really care which they chose.

[Adder]

Frederick smiled grimly at the Lieutenant from the Veldar Elite's intelligence section.

It went much as we expected. They were very unhappy about it, but given the current destruction in the city and the impossibility of evacuation in any other way in the end they gave in.

They will give your team directions through the tunnels, but they can't guarantee what will be found or in what condition everything is. Apparently there are a some Vyssies wandering about, though only in the tunnels at this point.

The elevator is cleared but untested, however there is no way to access it with the fighting going on outside. It was clear also that there was much that this did not tell me, and your team is going to find them the hard way.

Bring them into the Palace, that way we will not breach the security of the other entrances. I will brief them, though there is little for me to say.

The Lieutenant, nodded in satisfaction and with a quick salute, turned and jogged off.