Locating the wealth stolen from them, there are a few steps that House Malvici will be undertaking together. Some will be looking over documents, dossiers and stories about family hierlooms that may have gone missing. So that the House may know what was stolen from it.

Others will be vetting through employees across Southport, sniffing through who may or may not have been under the employ of Malrico. Extracting information about where the location of stolen goods may have ended up, in their own methods.

For some, they may see an opportunity to investigate locations they know of within Malvici's holdings to scout and search it out. To find leads for the next steps or to find what was stolen from them all.

--

Martino will be spending time in the Southport Archives to review and checking that all familiy heirlooms can be accounted for. Any mention of something the family once had, and now does not, will be noted so that a full list of what is expected to be found and belongs to the family will be.

Irisa will levy her position as head of the city guard to have those under her command shake down the city to find out who's been stealing what, to see if there are any patterns or possibilities that might lead Malvici to some answers (such as what trader ships might be transporting less-than-legal goods, if there are any new and unknown faces that have been scarpering about through the city, if any regulars have being doing irregular spending, or if there are new 'job possibilities' kicking about that seem either too good to be true, or too enticing to be legal), and more heavily police the comings and goings of Southport in order to restrict movement in and out of the port.

Eirene digs through ledgers. And journals. And steward's notes. And tracks down the employees and staff from the vault when their silver was first spirited away. She interviews. She threatens. She bribes. Anything needed to get those details for the stolen Malvici treasures. (Silver and otherwise)

Thea may not be a Malvici anymore, but her name still strikes fear depending who you talk to and who remembers. I mean, she's pulled some stunts and done some things! While her family is talking to those closer to home, Thea will likely go to the darker parts of the city. With a guard or two of course, staying in the shadows. She'll ask all the questions, to see if anyone has seen or heard of anything regarding missing Malvici treasures.

Once more a Malvici, although even when her name changed she was always Malvici in her heart, Enyo is doing what she can to assist the family with tracking down leads. She is not the best with paperwork or number crunching, but she's good at turning up a places and sticking her nose into things. So she's putting boots on the ground and spending time around Southport, looking into any location that might strike her as likely hiding spots, to see if she can't locate anything that might have belonged to the family, or anyone else that needs liberating.

Desma isn't learned like the others in her family. Her talents lie in martial practices and that of scouting and hunting. So if anyone who appears guilty or needed for questioning in the investigation attempts to leave Southport or it's holdings, then Desma will be ready to lead the efforts to track down, pursue and bring them back for questioning (or justice).

There's surely going to be missing heirlooms given Malvici's long history and not all of them may be lost for nefarious reasons but it's good to keep note nonetheless. There are of course multiple signets from previous HoH, whose bodies were never recovered. The diamondplate helm of the founder of the House, among other things, but nothing inherently fantastical.

The investigations are a massive success, as are the shakedowns and diligent work of the guards and martial prowess of Malvici. They are not only able to discover caves with underground tunnels, based on information from criminal elements in the city, but their skill allow them to take down the horrifying creatures melded with molten gold that seem to be guarding the cache.

In the end, they discover an elaborate tunnel system under Southport with gold equal potentially 500 million silver in total, but any economics novice can tell that public knowledge of such wealth will utterly break the economy.

((OOC: I'm adding 25 million to Malvici coffers upfront but they are sitting on that much wealth, depending on what they wish to do with it.)).

Let's build a really big dock in the Lyceum! Well, at very least impressively expand the size of Southport's dock.

Lord Martino Malvici will be working with others to secure their expertise and their finances to aid building a larger trading dock in Southport for the use of the Lyceum as a whole and the Malvici family. There will be additional warehouses built to store goods, as well as integrating better office facilities to ensure goods can move quicker through the port. It will be built to connect to Lady Eirene's work with the Shav's in Malvici lands (Action 3882) and Duchess Calypso's to improve the defenses (Action 3858) with the direct connections to Goldhawk Naval Base.

Ships will have more space to dock and wider access points to allow both larger ships to arrive, but also move goods on and off quicker. Ultimately accuracy and speed of loading, with ships later disembarking, will be the goal for Martino in this. High turnover of ships means higher trading profits and more tariffs coming in through the city's coffers. Shipping off more Southport Steel, Southport Spiced Red and wider Lyceum trade goods who make use of the port. As well as the warehouses.

There will also be an opportunity to recruit more fishermen to the Southport coastline, and further afield. With a larger port, there is planned to be more space to allow Clan Brass Hawk and Clan Crimson Malvicus to further integrate into Southport and help fish for the city.

Martino's own role will be to recruit those to help build this. From those within Southport to work, to the Clans outside of the City to aid in building it. To find builders from outside of the Malvici fealty and offering to them the opportunity to work on one of the biggest construction projects ever. After built, he will be travelling to Lyceum cities to make a pitch to their Ministers of Trade and staff to bring goods down to Southport to be shipped out. That, being the Southern point, will mean they see their silver return quicker than in anywhere else.

The name? Dame Arsenia Malvici's Trading Port. The Malvici who build Southport.

Calypso will provide leadership (and the occasional motivational shouting), keeping an eye on how all of the different parts of this project are moving and making sure that everyone has what they need when they need it. Running a big construction project like this isn't, after all, all THAT much different from running a war.

Improving the docks of Southport is something that Domonico readily agrees to assist with, bring his considerable naval knowledge and experience to the project.

He'll review the plans for the improved and widened docks, making sure that they indeed will work, and that the necessary facilities are there to properly and quickly secure ships in order to make sure they are as efficient as possible. He'll test the dock workers and the facilities using a variety of ships from longships, galleys and cogs up to dromonds and his caravel the Tempest (action 3706). He'll also work to plot out the best routes to use entering and leaving the harbour in order to make the operation of the dock goes smoothly and that trade can continue unimpeded.

In addition, he will make sure that the new docks take into account the new defenses that are being implemented in Southport (Action 3858) in order to best protect the Trade Port.

Verity is helping as only an Oathlander among Lycene can: securing buy-in for cooperation through earnest friendliness. She'll assist Martino in convincing trade ministers by providing enthusiastic letters of recommendation and introduction to various Oathlands trading companies, banking on Chevalle's recently-obtained reputation for Lycene cooperation to bring a credible air of inter-fealty commerce. Since she has no problem speaking to her fellow commoners, she'll similarly reach out to various southern traders who will have opportunity to use the new port and attempt to convince them to begin drawing up new routing plans to make use of the soon-to-be superior facilities.

In the spirit of cooperation between the two families, and the contract being negotiated, Zoey has agreed to put her financial acumen toward helping her brother-in-law with his ambitious dock project. Much of her time dedicated to it is spent with ledgers, making sure funds are accounted for and distributed properly. She also ensures that wheat is spent is spent wisely and efficiently, stretching each bit of coin as far as it reasonably can be stretched.

Eirene, as Malvici Minister of Population (Domain Population:1) makes sure there's housing built for all the workers as well as infrastructure to handle the increase in population needed to manage the port. New sewers. Water sources. Housing that's not a slum. All those logistical things that make life run smoothly for a worker's population. She's good at bossing people around to make sure it all happens.

Miranda is going to provide a good deal of resources to Martino's project. For a change, she will build something rather than destroy. Her Malvici Cousin wants to make a dock that suits his ego, well.. who is she to say no! Nobody, that's who. (He's got his wife for that!) However, she can easily supply the resources - or some of them - to make this possible. In addition, she will supply motivation for others, encouraging them to help add their own resources because a stronger port in Southport means more money and a better Lyceum for all!

Master craftsman Waldemai Isenhu stands ready to work on any construction project, by working himself, training apprentices to support the local community, providing and repairing tools for workers in other crafts, and organizing bands of workers for projects too large for one person.

If there is anything Iseulet knows, it's trading. If Martino needs help with negotiating, she can do that during the building process attempting to keep the costs low and drive profits up just that little bit more. But her speciality and focus is in the long term gains for House Malvici. She begins to send word to all of her merchantile contacts throughout the Empyrean Route and ties in the Route to the new docks, bringing in plenty of goods from all over the Compact to sell and then taking Malvici goods elsewhere to sell too. It's a win for everyone!

Bringing a slightly softer yet spirited set of skills to smooth the way for success, Valencia lends her abundant charm, talents and extensive expertise in raising strong support and funds to the project.

Bringing together various leadership, workers, merchants, suppliers, the clans and communities (both in and outside of the city), the Velenosan princess works tirelessly to inspire cooperation, partnerships and passion for the project, while also securing support from various ministers of trade, merchants, traders, shipping companies and other businesses so they can forge new business opportunities and be part of what is sure to be the one of the grandest, busiest and most profitable docks in all of Avrum.

Jules is helping with Martino's Southport dock project and is primarily taking on the role of helping not just to find deals but finding the largest deals possible. He's supplying 10,000 writs to assist in the process. He'll also be willing to help in any other necessary details such as haggling or interacting with people who have any need of his skills.

Being that Southport will forever be his hometown, and the root tradeyard that allowed him to prosper and gain some notorious success in the merchant business, the charming Alexio feels more than compelled to financially support the advancement and growth of his beloved city. The Dame Arsenia Malvici Trading Port certainly seems like a noteworthy investment in his eyes; significantly more when, with the promise of a certain notable Malvici lord, he has already secured a spot in it for a future merchant fleet.

Military (1k) and economic (1k) favors are claimed, and a hefty amount of coin (500k) are invested as well, by the Donatti, in order to have the project be a success.

Thea is doing something out of the ordinary for her. Kinda. She will NOT be doing anything medically related, nope. It's time to get your drink on!

Thea will be getting some of the builders working on expanding the port and the warehouses to add a tavern for her to enjoy. And others as well. (She's not that selfish. Sharing is caring or whatever) She'll be chatty with them to convince them to build it while Martino isn't looking and afterwards will advertise it out to other merchants so they know - Thea's Bar is open! Who wouldn't want a place named after them?! It'll be like Cheers! Where Everybody knows your name!

It is not an easy thing to grow a duchy. Much of the focus needs to be on keeping all the plates spinning to maintain stability. Making genuine advancement and growth takes a massive amount of time, effort, and of course, money. So, so much money.

Martino works on recruiting workers from local clans, incorporating them into the populace and turning them into laborers and fishermen. Calypso develops a new method of motivational shouting to keep people energized and engaged in their tasks, while Dominico works security, both in the short and long term. Verity wheels and deals and seems to have a knack for finding the vendors willing to take a chance on a new venture, and though sometimes these conversations run long, and occasionally happen behind closed doors, they all seem rather smug and pleased with the deals made. Lady Zoey's skill with economics ensures that the venture is a resounding success, creating profits at unprecedented rate. Eirene works with the people, ensuring there is housing, food and supplies for the new citizens to streamline and ensure there are no shortages and blocks. Miranda keeps a weather eye on any potential troublemakers, assisting Domonico's efforts in security. Waldemai lends his personal experience in building and construction, while Iseulet's experiences in trade, when worked in tandem with Zoey's book smarts, contributes to those outstanding results. Alexio and Jules donate copious amounts of money, seed money for Zoey and Iseulet's efforts. Thea and Valencia make a phenomenal team, keeping morale high, culminating in the opening of a tavern, the Canted Lever, which is an instant hit and social hub of the docks, which have been named: Dame Arsenia Malvici's Trading Port.

Jaenelle has called the Lyceum fleet to action by reaching out to her banners. Through her leadership, she will unify the Lyceum to this threat. She will go to Lenosia to see preparations are being made herself, but will return to Arx afterwards.

Admiral Antonio Velenosa will take lead, working with the other houses of the Lyceum and Prince Victus Thrax or whomever he has placed in charge of the Mourning Isle's Fleet.

The Lyceum fleet will be helping to transport members of the Templars beneath Sir Preston's leadership.

The Isles Canines Fleet, including the two Caravels will be going with Velenosa for this intervention? Juliana as Voice for the Isles has committed them to Jaenelle. Jules will be going along but in the complicity of a Healer and if needed Diplomat.

While actually leading Malvici's fleet will be Domonico's responsibility, Calypso is the one in possession of the Duchess Beatstick, so she takes the responsibility of rounding up her vassals and making sure they understand that 1) This not a drill and 2) She will be paying very close attention to who responds and who doesn't. She reminds the reticent that the Eurusi threat isn't just to the Mourning Isles and Setarco, and if it's not turned back while it's still far away, the Lyceum is going to find itself fighting a war on two fronts.

Calypso isn't blind to the concerns her vassals might have about the Thornweave threat, however, and makes sure they understand that she's taking it into account. She reminds them that Southport's city guards and ground forces will be staying in Southport at the ready, and they'll be able to respond quickly if there's need to do so, and she even offers Southport's protection in the event of trouble, telling the truly reticent about the improvements the city has made to its defenses (Action #3858) and about the new and improved city guard and the very competent woman who leads them (Thea). She even drops hints about dock improvements being made by Martino (Action #3852), a subtle reminder that Malvici's wealth and power in the region is only growing, making them a very good friend to have. She makes sure they understand that the shav issue is being handled by Eirene (Action #3882) and won't make itself into a distraction at an inopportune moment; quite to the contrary, they as well as Malvici will be protected by Malvici allied ships patrolling the coast.

Between proving that Malvici has it's collective shit well and truly together, her offers of safety, and the Duchess Beatstick, Calypso is hoping to make sure the political calculus that her vassals do leads them to the conclusion that they're going to get more out of rallying to her banner with everything they can muster than they'll protect by holding back.

War is a tricky thing. /Banners/ are a tricky thing. The Compact has experienced two wars in recent years that span across the Great Houses, but there still must be resistance to the idea of sailing the Lenosian fleet off to the /Mourning Isles/. So Berenice is going to make sure to minimize that resistance. She will charm the Lenosian armies -- navies? military -- into action. A smile, a word, a promise of glory and Lenosian greatness. A reminder of promises made to allies, and the importance of standing with them against foreign hostile forces -- even if only to protect the Lyceum in the end. Whatever gets the job done.

The entire Southport Fleet sails in response to Velenosa calling their banners and Domonico will be commanding them from his own caravel, the Tempest. This is what the fleet and Domonico have been training for for some time now and they aim to see it through.
The Malvici Admiral will offer his expertise and assistance to Admiral Antonio and the other naval leaders, in tactics, strategems and particularly in the field of helping enable inter House communication and co-ordination, both with Lycene fleets and those of the other fealties, something that he has specifically trained for (Action #3052 and Action #3462). The book Compact Naval Lexicon will be of good use here.
The Malvici Fleet have been bolstered by a dozen ships from Saik, (6 Longships and 6 Galleys) which have been placed under the command of Admiral Domonico and will be fighting alongside the main fleet.
The fleet will be well equipped with arms and armour from Southport Steel (Action #3190) and supplies from Goldhawk Naval Base (Action #2351).
The Malvici fleet will form around their Dromonds and in particular the siege weapon armed Sea Hawk, with the longships aiming to board and take the fight to ships that have been rammed by the galleys. The Tempest will use it's speed and maneuverability to be where it is needed most in the Malvici fleet, as well as coordinating it.
If it comes to battle then Admiral Domonico and the fleet will not shirk their duties.

Ornella is going to act as Antonio's bodyguard during the assault. If it comes too close, it will find itself on a long swim back to shore. If it gets uppity, she has a cutting implement for that. Antonio is in good hands. If it turns out that Antonio needs her to go perform more personal missions, then she can do that too.

Quenia answers the call of the banners and directs a bulk of her naval forces to travel with the Lyceum fleet, putting them under the direct charge of Admiral Antonio Velenosa. She also does her best to talk up the efforts Jaenelle is making to create a unified fleet, reminding the members of the Lyceum that their very freedom could be at stake if they fail to answer the call themselves.

Cambria makes certain that her own city-state of Ostria heeds the call of its liege, Velenosa. It is important not only to reassure the citizens, but also ensure the soldiery is in prime condition for action. Through her leadership, Duchess Cambria Mazetti does her utmost to show the Lyceum - and the rest of the Compact, that Ostria is ready to tackle anything.

Selene carries the title "Whisper of Peace," earned for her tireless efforts dealing with the Great Road. She relies on that reputation as the travels among the Hundred Cities, reaching out to the smaller and far-flung domains and the largest cities alike. At each place, she throws wide the glittering net of  Whisper prestige and influence to pull the beloved Lycene population close. The message is direct and clear -- lending assistance to the Archduchess' efforts to repulse the Eurusi navy, to once again rise with grace and dark wit to overcome their enemies' cunning. Is not this the appropriate hour to remind the whole of the Compact that the Lyceum can tip the balance in war with more than simply strength of arms? Everyone has a part to play from devising brilliant naval strategy to increasing the expansion of sail-weaving, rope making, setting supplies for hungry crews or marshalling resources to support those gone to war.

She speaks to merchants and nobles, sailors and sword-dancers of their possible contributions. Let them walk away with ideas humming in their ears, for a chance to make their mark on the annals of history. Where conflict or opposition to participation is found, she hears out the parties' concerns and seeks a collaborative resolution. At the least she informs Jaenelle to unsnarl the snarls, and otherwise lower hurdles, dazzles the reluctant, and employs the full, seductive force of her charms to just about deliver many a boat or crew to her patroness. Why not try to be the face that launched a hundred ships? (Hey, a thousand could be overkill.)

Having recently discovered a gift for communication laced with persuasion, Ophelia will use such an ability to speak to those of the Lyceum that may be wavering their support in regards to assisting the Archduchess and the calling of banners. The princess will travel throughout the Lyceum and speak to those both inside and outside of her social circle, drawing people in to help unite and support Jaenelle. Many know Ophelia to be overwhelmingly sweet and kind, but she is also adorably convincing when she sets her mind toward swaying an opinion -- such a heart-melting combination, how could /anyone/ say no to her? She will work tirelessly to see that the Lyceum is united with its support.

The Lyceum's fleet has been put in his care, so of course Antonio will see to all the necessary logistics to make sure said fleet is ready to sail on time, and be well supplied for the trip. In addition, in his capacity as admiral and minister of war, he's never stopped building up Lenosia's forces for such an occasion- both by using the shipyards he's had access to, as well continuing Lenosia's privateering program to capture and re-fit shav and pirate ships for Lenosia's usage. Lenosia's grounds forces have also been bolstered- new soldiers trained and experienced veterans coaxed out of retirement to join the battles. To that end, he was given a dragonweep gemstone by Jaenelle, to sell and use the proceeds for recruitment, in addition to Lenosia's considerable military forces.

Waldemai will accompany the Malvici fleet, sailing on Lord Domonico's ship The Tempest. Waldemai will provide skilled crafting support before and after the battle, repairing and improving armor and weapons for the troops and whatever can be done for the ships as well. An experienced soldier who led a company at Setarco and fought pirates under Lady Calypso, he will be fighting in any battles as well.

Saoirse spends the days, weeks, after Jaenelle calls the banners researching Lycene lore -- stories of different houses, of families, of wars past, love, loss, and moments of pride. Armed with scores of papers and mountains of books about each and every house -- from great to small -- Saoirse Velenosa begins a tour of the Lyceum with her family.

She arrives as a guest of great honor and spends her time in each region regaling the houses with stories of their histories, of how they came to be Lycene, of why they unite under Velenosa, and of anything pertinent that would so convince a house to lift their banners.

And with so much research, Saoirse comes to know an *awful lot* about Lycene lore, the players within it, and the players who play now. She uses her web of influence and her ability to spot intriguing connections between people and houses to convince the troops to rally -- and that may involve subtle manipulation between two fractious houses or reminders of favors granted.

A powerhouse of influence in her own right, Princess Valencia sets aside her misgivings for now to see that her House and the people of Lyceum -- noble and common alike -- are well supported, supplied, inspired and kept in high spirits. With seemingly no diplomatic means to end this threat, the little vixen of Lycene mobilizes her connections and adds her voice, resources and talents to the call for Lyceum and its allies to stand in solidarity, doing what is needed to summon strong support for the effort and her people at home and abroad.

As Minister of Civil Welfare she takes particular care to see that the homefront is well supported, prepared and protected. This way soldiers and those assisting in their noble work can focus on the fight at hand and Lyceum can firmly hold the line and remain protected from other foes while continuing to support the defense of the Mourning Isles. As a princess of Lycnene, she also quickly joins the others in their efforts to bolster, inspire and support the troops/fleet and their support units.

However, the little vixen doesn't stop there. Before the fleet even sets sail, a secret campaign of unrest and fear against Euris is also launched to sow seeds of uncertainty and dissent designed undermine the enemy and destroy them from within in an effort to gain advantage and, with luck, help to win the fight by peaceful means or not.

Silvio is using both his physical and diplomatic skills in the assistance of the Skal'dajan affair. He is able to disarm most people that he speaks with through the use of confounding and confusing ramblings, which are all expertly executed for that exact purpose. Manipulative and seductive, he gleefully submits himself to the mission and whatever tasks are assigned to him, even if it means his doom, such is his confidence. He's also fairly distracting and good for morale.

Strozza commands the forces of he First Fleet from the flagship Caravel the Erudite - providing transport for troops or harrier support should he call for such and Duchess Cambria can release him for such duties

Alejandro isn't a naval commander. His role is far more diplomatic and swings to the side of propaganda. Using his skills, he will charm whomever needs charming, work with whomever needs working with and will do what he can to smoothe the process for everyone involved and help make a successful Lycene effort successful.

There are scores of city-states underneath the banner of House Velenosa, and mobilizing the hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of sailors and soldiers from all across the Lyceum has normally taken months. This time, it does not take months. Through all of their efforts, the forces consolidate under Antonio's overall command in quite possibly the fastest mobilization in Lycene history, with templars and forces of the Faith militant picked up from hundreds of different rally points throughout the Compact. The massive Lycene fleet, far bigger than many expected since the departure of House Pravus, meets with the fleet of the Mourning Isle and sets sail for Sungreet.

Of course, while the speed is astonishing, the templars are only given landfall slightly before the arrival of the Eurusi. The Eurusi fleet declines to engage the combined forces of the Mourning Isles and the Lyceum, and bizarrely begins to fight among itself before roughly two thirds sail from Sungreet to the south and southwest. Which suggests an attack upon the Saffron, potentially.

Domonico has ordered and will be directing efforts in the construction of a new facility at Southport, which will be named Southport Steel, that will both be smelting high quality steel from iron ore and manufacturing it into weapons and armour. The primary function of this will be to make sure that House Malvici and the armies and navies of Southport are well equipped. The House of War makes sure that every citizen of Southport serves and trains in the military and will ensure that they are given the best quality armour and armaments for the tasks. As a secondary purpose, what Southport Steel forges that is not marked for the military will also be used as trade items with other Houses, particularly those who are also members of the Empyrean Trade Route.

The facility will be designed by Malvici engineers and craftsmen but will consult with Houses Brass Hawk and Crimson Malvicus (who both assisted on creation of the Goldhawk Naval Base) and hopefully this will enable House Malvici to build the best possible facilities and that Southport Steel really helps entrench Southport's reputation as the 'City of Swords'

Aahana is now a fully fledged Malvici and will be assisting with the Southport Steel project. She'll be bringing all her economic knowhow to the fore, helping to secure good prices on building materials, raw materials for forging as well as negotiating the best prices for the finished products. Her keen head for maximising profits will be focusse on bringing her husbands vision to life and thus she pours a lot of her own resources into Southport Steel

Lord Domonico Malvici has expressed the desire to build an armor/armaments industry in the Southport area. As a master armorsmith (and minor league weaponsmith) from Southport he has asked Waldemai to play a large role in setting up the industry and training apprentices. Waldemai has already been working with the youth of the area who were part of coming to declare fealty to Malvici at Southport, and he is a loyal retainer of the Malvici, so he agreed immediately.

Valenzo and his crew aboard the Tasty Terrapin have been tasked with transporting the materials necessary for constructing the Southport Steel facility and production to the site in Southport, and they will set to with gusto; the crew is also willing to aid in construction efforts, and once everything is complete and the Terrapin will transport the final product out to the various vassals for testing and use.

Upon hearing her cousin's idea, Caelis immediately thought of this opportunity as a great resource for the Arvum Refugee Relief Group. Turning to the organization, Caelis has set about sourcing out individuals and families with skill around the crafting of weaponry to voluntarily relocate for this undertaking.

Calypso will be signing off on the plans she's presented with, helping with providing military knowledge and offering a presence while the project is being completed.

Miranda's been asked to be part of Domonico's plan for Southport Steel via quality testing. She will take the initial products that Southport Steel makes and test them for durability, design, weight, strength, and so forth. In some cases, she may suggest design changes. She'll test the weapons against dummies and opponents and make sure the armor is fitted well with thought to how a soldier might need to quickly put the armor on or get it off in a pinch. How fast can a sword be wielded? Is the hilt merely beautiful or practical? And so on.

Lucita's Barony is one of the Malvici vassals and to have a facility from which to attain high quality steel armor and weapons so close by is only beneficial to Saikland. Army members consisting of footsoldiers, pike, archers and cavalry are all easier to recruit and maintain when they are confident of having the best of such steel protection and weapons. Therefore Lucita lends her charm and stewardship skills to the project. She knows just who to contact and how to make arrangements to facilitate the effort.

Santi has offered his assistance in testing the practicality of these weapons in the field. Having spent much of his military career among the common footsoldiers, he is in a position to understand the unique problems that harry infantrymen and their equipment - being exposed to the elements, having to go for longer periods of time between cleaning and maintaining, et cetera. As such, he will establish a series of stress tests to see how well the rank and file equipment will hold up and how easy it is to repair in the field; for example, how the wrapping and fittings on swords will hold up to being wet for extended periods, how durable the wooden shafts on spears and arrows are, et cetera. Basically, worst-case scenario sorts of things.

Jaenelle approves of the Lyceum strengthening their militaries, especially with the unknown threats the Compact faces. She will assist with recruiting able bodied craftspeople to work the steel, she'll help broker deals between Lenosia and Southport for well priced ingots to smelt and create into the arms the new facility will forge, and she'll assist with any diplomatic areas that rise.

Roxana is supporting her dear Malvici Nephew in his efforts to build up industry in Southport. Her job is mostly to talk up the project in Southport and among her other contacts (Grayson surely) so that once Southport steel is being manufactured there is heavy demand by other houses. She will charm whoever needs charming among trade delegations and ensure that the business venture is successful however she can.

Grazia will provide the stone for construction from her Gemecittan quarries. The bulk of the building will be laid out in heavy but beautifully sturdy granite, and the showrooms will be floored with exquisite marbles, all of the finest design. She'll work with the architects to really coordinate with the style of the building and it will have a most beautiful edifice.

On behalf of Rubino-Zaffria, Seymour offers his services to the construction project at Southport. He will do this by reviewing the plans for logistics and the material that the new facility will be using, taking time to review the sources for incoming supplies, vet the expertise of architects, and similar paperwork heavy tasks that undoubtably he is not alone in doing and nobody really wants to read about in detail. His efforts may be slightly curtailed by a clear worry of running into Mrs. Oak, his ex-wife still based in Southport.

Recently arriving in Arx, Thea has been recruited to lead the organisation of the medical tents and health of those testing the new Southport Steel and working on the construction of the facility. She will be leading teams of medical staff to care for wounds such as burns and cuts.

Having only recently left Southport - Thea will be applying her knowledge of the local area to hire the best medical staff to ensure that anything hurt during the work is well looked after

Stepping forward with his ability to influence a deal favourable to the Malvici, Martino will be schmoozing those that Domonico and others bring in to work on the project. He will be there to keep spirits high for those staying in Southport, and treated to House Malvici's hospitality, so that they leave with a positive impression on the House.

He will be working with Lady Aahana Malvici to secure good economic terms, but primarily to ensure that a diverse group of people produce an exemplary facility and product.

Ysabel is concerned with the rising threats to the Compact and resolves to help Southport with their project. After all having strong allies is a good thing and she is sure she can get a good price on the finished goods. Using her Economic knowledge she will work to help Lord Domonico make Southport Steel a success

Lady Kaia Bisland enjoys reading (even if it’s the boring stuff, yes, that’s why she’s her House’s historian after all), and has an exceedingly sharp eye for organization. She is a master at keeping the mind-numbing but crucially essential papers and documents well sorted and available. She is, also, quite good at being bossy, and both her family and friends know it –or perhaps will learn of it just now. Beware lackeys! You shall not hear the end of the petite lady’s voice until all tasks are well done and completed! So get to it!

Her innate charm makes it all too easy for people to do as she asks whenever she leads or commands tasks. More often, than not, they can’t seem to bring themselves to tell her no. I mean, who can blame them?! She’s just too good and crafty with her arguments on why this would be better done this way or that way, or persuading them on why it would even turn out to be beneficial for them –even if in reality it would not; and so, she takes advantage of these skills to provide her Malvici friends aid in gathering the right people to keep the humongous piles of compiled paperwork for the project outstandingly well-organized.

The end goal is to facilitate and speed up the whole process of accessing the right documentations, for permits and other legal matters, which may be required for the development of this clever and advantageous Southport effort.

Southport Steel is a big success - with Lord Domonico and Lady Aahana working to get it established, they lead the way and make the plans. Waldemai helps set up armaments, Valenzo makes sure the materials are transported safely and on time. Princess Caelis helps by finding large groups of craftsmen to take on the tasks, and Duchess Calypso signs off on everything.

And their allies just keep on helping - Baroness Lucita gives aid, and Lady Miranda tests the weapons created. Santi helps test weapons too, and Princess Jaenelle not only approves the entire thing but brokers deals between Lenosia and Southport to provide access to ingots for extremely reasonable prices. Duchess Grazia provides the stone for the project, good Gemecittan stone at that. Lady Kaia and Baroness Ysabel, Seymour and Thea make sure everything is set up and all the workers are accounted for and taken care of, right down to the very last detail.

And Lady Roxana and Lord Martino make sure everyone knows exactly who's responsible for what is a triumph of Southport, and everyone is soon talking about all the wonderful advances made in Southport. The economy is booming, people are joining the army knowing that they'll be well-equipped to fight, and overall, things are looking up for now.

The Saikland Blackened Glass area consists of a central thick sheet of solid glass where Baron Eos and his men were incinerated in 1005 while fighting off a group of abandoned who were agents or loyal to Cardia, a dragon causing the damage. The glass extends for a mile in each direction from that central point, growing thinner and becoming shards and splinters toward the perimeter. Plant growth for hundreds of yards from it is stunted, withering, warped and the shore is lined with dead fish, larger sea creatures such as sharks closer to the area of the densest glass. Huge bear tracks, much larger than normal for Saikland were seen and warped oddly behaving bobcats. Dead animals and skeletons were around the outer perimeter. Excursions have collected samples and had analysis done of the glass, animals, etc and shown poisoning and taint. There are concerns for the spreading poison, the poisoned fish in the area, the warped-tainted animals posing potential dangers to the villagers and farmers in the area, risk to Marin'alfar who may venture into the bay and to any ships who fish and eat their catch. This could also have an impact on the economy if ships and trade begins to avoid Saikland. Therefore in the interests of protecting the citizens and economy of Saikland, Lucita has been seeking a means of trying to cleanse, contain, or mitigate the blackened glass effects. She seeks the aid of the faith and of skilled persons to help deal with the animals and the poison and the taint both land and sea side.

Aside from organizing and funding the effort, Lucita plans to attempt to join her voice with the attempts of the faith and others in trying to boost and assist the cleansing efforts.

Sorrel as a spellsinger is going to go with her friend Lucita to join her voice with hers and the attempts of the Faith to assist the cleaning efforts. This is a strong opportunity for her to use her voice against the Abyss and that sort of thing excites her, so she will sing with enthusiasm.

Vayne sets his considerable skills and resources to work for this effort. Not just in researching the possible cures for the tainted stretch of land, but in attempting to provide support and protection in his own special way. So, in addition to putting some time in the Archives, Vayne also begins to bless water to turn it into holy water, and bless mirrors to help keep everyone safe(er) from the Abyssal forces that might step in.

Roran, as Archlector of Lagoma, is going to lend his aid in the cleansing of the tainted land. Since the nature of the glass was supposedly caused by a dragon's fire, likely an atonement rite would not work. So he will attempt a cleansing rite to heal the lands of the taint. If all else fails he will attempt to cleanse the land with fire from a lantern light from Lagoma's Flame.

Nova primarily works with Draven, doing so not only as 'helpful wife who doubles up as lab assistant with a second set of helpful hands' but also doing so as the Safety/Survival expert who ultimately ensures we all have whatever it is that we possibly need to stay alive, who constantly detects potential hazards/threats, and who tracks down tainted creatures upon whom Alchemical dosing can be tested out to hopefully cleanse those poor critters. Should Nova ever spot anything dangerous, she immediately informs Miranda.
Sir Flop also joins with his special booties on all four paws, making sure to help out with threat detection and protectively guards his Bruvir family, too.

For his part, Draven is going to do his upmost to test every known alchemical cleansing combinations he can think of to see if any of them have an affect on reducing the tainting effect in the meat of the dead animals, and in the glass. He does what he can to isolate the tainting effect as well, trying to reduce it down to a singular alchemical component to test with.

Juliana is going for medical support. For everyone concerned be them singers, protectors or support. She will be setting up a triage and working tiredlessly to make sure that those that need medical attention receive it in a timely manner.

Skye is going to use her knowledge in agriculture and infrastructure to figure out natural barriers that could be constructed to keep animals from stumbling upon the area until the cleansing can happen. Introduce flora that naturally cleanses the ground (outside of any abyssal taint) to lessen the damage once the spellsingers are able to remove the abyssal influence. During the different cleansing efforts, she's going to make notes on what works so she can apply it to her own lands that were damaged by dragons.

Olivia will use the power of prayer to help. She will be looking for the most sacred spots in the effected area of the forest and praying to Petrichor, asking him to bring peace to these woods. Hopefully doing this will help push the blight back, or better yet destroy it.

Sanya will travel to the Saikland, to offer her knowledge/abilities as a disciple of Mangata in the cleansing of the tainted shore.

Ian will be going along, as he usually does, with the sole intention of keeping Sorrel (and hopefully everyone else) (and hopefully also himself) alive. He'll work on establishing a perimeter, keep an eye out for trouble, and try to keep anyone from wandering off alone. If there are villagers around who know the area and its dangers better than he does, he'll look for someone he might be able to hire as a paid guide.

Miranda is going to assist in protecting those who will need it. This varies, but a group will be assigned to the spellsingers and others to the various non-combatants, such as Draven and Rowenova, and yet others still. The larger group will go with Miranda and be dispersed as needed. Primarily, her job and those of her infantry will be protection, keeping wild and tainted things, animals, and people from attacking those who are collecting samples or doing other works.

Waldemai intends to support Lady Lucita's action by ensuring she is well-equipped and her party has the best gear available as possible. To that end he is going along to serve as armorsmith, sharpen weapons, and so forth. He can also fight a bit if it comes to that, but he's also got financial resources to throw into the mix if needed.

Leola is good at two things; animals and farming. Here, she helps with both. She knows about land reclamation, and she is more than willing to help examine the taint - and put her methods into practice. She also helps with the animals there - directing them away, trying to help them heal, offering better food and trying to track down the way the taints have ran.

But more, her focus is the damaged land. She pours herself into helping recover it - she is a keen pair of hands in the needed work

Santi's here for operational security. If there are enough guards, he will organize outrider patrols outside of the established perimeter to ensure nothing sneaks up on the group.

Known for her skills in inspiring and bringing people together, organizing large groups and keeping spirits high especially during difficult times, Valencia comes to the aid of her friend without hesitation. With so many people from across the city involved, it helps to have someone who can help bring unity to the group and keep moral high to better facilitate and coordinate efforts in the lead up and during to the excursion. That way everyone can focus on the tasks at hand and be inspired to offer their best.

Salvatore responsible for the Cavalry of the Gemecittan army will take control of his troops and position them to protect the groups afoot. His first priority will be on civilians, and then the participants in the exercise, and lastly animals. His troops spread to provide support to the less mobile contingents and slow any approaching threats to buy them time.

The glass cannot be moved, there is nowhere truly safe to dump it to, so it must be cleansed. This will take time, money, supplies and staff which will require a lot of logistics to carry out. Fortunately these is where Martino can help. He'll help review the plans already undertaken, but also while there help hire the staff required and ensure they are kept well. He'll help organise the supplies being brought in and their safe storage.

A lot of paperwork but, as a trained Minister, something he enjoys as well as having some experience of planning to this degree from his time at Southport.

Rhiannon is there for protection. She is specifically the bodyguard to her cousin, Olivia. She'll take a small handful of Tree Scouts with her, making sure that those involved can do what they need without interruption from man, plant, or animal that might interfere with their work and in their protection. If there is work she and her scouts can do in order to assist Olivia without compromising her protection, they chip in and help where they can.

Petal is going to join this action largely with the intention of helping the land and the plants. She wants to help the plantlife grow. To help cleanse any taint that might be negatively effecting them and to learn more about any negative negative effects.

Domonico will be coming to the aid of Saikland in cleansing the area. He'll be working alongside the Saik military giving them military advice and leadership in their role of protecting those working. The longships in the Malvici Expeditionary Force will be used for transportation of supplies and personale where they need to go around the area.

As Sasha is the Ambassador of the Marin'alfar, she is arranging the negotiations for the cleansing of the waters and checking for mutated and/or tainted water life works. She wants to ensure to all goes as smoothly as humanly and elvenly possible.

Mirk is there as a shaman. He will spend several days in meditation, in hopes of communing with the spirits, and then he begins a rite to call upon the spirits and ask for their guidance and support in cleansing the Blackened Glass.

It's, to put it mildly, a major effort. Valencia's propaganda campaign manages to rouse a lot of public support behind the initiative, with donations and volunteers flooding in. In preparation for their arrival, Vayne blesses holy water to be used in the cleansing rites, Draven works on concoction that should (maybe?) revitalize soil, Skye helps cordon off the area to prevent intrusions by wildlife using natural barriers, Waldemai helps with supplies, Martino with logistics, and Salvatore leads a calvary detachment that makes certain that there's no threat from shavs or wild animals as they work.

The number of guards as well as Salvatore's cavalry act as a big enough deterrant that there's no violence, as Rowenova, Santi, Rhiannon, Miranda and Ian keep their prospective charges safe. As workers get close to the work site of the blackened glass, some complain of headaches or illness, and Juliana is able to treat them effectively, and there's no serious illnesses as a result. As the workers start clearing, Roran begins a cleansing rite, with Sanya assisting with Vayne's blessed holy water sprinkling it over wide patches of the glass, and Mirk leads a shaman cleansing rite to the annoyance by some of the more fervently faithful among the workers.

Work goes slow at first, until Lucita and Sorrel sing. After their song finishes, the next worker that takes a swing with a pick the entire line of glass suddenly shatters, and there's a great cracking sound running down the entire beach as the entire line of glass breaks. After that point, Petal is able to help lead clean up efforts while Sasha sees to no contamination on the shore, and poor Leola is visited by what seems to be a large group of animals with an elk, two deer, a wolverine with a vole on its head, and a particularly indignant badger, and she's seen listening attentively for a long time with a look of exasperation and some overhear her promising to 'take their complaints to management'. Olivia, as she walks by inspecting the area, sees a surprising amount of new growth under the glass (which many expected to be dead), with a new kind of vividly bright green moss that no one can identify. The clean up continues and the beach is cleared of all glass, and Domonico makes certain none is carried off by workers.

The beach has been cleansed.

Domonico will be drawing up a series of exercises, from moving as a fleet, to rapid changes in fleet formations and a few 'friendly' competitions (short races and chases etc).
Before commencing the exercises, Domonico will gathering the various fleet commanders and captains, getting to to know them and allowing them to meet each other before briefing them on the various exercises.
The actual training will take place in Lycene waters and Domonico will be focussed on getting the best he can out of the ships under his command, allowing the individual fleet leaders leeway to make decisions but still directing them to work as a whole, united fleet. He'll be running his command from the flagship of the Malvici fleet, the brand new, top of the range dromond Sea Hawk (named for Francisco Malvici), which is armed with siege weapons in the form of light catapults and ballista.

Under advisement from Admiral Alric, Ari will bring the Pravus fleet of Galleys he commands, those under the Black Fleet, in a spirit of full cooperation with the grand Lycene fleet that Commodore Domonico is attempting to put together. His daughter having the role she does, he'll gladly help.

Aahana brings the ships that House Volkov has available to the training exercises. While nominally in command of the ships she is leaving the operating of them to the captains, giving them instructions to fully co operate with the instructions and orders from Domonico.

What Aahana will be focussing on in particular will be making sure these exercises and war games are viewed in the best possible light. She'll cite the benefits in improved relationships between the City-States of the Lyceum and even further afield (with observers from other fealties), the improved efficiency that united fleets will have in defending the Compact and the benefits of learning from experienced naval commanders.

Miranda is going to be staged upon Domonico's ship, wherever he is. She will be observing as representative of Rubino-Zaffria to help Lysander organize their own Navy if it should be needed. In addition, she will be assisting Santi with combat techniques for boarding parties and close up combat.

As Domonico's protegee and the commander of the Saik military forces, Neilda brings the humble and yet proud collection of the Saikland's naval might. She attempts to learn the identities of and get on with her new comrades as much as she can (for it is planned by her mentor, and she is a dedicated student), and in turn learn all she can about warfare from them.

The Malespero fleet joins the exercises - and Beatrice joins in person as Domonico's Special Advisor. Combining her management expertise with Lycene personability, she knows how to create an environment in which large, diverse, complex teams of people work together to create success.

Beatrice becomes one of Domonico's fixers. She plans, recommends strategy, and anticipates problems while liaising with and mentoring junior officers to mediate disputes among and within the fleets. She focuses on ensuring the engagement has established a communication structure for the House fleets that gets leadership the information it needs to make sound decisions without choking the effort with unnecessary bureaucracy.

And she does it while wearing a really fancy hat.

The Fleet of Caith may not be very large but Armani Gilden knows her way around a ship and has been convinced to join the exercise, if nothing else to determine if Domonico can walk the talk.

One of these participants is not like the others.
Regardless, that's not going to stop Jasher from politely introducing himself and taking part as a guest participant and observer. He hasn't brought ships, but he's brought himself and a handful of fellow Thraxian sailors to participate alongside Santi in boarding actions, personal combat, other such things that require getting hands dirty, and overall work alongside people who aren't Thraxians while getting to know something of their quirks.
It builds teamwork and it's educational!

Determine to put his own fleet to the test, Admiral Alrec Magaldi joins Commandore Ari Corsetina showcasing the Pravus galley fleet and commanding the fleet to absorb as much as they could and to dedicate time to cross-training with the other houses so that they could work together better.

Aisha is going to have the Invernos take part in Dompnico's training. She herself does not take part in the training but she does lead the Inverno troops and such by direction.

General of Gemecitta's Armies, Duke Consort, and Voice of Gemecitta.... are very large titles for a former Grayson Prince, but, that doesn't mean he's sitting on his laurels. He commits Gemecitta's fleet - which despite being land locked they have some ships! - to partake in these exercises. Practice sessions are extremely important and the last major conflicts of the darkwater certainly reduced the number of capable sailors - new ones need to be trained. When Domonico approached Aiden upon these competitions, Aiden immediately stood behind the idea. He knows the merit of military drills and learning strategies that cannot be taught any other way than doing. He voices his approval and will send the Commande of the Navy and all captains besides, to attend. It's not a request, it is an expectation. Besides, they'll get paid for it.

Santi is there for when things get bloody. He will be spearheading training in personal combat; boarding actions/repelling boarders, marine landings and the like - with a specific eye towards the unique complications that come with fighting on ship: confined spaces, fewer options for protective equipment or cover, using the environment to your advantage (AKA When in doubt, kick 'em overboard), and how to disable a ship by targetting specific lines or rigging.

While Valenzo is no longer a Southport navy man, he's always glad to answer the call! The Tasty Terrapin is a fast and agile little ship, perfect for exactly these kinds of exercises -- and her Captain will use all of his impressive sailing skill to keep his ship on the move as the fleets try and catch her, with his rough and tumble crew more than happy to join in on the mock-combat training for those who manage to board.

Assisting her fellow Malvici, Caelis will bring down a few of her ships from the Valardin Navy to assist in her cousin's training endeavor.

A touch of the exotic is brought to the fleet's maneuvers: longships flying the colours of the Truesworn arrive to take part. Their crews seem eager to learn all they can, and are happy to share the insights gained while serving aboard their distinctly un-Lycene vessels.

Waldemai will be bringing his tools along on Domonico's adventure and patching up any difficulties with armor among the members of the party and putting new edges on everyone's weapons as the lulls in battle permit. He also has his battle hammer and his own armor along just in case.

At Lord Domonico's request. Dariel has organised a feast to be held after the conclusion of the exercise. Which is lucky because Dariel certainly doesn't have any naval skills he could possibly contribute. After checking that the feast is actually to be held on dry land Dariel organises enough fine food to feed a navy, sufficent entertainment and plenty of alcohol for all. Dariel spends his time making sure everyone is enjoying themselves after a hard time at sea. He plys people with drink, food and company so they make the most of it.

He'll be learning from the others on board. Having recently come back to the city, he wants to support his brother's work so will be staying with the fleet. He'll be learning from others and meeting the other Captains and Admirals around. Helping in part with some logistics to support the navigation on-board with his brother.

Lord Domonico Malvici's naval exercises go much better than one would reasonably expect, with so many different navies with different traditions participating. There's a surprising lack of conflict between the different proud navies, with no altercations that one might expect from blows to pride as one navy or another scores victories in the drills, and it goes frankly suspiciously well. Most of the navies involved expected -something- to go wrong, but near as they can tell, nothing did, and all show enhanced readiness. It's disquieting to some when absolutely nothing goes wrong.

Lady General Calypso Malvici has been assigned as the field commander to lead an assault up-river to attack one of the four columns of Brand’s army. She will be leading forces from House Malvici, House Velenosa and House Pravus in the form of infantry and archers. Other commanders she is coordinating with are Prince Victus Thrax, Princess Deva Redrain, Princess Alis Valardin and Duke Valkieri Rubino.

The host of Compact forces will be traveling up-river by boats provided by Thrax, the Lyceum and the Black Mountain Training Company. We will be searching for an ideal location to set up our assault. High ground for archers, a place to anchor the ships and a field for the infantry. All with the goal of eliminating the entire column of Brand’s forces to weaken the army by one fourth.

Calypso will also be wielding Truestrike, the alaricite rapier during this battle.

The group of soldiers Inigo is in command of are the remnants of the same crew he commanded at the Battle of Pridehall, additional men filled in to replenish the losses from the previous battle of course. He wields Recompense, the diamondplate longsword, hoping this time to be more effective at taking down Bringers, saving his men from their wrath. The battalion's mission is to do as much damage as possible to Brand's army, fighting fiercely at the front lines of combat.

As the result of a discussion with Eirene, at least one member of the battalion will possess bow and arrows, the arrows themselves tied with highly visible cloth that will be fired into the air should the group encounter a High Bringer. This is to alert any of the special forces that are intended to take down such targets that one has been found. Inigo will, of course, engage any he sees himself, as he is the best equipped in the battalion to take on such a threat. The goal is to either slay the High Bringer, or delay it long enough for one of the special forces to arrive and kill the creature.'

Costas will be Calypso's bodyguard for the campaign, at her side at all times as well as defending her in battle. He sleeps in the same tent as her to ward against potential assassins, and is only ever removed from her vicinity for private discussions with other nobility.

Although sending squadrons of the Malvici Phoenixes to assist the other Compact forces, Eirene brings her hand-picked finest battle medics to accompany herself to the front with General Calypso. She will ensure the triage centers are defendable and coordinate medical efforts with the Mercy's and other assigned medics.

Waldemai will be deploying with the field forces under Calypso's command to provide on-site armor evaluations, upgrades and repairs.

Harmon will accompany Eirene, supplementing her medical expertise with his knowledge of occult matters as well as alchemy in order to stretch out supplies without losing efficacy.

Mirari will be joining Eirene and her medics, providing medical supplies via her apothecary skills, where she can. And defending the medical tents and medics with her small blades should forces break through the lines and to the medic station.

For the next stage of the Bringer's march on Arx, Alis will be accompanying the combined forces led by Lady General Calypso Malvici.

She will be in charge of the Valardin Infantry and Archers. Her instructions to those under her command will be to help divide and flank pockets of the enemy column into more manageable groups; with a warning about the berserker Bringers, and that they should call out a warning when the berserkers are spotted so they can be swarmed and taken down as quickly as possible. She will be participating in the battle.

    Ansel will be leading the Telmar forces in Princess Alis' forces supporting Lady General Calypso' mission of eliminating the shav forces at the river.

    Ansel will be coordinating with, and taking orders directly from, Princess Alis as the forces deploy to engage the shav forces. He's delegated total authority of his subordinate sections to his vassal house's commanders, providing them instruction pertaining to the general goals of the mission, but leaving the exact manner of accomplishing those principles to his subordinate commanders.

    For his part, Ansel will be taking direct command of a small company comprised of a section of archers supporting a small team of hand-picked swordsmen. Their mission will be to identify any Bringers at the outset of the engagement, particularly any beserker Bringers, and eliminate the most serious threat to the Valardin column as quickly as possible. He'll be leveraging the support of the archer section, as well as the Telmar diamondplate heirloom weapon, attempting to dispatch these threats hastily.

As Alis' second-in-command, Fiachra will be coordinating his efforts directly with her, using his knowledge and experience of Greenmarch tactics in facing a larger force. (Particularly from an archer/scout standpoint.) As before, he will be using his particular talents for assessing the terrain (see his metaplot secrets) to any advantage it can afford for the troops under General Calypso's command. He will not be leaving Alis' side, and will be watching for threats to her life.

Barric will be accompanying Calypso's force upriver. During the battle he will be focusing his efforts on identifying and destroying the massive and hulking Bringer beserkers. Presumably with a team of other soldiers doing the same, he will position himself on the battlefield when one of the monstrosities is found and engage them in an attempt to minimize their devastating impact. He has fought one before and wields Elvesbane, the alaricite blade of House Grayson.

The Mirrorguard (led by Talen and Luca), Valorous Few (led by Audric and Kima) and Grayson (Barric and Reese) strike teams have been given the high profile task to break the River Column morale by gunning for the Undead Generals (like Hush!) and Abandoned Beserkers that undoubtedly guard them.
Their troops will be armed with fire and poison (supplied by Eleyna, Blacktongue, etc) for more effective fighting against the standard Bringers and Abandoned respectively while the commanders named above will be using their diamondplate and alaricite weapons in combat with the big baddies - individually, as pairs or in teams as is appropriate.
Talen will be wielding Mirror Blade, the alaricite blade of House Velenosa and as usual will be fighting dirty as fuck.

Holden will be with the Valardin Infrantry forces leading one of the smaller manageable groups under Alis's command. He will be participating in the battle.

Valkieri is leading the combined troops of Rubino, Zaffria, and Igniseri under the coordination of Lady General Calypso. Their naval forces for the journey upriver are under the sub-command of Lady Ariella Igniseri, and Lord Luis Igniseri and Captain Gian Fuller are also a part of their ranks. He will be leading a mix of archers, infantry, and some cavalry, and it is the cavalry that he will be among on his warhorse Tempest.

Kima, for this particular excursion, joins Captain-General Audric of the Valorous Few to do what she does best: slaughter enemies upon the field of battle. With her recent gift of an alaricite blade, the Absolute, she has been chosen as part of the strike force targeting Bringer generals and berserkers.

Audric and the Valorous Few (and Kima, see her action) will be taking part in Calypso's offensive action against one of the oncoming Bringer armies. Specifically, they'll be part of the strike force meant to target the Bringer Generals and Berserkers in an attempt to take out their core leadership. Since alaricite seems to make them basically die instantly, he'll be using Coinspinner, his alaricite sword for the fight.

Luca is joining the special assault squads going to the river column front alongside Talen, leading the Mirrorguard prong of three groups all hunting the biggest, baddest Bringers they can find, whether commander types, berserker types, or anything else monstrous they can cut down with Alaricite or Diamondplate. Luca will be fighting with Viper's Fury, his diamondplate sabre and Viper's Fang, his HQ steel blade, unless Lorelai ends up finding him an alaricite blade before then as she implied might be feasible, in which case he'll fight with diamondplate and alaricite. He is going to try and identify and cut as quick a path as possible to any big bads and asplode them with heart or head shots of the diamondplate (or alaricite). Luca very much will be trying to keep an eye on state of Reese and Barric's team as he wanted to accompany them to see Reese safer but was overruled by Calypso. If Reese ends up in trouble and Luca has any hope in the Abyss of cutting his way to her, it's possible he'd break orders and go and try to save her (and is something our players OOCly sort of want for a bonding moment of fighting side by side). Luca's more than a little burnt out by rage, grief, pain, and discontent with lack of challenge at Pridehall, so it's quite likely he'd take greater risks than he probably _should_ strictly if it meant finding a greater challenge in this battle, though only the sort of risks that would get himself hurt, not that'd kill off hundreds of others depending on him.

Under Valkieri's direction, Gian will be leading the Infantry of Rubino-Zaffria, from the front line. In addition to defending archers or attacking as ordered, he will have a number of guardsmen nearby for a rescue/recovery assignment, in case Duke Valkieri's stupid horse goes down.

Reese is joining the special assault squad going to the river column front alongside Barric, as a member of the three groups all hunting the biggest Bringers they can find, whether commander types, berserker types, or anything else monstrous they can cut down. This is a six person team (Talen, Luca, Audric, Kima, Barric and Reese). Divided into 3 pairs. Reese is with Barric.

Reese is fighting with Devotion, her alaricite superb short sword. Reese plans on using Dex+medium wpn as her attack skills. Her sword is 10 dam, 12 damage bonus and -2 difficulty. She will have Dazzler her rubicund excellent short with her just in case. She will wear her hq steel armor with mitigation 68. She is going to try and identify and cut as quick a path as possible to any big bringers and explode them with heart or head shots (but not mouth shots!) with alatricite. She plans to keep close to her cousin Barric. she will try to watch out for him. She plans to fight side by side with him. If Barric falls in battle, she will be attempting to retrieve Elvesbane, the Grayson house sword from his body.

Ariella will be leading the naval actions of the Rubino, Zaffria, and Igniseri from her ship the Red Bargain, up the river in support of the attack.

GOing with Eirene's healing unit, using uber medical skills, chatting with hurt soldiers for morale boosts, offering last rites to those willling to have them with a THirteenth bent.

Eleyna will be gathering any and all alchemists willing to assist in the upcoming war effort, including Blacktongue and Emeline, to provide additional supplies to the three strike teams put together by Lady General Calypso. The Mirrorguard (led by Talen/Luca), Grayson (led by Reese/Barric) and Valorous Few (led by Audric/Kima) forces will be given fire and poison to fight the Bringers and Abandoned respectively, so their troops which are not wielding alaricite and diamondplate can gain the upper hand when cutting their way towards the generals.

Continuing his role as the back channel logistical man, Maximilian has hired ships to transport and maintain logistical ties for up to 7000 extra men, as well as bringing a few of his river-capable warships along to help keep river pirates off the goods. He's getting paid back for this, right? Right? Why is everyone suddenly quiet?

Max will be investing 300 Military Resources (Darkwater) into outfitting many of the merchant ships as riverine warships, as he anticipates that the enemy will try and cut Calypsos supply line. He will take personal command of this unit and use it to keep the enemy from severing those lines. They will look like normal merchant vessels, just covertly outfitted with weaponry and marines.

Deva will be commanding the Redrain portion of the overall river assault under Calypso's direction. Her forces will consist of approximately half of overall Redrain troops (archers, infantry, etc.), several hundred Nightgold archers and calvary, and at least a chunk of Halfshav infantry as well. The goal is to separate the enemy as best as possible to make it easier to cut them down. Adjustments will be made as necessary per any instructions given in the thick of it, and Deva will be flexible with fighting both ranged with her archers, and up close melee on the front lines as/if needed.

Artorius is leading a battalion of Malvici warriors under General Calypso's command up the river.

Dagon will be joining the forward operation to flank and cut through the ranks of the Bringer army, and focus on finding and eliminating Bringer generals and berserkers; the baddest of the bad. He will be working alongside three other strike teams (Valorous Few, Mirrorguard, and Graysons) with his own hand picked Knights of Tyde. Dagon plans to attack with Reafian, the sword of House Thrax, while wearing rubicund plate, and plans to lead at the head of his unit, and work quickly to cut a path into the generals. In and out, ruthless and efficient; everyone on this mission was hand-picked, and Dagon has no illusions about saving anybody -- not today. They can handle themselves, they are all warriors, and they all are prepared to die. His mind is on breaking this army, here and now, to save those back at Arx the trouble, and he will single out the generals with a one-track determination, trusting his men and the others to cover his back.

Serafine is aiding Dagon Tyde as his second, following his orders but exercising her own judgement and experience, wielding her diamondplate blade, Pathway, to use it to its namesake and cut a path into her foes, using light, well-made, high quality leather armor, efficient and dangerous, using her speed, strength, and endurance to her advantage. With her experience in the past of killing and identifying Bringers in earlier campaigns and missions as well as her exceptional skill at killing the Shav-slaves they keep, she would do her damnedest to get the job done as efficiently as possible, while also do her best to stay safe and, if the Gods allow it, return home to her loved ones, more or less in one piece.

Leta will be joining the Valorous Few, with Audric and Kima, in the attack on the Bringers. Since she just has rubicund and steel, she'll stick to protecting Audric and Kima's backs by helping cut a path to the big Bringers and fending off any counter-attacks with the rest of the Few. Leta isn't planning on any heroics, but if some opportunity presents itself to chop some Bringer in the side, or to attempt a rescue of some of our heroic alaricite wielders, she'll probably take it. If Audric dies, she's grabbing his sword. If there's time for it, she'll also go through his pockets. He would have wanted it that way.

Estaban is joining the Archers under Calypso's comand.

Garza will be joining Audric and the other Valorous Few as part of the strike force meant to target the Bringer Generals and Berserkers in an attempt to take out their core leadership. He'll be fighting with his bow and sword, focusing on range tactics unless he needs to fight in close quarters combat.

Inquisitor Alistair and a cadre of loyal Confessors (loyal to him) will be accompanying Lady General Calypso and her command guard. From there the man will observe the battle, keeping an eye out for the presence of Bringers and any possible abyssal magic that the enemy will be using. He will point out Bringers that he identifies as well as issuing warnings of their approach and/or the workings of any abyssal magic. Further he will be keeping an eye on any Compact soldiers who attempt to use magic, though he will not stop them. If battle is joined his Confessors armed with crossbows and he armed with a blade will fight with the cry "May the Sentinel guard the Righteous!" on their lips.

Halsim is supplying the armies intercepting at the river, along with the archers at the ramparts, with poison for their arrows and other gear they might want. Anyone who wants any other alchemical supplies is welcome to approach him for supplies as well.

Karadoc will be assisting from General Calypso's command tent. A (lazy) genius, he's been pressed into action to support his leige lord family as best as he is able, and is (reluctantly) doing so. A veritable master of economics, he's working to solidify support lines, arranging resupplies, and acting in a manner most mercantile. His efforts are on food and fresh water for the soldiers, leaving the specialized supplies to those better able to provide. He'll be traveling with his favorite cousin Kima, though, will certainly be confined to non-combat rolls, stuck in/around the command tent.

Caelis will be serving under Lady General Calypso largely as transpertation. She'll be leading the Malvici ships carrying troops up the riber and back. While they are up the river she'll join the troops in battle on the field.

Zhayla will be joining the Grayson forces with her alaricite trident, looking for the biggest, meanest bad guys and the worst of the fight where she might make the biggest difference and look ~so heroic~. Even if it is super risky.

Infamous for being the man to survive the poisons of his former position, Blacktonge is the defacto unspoken, but recognized with knowing nods, poison maker for House Velenosa - apples be damned. The Harlequin of House Velenosa will open up his lab, chuck out the apples, and pour all of his work into making the poisons to help along the blades wielded by Talen and crew.

Live GM'd and resulted in the destruction of the Bringer column after a confrontation with a Formorian Bringer of Silence.

The City of Southport has always held both Mangata and Gloria close, calling them Patrons of the City of Swords. It is only fitting then that Duchess General Calypso Malvici has called for a monument of Mangata to be erected on the southern most tip of Arvum. The priests of the city are. Wong asked to hold devotional worship ceremonies there allowing the people to show their love of the sea and it's Goddess openly.

It is also being said that the Duchess is sending half their fleet and Lord Admiral Estaban to join the fight along with their allies, House Thrax. (This part will be as an assist to Fatima)

While the Phoenix of Malvici tend to honor Lagoma, they are instructed to wash and request Mangata's blessings of purity for their tools by cleaning them in water and then again in alcohol. (Look, sanitization for religious purposes!) They are also given free leave to go to the statue dedication and a night of drinks on their Brigadier General in the Goddess' name.

Caelis will travel down to Southport to assist with the building of the monument. While she is there she'll pray in the ocean off the southern most tip and rinse the stone used in construction with sea water offering more prayers to the goddess.

Lord Captain Artorius joins Lord Admiral Estaban as he goes to fight with their Thrax allies to help ensure his safety and the success of the operation! he lends his blade to join the fight.

Waldemai will use his contacts with the Crafters of the city to locate sculptors and stone carvers to work on the monument, and will use his own skills to keep their tools in good shape as they work.

And never let it be said that Southport is not also devoted to the Goddess too - and so Duchess Calypso Malvici calls for a monument of Mangata to be erected on the southernmost tip of Arvum. Waldemai Isenhu uses his own skills to keep the tools of the crafters sharp, and Lady Caelis Malvici travels to assist with the building of the monument as well. When it is completed a grand dedication ceremony is held, with Caelis making sure the statue itself is washed in sea water during the prayers offered. Lady Eirene brings the Phoenix of Malvici to the shrine's unveiling and treats her people to a night of drinks in the Goddess' name too, and thus is Mangata honored from the north to the south of the continent.