Planning a Rescue Mission

[Zero.]

(Related to the notice board post)
Time stamp: Thursday midday

Zero moves several seats to the head of the hall. The center for herself, and several alongside for those who planned to go. To her left, one for Gull, one for Degren, one for Theo. To the right, one for Samara, one for Rudi, and one for Kez.
She takes her seat, looking down at the notes she’d prepared. “Please.. let this work.” she thinks to herself. She sighs, and reads them over once more as people file into the room. As those mentioned above file in, she gestures them to their seats. At midday, she stands before the townsfolk who’ve shown up.

((OOG: Please post below if you’re attending the meeting and/or intend to come on the trip))

[Yanna Zewoa'ite]

Yanna strolls in with quiet steps and pulls up a chair towards the back of the room, the edge of her skirts catching on one of the spears left laid across a couple chairs and sets it thumping to the ground. Cursing under her breath, she sits and catches Zero's eye with an encouraging nod.

[Marr]

Marr sees the notice and wanders in as far as the hallway entrance of Inn.
"How long is the expected trip? Accounting for delay?

[Pavel Vesely]

The sound of hobnailed boots enters the area, giving way to a figure in black. As it drew closer, a familiar face, and a hat, greeted the town Sheriff, Luis took a seat before removing a glove to fidget with a silver ring upon his finger.

"Well met, all," he began, "I overheard something about a friend of yours in need while I was out having a smoke. Though I mightn't be among our finest, I'd like to offer my services to the cause."

[Rosco Agassi]

He doesn't mean to interrupt Marr, but Rosco ends up showing not long after him. He comes to a halt in front of Zero. "You know I want to join, but I have to check on home."  He knows Zero will understand what he means, it has been no secret that the notices from Radiant Junction have kept him on edge. "I can meet you along the way, if you're okay with that?"

[Kez Shiras]

Kez is in the room too! At the seat that Zero set for him. He is trying his hardest to listen intently, and stay focused.

[Ryn]

Ryn is also in the room! She’s just floating around, curious as to what the fuss it about. As sneaky as shes trying to be- the three little bells she wears jingle synchronously as she -otherwise silently- saunters about the room. She gathers that there’s a trip, some guy named father Francis who’s name she almost recognizes, and there’s a trip that no one seems adversed to her joining. Ooh! Holdfast family trip! Not entirely sure what is happening, and largely throwing caution to the wind, she gathers her things in her little straw bag, ready for whenever. At this point- she’s decided she’s going. Any addition information is nothing Other than Additional Information, and she’s committed herself to Holdfast Family Trip. She has her staff, her little straw bag; she’s entirely unprepared and ready to go! (9 days before we leave for the trip)

[Drixar]

The inn door slowly creaks open as Drixar enters, quickly scanning the room before taking a seat closet to the door he entered from. He's trying his best to be quiet but the soft clattering of items in his bag isn't really helping his case.

[Emellia]

Emellia walks in, pulls up a chair, and takes a seat. She takes out her notebook and pencil and gets ready to note the details of the trip. She updates her notebook entries while she waits.

[Corin]

After reading the notice out loud for Haji's benefit, Corin also enters the room and takes a seat.

[Dog]

Similarly, Dog enters the room. He shakes some snow off his feet, and finds himself a chair; ear perked up attentively.

[Rook]

Rook silently curses as he rushes towards the inn, he had lost track of time in the forest. He'd hoped to be back well before the meeting was supposed to start, even help set up perhaps. He spots Dog ahead entering the inn, maybe he could still make it! Stealthily, he opens the door to the inn. Shit. The room was already quite full. Quickly and quietly Rook grabs a seat where he is able and takes out his journal to jot down the details of Zero's plans...

[Gull]

Gull keeps an eye on the main room of the inn as he chops vegetables for lunch, noting the townsfolk as they arrive. When it seems like the meeting is about to begin, he cleans his hands and saunters over to the chair Zero set out for him. He settles in, or tries to; his nerves show in the incessant tapping of his foot and the way he picks at the hem of his coat.

[Pierre]

Roland slips through the doors main doors and enters the inn. He gives a quick scan of the room, giving a small nod to anyone who acknowledges him. He sits at a table by himself. Then takes out his book to go through it and jots down some notes

[Zero.]

As people file in, a calm washes over Zero. She’s pleasantly surprised by the turnout. She continues going over her notes for a few moments, pausing to answer questions when spoken to.

“I’ll be going over all that, no worries Marr.”
“Everyone’s welcome Luis, please take a seat.”
“I’m sure we can figure something out, Rosco.”
Gesturing each to a seat as she speaks.


After it seems as though the last few have meandered in, she stands. A few people that she’d been expecting were missing, but she’s sure they’ll turn up.

“If everyone could please take a seat, we can get started.”

After everyone settles, she continues, addressing the room but checking her notes periodically.

“Thank you all for coming. I appreciate your interest in helping to rescue our friend.

I suppose I should start from the beginning, to give you all as much detail as possible. You all should know the situation before committing to this expedition.

Father Francis lived in Holdfast for several years. He was a friend of many, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a bad word spoken of him. He has a strict moral code that guides his life, and to my memory, I’ve never seen him lay a hand on another in anger. He was once put on trial by the Primus for a non-violent crime, and came out with a promotion.

To bring everyone up to speed, Francis left the island shortly after his trial. He wanted to head back out West to attempt to abolish slavery in the Empire.

It had been some time since we’d heard from him, to my knowledge. But a few months ago, some of our bards in town started hearing songs, as sort of invasive thoughts. None seemed familiar. As I was enjoying a quiet moment at the Ash Circle, I heard one as well. I recognized it as a song Francis used to sing. We managed to put together that all the songs were his, but we weren’t sure why we were hearing them.

We decided to attempt a sort of ritual to reach out. Myself, Auron, Gull, Degren and Theo. We sang songs we remembered him singing, and eventually we heard another voice join us. The others got a sense that he was scared, that he was in danger. But it was all pretty vague without a direct connection.

So I sent him a dream. There, I brought him to the shoreline of Old Holdfast, somewhere I figured may be peaceful for him, and we got a chance to speak. He explained that he’d performed some sort of ritual to try to contact the bards in or around Holdfast, but I ended up getting the message because,” she lifts the collection of bard marks from her chest, “I still wear his mark. We talked for a while. He told me that he’s been collecting a bit of a group during his travels, but he fears they may not all share a common goal. He shared concerns that his safety, and the safety of his friends in the group, was compromised. He asked us for help getting away from those he didn’t trust. And that’s when this whole mission came to be.

I have spoken to him since, and there have been some updates.
Firstly, he has overheard members of his group speaking about handing him over to The Order of the Talon. For those who may not know, they are, to quote Francis, an “extremely competent” group of warriors aligned with the church (of NOS, presumably). Or at least, so says their reputation. My hope is that we get to him before they do.” She looks up from her notes, and speaks in a firm tone, “we don’t want this to take a violent turn. I’d like to take every precaution to avoid that. Get in, rescue them, get out.” She looks back down.
“Secondly, as of a few days ago, Francis and his group were in Barren Hope, and they’re heading West along the River Eyrie (OOG note, spelling is incorrect, don’t take it as fact). They are still in the Frontier as of now. As they go further west, they’re nearing Imperial territory, thus the urgent nature of this mission.
Francis has specifically requested we bring along as many bards as we can, along with any of his marks that remain. Any and all help will be appreciated, of course.
He has also strongly recommended keeping a low profile once we hit the Frontier. Due to the nature of this mission, having word spreading that a large group from Holdfast is making their way across the Frontier could be very dangerous for everyone involved.

To address a few concerns, this mission will be taking place in the Frontier. Francis has said that if he ends up in Imperial Territory, we should head home. The goal here is not to start a war, or cause a scene. It’s to get Francis and those he trusts, and get out. Ideally, we want this to be as peaceful as possible.
As for a timeline, I’d expect us to be gone for the majority of the cold months, but I’d be hoping to return before the snow melts in Holdfast. (OOG, we believe we’d have a few weeks on the island before game in April, so we should be able to pre/post date potato day so y’all won’t miss it!). It will be a long journey, so I’d recommend making any preparations you have to make as quickly as possible.
To my knowledge, we have at least one person going who will be able to keep me in contact with Francis on our journey, so we can keep tabs on the situation as we go. If anyone else is able to share the ability to send dreams, please let me know. I think it’ll be a huge help.

Francis has requested, if possible, accompaniment back to the Empire. I am considering going along for this extra leg of the journey. It isn’t a requirement, but if you are interested, we can discuss it further at a later time.

As for the journey itself. Due to the urgency of this endeavor, I would recommend leaving any non-urgent business for the return trip. I’d like to head out within the next few days. I think our best bet would be to travel to Applevale, and try to find a map for our route. The last map I’ve seen was missing key locations for our journey, so having a better understanding of the land would be excellent. To that, though, if anyone is familiar with the journey to the Frontier, or the area itself, and has a map or recommendations for our route, please see me afterwards. From there, I’d like for us to catch a boat to Ner Batin, where I’m hoping we can catch a boat to the mainland. It’s been a long time since I’ve travelled the mainland, but based on the map I’ve seen, if we can catch a lift down the River Twain, it should get us relatively close to where we need to be. Catching boats may not be cheap, so if anyone has any funds they’d like to contribute to travel costs, or knows anybody who may be able to help, please also come see me so we can figure out what resources we have.

There are also talks of this potentially acting as a Guild mission, but details on that are to be determined. If we have the means to compensate for your time we’d be happy to do so. If you’d like to sign up for the Guild in light of this, please see Degren or Auron.


Are there any questions?”

[Gull]

At the mention of The Order of the Talon, Gull goes dead still. He waits, unmoving, for Zero to finish the mission brief before he speaks.

"The Order of the Talon?" Gull is pale, almost nauseous-looking. "That's what he said? He mentioned the Talon by name?" He stands and puts a hand on Zero's shoulder. "You need to be certain. That... That would change things."

[Zero.]

Zero looks at Gull quizzically and nods. “Yeah, he mentioned them. I’m not sure if the few he’s nervous about in his group are Talon per se, but that seems to be who the handoff will be with, if we don’t get there in time. You seem to know more about them than I do, though. Anything we ought to know beforehand?“

[Rudi]

Rudi had slipped in mid-speech, having obviously just woken up from a nap. She lays a soft hand on Gull's back when he pales.

(oog, whoops, sorry my B forgot to post)

[Gull]

Gull takes his hand from Zero's shoulder and runs it through his hair. "I don't know much. No one does, really. Well, no one who'd be friendly to us, anyway." He shakes his head. "Connected to the church, aye, you could say that. They're the personal guards of the Primus himself. At least, that's what I've heard. Even the existence of the Order is shrouded in secret, and that's by design. Just the spectre of them was enough to keep us from stirring up any kind of trouble that would even hint at a direct threat to the Emperor or the Primus."

Gull sits down heavily. "There are plenty of stories about what the Order could do, and I don't know that any of them can be believed. But we can be damn certain they're more than fighters." He shakes his head. "Francis is right to be scared. Even if we don't encounter the Order itself, it isn't as though just anyone could get their ear. And then there's the matter of why they're even bothering to..." Gull trails off, then blinks as he realizes that he's started to muse aloud. He addresses the room again. "We've known since the beginning that we would need to be stealthy to pull this off. If the Talon's involved, even distantly, then we have to be invisible. And I hope no one is feeling terribly cozy about us not straying into the Empire proper. The Frontier been contested territory for centuries; Imperial forces don't control it like they do their own lands and can't enforce their laws there, but they're present and always looking to shore up their claim to the region."

Gull turns back to Zero. "We're going to need more details from Francis about what he overheard. After the meeting, I'd like a word with you to help plan your next conversation with him." Apparently finished speaking, he fixes his gaze on the floorboards in front of him, hands clasped tight enough to whiten the knuckles but not quite enough to conceal their trembling.

[Drixar]

Drixar listens curiously, waiting for Gull and Zero to finish before he speaks up. “I’ll help, I’m no bard,, however I like to think that I’m at least slightly good at talking to people. If violence free is the way we want to go, then I’ll help the best I can. This order, however does sound concerning. The reactions I’m seeing at its mention is… not good ones”

[Hilsneek Globetrot]

Globetrot sneaks in at the sound of possible compensation and stands in a corner listening. He shudders a bit at the sound of the mainland but eases at the idea of a stealth mission.

(OOG: Sorry, forgot to reply)

[Sponsored content]