The Edge We Need

Ostiarium
JP with Lucian, Omni and Bandorchu

Alexis sighed inwardly. Figured. But turning around upon the sight of two of Ostiarium’s leaders because they’d rather deal with Zane instead probably wouldn’t make for a good look. And in the end information potentially important for the safety of the city belonged right here, her personal grievances aside.

So she stayed put for now, and waited for them to finish up their discussion, watching the hustle and bustle in the room for a while.
Interesting how inhomogeneous the troops around seemed to be. She wondered if there was some Purple Legion in the mix, she wouldn’t be surprised. And some of the Purger’s men, of course.

After a moment, the Duke spoke, without diverting his attention completely away from the map, to acknowledged their presence. "Ah, Greyriver and Frespit," he remarked, his tone indicating expectation, hinting that their arrival may bring pertinent news or developments. His eyes briefly met theirs, signaling them to wait a moment as he finished annotating a critical point on the map with a heavy line.

“Your actions last evening were commendable. That kind of initiative does not go unnoticed and the capture of the Ozainae saboteur has proven useful. Sir Zane is out setting new security measures based on information we yielded by the captive. Have you anything new to report?”

Alexis inclined her head in ways of greeting, getting to the point immediately.

“Possibly. Maybe redundant with your interrogation.”

She pulled out the small parchment.

“The dead assassin had this. Seems nonsensical, maybe coded, but our Ozainae is shaky at best. Still, I think there are landmarks mentioned in there, and they all seem familiar to me, from our very own forest.”

The Duke’s eyes sharpened as he registered Alexis's words.

“The forest… Show us. If you can,” he said succinctly, gesturing for her to point out the familiar landmarks mentioned in the note on a map that portrayed Ostiarium and its surroundings.

“This could be significant. If that note does indeed describe landmarks from our forests, it might pinpoint a hidden encampment or supply route used by the enemy,” the Duke mused aloud, his fingers tapping lightly on the table’s surface.

Her thoughts exactly.
Alexis stepped up to the map without further ado and let her eyes roam over the painted expanse.

With her homestead as reference she swiftly found and pointed out the landmarks she thought she recognised.

It was fair to say she knew these woods very well. She had spent a lot of time in them after the Creed, and not just around the Steading.

The Duke leaned over the map, closely examining the areas Alexis pointed out.

“This might give us the edge we need. We’ll need to dispatch reconnaissance teams as soon as possible to these sites. I want eyes on these areas by nightfall. Greyriver, your familiarity with these lands could be invaluable. Would you be prepared to guide one of the teams?”

The Purger turned to one of the few remaining members of the Silent Flock and gave him an order in gravelly whispers. The man paused at first, his eyes noticeably growing a little wider before responding with an affirmative nod and leaving the room.

Alexis gave a firm nod.

“Yes.“

She would have been there, wether they wanted her to or not. Whatever was going to happen out there, she felt it in her very core - it was where she needed to go.

Pleased with her enthusiasm, the Duke nodded, and looked to Tarmen. "And what say you, Frespit? Have you the stamina and resolve to keep at tracking these assassins?"

Shaking himself away from looking at the corpse priest as he realized he was being addressed, Tarmen cleared his throat in order to have a moment to register the question.

"Not much else goin' on, might as well help keep the vermin out."

He also knew there wasn't much point in protesting, especially with the docks out of the equation.

“Very well, I expect both of you to stay close to the Keep and be prepared to move by this afternoon,” he instructed. “We will finalize the composition of the teams by then.”

He then glanced towards a guard near the entrance. “See to it that Greyriver and Frespit are still given access to the armory. They’ll need to be well-equipped.” The guard nodded, “Yes, Lord Commander.” and motioned for Alexis and Tarmen to follow him.

Tarmen nodded his understanding to the Duke, leaving out his usual smart-alec comment as he was busy thinking how to work this in with meeting Voah. They had been told to stay close though, that didn't necessarily mean within earshot. Plus they could find something while "on patrol", one never knew. He would wait to voice these thoughts with Alexis for when they were in the armory and hopefully not around any guards.