Row Row Fight The Power [The Order of Maltet]

[Orcleous]

Alright, thought Orcleous to himself as his group arrived in font of what looked like a regular home. It was a single layer building a bit larger than your average winter cabin in Ilia, but nothing all that special. Orcleous had given them a warning that there temporary base was not going to be anything great, but he was not sure on how they would respond when they saw it was a common house. They were probably expecting a castle or a very elaborate cave, but nope, it was a common house. Greatness from humble beginnings, that was practically the motto of Orcleous' life. It was fitting that the order he help found followed the same mold. They were small now, but Orcleous was sure they were going to be a big thing by the time this war was over.

"Alright come on", spoke the Champion. "I know it ain't nothing grand or knight like, but you have to start somewhere. Argus should be inside. He is the commander of the order and the owner of this lovely home. Once we are inside we can get something to eat and start discussing plans. Time is of the essence so we are probably going to jump right into operations." With that Orcleous made his way up to the door. The champion did not even bother to knock. He had made sure to get himself a key before he left. Ilia was known to have fickle weather. He did not want to be stuck outside knocking inside of a snow storm.

"You can place your mounts over there", spoke Orcleous to the two riders as he turned open the door. His finger pointed toward a post next to the side of the house. He then opened the door to let the others in and then told the griffin rider to secure her mount in a small barn that was nearby. Orcleous did not know how pegasus and griffins got along, but he did not want them near each other without somebody watching them. That is how disaster strikes. With that Orlcoeus made his way into the main living area.

"Argus the recruits are here", he shouted as he stepped into the main sitting area. The place would be large enough for them to meet, but just barely. The champion made sure he picked a seat where everyone could see him and he could guard the door. He took a round about route to insure they were not followed, but you can never be too sure.

[Argus]

Argus was busy cooking when he heard Orcleous notify him. He was really excited to meet them! He had spent this time preparing them a meal. "OHHHH! I hope I made enough food!" He made about five large pots of stew, with potatoes, carrots, meats, and the like, booze and other drinks spread wide across all the tables he had. He could barely stop himself from running out the door then and there.

He wiped his hands on the cooking apron he was wearing, his armor on a stand in the corner, recently clean and repaired by the local Smith. The colors on it having been readded, along with being shined. He instead simply ran about, setting out bowls and spoons for a large number of people, waiting for them to come in and greet him, he is ready to speak to each of them in turn. He couldn't stop himself from bouncing about where he stood.

He was sooo excited to meet these people! He looked at Orcleous with a GIANT smile! He was so happy, he decided to look out the door at all of the people, saying hi and waving to them before ducking back inside, and stoking the fire, placing some more wood inside as well. This was gonna be great! There were so many people! He made sure everything valuable was hidden away as well, just in case there was anyone there just to steal his things. He was in charge... At least he guessed he was at this point.

[Yakumo]

Yakumo had joined up with the Order of Maltet is that she could help defend her homeland from the war that was to come but deep down inside she worried what would happen to her in the future during and after the war, if she even made it out of it alive that is. But Yakumo threw those doubts to the side, telling herself that self doubt would only bring destruction to herself and saw that the leader of the group had brought them to some common house. Yakumo didn't mind the common house serving as a temporary hideout for them but she did wonder just how long they would be staying here but she didn't want to bring this up and kept it to herself.

Yakumo was allowed inside the house and took a look around to see what they had inside and from what she could see was that it was really just an simple house that they were using as a base of operations but she knew that at one point they would have a real base to use as a hideout but the first thing she wanted to do was sit down and relax after all the walking she had been doing and looked for a seat to sit in but she decided to just wait before she took a seat and with nothing else to do but wait, Yakumo pulled out a book from her bag and started to read while waiting for this Argus person was to show up and see what will happen next.

Yakumo saw Argus come to greet everyone and then ran back in to finish up whatever it was he was doing and Yakumo put her book back into her bag and starting thinking to herself.

*So that's Argus, well let's see what kind of plan he's got ready for us.*

[Sigma]

"Great stories start from small things at least", Sigma thought as the house was finally appearing in sight of the group he had just joined. So far, except from him, it looked like 5 other persons had joined the resistance. A lot of magically inclined folk on top of that... He was also surprised to see a griffon rider in these parts. Well, this definitly was going to be interesting, though they might need to get a few more front fighters... But for now, Sigma was simply glad to have arrived to their destination, he decided to leave this issue for a bit later. Right now, he couldn't wait to meet the leader of the resistance. He was hoping to meet a man of great wisdom which Sigma could trust to lead them to great things.

Thinking of all the possible scenarios this grand adventure could take, he finally took notice of Orcleous who was opening the door with a key. Being invited inside, Sigma did not take long to start walking in, glad he was finally somewhere warm. Finally, he saw something he DEFINITLY did not expect.

The person who Sigma guessed was supposed to be the leader of this new resistance was having probably the biggest smile he ever saw... on top of wearing an apron. "It's okay Sigma, he's just happy to see us and probably very strict about household tasks, it's okay, he can still be the badass hero you think he is.", he told himself in his head.

Making sure his boots were clean, he decided that for now, he was going to stick to his guts and see what this group was all about. He couldn't let the chance to maybe do something great pass right by him, right?

Sigman sniffed a bit the air around him before asking:

- Something smells awfully good in here...

[Nyroshea]

Nyroshea had praddled in just over the summit with bits of snow coating his cloak. (Brrrrrr~ It's nice to finally get here!) the youth thought to himself. Yellow eyes sparkling with awe at the sight of their base. It had a very homely exterior, almost like a house! ... Or maybe it was a house! The boy was familiar with the outside world but knew little when it came to actual militant life so - he didn't know what to expect. Maybe this would give him the wrong idea of how a real military base should look... However, a comfortable base is a good base. So he had no qualms the arrangement at all. Fumbling towards the place...

This ... is very Ilian~

were his first thoughts about the place. The scent of a warm hearty meal to beat the harsh wintery air. The people inside were not those clad in thick layers of armor, a knight was an uncommon sight around these soils after all. The snow would covet them to death. These people felt very Ilian, as they should be, fighting for their homes and whatnot.

And lastly there was he--the leader. The man in the apron. ... Nyroshea bit his lip, to keep quiet. He was a different sight altogether when compared to the might that is Orcleous. With brown unkempt hair and some unmatched cooking ability...

""He is kind of like a stay at home mom...err, dad. I mean--woops." Nyro corrected himself, thinking aloudly. He covers his mouth quickly, eyes darting away in Sigma's direction. He just called their leader a mom, he had to think of a quick fix for this before he got a boot to the head. ""I-i meant that guy...~" he snickers, sheepishly. (Oh boy, I should stop talking...) he inched away towards a chair and took his seat before he'd say anything else embarrassing. He was pretty short compared to most of the people here, so he hoped he could just eat here and hide under his long locks of hair. ""T..this is good by the way." There! A compliment to mask his shame! Surely he could get away with it this time! ... *munch munch* ... Or not.

[Dawson]

Dawson walked in behind the others. He could see that a knight was greeting the people. Dawson couldn't help but crack a slight smile. Well...I guess it's better than freezing out in the open he thought as he looked around. He lightly tapped his satchel that contained some vulneraries and his flux tome. He knew that he was ready to help the resistance.

He slowly looked at what the house had. He couldn't help but notice the scent that was in the air at the time. If thats food, it's certainly smells ALOT better than what I could cook Dawson thought. He knew that it was simply impossible for this resistance to be loyal to Draco. He would know otherwise if they were. Besides, he knew that Draco would have a tough time finding him. Of course, for now, his main concern would be helping the resistance deal with Etruria.

"So...I guess we'll have our main base here huh? Its better than staying out in the snow...I like it" Dawson said. He felt somewhat nervious around the other people. He didn't know if any of them are loyal to Draco or truly hope to free Ilia from Etrurian invasions. He decided to keep to himself for the time being as he slowly reached into his bag and got out his flux tome and started to read it. If I want to be at the top of my game, I need to make sure that I get stronger...but first, it would be best to wait and see what we'll be doing. Who knows, I might be sent to go scouting or stay here to get stronger Dawson thought.

[Orcleous]

Oh God, thought Orcleous as Argus made his appearance. The Champion was hoping that he would do a better job at a first impression than this. He was acting like a skitty School girl for crying out loud. He was suppose to be the leader of a organize resistance against the Eturian army. Orcleous was starting to to understand why fate had made him the instrument of recruitment. If Argus had went they might have not recruited anybody. Then again Orcleous was sure that Argus would be different once things started to heat up. Argus was a bit gitty, but he was still the man that attacked a Eturian patrol by himself. He had no idea that Orcleous was even heading that way.

"Right, let me give you all a proper introduction. This man is Argus. He is the leader of this resistance. I as you all know as Orcleous am the second in command. I am also that marshal of the forces. I lead all our planned military operations, thought until you all joined up it was a army of two", chuckled Orcleous. "That being said time is of the essence. So everyone grab a bowl, get some food in your stomach, and lets get down to business."

As everyone began to fill there stomachs Orcleous began to talk. The champion would skip the meal for the moment. He would rather go ahead and get everything down before Argus made them all lose there edge and then enjoy a fine cooked meal.

"Alright let me ask you all this, how many of you have heard of guerrilla warfare?" Orcloeus waited for a moment for them who knew something to speak and show there knowledge and then moved on."Well this is going to be the primary mode of attack once we start our operations. Just to make sure we are all on the same page I am going to break it down to you all. In the type of warfare we are going to be doing we will never meet up in a large army and attack our enemy in the open field. Eturia has far to many numbers and far to much experience in that field. What we are going to do is harasser them, make things difficult for them, and strike where they are weak. Out post, caravans, messengers, and foragers. Those are going to be our main four targets. We will take out there ability to send messages back to the homeland. We will take out there ability to communicate with each other. We will attack there supplies, and kill anyone who is attempting to gain supplies for the main army. If we can pull off shutting down those four options then we can bring the enemy army to its knees. That being said however there are a few things that we need to get done first."

With that Orcleous took a step back and let Argus talk about the missions they had agreed upon. Argus was the leader and Orcleous figured it would be best if they heard them from his mouth.

[Argus]

Argus nodded to Orcleous, removing the apron and, turning to face the gathered individuals. Ahem. "Now, You all caught me preparing the food. A personal passion of mine, cooking. Either way! Thank you for explaining what Geurilla Warfare is to everyone Orcleous."

"As Orcleous said. I am the leader here, however, I have a tendency to get... Carried away... In heated moments, so Orcleous will handle command during combat situations. Now! Onto the general are we'll be operating."

Argus points to a large map of Ilia on the wall. "We shall be operating in and around Carrhae. Now I grew up here, so I know some of the merchants pretty well, and was able to secure us some light material support. Food, Building Materials, Clothes and whatnot. Now! Our major goal is to keep the Etrurians slowed down until one of two things happen, either A. The Sacaeans win and come to help us. B. They win but they don't come and we have to just hold out for as long as possible. Or C. Find a way to assassinate their commander. Understood?"

Argus asked in a... Surprisingly commanding voice for someone whom was cooking in an apron a few mere minutes prior. He looked at the people assembled and smiled... Yes... This will do. This will do.

"Alright! I want you all to tell me a bit about yourselves in an orderly fashion! I want to hear your weapon of choice, training, background, and skills!" He said, walking between the tables stopping at a certain purple haired mage. "I'm glad you like it! It's an old family recipe!" He then looked at everyone. "And don't worry! There's plenty for seconds! After you say your part of course." He then stood at the front of the room, and listened intently.

[Yakumo]

Yakumo learned that Orcleous was going to be the one to lead the military in this group, which Yakumo had nothing to say about it, nor would it matter if she even said anything, but after getting that through her head and then she heard that Orcleous had asked a question about guerrilla warfare. Yakumo knew what guerrilla warfare was thanks to her studies she took as a child but she has no experience in guerrilla warfare and decided to hear what the champion had to say about guerrilla warfare.

After hearing that the champion was done talking and moved back for the knight's turn to speak about whatever plans they have for this war and after learning about where they will be working and hearing that the knight knew his way around the place and saying that he had gain some supply was a good thing to hear for Yakumo, has being apart of a group meant to fight a whole army with next to nothing was something Yakumo wasn't looking forward to but that fear was put aside now and heard that the knight wanted to learn about the people that he would be working with so Yakumo went on to talk about herself and give a small amount of info so everyone can get a basic understanding of her.

"Well my name is Yakumo, I am a shaman born and raised here in Ilia and my skills as a shaman are pretty good but can be better.I have been in a few fights before in the past so I know my way around in a battle. I have also taken a few studies in warfare though I've never used this knowledge yet,and I believe that my knowledge will be shown to quite helpful in the in the future. That is all I need to say."

Yakumo didn't want to take up too much time with her going on about her past and decided to just give a pretty simple rundown on on her skills and combat abilities so everyone would know about her abilities in a fight.

[Sigma]

Nyroshea seemed to say what Sigma was thinking out loud... Well he did have guts to say that about their to-be-leader, that was for sure. Sigma couldn't help but grin slightly when the boy turned to him, visibly embarassed... Well at least these people sure seemed like fun, now he definitly wanted to know more about them. That guy Dawson though didn't seem like he was up for much talking since he seemed to try to keep to himself after that comment about liking this house. He guessed he could always simply wait for when he'd be more in the mood.

Sitting down at the table, the thief was in awe of all the food resting on the table. It almost seemed unreal to him. Though Orcleous told them to eat so he guessed it really was for them! Digging in, Sigma quickly reached for a mug of ale. It had been a while since he drank some and it tasted quite good, very good in fact! Wow, this meal couldn't even compare to what he would eat back in the capital... Sigma wondered if they'd be able to eat like this regurlarly despite whate they were about to start. His thoughts were cut short as Orcleous started to speak in depth about their plan.

Guerrilla warfare wasn't that far off of how he would usually get out of trouble... Fight quick and fight dirty, that's pretty much how Sigma lived the life of a criminal. Don't ask him to actually go into a full-on duel though, there's no way in hell he's gonna win. No, if Sigma can't get an advantage over his opponent, he'd prefer to escape by climbing the rooftops and simply running away. Also, their four targets to repel the Etrurians seemed logically sound, though he wished that if they started getting more people one day, they could actually go on the offensive instead of simply staying in one place. But in a way he knew that realistically, this was already going to extremely difficult, better not bite off more than you can chew even if the rewards could be great.

Finally, Argus followed Orcleous's speech by asking all of us to talk about ourselves. The shaman Yakumo was first. If what she claimed was true, she did seem to posess some warfare knowledge which was always helpful. It definitly felt like she was telling the truth. Sigma appreciated her honest and direct way of talking, it made her seem like a reliable and truthful individual, that it did.

Playing with his earing by flicking it with his index finger, Sigma decided to go second:

"As for me, the name's Sigma, Sigma Wolfhart. Just like Yakumo here i was born in Ilia... the capital to be more specific. I might lack actual military combat training but i can more than make up for it with my espionnage and information gathering skills. Not only that, but i'm very good with lockpicks and infiltrations in general, . I guess that's the problem with my line of work, the better you are at not being seen, the less you'll practice your fighting skills... But anyway, your operation of yours is gonna need more than brawns to succeed, so I also believe I'll be of great help. Oh and don't think because i'm proficient in "morally questionable" activities that i won't stay loyal to you guys. I'm not doing this for the money either, I just want to protect my country.

He said those last sentences with a more serious tone than the other ones. This was the first time he felt this much excitment out of a job, no way he would lose this opportunity.

Sigma could always refine his swordplay in the next weeks, so at least maybe one day he could hold his own against trained soldiers, but it wasn't what he was good for, so for now he decided to talk mostly about his existing strenghts instead of his possible future ones.

[Orcleous]

Orcleous sat and listen to them for a moment. It was catch up for him. He had already gained what he needed to know from them combat wise on the trip. He knew there weaknesses and strengths, what they could and could not do. Well he knew as much as they were willing to tell. People will often lie, so Orcleous only really knew what they wanted him to know. There next few missions would prove if that lintel was true.

Orcleous wanted Argus to mention the first few missions they were going to begin. With his introduction at the door and his lack of presence at Orcleous speech he figured it would be haed for the new blood to tell who is the leader. Command structure was important and it was very important that Argus was the leader and know both inside and out as such. Orcleous had a not so shinning history and he was not from Illia. Argus needed to be the leader. It would not work out if he did not handle the post. Orcleous was to stained to hold the title and to be honest he did not care about Ilia enough to hold the position as well. Only Argus could lead them. Orcleous was sure that his passion, no matter how eccentric, would lead them to victory. Orcleous was here to make the ride smoother.

"Right well I will go next. As you all know my name is Orcleous. I am from Bern. I have seen more battles than I care to count and I am the marshal of this force. Those of you lacking in combat prowess will see a lot of me. Those who are decent will see me a bit less. If you have any questions or problems bring them to me. I will look into them."

[Argus]

Argus exhaled, and went to the front of the room, near the crackling fire, before looking over the people and clapping to bring them to attention. "Alright everyone! So! You're all here to help the cause. And I really appreciate that, but here's the catch. There's not enough of us to stand up against the Etrurians normally. So, as my friend said, we will be using Guerilla tactics to cut off their supply lines, and to starve them out of Ilia. If that fails, we'll ask for aid from Sacae. But that'll be a last resort, they have their own Etrurian problem. Now, onto assignments. All who have actual combat experience will be going with Butorega in order to scout out a new base of operations for us. The rest will stay here and train with me, we don't want you guys getting killed. If anyone who doesn't want to go with Butorega has combat experience, you will guard the base. Any objections?" He asked, hoping there would be none. After all, he was supposed to be in charge here! So he would do his best to be in charge. And be good at trying to lead in the meantime. So he stood up there, trying to look like a leader, and probably not doing too well at it. After all, one doesn't become a leader overnight. It takes time, hardship, and possibly death. Hopefully not any death. Anyway, the fire crackled behind him, and the winds blowing outside could be heard. The stars clear as can be over the home. The perfect night to start a Carrhaean resistance.

[Dawson]

Dawson looked around as the other people introduced themselves. He finally looked at the man who called himself Argus. Well, it doesn't seem that this group is with Draco, that's for sure. Thank goodness... he thought. He then excelled a sigh of relief at that thought. But...I'll need to choose what I say carefully...I can't risk letting down my guard in case one of them really is with Draco. Or worse, I end up scaring some of them away because of the dangers that Draco would bring because of me...

Dawson cleared his throat slightly and looked around. "Well...I guess it's my turn to introduce myself huh? My name is Dawson, like Yakumo, I too am a Shaman, but I was born and raised in Lycia. I was simply passing through here when I heard about the resistance that was forming up. I figured I could do my part in aiding somehow." He took out his flux book and looked around. "I understand the risks that I face because of how Etrurian Light Magic has an advantage over Elder magic, but trust me, I would gladly give my life to help with the resistance!"

He then looked at Argus and nodded at him. "If I may...I may not be nearly as experienced in the art of war, but I can hold my own in a fight. Tell me what to do, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that the mission is accomplished with as little trouble as possible. Though I personally think it would be wise to have me stay and either train with the rest of you, or help defend our base. Whatever you decide is up to you."

Dawson then sat back down, looking pleased with himself. I will not fail again...he thought

[Sigma]

Hearing the leader talk with confidence made Sigma more at ease. It felt good to see their leader be more assertive, that way it felt like things were gonna go fine. Great way to raise the moral actually, Sigma knew that he was going to be a good one even if he lacked a bit of experience right now. Finishing the bowl of stew he was devouring, he then drank whatever was left of his ale, better enjoy a hot meal before heading out again since he wanted to go look for a new base. Though he was already missing the aroma of the perfectly stewed beef...

- I'll volunteer to go find a new base with Orcleous. Just let me make sure i have everything and I'll be ready to go right now at night if we need to.

Taking a final slice of bread, Sigma started to examine his bags while munching on the food... Bedroll, mess kit, whetstone, lockpicks... Hmph, he should probably hang on to those. They'd probably be on the road for a while. No way in hell he would try to sleep outside without some kind of bedroll. Getting up from the chair, he looked at Orcleous to say something:

- I know ' just said I wasn't military trained in swordplay, but you'll be happy that you have someone who can infiltrate any kind of building. And don't worry, I know how to stay both out of harm's way and out of your way when you're fighting.

Also he was a pretty good travelling companion when it came to morale but that was more of a minor thing, really he just needed to do his first mission perfectly and he decided to do it now. If he succeeded, the resistance would see what role he can fill. That's all he wanted, for them to give him a role, something he can be proud of doing instead of info gathering and random falsifications of documents for lowly scum of the capital.

Walking to the marshall, he gave him a confident smile before asking:

- So? Should we go right now or wait for the crack of dawn?

(Sigma exits thread)

[Orcleous]

"Hold on a second there Argus. That can be a really big group if we took everyone with combat experience. Just let me take Sigma. From what I understand of him he can be useful on this kind of job. I don.t want to grab to much attention, nor do I want to be slowed down. Two people are more than enough for the job. We can scout out the mountains for potential spots and then report back here within a week. That way we won.t be gone for to long and we can get a idea of the general area."

After he finished talking Orcleous moved over to his travel bag and pulled out his old leather armor set. It had been a while since he wore it, but this would be the perfect mission for it. His crimson plate would draw to much attention and slow them down. Removing his crimson plate Orcleous had equipped his leather set. As he was finishing his change Sigma walked up to him and began to talk. From what he was saying his skill with a blade were not as sharp as they could be. He made up for it with cunning and guile. It was not a bad set of skills to have. Orcleous remembered a few old companions just like him. Still Orcleous made a mental note to train him up in sword play. He may be self taught, but a good spar will help get some kinks out. That way he does not bite the dust on the battlefield.

"Don't worry to much. This is mainly a search mission. Fighting should be minimum. To be honest actually this plays right into your strengths. We keep our heads down on the road and look out for rumors. Remember we are looking to scout out a potential base not capture one. Also I would rather head out now. We brought a lot of attention to ourselves when I did that speech. Best to find a new base as soon as possible. When your ready let me know. We will move out and secure some horses."

[Orc exits thread}