The slap on his shoulder caught Haldur slightly by surprise, but it was nothing compared to his amazement at Capt. Hrain's following praise and recommendation for a battlefield promotion. The young mercenary's eyes widened slightly, and he shot a glance at the paladin to see if he could discern any humor or jest in the man's expression. Finding the statement to apparently be genuine, the sellsword cleared his throat and stammered a quiet response.

"Thank you very much, sir. I-I won't let you... any of you, down, sir."

Again, the young man's eyes drifted toward the two Sisters, but he averted his gaze quickly.

Stiffening his posture, the mercenary nodded to Hrain and Thomas as they departed to attend their business, then he turned to appraise the new people assembled before him. Some he vaguely recognized from his brief time in the camp, seeing them come or go, and a couple of them he had never seen before. He knew he must look as bedraggled as he felt. The young sellsword, though mildly rejuvenated by the group's short respite in the tunnels, still appeared as though he had been through a small war that morning. His short brown hair was tussled and matted with blood and dirt, his chainmail hauberk was covered with soot, viscera, and thin traces of an oily, foul smelling toxin that lingered as testament to his earlier poisoning. Dark circles beneath his eyes belied his fatigue, and his hardened expression bespoke of the dogged determination it had taken to endure the crucible of the morning and emerge in tact on the other side. Yet, beneath this hard and conflict-stained visage, the more perceptive among the group of detainees and Shepherds might notice that Haldur was still a young man, barely past his second decade, and the lingering traces of self-consciousness and uncertainty could be seen in small, barely perceivable ways in his posture and body language. However, there was absolutely no trace of this uncertainty in the hand that still grasped his halberd, and to any looking, it would be relatively clear that the weapon was the young sellsword's comfort and anchor in a world that threatened to overwhelm.

"Greetings," the mercenary began, moving his gaze from one new face to the next and attempting a weak smile, "I'm glad you all made it out. I'm Halberd Hightower..." A slightly awkward pause, "pleased to meet you all." It felt somewhat odd to re-introduce social pleasantries with people who, only hours ago, were considered detainees under the authority of his employers, but circumstances had certainly changed today. Besides, even though they were Casters confined to the camp, they were still people, and Haldur felt like with the danger and death that hung over everyone's mind like an ominous black cloud, a little social grace might be a small nicety to help alleviate the despair.

     The gnome rolls his eyes at this Captain of Sune. "Really?! You all want to sit down and have a picnic while this whole place is under siege?!" His face meets the palm of one of his well-calloused hands, and he shakes his head. "Before we sit down and have a touching moment and playing like we're all friends now... Can we at least get out of here and try to do something before that dragon brings this tower down over our heads?"

At the gnome's words, Thomas steps forward and begins speaking in a calm and measured voice.

"With all due respect, Councilor Folzi, the three of you in this room are the only persons in this Garrison who have not been injured or exhausted in some manner by this mornings events. Any immediate action taken would likely be wasted for our inability to see it through. As to our safety within these walls, the aggressors will undoubtedly continue attempting to breach our defenses. But that still does not change our chances in a fight."

Thomas then looks to Hrain. He appears to wish to speak further, but in deference to the captain, he waits.

"Please continue, my friend, you strike to the heart of the matter. Councillor, consider his words wisely I implore. We all lost friends today, adding our own lives to the tally pointlessly would be the utmost foolishness." 

Thomas narrows his eyes slightly at the Captain's choice of words.

"With all due respect to you now, Captain, accusing each other of suggesting foolishness is not helpful in the least."

The cleric takes a deep breath before continuing.

"As we speak, the camp has been overrun, led it would seem, by casters who somehow infiltrated this camp from the outside and were unhindered and seemingly indiscriminate in their attacks. Shepherds, Sisters, AND Detainees have all fallen to their aggression. I for one, do not understand how this could have happened under our noses without some kind of assistance from the inside. My assessment, Captain, though I have no hard evidence of it, is that we have likely been betrayed by some of our own. I see no other way these attackers could have gotten in."

As he finishes, Thomas looks about the room at each of the others, possibly gauging any response they might have.

The elf waits and listen to the new company as they enter the room and present themselves. 

She has but a simple white tunic, despite the low temperatures, and her slender and elegant forms curves can be seen against the crude cloth that it is made of. Despite the several drops of dirt  it seems that she is wearing a noble dress. She has the long white hair loose and in her back, almost reaching her waist. As she moves the light catches in the little freckles that points her shoulders and cheeks, as if she wore purpurine makeup. Her silver eyes looks down to the cleric, then the young warrior and the captain as they speak. 

Making and incredible act of patiente she waits until the conversation starts to divagarte and then speaks with her calm and soft, yet full of contained energy, voice. 

“ I am afraid that he, indeed, disobeyed your direct order Captain. You may not like this Sir, but some men just like to abuse the power they have. He, and some others, wanted us dead and threatened us with the gallows. They locked us in that horrible dungeons below, but your words seems accurate Captain, for it seems that they spared us from the terrible things that transpired. “ She looks towards the window too, without moving, waiting to see if the paladin sees the dragon and its rider. 

“ And about what we should be doing. My dear friend” she says to the gnome “ I think that we should tell them what you saw, they aren’t asking for our opinion. They are only interested in our wellbeing and safety from the outside world “ no one can misunderstand the cinism in her voice. She turns to the Shepherds “ The dragon has a rider, we saw it just a few minutes ago. You should rest and heal, but seeing all this “ she moves her hand towards the window “ I would not put all my trust on whatever defenses this garrison could have. As you said most of the things we used to take for granted had blown away today. “ 

She takes a step towards Hrain 

“ I have told this twice today, and I will repeat it to your Commander or Sister Bhalla if they are here and still alive. You need us. For long time you have protected us, guarded us “ there is no trace of criticism in her voice now “ but now you need us at your side. We can carry wounded, help you tend their wounds, but we can also fight. But for this, as you need to rest and be replenished “ she raises her arms, putting them to the level eye her facepalms looking up “ we need to be whole. I swear to you that I will not harm any of you and will fight and use my abilities to help of all us getting out of here alive. And if by my death I could save any of you, I will “ 

She then lowers her arms and waits for the others response. 

Thomas bites his tongue through most of what the elf says. When she mentions a Rider, he rushes to the window to see if he can catch a glimpse of it.

Lyra turned to the shepherd who had introduced himself as Thomas. She was the only human of the three detainees held captive in this room. Additionally, she was the only one of the casters that had put on one of the clean robes the lieutnant had provided them with, and the cut did a poor job at disguising her actual age. The cloth was too large, jutting out here and there, thus revealing that the she was rather a girl passed her midteens than a women. Thomas and Hrain would most likely recognize her as one of the youths that had been brought in with the newest wave of detainees. Her face, although already vanishing, still bore the unmistakable signs of deprivation. She had angular features, her eyes were of a deep blue, nearly blackish colour and now sharply sizing up one of the shepherds after another. Lyra had long, light blond hair to an extent that it nearly appeared white, and as she now adressed Thomas, her voice was once again slightly shivering due to the anger she was trying to suppress. It might appear that her and the elf had quite a lot in common even apart from their appearances. "Forgive me, Shepherd, but in this case you will have to do us justice in the same way that you demand our respect. I do not wish to argue with any of you, just as I dislike understating what you have had to live through for this day," she states as she again eyes up the shepherds obviously unhealthy condition, "but we have been imprisoned in cells that, as you people know, have the habit of killing my kind, for no other reason than our sheer existence. Your comrades chose to chain and lock me up because I was assisting one of the sisters with the delivery of medicine and other supplies instead of hurrying back to the safety of my tent. But I guess those are just the duties you expect us to carry out, huh?" Lyra takes a step back from the other people in the room, clenching her fist to grab the fringes of the overhanging robe, obviously trying to calm herself. "Why do you believe those people chose to attack this camp in the first place? Could it be, because this facility is the largest institution known to imprison the wielders of magic and have them rott in a place far away from society? Of course i do not know anything about their intentions, but if you would want to rebel against the empire, what place would you look for to gather reinforcements and to increase your numbers?" She pauses briefly to let her words sink in. " I'm new to the camp, I have no knowledge of any infiltrating organizations, but what I do know for sure is that, even if our defenses are holding up at the moment, it would be wise not reside here for much longer. You shepherds might not have realized it thus far, but there is someone riding that Dragon, and I am somewhat scared that whoever can mount a biest like that is capable of summoning forces that will shred this place to pieces in a mere second. Plus, I don't know if you lock people up for fun in this, but just like with the rider, the beloved magic part within me senses another sorcerer nearby. If that is new to you and he is, thus, not imprisoned, you might want to check around and see what he is up to. That draconic alliance could already be on the verge of disarming all of the defensive mechanisms you are so proud of."

Thomas visibly winces multiple times as Lyra speaks, though he keeps his eyes trained out the window for a sign of this Rider. As she finishes, he turns back to Hrain.

"Captain? I have a recommendation, but I do not wish to step on your authority."

Meeting Lebenha halfway as she steps towards him Hrain studies her as she speaks, as Thomas checks the window Hrain, still looking at the sorceress states "Can you see them Thomas, even if not she speaks the truth, don't you agree?" Looking past the elf to the Mystran cleric he continues "We need to speak to Bhalla, the talk in the camp just before the attack was that the commander had received news about something that had him on edge and preparing for trouble, unfortunately I do not know more, but Bhalla would if anyone does". To the elf he quietly adds "We will not be able to ask the commander, his corpse lies torn and battered at the gates of the temple where we were forced to leave him when the dragon came as we had no magic strong enough to bring him back."

His silence in the moments that follow stretch out until he moves to the door, calling loudly for Lara as if an idea has come to him.

As he waits he turns to Thomas.

"Please, you do not need my permission to make a suggestion, I value your ideas and your wisdom."

"Thank you, Sir. There is obviously much grievance here."

He pauses for a second, looking at each of the casters in the room before continuing.

"I would ask that we, in whatever way is necessary, release the bindings on these detainees as quickly as possible."

He addresses his next words to the casters specifically.

"If we can manage this, I would ask that the three of you remain in this room, until at the very least we have sorted through what is and is not known to each of us. In remaining here, we prevent any clash within our own ranks and we'll be better able to manage the defense of the Garrison."

Turning specifically to Lyra, he finishes,

"While I too worry what more these aggressors can bring to bear against us, it is simply impossible to abandon our current position without knowing our enemies' intentions and whether or not the other Garrisons even still stand. I suggest these measures as a compromise and act of good faith on the part of we Shepherds. Are they acceptable to each of you?"

As the paladin Captain mentioned the torn and battered body of the former Commander, Haldur ran his free hand through his hair in an unconscious gesture of discomfort, causing the matted and tousled mess to stand up in various directions, then looked away from the assembled group. He sighed deeply to himself and frowned, lost in internal thought. After a moment, he glanced again at the irate detainees and though they seemed understandably perturbed by the current situation and their perceived treatment, none of them appeared to be outwardly hostile or threatening at the moment. The mercenary looked toward the cleric of Mystra as he and Hrain spoke, but this mention of the dragon having a rider had piqued the young warrior's curiosity. Naturally, in the chaos of the moment while he and the others had fled for their lives, Haldur had been unable to pinpoint any such details about the monstrosity above.

The sellsword strode over to the window that Thomas had been glancing out of and, exercising extreme caution in order to avoid being seen himself, the young fighter tried to peek out the window to see if he could catch a glimpse of this dragon rider, or any other movement from other antagonists that might be visible from his vantage.

Perception Check, looking to see if the dragon or rider is visible from the window, or if any coordinated movements by the Chromatic Casters and their allies can be seen as well: 9

"I know that might have been a bit harsh, i just want you to understand that we haven't been all cozy so far either. And you are most definitely not the only ones to have lost someone important today." She glances at Folzi and her eyes soften a little. "All of you shepherds have earned the right to rest, and while i am fine with your conditions, i still fear for the safety of all of us. None of us want to be wiped out by a dragon, Folzi and i have seen him. And while we did not witness their attack ourselfs, an organized group of casters running amok sounds not the least bit better. But most importantly, i can assure you that there is another draconic caster nearby. I dont know how these senses work, but i am certain that he is somewhere in a room next to us, and since you mentioned us being the only people unscathed, neither of you seem to know about him. In this case, even though all of you are half-dead already, you should try to elaborate if he is a threat, especially if you want us to stay put in this room. The garrisons defenses might hold up against attacks from the outside, but i fear what will happen if one of thoses casters has found his way in here. Apart from that, i support Lebenha about freeing us from those mannacles. You might not trust us yet, but how are we supposed to prove ourselfs worthy? Imagine all of us ending here just because we're stuck with these godforsaken mannacles."

At mention of another caster within the Garrison, Thomas turns again to Hrain, this time with a clear look of alarm on his face.

"Your Lieutenant didn't mention any other casters, right?"

Thomas then proceeds immediately to the door.

OOC: Amazing riffing guys, thanks for your dedication to characters and story!!

Thomas and Haldyr both in looking out the windows but do not see the dragon. It either moved on and they tell the truth or the Casters could be telling tales to serve their purpose.

Metagaming pigeon says: coo-coo insight checks!! Y'all on different sides on the same coin here. Regardless if you think you're on 'the same side' as players as PCs you haven't a clue anyone intentions are good or otherwise.....

Thomas leaving the visitor's chambers of the garrison moves into the short hallway. There are four other rooms one directly next to the one he was just in and two across a short walkway in front of the two doors behind him.

OOC: What's the plan here?

Lebenha listen to both Hrain and Thomas words and, for the first time in long years she dares to hope. Yet she doesn’t allow that hop to reach her face, not even her eyes. 

She retreats and sits on the bed. 

“ I am sorry to hear about the Commander. He... he was a good person “ she adds towards Hrain and then looks to Thomas “ You are wiser that your young age would suggest “ 

She remains there, in silence for a few moments, the only indication that she is still alive and hasn’t turned to a statue is that she touches the place where the manacles wrap around her left wrist. 

“ One thing seems prudent “ she says to Lyra and the gnome “ we need to know more of the enemy forces and intentions now if we wasn t to make an escape plan. How do you suggest we could that... Haldur” she staggers trying to remember the mercenary´s name. 

OOC: Well, if they are being honest about another unaccounted for detainee/caster, I would say that gives them a definite level of credibility.

Insight Check: 6 

Regardless if Thomas can get a good read on them or not, he'll still move to check the other rooms. It would be too risky not to.

OOC: Insight checks are to be given by me FYI. I'll discuss it with each of you via PMs.

The mercenary turned away from the window after a moment of seeing nothing of any strategic value, nor anything to confirm the sightings of the aforementioned dragon rider. Haldur frowned in consternation, but his attention was drawn back to the moment when the elven woman spoke his name. The young sellsword smiled almost shyly and responded,

"Halberd, please. Only my mother calls me Haldur anymore." His smile faltered slightly, and he seemed almost uncomfortable after having brought up something personal without provocation. Clearing his throat, the warrior pressed forward.

"Well," He began slowly, his mind walking at it's own pace through the dilemma, "I would guess that you already stated the most important place for us to start, m'am. We need to get a better, clearer picture of what we are really up against. Number of enemies, their locations around the camp, what sort of weaponry or arcane abilities they have at their disposal, anything that can help us create a foundation from which to begin forming a strategy of either attack, or retreat. Until then..." The young sellsword shrugged, "any plans we make might fall to pieces at the first encounter with something unforseen and overwhelming." He chuckled slightly, ruefully.

"Like a dragon, for instance."

     "Yes, I guess I'm one of a kind now, huh," the gnome says with a bite of raw emotions. "And can it with the 'Councilor', crap! I have no one to council anymore." He hops down of the bed and grabs a cup of water. "Why don't you all go get yourself a snack and some little rest so we can figure out what to do next then." He continues to glance out the window for signs of the dragon. Though concerned, the dragon doesn't appear to cause much alarm within the gnome as the others. "Oh, and you can deliver a message to Bhalla for me.... If you're wanting any of my help with all this, these have got to go before I step out there," he holds his hands up rattling the chains of his manacles. 

(OOC: DM, What are things like outside? Do we hear any fighting continuing on? It appears as if the dragon is quiet too?)

(Insight 3)