The Shield of the North [IC]

[TriciaOso]

The group captains begin to emerge from the keep and pull off small units of the larger group, no more than three to five people at a time. Among them you can see an orc cleric in a piece of arcano-tech, a flying wheelchair; a blond paladin wearing a sash of pilgrimage; and your own captain, a lean and pale shadar-kai woman with a scar on the left side of her face


Beatrice Prochaine waves the four of you into a huddle. 'Lean and pale' are the words of someone who is drawn to that sort of thing; a less generous narrator might call her cadaverous. The Prochaines, cousins of the Dukes, are uniformly less human-looking, their shadowfey heritage clearer. Her good eye is a striking grey on black.

"Welcome, and good Wintertide," she says. "I'm not here to puff you up and make you feel good about tonight. The Duke is better at that than I am and he'll be here in a moment. I'm here to talk tactics."

"The four of you are assigned to the Porte Aguille, the Gate of the Needle." She nods at Connor. "The lad knows the neighborhood well. Lean on him."


You know it indeed. The Rue Desmontaignes, a minor road leading to the western mountains, enters the city there through a narrow gate and crosses half of Coldwater. South of it is the tall stone city center, the Mountain District. The wealthy don't like to live too close to the Keep. North of it, closer to the dangers of the docks and the Keep itself, are the humbler neighborhoods where you grew up.

"The Needle is a small gate, not often used, and it doesn't usually draw a lot of attention at Wintertide, either. This land is sacred, and the dead don't belong here. That's not propaganda -- they don't belong in the land of the living, and Coldwater in particular is consecrated against them. Every step south costs them strength and will. The Needle is far enough north that you don't get the worst of the mindless hordes, but south enough that intelligent troops would rather go straight for the Keep or the Carillions."

"Nonetheless, you will catch strays and the occasional genius who wants to sneak up from the rear. You drew the first shift, before it gets really bad, but you'll see action tonight. Militiamen will be on the wall. You may see them fighting; you may see them die; but unless and until something gets over that wall, you let them fight their own battle. Sooner or later, something will get to you, so be patient."

"If by some ill-chance the gate falls, you fall back to the Avenue leading to the Keep and defend it with the troops stationed there. And whatever you do -- if you hear your own sainted mother out there -- don't you open that godsdamned gate. I'll be on the rampart there and I'll kill anyone who goes for it, I swear by the Maiden."

She looks at Connor again. "I know The Boss is nearby to there. Your station is defending the gate, not your father's pub. It's hard to fear for your family, and I wouldn't station you so close if I didn't have faith you know your duty."

Returning to the whole group: "You have first shift: meaning, you will not last the night. Hold the station as long as you can; when you're spent, signal me and we'll bring in the next shift. It's the only way this works. There are barracks prepared here for you."