Arden Vul Session 03 Meeting Mother
Date: March 23, 2026
Party: Florian (bard), Lorez (wizard), Cedric (Fighter), Johannes (cleric), Runner (Ranger)
Report of the Comes Skleros, Taxiarch of the 4th Kentarchia
Addressed to Count Georgik and Count Nikeos, for the archiveCopy retained for Mother's consideration, should she wish it
To my colleagues of the Comital Command:
I submit the following assessment of the surface party currently operating under provisional contract to the Tagma, for your judgment and that of the record.
Contact and Initial Assessment
The party was encountered on the road below the Stair by the 2nd Banda of Dog Company, under Sergeant Aulos. Five individuals. The engagement was handled correctly; Aulos brought them in rather than turning them away, which I consider the right decision. They had already been watching the patrol. The fighter — a retired man of the 4th Legion, name of Cedric — heard Mother's name in passing and used it before Aulos could set terms. Quick thinking. I have spoken to Aulos's men about what circulates on a circuit.
The five: Cedric, the fighter; Johannes, cleric of Hessius Ban; Runwald, a hunter with a wolf; Lorez, a mage of unstated school; and the fifth, Phlorian, a bard.
I will note that Cann — Runwald's wolf — gave our people no trouble on the escort. Some of the younger dog-men found this notable. I found it interesting.
The Audience
Mother received them well. She fixed immediately on Phlorian, as I had expected from Trisko's report. The bard conducted himself with considerable grace — the bow was elegant, the compliment offered without servility. When Mother brought the goblet to him, I signaled my reservations. He declined smoothly, on the pretext of a personal vow. I do not know whether the vow is real. It does not matter. The instinct to decline was sound, and the execution preserved his standing with Mother rather than diminishing it. She was pleased.
The fighter's response when Mother named the goblin problem — finally, some action — was unpolished but genuine. She smiled at it. I made note. There is a type of soldier who means exactly what they say, and Cedric appears to be that type. This is either an asset or a liability depending on what they encounter below.
I answered the fighter's tactical questions at the barricade honestly. Fourteen confirmed, with the usual caveat about what one goblin implies. I did not volunteer information about why the Tagma does not press further west. That is not their concern yet.
Deployment
I brought them to the outer edge of our line and left them to it. They are on their own in the Hall of the Great Columns. Whatever comes of it will tell us more than any further conversation.
Preliminary Assessment
Against my usual caution, I find myself provisionally favorable toward this group. The fighter is experienced and direct. The cleric is quiet — more dangerous, in my estimation, than he appears. The bard has charm and, more importantly, discipline behind it. The mage concerns me; Lorez says little and watches everything, and mages who are careful with their words are either very confident or very cautious. I have not yet determined which.
The wolf I consider an intelligence asset pending further observation.
Recommendation
If they clear the goblin incursion, I recommend we extend provisional operating rights in the outer sections of the Thothian precinct, subject to the usual conditions. Information-sharing, no mapping in the inner compound, no approach to the Mother's hall without escort. Standard terms.
Should they prove unreliable, the Hall of the Great Columns is a sufficient sorting mechanism. Thoth's sentinel work has not diminished.
I will advise further when they return — if they return.
In discipline and in service to Mother and the Tagma,
SklerosComes, 4th Kentarchia, 3rd CohortImperial Tagmata
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