Debriefing

----> The warriors take you to a series of huts in the upper echelon of housing. This clearing is designated as royalty and clergy only. These huts are easily four to five times the size of the common marryk homes; easily ten times the size of the barracks rooms. The hut they shuffle you into is that of the Hai-Shalyk himself. A huge silver symbol that represents his name hangs from the oaken door. The guards inform you to wait inside and then they leave you in the foyer of the Hai-Shalyk's home.
----> It is dim inside. All the windows are covered in some kind of animal skins that let very little light through. This antechamber is fairly nondescript, though it does hold a round table and several chairs, all of mahogany and etched into a jungle cat motif. An oil lantern rests at the center of the table.

----> You wait patiently for near a quarter hour before several acolytes open the door and enter preceding Hai-Shalyk Quigh. They gather behind the hai-shalyk as he sits across from you. The venerable marryk regards you for several moments before dismissing his acolytes with a wave of his hand.
----> He regards you several more moments before speaking. "Understand, young Sunleaf, that I am in a very unfortunate position."
----> You are confused by the opening comments. You waits for an explanation. After all, it would be inappropriate to speak freely with the highest ranking priest in the marryk community.
----> He leans forward in his chair before he speaks, making an audible creak. You cannot tell if it originates in the wood or his ancient bones. "I am quite sure that you have no idea who your young human companion is," he says, squinting an eye at you in a peculiar expression that borders on accusation.
----> Aegeon feels that now is the time to reply. "Her name is Alliandra. She is a priestess of Prieldan, the human god of healing."
----> "Ah, yes, so she too has said," he replies, sitting back in his chair. He puts his hand together, touching one another only at the fingertips. He smiles at you and then adds, "But I know otherwise."
----> The look on your face must tell chapters of what you are thinking because the hai-shalyk puts your fears to rest.
----> "You are not in any trouble, Aegeon," he smiles. "Quite to the contrary." He proceeds to ask your opinion on the type of assault that is required on Baragona, ignoring the situation with Alliandra. He also inquires about the feasibility of retrieving your fallen cohorts, a sentiment well appreciated despite its impossibility.
----> At one point, the hai-shalyk mentions his niece, Lolynna, and how much she worried for your safe return. You stammer out a few incomprehendable sounds before skilfully changing the subject by asking, "What of the Jalbeorne?"
----> The Hai-Shalyk plans on visiting the Jalbeorne on the morrow.

----> You and the hai-shalyk talk for nearly an hour, fleshing out details and justifying personnel and equipment. Nearing the close of the talks, you decide to work up the guts to ask the hai-shalyk exactly who Alliandra is when an acolyte enters the room unbidden.
----> The hai-shalyk seems shaken by the intrusion, demanding the reasoning behind it. The acolyte looks at you hesitantly, as if questioning your need to know the information he must pass.
----> "Go on with it!" Quigh commands.
----> "It's Deepbush, Hai-Shalyk," the acolyte replies, nearly quivering in his priestly robe and habit. "The hobyah have struck!"
----> The word hobyah makes bile rise in the back of your throat, though you swallow it down. Your tribe has been monitoring a nearby group of the evil goblin-kin for several months. A stranger entered and seemed poised to lead the tribe of vicious humanoids, but nothing ever came of it. Although they blocked off a large area on the far side of their village, marryk authority felt it unnecessary to investigate any further. You and your command protested their lackadaisical approach as vehemently as a military can to its council. In the end, monitor teams were removed and placed in other duties.
----> "What?!" Quigh stands abruptly, knocking his chair back several feet.
----> The acolyte looks as if he is about to feint. "It's horrible, Hai-Shalyk, just horrible! They used fyrquai in the attack and—"
----> "Fyrquai?!"
----> The fyrquai are a race of enormous, semi-intelligent spiders that the marryk, according to reports, completely wiped out several decades ago. Apparently, those reports were not as accurate as first supposed.
----> "Yes, Hai-Shalyk," the visibly shaking priest answers. "They killed most of the humans… the ones they didn't kill, they took hostage. They moved out of the village heading northeast!"
----> "And the fyrquai?" Quigh squints that same eye at the young priest.
----> "Deepbush has been nested."
----> Nested. When fyrquai create a nest, they web up everything in sight. They begin reproducing at incredible rates and spread their nest out as far as possible. They then proceed to stalk and kill every living creature in a 30 to 40 klick area, cocooning whatever they cannot eat to save for sparser times. The marryk village is only 20 clicks from Deepbush.
----> "Sunleaf," Quigh suddenly looks to you, "we need a defense for Faerwyll and an attack force to hit Deepbush before the fyrquai begin to spread." Turning to the acolyte, he dismisses the young priest with instructions to cancel the festival and sound a general alarm.
----> An internal struggle begins to rage in your mind. What about Yohon and the temple? you think. But an order is an order, especially when it comes from the Hai-Shalyk himself…
----> "And I want those monitor teams back up and running," he continues. "Incorporate a hit squad with them. I want the hobyah's numbers diminished and their war-fighting capabilities decimated." He starts out the door of his home.
----> You begin to form an argument, but stand at attention and salute instead.
----> "Guards!" he hollers out the doorway. The three young privates that led you to this hut enter. "You are as of right now reassigned to this marryk. Do whatever he tells you."
----> The tallest marryk salutes and answers an appropriate, "Yes, Hai-Shalyk."
----> "Oh, and you're in charge," he adds, looking in your direction as if this last bit of news were just that nonchalant. "Your former commander, Commander Kolyer, has been reassigned to… other duties." He waves his hand dismissingly as he adds, "You're the Commander now, Sunleaf."
----> Well, now... a Commander can voice his opinion, right?
----> "And what of the personnel on Baragona, Hai-Shalyk?" you ask, trying to sound confident as the Hai-Shalyk makes his way out the door.
----> "You're the Commander," he smiles at you. "Work it out…"
----> And with that, you are left in the foyer of Hai-Shalyk Quigh's private home, filling your new rank of Commander, and looking into the faces of three wide-eyed men who now work for you.

----> Where do I start? you ponder.