Veryacano stood in front of the board, hands clasped behind him. A large map was pinned to it, its lines indicating the territory of the Misty Mountains north and east of Imladris. All the ridges and passes were marked on the map, picked out with red ‘Xs’ and others were dotted with circles. In front of the Hammer Lord, on benches and chairs sat a group of Vanimar elves, mostly clad in black uniforms of the Hammer Order. They were noisily chatting amongst themselves.
He picked up the smooth wooden stick from the nearby bench and knocked it on the board thrice, producing a loud clicking sound to catch their attention. "Let’s begin," he announced, and all the elves and turned towards him and quieted down.
"As you all know, Lord Anglachelm gave us marching orders for the Misty Mountains area. Our friends from the Warband of Imladris may be accompanying us on this one.
Let’s take a general look at the area first. We have watchers and scouts at the forward observation post here, here and here." Hammer lord pointed at three points marked with X’s. "One overlooking the North High Pass, here," and jabbed at its corresponding red ‘X’ with his pointer. He traced a wide area northeast of the map. "And here we maintain a constant watch as it is the area where the goblins are most active and some of the entrances to their tunnels are located: as you can see it is a big area to cover."
Then he pointed to another ‘X’ much lower, in the southeastern area of the Mountains. "We have another watch post here which watches over the Southern High Pass. Some of the passes over the mountains are located here,” he said, tapping the map with his stick, “and numerous threats have been reported in this area. We refer to these watch posts as the North and South posts respectively, for ease of communication.”
Veryacano took a moment to glance at the listeners. Some were whispering. He heard someone far in the back say, “I never heard of the Southern High Pass before!” and snatches of suppressed laughter.
“Quiet down! You’ll need this information on the field,” he warned loudly, before continuing. Some of the Hammer soldiers glanced towards the voice in the back with annoyed eyes. "Last but not the least, we have a post here in the center. We refer to it as the West post, even though it is not exactly to the west of the region. The watch here has been ordered to maintain a patrol around these ridges which is also known as the Source of the Bruinen." His wooden stick pointed and circled four directions around the center of the map marked with cliffs. "This is the post closest to the Valley and watches over most of the area around Bruinen Source. It is a relatively safe area and it will be our first stop when we enter the region."
Just as he finished his introduction, he noticed some newly arriving elves entering the room. They found their seats quietly. Veryacano furrowed his brows and glowered at the late arrivals for a moment, but said naught and continued with his briefing. "Furthermore, the situation is as follows: we have been unable to properly supply the north and south posts here and here for some time due to weather conditions. Our troops are in dire need of supplies and need to be relieved."
"Also, we have received news of threats in these regions. Reports only refer to them as Roving Threats so the nature of these threats is still unknown. However, it is safe to assume these are not goblin bands. It’s still early in the season for them to venture out in large bands, they are not considered a serious threat."
Turning towards the audience he remembered to add, "It is rumored that a group of elves have gone missing in a snowstorm, but this is yet to be confirmed."
Veryacano eyed the audience of elves. Most were listening with rapt anticipation. "The objectives will be…" he started loudly. "Firstly, to resupply the north and south forward observation posts. Snow is likely to hinder travel by horse, so resupply will not be a simple task. The troops have been stationed there for several months, so they deserve some rest and recuperation. Some of you will be selected to relieve them and will take over their duties."
Veryacano turned to the map once more. “Secondly, the safety of our scouts is our priority concern. In order to undermine enemy presence in the immediate areas around our forward observation posts," he said, rapping numerous circles around the North High Pass area with his stick, "the goblins encamped in these areas are to be purged.” He turned back to the audience and clasped his hands behind his back again. “If the situation permits and an opportunity presents itself, we will consider a large scale attack on the goblin tunnels as we have done in the previous year. In this case, our primary objective will be to collapse the tunnels and hinder enemy movements.”
He continued, “However, do not expect the element of surprise this time. They will not fall for the same trick every year.”
“Thirdly, we are to discover the nature of these Roving Threats mentioned in the reports. We will assess the threats and eliminate them if they are considered a threat to travelers or our troops in the area. We will be more actively patrolling the areas and the patrols will look for any clues of these rumored lost elves.”
“A few reminders.” Veryacano began with a serious voice. “Never venture out on your own in the mountains. If you need to go somewhere, always take someone else to accompany you. This applies to everyone.” He said, looking at his officers, Daegond and Ancalasse in particular. “Be on the lookout for avalanches.” He pointed at the south end of the map. “Stay away from the Giant Halls. You have no business with the giants unless I say otherwise.” He sounded like he was finished but he felt the need to add: “Keep your wits about you and I suppose I don’t need to tell you to dress warm.”
He paused for a moment. “Any questions?”
It was Sergeant Daegond who first raised his hand and asked: “Who will be leading the vanguard lord?”
He paused for a moment. “Any questions?”
It was Sergeant Daegond who first raised his hand and asked: “Who will be leading the vanguard lord?”
Veryacano replied. “You seem eager, so you will be leading the van Sergeant Daegond. Take one other with you.”
The audience stirred and started muttering. Veryacano wondered if he it was best if he had selected Lieutenant Ancalasse for the task. Ancalasse rose in protest. His eyes were flickering with terror and his voice was shaking.
''My lord! With all due respect, you can't send this.. hound.. as vanguard to this force!''
Veryacano, waved his hand to dismiss the concerns. He would have none of it. With a hint of a smile on his face, he announced;
''If there is battle on the horizon, then we shall unchain the dogs of war!''
Laughter exploded in the room together with applause and shouting. Ancalasse kept standing as his eyes were fixed on his lord, while Daegond flicked a piece of dirt from his golden shoulders.
