The captain reached out towards the paper offered by Athera. At least this one [i]looked[/i] real. He began to glance it over as one of his men seemed distracted by something off in the distance. The captain sighed and shoved the letter at the distracted soldier. "Go get Loxim," he ordered, "then take the day off. You're useless today." The guard stammered a yes sir, then ran back towards the building.

The captain shook his head. "New kid on the job," he explained. "If he's gonna keep acting like that, he won't last another week. Next time you need to see the General, just ask. A 'please' wouldn't hurt either."

Soon after, the [url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.d20.io/images/12237818/tAZ4_S4ohUpYrosXIFHHig/med.png?1442103658]gnome[/url] that the group had seen during the parade exited the building and waved at the group as he jogged up. The door behind him opened again, and the guard exited with much less spunk, slinking off with a somber look on his face in the direction of the docks.

"Greetings, and well met!" the gnome called out cheerfully. "The name's Loxim! I'm what you might call the General's assistant. Keep his books, get him tea, all that fun stuff. Now, this here letter..." Loxim waved the letter in the air. "We were expecting your patrons to join us. Instead they sent you... not that I'm complainin', or nothing! Just expected someone different."

Loxim waved off the captain, then motioned for the group to join him. "Come on inside. We've got some important matters to discuss. Something fishy's been going on, if you pardon the pun." He waited for the party to enter the building and closed the door behind him. "Welcome to Aengus's barracks!" he proclaimed joyfully.

The inside of the building was decorated sparsely. There were a couple of city flags behind a desk on the right, and a threadbare rug covered the wooden floor. Towards the far end of the room were a couple of jail cells, both currently empty. On the wall was a weapon rack with various swords, spears, and other martial weaponry, some of which looked fairly expensive. To the left was a smaller desk with a stack of papers scattered around a teapot. In front of the larger desk stood a middle-aged [url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.d20.io/images/12238102/BFLmFxeAUBGPogX8sO08pw/med.jpg?1442104317]bearded man[/url] with a dour expression that was now easily recognizable as General Aengus Cavanaugh. He was clad in the same ceremonial plate mail he wore during the parade, although he had removed the gauntlets and pauldrons already and was in the process of removing his chestplate. Under his armor was a simple white shirt that appeared to be stained with use. He looked up as the group entered, and his expression softened for a moment.

"Hail, friends," Cavanaugh spoke up, his deep voice reverberating through the room. "I wish I could bring good tidings. Despite the festivities outside, there is little to celebrate today. I had sent a message to your benefactors asking if they could assist us, but evidently they are indisposed at the moment. Not to worry, however. I am sure you will be able to help, if the news of your defeat of the sea hag rings true." He set the chest piece he had removed on the floor and ran a hand through his hair. "Damn armor gets hot in that sun. Never liked the pomp that came with this job."

Loxim reached into a drawer in the small desk and produced a half dozen teacups, which he then began to fill with tea. "Hope you don't mind  a simple brew. We were expecting your patrons to show, but didn't realize you would be coming this soon."

Cavanaugh nodded, taking up a cup himself. "Please, take a drink. Ask your questions. Relax a moment. We can commence business discussions shortly."