The grim news of the defeat of two entire regiments of knights at the hands of those Cherwinian traitors spread quickly. It was unheard of, such a massacre. And a call to arms for a newly formed regiment, The Black Shield. His people, and The Great Monarch, needed his service now more than ever. Besides, Elis was growing weary of sitting on his hands around the monastery anyway. It seemed that priest truly willing to take up arms to defend their Monarch from abators were a rare breed. A time when perhaps a priest was most needed, men who were often looking death in the face and rallying full speed towards it. He informed his family of his decision. Like any mother, Valetta was expectedly full of worry. His father was just as proud as when he signed up for the Servants. He knew Elis would prove valuable to the cause, just as he had been before. Elis’ departure was tearfilled and heartfelt if short. His trusty steed would carry him to Rot Donar.

His horse, Epiphany, was a solid and strong horse. She had seen him through more than one tight spot while enlisted with the Servants. She was truly a horse bred for war. Sturdy, rugged and with enough endurance for a full day’s march with a skirmish at its finish, even in war armor. She had a steel resolve, and would sooner stomp and oncoming assailant into the ground than turn and run. She had a pure black coat, with a single white diamond marking over her left eye.

He carried a small pack with him filled with only a few essential items, field rations and water along with his staff, Servant’s Bow with a quiver of 40 arrows and the supplies to keep his bow maintained. His leather and chainmail was kept inside a Epiphany’s saddle pack, should the need for it arise. The journey to Rot Donar would be a three days journey if he didn’t encounter any surprises and the terrain was amicable.

In his trip, he encountered both surprises and inclement terrain. The lands had become quite muddy for almost the entire trip. It made travelling slow going, having to even dismount at times and walk with his horse through more difficult areas to more safely navigate. Not only that, highwaymen were out in full force. It seems the news of the Knight’s defeat spurred a few of the lands inhabitants to take up the trade in their absence. Most were woefully disorganized and wanted little to do with him, either once they saw the markings on his forehead or when a few of their brothers were quickly dispatched with precise arrow fire.

The unexpected distractions meant he was behind his estimated schedule by perhaps a day or more. As he grew closer to the camp, he spotted what had once been a bandit encampment. Little of it could be called a camp any longer. Looks like the raiders had been raided. He could see the corpses of the bandits littering the area. He had a few guesses at what happened. Looks like the Black Shield was already making its presence known to the local rabble. He encouraged Epiphany to step up her pace, promising to give her rest once they reached Rot Donar. He knew he could use it as well. Sleep did not come easy to him on the march, especially when he traveled alone.

When he finally approached, he was greeted by a lone ensign guarding the edge of camp. Elis dismounted beside the younger man, pulling the cloak from his head and greeting him with a smile. “Young Ensign, I’m here to enlist and offer my service to The Black Shield.” At first, the Ensign didn’t even look at him, just thumbing through some kind of roster, [color=ed1c24]“Alright, we’ll need some information…”[/color] His stopped mid-sentence as he glanced at Elis’ markings. His demeanor seemed to visibly brighten. [color=ed1c24]“Oh, a veteran from the Servants. We’ve been in need of more experienced soldiers. It’s good you decided to join the cause. I believe Commander Terryn will wish to speak with you immediately. Please, if you would follow me. And may I have your name so as I may properly address you?”[/color] Elis gave a singular nod and motioned for the Ensign to lead the way, [color=39b54a]“It’s Priest Ferguson Eris Rutledge.”[/color] As he followed he thought on the commander. He knew of Terryn, a veteran of the Servants himself. From what Elis had heard from rumor, Terryn was one of the few survivors from the recent massacre. A tried and tested warrior for sure. He believed the Commander to be a fine officer from everything he had heard and would readily serve in his ranks in whatever capacity the Command saw fit.

As he followed the young man, he surveyed the camp. He confirmed that, yes, they had raided the camp he passed earlier. He could make out two prisoners in the distance he could only assume were from the other camp. And it seemed there were some around tending to injuries and fatigue from a recent skirmish. Before the two reached the Commander’s tent, they made one detour at the stables, where he left Epiphany to her well deserve rest. They were soon at the main tent and stood outside, waiting for entry. The Ensign announced himself to Commander Terryn inside the tent, [color=ed1c24]“Commander Terryn, you wished to be notified if any other veteran soldiers came to enlist. I bring a veteran of the Servants, Priest Ferguson Elis Rutledge, sir.” [/color]