The warlock simply nodded as he followed along. Buildings take damage during a siege-- this much was an inevitability. However, Balthazar was still surprised to see destruction done to parts of the keep itself. He had not seen any siege weapons on the way in, which left sabotage or magic as the cause of the destroyed war room. Goblins and Orcs rarely took up the arcane arts, but their shamans are known to have knowledge of the more primal magics. Still, it was a good thing that Duke Karstilli had survived; a city can survive the loss of a building, but the death of their leader is much more difficult, especially during a siege.

As the Prince asked his questions, Balthazar reached into his coat pocket, retrieving the envelope that had been delivered to him. It had likely been opened at least once before in spite of the presence of the unbroken wax seal, but he was confident that the information was not compromised. Now in a secure location, the man opened the letter, reading the battle reports and placing the map on the desk whilst keeping the letter to him within the envelope itself. There would be time to read that later. Once he was done, he placed the reports on the desk for others to review, if they wished to. The papers on this desk would prove useful for both tactical and strategic analysis of the battle to come.

[hider=Reports on Enemy Strength]
There are three papers within Balthazar's report: two pages of information and a single large map. It is written in a simple Imperial cipher-- one that any Imperial officer or noble would understand at a glance.  These reports detail the enemy's strength: roughly a thousand soldiers strong, comprised primarily of Goblins. Two hundred of the enemy forces are made up of proper Orc Warriors, who seem to make up the army's elite. There is also word of one or two Ogres, who likely serve as impromptu siege weaponry or shock troops. Their leader is Waruk Shieldbreaker, an Orc Warlord of little renown, who seems to be attacking in an attempt to grab power in the area, and to bring glory to his name... Due to the lack of ambition in his circle of officers, it is likely that with his death, the invading army will collapse.

It is difficult to pin down their exact movements, due to their use of the local mountain cave systems to traverse the region. Curiously, they've managed to avoid both Dwarven and Human patrols thanks to this tactic. The attached map lists several cave openings that can be collapsed to prevent the arrival of further reinforcements or to funnel the enemy into a single bottleneck. It appears that the enemy has mostly been attacking from the north and that the city's cannons have been holding the enemy at bay, for now.
[/hider]
"[color=#239C89]Our scouts once reported numbers between two hundred and a thousand, but my informants say it is the latter. We can expect at least a thousand enemy combatants.[/color]" He starts. It could be rude for an advisor to speak before the lord of the house can, but not only was Balthazar himself was a lord, he was also the Prince's aide. His word was to be respected and taken under heavy consideration. "[color=#239C89]Eight hundred Goblins, two hundred Orcs, and perhaps an Ogre or two, lead by Waruk Shieldbreaker, an Orc Warlord of little renown.[/color]"

"[color=#239C89]In addition, they've been using the underground cave systems to travel. There appear to be several prime locations for us to cut off their supply lines, but we'll need more time before we act upon that.[/color]" The spymaster looked up at Duke Karstilli, an eyebrow raised. "[color=#239C89]Can you corroborate this information? I must know if my accounts are still accurate.[/color]"

Of course, in spite of how well-informed Balthazar can be, Duke Karstilli was indeed the lord of the house. They would have to follow his lead and not the other way around, even [i]if[/i] the Prince was here. Still, the warlock knew that the Duke was a man of reason, and was not a man with a hot temper. If the spymaster recalled correctly, the Duke was a man of honor who appreciated it when things were simple. A man of the people. Balthazar waited politely for the Duke to answer both the Prince's questions as well as his own.