The city of Aissur was busy that day. The streets were brought to life with commotion, commoners and lesser nobles lining the sides of the streets, watching the procession that passed by them. For the first time, the feared cult, the Children of the Dark Suns, were marching through the streets of Aissur unhindered, welcomed, in fact, by happy cheers. Their gold and black armor reflected the light of their Father, and more than a few waved back to the people who gave them such a grand welcome.

Following swiftly behind them, the Lunar Watch. These stoic men and women stared ahead and walked swiftly, some even catching up with the Dark Suns, stepping on heels. Most wore simple clothing, looking like peasants themselves, while others wore heavy, dark armor that seemed to absorb the very sunlight. They were quiet, and stared firmly at the castle ahead. The people became somewhat lackluster in their cheers with the lack of response from the Watch, who was gone nearly as quickly as they had arrived. 

Finally came the freelancers, the ragtag army of mercenaries from all walks of life, who whooped and hollered along with the ground. Some of the older, more professional men and women quietly walked, offering smiles and waves, but for the most part they were little more than a bunch of glory hungry boys who didn't want the restrictions of the military. The people cheered on as these brave "volunteers" marched on the way to give their bodies off to the Queen.

The sun was high in the sky when they all arrived in the palace courtyard. The Dark Suns and the Lunar Watch stood silently, patiently, respectfully. Many of the mercenaries did as well, but there were some who could not resist the urges to mutter and giggle and reel at being cheered on like heroes. All around, members of the military stood, watching over the odd men and women who were taking up residence in the area. Amidst the soldiers were a few men, walking around in thick robes despite the heat, their heads covered by black or red bandanas. High above, a door opened to a balcony, and out stepped a pair of humans. The first was a large, red robed man, his skin dark, marking his Conjuskan ancestry. His hand ran over his bald head as he stepped aside, allowing the other person to step into view. A young woman, clothed in a white dress that hugged her body nicely, came into view, the Iron Crown of Aeribis resting on her head.

The woman gave the people a small bow, and moved her mouth, though from so far below none could hear. She touched at her throat, and looked to the man. He cleared his throat, stepped forward, and spoke, his voice booming down loudly, heard clearly as if he were standing next to each and every person. "Friends, colleagues, hired hands, the Queen, our most gracious Eline I, welcomes you all to her city, and her palace!" A round of applause and cheers from the mercenaries, and even some of the Dark Suns, while the Watch remained quiet as ever. "Thank you, my friends. However, we wish these were better times to invite you all! Unfortunately, our homes, our country, our Queen, is threatened by a presence that has never made itself known to us in this way before: Demons!

"The witches of Ezdenah and Arejj have attacked us with beings beyond which we are capable of combating on our own! You, all of you, are among the best of what Aeribis and its allies has to offer! You have all offered yourselves to your Queen and country to aid us in this time of need, and for that, we thank you, and we thank you for the sacrifices that some of you will have to make. It pains me to ask it of you, but some of you will have no choice but to pay the ultimate price to save the many. If any of you think you cannot handle it, then please, now is the time to back down." The man paused, and raised a hand to stroke through the thick, curly goatee that covered his mouth. None made a move to leave, not even the mercenaries, whom no one held in high regard. The man smiled, and continued. "Very well then! The soldiers around will hand out your assignments, mercenaries, and tell you all where you will be needed the most. Lunar Watch, Children of the Sun, you are free to work as you please. Some of you, however, have been invited inside to be given a special audience with the Queen. Those of you who received the invitation, please, come in. A meal has been prepared for all of you."

And with that, he and the Queen re-entered the palace, and the door shut behind them. The Lunar Watch and Dark Suns dispersed through the palace and the city, though most of the Watch returned to the forest, happy to be done with the formalities. The mercenaries stood around, grumbling and shuffling as they were handed out slips of paper by the soldiers around. However, there were a few people from each group that were brought to the palace, and escorted through the large doors that led inside. The hall was gorgeous, polished marble forming the walls and pillars while grand tapestries and a thick, red carpet led down to the throne room. They were lead off down a hallway towards the dining area, the walls lined with weapons that, at first glance, seemed impressive, until someone looked closer and noticed that nearly all of the blades were dulled or blunted.

They entered, and were seated by a handful of servants, the Queen already seated, along with four other individuals sitting around, while the red robed man stood behind her, whispering into her shoulder. Around the table, nearest to the Queen, were high ranking members from each of the groups invited to aid Aeribis: Justicar Aura Valerian of the Lunar Watch, Sentinel Balor of the Dark Suns, Vladimir Karrov, honorary leader of the mercenaries, and Major Norman "Stonewall" Bellerin of the Aeribis Military. All but the giant fenrir were waiting patiently for the others to arrive. Vladimir, though, was busy tearing into his food, causing Stonewall to give him a disgusted look. Vladimir looked up from his food, and grumbled "It took you lot long enough" before returning to his meal.

The Queen smiled at the group, and bowed her head. From this distance, they could all see just how small she really was - she was terribly thin, her skin pale as a sheet, though she kept up a slender rather than thin look. Blonde hair, nearly white, ran down her shoulders, while the crown that previously rested on her head now laid on the table. Her hands folded in her lap, she took a deep breath and addressed the group. "Thank you all for joining me," she said, her voice soft. "I will not take up your time with too many words, as I am sure you are all eager to begin your meals." She gave a small look to Vladimir, who had finished off a second plate by the time she had spoken those words. She looked more amused than annoyed, though.

"Firstly, I want to personally thank you all for all of the work you'll be doing for me, and all of Aeribis, over the next few months. It is deeply appreciated, though I doubt I must say it aloud too many times. But, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, we should get on to business. While the bulk of our organizations will be working as troops against any large forces found in Aeribis, you all, along with these four fine people, will be working as an elite team, tasked with taking down the highest members of the Fire Cults and Chaos Servants, or otherwise going where you are needed the most. While I understand that some of you might have hesitations working with each other, I must implore you all to put aside your differences for the greater good, especially since you will be working beneath each other at different times. Justicar Valerian will act as your commander for these next few weeks, until you are needed elsewhere. Now, I will leave you to Commander Aziz, if you have any questions. I am not feeling too well, so if you would excuse me..."

Eline stood rather abruptly, scooping up her crown, and hurried out of the room, followed swiftly by two guards. The red robed man, presumably the Commander, pushed in her chair and glanced down to her untouched food, letting out a small sigh. Then he looked up at the people gathered at the table, and gave them a little smile. "Please, eat as much as you wish. And, if any of you have questions, please, address myself or one of the other commanders in the room. We are all here for you to become familiar with, so please, ask away."