Ghaon looks the most surprised out of anyone, for a moment, before regaining his composure.

"Furthermore, the scouts are saying his patrols go out to as far as 30 miles away from his camp. He's obviously waiting for an attack from somewhere, and he wants an excuse to march in to somewhere." Ghaon explains. "As a result, we're running on little information other than the fact that his troops appear oddly organized, they use stone armor and iron weapons, and they have a large contingent of warpriests and a decent number of sorcerers."

"Sounds like they're low on Iron." Remarks the Head of Distribution.

The gruff kobold shuffles through a few rolls of the ever-present parchment on his desk. "We have a large stock of Iron. If they need it, they might be willing to pay us a premium."

"What?" Ghaon blusters.

"Indeed." The jeweled Head of Trade says, playing with his rings. "You wanted to avoid aggressing them, did you not, Ghaon? A quick way to do that is to open up trade."

"They won't see it that way. We'll become a fast target if we show our stocks to them. Especially if they find out about our stock of Ioun while we're playing nice!" Ghaon glares, sweeping over to you. "Magistrate, talk some sense into these men!"

>>15356602
"I understand your concerns, Ghaon, and I agree that direct dealings with them are too dangerous at this time.
"But, if they really are low on iron, maybe we can find a way of getting traders in. Perhaps proxies or third-parties.
"We need to know more about them, we need intelligence concerning their military and preparedness. And sending in traders, with something that they want, would be a prime avenue of collecting information.
"Perhaps we can use Drow or, perhaps, surfacer, middlemen? Personally, I would find it hilarious if we convinced the trogs to attack the Drow, thinking the damn Empire has the iron ore they want."

"I understand your concerns, Ghaon, and I agree that direct dealings with them are too dangerous at this time." Your words alieve some of the stress present on the large kobold's face. "But, if they really are low on iron, maybe we can find a way of getting traders in. Perhaps proxies or third-parties." You continue, and the stress comes right back to Ghaon's brow.

"We need to know more about them, we need intelligence concerning their military and preparedness. And sending in traders, with something that they want, would be a prime avenue of collecting information." You say.

"But say they kill our traders or kidnap them." Ghaon barks.

"Perhaps we can use Drow or, perhaps, surfacer, middlemen? Personally, I would find it hilarious if we convinced the trogs to attack the Drow, thinking the damn Empire has the iron ore they want." You say.

"The question is, how do we get Drow of all people to act on our behalf?" The head of trading asks, eager for your answer.

>>15356811
"When I go to meet with this, 'king', of the Feudalist enclave, I can see if we can also hammer out a trade agreement, where they will act as our...salesmen, if you will.
"Other ideas I have are possible trade caravans sponsored by us, but originating from that halfling trading hub we have dealings with, and consisting of mercenaries.
"But I admit, it's just as likely that the trogs will attack the traders as they are to open trade negotiations.
"But if it's not any of our kobolds who will get killed or captured, does it really matter? I believe it something we should at least think upon and attempt; if successful, we will be able to get closer to the trog empire."

>>15356945

"When I go to meet with this, 'king', of the Feudalist enclave," You say, doing a porr job of hiding the mockery in your tone, "I can see if we can also hammer out a trade agreement, where they will act as our... salesmen, if you will."

"That will be a tough sell." You hear the head of the miners say.

"Other ideas I have are possible trade caravans sponsored by us, but originating from that halfling trading hub we have dealings with, and consisting of mercenaries." You say.

"We'll have to keep information to a minimum. The halfers will be loathe to head into a tense political situation." The head of farming says.

"But I admit, it's just as likely that the trogs will attack the traders as they are to open trade negotiations." You nod at the last head's remark. "But if it's not any of our kobolds who will get killed or captured, does it really matter? I believe it something we should at least think upon and attempt; if successful, we will be able to get closer to the trog empire."

"Indeed. Though we must consider the drawbacks." The head of trade says. "The halflings will not be pleased with us if we send them off to die, and getting the drow to act as proxies could be risky."

You receive a private note from Yuune.

"There's also the dragon in the room of a possible alliance with them. Should we address that now or after we have more information?"

>>15357061
"All good points. I'll see what I can work out with the Drow and report any progress back to the Council.
"Now, considering that military intelligence concerning the Norther Troglodyte Empire is something we sorely lack, I have a proposal.
"The formation of a military intelligence agency, whose purpose will be to collect information on enemy military capabilities and to sabotage them ahead of a conventional attack by our military.
"They are not meant to replace our scouts, but rather, to be more specialized and be sent against specific targets. I have here the proposal, and a list of candidates for the first field teams."

Hand out the proposal packets we had prepared.

>>15357104
Write out a response:
"Possible, but unlikely to last for long. Trog leader is a racial supremacist; he would turn on us eventually."

>>15357124

"All good points. I'll see what I can work out with the Drow and report any progress back to the Council." You say, segueing into your newest plan. "Now, considering that military intelligence concerning the Northern Troglodyte Empire is something we sorely lack, I have a proposal."

Your attendants hand out the scrolls you had copied as you continue. "The formation of a military intelligence agency, whose purpose will be to collect information on enemy military capabilities and to sabotage them ahead of a conventional attack by our military."

"They are not meant to replace our scouts, but rather, to be more specialized and be sent against specific targets. I have here the proposal, and a list of candidates for the first field teams." You say, indicating the packets.

All are silent as they go over the lists, and you take the time to think of their potential responses.

The Head of Expenses will of course question the necessity of this idea. Not that you hold it against him. It's his job to.

Ghaon will wonder who exactly is in charge of this thing.

The farmer will not care much. Neither will the head of trade. The miner's guild could use the information as well if any is gathered on the ecology of the areas.

Mainly, you're thinking Yuune could swing either way. Despite being brothers, there's only so long you can hold his near betrayal over his head. And he doesn't like destabilizing the government.

>>15357258
I'm voting for our fantasy-GRU to be nominally an independent organization operating directly under the Council. Ghaon probably won't like it, though.

>>15357372

You continue through the meeting, countering their objections with a few allowances:

1. The GRUE will act on orders from you and Ghaon. Their information will be relayed through secure sending spells.

2. You need to do the interviews.

3. Your budget is limited to 50,000 gold for equipment. Anything magic is made by the magician's guild.

>>15357372
Maybe put them under the Council, with Ghaon taking a policy and planning role?
The agency bypasses the military chain of command and is only subordinate to Ghaon and the Council.

>>15357539
Those sound like acceptable concessions.
Does appear as if anyone is strongly against this agency?

>>15357541

They find this agreeable. Ghaon ceases arguing immediately, and you can see the gears turning in his head.

By the following day, you have the interviews lined up, and you can head to the meeting with the Drow once your messenger bird (mechanized of course) returns.

You do hope they don't keep it for too long. I it doesn't start returning within a day it will explode.

>>15357656
Ghaon, as Head of the Military, plans policy and overarching objectives, such as "Concentrate on the Northern Trog Empire" and "Focus on sabotage rather than capturing enemy technology".
It's still the Director of the agency who will do most of the day-to-day operational planning.

So I take it we do the interviews first, then the Drow meeting?
We can probably abstract out most of the interviews, considering how many people we're going to be bringing in. Maybe just major figures, like Lt. Soth who will be our field team leader, and someone who will be the Director.

>>15357605

No one was staunchly against the idea. Even the man in control of the resources was oddly welcome to the idea. Yuune as well, said in his own way that he felt it was necessary.

You don't like it. The last time you had such an easy time in the court, it turned out there really was a conspiracy out for your life. You consider locking your door at night, but then realize something much worse.

They're legitimately worried about the troglodyte empire. Enough to let you get away with almost anything in the name of protecting them.

Were you a lesser man, a greedier man, you would seek to exploit this. You could become an emperor yourself, leading your people in a glorious reign the likes of which the world has never seen. This might damn well save them should the components of the system go south.

And yet you can feel the doubt and anxiety creeping into the back of your mind as well. What will you be willing to sell in exchange for safety?

>>15357704

You arrange for your interviews. Like a number of things in your society, such interviews are mandatory for the unemployed, but can be formally declined. The Lieutenant does not. He appears in the same blue uniform he wore the day of your instruction, but has an unsteady look to his gait. He sits in the stone chair in front of you, seeming to waver a bit. You detect a faint hint of ethyl alcohol as he enters the dimly lit room.

The remainder of the room has a stone desk, parchment on the walls with caligraphic images, and green stone trim around the room, with glowing yellow crystal lights moutned in the ceiling.

"Good morning, sir." Soth says, a slight tilt to his head betraying the fact that he is tired or otherwise impaired. "Is this about my performance in the teaching department? I've been meaning to ask for a transfer anyway."

Is there still Gargoyle and Sorcerer Quest?

>>15358046
"No, it's not about the former. But you want a transfer? To where would you like to be transfered? Or rather, what would you rather be doing?"

>>15358058

A tough question.

Sorcerer Quest I haven't got a lot of traffic for. I will try and do it at some point here. I might have time on Fridays, but not this one. Monday I can no longer do.

Gargoyle Quest, the window I had on Sundays has closed. I'll probably have to put it back with another quest, either this one or Sorcerer. I really want to get back on that, despite a good chunk of the threads getting baleeted in the purge. It makes sense to me, because I post pics with every post. Ah well, hindsight being 20/20 and all.

Last week I was on vacation. I wasn't being delibrately evasive: I was riding the Harry Potter ride at Universal Studios.

>>15358126
Name a time and I'll try to be there. After that, I'll stop distracting from Kobold Quest.

>>15358090

"No, it's not about the former. But you want a transfer? To where would you like to be transfered? Or rather, what would you rather be doing?" You ask him.

He looks up at you, blinking for a second before his eyes go wide. "Oh." He says, straightening up and dusting himself off. "I-I'm sorry, magistrate, I thought you were someone else."

"To be honest, I'd rather be doing anything else." He says, grimacing. "I thought a teaching position would allow me to still get hands on, but instead I've been taken off of active duty and put on as a teacher for the gun care classes." He shakes his head. "I may be many things, but a good mechanic is not one of them."

(back in 20)

>>15358194
"Your past experience is vouched for. Tell me, have you been staying active?"
If we have them, look over his most recent physical examination reports. See if he's been keeping in shape, and if he's cleared for active duty.

>>15358223
If he checks out, then "I have an opening in a new organization. One which will bring with it great challenges, and little reward. How would you like to return to active duty, Lieutenant?"

And with that, I'm out for a few hours. I leave things up to the lurkers.

>>15358223

"Your past experience is vouched for. Tell me, have you been staying active?" You ask him.

He sighs, seeing the reports you have in your hand. "I've been keeping fit if that's what you mean. Calisthenics and lifting weights. They haven't let me do much else."

The log you have details Lt. Soth being taken off of duty as an instructor after he was injured during a training exercise about four days ago. It seems intentionally vague.

"So, what happened during that training exercise?" You ask him, bridging your fingers.

Soth straightens up a bit. "Well, I don't much like having pity taken on me, but considering who I'm talking to, I don't think that'll be much of a problem." He says, adjusting his right foot, the prosthetic, unconsciously. "The accident was during an active excercise, but in order to explain it I'll need to tell you about something I just learned two days ago.

"About six months back, our miners thought they heard something down in one of the deep caves. My company had just returned from a scouting mission, and I volunteered us, since it had been nothing but a routine patrol anyway." He continues. "Turned out that what they heard was a river traveling through some oddly-shaped caverns, and they were right to send us in. There was a short fight with some of the crab-men, we've had them around before. Naturally, I started in after them, trying to find where they were coming from." He sighs. "Well, they may not have opposable thumbs, but they can set traps. They'd laid up an arching cave-in. Had I been swimming, I'd never have gotten caught. Thank the ancestors I was the only one."

"They couldn't get you out without losing the foot?" You ask, sympathetically.

Soth smiles weakly. "Well, maybe the could have. Broke the foot in the initial drop, but the trap had another effect: Pulling me underwater. Stones were wedged in place, and I was fading fast. The boys did what they had to to get me out." He smiles, sadly. "They kept thinking there was some other way they could've got me out. I kept telling them I'd be through the hospital in no time and back at their head. I got the run around and stuck teaching.

"But, as far as my injury goes, I rolled my ankle after jumping down off of something. Turns out I lost a lot of the cartilage on my ankle when it broke, and had a couple of fractures that have healed up." He says, glowering at his foot. "It could've happened to anybody. But it happens to me, and they assume I'm going all frail and lame on them." He looks up at you. "I ran ten miles the previous day, magistrate. They want to stick me in a desk job, give me a wheelchair. I'm not doing anyone any good sitting somewhere where I'm looked down on."

And I guess that's it for now. Break off on an interview? You bet I will! See you next week!