She's facing a problem, the group is a bad example for her troops. So, she's decided to deepen the resentment between her troops and the groups. While the soldiers have their meals shrunk, the group will have a feast. Where men don't drink, the group will drink.
Or maybe not. Seraph said he would advise the group to follow her rules. This is her little test to see how influential Seraph is, it also serves to test how disciplined the group really is.
If they're poorly disciplined, she reasons, then Valin will look like a fool the next morning. She likes that idea.
The lie about the group being "The Elites" is also another clever bit of strategy. This prevents the soldiers from acting on their resentment.
The boldest will think that they're able to defeat the greatest warriors in the world "The Elite." If her soldiers believe they can defeat "The Elite," than they'll probably have no reservations about engaging a group of pointy ear elves, especially with "The Elite" on their side.
At the same time, she gives the group a reputation to live up to, which they might try to do without even knowing about it.
Telling this to a page, it is sure to be common knowledge by the end of the day.
Her messages are simple, she's calling a staff meeting. Seraph's will invite representatives of the group to be present at this meeting.
The XO's message orders the group to be quartered in a seperate barracks, with complete page support. If Cyrus hangs a dirty black sock from his bed post before he goes to sleep, he'll find a clean (formerly black) sock in the same place he left it when he went to sleep, fully ironed and dry.
So the group will be served hand and foot, while she orders her army to work harder than ever to prepare for battle.
Henry, Sirloaz, Cyrus and Valin have all gone off to find some food. They make their way to the mess hall and basically start having a good old time, being loud and obnoxious.
Valin doesn't stop them, but doesn't join in either. Instead he takes to drinking himself under the table. Seraph intervenes, thus (hopefully) starting Valin's new thought process of acting like a noble if he is to bring the elves back to their former glory.
(So far approved by Grif, Dan, and DQ...if Jiggity and Jack have an issue with it, I'll leave their characters out of the scene.
Let me know ASAP.
Got YWS? I do.
Lumi: Don't you drag my donobby into this. Lumi: He's the sweetest angel this side of hades.
Dargquon Ql'deleodna: (n) "Dar-qu-on Kel-del-ode-na" something i made up that sounded cool, partially based off of the Drow Drizzt Do'Urden's name style
I'd like the letter of authority from the King to make it so that they are ordered to serve Valin. Right now, the letter has her being relieved (that is, Valin replaces her.)
I'd like Valin to be higher up in the chain of command, so that she is responsible to him, but not exactly suboordinate. Her true superior is the King. I can see the King letting Valin borrow his army, I don't see him letting Valin run it.
Slight difference, but an important one nonetheless.
I don't think attacking an Elven army will help Valin any in getting to the throne.
"He who takes a life...it is as if he has destroyed an entire world....but he who saves one life, it is as if he has saved the world entire" Talmud Sanhedrin 4:5
!Hasta la victoria siempre! (Always, until Victory!)
-Ernesto "Che" Guevarra
I left an opening so that Valin could say just that.
This is where Valin and Harris would be a good team. She can handle the strategic military stuff very well, but she doesn't know anything about Elven politics.
At this point, an Elven attack is inevitable. They think that the humans are preparing to annihlate them and a pre-emptive strike is needed to kill them.
On the other end, the humans know the elves are preparing a pre-emptive strike, so they're preparing their own attack.
This last viewpoint is the perspective of General Harris. If Valin wants to try to make peace, he'll need to figure out some way to stop these two forces from colliding.
If you ask me, this might not be able to be helped.
Still, if Valin make a persuasive argument (one not based on divine right of leadership) then Harris can act on that argument.
