Young Writers Society

Plot: Aloysius Grey is a seer, a rare mage that can is able to look at things that ordinary people can not. They can see poison in a cup, they can examine a castle from across a continent, and they can even peer into the future. The real skill isn't in looking, but knowing where to look.

Unfortunately, Aloysius came to the attention of the ambitious Prince Meritor. The Prince invited him to come work for him and when Aloysius decided not to take the job, the Prince made him a prisoner.

Aloysius is not without allies. His brother, Marlon, is one of leaders of the mercenary group known as the Grey Ghosts. Operating out of the recently captured city-state of Gor Nathal, the mercenaries are known for their creativity and concealment.

Marlon and his team must journey North to determine what happened to Aloysius and rescue him if possible.

Additional Information

1. Werewolfs, Vampires, and other dangerous humanoids are too unreliable to be mercenaries. Angels, demons, and gods are likewise impractical.

2. Marlon doesn't have a large budget for this operation, which means that warriors and mages with exceptional talents are less likely to sign up. It also means they might have to take odd jobs along the way, especially if something happens to their baggage.

3. The operation begins in Spring. As such temperatures will vary as will weather conditions. Mercenaries should carry gear for these contingencies.

4. Healers do exist; but healing rituals are time consuming. If they can use non-magical cures, they'll use them. Healing rituals can require a day and can not be performed on the move.

5. Gunpowder is not present in this world.

Please post profiles so we can get started on Monday.

Marlon sat down in the throne room of Gor Nathal and let out a low whistle. When he had set out to take out the tyrant of Gor Nathal, they didn't expect that Gor Nathal would surrender to the Grey Ghosts. The group of 200 mercenaries now had to run a city of ten thousand.

It was a lot of responsibility and Marlon wondered if perhaps he could find someone else to dump it on. Try as he did, no one came to mind. Fortunately, there wasn't much that needed to be done for the moment. Most of the world didn't know that the Grey Ghosts had captured the citadel, and a lot of the citizens were supportive of the Grey Ghosts. There were even discussions of turning the standing armies of Gor Nathal into a part of the mercenary group, after the appropriate sensitivity training had been done.

Some even wanted to make him a King...

There was a letter from Aloysius and Marlon was glad to see it. It was a welcome diversion from politics. He opened the letter and began to read through it...

And frowned. He re-read it and then, when that didn't satisfy him, he read it out loud.

Dear Marlon,

How are you? Things are going well for me at Three Rivers. I hope that you will visit me soon.

Catch you later,
Aloysius

That was it. The more Marlon read it, the more absurd it became. Aloysius was a seer, so why would he start a letter with "How are you?" He could easily see for himself how Marlon was doing, without any effort. Another puzzle was the purpose of the letter. Aloysius didn't enjoy writing; so when he did write, it was to convey important information as concisely as possible. The message, while short, was also trite. Aloysius was the sort who never said anything unless he expected to wow the room.

Marlon decided to take a walk to think it over.