I hate travel by sea.
Out of the frying pan and into the volcano as they say. This is the most undisciplined, unorganized troop I have ever had the displeasure of working with.
First, we have Wrench. If he only had a brain, he'd be competent. He at least understands his purpose and fills it. Apply the business end of a mace to the bad guys. A good, solid soldier is always an asset. Now if only he could be taught to remain silent during negotiations.
Alystia is far to emotionally unstable. She allows her grief to get in the way of her vengeance. I wonder what her relationship to the deceased Dailin was that Alystia is so eager to join her in the afterlife. If she can be reigned in and directed, she does seem to possess formidable expertise in combat.
Zeffan, once he stops whining and complaining about his ignorance, seems to display a range of skills. If he ever decides to live up to his potential instead of bleating for attention, he may be useful.
Sashi seems the most competent and trustworthy of the group. She was handed the group's entire wealth and no one seemed to have batted an eye. She knows her role, doesn't go charging headstrong into danger, doesn't get in over her head, and seems to possess the ability to direct her minion into battle as effectively as possible. Still, she seems lacking in the confidence necessary to actually fill the apparent leadership void this group possesses. She may however make an admirable second in command, as it seems that when assigned a task, she will fill it. She is young, and initiative may simply be something she has yet to learn. Her willingness to negotiate does show she has potential in this regard. I will guide her as I can. Trustworthy humans are rare, and I will guard such a precious commodity as I can.
I can only assume Lord Viorr recognized the failings of this group and hopes that my military expertise can fill the void. Now that I have seen them in action, I have a few ideas where to begin. I shall consider it my duty to prevent them from committing mass suicide. I will see if I can speak with everyone in private before our next mission, just so everything can be clarified.
Once, there was a boy who wanted to be the greatest swordsman the world had ever seen. Day in, and day out, he practiced with his sword until it was a part of him. So he went to make his way in the world. Those who he challenged to duels fell at his feet. Just the hint that one would have to face him in a duel was oft enough to cause surrender.
Then one day, he challenged a nobleman farmer for his land. The farmer was cut down in the space of two heartbeats.
The farmer's daughter stepped out from the farm and saw her father's body laying in the road. She did not weep. She did not beg for mercy. She went to one knee and called the swordsman 'master'. She offered herself as his servant, and cooked for him a fine meal. The wine she poured for him was of a pleasant vintage, and the swordsman grew sleepy. The farmer's daughter showed him to the master bedchamber, laid a fire on the hearth, and put a warming pan between the blankets for him. He feel asleep in comfort, thinking of what a fine life his skill with the sword had brought him.
He never woke. It was not wine alone that the farmer's daughter had placed in his cups.
It is obvious to me now that Zeffan is a plant. A spy, placed to gather information for the enemy and to slow us down in battle. There is no other explanation for his incompetence. This beast that is so ‘skilled’ at reading people would have found out no information if left to his own devices. And yet he conveniently shows up on time to hear out Lord Viorr and learn the next step of our plan. No, he is simply playing a role. No one could be that foolish and survive unless they were hiding something. His uselessness is too obviously feigned.
I believe part of his role is simply to spread dissension among our ranks. He volunteers for a mission, accepts it, then later accuses me of being 'too eager' to see him undertake the mission. Again and again, he tries to turn us upon each other and upon ourselves by misrepresenting events and actions. I will speak to Alystia and Sashi about the truth of what occurred in private, and allow Zeffan to continue to believe he succeeded. The little fool is not half as good at reading people as he thinks, and even less talented at hiding his inner self.
The only question remains, who is he spying for? Alystia has spoken of betrayal from her people, and his interest in her is marked. At first I thought it a simple physical attraction on his part, but now…. He is a spy, but may not be one for the cult. We will question him before we kill him, when that time comes.
He lives now only because it may be useful to feed our enemies misinformation through him. I will talk to the others. Well, to Sashi and Alystia anyway. Wrench lacks in skill when it comes to subtlety, but seems to do alright with learning the plan at the last minute.