Thursday Afternoon, August 18

Sir Darlion of Pendor, much like during the previous meeting enters the meeting hall dressed in full armor. Also, much like the night before, he is the first one there. As usual, he has brought his mail in, although today the pile seems particularly large. No doubt due to the massive amount of communication it takes to march 5,000 men. Still, he seems to be taking his new command in stride. It is not the first time he's led a large force.

While he busies himself, messengers continue arriving, carrying letters both to him, and taking ones he has finished. Such a sight is commonplace in the Griffon meeting room. Sir Darlion approves of the efficiency. All carriers that operate inside of the chapter house are sworn Knights of the Griffon, and as such secrecy is not a concern. Even if it can be disruptive at times.

Sir Azrael silently makes his way into the room and sits down. After a brief silence he talks:
What are your orders my master? Should I just go and help preparing the march?

Sire Darlion simply holds up a hand, and finishes signing one of the many documents in front of him. In the meantime, several more Knights of the Griffon file in and take seats along the shield-shaped table, until only three spots are open. One reserved for the Marshal of the Griffons, one for Sir Kamos, and a final one for the scribe, who entered several moments after the last knight had seated themself. Sir Darlion turned to him first.

"I would like you to mark down every word spoken, as usual. I want three initial copies, one to be posted in the Grand Hall. One for the king, and finally one for the Marshal, who is still away on business."

The scribe did not speak, choosing instead to not and take his place at the table. Quickly readying his supplies. When he had finished, and all eyes were upon Sir Darlion, the Grandmaster spoke.

"Men, as you may already know, I have been tasked with leading the army to the north, and ending the siege in Ravenstern. We are to be the only knighthood order, aside from the Knights of the Dragon, to take part in this. However, we will have the whole army of Pendor under our command. Our job is twofold, firstly to relieve the Order of the Dragon and give them much needed support in retaking the city for our lord. Our second job, is to act as the king's justice. We are to gather evidence against both Ursula, and the Knights of the Falcon. We are not to charge them with crimes without proof, so our king commands."

Finished with his opening speech, Sir Darlion then turns to Sir Azrael.

"Did you receive a copy of the meeting held yesterday evening? After this business up north is taken care of, I have a very important task for you if the deal with Mettenheim goes through."

Aye, my sir, and I must once again apologize for my absence. The armour I was fixing was in a point where forging should not be stopped...
A gleam suddenly enters Azrael's eyes
A task I hear, let us talk after this meeting. However, back to the point. Do we have any kind of strategy as of yet?

Sir Darlion shakes his head in response, signing a few more documents, and sending them on their way before continuing.

"Specifically? No, standard siege tactics for now. I would like to sniff out Knights of the Falcon from the surrounding areas with the men we can spare, and stop them from inciting further unrest. However, they are to be captured, not killed if possible."

"However, I did have something else I hoped you would be able to help out with, Sir Azrael. The archers of Ravenstern, as you know, are monsters with their bows. No doubt the walls of the city will be filled with them, and we'll lose scores of men if we try a traditional charge up the walls. I would like to try and take away this advantage of their as much as possible."

Sir Darlion then stands, before knocking his fist on the table a few times.

"My idea is a simple one, at it's core. I want our men to have shields. Great shields, so that we can advance without fear of being picked apart before we even reach the walls. They need to be large and strong, but as mobile as possible."

He turns then, to Sir Azrael once more.

"You are the most capable of my men at designing this defensive siege engine. You will have two days to come up with the design, and instruct the king's engineers in how to make them. Once we reach the city, you will have to make as many of them as possible as quickly as you can. Wood, I think would work the best, for we will not be able to forge enough metal on such short notice. Are you up to the task?"

Sir Azrael stares dumbstruck at his grandmaster before regaining his composture.
Aye my sir. If I remember correctly there was an old shield design in Empire that was specifically suited for this task. They are heavy and can hold arrows really well. They are also large enough to form an impenetrable shield wall should you call for it. These combined with a siege tower or two and a couple of modifications from my part should do the trick.
Azrael was already grinning.
This is getting very interesting. Would it be possible to send some scouts ahead of us to gather us lots of wood in advance? It would hasten the siege considerably.
He paused for a bit
On a lighter note, any colour-wishes?

Sir Kamos walks into the room flustered and stressed. He still takes the time to salute the Grand Master then takes his seat.

Apologies for my tardiness. I shall simply say it involves women, a cart, and a drunken donkey to leave it at that.

As he rests back in his chair it's like the chair soaks up his stress.

Almost as if my reflex, the scribe passes over a copy of the meeting's transcript so far to Sir Kamos. Meanwhile, Sir Darlion takes his heat once more, and resumes looking over his mail, while answering Sir Azrael.

"I plan to send the cavalry ahead of the main army, so that we can relieve the Knights of the Dragon as quickly as possible. I'm sure the soldiers around the city right now would gladly take up woodcutting over getting shot at by Ravenstern longbows. I shall send a letter to the Grandmaster of the Knights of the Dragon, requesting that he gather as much wood as possible before our army arrives. We shall stay with the main army and act as commanders during the march north. Unless there are any personal requests to ride ahead."

Finally, Sir Darlion turns his head to Sir Kamos, completely ignoring the question regarding colours. He was a serious man when it came to Order business.

"Sir Kamos, I was hoping you could help lead the forces tasked with rounding up Knights of the Falcon from the surrounding towns and villages. They are not to be slain, but captured if at all possible. You are to try and gather evidence as to how deep this treason runs. How involved Ursula is, or if her knights are acting alone. Try to gather as much information as possible while we lay siege to the city."

If it's acceptable to you, I'd like to depart for the siege camp with our scouts. This way I could prepare the siege equipment for a longer time. And one of the ideas I'm planning for the shields needs some testing. Should it work, we might have a completely unique siege equipment for future uses...
Sir Azrael falls silent as if waiting for Darlion's answer.

Sir Darlion looks up at Azrael, his hard stare meeting the knight's eyes.

"You may go with the scouts, it is an excellent idea. Make sure to gather the king's engineers before you leave. However, before you leave this room, share your ideas. I do not want to be taken by surprise when I reach the north, even if it is a pleasant one. Plus, I want full details sent to the king. That way he can make further plans to implement all of the designs stated here while we're away up north."

Sir Azrael calmly listens to Darlion and answers
My first idea is a relatively simple way of reinforcing shields with specifically made support boards, nothing revolutionary. The other idea is the more interesting one. I'm planning on painting the shields very obscure and mesmerizing patterns. By using specific colours, I believe we are able to make enemy soldiers lose their consentration on our soldiers. The shields are large enough to cover most of our soldiers so our enemies need to turn their gaze away if they don't want their eyes and headhurt. And trust me, watching those patterns hurts... I've tried it myself a couple of times. Should they refuse to turn their gazes away they'll gain a headache that makes their fighting much more difficult.
Finishing his explanation, Azrael rose up and started to walk out of the room.
I'm going to gather the royal engineers and depart now. I will be expecting you near Ravenstern in few days.
With those words he walked out of the door.

Sir Darlion shakes his head in response.

"Not that it isn't a good idea, but I fear we just don't have the time and resources to produce that on a large scale. Perhaps after this business is over we can spend time perfecting that technique. It is certainly something to look into, but I want this all to go as quickly as possible. The shields themselves are fine for now, we'll leave your.. pattern idea for another time."

After that, he looks to the other knights assembled. Some whisper to their neighbors, others offer their own input. Most of the knights focus on command and logistics suggestions, with Sir Darlion taking each one into consideration. Finally, as time begins to draw on, Sir Darlion stands.

"Knights, it has been some months since I have led you into battle, and it is an honor to have that opportunity again. Spread the word of what has transpired in this meeting to your other knights. Sir Azrael, go to the king's assembled cavalry forces immediately with the command to move north on my orders. You are not to attempt to storm the walls at any point, just keep a grip on the city. Prevent any from entering or leaving the area. And give the Grandmaster of the Order of the Dragon my regards. Let him know Pendor stands with him."

Finally, Sir Darlion gathers up his mail, and offers a nod to all knights assembled.

"Dismissed."