Carol
Levi Cortez 
Northwind

Levi shook his head. "No you don't understand. I'm not a part of his army. My name is Leviticus Cortezial. I am the leader of a group of bandits formerly known as the Eclipse." He said, squinting as he looked up. Everything in him begged for Tharn to let him sip from the wine skin, but Levi bit his tongue to focus on what was going on. His mouth slowly filled with the taste of blood but Levi ignored it and continued. 

"He never told me much. Only that I was to follow him around a day's length behind him, but I ignored that. It wouldn't have made sense for me to wait until the battle was nearly over to make my entrance, but now I understand. My mistake cost the lives of many men tonight." He said softly, before looking up at Tharn again. 

"Your mistake was assuming I was more important than I actually was. You think John de Burgh trusts someone that could easily backstab him when he was weakest? For all I know everything he told me was a lie. He preaches about the Gods but where are his gods now? His puny army could easily be wiped out without my help. Just remember our fight would have been different if my men had not been slaughtered when they were weakest." He said angrily.
Frankie
Tharn Skorn
Northwind

Tharn chortled, then took another swig from the wineskin. His next words came out as part of a derisive snort, "With your leadership, your men never would have stood a chance, whether they were at their weakest or strongest. Tell me, where were you when the fighting broke out? Asleep in your bed. Oblivious as your men died around you. The last one to emerge from his tent to fight us. A good leader is always on the alert; always sleeps with his boots on so he can be ready to lead the charge. Your men were damned from the moment they signed up with you."

"Now," He continued, "Enough of the idle talk. Tell me everything you know about John de Burgh. I want to know his weaknesses, how large his forces are, what his plans are, and where I can drive the knife deepest."
Carol
Levi Cortez
Northwind

Levi's lip curled up, rage boiling in his stomach. He couldn't argue. He had been asleep when the battle had initiated. But it had not been a battle. It was a slaughter, the guards on duty had been silenced before the alarm could have been set off. Their throats had been ripped out, torn from their body never to make a sound again. Levi had seen all of it before he had been dragged away. He was inexperienced, novice, and headstrong. He could learn from the man sitting in front of him, but that wasn't going to happen.

"When he left Swinford, he only had around 800 or so men. If I had a map I could show you the exact route he took. All he told me is that he is going to try to overtake you at Burgh. He never told me how."
Frankie
Tharn Skorn
Northwind

Tharn nodded, seemingly satisfied with Levi's answer at the moment. *So,* He thought, *Burgh is going with a lighter, more efficient force. Banking on speed and precision more than might...* 

He turned and retrieved some nearby documents, unfurling an incredibly detailed map of Northwind. Many of these areas were largely undocumented by anyone other than the wolfmen, who knew every inch of Northwind like the back of their hand. The government of Northwind had been in too much of an uproar for decades to focus on detailed cartography. 

"Show me," He ordered.
Carol
Levi Cortez
Northwind

Levi rubbed his wrists as Tharn untied his hands. The rope around his torso kept him attached to the post, but he had use of his arms. He looked at the map. 

"Your map is better than any map I have ever seen of Northwind, however most of it is not needed for the route John has proposed. He's taking the north road." He said, tracing a line from Swinford to Burgh. He studied the map for a moment, memorizing it as he traced through the woods and streams that were marked.

"We took this route, using the stream as a guide for much of the way." Levi said, tracing another line that cut through the wooded area that looped around the road. "My men would have met John at this side of the city." He said, pointing to another point on the map.
Frankie
Tharn Skorn
Northwind

Tharn loomed over Levi, watching him trace out the route that John de Burgh took and that Levi and his forces had taken. His mind raced to formulate a plan of action so that he and his men could be prepared for the coming battle. Even with a smaller force, John had the advantage in terms of size and overall training. And on horseback... His brow furrowed slightly, the only indication of the puzzle he was working through in his mind. Based on the size of John's force and the route he took, John would likely be here any day now. Perhaps even tomorrow. But he needed to know more!

He asked a few more questions to clarify the route, then asked, "What do his forces look like? How many men on horseback? How many on foot? What kind of supplies and armor do they have? Does he know of the attack on Burgh?"