From the desk of The Emissary, Head Spymaster of Yulash-kor
Dear Lord Protector Maz and members of the Midnight Senate,
Part of my duty as spymaster includes staying up to date with the latest military developments across the realms. My agents work with our allies to coordinate strategy, with the goal of maintaining consistent security against our enemies. As of late, I've noticed a global trend towards using small teams of specialist operatives in lieu of open warfare- a sign of the times, perhaps. Yulash-kor is no stranger to these. They were undeniably effective against the Pyroclasts, United Mercenary Company, Corvus Cabal, Toras Val, and many others. Yet the mass adoption of strike teams across the realms has me reconsidering our current way of war.
There is another quirk I've noticed among our allies' strike teams. When a competent agent does not fit into a rigid command structure for any number of reasons, they're often reassigned to a sort of "misfit squad" with other such agents. These groups will be deployed on missions where their various eccentricities make them better-suited to achieving the objective than a standard strike team. Sometimes, their ranks will even include former enemies of the realms seeking redemption for their crimes.
My proposal is as follows: in addition to expanding our Special Operations department, I request your permission to form one of these "misfit squads" for our own use, composed of skilled individuals picked up from Yulash-kor's vanquished foes. I will lead the team (known as Squad Hypatia, after the noted astronomer and iconoclast) myself to ensure the operatives remain compliant. To assuage any fears you might have about recruiting defeated enemy agents to defend the Midnight Realm, I will list the picks I had in mind below.
Kalrai - Diplomacy
The nymph hydromancer Kalrai came into our custody after an attempt by the Paladins of the Divine Flame to infiltrate our ally Aliah Mistwalker's home base with a team of specialists and end her resistance. The so-called "Elementalists" employed by the despotic terror organization were repulsed and remain at large, but Kalrai was captured on the verge of death by Supreme Enginseer Reyes. After realizing what her god did to its own servants upon death, she became an apostate and dedicated her life to undoing the harm she and her erstwhile comrades visited upon the multiverse.
Kalrai's arcane abilities are noteworthy, but her true talent lies with the spoken word. In the service of the Paladins, she was a master manipulator with a knack for getting anything she wanted. However, her rejection of the Divine Flame has gone a long way towards improving her personality and how she applies her skills. The new Kalrai is humble and patient where she used to be sadistic and entitled, and she makes friends readily despite her checkered past.
Out of all the proposed operatives for Squad Hypatia, Kalrai's loyalties to Yulash-kor and the common good are the strongest. Even so, she possesses an implanted kill-switch that I will have control over in the highly unlikely event that she betrays us.
Merrick Tarn - Close-quarters Combat
General Merrick Tarn was once the foremost military leader of the Otherlund Fighters' Guild, high in the esteem of the noble courts and King Leothric himself. That all changed at the Battle of Ulm, when his army was crushed despite the use of anti-magic. Tarn was held in the dungeons of Apoapsis until he could be deported back to Otherlund at the war's conclusion. However, the kingdom collapsed upon Leothric's death, leaving Tarn a stateless prisoner of war. He was granted full Yulash-korian citizenship for his honorable conduct and settled into a simpler life.
As a man of low birth, Merrick Tarn was never inducted into Otherlund's elite Knights of the Iron Shield or even given formal weapons training. His skills are largely self-taught, and he is the master of a highly idiosyncratic style of sword combat. Tarn also prefers heavy armor and possesses a genetic resistance to dangerous magic, making him a prime candidate for Squad Hypatia's bruiser, since he can get in and out of harm's way largely without the risk of injury.
Though he is a Yulash-korian citizen, Tarn did not properly defect to magekind's side during the Fighter War. He may still harbor sympathies for the scattered remnants of the Fighters' Guild, though his behavior suggests otherwise. A psychomantic evaluation may be in order before his recruitment into Squad Hypatia.
Thantax Shadowborn - Stealth & Reconnaissance
Once, Thantax Shadowborn was a nondescript politician and umbramancer. That changed the day they joined a malignant conspiracy gnawing at the Wizard Council's heart known as the Corvus Cabal. Under the code name of "Rook", Thantax worked with organized crime to worsen the Council's growing corruption and keep his colleages' occult work a secret. When they were captured by Kaelis Maz and his allies in the wake of the Third Wizard War, they helped unmask the Corvus Cabal for good. To the best of anyone's knowledge, Thantax Shadowborn is the last living member of the conspiracy.
Thantax is not known for their charisma; a trait that has not improved with prison time. However, their affinity for umbramancy, underworld contacts, and general skill at staying hidden makes them an appealing member of Squad Hypatia. It's my belief that Thantax's unpleasant nature will improve with time and social interaction. Until then, I will have to encourage the others to work with them and find common ground.
It should come as no surprise that Thantax Shadowborn is the member of Squad Hypatia most likely to betray Yulash-kor. While they have cooperated with us in the past, there is little indication that they've changed their self-serving ways. I propose that Thantax be fitted with a location shackle to prevent them from fleeing until we can be sure of their compliance.
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The operatives I've listed are just the core of the team. Should we wish to expand Squad Hypatia further, there are likely many more imprisoned enemies who wish to atone for their crimes and even outcasts within our own ranks. I exhort you to consider supporting this proposal at your next meeting.
Your humble servant,
The Emissary
