It was well past noon, going on the evening when the last of the available summoned had arrived. Only some had come. Those who had, had just happened to be near enough for the riders to find. Like as not, some of them would be coming drunk, but Newell kept an eye on all who came and noted what their eyes fell on when entering and who they talked to. As the people gathered in the main hall of the Dawnhall, Newell stood near the back, leaning on one of the pillars as he kept an eye on who were there, or even more interesting, those who were not. By now, Newell had figured some of what was happening, given the summoning without the captain's orders. He'd been upstairs tending to a contract named Anyaris, as Brammy had ordered a gathering. The serjeant had bellowed out orders and seemingly the few recruits present had taken his word as law and ridden out as fast as they could. Newell had walked downstairs to ask what was going on, but he was told very little. All he was told was to stay and wait for the gathering later in the day. Newell shrugged once before he made his ascent back up to Anyaris who seemed so frail, but was more like a feral animal, caged and cornered.
As it was nearing evening the people had finally congregated. The hall quieted down from the different mutterings, cheerful and gloomy alike. Newell knew only few of the faces as he was rather new himself, yet he had somehow found himself as an officer. Might be the knighthood he had mentioned or maybe simply because he was a good candidate. He didn't know, and the one who knew seemed unlikely to tell him the reasons. A smirk had crept over his lips as he stood there thinking of what the absence of certain members would mean, and in his mind he started analyzing members come and gone. He only knew a few of the faces, and even fewer names, yet he kept an open ear and eye to catch as much as he could. Lucifen stood silently at the back, near Nimeway, though Rossethor was nowhere to be seen. Blince was seemingly scanning the room as much as Newell himself, but he seemed more intent on finding someone specific and seemingly confused, probably having noted the same absence that Newell had. Even the captive Anyaris had made her way downstairs and stood by idly, looking at the plateau rather than plotting her escape from what Newell could see. The girl had been wounded a fair bit and running would only lead to a swift capture or death and the girl was smarter than that he thought. The young redheaded serjeant Taala sat casually in an armchair on the plateau, one leg slung over the arm of it, while Basaran, the only lieutenant left, rose to speak up. He raised a hand slightly as if to quiet the people, and those who didn't catch on soon enough would hear Taala scream "Shut it!" Newell grinned a bit to himself at that. The mutters almost evaporated and eyes were turned towards the stage. Quietly he stood as the words came from the heightened plateau. "Our Ca... Hyrien is.. indisposed for the time being and it is at her command that we are to elect a new leader until such a day when she may return. It will be ten days until the meeting. Those who aren't here now will be told by those who are." Newell had turned towards the crowd again before he finished speaking to gauge the reactions. Some stood silently, others looked worried. But a few, a few seemed happy enough for the news. He noted the expressions of the crowd; Blince looked troubled by it all, distraught to a degree, yet most of all seemed to be pure seething anger. From what Newell had gathered he had been somewhat close to the captain, an advisor of some sort. Nimeway looked half indifferent, and some of the recruits looked as if they didn't understand the words. Yet a few caught Newell's eye in particular, Lucifen being one of them. He was one of the people who seemed almost happy for the news, at least smirking a bit. Newell nodded a bit to himself before saying to himself "I'll start there..."
