Yargos' Tale
Plainly more calm now that the group is moving along with him, the old scholar stops wringing his hands and begins to speak. "Some hundred and fifty years ago an armada of ships from the Western continent took up position off the coast, preparing to invade Venza. They were like a plague of locusts, but they lay hidden, waiting the signal to invade. That signal was to be given by an advance strike force, but they were to take measures to weaken strategic points within the city first. Once their bloody mayhem was achieved, they were to use prearranged signals to bring the invading force to bear on our weakened city.
"Prearranged signal lights were prepared for each phase of the offensive. A red fashing light was the sign for Black Echelon to poison Venza’s granary. A violet light with three pulses was the signal for a prearranged team to destroy the city’s bell towers, and so on. But when the mists of Spring descended, the prearranged signal lights never appeared. Unbeknownst to the hidden strike teams, the leaders of the Black Echelon infiltration cell were discovered and assassinated by brave heroes of Venza. The signal lanterns lay dark, and the rest of Black Echelon sat idle. Several hours later, the fleet’s hiding place was discovered. A quick counterattack by our navy ambushed the would-be invasion force and the armada was destroyed to the last mast. In the coming weeks, the Whitecloaks rooted out the remaining hidden members of Black Echelon and put every last one to the sword.
"The failed invasion mission, called the Silent Tide, would have amounted to little more than a cautionary footnote in a textbook of naval battles save for one crucial detail: Prior to entering Venza, each member of the Black Echelon cell swore an ancient oath, known as the Binding Word. Black Echelon pledged to fulfill their duties, no matter the barrier, no matter the cost. My studies have led me to believe that the power of the Binding Word compels these deadly saboteurs from beyond the pale, leading them to push their attack."
The scholar's tale lapses here, but you are uncertain whether this is because he has nothing else to say or in an attempt to allow you time for a question or two.