With the players' agreement secured, Alistair had no intention of wasting another moment in Silversky Town. The situation at Sablewood was dire, and they were waiting for him to save the day.
The size of the orcish force was unknown, but past experience suggested a host of at least five thousand. Every one of Alistair's regulars was a soldier he had personally and meticulously trained; he felt the loss of each one keenly and had no desire to squander them on simple reconnaissance.
The players, however, were another matter. Though weak, their ability to resurrect made them the perfect scouts. And the perfect cannon fodder.
Alistair had simply exploited a gap in their knowledge to trick them into fighting his war, suppressing the troublesome protagonist in the process and completing a system quest. It was an absolute coup. Mobilizing the players not only allowed him to probe the enemy's strength at no cost to his own forces, but it also served to whittle down their numbers.
