The Ronin and the Lieutenant

You can't keep a cadre of talent such as this moving in one direction without help.  My prestigious skills aside I just don't have that ability.  This means I frequently have to recruit from outside the kingdom.  This means I need a good right hand man.

The Ronin
A wandering sell sword.  A quiet mercenary from far off.  Hired during the hard seasons when I need a trusted steady hand when the work gets rough.  His quiet nature and enormous skill set frequently force him to the outside of our little group rendering him invisible.  This is just another of his valuable skills.  The ability to be discrete is always worth paying for, especially in our line of work where being seen in the wrong place can quickly lead to war.  His years of service have gained him many friends and few enemies, that along with his own familial connections in the kingdom have also benefited us greatly in our tasks.  Analytical, unassuming but always interesting, he provides a bedrock of experience for the newer members of our team.  The fact that he has hit me with a horse and still has continued employment speaks far more to his worth than any description I could conjure.

The Lieutenant
A man of no small skill, his indifference frequently allows him to make the hard decisions that sometimes even make myself pause.  Experienced, more than competent, and with an eye for detail he takes to each task with an energy I find myself lacking.  He has the ability to manipulate each personality in our group with the responses they need ranging from flattery to intimidation in order to put them on the most beneficial path.  There is not much that this man would not do in order to accomplish our goals.  His own lack of ambition is all that stops me from sleeping with a blade at night for fear of being replaced.  Whilst the frequent threats of the barbarian now ring hollow should this man find that he desires my position I have no doubt he could quickly take it from me, accounting for no small amount of unpleasantness in our little part of the kingdom.