[IC] Banners & Blood

[dangelo]

Link to the OOC Thread

Banners & Blood
IC thread

The River Lands had once been a beautiful province, with green fields and blue skies that stretched into horizon as far as the eye could see. Limited by the Silver Moon Peaks to the north, the Crown Lands to the east, and the Great Lake to the west, the land was split into three, raked by mountains like fingers grasping the earth. With access to the sea and a strong fleet to secure it, the River Lands were a safe province for one to live.

But now it was ravaged by war. A foolish war, if there was ever a wise one, waged by a false king and a usurper. To gain the undisputed support of the Church of Pelor, Wilhem had granted them lower taxes, persecuted pagan faiths, exiled druid circles, and raised several paladins to Generals, promising them lands and castles that would soon be taken from "the false King Harald and his blind followers", as he called them.

All because one time, over a century ago, the Church of Pelor saved the kingdom from falling into the hands of conspirators by appointing the king's brother to the throne rather than his son. At the time, it was said that the Morninglord "sent a vision to the High Priest" announcing that death and calamity would plague the realm should the prince sit the throne instead of his uncle. And because the Priests of Pelor held so much power, and because a handful of lords and ladies believed the prince to be a bastard, the intervention was successful and the kingdom was saved.

Now, over a hundred years later, the current High Priest claims to have had the same visions; That Lord Wilhem was to sit the throne instead of his nephew King Harald, and that the realm would be thrown into an age of darkness should Harald refuse to leave the throne. A foolish, foolish war.

The sky was black with smoke. It billowed from wheat fields and orchards and meadows, and also houses and mills once their inhabitants had been cleared out. "Lord Wilhem is supposed to defend them", King Harald had said, as he commanded his troops to sail to the Western River Lands and set fire to everything between the Great Lake and the Spine. "Let the smallfolk find sanctuary in the Riverlord's Keep, and soon he will run out of grain to feed them. My uncle has limited resources, and cannot bear to wage a long war."

Thus, While Wilhem's fleet sailed to the capital, Harald deployed a stealthy unit around the Inner Sea and deep into enemy territory, a smaller elite army lead by four hand-picked vassals: Percilla the goblinknight, Luna the emissary of the druids, Ginarie his First Ranger and Cheshire his spymaster. With no more than three hundred horse, they were to act quick and strong, and sail back home without many losses.

It took them less than a ten-day to ravage the West. The River Lands lacked proper fortifications by the sea, leaving only town garrisons and scattered lawmen to stand in their way. Most of them surrendered at the sight of the column of armored knights, others barricaded behind their palisades, but all lost their courage at the sight of their crops ablaze.

It was late in the afternoon when Harald's messenger reached the camp. The sunset sky had a queer reddish glow from the crops ablaze and the smoke that rose from them. The plan was to stay there and draw as much from Wilhelm's forces as they could, but that messenger changed everything.

The commanders gathered in their tent when two knights burst in, escorting the messenger and his exhausted mount. He bore the colors of King Harald on his gambeson, and clutched letter with the royal seal:

"My Three Hundred and Four,

It is with a heavy heart and grave concern that I dispatch this missive unto thee. Dark tidings have befallen our realm, as treachery festers within our midst like a foul disease. Know ye that certain lords, sworn to our banner, have turned over to my uncle's side, forsaking their oaths of fealty in pursuit of base ambition and nefarious plots.

The shadows of betrayal loom large, casting doubt upon the very foundations of our kingdom. Our enemies gather strength, emboldened by the weakness of those who once stood by our side. Peril surrounds us, and the hour grows late.

In this dire hour, I beseech thee, my loyal vassals, to stand steadfast and resolute. You are to abandon the last mission I assigned you and return to the capital as fast as possible. I hoped to face Wilhelm in open field, but that won't be possible with his numbers. Return to me, and together we shall weather this storm, and emerge victorious against the tide of treachery that threatens to engulf us.

May the gods grant us strength and wisdom in the days ahead.

Yours in steadfast solidarity,

King Harald."

In addition to it, the messenger said "Wilhelm has withdrew some of his fleet to patrol the coast, my ladies. It will be dangerous to sail back home." And earlier that day, outriders had informed them that an infantry unit was marching south from Riverlord's Keep to push them away from their land. According to their report, they were at least six hundred foot and maybe one hundred horse.

Percilla, Luna, Ginarie and Cheshire gathered in the commander's tent around a sheepskin map of the River Lands. The enemy pressed them from the north and the south, and to the east their way was blocked by the Spine. They had to make a decision - Hundreds of miles away, King Harald's forces desperately needed their help.

One of the knights, Sir Brennan, asked the question that everyone was thinking: "What are we going to do, my ladies?"

Spoiler: OOC

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The red cross marks your position, blue arrows mark Wilhelm's forces. We'll use proper tokens for this, but I'm posting from work now so this is all I could put together. Thanks for your patience!