Archon's Curse [Pathfinder Kingmaker]

[Imperator Pax]

Lamashan 4714
Thousands of feet marched to the beat the drums keeping the men on foot inline... and while that organization dated to or predated even the medieval period the march base was based on the armies of the civil war. So to were the equipment and packs that the men carried, the ones not outfitted with early style bergen style rucksacks, using bent branches for the frame, even if those were far more limited. They were allocated to specialty troops, and he didn't expect that to change, even if next year, or the year following he might see the royal army's professional troops outfitted with entrenching tools for the times when there were no druids or other magic users to facilitate preparing breastworks.

That would not be this campaign.

They had departed from Olegton in the knowledge that other troops would be moving to join them. The brevic hinterlands in the south rostlandic plain were already beginning to see peasants pushed south fleeing the fighting, or really theplundering ongoing. Troops would move up to garrison Olegton and reinforce the defenses, and those would be the first real truly serious defensive works around the northernmost town of the kingdom.

Something... loathe as Eire was to admit it not readily factored into his planning for the realm. Olegton had been an early project that had fallen to the wayside of his planning, and his aims to build the kingdom. Not that Oleg minded, and as lord mayor was effective it was just the town had been subject to benign neglect being allowed to largely take shape and grow more along rostlandic and brevic lines ... and it was true Tatzlford was also more brevic in character, more akin to Varnhold in that respect or he supposed less so but still similar to the drelev domain on the lake than they were to his imperial cities.

The sheer difference though had surprised him when he'd arrived... and not just for the the reasons of religious institutions that were more prevalent in the southern portions of his dominion. That was something that would have to be addressed , especially if the crisis continued. He was hoping to force a swift resolution, but that assumed, was contingent on the enemy doing what they wanted... and that wasn't , was never a given.

The Rostlandic plain offered no real barriers to an invading army, or even just an army on the march even during the rainy season it was rarely prone to storms that might turn the land awash with mud, and winters except in the north rarely camecold enough to seriously imperil a prepared traveler. That wasn't to say Brevoy didn't have its share of bandits, and outlaws, but those were hardly a concern in the present situation.

"What do you believe is Armag's ambition out here?"

The uplands, the slight rising of theplains made no apparent better option for a base than that of the hinterlands. Brevoy's southern extent was lightly settled, and the lowlands that abutted it were largely empty grasslands. The uplands were a series of rugged hills and dense undergrowth, not all together dissimilar to the Narlmarches. "Ordinarily this would be a defensive hedgerow, but that does not seem to be the case." He paused, "Amvarean, how close are we to the Tiger Lords?"

"They're near enough, their ancestral lands are not too far from us," Which was relative, yes it was true they could march that way but close for dragons was always a question of wing flight. "All of this is land that the Kellids would say with truth that their ancestors walked in Armag's time."

He nodded, acknowledging the statement... and of course that it brought them potentially back to another argument over Stolen Lands, this or that who and by whom. Gorrum's champion had predated the founding of the city of Absalom. "And what is here that draws them?"

"I would suspect the tomb of that Armag," The silver dragoness replied, "And if history records truth then where Orvinbaane his great sword lays resting."Golarion had no shortage of magic swords, and it was no surprise the weapon of choice for the tiger lords, or most Kellids or iobarian warriors of note... and of course that was true of more southern nations. Ancient Azlant, its descendants in Cheliax and Taldan, Sarenrae faithful amongst the padishah empire, and people further still.

The sword was the weapon of heroes after all.

"We will need to cross the East Sellen River if we keep this course," He replied sparing an eye to the army on the march. Not that crossing the river would be a problem, it was just going to be ironic if they made the march alongthe Taldan road only to then swing south to the western border of where Drelev's influence had come up against where the Tiger Lords extended. It didn't matter, if that was what needed to be done, then so be it.

They road on for several more hours. The outriders turned and signaled they had spotted flags, and it was as the sky descended in the western horizon that the first banners stood on the horizons. The familiar masses of tents encamped of Kellids and Iobarian folk spread out. Shaoyu was static at the sight that splayed out before them. It was, she was right, what they had been looking for.

They were close to the Brevic border, but still yet beyond what was formally under Brevoy's crown at least so far as the Rogavarian dynasty that had disappeared more than a decade earlier had laid claim and to and actually administered... but it was close enough and near enough to the old Taldan road that the gathering of barbarians would have had an easy enough time to ride across the border... and likely in years previous for brevic nobles to ride down and disperse gathering, but much smaller, barbarian hordes before they could become much trouble.

... they were too late for that. If this was what it appeared, to be one of the outer tribes of Armags confederation, then no simple collection of barons and their heavy horse supported by peasant levies would have the weight to push them aside and drive them from their camps. On the other hand, as Amvarean was quick to make note of, "They do not appear hostile," And with reason, if Armag was still hosting visiting warriors.

"Then they may permit our passage," Though also likely would the army loose what if any element of surprise that they already had. A part of him regretted not bringing Akiros with them that might have benefitted them here to speak with the tribe here... or not it might it might have meant nothing but it might not have hurt their chances. "Or they may challenge it," He acknowledged, but this camp if he didn't misjudge seemed to be recent... and that was part of why he suspected it was one of the outer members of the barbarian gathering around Armag.

A confrontation or safe passage was possible for any number of reasons.

 

[Stickypiston]

Was there a chapter about his kingdom's subjects reactions when he revealed his dragon? I felt like that was glossed and skipped over.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Was there a chapter about his kingdom's subjects reactions when he revealed his dragon? I felt like that was glossed and skipped over.

Click to shrink...

No because it took place while visiting mendev but most of the realm is aware Shaoyu and amvarean are red and silver dragons and this is relevant later

 

[Imperator Pax]

Lamashan 4714
Kellid society did not have uniform gender norms... the best example of this were Amiri's insular Six Bears tribe that stratified women and men into expected roles even if they didn't rigidly enforce it. That was perhaps the most important fact in comparison to other southern and more sedentary community the rigidity in enforcement was often a privilege of wealthier more sedentary societies with more complex organizational hierarchies to justify such practices.

The Kellid tribes simply had a different view of how to employ the division of labor than more urbandwelling societies, and that was often a by product of what resources they had to use. For Amvarean, and for the surroundings of Lake Silverstep the iobarians who came to pay her homage were of a people used to at least to one deree or another contacts with dragons.

The Kellids of the Lands of the MammothLords were not that different. In the land of the Mammoth lords dragons a known thing. A powerful force to cajole or offer bribes for protection from or protection by. Had Ilthuliak cared to do so she might have pressed down upon the river faring kellid tribes demanding tribute, and like Amvarean her gender would have been irrelevant.

Eire knew that their entourage musthave attracted some attention. Gorrum was a popular deity among Kellids, but hardly to the extent of the exclusion of all others. Though some of the barbarians here were grim faced and on guard most were not hostile... for the moment they were all guests and fair travellers beneath the open sky. The guest right would hold until it was broken, and more importantly their hosts were quick to speak.

Irovetti of Pitax was the one who put the idea, if the idea had really even needed to be put at all, in Armag's head about raiding Restov. There were any number of reasons for Pitax to want the barbarians to sweep north into the rostlandic plain... Pitax probably wasn't even having to pay all that much since such a campaign was likely intended to be self funding from the rights of plunder taken from southern Brevoy.

... and if Armag's host could actually sack Restov, or just force a payment of tribute to lift the siege then that was probably far more in value than Pitax could hope to pay from its treasury to encourage the raid. It was dangerous though...yes Brevoy was divided and the monarchy was weak and how supported it was was always a question, but it was a gamble to roll the device both if Brevoy did rally, or if Armag became too over mighty. Just because 'the Twice born' hadn't demonstrated an inclination to turn on Pitax didn't mean it was somehow impossible.

If Eire was already considering such he had to assume Pitax's petty king had that in mind... and if Irovetti had thought about it... well it was possible he was hoping that Restov took care of the problem... but all of that was less important in the here and now. Amvarean tilted slightly, "I am disappointed by the lack of Brevic response to such actions, I did not think I would say this, and certainly I do not do lightly, but I rather miss the Rogavarians." She remarked in draconic. Eire nodded in acknowledgement, though he could not comment on the missing dynasty of Brevoy, which had all disappeared before his arrival on Golarion, "And these scarred sisters they speak, more Fae I assume, I wish that Eranex had travelled with us."

The comment prompted another nod. TheScarred Sisters disfigured and veiled were with Armag, another partof his entourage... but one that didn't ... well wasn't so strangefor the Kellid tribes... Armag had grown his confederation and seeking the advice of wise women and potent spellcasters wassoemthing that could be understood. "I would have liked thatRestov had made good on their bravado, but we cannot depend on that." And as for those disfigured sisters... "we are here," He stated in draconic with emphasis... and the force assembled had noshortage of cold iron weapons that were faerie bane. Even facingnominally normal human warriors it would have been stupid to not take some precaution against meddling by the first world... and while lacking the truly impressive rivers of his own domain the rivers thatflowed into the tuskwater the grasslands west of the eastern sellen teemed with smaller waterways. He paused and turned to regard the stone giants beneath the lion banner, "They are not alarmed or surprised by our companions."

"Armag must have gathered giants of his own."

That had been rumored for months now, and of course there had been a handful of hill giants at Pitax. Enough of them to siege Restov? Perhaps so given the reaction. There had been skittering talks of Numerian weirdness as well... nothing concrete but all the same the plunder needed to satisfy such a force was not an encouraging development. It didn't matter if Armag was overestimating his own strength, or if he actually had it, "That may well explain his willingness to attempt it." And... the truth was, "We're going to have to expand the army," And probably the navy for that matter, the truth was it had been the establishment of the Royal Navy which had been a priority in this year's legislature. "And consecrate more temples." Specifically in the north of the realm.

Amvarean nodded, "This was known," the Silver replied, "the Hooktongue will require much of our time this coming year."

There was a shuffling from the kellid ranks as men reached out clasp one of their number as he moved forward through them. The figure made his way through, with a small entourage of other men. A priest of Gorum stood near in lockstep, and with a nod the cleric stepped, "Hail, I am Gwart, and I travel with Dugath of the Tiger Lords," The man who had been greeted by the throng of barbarians, who was dressed in a flowing cloak made from the hide of a smilodon of unusually large size.

"Well met," He replied, but what he really wanted to ask was what really brought the two here, and now. Dugath was a man in perhaps late middle age; one in excess of six feet in height. Old enough to be graying at the temples, but more silver fox if such were appropriate... and what he and his coreligionist had come this way with was the matter, the same matter that they had come this way for.

"I know of the Six Bears, and I know Armag trusts the wisdom of his witches who have given him shelter, and the promises they make to help him recover his sword," He shared a look with Amvarean even as Dugath spoke, "But while he places great confidence in their talents, they are not Kellid... not even humans, but women from the first world... and his actions are not of the Way. They wish him to erect a holding and rely on magic as the Taldan people do... as you have done." Dugath was merely stating what he believed... it wasn't an insult though he did seem to disagree with the course of action.

"I have seen no evidence Armag wishes to establish a territorial kingdom." Eire remarked.

The man nodded, "Armag himself has resisted their suggestions but the promise of plunder and controlling the wealth of great stone cities is a tempting one to any man, and their aims are to make him a king. To take and hold cities, and to command laws into being, which have never previously been... for what I presume must be to help them with yet other tasks, for they would have him conquer and wage war against the neighboring lands though for what purpose I cannot say."

 

[Imperator Pax]

Lamashan 4714
There was a pause in the conversation as Dugath took sight of what was around them, paused to allow men to exchange cups of wine, and beer and small plates of bread, and salt, and cheese, and cured meats.

Dugath had no doubt seen his share of armies over his life, but it was clear the cleric of Gorum was not quite certain what to make of the uniform fabric and colors worn by the assembled ranks. Handmade, homespun garments could affect the appearance of uniformity, they could, but there was a starkdifference between what a uniform machine needlework process looked like en masse. The chieftan nodded towards the stone giants before returning his attention back, and beginning to speak again, "Armag should be marching on Restov, or marching here to meet you," Thebarbarian remarked with a frown. Should was the operative word in the statement, "Were Armag in his right senses he would see that, and we might have an alliance or have battle... but we have neither." He finished in not quite halting common but some something of an odd accent.

That left the question of where was Armag, "Where is Armag?"

"We have found the lost tomb of the Armag who was," Dugath responded, stopping and gesturing to Gwart who nodded at the acknowledgment.

The other cleric of Gorrum nodded once in Eire's direction, "It is a great edifice, a mighty temple that our lord in iron commanded raised to bury Armag with Orvinbaane." Gwart's comment was the same, in content, that Dugath had said several minutes earlier, "It is a great sword, a powerful magical weapon and would be a potent symbol of Gorrum's favor to recover it."

Eire did not much associate with Gorum's church. Even in Brevoy the year he had spent there the household churches of the nobility had not been something he had frequented. "You have said," He remarked looking to the both of them, "That he means to take the sword, and the he appears to be interested in establishing a territorial kingdom, "And he knew that that terminology was probably lost on the two... it was a description from social science within anthropology, history, and sociology that had emerged in the 20th​ century on Earth from medievalists, and of course as had been pointed out it was not so much that Armag wanted to but he was being encouraged to do so... but even that raised questions... "I have heard this before."

"Hargulka?" Shaoyu said speaking up. Amvarean didn't interject but glanced to the young red, "This is no accident then."

It wasn't. Hargulka had had no scarred nymphs to aid him in establishing his kingdom but then he had never gotten to such numbers, and he hadn't been resistant to the idea of breaking with tradition either. Hargulka and several of his trolls were enthusiastic of building a complex society around sedentary urban settlements particularly because of what they could trade and make... but he doubted that had been the priority... or the goal.

The conversation paused, diverting to the subject of the last of the four attempted expeditions, the fourth would be barony... that of the expedition mounted by the Iron Wraiths mercenary company, which should have been able to establish itself, and of course in realpolitik Eire recognized would have created a buffer state on the border with Pitax capable of blocking the petty kingdom of Irovetti from making claims without running afoul of its border with the other aldori state. They had never gotten off the ground though.

Dugath nodded, "Perhaps not, when Amiri of the Six Bears arrived it was no secret what you had built, there had been others of her following before who had come to Armag's banner. Armag had questions for their shaman Nilak when they arrived," The statement established that Dugath had either been present, or had been informed that Amiri had at least reached Armag's camp... and that was good news of course, but it had other implications... not the least of which was the reasonable assumption that Armag was expecting them. "You have the ear of the gods, though you are not kellid many would recognize your kingship. More than would recognize either the man who rules in Pitax or the usurper in the north who does nothing to stop the army marching across Rostland." And then of course there was Numeria, and the Black Sovereign who was the last immediate monarch of note, the only of the three between Pitax, Brevoy and Numeria who was a kellid.

Gwart began to speak again, "Armag is unsteady, unsure or at least is unclear to the following what he means to do. There is confusion, as Dugath has stated we should be either allies or honorable foes, but Armag for all the questions he has asked of you has indicated neither course to be his preference. He vacillates on a decision without seeking counsel from chieftans or shamans of the tribes gathered under his banner. It is not right."

Eire didn't have any difficulty guessing that had Armag been leading the march on Restov, or leading the raids into its farmlands... Dugath would have been more inclined to support his erstwhile high chief. It was not that Dugath opposed the incursion, it was that Armag was not leading from the front, wasn't there for the fighting. "You want me to confront Armag."

"Yes. He must be made to see sense." Gwart agreed quickly. "We can show you to the Temple where he has withdrawn to," It could have been a trap, surely that would have been reasonable plan, and yet it didn't feel like it. Gwart and Dugath were fed up with their leadership, that was obvious... and Dugath was unwilling or for some reason of personal honor to challenge Armag for leadership, "He is there with your companion and the other Six Bears, along with the..." with the scarred nymphs who were even now trying to shape what Armag did.

"This will not stop the army that is marching on Restov even now."

Dugath nodded, "It will not. I will make no oaths to stop it. They have not met us in the field, and Armag has given the young bucks leaves to clash and loot and plunder. If they are defeated it is on their own mettle being lacking. Armag must be made to see sense, if you wish to stop them from attacking Brevoy you must prove stronger, or convince Armag to lead the army in another direction."

Numeria. Numeria was the easy choice point him westerly and see how that played out. It was tempting, it was sorely tempting... if things really were that simple. Eire really doubted it really was that easy. Amvarean looked prepared to protest, but the silver dragoness remained silent. "We will go to this tomb of the original Armag, and speak with him," And prepare the army to turn and strike any attempt to envelop Restov in a siege.

Gwart nodded seemingly relieved, "The sisters speak of another sword that they have asked Armag to find on their behalf. They have told us little of it, only that it comes from the first world, and has been lost since the time before memories."

"Another sword?"

"Yes. Armag has promised to seek it out once he is reunited with Orvinbaane, which I assume if he does not have it yet, he will have it soon." So there was another magical sword then besides just the ancient greatsword of Gorum's champion... that was lovely. Dugath seemed uncomfortable with the trade, or leading Armag to his previous life's sword, in exchange for finding another lost artifact sword.

"When Armag was buried the sword and tomb were set behind barriers and traps to test the mettle of anywho would enter, to keep Pharasma's mewling whelps away from Gorum'schampion it is another decision that is not proper. Armag challengesthe tomb with outside held, found the tomb with the help ofoutsiders."

"You have asked me for help."

"It is not the same." Dugathreplied, "I ask you to confront him with words or steel. This is not a trade, and I ask it under the open sky, and with the sun in the heavens surrounding by many warriors to hear my words and know I do not speak false. I do not ask you to help me bypass the challenges decreed by our lord in iron."

 

[Imperator Pax]

Lamashan 4714
Dugath was as good as his word. Knowing where they were going had made navigating the hills and streams easy allowing them to reach the massive sprawling temple edifice. Eire did somewhat as an academic curiosity how quickly the ancient kellids had been able to raise this temple, and by what means... but he supposed that if the story was true and Gorrum had directly commanded the complex built to house the remains of Armag then the ancient kellids had probably had few political resistances.


Of course if duplicity was involved Dugath would certainly prove to be in for an unfortunate and unpleasant, and likely very short reply. The army assembled was formidable, and Amvarean remained with it, which was in furtherance of their position. Not only could the army recall back to the temple of the elk if it needed to Amvarean was an adult silver dragon, and one without her sister's weakness to cold iron.

If of course the intention, to which might simply be paranoia, was to separate them from the army... well that wasn't going to work much better. The army though would have encumbered them in moving across the terrain... would have delayed them, and the truth was keeping Armag from his army and leading from the front would weaken his position as high king if he meant to keep it without some justification... it would give more conservative chieftains in theory more leverage to resist Armag's reforms.

Dugath seemed as good as his word though. There was no sign of treachery, and no magical communications had signaled a problem... and if Amvarean had had to recall the force the flames reaching towards the heavens would have still been noticeable. It also hadn't escaped Eire that Armag's array of clans and forces besides were arranged in a similar base ten formation of manpower... there were broader differences of course, but perhaps the issue at large was that the kellids must have also surely taken note of the detail.

What they could actually do with that information, with that detail, was debatable, but he doubted that it had escaped them. More immediate of a concern was the encampment around the entrance of the great stone complex was the presence of other clan leaders from the Tiger Lords, and of course the hostages from Drelev's domain.

Eire had counted at least a hundred tents there were probably more than that given the size, not all warriors of course, but perhaps upwards of a thousand people gathered here today. Armag's hostages from both drelev and presumably other forays by other lesser chieftains were largely urbane aristocrats, 'city folk' as the kellids referred to them. They were something to note, but hardly his priority. They were also not the only 'foreigners' present, or freely moving about... that was good.

None of the assembled warriors protested Dugath's arrival, or raised the alarm, but Eire recognized that they weren't going to be missed entering the encampment either even with the din of black smiths working the ore taken from the local hills. That might have even been the reason the Tiger Lords had long ago originally settled or laid claim here was to have the ore to extract to feed their blacksmiths and forge weapons. The smiths hadto form a substantive minority of the camp's population from the smoke and noise.

It was not a city. There was none of the complex administration that actually separated the definition of a city from a town... but it was definitely within the boundaries of the definition of the latter. Eire recognized that in that sense it was , or it would have conformed to the likes of the migration age settlements of the steppe. That wasn't necessarily a good thing, he didn't like making comparisons to the huns lightly.

If Armag was intending to establish aterritorial state... this might arguably be the best place toestablish a capital, and the attendant base of power, both from ageographic standpoint, and from the basis of an existing holy site.The goegraphic basis was easy, towns and cities were best establishedwith ready access to water and other natural resources... thelocation met that. It was in a defensible location, and that wascertainly a plus. For a political center of power the tomb, and itsreligious signifiance to both the Tiger Lords, and Gorum's churchwere all major benefits.

... and there was one other matterwhich was at the forefront of the site.

The tomb, the temple and its environs, was an almost ideal site to assemble a large army... and it was consecrated ground. Armag might not have the magical ability to transport an army here, and Dugath might not have realized that but as an assembly point the area had the space for a vast number of warriors. An assembly point that even without magic would have allowed the formation of an army to move in any direction almost... a detail that had likely been just as true in the time of the First Armag, and the Tiger Lords campaigns of conquest in that era.

This was the ancestral land of the Tiger Lords, that much was clear.

"Where is Amiri?"

"With the other Six Bears gathered here." Dugath replied, before repeating his earlier attestation that Armag had had questions about Narland too which Nilak previously had been asked, and that Amiri had been asked about. Those questions were largely innocuous. Not terribly different than the questions that Hargulka and other trolls had asked. How did you build a kingdom. Armag didn't have so much of a focus on literacy.;.. he seemed to prefer the idea of an oral tradition with memorization of the law code that 'readers' could recite... but there was an idea there of a legal code which would give Armag powers and authority more than the usual Kellid war leaders. That was what Dugath was worried about of course, the assumption of such powers by decree. In theory, "He has brought the champions here most likely to support him but has not asked even them to raise their voices in support." What Armag didn't seem to be as interested in were the specifics of some of hte reforms, the hows of production per se... but that was something to consider later.

Eire nodded and looked across to the felt tents gathered by the river and to the herds of animals that were grazing and drinking from the river. This was good pasture land. Choice pasture land, especially since it was likely a simple matter to drive the animals into the uplands to graze them over the winter... Eire doubted that the winters here were particularly harsh. The Branthelnd mountains to the west were probably more so, but here... here he imagined was a fairly mild environment...

As if reading his thoughts or more likely taking in his gaze, "It is good land." He remarked, "Many Tiger Lords have died on it, their blood watered these fields and Armag himself fell in battle against a great tyrant dragon in the time before."

... Eire nodded again, acknowledging the key point. That what had stopped Armag the Conqueror and his campaigns in ancient history had not been Pharasma's church or their supporters. It had been a red dragon unaffiliated with either deity... and he suspected that it was very likely that Dugath had weighedhis decisions based on the legends, and signs and omens and so forth. Dugath in that respect might have have been better informed than most of Eire's own peasantry, or his neighbors... which raised questions of its own, but from the ride here Eire suspected that the Tiger Lords contacts in Numeria extended beyond and north to Mendev. Gwart certainly seemed to know a great deal about the crusader kingdom.

Barbarians were not stupid, and it would have been a mistake to imagine their political systems and society to be simplistic... or that they weren't capable of talking to other people.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Lamashan 4714
If this had been Shrikewall, they would have ... well there would have been significant differences... if this had been his capital the most immediate differences would have been the grid... but that wasn't to say that it was disorganized. The base ten system by which the nomadic warriors organized their society delineated a series of 'neighborhoods' for lack of a better term regarding the clustering of herds, and workshops and felt tents.

The Tiger Lords had not been here long enough to have established agriculture, nor to establish significant protective works, but there was space to do so. It was a town in the sense that it lacked the complex bureaucracy that Shrikewall as an urban center had... religious diversity in religious establishments in stone had nothing to do with that.

Masonry architecture had nothing to do with that. The great edifice to Gorum's champion was a sprawling structure that descended into the earth, and the hillside, and its footprint was significantly larger than the Cathedral of the Inheritor. It had a much larger footprint... and that reflected their differing conceptions of how society interacted with their major religious buildings.

Dugath lead them into the commons of the barbarian camp. Drelev had been driven from his holdings, but the barbarians kept the hostages without consideration for the change. That was probably just as well given the five hostages still had family living there. But the hooktongue barony was also not Shrikewall... Drelev had never completed the ... indeed had murdered or been complicit in the murder of the Erastilian clergy... the large stone church that would have been his seat's religious center.

Shrikewall's cathedral, and lesser religious institutions meant Eire's court predominated with clergyand laity of note. It was in that if not in the organized aspect thatthe kellid faith in Gorum held similarities. Iomedae's was a church of the sword, and martial fraternity. While it was likely some ofDugath's coreligionists might have been dismissive of the book learning undertaken, and the study of logic, and reasoning they hadmore in common with the way of the sword than they did the effete and courtly rights that had been imported from drelev's urbane taldane imitations of his ancestral lands from brevoy in the north.

Somewhere within the massive structurewas Armag, supposedly seeking Ovinrbaane and to commune with Gorum. As a result a number of Tiger lords and other barbarians waited. The Kellids when they had built the structure had obviously built it for humans, the ceilings were largely a uniform twelve feet high... not nearly tall enough for stone giants... and while the oxidized streaks in the stone walls gave it a macabre appearance looking like blood they also held magical resistance to attempting to transmute them. That nature seemed also to discourage the fey sisters advising Armagfrom venturing into the complex.

"Chieftan Dugath." The nymph remarked her eyes narrowed.

"Witch." He grunted back.

The exchange was a simple and terse onethat largely amounted to the acknowledgement by both parties thatArmag had not returned. The nymphs, not being worshippers of Gorum had been reluctant to follow... which obviously suited Dugath just fine. There was however no requirements, and certainly no force barring non gorumites from entry through the great archway around which the commons had been put up.

There could be no doubting the two nymphs had recognized them. Attempts to maintain that masquerade would have been absurd in the clustering of kellid warriors and the introduction The nymphs didn't not respond... at least not the way Dugath had probably hoped. Eire suspected that the aged warrior had weighed that the nymphs might have potentially broken the guest righto attack them giving him honorable opportunity to kill them before they could confront armag within the sanctuary over that very action... but the two fae made no move to bar their collective entry.

"The challenges within are not sodifficult," Dugath remarked, "But they come from a time inthe people's history where magic was more accepted." That much was clear. Gorum's modern church, at least amongst taldans where there was an organized hierarchy of religious leadership and canon disdained necromancy.

When this temple had been built in the wake of the first armags death... the kellids had no objection to interning their honored dead in a broad and sanctified necropolis with the intention of those skeletal champions being set aside for use in an undead army. Likewise as they passed through the hallways were constructs, golems, and beasts and vermin. Eire half suspected given the lack of resistance that they faced either Armag's presence had disabled most of the traps... or possibly more likely was that this was intended as some Kellid test of kingship or chieftain ...worthiness of leadership that was divinely engaged. It also seemed likely that Dugath had been deeper in the sanctum than he might have implied to Gwart even.

Perhaps demonstrated by his familiarity as they made their way into a chamber dominated by two great flowing fountains. A series of sculptures and frescoes that were replete with tiger lord motifs in decoration but hardly the high art one associated with the likes of brutal nomad barbarian mercenaries. Perhaps once upon a time there had been a culture of art... orperhaps in Armag's day the Tiger Lords had been so expansive that the first Armag had had no trouble rounding up artisans from his conquests to impress them into the service of constructing such edifice.

Dressed in a cloak of roc feathers was the timeless form of a bronze skinned man. His exposed skin painted with woad that was a bright blue, and his armor was dragon hide from a black dragon. "Hail Elder Zorek." Dugath greeted.

The gray haired priest grunted, "You bring blooded warriors upon sacred ground Chieftain, Gorum welcomes all into this hall who bear weapons into battle, and do not shy from standing beneath the harsh light of the sun!" He boomed. It was not a familiar greeting, or sermon, but it was also delivered in Hallit... it almost certainly had a close enough iteration in modern Gorumite professions of faith.

Even so Eire had never heard Gorum associated with a clear solar motif. It wasn't impossible of course and in the Tiger Lords of old... in a bygone age it certainly wasn't impossible for such. Clearly much had changed given that necromantic energy he had sensed as they had made their way through the sprawling hallways.

The exchange in Hallit continued between chieftan and cleric, and Zorek turned his eyes away from Dugath after it concluded. "King in the East then you come to ascertain where your neighbor stands, why do you enter this chamber?"

Eire raised an eyebrow, even if somehow the ancient guardian were ignorant of the army marched across the upplands... which Eire doubted, he had even less reason to suspect that Zorek was ignorant of the stone giants whose height had precluded joining them within the temple. "I come to speak to Armag, to state plainly if he means to make war against me he shall have battle." The hallit translation of draconic was hardly great poetry... a bard he was not... but it was still the truth and that was what the old priest was looking for.

"Young Armag has taken up Ovinrbaane. Talking will accomplish nothing." He replied. "To convince a champion of Gorum you must prove that yours is strength is above all." That was no surprise... not really... it was just poorly timed given the magical word of sending that informed him that Jamandi had gathered a small force of outriders and located a barbarian encampment a few days from Restov that was likely intending to strike the free city soon.

The good news was that Zorek had no interest to bar their way, the interior of the sanctum opened into an ornate chamber dominated by a massive black sarcophagus... the solar motif was here light blazed down from a central octagonal focus in the middle of the room that outright made the room hot.

A heat that the large barbarian did not seem to notice as he stood before the black sarcophagus grasping the great sword.

"Eire," Amiri declared, "The sword, its like mine." She stated, "it has a soul in it."

... well, that was interesting. Thewarning was all that she got off before Armag turned and raised themassive weapon in a salute that looked entirely too easy. Dugath hadalready stepped aside, a gesture mirrored by Zorek. Armag unlike the priest it seemed had no interest in words or polite conversation.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Lamashan 4714
Amiri's brief time among the tiger lords had been one part honored guest and equal parts captive as well... it was not even that they had been aware of or preparing for the outbreak of hostilities with her own adopted tribe. She had not expected, or seriously considered an alliance with the Tiger Lords. The previous example of Hargulka's Trobold stood forward, as did Armag's poor choice of allies in Pitax and the actions of the city state hung in the wings of any considerations. Still there might have been the chance that Armag would turn east to Numeria. Peace might have been a possibility. Two powerful tribes might decide to simply pass warily around the other if elders or other proven wise ones could turn enough heads. She had counted on that though so much as that Armag intended to make good on the boasts he had made across the past few summers... and indeed had made grand sweeping claims about what he meant to do with Orvinbaane in his grasp.

Amiri had therefore paid attention to the sword, or the topic of it once brought up... and indeed it came up with great frequency.

The nymphs, the scarred witches from the first world had been almost as equally obsessed with it... and the prospect that in exchange for helping Armag secure the ancient weapon he would help them locate another great sword which had longbeen lost to time. She did not consider it spying. The witches were not secretive about such things, at least they had the decency to speak plainly and openly around the fire of what it was they were searching for.

Armag had received tribute of booty and plunder from the forays into Brevoy to the north. Most goods were ceremonial tokens of honor. Taken weapons, and seizures of casks of beer to venerate Gorum in their success. Amiri had seen how the noble, hereditary houses, lineages of Brevoy had venerated their Lord in Iron and Armag's practice was closer to those the Mammorth Lords...it was a more kellid tradition but he was somewhere between those of her own tribe and those of the brevic nobility.

She wouldn't have drawn those comparisons as readily a few years ago, but the time she had spent observing Armag's proclaimed kingdom had given her much to mull over, and patiently observing wasn't so alien to her. Amiri could be patient amidst the carousing, which was what dominated the majority of the time she had spent with the Tiger Lords. There was no denying Armag was strong. He lacked any of the obvious supernatural signs of power that characterized Jaethal or Eire.

Amiri might not have been a god caller and certainly did not wish to be, but she recognized that Armag clearly enjoyed Gorum's favor, but he was far closer to be a formidable mortal warrior than either Urgathoa's favored, Jaethal, or Eire. Both of whom were more inclined to dour moods, Armag could be naturally convivial and gregarious but he was more mercurial... which of course could simply have been a facet of his age.

Armag had been ecstatic to enter where his body his previous body had been laid to rest. He had no trouble with the tests of strength and endurance, nor of questions of strategic thinking that Amiri admitted would have given her pause. They were all of them far more complicated tests than it was to be a chieftain of the mammoth lords. These were the tests of a king.

The land of the mammoth lords and its followings lacked the traditions of kingship in the ways of old kellids from before. The truth was that such practices had fallen out of favor after Baba Yaga had established her kingdom of Irrisen and the more easterly kellid lands had been conquered by Iobarian or Taldane force who had their own ideas of how to rule, even though the Iobarian people were the more similar of the two. At the time though that the first Armag had lived, the Tiger Lords had been the rulers of a powerful confederation of nomadic, and semi nomadic warriors before Taldan ascendancy, and had been able to ready and able to bring foreign traditions to meet their needs.

Armag's tomb had been constructed and built to impress any who looked upon it. At the very heart of the tomb was the inner sanctum of a temple to Gorum. Amiri knew she would never be like Octavia, or for that matter like Nilak, but she had learned to recognize magical phenomenon that he she had seen previously. Or at least similar ones... Armag's grip on the greatsword had been an example of such.

Ovinrbaane could have easily been, before that a magical sword... just a magical sword.

Armag even before, in the few days previous, they had entered the tomb been vocal in how he disliked that Brevoy's king refused to ride down from the north and face him. It was truth that Armag was not physically in Brevoy, but the Suratova dynast had not stirred armies to come to the South's aid. The raids over the border into the rostlandic plain were with impunity. It was also clear that Armag was increasingly dismissive of Pitax as a partner or ally. The kellid warriors had had no shortage of cold iron weapons so when the portals to irrisen had brought hostile winter fey through at the height of what should have been summer Armag's warriors had showed themselves as fighting men.

Armag after seizing Ovinrbaane had shook, convulsed frothed even at the mouth before righting himself standing firm and proud... and ready to face another king in battle.

Armag for his part had not had to wait long within the sanctum of Gorum, which of course provided food and drink for those who waited there.

Amiri had been expecting Eire, but she also expected a much more formidable party. The interior spaces of the tomb were too short for giants, but she had expected Jaethal, and Amvarean to both join Eire, much as they had gone to battle Ilthuliak in the deep depths of the Hooktongue. It was impossible to miss their absence here. Armag had wasted no time before charging headlong. She'd barely had time to get the warning out.

Ovinrbaane glinted its blade hueing red in wave of baleful magic that crashed against the wall as Eire whirled out of the way. The bellowing roar shook the hall as the Tiger Lords war leader turned again, by that point a long silver blade had formed inhis hand. There was no denying Armag was strong, even if Ovinrbaane was not obnoxiously heavy it was still a long piece of sharpened steel and one that should have been more difficult for a normal man, even one six foot and change to swing that easily.

If Armag was surprised at the supernatural alacrity with which Eire moved he didn't show it, and for Eire's part he recognized Ovinrbaane's slash had likely been intended to suppress magic... which Eire doubted would work but it was the exact thing he would have tried in the face of a potent magus or other arcanist.

Armag had no time for words. Just another bellowed shout that shook the walls... and one that this time brought with it the mountain like forming supernatural presence of a watching god. They had Gorum's attention.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Lamashan 4714
Armag's defiant roar echoed around the sepulcher.

Direct action, the intercession of a god, could take many forms on golarion. Their presence could be made known through any number of ways to which people could become aware. Shrikewall's church of the Inheritor, the nominal national and patron church of the realm had its great success in part because of its immigrants but also because the Cathedral and Royal Churches could demonstrably show they had Iomedae's attention. That as King Eire enjoyed the ear of the goddess, and he had to wonder if Kellid gatherings... if Gorum had made his presence known before this to the assembly of chieftains...

It didn't matter. Gorum probably hadn't made some grand show of giving Armag kingship.

There would have been no reason for the temple full of tests that they had had to make their way through toget down here... and besides Armag hadn't found this place until recently. He'd been assembling his coalition for years if Gorum had confirmed that he was his champion then he still needed to secure his mandate by winning. That was the obvious orthodox position of the faith the Tiger Lords belonged to.

Gorum was more hands on than Nethys, but that wasn't saying much.

The barbarian chief raised the weapon causing to swirl again with chaotic force.

Disrupting magic... it was first time getting a good luck at the weapon.

It was adamantium. Sky metal as it was frequently named. Numeria wasn't that far after all, and Armag had originally been active a thousand years before Absalom's founding and the start of the arodenite calendar. That meant he had lived still three thousand years after the rain of stars ... which itself had occurred a thousand years into the Age of darkness when the Starstone had impacted Golarion.

Armag's weapon was magical, there was no questioning that, but it had been wrought... Eire would have laid treasure that it had been probably made for a giant originally from salvaged material from Numeria's surface and that it had only later come into the first Armag's possession. They too had most likely worshipped Gorum since for its size the markings were those of Gorum. Slayer of all Foes or something to that effect in Hallit or Giantish.

The scrawl was ancient, but the tiger lord motifs were equally undeniable, whether they had been added on Armag's acquisition or if the original giants who had crafted the massive weapon had included the smilodon in that past epoch of history.

Like Amiri had warned him there was asoul buried inside of the blade, a rampaging bestial force snarlingfor the chance to vent its rage. With every swing the soul and the aura around the sword grew a brighter more vibrant red form around the kellid warrior wielding it.

Eire raised a hand. A flight of silver long swords materialized and surged forward slashing at the red aura and biting into the barbarian's skin. The magical blades leaving burns behind where they passed... a sudden familiar recognition. Not of cold iron as a fae of the first world would be vulnerable, but akin to a lycanthrope. Not akin... just not the curse.

The aura bled, shifting from a formless miasma around the barbarian into a shape. A raging dire tiger... a smilodon... a sabre toothed cat of great proportions. Armag's eyes were bloodshot, red feral streaks forming across his cheekbones. The kellid warrior lept wielding the massive adamantine blade through the air with a terrific howl.

Eire moved rather than meet the charge, and Armag crashed into the wall behind him with a great ringing crash as the adamantine weapon reverberated like a gong. Armag's bare feet slammed into the metallic wall, flakes of rust filling the air in a cloud and giving the very air a coppery tinge. The frenzied madness in his expression punctuated by glowing bellicose eyes. The marks on his face having extended to around his bulging biceps, and his forearms.

Armag was merging with whatever was inside of his sword... becoming something more than just a man. There was no sign of rejection, no sign that the lycanthropy was a cursed affiliction, as if the soul inside the sword was reattaching itself like a long separated limb. Armag bellowed and kicked off of the wall, but Eire had already seen one charge.

Tiger faced Dragon.

Orvinbaane flared into a sweeping wave that filled the chamber. A vertical column of divine fire appearing above it and forced the sword into the ground. The flame had no lingering kinetic force so as quickly as the shockwave faded Armagwas already trying to swing it back up and towards him, but at that point more silver long swords had manifested. Orvinbaane's aura tried desperately to corrode them away, but one got through, then three then an increasing number overwhelming the protective shroud biting into the spiritual mass's bestial form and then into the warrior beneath.

Armag as merely a human warlord had been strong. Probably the peak of his age range, a big man, with along history of physical exertion, and hardy living. As an apparently natural dire were tiger blessed by his patron deity they weren't talking human strong man contestant they were talking giant level strength. The fact that there was no curse or disease afflicting him meant that strength couldn't be taken away by magic.

Eire though was no more mortal than, was even less mortal than Gorum's champion. The dire were tiger's fist split his cheek below his eye, and blood erupted into flame. The conflagration did nothing to diminish Eire's own vision, and while Armag's fist bubble under the magical heat, didn't slow in his attacker in trying to raise his sword. Another long sword manifested slamming downward into the middle of the chieftain's foot pinning him to the ground for a moment as Eire slammed a fist into the grinning rictus of the half transformed lycanthrope's face. His other arm looped going to crush the other man into his grasp and moving to sweep him off balance.

They slammed into the floor with enoughforce it would have shattered non magically reinforced stone or other building materials... but in laying down this structure Gorum had clearly expected such a clash to take place. It was built to withstand the battles of such champions. Dust fell form the ceilingas they wrestled, but by turning this into a grapple Eire had eliminated Orvinbaane's threat of extending armag's striking range. Armag could also, or refused to, not release the weapon which lefthim with only arm to effectively strike with, which allowed Eire touse his magic to bolster where he needed... and in this case simply batter Armag against the wall.

A lesser man would have been unconscious if not dead of course. Eire wasn't actually sure that between a barbarian's rage and the lycanthropy he could actually knock Armag unconscious but he was also reluctant to rely on any of the magic he might ordinarily have summoned. The tight confines of sepulcher would have meant his flames would have easily reached any of those not participating in the duel.

Armag bellowed aimed a head-butt that was probably meant for Eire's nose, heedless that a broken nose would have meant more blood which have become fire, if he hadn't ducked his head down to meet him half way.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Lamashan 4714
Armag's transformation pushed him well beyond human limits. Even without losing human form, or becoming more readily bestial the war god's blessing made him tremendously strong. Even flailing around Armag left wide pockmarks in the iron ore laden walls of the tomb, but the Tiger Lord chieftain refused to relinquish his death grip on Orvinbaane. That was his mistake. For all Armag's strength his unwillingness to recognize his weapon was a burden meant that for every cut and scrape he managed to inflict inthe grapple was in turn a burn he received as Eire's blood ignited into fire in the air. That was magic, and whatever protection against damage Armag enjoyed it was less effective a protection than it would have been against a man with a sword.

Dugath and his fellow priest of Gorum waited in the wings. Neither cleric would interfere even if Gorum had not been present observing the contest between leaders. Dugath might still have preferred the contest take place beneath the open sky, before all the warriors settled in the hundreds of felt tents around the tomb...

If Armag were defeated here then hisburgeoning absolute power could be checked. Dugath knew there wouldbe those who stayed, but some tribes would depart if Armag's aura of seeming invincibility were shattered. Dugath doubted, from what heunderstood of what Amiri's description of the Eastern King's realm that many kellids would readily accept the territorial monarch astheir war leader unless of course he was suggesting a campaign of hisown.

If that were the case then it was different, but the eastern king had already brought the sniveling Drelev to heel in a swift campaign in the longest days of the year. That prowess was to be respected by all those who practiced arms, but given sedentary rulers it seemed unlikely another campaign would be forthcoming... and that was what Armag had promised to his massing followers. Thus many would depart in hopes of earning booty as free swords in the west or would strike out to attempt to raid north or south on their own.

Most of the eager young warriors would depart. Those, including Dugath himself, who remained would have greater freedom to speak in the circles of equals. To decide their own course of action, but Dugath was not naïve. There were some among the elders, chieftans, and shamans who foolishly believed that Armag would lose any support he enjoyed if beaten. Dugath deemed this unlikely, he had seen far more tyrannical war leaders hold on to power... and he was not without support.

There were warriors who believed their station would be improved by adopting lessons learned from the southern lands, and their people. If Armag survived, as this contest seemed vigorous but not likely to be lethal to either context and underneath Gorum's gaze, then he would still have a following. That was an outcome Dugath could live with.

For Amiri the battering bodies and grapple was perhaps the best resolution of this, besides that she too might have preferred that such a dispute be in the public eye. Shaoyu would have agreed that would have likely been best... it was Gwart who reluctantly disagreed, if only as he put it, "It would in a crowd be too easy for persons to involve themselves." Under Gorum's watch that would be chancy but it would only take the attempt to risk the eruption of riot, or of open fighting, and thus a full onwar between the gathered parties.

That would be the ultimate method of arbitration. Narland had mustered its army in preparation for a full on war, and if needed their numbers could withdraw from the field. Shaoyu was silent that they could also return here if they so desired. Just as the young dragoness silently considered that if they were given battle it was very likely that they could hold the temple long enough to bring reinforcements from Shrikewall and the other great churches to the inheritor pouring martial clerics of the Inheritor, the Avenger, and still other deities to hold this far distant holy site.

Armag's focus in so far as his thrashing could be said to have focus was in trying to break free from what would have been a bone crushing grip. Eire refused to allow that, but recognized that Armag had a better chance of succeeding than his previous strategy... and it would risk the conflict becoming that much more bloody.

The difference was that Eire had the ability to fly. Even partially transformed the divinely ordained champion of Gorum did not have the ability to fly, and so there was a potential option there... unless of course being a dire were tiger insured that Armag always landed on his feet. Eire doubted that, but it was also the sort of thing he wouldn't readily put past Gorum's blessing... or that Armag had had the foresight to actually be in possession of a magical item conveying feather fall. Even among Armag's bellowing, and the bone rattling impacts as they crashed and dashed into walls and the ornate floor of the sanctuary he was cognizant that the world he dwelled in, and had these past years would offer magical protection... though he was also aware that Armag had also taken no protection, no precautions against fire.

It was that oversight that was perhaps most which was causing the barbarian chieftn to flag, and to considertrying to break free of the envelopment. Armag knew he that he was encumbered by his great sword, and that if he was to have any hope of victory he would either have to release it and focus fully on the context of strength, or he would have to break free and turn this into a conflict of blades. Even then, even with Orvinbaane free to be used Armag might have taken too many burns and was too winded for that to decisively carry against Eire.

It did not stop him from trying to do so. Armag had never willingly surrendered, or accepted defeat. Not in this life, and not previous. The Tiger Lord fought on his muscles bulging Gorum's blessing starting to manifest into the hybrid form finally. The transformation and the growth made the grapple untenable, and forced his hand. Eire took to the sky in a burst of speed the whipped the air as he flew up over the black sarcophagus and into the streaming sunlight that entered the ancient chamber.

They hurtled into the sky until Eire could see the bend in the river and the small fires of the camp and then he flipped and hurtled down into the grazing pastureland away from the majority of the kellid tents. There was still the risk of casualties and uninvolved parties, but no longer in the tomb Eire had no qualms calling forward a corona of solar flame to envelop his body as he plunged back down to the ground.
--
Notes: formatting Correction pending, we will wrap up Lamashan 4714 finally in the next update.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Lamashan 4714 Conclusion
Even though it was now late in the year, and though rains had not yet turned to snow but it was around the corner, and would have dissuaded most feudal armies from marching as the peasants were needed to make repairs, and winter proof their homes and slaughter and smoke excess herds to make it through the cold dark months of the year.

It wasn't quite the same for the Kellids not bound to small estates. They were much more mobile, and not tied to the land or civilities of a campaigning season.

The assembled tribes had no shortage of warriors, and clerics who had seen battle. Most all, indeed closeto everyone in the population had seen battle at least from afar, andcertainly seen its aftermath that prepared them for some of thenoise, for the strangeness of signs in the sky above them... but for most they had never see the conflict on this scale.

Orvinbaane knew its owner. The great sword returning from where it had sunk into the river, and that had allowed Armag a fighting chance since Orvinbaane allowed him to deflect at least some of the columns of heavenly fire that the multiple flame strikes reigned down as Eire mounted the assault no longer having to consider potential collateral. That Armag was a furious rampaging hybrid well was not necessarily to the Tiger Lord's advantage either.

It would only occur later, that Gorum had allowed them to depart the surroundings they had begun the battlein. Perhaps because he was taking Armag with him as he flew, and thus was not abandoning the fight, or perhaps the god had had no intention of limited the fight to the confines of the sacred space.

Armag was free of the grapple, but no longer had, or demonstrated none of his ability to think as he rampaged... and Eire merely raised a hand floating above the bank where the river bent. Fire burned from his finger tips. It was no trouble at all to unleash the spell. More columns of divine fire rained, Orvinbaane raised to parry and cut through the onslaught...but it cost him nothing to maintain the barrage even as it buffeted the chieftan hither and dither.

The Kellid War leader swung for thefences, furious and desperate to land a blow and draw blood. The great sword offered some protection so long as Armag's instincts were one with the artifact then he could cut through spells. Even with superhuman reflexes the Tiger Lord simply couldn't react fast enough to the spell fire, and he couldn't close with an opponent who could fly rather than was dependent on running and jumping.

Eire had no qualms pressing that advantage in mobility as he blurred into the open air, Armag could have cut through still higher level spells. Eire had access to other magiks, but Flame Strike was so second nature, so intrinsically associated with Clerics and the Monarchy of Narhold it flew from his hands or tore through the air from silver longswords conjured around him as if by instinct.

The corona of flame burned through the overcast sky of the waning afternoon. Bits of steam forming as sunshine penetrated rainclouds that would have been an afternoon shower. It was amidst a sudden muggy embrace that Shaoyu and Amiriwere able to land among the slowly advancing, careful strides, of the stone giants moving towards the river bank. The wizened priest ofGorum who had met them within the sanctuary of the tomb followed flying under his own power. Dugath, and the remainder no doubt having to make their way by foot back to the entrance.

Armag struggled on. Defiant, but fatigue and exhaustion took their toll.

Orvinvbaane absorbed the blows it could. Long swords struck, raining from the heavens until the dire were tiger more strongly resembled a porcupine. A storm of swords that showed no sign of ceasing and Armag's supernatural regeneration began to falter, leaving an opening as his speed slipped away. Eire struck, descending as a flaming meteor again that tore into the earth as he descended kicking Armag meters away from his great sword and leaving the concussed barbarian chieftain unconscious and pinned under a mass of broken river stone and uplifted earth.

That was it, Eire stood alone on the river bank bloodied, scraped, bruised, but almost whole. Certainly far more intact than his opponent. The stone giant elder strode forward, the druid glancing to the flying cleric of Gorum and nodded, "Your chieftain will live."

"Yes." He replied in giantish, "This is so. Gorum is fulfilled by this conclusion." The priest declared as more people from the mass of felt tents began to congregate around the devasted bend in the river. Some of Armag's closest companions moved to help the unstirring war leader back to his own tent.

There was no hostilities apparent. Even without intercession between clerics, or elders the broader population at large had no interest in disputing the outcome of a conflict between divine champions or their own disputes. No one was prepred to confront Eire or his companions over the fight... which left really little to do. While no doubt Restov might have liked if he would have ordered his small army to lay waste to the camp, Eire was not here to fight Restov's war for it... though that was likely to still involve itself.

More pressingly what he wanted for a kellid acknowledgement of his realm, even if not necessarily the territory that would have constituted the last of the four planned, sponsored, baronies in the northern river kingdoms. That would however have to wait, Armag was unconscious, and while had the opportunity to dictate terms a more binding option would present itself if he held talks later and with a council of the various leadership. Armag and Dugath would need to be present... and, "We need to rejoin Amvarean," He told Shaoyu, "any discussions with the Tiger Lords, or determinations of where we stand can wait until we can concentrate the whole force." It wasn't impossible that the Kellids had draconic speakers, but it was a quick statement to outline what he meant to do... which was not to overstay their welcome.

The Gorumite Holy Site was here and thus he could exercise it as an assembly point for the army, but for now he would need to rejoin his half of the force with that Amvarean had split off to ride north east across the Rostlandic plain.
--
Notes: We proceed to the wrap up of the year, with the Battle of Restov clearing the field, and then the conclusion in late Kuthona of Narland's festivities of state.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Kuthona 4714
It had taken several days of marchafter relocating the army from Armag's tomb, and the sprawled Kellid settlement that had grown around it after rediscovery to make their way into the outskirts around Restov. That had entailed marching from Olegton, and the reminder of its comparative lacking of ecclesiastical facilities, but at least it had easy access to the South Rostlandic road. Eire understood that he was rolling the dice. That it was possible that Armag might choose to muster his supporters and leverage for an attack... but he doubted it. He was banking that the show of power between the two would keep the Tiger Lords from committing to an offensive against Narland while he swung north east to join Amvarean and lift the siege of Restov so that they could retire for the winter... and if come spring ... well Spring would be a new year.


Eire had no objection of waiting until the spring thaw. If Brevoy did nothing over the winter months, made no effort to be prepared for hostilities then he would wash his hands of the affair, and focus on his own northern frontier, for now though they maneuvered through the later afternoon twilight. "The restov camp?" He questioned.

"Not far my king," The horseman acknowledged, his common taldane accented heavily. Amvarean's iobarian retainers had fanned out screening the flanks and motions of the host. "The Aldori are skulking in the woods." His intended meaning was probably less negative than the translation, at least from his body language.

The Aldori position was at least well chosen. Jamandi had chosen a rise overlooking the plain, the trees obscured observation of her position, but her lookouts could spy from the westerly approach and see that and the south... though even withthe low light vision of elven parentage Eire doubted that spyglasses were especially useful at the distances the plain extended to so latein the year, and at the present hour. The Aldori had however had the good sense to establish their observation post without streaming brevic banners from low heights of the hill, and thus there was little chance of their position being detected by happenstance.

If the Kellids were smart they too would have deployed outriders, and scouts ahead of the main line of advance, but the Tiger Lords had had only limited cavalry. Not that the Aldori seemed to have committed much in the way of mounted troops either. Restov which lay silhouetted by the free city's walls sat there. The rain of the last weeks of the month previous had come and as peasants had sought shelter behind those walls been churned to muck... but only on limited approach to the city's gates, of which there were several on this side alone. Neither Restov's town militia or the approaching tiger lords formed a significant bulk of their numbers with troops ahorse.

As it was, counting the assembled Nomen centaur contingent Eire placed his hoofed ranked at upwards of sixty percent of his available strength. One in ten of his ranks were clerics of the Inheritor or paladins or clerics from churches supported by the crown. Of the leg infantry assembled that forty percent the majority of those were in heavy armor. That was important to his strategy, as he had invested the abandoned Fort Serenko, with the bulk of the clergy spending time converted the old border fort into a place of the faith. He had drawn his stone giants to bring up heavy river stones and build breast works.

Serenko would never be in the same style of his Imperial Core's churches, the great timbers raised to support the roof, and the expansion of the palisade were more Iobarian in character, and less masonry driven... but it was holy ground all the same. A scratch force had been left behind to hold the site, but their orders had been to signal to Shrikewall if seriously faced with a challenge from the Tiger Lord bands operating in the Rostlandic plain.

With an abundance of outlying farms, hamlets, thorpes, and the larger settlements that filled the plain the barbarians had made no attempts ... in fact that was little evidence of their use of the South Rostland Road, and no attempt seemed to have been made to strike Nivakta's crossing on the Shrike River. That was a small mercy of course.

Eire directed the horse force to move into its shielding wing. By preference he would have liked to havehad the Shrike in front of him. Restov had been built north of the Shrike originally and it had grown over the centuries even as Taldor declined to encompass the South Rostland road that had been laid north of the river's rapid course through the land. Eire would not have been surprised if any pickets or partisans reporting to the aldori misidentified his massing horsemen with their emphasis on fast ponies and bows from the steppe as likely tiger lord confederates. Thus far none of his rank had been attacked, and thus they had been able to advance in good order, and without delay.

"This will not do," Amvarean remarked as they moved north and then west, and then north again navigating the approach of the hill. The dragoness was right of course, the Aldori were swordsmen, and fine ones certainly. Their retainers were largely more of the same, with some light spearmen, and handfuls of household guard with axes. The Aldori spanned the races common to Brevoy, orc, human, elf, and dwarf such was Sirian's legacy of adoption.

Jamandi must have gathered at least some volunteers for her expedition from other segments of the city.There were clerics of Pharasma and the Church of Erastil present. Then there were some slim pickings of bravos and craftsmen who had armed themselves, but Abadar didn't seem especially well represented. It was true that the half elf would likely put up a daring and spirited defense, and had a thin materiel advantage, the boon of operating closer to her lines of supply but that meant far less than those advantages might convey in other times.

The result of any battle here on the plain was likely a bloodletting. Even a victory at the tactical level might be a strategic defeat if it only drew more barbarian attention to Restov. "It will not," He agreed in draconic at their horses continued to make their way up the slope. Jamandi had posted thin lines of pickets, but even gathered together a decisive result was unlikely to be achieved from their numbers. Eire had no flying cavalry, no griffin knights or spell casters mounted upon rocs or still other impressive demonstrations to make. "If Jamandi is lucky she can prevent a break through of Restov," Even if she were defeated out of sight from Restov's walls then the other Aldori might still ferment a defense until a large enough barbarian host could levy an assault, but if her force was overrun and a retreat attempted to withdraw into the city, the Tiger Lords might well be able to push through and seize a gate in the chaos.

"The Tiger Lords brought hill giants with them." Amvarean observed, "The gates may not be enough, they may not need to weight."

Already the thin curtain of brevic men were eyeing his close retainers with concern. Nervous at the stone giants, and their massive primeval elk mounts. He caught the skaldic loan word of Jotun, from a few men as the congregated in a mass that while it reassured them would have have made them easy prey in a fight. As it was the hill giants might ordinarily have bowled holes in the lines of restov's defenders by hurling stones from their slings to devastating effects... that was one of the things that Eire had become... accustomed to in the world he lived in. "We will keep our own close," He stated, and did not continue with what he had been about to say regarding their strategy as burnished steel breastplates, and bright red stood out among the fur lined cloaks of the Aldori standing at the copse of trees near the summit. "Direct the army to prepare to array for battle." He ordered the dragoness, if the kellids, and aldori had not begun skirmishing they would do so soon. Eire dismounted from the horse handing the reins to a more junior cleric in his ranks who had dismounted quickly as Amvarean turned to move back the way they came. "You are not behind Restov's walls, Jamandi, that is imprudent given the equality of numbers my scouts have observed."

The half elf Aldori blustered some, and indeed her rhetoric made sense for an Aldori, a member of Milani's church to stand and fight, even if it made little tactical sense...there was honor involved certainly but the barbarians on an open field would have been a mess, "Without reinforcements it would be a near thing," She conceded, "But you're here."

He was... and apparently so to was Natala Surtova, but without a royal guard, or force of troops to reinforce the free city. "So I am, I directed you thrice to rally troops, this is a pittance," He reproved, ignoring the bristling of young bravos, who were decades Jamandi's junior "And will not serve you well, you will form on my eastern flank, I will bring my nomen foederati around to my western wing," He had never intended to have the Nomen on the side of the army nearest the Free City's walls, Amvarean's Iobarian horse lords... the human ones would have the dragoness minding them... but there was still the chance they could still be mistaken. "We will force the Tiger Lords to battle, and we will there after retire for the winter."

If Jamandi had been prepared to protest his dictates as her younger 'cousins' among the Aldori were preparing to do, that was itself curtailed as a gnomish cleric of Pharasma began to rapidly whisper to the half elf... no doubt relaying her observations of the composite of his retinue... and the banners which streamed from his gathered ranks.

As for the Surtova observer, it was irrelevant, he was here to secure his northern frontier from raiding parties, and any monstrous confederates the kellid warriors might have gathered to their own ranks.
--
Notes: This became a two parter, and I will fix the formatting shortly.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Kuthona 4714
Surrounded and deep in the formation the heavy infantry were all in black uniforms under a deep gray sky the approaching midday sun occluded by clouds. An easy solution, Eire had not needed to emphasize camouflage, for which a gray or green would have worked nearly as easily when it came to industrial dye making. The provisions which he had allocated and supported for the march were enough, they were a natural outgrowth of Shrikewall's cloth industry. He longed to return home to Narland, and to his milltowns even now.

Nylon was beyond him of course. Cotton had to be imported from Osirion, but that was surprisingly easy, especially as it could be then re exported as a finished cloth or even as garments back to the Inner Sea for a profit. The water powered spinning machines were under royal control and organizations and it allowed him to manage a trade. For the army it meant the ability to produce uniforms, and for the crown at large providing clothes to royal employees and subjects in the service of the crown.

The retinue spread itself ahead of the largely denuded landscape. Centuries of Taldane farmers around Restov had driven their oxen in long rows across the shared communal farms. The fertile plain with its ready access to water had allowed the commons to support the city that had expanded even as Taldan Imperial power receded from the region. What that meant was that in the intervening centuries and without a strong imperial order to exercise control, most of the farmsteads had sprawled outward, there was little order to the landscape as the population had expanded tocarve out new farms and toss up homes.

It made all together sense why despite being a free city Restov was a sight of Erastil's worship and less so Abadar... and why Pharasma was important to the locals. Also, that Brevoy's relative lack of quariable stone precluded abundant masonry architecture given those limited sources had to be shipped over the country side which had few roads, and even fewer good ones.

It was a gray late morning, of poor light, and windy. The horse mounted archers which comprised the bulk of his mounted forces were mounted upon light steppe ponies. If it began to rain, Eire expected that he would need to keep his heavier horse in reserve, but largely break an offensive he didn't see the barbarians... no, the kellids coming from the west able to successfully make.

Amvarean had vouched for the Iobarians for the White Scars tribe, and for those more southern whirling dervishes whose people were coreligionists of Tristian. Not that he'd necessarily needed the silver dragon to do so. His greater concern was the discipline of the formation to actually do what he needed to do particularly if he couldn't commit heavier horses to the field without overly serious concerns of the ground washing down. He intended to keep his heavy infantry in the core of his formation. Amvarean's gathered horsemen however wore the same uniform trousers and jackets and breast plates even if their banners remained those of clan and kin. If one were watching from the protective curtain walls of the free city while a mass of black their banners were those of iobarians and their horses swift small mounts.

In contrast to their ranks were the heavier horse. Lancers, and men with swords, and maces atop much heavier mounts. Their banners were those of Ragathiel, Iomedae, and supplemented by others including a small gathering of knights of the godclaw here to stand in defense of the faith. An offer Eire had accepted even if he didn't really see how this could be construed as a holy war, or that Iomedae's church was under threat from Gorumite worshipping Kellids gathered under the tiger lords.

Further bolstering the ranks of the heavy horse were the stone giants atop their great primordial elks. They were fewer still in number than his heavily armed priests, but their size and their raised totems made the heavier formation of cavalry much resemble to the untrained observer a mix of the nomadic, and barbarian folk mixed in with a gathering of civilized southern arms. The great volume of horseflesh though, and its preponderance in composition of his ranks made his core look smaller than it was. It gave the impression his iobarian numbers were larger than they were, even though yes, his troops mounted were the majority of his force.

"It is a sizable nomadic force," Less than a tomen of course, but the chieftain who had moved to reave through Restov's country side in anticipation of the wealth of the fall harvest had probably plowed some force that size at the beginning into the rostlandic plain, and most of that number was now threatening to place the free city under siege. "They're congregating may push them further still," Amvarean declared. If they waited a few more days, and battle wasn't joined the Tiger Lords might exceed seven thousand men. "The scouts say some thousand men joined them today," That was expected to be an accurate number for the banners observed two separate gatherings of five hundred men split into a left and right flank moving eastward towards them.

That would complicate the situation if those troops which were still in the enemy's rear were brought up into close ranks with the vanguard of the enemy. He did not want the enemy to be able to commit its reserves, but he also did not want them to be able to mount an effective retreat, "Do you believe Restov capable, or even willing to run them down if we allow them to flee?"

"No, I do not." Amvarean replied.

"We will attack, if they escape us we will not pursue. I will not have the army strung out over miles this far north," He ordered. "Sound the horn, and signal the wing to move to within arrow's flight." His infantry had the advantage of brass pipes, and drums to arrange commands. You could not readily organize cavalry like that, not with brass drawing and forming for instruments like the trumpet currently beyond their means. The command to direct the horse archers issued with a sharp note, and then a long call... perhaps too much like a moose, but unsurprising given the birch wood for which the horns had been made.

It took minutes for the joined ranks to begin to move. The ground was as he had noted was churned by the laden wagons that had retreated to the city's wall. Other horns called preparing the other wing of the army to assemble itself in preparation for the call that it would drive on. The clusters of horse were based into groups of ten, the same with the nomadic infantry they were opposing. They didn't march. The kellids were already in a loose formation and been covering the landscape around them in long lines of advance... it provided them some incidental protection against archery but that was a coincidence.

It also wasn't especially great protection as the light horses rode across their flank in a sweep crossing and then bringing their rain across. Part of his eastern flank would push within, as close as, thirty or forty yards as they moved between the Tiger Lords and the distant city wall. Those horsemen would continue to ride north, where upon eventually the White Scar tribesmen would round perhaps a mile beyond the enemy to reassemble. The tactical effort was to either distract the enemy or if the enemy became enveloped, that was to say subject to being rained divine fire upon by his heavy infantry to then harass their rear ranks with another number.

It was that which he had been concerned to ask Amvarean if the horse lords could manage, the coordination from that. He intended to make use of such things as the parthian shot, of course. It was too useful a tactic to ignore, but he also suspected that the steppe nomads strategy would be well known. It went by a different sobriquet here on golarion but the loosing of arrows as one rode away from the enemy's numbers was known to Avistan's eastern lands prone to facing the steppe people on their ponies.

The rain looked as if it would hold off, but he couldn't be sure of that. If it did break that way he would make one decision, and if it didn't he'd make for another. If the Kellids charged the Aldori on one flank, they would have to come across his center mass... if they pushed for the center he would bring them into close order... and his priests would push down the hill reigning flame strikes while his druzhina like heavy cavalry would run them down, driving the tiger lords with the lance.

That would prove likely decisive.

"We will see what they do now."He remarked adjusting his grip on the reins of his horse, as he surveyed the moving body of horseflesh as they pitilessly released their arrows into the front and middle ranks of the enemy. This harassment of their numbers could take potentially hours, or the enemy could fall back or advance swiftly and make the whole battle a matter of hours. They had to wait to see what the kellid chiefs would choose to do... but from the calls, and wild hooting of the enemy ranks, the first mass of tiger lords was going to advance and chase after the lighter wing of the cavalry that was moving across the farmland... and if they did that then they would separate out, the van coming too far forward to b e supported by their middle ranks, never mind the most recently reported arrivals at the enemy's rear. "But I am reminded, that a great chancellor and statesman once remarked that the great questions of the day are answered by iron andblood." Eire turned his quicksilver eyes around the ranks of gathered black cassock clad priests. "We must be decisive here gentlemen, secure a victory and return home. A lengthy campaign is not to be desired,"

The front rank of his heavy infantry was to be supported by unengaged clerics providing healing, and support by magical means... and if it came to it the army could be recalled back to what had been Fort Serenko or further afield back in the Imperial Core. The kellids by comparison if they broke here would have a long march back westward.

 

[Imperator Pax]

21 Kuthona 4714
The shrike's fast flow kept the river traversible. The tuskwater dotted with ships below the capital's promontory as bell tolled. Today was the festival of Wintersun. Unique to the National Church of the Inheritor of the Kingdom of Narland. From the towers, and steeples of martial buildings, and the churches banners streamed against the gray sky of winter, and the hard sunlight of a relatively chill day. Eire could not take the time to attend the winter festival and throngs of men and women in the streets. The snowfall in abeyance.

The Church of Aroden had had a patriarch, and a center of the faith at west crown, who had stood foremost among its ranks. That was not one of the traditions inherited by the faith upon Aroden's death by Iomedae's church. There was no single unified church of the Inheritor but rather many individual national, and regional clerical institutions of signiifcant power, and influence and today was a reminder of that. Cheliax, Andoran, Absalom, the great crusader states, and the border regions in between them all had local church leadership. Eire sipped the mead, and looked over the map, if there was any aspect of the sword goddess the nascent Church of Iomedae of the Kingdom of Narland that stood foremost it was her role as goddess of civilization.



Civilization in the sense of urban dominated, rule of written law, complex economic structure civilization... not the more generic a collection of people with a distinct culture. The rule of law was important, more importantly legal transparency and confidence in the system were important because they would support reciprocity. Urban in that Eire was not dependent on feudal gentry and their estates in a military sense. "The recent unpleasantness will require us to make certain developments within the countryside." Specifically the first... well railway was technically accurate but not in the sense of being self propelled. They'd use external horse driven power and the actual steam engines would be in the mines, but the rails themselves were intended to bring goods en masse to the river ways and down into the Kamelands and the capital region. "We will construct fortified blockhouses," Storehouses and fall back points on the edge of plains and steppes.

The difference from what he had shown to Maegar was that this railway network was more in line with actual carriage beyond just the area of extraction. This would go to towns. The Kameland urban area of planning was intended to cover ten and twenty square mile areas of preplanned urban settlement to support long term national development by stockpiling ores for smelting...they were the sort of thing unlikely to be targeted for the theft in the way cattle might be.

They still were dependent on cotton imported from Osirion to produce finished clothe, and from the surveys that wasn't likely to change but urban planning in the kamelands suggested that mulberry, and tea trees could both be cultivated alongside apiary produced honey... he had ideas for commodities but it would take time to set up, so they needed a well developed internal transportation network, and something that could transport goods overland from waterways, and to the rivers. Such a scenario of planning was feasible in the Kamelands but not so much for the Dunsward... they'd need more capital investment...

The problem was that 'recent unpleasantness'.

The papers ruffled. Paper documents were another emphasis for which Narland did not share with Brevoy, nor Mendev.

Today's gathering was being done with only part of the body of the council. Part of those w others who would otherwise attend or sit in. "The barbarians wouldn't know what to make of this sort of thing anyway... but," Valerie looked around. Kassil Aldori was absent, he had returned from Restov and he could sit in on the meeting once as Valerie hinted, Armag, and the other barbarian chiefs arrived... but it was complicated. Thankfully Maegar wouldn't be here until tomorrow, and Aecora Silverfire would be arriving from the east as well. Tomorrow's meeting would include the Numesti household, and Arsinoe from the Church of Aroden, and a growing list of others...

... but that expanded list represented part of the problem.

"Do we have some idea as to the population?"

Jubilost had wanted to dismiss a grand confederation claim of three hundred thousand... what would have been roughly equivalent to the Germanic migration invasion of the quote unquote 'dark ages' of earth... the problem was that Armag Twice Born had through various means invited a variety of different clans, and tribes, and ethnic groups both Avistani Kellid groups, and Iobarian nomadic horse lords to at least hear him out.
Three hundred thousand was high, but it wasn't outlandishly so for a great steppe confederation in the historical sense... not when it was drawing from Numeria, the land of the mammoth lords, as well as the eastern steppes... and possible the north from the world wound sarkorsis tribes as well... the same tribes whom Eire was in the process of attempting to relocate south, to ameliorate the great humanitarian crisis of a hundred year long crusade against a portal to the abyss in the material plane.


Eire wasn't particularly worried about carrying capacity. England at the time of Caesar until the Norman conquest had comfortably been able to sustain a population of a million and a half, it was only by the time of the norman conquest, and in particular the increased centralization that those conquests had brought that that population had begun to grow again. Brevoy was agriculturally productive for how primitive its early medieval farming institutions were, but that was nothing compared to the productivity that the Kamelands Royal farms and the broad grass pasture land could support with proper management. He simply needed to create the structures to establish stability, to be able to promise stability from people migrating from the perceived declining stability of the inner sea realms.

He had no interest in getting into a border dispute with Mivon, he certainly didn't want to accidentally instigate one by trying to encamp a large barbarian population in the southern kamelands and rely that they'd recognize that the importance of not crossing the Little Sellen River, which formed the greographic boundary in the south east... a border which he wasn't quite respecting in the far east either. The truth was Mivon's real eastern boundary of influence was the town of Jovvox.

He couldn't settle any perspective barbarians in the slough... and truthfully with the conflict with the marsh giants resolved he was hoping to convince the river giants to pledge fealty and with the boggard and bog strider insect folk open the slough up to potential polders for rice cultivation.

"The uplands," Valeriesuggested, reiterating again the point they had discussed. "With lawful overlordship over three of the four charters, the realm has made facto claim to the glenebon highlands all the way to the west. It is unpeopled, and reaches all the way to Numeria." The former paladin of Shelyn remarked matter of factly. The only downside to that was that the Tiger lords had launched across that frontier to raid the lebeda lands to the north which had started the avalanche of the brief war... but it was also in close enough proximity to the Tomb of Armag, which was a great holy site of the Gorumite faith now that it had been found.

Admittedly unlikely some faiths merely holding the site wasn't likely to be a massive pilgrimage site... in the traditional financial sense of holding such... but it would likely be an impressive claim to fame and power regardless of the general Gorumite tenets of living in the now. There was still an appeal to ancient victories, it was nature. There was no gorumite pontifex maximus though, never likely would be the gorumite church was not going to intercede regardless how popular it was among Brevic noble houses to stop the barbarians. It wasn't what the church was in its tennants.

The end of the year was around the corner, and what Eire expected in the new one was that once spring came again that there would be a renewed flurry of activity. Now would be the time to plan for that. It was for that reason he needed the council gathered. It was why he had assured Maegar that he would expand the road to Varnhold. His idea was roman in nature, but interchangeable with the Taldane road construction of the empire that had likewise declined into its dotage.

More than that though, were the numbers of reports. Jubilost had wanted to dismiss the number of the confederation and most would likely remain beyond his borders, but Eire had the more pressing issue of a kingdom that even without migration from Mendev's slums was already more than a million settled in his imperial core. The spring of the coming year was going to be a great work to reinforce his kameland expanse and the sprawls of farms and settlements around the great lakes of the kingdom... which would mean including the Hooktongue and House Numesti in the coming year. "Yes with overlordship secured we can lay claim to the Glenebon... though I would not be so hasty in calling it unpeopled, Valerie." He replied, and turned to look at Amvarean, who had warned him already that if the confederation broke some where likely to move west into Numeria, and others would likely seek money and food from Pitax to his south. "I want to fortify the Silstrand River, and western reaches of the Hooktongue," And that labor would likely come from the monstrous races of the bog, of all alignments really. There was hope that with Ilthuliak slain, and her tributaries no longer obstructing the East Sellen that trade might reopen along the northern reaches of the East Sellen River, but that would depend on if Brevoy's useless sovereign raised his chain.

That was deemed unlikely... and given the penchant for usurious tolls and fees on river traffic that passed through points controlled by Issian lords it might not even be worth it. The numesti overlords of the domain might be better off buying and selling goods south down the great river than trying to trade with Brevoy.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Spring 4715
The process of watching a tribal confederation come apart was not an instantaneous process. Nor was it particularly comforting to watch either especially given the volume of work his kingdom generated from its own internal affairs. It took literally months for the tribes which had come together over the previous several years to dissolve. Most of the immediate split off were of outer tribes and those who felt the most slighted by Armag or the Tiger Lords. The ones on the fringes of the society. The inner tribes, or the ones who perceived as having achieved the most status would stick around longer trying to cobble together a new confederation before the break, but it had taken Armag years to put call the horde and while the attack into Brevoy had likely yielded significant loot, it hadn't noticeably shaken up the political establishment.

The tiger lords hadn't tried to overthrow the Black Sovereign... that meant that the Numerian tribes were likely to be against any further adventures in Brevoy. They had no investment in Brevoy other than loot... unfortunately the iobarian horse lords had no interest in Numeria. That had created another fracture, another breaking point to watch. There were the tribes looking for a continuation of short term arrangements. The ones who had gotten used to taking Pitaxian coin, and hospitality. That was a small faction,but it was still a minority that was dangerous. Pitax could support a fraction of the barbarian host longer term without bankrupting the city. Pitax would also be in a better position to haggle.

Eire flipped the Orisiron artificat over, but there was no original inscription to list either an owner or to invoke a protective deity's rights. "Do I want to know where they got this?" Apparently it along with no shortage of other... antiquities had been aimed at the black markets of New Stetven... "And the sky metal?"

"Most likely it was smuggled out of Numeria, and sold to New Stetven via Pitax." Jubliost interjected, "After which how coincidentally the buy was then ambushed by our horse lord friends."

Eire nodded. There were plenty of factors to explain how and why such information would have resulted in oops the high value stuff you bought from Pitax got stolen by rampaging horse lords, so sad... which could very well turn into some merchant or one of these bandit houses or whatever they were called parleying that into getting paid twice. Or that had probably been the plan... a plan that hadn't considered how fast a tribal confederation could come apart when the barbarians had seemed unstoppable in the months before.

"What about the thief who tried to steal it?" He asked turning back to the Osirion relic. He knew that the Osirion ambassador... well trade envoy... was weighing asking for the items return, but he also knew that the man had no idea what the item was either. Was it important? Who knew. Someone had paid a lot of money for it but that didn't mean much... not to him.

This was a comparatively small matter, but could be good for their relations with Osirion. As much as he wanted to develop better sheep farming, the importing of cotton from Osirion was easy enough, and it made better sense than trying to develop Avistan's answer to merino wool, though wool products were benefitting from the manufacturing lessons all the same... one thing at a time. Those were likely matters for another day... too much on his already busy schedule as the spring approached.

The skymetal and Numeria was a whole other matter. Numeria was much closer... and much more politically fractured it seemed... and complicated besides. The Church had a presence in Numeria, and that had to be taken into account. Numeria and its political instabilities were now significantly more relevant. There were no real polities in Iobaria to speak of that were. Just the caravan trade coming across the seemingly endless rolling steppe until one reached the Padishah empire... but nothing closer save isolated cities at cross roads of the caravan trade.

Numeria, and Brevoy were large territorial states. Mivon and Pitax were complex urbane city states of purported high culture, and economic influence, but they were not the same thing. Narhold, the green valley where dragons flew as a silver dragon bard had granted the epithet, was much closer to its northern neighbors than its southern ones... and while not directly bordering Mendev the crusades were a particular concern as well.

"Well, regardless we should move on."

Contrary to the beliefs of largely near eastern specialists in archaeology and anthropology and thus pop culture in the 20th​, 21st​ century earth the steppe nomad tradition of Eurasia, and as it happened its Avistan equivalent were not parasitic to their more sedentary neighbors. The wheel on earth had been invented in the pontic caspian steppe, the horse had been domesticated there as well, the metals, both as ore and also finished goods had been vitally mined by proto and classical indo european speakers and traded across the steppe to meet urban demand in the south.

The same seemed to broadly hold true in Avistan. The iron age had emerged, and developed, or reemerged after the die off of Earthfall and the many lesser cataclysms which had created a literal dark age... but the steppe nomad either hunter gatherers following what Eire still thought of as prehistoric animals that had existed in Avistan's regions beyond the inner sea, and the more mundane horse had still been able to dig out and graze upon grass. That meant that those populations had been better able to survive than large fixed sedentary agriculturalists against that particular cataclysm.

Nomadic pastoralists on horse could sustain much larger groups of sheep and cattle, and within in group, and associate groups had relatively strong ideas about property rights, and social ideas compared to earlier societies. The religious, including funeral practices, of the Gorumite faith emphasized individuality and personal status even if that status also could apply to lineage and household groups more broadly.

It wasn't just their herds though. It was their metal working, and their experience in working metals, andwhile usually they traded for it, they often had enough of a sedentary base of operations to conduct inter and intra group meetings to raise some grains, as well as to mine. The problem with the assimilation was that he needed to establish new fixed townships. They were functionally going to be castle towns, but focused on east west lanes of travel... and would probably take more of a shell keep styling in order to facilitate communal halls largely of wood. Motte and Bailey and burghs would suffice fine for administrative centers... and of course it was more than just a mix of Iobarian and Kellids who lived there.

Armag's host had of course been majority human, but there had been a fair number of dwarves, half orcs, and orcs among its ranks. Goblins, and Ogres and giants of various sorts. There were also though the displaced from Mendev who needed to be resettled so he had the ability to settle people, and tribes along his frontiers. Eire intended to exercise social influence from two different directions. Killing Ilthuliak and having defeated Armag provided him the social, martial, capital in a way that confirmed his kingship to be sufficient to kellid views of rulership. He'd need to be careful about any perceptions of complacency ... but he had the advantage of being a 'wizard king' so there were likely to be assumptions either way of eccentricity... and he wouldn't likely have to contend with a martial challenge any time soon. The second factor would be being able to apply social influence on the broader pastoralist population through the settle town dwelling populace that held permanent residences... the ranging herd grazing populations provided frontier security but they'd come into town during the seasonal extremes... high summer pastures, and encamp during the winter where the herds could be maintained on winter fodder which would be a useful influence point. Herds were money to the steppe... though that was a potential double edged sword...inflation was a potential problem. Herds would need large land, which he did have especially legally in the charter to the east, that was far from his capital another potential problem, but also it would cause inflation. Inflation in bride prices, and social status as competition mounted between young men, as well as established herders competing to distinguish themselves.

Some people would break with nomadic traditions early either settling in other towns, probably as metalworkers, or textile crafts workers, or other more menial less status related labor, but others would settle in royal estates. Horse tamers, professional soldiers rather than feudal or feoderati levee service. They were already seeing that take place, but the degree and rate over time wouldn't be known until they had more time.

As it was parts of the tribal confederation would backflow into Numeria. Parts of those numbers would potentially migrate as a smaller confederation further west and cease to be a potential threat. Others had flowed back south into Pitax, where some inevitable would likely cease to be a danger by moving further south into the riverlands. Some though would likely be retained as mercenaries in Pitaxian service, which posed a security challenge to the kingdom even if Pitax only went on with picking a fight with Mivon.

There weren't like many who'd go north into Brevoy. Armag's confederation had made a mess across the south and threatened most of Brevoy's largest cities, and other settlements besides... not that Brevoy... really had a lot of cities to begin with... but that wasn't the issue.

"Well then?"

"Obvious some degree of homage,"Jubilost replied to Jaethal's attempt to press things along. "They're barbarians, its not as if the kingdom needs offerings of furs, and while I'm sure ponies wouldn't hurt." The gnome stumbled over as got a glowering look from Amiri.

"Customary labor in charting our frontiers may suffice as least this year... there are enough unexplored parts of the realm that we could use their numbers to both supplement exploration, as well as construct and man watch posts." Eire paused, "we have a few more weeks before the spring thaw and the rains," He looked at Jaethal, and then to Valerie, then in turn Amvarean and Amiri. "Jubilost if the Osirion ambassador inquires further about the artificat."

"Stall him, yes yes I'm not a dunder head."
--

 

[Imperator Pax]

Spring 4715
The city around them was already awash with visitors even inspite of the sheets of rain coming down, which was itself a reminder. Jaethal as Royal Counselor was not without its share of controversy. Part of it simply came from the controversy of being an elf it made things awkward her history with the Kingdom of Kyonin down the river... but many were not wholly comfortable with Urgathoa's hand selected chosen...regardless of how silent a goddess she was.

Eire frankly found it less troubling for that reason. Urgathoa was no more talkative than frankly Gorum or Nethys. Churches of whom were far more represented within the conclave of religious institutions which comprised the kingdom and who enjoyed much greater popular support. For Jaethal it was a little more startling that the gods actually listened when Narland's king spoke. The Kellid shamans, and clerics of Gorum had acknowledged the contest of kings as having held the lord in iron's attention... which was of course useful in that it likely would make her job easier in terms of peacemaking... even if she did not look forward to the discussions to come.

For Valerie as Chancellor... she found herself in an equally unenviable position of being separated from a church that was quick to see, to curry favor with the kingdom and its people. The success of the late fall campaign only redoubled that. Shelyn's clergy had little interest in losing ground, in terms of pursuing royal favor to Gorum given the prevalence of the latter both among the Kellids as well as being one of the more common faiths among the Brevic aristocracy.

"They needn't be so concerned,"Jaethal remarked with a bored condescension to the observation of the clergy's concern, "Shelyn's churches are more likely to find themselves appealing to those who arrive from the Inner Sea." The kingdom was predominantly urban, with noble feudatory ranks few and far between. The western Hooktongue domain, and Varnhold had far clearer brevic roots, and traditions, but were dwarfed by the influx of migrants who had settled and without Chelish authorities to dissuade or outright discriminate against the church and its artists were likely to attract the urban crowds in throngs.

Clock towers tolled in the morning even through winter and had made it feasible for construction to be organized, and that meant roads were laid to create houses in rows made from bricks. Those homes in turn made it feasible to raise theaters to attract townsfolk to the performing arts, and galleries to show compositions, carefully erected gardens and public spaces for beer, and bards in the open air. It was not something that the Crown directly organized at that point, Valerie knew that the row houses, and the clock towers some purpose and created neat orderly districts of the townsfolk without requiring walling sections off... which given the pace of growth would have quickly sprawled beyond such borders ... but the crown had left the organization of art, and theater and music to the newly settled populations.

All of that work was less interesting to the Kellids. Or to Gorum's church who had little need for theking's printing presses which produced en masse the liturgy and tracts for the church. Eire had spoken also in support of formal institutions of learning, but Jaethal suspected regardless of what opportunities Eire might have viewed as possible with the influx of refugees and such, but Jaethal half suspected that the majority of them being humans had caused him to potentially overlook the differences of those who weren't.

As as part of the Kingdom's Council Jaethal, and Valerie both were privy to announcement aimed at a formal education system, a compulsory education system. For half elves, and humans that would have been one thing, even for dwarves and orcs it might be feasible but it was clear it had been developed with humans in mind... and even then called for mandatory education within the realm's urban domains.

What was worse for Jaethal was that it struck her as one of those good idea's that dragons all immediately latched on to because of course the dragons had agreed with the proposal. The cyclopean lich had also concurred, separately, as the printing press prepared new text books for use even if it wasn't an explicitly magical curriculum it still suggested the ability to support the burgeoning literate population. That a majority of publications, including the church liturgy were in draconic was likely to insure most of the educated townsfolk would have passing familiarity with the language was already likely to be complemented by the familiarity of the language among sorcerers; who were the most prevalent of arcanists far outstripping wizards except in the townships around Candlemere where the ratios were closer.

It was the sort of detail that Jaethal kept track of. What she had been less prepared to contend with was the volume of numbers. A detail that while had been discussed had exceeded all reasonable expectations... and Eire had made clear that he intended to encourage Mendev that it was in their interest to evacuate the slums that had grown up around the crusader strongholds in the face of the Fifth Crusade's explosion of violence. The eruption of the 5th​ Mendevian Crusade had been a focus on the Church of Narland up until the incursion of the eastern wing of Armag's horde into southern Brevoy that had culminated in the siege of Restov. As it was even now, Jaethal was privy to the internal discourse and letters sent by the church abroad as well as their part of the mobilization for the war which had stretched into the expedition of late fall that taken the army assembled from the highlands into the Rostlandic plain, and the environs around the Free City of Restov.
What had previously been the focus of domestic policy, and foreign policy, were now forced to contend with other matters... Jaethal recognized that the burgeoning urban population wanted, whether or not the Chancellor was keen on it, the church of Sheylns... it was not much different from how the Church of Pharasma's presence had been desired in the Varnhold to the west...and Jaethal recognized that Eire was quite likely to nudge the Osirion congregation to manage the Pharsmin churches within the hooktongue.

With the spring rains and the thaw approaching its zenith she expected that monarchy of Narland would announce the next round of objectives, and that, "He means to meet with the barbarians as well." The blonde remarked interrupting Jaethal's ordering of her own thoughts. "We will likely face issues from Restov."

That was true, and most probably in oraround the approaching spring equinox. That Armag wasn't deadreminded her of the resolution of the situation with Hargulka, but it also wasn't identical. Hargulka had had a great many trolls, and more now, as well as gathered other supporters but he had not had as long to bring themunder his banner. If Hargulka had been allowed the time to build uphis ranks it was likely he would have branched out to recruiting barbarian tribesmen or trying to contest overlord ship of theboggards or other swamp dwelling giants... but Hargulka had not hadthe time to do htat... and Armag had had existing kellid tribes tocall upon to gather up into his horde. "Let the bravos grumble,"Jaethal murmured in a dark low tone, the truth was the young Aldorifor in contrast to her the half elf sword lord was young "Jamandiwould have done well to heed her elders caution."

"I didn't believe you supported his majesty's intent to break bread with Armag and the Tiger Lord Chieftans?"
"I support his decision," Jaethal replied, "I simply expect there to be misunderstandings, and that Amvarean's eastern horse lords may yet cause us further confusion."

Valerie found that she didn't disagree. The Iobarians had been a presence on their southern, and southeastern grasslands as the monarchy had established the estates for royal horses, and there had been talk before the Varnhold crisis when the undead Cyclops had stirred but Amvarean's presence along the shores of the lake had changed things. Ilthuliak's demise had also kept the peace with the Iobarians... and if Valerie were honest had likely been the defining event which had kept the shamans, for whom Vordakai was tolerant at least of, from endorsing Armag's claim ofruler ship over the tribes of the eastern horse lords. Instead with Ilthuliak dead, and with Eire cemented in power with Amvarean on his eastern most great lake the Iobarian horse lords were much inclined to pay homage the King of Narland.


--
Notes: Power went back on yesterday(Sunday) so we will be resuming the pre storm regular update schedule hopefully through the month

 

[PeaceMaker03]

Very glad you are okay, thanks for the chapter. Hope you made it out intact.

 

[Heavenly Mark]

This is pretty good

 

[Trek]

Good to hear you made it though ok.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Spring 4715
The rains had born away for the day. Sunlight peaked in broad shafts through the passing clouds and reflected on the surface of the great lake, and lit the green suroundings. Eire surveyed the Tuskdale, the valley north of his capital... it was the view opposite to which he normally looked outover the great lake to his capital's south, and all the ships that frequently occupied it. He had good reason to be focused north for a the moment he sat above the great lake, high above on the floating island.

Whether an intentional quote or simply a fair comparison to the song, a silver dragon had called Narhold the green valley where dragons flew... and that was true. There was a flight of silvers even now aloft overhead the city proper... and they were not the only dragons present... though these young draconic paladins were only distant poorer cousins to Eranex, and Amvarean.

It wasn't just their progress through the sky as they took the spring currents toward. It was really the many pennants of encamped tribes, and clans in the valley that he was mindful of. More so than the dragons, or the burgeoning magical markets of goods, or of the latest immigrants from far off lands, or the displaced refugees of wars that had lasted generations. It was the latter though he was waiting to hear the report of, and what would occupy much of his coming week... and even that was likely too little for time, but his hours were squeezed as it was.

The reality though was what his core dominion, was the displacement so to speak of his core dominion entailed. The brevic population of Narhold, even including the Varnhold and the Hooktongue, was statistically tiny. Between the Narlmarches, and the Tors the current numbers of population now exceeded a million souls.

His bureaucracy administering the royal holdings had reached in conjunction with the official state church...and its office of doctrine over sixteen thousand individuals. The aforementioned Inquisition were administered alongside the communal ministers by five hundred man body of church officials forming a council of subordinate lords spiritual to whom might one day become part of a larger parliament.

That was on the side of government the population in the Tuskwater, Kamelands and Narlmarches having reached the numbers it had meant a gathering of burghers in addition to the formal civil service. Their ranks entailed mostly merchants involved in the carrying trade, or even those who provided the organization and capital for insurance companies to support caravans, to provide service centers and warehouses. They were the merchant companies who provided the export of goods south down the river, or across Avistan to sell to supply the efforts of the Crusade.... and it was in those thousand of burghers that pens scratched away that they extended the roads, and the transit of goods and that the mills which were turned by the river produced their goods.

It provided the other members of the council something to do. The twins, and Meiqi in particular had their time most heavily invested in the trade and work of civil servants. What they were less involved in was the flow of internal trade evenif still touched their respective spheres of influence... Narland did not have railways in the form of steam locomotives piling through the countryside laden with cattle cars. That would take time and infrastructure that Eire simply hadn't had... but its fertile grasslands, and farms produced fodder for herds that supported the urban working population throughout the year even during the cold months, and also provided more choice cuts of meat fresh to visiting dignitaries as well as the higher orders of society.

In previous years that had meant less, that had been less firm institutions of government to shape day today life, or such a readily constant presence of urban life as the cattle trade. There had already been state supported general stores stocked with clothes, and then with glassware, and earthenware and then metal goods which changed the dynamics away from that of the brevic village life. Fewer and fewer urban dwellers in the nascent Imperial Core were engaged in cottage industries and while a variety of alterations and repairs were made the pawn shop industry had yet to emerge yet into the major cities... certainly not in the way it existed in England... but even that was that cities in the vicinity of the great lakes were being laid out on organized typically square grids and districts rather than the sprawling emergence of smaller villages, and neighborhoods being subsumed into a larger municipal authority. .. and thus while a railway system was not yet within his means he could do as England of the 17th​ century and focus on the waterways which connected his great cities.

That connection linked them, and the rivers, and grasslands and abundant timber and stone of the mountains could all be concentrated as resources to build and expand. That prevented overcrowding which in turn prevented disease, or at least ameliorated the worst of such threats.

"The immigrants that will arrive, and have arrived, from Mendev have little frame of reference,"Galfrey of Mendev had reigned a long time, especially for a human monarch, and had spent her entire reign engaged as party to a war against the forces of the abyss... and that was difficulty upon difficulty to any government. But Mendev, old Sarkoris had not been an urban civilization... or at least had been a collection of disparate city states, and the process of wide scale urbanization had been a by product of the crusades and the devastation of the environment... and the world wound forcing the growth of the sprawling shanty towns in the shadow of crusader fortifications... which was part of the reason that Mendev's urban centers had the problem they did.

It was a wonder that there hadn't been a mass exodus of people... but that could be attributed to any number of factors including lack of leadership organizing one single flight... and the pressures of Numeria. Numeria wasn't quite as inhospitable as Mendev but was the most natural route to leave Mendev and that combination of natural, or local, threats both from Numeria's wastes and the warring kellid tribes were such that it wasn't a much better option than staying out and eking out a living.

It made a population of the desperate, but at least most of those desperate spoke the Taldan common tongue already. Not that Hallit wasn't becoming more common, as a vernacular spoken language, "We do not have the carrying capacity to bring as many as we would like." Tristian lamented, which was true. Aship, an airship ferrying supplies including holds of cows to the slaughter, could launch from the lake docks of the Tuskwater or Candlemere and fly to Nerosyan, and return with refugees but the Royal Navy was a mere handful of flying ships... and Eire had to accept that as the situation... "For those who do arrive, many more wait in cramped, and unsanitary conditions, your majesty." It had been several months. Rova was the ninth month of the Arodenite calendar which predominated Avistan and the majority of the Inner Sea. That had been enough time, with the solstice quickly approaching, for both Tristian and small investigative body to make their findings, "I feel we will have our greatest success in making clear the differences between our Kingdom and that of Mendev."

 

[Stickypiston]

I like reading about the development of the kingdom

 

[Imperator Pax]

Spring 4715

The rivers of the Narlmarches, what had originally formed his kingdom's western border before they had moved into the Slough, and the range of Lake Hooktongue, which was a significantly greater body of water than the Tuskerwater or Silverstep never mind Candlemere, were not on the same size as the fast flowing shrike which like the East Sellen was a major part of the concourse of the sellen river network. The Shrike was fast moving, never freezing, and had its headwaters high and far away to the east in Iobarian. It also formed his legal northern border with Brevoy something which he had written about more than once.

The present rains were stronger thisyear, the winter had been at times bitterly cold, and he suspected that the present condition of the Shrike was that its headwaters werelikely being filled with melting snow as the equinox approached. Such deepening did not really do much in theory, the truth was the deepening of the shrike this year really only further segregated thedunsward from Brevoy, but it did nothing to stop flying ships from bringing refugees from Mendev.

Tristian had made the report, his report the day before.

The problem though was invariably a question of doctrine. Eire expected that Sarenrae's church would find willing converts and recipients among the new arrivals, but there wasalways the lingering potential issue of recriminations againsttieflings... and there was a marked difference in the manner of laws Narland and Mendev operated on.

In theory Mendev was a state at war, in a perpetual war against the threat posed to all of creation in the form of the world wound, but its system of jurisprudence lacked oversight overarching over its myriad jurisdictions. IN that way forall that it could be described as an Iomedaen militant theocracy it was still also a feudal state. One without fully centralized apparatus, and thus one prone to conflicts of local rights which created gaps in coverage.

"We hold concerns that the crisis which has opened the Fifth Crusade," The knight of the Godclaw remarked, "was the lack of clear guidance. That Demonic infiltrators from cults of Baphomet, Deskari and indeed corrupting influences from cultists of Sifkesh allowed the forces of the world wound to preempt the crusades efforts."

There was an indictment there and one hardly limited to fanatical zeal of the godclaw. It was more than a question of doctrine. There had been complaints of how the crusades had strayed, and of failings by authorities in mendev that had long preceded this disaster.

He didn't have time for that... never mind that such a debate would potentially, would probably even cause problems in his relationship with Mendev. There needed to be a united political front against the demons... the destruction of the wardstones the devastation entailed in the forces of the world wound preempting the opening of the fifth crusade was a problem.

To that end Eire knew that efforts of doctrine under taken, and even more so those which would be publicized would come under scrutiny. They would need to exercise care in what precedents they set as they moved forward... but yes there was a threat of demonic infiltrators and the inquisition would have to see to that. "You believe that we create vulnerability by bringing these people."

"In doing so the effort reduces the burden on the crusade, but such people have been exposed to theworst threat to the entire world. Some are surely servants of the abyss."

"Some, but not all. I will not issue indictments for an entire populace, if there is a cult to Sifkesh, we will find it, and destroy it." Eire intoned. "Justas we must take efforts to support the crusaders, and the burden of combating the forces of the abyss." It was more than that of course, and Eire wasn't operating on a misplaced from Earth's view of humanitarian or moral concerns. Mendev's outer slums were something that should have been taken care of before they had gotten this bad, but there had been no way to address them, "Once settled and integrating into civilized society we will move from there, with lawbreakers being punished accordingly." That of course was why there was a distinction in legal terms of crimes that merited fines, and community service, and those deemed heinous. It was also why he had insisted on the necessity of common law proceedings. "But weare far from the world wound, and the landscape is not blighted by the abyss's influence so we will constructed houses and provide the opportunity to make honest livings, and grain, and weapons and other goods will bolster Mendev's efforts against the demons."

"Of course your majesty. It will be so."

He paused, and when the knight did not continue, Eire spread his hands, "This is the point ser, where you outline what evidence your investigation has gathered that is strong enough to face the scrutiny of a grand jury convened by the crown."

"Yes, of course, sire." The knight paused, "The movements are on their surface not obvious, but the tone of such cultists are insidious. In Mendev perhaps it would be easily ignorable," The man declared turning back to his original complaint for a moment "but the self professed kingdom of the cleansed presents concerning, and dare I say it seditious tennants my lord."

And it would. Tristian at this point had written a memorial to the throne regarding what he had learned. The problem there was that Sarenrae was less explicitly concerned with law as a rigid concept so while his own report did highlight what they knew his report was less damning in tone. Leaving aside that the 'faithful' refused to name which god they worshipped...which in a realm as open religiously as Narland was an immediate red flag to the Godclaw knight it was more that.

To espouse a view that anarchy was the cure for society. It was one thing to say, or to argue that anarchy was somehow a good thing. Even that would have been enough to get them into trouble with hellknights or chelish authorities, or most of traditional taldane power structures. It was entirely another to beyond simple anarchy, which had some basis even in the middle ages on earth among fringe heretics... the lollards came to mind... but to advocate for the chance to 'cleanse' the very concept of law from land... well that was different, especially given the mix of existing anarchists but the criminal element associating with the gatherings.

In itself though, Eire had to point out that while seditious in character, a cult of Sifkesh as had been the initial indictment did not appear to be the likely case. More investigation was necessary, something which needed to be delegated as he prepared to turn the majority of his attention to the gathering of nomads. The rhetoric did not disqualify sifkesh, perhaps the hell knights simply had a greater focus on Sifkesh as the order of the godclaw came into conflict with them most frequently and it was ismply a case of target fixation... but as this threat had come from by all accounts displaced from Mendev and not Galt the political overtones seemed particularly insidious to the investigators given the outbreak of the fifth crusade, which continued to slog along as Galfrey brought her forces forward across the scarred landscape of what had been sarkorsis.

 

[Imperator Pax]

20 Pharast 4715
The equinox fell the day after the new moon this year. For all intents and purposes Fort Drelev and Varnhold were both roughly the same distance from Shrikewall. It wasn't the exact same, but frankly it was close enough... and of course beyond both stretched the plains and grasslands that continued to extend ineither direction until eventually the reached greater natural barriers... or in the west the borders of numeria situated upon that natural riverine barrier.

In the east beyond the Varnhold, and across the Dunsward the rising of the Noemen Hills as mountains blocked enough rainfall that despite the nearby castrovin sea the steppe was largely grassland as a result of the rainfall that was insufficent to support forests... on the opposite side of the Noemen in 'iobaria propper' the forests sprawled out thanks to rainfall. TheRiver Kingdoms though, and Brevoy were subject to rain that supported forests in contrast to the steppes.

There was a part of the natural geography where there was the nearest the two ranges, the Noemen, and the Tors, came to one another in the east. The landscape between the two was increasingly hilly and rolling, but there were also rivers tothe north... in short if there was any where to raise a fortification to gate keep in the south east of the realm with regards to steppe dwellers it was there and that was his priority. To assert sovereignty to establish his control, and the recognition of his control to the nomads passing through.

He needed to do the same for out west. In fact more so out west, for while Iobaria proper was an 'untamed expanse', a great sea of grass and trees and all similar manner of descriptions by Brevic scholars it was in the west that the bulk of the confederation Armag had assembled over the last decade hailed from... and of course it was to his west that Avistan spread out across.. but that was not the largest of headaches. No, there was the religious dimension that Armag was the reborn champion of his god, and in the intervening months Eire had pieced together that they the modern kellid tribe and his ancestral system had diverged in responsibilities and job duties... never mind comparing either of those to Eire's view of his duties to the state, or civil society.

That was the greatest hurdle to come over. The resolution to the crisis of the twice born raised shades of the resolution with Hargulka. The battle of champions and less so the clash of armies, which of course Eire had been rushing to construct astate capable of fielding a standing army, and a professional standing army as close to his view of what those should entail... and yet it had still come down a fight between kings, and divine champions.

That entailed all the implications ...

Both sides had assembled by different means large armies. Thousands, and thousands of warriors had flocked to the banners of both sides, and Armag had gathered the larger force there was no denying his steppe nomads had enjoyed a noticeable numerical advantage if they had ever been able to be gathered in one place. They had not, though the organization of those armies, which split them into wings, and camps and so forth meant that there had and were now lesser leaders to contend with.

Armag's ambitions to establish a territorial state had represented a split with tradition kellid, and tiger lord orthodoxy... in such a sense as that orthodoxy could be used in this context. Arguments of that nature aside, Eire knew, or recognized rather that there were already fractures as lesser chiefs had split off and moved south and west... and some had pushed further north... some might continue to plague Brevoy but he had made clear where he stood there. That was a brevic problem, and one Brevoy as a kingdom and that regional figures should have been better prepared to address given ample warning.

There were limited options to move forward if Eire didn't want to be put into the position of having to deal with border issue. Those smaller chieftains were going to have to be dealt with, and his frontier protected. That reality pushed him towards moving into the Brantheld and the glenebon uplands ... the territory which the fourth charter would have covered... but it was still and expanse. From the source of the Siltrastrand river to the brantheld range's rising in the west it was sixty or so miles across in breath.

What was worse was the Glenebon was as open as the Dunsward tended to be. The source waters for the Whisper and the Pitax river were in the west near the forest of Thousand Voices, and the Brantheld form a southern border to parts of Numeria but for the most part it was largely sweeping grasslands until one reached the Slough. There were no settlements of note. Not until one reached the 'Littletown', which was in the sphere of influence of Pitax. Eire wasn't ignorant that expanding to express suzerainty over the uplands would cause further trouble with Pitax, but as he view edit he had little choice in terms of geopolitics.

He was not going to try and translate those political ideas, into ones that might be understood by the various chieftains, particularly those of the Tiger Lords. He would extend Hegemony over Armag's tomb largely under the auspices of the existing royal structures that handled matters of faith... which might well have been easier if the spiritual guardian of the Shrinehad been willing to accept a position as one of his lords spiritual.

... but the ancient shaman had declined. That forced him towards secondary choices.

"Will this work?" He asked.

The silver dragonness, in half elf guise, nodded, "Investing the uplands and securing them is within our abilities," It would stretch a road further westward still, and the passage of goods as towns developed and traded would pay less and less attention to brevic trade. "The best course of action available to us is to coopt the Tiger Lords as sanctioned mercenaries, and fold them under our own wings."

They had discussed that as well. It had not been his initial choice of policy. The suggestion had come from below as a method of coopting much of the Tiger Lords. It had not been a suggestion from Armag though. Some of the more conservativeTiger Lords chiefs had hoped that a reckoning, and the resulting trial by combat would convince Armag to reject 'new ideas' of a territorial kingdom as the way forward.

His defeat had actually seemed to further cement that position. That defeat had also not undermined Gorum's faith, or engendered any notable successful conversions. Anyreligious dynamics to the war had not resulted in en masse conversions... which went back to the need to make accommodations to the faith of the Iron Lord even as he expressed political authority over it." There will be chiefs who will resent these steps." Chiefs who were gathered in order to be able to voice their opinion at a gathering of free men. They were no equals per se, despite the defeat Armag enjoyed greater status among his fellow Tiger Lords... he had been successful and was acknowledged as Gorum's champion... which did rankle some of the conservative chiefs.

Their best option remained however pushing an argument to be released to go elsewhere. For Armag, the Glenebone as a subordinate ruler seemed the most likely course. In away that made things simpler for Eire, and also more complicated...establishing himself as Suzerain over Armag had the potential and they enjoyed some experience. The Tigers Lords were nomadic, they drove cattle and sheep. As far as grazing lands went the glenebon uplands and lowlands well suited that life style.

That was complicated by what he would need to do. There was as they had already observed a precedent withHargulka... and Hargulka had been encouraged to raised homesteads, raise cattle, raise temples to the gods... but they still had so much more work to do... and the gathering tonight would be at moon rise in anticipation of tomorrow being the vernal equinox. They had a few scant more hours until all the tiger lord chiefs, and many many more Kellid and Iobarian chiefs joined them at the great table.

 

[Imperator Pax]

4715 Spring Equinox
Eire would have liked, had originally envisioned that with talks of the 5th​ Crusade being planned that trade across Avistan might have been the focus of his realm come this year's spring. It was not to be. He had to concern himself with more immediate neighbors not far distant Qadira even though Tristian's coreligionists and merchants made their way across both the Steppe and up the great sellen river network to Shrikewall and its neighboring settlements.

That was not to say he didn't still have to consider the great grass expanse to his east and south, and those nomads who roved Iobaria and whose clans held the valuable passes and oasis that allowed merchant caravans to cross the continent's breath. The majority of the folk who had rallied to Armag's banner had been nearer Kellid tribes. Given more time, Armag would have likely had more success apparently with the honor driven horse lords of the steppe... perhaps enough to swell his numbers and pour into the central River kingdoms or even to lay claim to the oasis city states if he could compel them to surrender without lengthy sieges.

The traditional campaigning season was fast approaching... and the truth was that it would very easy for a splintered confederation of barbarians to provide an easy opportunity for an enterprising lord to bolster his forces, and raid his neighbors. With the threat to Restov ameliorated for at least the time being, that was to say over the winter, it had been possible to confirm through the Free City that Hannis Drelev had been reported to have fled back to his family's ancestral lands. It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that the main branch of the House comfortably might expend gold to give him the opportunity to try and reclaim 'his lands'.

That was a potential challenge. Kressel's report was only relevant because entailed part of the preparations for if things went south... but that seemed unlikely Still it was an abundance of caution if they needed to march an army forward and across the northern frontier.... but it was still unlikely. More likely rather than Hannis being able to march an army this year, there would be some acrimonious fallout with the Kellids and it was that which more concerned him. Narland's capital with the equinox had expanded its accommodations to make room for visitors as the spring thaw arrived. The valley teemed with pennants, and felt tents...and eyes drew to stare at the floating island that loomed in the clouds above the cityscape on the hill.

At least it was unlikely to go south in the immediate short term. He was hoping that the grandeur , and more importantly the martial prowess of his capital would keep things peaceful. Shrikewall , and the wider tuskdale were active. North of the city and ringing the valley were walls built by stone giants, and since the conflict with Ilthuliak river giants helped construct large piers and docks that penetrated into the great lakes. It provided a character to what was otherwise a very young settlement.

His giants whether they worshipped Minderhal or Erstig, or other deities had raised megalithic constructions to bolster his realm, and such gathering places were ideal to host western nomads, or their eastern cousins.

Armag, Dugath and a handful of other chieftans were considered those most likely to be reasonable and even that ran the problem of internal disagreements between Armag and Tiger Lord Traditionalists over what was the better way. Establishing a state supported mercenary band would have its advantages, but it was not quite a 'modern' foreign legion, but it would help alleviate pressure.

Armag had been trying to hybridize traditional tiger lord custom with his own personal view of how the law should exist, but without writing it down. That presented a problem, not that Hargulka had exactly rushed to promulgate a written legal code... and indeed if left to his own devices the troll would likely have ended up appropriate bits and pieces of the quite confusing rogavarian legal code used in Brevoy...but Armag had been trying to mix a nomadic culture's mores in with what he viewed as the best practices of sedentary territorial kingdoms.

Armag more than Harrgulka was less likely to accept the universal law code, and nor did he seem particularly likely to borrow heavily from Brevoy, or encourage brevic settlement. At least though he was likely to settle and build towns, and emphasize comprehensive agriculture. That was the easiest of the tasks east of the Brantheld in the uplands putting into place Imperial agriculture with the growing of multi rotation crops would support cattle raising. That could actually support, much as it did Harrgulka, the animal husbandry without the nomadic aspect.

Indeed as they prepared for the feasts final preparations Harrgulka was important to the argument towards assimilation. Harrgulka had adopted raising grain in particular in order to feed livestock, but raising corn to make mash to put in a still to make hard liquor. It was still an early aging process what would have been prohibited to be called whisky for the age requirement but it was similar enough... and those distilleries that Harrgulka had patronized encouraged had encouraged more brewing. His choice to do that might well lead to something more akin to modern Earth's Sake production given time to take root among the rice growing regions of the Imperial Core.

Shaoyu approached, bountiful confidence in her step, indicating that the last of the preparations were completed. Armag had a major advantage over competing sources of authority. His recent defeat not withstanding he was still a powerful warrior but more importantly he was Gorum's acknowledged champion."Amiri is very popular," Shaoyu declared, then after a minute, "though with the other Six Bears not so much."

"it is to be expected." A giant remarked, the particular frost giant who had at one point inhabited Amiri'ssword, bound there in spiritual torpor had yet to be actually settled. As it was he could not replace Eranex's position, nor did Eire desire him to, as envoy the Many's court. "It may present a problem."

"And how best would that be resolved?" He asked the frost giant turning.

There was going to be a question of attire. Some of the Tiger Lords, like Dugath had ranged quite far south, Amiri had as well, and was familiar with the costumes of many southern nations. He was familiar with what the keleshite adherents the Dawnflower wore and recognized Tristian's goddess. He was also familiar with the brocades favored by Taldor's wealthy nobles, and of the sterner fashions of Cheliax for which Eire's attire was closest to in character. But also that there was no question Amiri was Kellid.

Dugath had observed that regardless of religious difference no 'real chieftain', as the old chieftain had put it, would break hospitality this night. It was an assurance, but one that Kean reiterated was not more than a guarantee of tonight, "Amiri will likely face challengers in a circle of equals, tomorrow... not tonight," Kean declared, "The bolder fools might even think to challenge you, but Dugath and I are unsure if there are so rash of ones in this gathering of warriors."

"They would dare?" Shaoyu questioned.

"He has defeated Armag, that makes him first among equals." The Kellid notion of kingship was not the same as its southern neighbors Kean recognized that... "On the other hand chosen of Gorum or not, Armag is not a priest, one might expect that will provide time... but the out come of that might be instead of a duel a mustering of arms."

This was not just the opportunity to make friends, but also feel out and ascertain who might be future enemies, and to know what resources, and friends they might have. The opportunity to get all of them drunk of hard liquor or mead brewed from the honey provided by Calistria's wasps or on any of the beers brewed, or the apple jack or other beverage options. From there they would make the best of it, and if a fight came well...some of the inevitable fighting would be tiger lords against tiger lords or parts of the confederation quarrelling over resources, or just in the employ of bitter rivals.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Vernal Equinox 4715
The outdoor hall resembled the restored Temple of the Elk on a much larger scale... and even so it was veryvery noisy.

Dugath could drink like a man easily twenty or thirty years his junior. His companion Gwart had struck up a conversation with Harrgulka over religion, and the temples the troll had endeavored to raise as part of his own efforts... which had in turn drawn in Armag as well. They were all getting along well ,and so far so good. As Amiri had noted it was unusual at least in the land of the mammoth lords for any Kellid following to have such a collection of giants in its midst... but Kellid followings by their nature had to make long ranging treks to follow game.

Moving past a prominent cleric of Minderhall, who was engaged in a theological debate with a knight of the order of the godclaw, was a skullcap wearing priest of Nethys, who stopped to stoop bowing, "My Great King," The cleric greeted, his osirion accent prominent in his draconic formality, the cleric intended to depart for the land of his birth, to among other things, "When I return to Pharaoh I will speak of the noble endeavor against the demons of the abyss, and the necessity to support the crusade of mendev." If there was to be any foreign policy that Eire called for support from neighboring countries, much as free trade was important, it was to support his coreligionists and their comrades in arms in Mendev.

"Thank you." For as much as this gathering was about the Kellid, the tiger lord case, and the dissolving confederation coming apart, and all the warriors free to move about as bands, and warrior fraternities, it was still also a state function of his monarchy, and it was spring... and there was so much to do. In particular tonight there was another matter, among the many magical improvements to the realm's administration was the flowing sands and map that provided him information across his realm.

The magic though that allowed it to function was enough to recognize his hold on Armag's tomb, and the headwaters of the siltstrand, but not much further west. Only really a fraction of the eastern glenebon were detailed on his magical map. That made it ... not so useful in terms of planning for the Glenebonhe had to rely on more conventional pen and paper for that. For impressing the Kellids however even from the Siltstrand to the dunsward the present breath of the kingdom was more than two hundred miles across, and from north to south averaged over a hundred miles in most of the central realm becoming shorter in the glenebon, and taller in the dunsward and the great eastern steppe.

Vordakai had warned him that south of the Little Sellen moving north of the Mivon Sellen were no shortage of horse lords, which might create problems. The Tors of Levenies split the step, though there were a number of passes through the range... the pass to Varnhold was just one of the easier northern crossings. You could cross from the Kamelands to the Dunsward....there had been horse lords who had come from western Iobaria to pay homage Amvarean by come down from the headwaters of the Gudrin as it fed into Lake Silverstep. Those horse lords were represented here.

It was there, that Eire could ascribe names like Scythian, and Hun for the southern and eastern tribes even though that wasn't their names... but their costumes suggested they were Golarians distant cousins. To the north in Iobaria were those he found he associated Pechnegs and the like, and there were geographic, grazing, zones of control. That he recognized presented a problem in the long term just as he might face a problem similar in the west.

The Cyclops did have a suggestion. They had previous visited other cyclopean ruins and those represented good starting points. Most had been chosen for ready access to water, Cyclops society had been predominantly cattle raising magocratic city-states under a vaguely Greek style of civic government. Cattle raising required ready access of water, the construction techniques that the cyclops used emphasized quality stone and construction granite and marble and such. Amvarean had also apprised him that the access to the elemental plane of earth was more extensive in the south east of the realm. The Tors and the mountains further east also represented the largest populations of giants in the realm... and that entailed their respective churches looking for support in raising prominent temples in the south.

Amvarean, in half elf form, nodded "If settling Armag in the uplands works, we may be able to us it to push into the lands south of the Little Sellen, and lay claim to the southern Tors." Though hardly the sweeping forest of the Narlmarches the Tors of Levenies also promised access to timber on the mountains.

"To consider that we must settle Armag successfully first," He replied, and the truth was he wanted to avoid putting himself, putting the kingdom in a position where he might have a Cossack problem or some successor down the road might. "Integrating the tiger lords may prove problematic, "On the other hand he would never allow serfdom to take root, and that might keep him from having that issue... and besides a significant portion of the realm was urban, "Our only readily accessible source of coal is in the slough, which is another concern I have." He added after a moment, and on the subject of coal if not significant seams in the Narlmarches there might be access in the mountains inthe west or east but they had what they had in the vicinity of the east sellen river basin.

Amvarean joined him, her jewel likeeyes sweeping the crowd, the mix of furs and wool shirts, it wasn't quite cold at night any longer but the open air meant plenty of men had decided for cloaks, or even jackets. It was another way to tell affiliation. Eire's coreligionists took their formal attire in cue from his own dress. Black cassocks, red piping, very chelish colors truth be told. It was therefore something of an irony since Narland's textiles exported plenty of white cloth, and shirts, but it was not a popular color with his own clergy. As a trade good though it was a lucrative export. "Mivon agreed to the invitation."

The Mivonese Aldori presence was noticeable, even without the macho posturing between the competing Aldori branches. There was no Aldori branch in Shrikewall, but Varnhold had established a cadet branch of the Restov Aldori... the branch of Aldori who had stayed behind and knelt to House Rogavaria just a few centuries earlier. Equally so, was Pitax's absence from these proceedings... they had not been invited, but Eire had almost expected travelling bards to coincidentally arrive. Their absence though while perhaps a relief, would not make this night any less long. "Yes, hopefully, they,"And for that matter the Church of Milani, "Will keep their temper about them." It had been one of those things that Jaethal, currently ghosting wraith like through the throng had warned him of. She had also made observation that even as repairs to the road of shields continued fortifying his original western frontier, it was hard to miss that as a realm, as a predominantly human realm there were far fewer dwarves in his lands than was 'normal'... though Eire really had to wonder exactly what passed for normal in such situations since dedicated census tallies were not precisely common in Avistan or more widely acrossed the civilized realms of Golarion.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Vernal Equinox 4715
In Brevoy this gathering would have been unthinkable. Valerie was confident that the Brevic reaction would have been to try and scatter the the nomadic horde ... which she suspected would have resulted in a bloodbath for brevic knights. They just wouldn't have had the manpower to do so not against the confederation that had pulled in so many Kellids from Numeria... and that was something she recognized. Her experience told her that by forcing this into a battle between kings a protracted and costly campaign had been avoided... but also it kept the conflict from being forced to rely on dragons to settle it.

That, that was probably what had relieved Valerie most. The truth was while there were questions and letters from home, for the majority of the populace from the Inner Sea they were acclimated to the visitations of dragons, particularly the silvers. A silver dragon, or several, was looked upon as not the surreal experience it would have been in Brevoy. Nominally those silver dragons, with the exception of Eranex and her sister Amvarean, professed themselves as members of the king's own faith. For those whose had immigrated from the Inner Sphere that was sufficient. Nothing more needed to be said to them... but Brevoy had been forged into a nation by a king wielding the power of dragons and though the House that had founded the kingdom had disappeared dragons remained a prominent part of the national consciousness of her homeland.

She was not the only one whose homeland would not have thought well of this gathering, or contemplated holding it. Jaethal's stride was an almost imperceptible, graceful path weaving through the crowd... which could only ever be ill news. Brevoy remained largely dismissive and ignorant of the growing Kingdom. Part of that was the current King, the first Surtova to hold the throne in the red keep of the capital of New Stetven. His choice to chain the east sellen and cut off trade further south, and his decision to ignore the barbarian horde growing on his the rostlandic frontier both played significant roles... but even Restov which should have been their natural ally and confidant was ignorant

The truth was too few brevic families chose to migrate into the Narlmarches, but even so both the Hooktongue and the Dunsward were scarcely more enticing. Even immigration to all three of the baronies together was nothing compared to just immigration Taldor, never mind Cheliax.

Kyonin though was another matter entirely. Officially they had only limited contacts with the elven kingdom unofficially Jaethal was an exiled high official banished for crimes before Valerie had even been born. Truth be told, Valerie wasn't sure whether or not the reason it was exile was because of her rank, elven custom... or fear that Urgathoa might issue some terrible retribution for the elven court trying to kill her favored. Jaethal herself had dismissed the other idea, and from speaking with the church of Gorum they also stated that if Armag were to die Gorum would not seek revenge .... save if it was by some dishonorable or treacherous means and even then they hadn't exactly seemed too sure of how Gorum would express that displeasure. She supposed that lack of certainty was common to most religious institutions.

One of Ragathiel's paladins stepped aside to allow the king's counsel to approach her seat. "We have problems."

"Lady Jaethal." The paladin asked. His armor was a dark crimson enamel, and hitherto now his presence in full dress would have potentially been a sore point in any formal brevic gathering.
As Chancellor, she had come to accept the involvement of religion... and there were non religious reasons that Jaethal might reach out to her first rather than storming up to the king with whatever problem had emerged... but there was also a religious one. The church of Shelyn, and the goddess herself, had expressed interest time and again in participating in the realm's affairs, and its public life. The Stheno, the medesue like serpent women who worshipped Shelyn, were but one example and had come to make their presence known particularly in those cities south of the capital. They found time as weavers of artistic textiles, and other tasks in the city and its emerging artisan's quarter, including the brewing of beer.

"Do you recall," Jaethal questioned, she took a pause, "A few years its been, but Eire spoke of the under dark and elves who fled beneath the surface during the earthfall."

Valerie paused and racked her mind, she did... it took a minute because nothing had come of it since then, but more than that, "I do, but how might this involve the Church of Shelyn?"

Jaethal wrinkled her nose in vexation," Because," She stopped and Valerie felt it as well as a feeling of supernatural silence embraced the hall stifling like hot summer air. Conversations died, and Valerie watched as quicksilver eyes narrowed the King's head cocking up into the air. Eire was a tall man, and clad in dark plate with prominent protruding edges with crimson cloak the newcomer could have been a warrior of any of several welcomed here... save the almost miasma like aura of palpable malice. "Devil." Jaethal breathed the word in elven, but Valerie didn't need a translation...

The flames burned high, as Eire took the steps down from the high table with a slow methodical pace passing by Kanerah without glancing to the tiefling. Shaoyu however threw a look towards Kanerah before the younger dragon taking a position in front of her as the heat became even more oppressive. The hell knights and the paladins of Ragathiel had changed in posture as well.

The devil paid no visible concern to the potential challenge. The baritone of the man... male voice carried through the gathering, and the curtsey was mechanical in its precision, "Greetings Sovereign of this Realm, I have from afar to discuss a matter of considerable importance to both myself, and to my queen the Illustrious Mahathallah..." He paused rising, "Though you know my name, to others I am called the Forefather, and I what I desire most is a civilized conversation here at this gathering where you have welcomed so many others."

Valerie grit her teeth as the devil stepped forward. "What brings you here?"

"I came simply to pay my regards to a lawful ruler. It is my manner to conduct myself in this way."

There was a long sibilant exhalation from the king, "I find that truth to be tiring, you have made a grand entrance, and name your queen so quickly."

Jaethal had already begun to move, silent as the grave to the monarch's side, and though its quiet unnerved Valerie she also tracked the attention this newest arrival entailed from still others. The Order of the Godclaw in particular seemed particularly vexed by this, the paladin beside her's scowl told her enough of what the knight of the Angel of vengeance though as the king and the devil conversed. "Mahathallah is vassal to Asmodeus." He explained, "And It would not suprise me my lady if this devil does not conspire to provoke some breach of the king's peace by words alone.

A Godclaw paralictor nodded, "It is plausible the machinations of a deimavigga are often to sow heresy among the faithful... but if true he serves his liege this may reflect the interests of Law against the demonic forces of Chaos."

Ragathiel's paladin continued to scowl, "Such political measures could still succeed in sowing discord here." By this point Jaethal had reached the King's side, and she was not the only one. Tristian had come over as well, and Armag had moved through the throng the tall barbarian managing to look small compared to Forefather's some seven foot height.