Winter. Oaklynn. Girdane.
"I expect you to be ready for me if i return for the midday meal" says lord Sammis the regent of Oaklynn as he looks at his wife the lady Mera, who is lying on their bed.
He waits to see if she bursts into tears. But as she lies there quivering after what he's just done to her first thing this morning. She just slowly nods her head in response to what he just said.
The regent of the city of Oaklynn grunts in satisfaction, then after donning his cloak he heads to the bedroom door without looking back.
Not seeing his wife, the young noblewoman from the duchy of Dalmar, glaring at him as he departs.
The nobleman who is the only living member of the royal family left alive. Makes his way through his suite here in the mansion he's lived in since becoming the regent of the capital city of the kingdom of Girdane.
He opens the suite door, and almost walks into one of the maids hovering outside the door.
"Out of the way" says lord Sammis as he looks at the maid, who is always hanging around his wife, as she hastily backs away from him.
"Sorry my lord regent" says Lissa the house maid by way of apology, hoping not to rile up the temper of the regent of Oaklynn.
Who looks at her in a dismissive manner, before he heads right, and makes his way down the hallway.
The house maid sourly smiles as she watches lord Sammis walking away. Lissa silently curses him, and wishes him ill fortune for the day. Before she hurries into the suite to check on her lady. Who in the recent days has suffered dearly under the hands of her abusive husband.
Out in the rear courtyard of the mansion, the regent of Oaklynn hurries into his covered carriage. As the morning here in the capital city has dawned exceptionally cold.
"Bloody cold this morning" says lord Sammis to captain Kilmane who is waiting in the covered carriage.
"That it is my lord" says captain Kilmane as the driver gets the horse drawn carriage underway, and it goes around the mansion.
After the regent of Oaklynn quickly looks to the east before the carriage heads around to the front of the mansion, and he sees the sun rising in the early morning sky.
He asks his most trusted officer "Any messages come in from the west overnight?".
"Just the one" replies the captain in the regent's army, who then adds "Commander Kaim reports that our defeated army has made it to Summerton" captain Kilmane continues on with "And that the enemy are no longer in pursuit of them".
As the covered carriage goes across the front courtyard, and out through the open gates, and turns right onto the long street that runs through the middle of the city of Oaklynn.
The nobleman who is acting as the defacto king at the moment, asks the captain in his army "Thoughts?".
"I'd say they've finally outstretched themselves, and their supply lines are too long and disjointed back to the very west of the kingdom" says captain Kilmane, who follows on with "And i wouldn't be surprised they've learnt how many soldiers and troopers from here in the east of the kingdom are pouring into Fandell and the town of Summerton" he then adds "They're right to be cautious in any advance from now on".
As the carriage heads along the long street towards the palace of the king at the other end, lord Sammis nods his head in agreement with the captain, as he thought something similar.
The regent of Oaklynn who adjusts his gloves, looks across to the captain after glancing out the door window, and says "Counterattack?".
"Counterattack" says captain Kilmane with a nod of his head, he follows that with "They won't expect it, and they won't be able to stand against an army now nearly twice the size of the crown's army they defeated previously".
"Send word to Jaqor to go ahead" says regent Sammis "I'm guessing the commander is already doing that as we speak" says the captain in the regent of Oaklynn's army "But I'll send word to him anyway" adds captain Kilmane.
As the horse drawn carriage trundles down the long street, heading towards the palace in the early morning sunshine just after dawn on this bitterly cold day here in the east of the kingdom of Girdane.
The nobleman who is the regent of Oaklynn then asks "Anything else?".
"Pretty much everyone from here in the east who have joined us, have left to go to the duchy of Fandell" says the officer in the regent's army, who continues with "The latest mercenary sign ups over the last couple of days left before dawn" he then adds "That's about it really".
Lord Sammis nods his head, then after a few moments of silence, his most trusted officer asks him "Plans for today my lord?".
As the carriage approaches the gates of the palace, the regent of Oaklynn quietly says "Since there's very few at court at the moment, someone i trust will put forth the motion that i take the throne".
"So today then?" quietly asks captain Kilmane, who has helped the regent over the last few years, to bring about his plans to be the king of Girdane.
"Today" says lord Sammis the regent of Oaklynn with a nod of his head, and a satisfied smile upon his face as the horse drawn carriage turns, and heads in through the gates of the palace of the king of Girdane.
"That's the regent" says Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy as they watch the covered carriage go in through the gates to the palace.
The elven spy looks at lord Farque, who along with Dorc da Orc, Mira Reinholt the mage, and Shur Kee the monk have just made their way to the long street in the middle of the city. After they left Oaklynn well before dawn.
Lord Farque slightly nods his full helmed head, then he senses away to the east of the city, and across the Tambir river.
"The first of them are on the road heading towards the city" quietly says lord Farque who continues with "Horse companies led Arvelle" the undead warlord then adds "They'll be at the outskirts of the city soon enough".
The heavily armoured deathlord gestures across the long street to the palace, and as they see the horse drawn carriage of the regent of Oaklynn go across the marshalling yard infront of the main building of the king's palace, which it stops infront of.
"The palace first" quietly says the lord of the death realm, who then adds "Then the council building".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque looks at the group who are here in the city of Oaklynn, and quietly tells them "You know what to do" as they've spent the last few days planning what they'll do at this moment.
Now they wait for the command from the undead warlord, who is sensing away to the southeast of the city.
And when Des'tier as the deathlord of Farque is known in the elven language, senses that Helbe the elven thief has come through the portal in the gnome hole less than two miles away from the city of Oaklynn.
He looks at Mira Reinholt the mage then says "Time to get things started".
The mage Reinholt nods his hooded head in understanding, then lord Farque says something in the ork language.
The next moment, he and Dorc da Orc are crossing the street, heading to the open gates of the palace, that's guarded by soldiers in the regent's army.
The others with the exception of Mira Reinholt glance at one another, while the spellcaster, who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
Holds out his right gloved hand as he prepares to create something.
While next to him, his fellow spellcaster, Beldane the cleric gets ready to cast.
It doesn't look like the undead warlord and the ork warleader are going to stop once they're at the gates.
And that's exactly what they do, they don't stop. Unfortunately for the regent's men who try to stop them entering the palace.
As the first of the regent's soldiers goes flying through the air when lord Farque grabs him, and flings him away.
Mira Reinholt the mage quietly says to Beldane the cleric "Get ready".
The fighting cleric who is a member of the church of Glaine nods to signify he's ready.
While behind them, a fidgeting sir Percavelle Lé Dic sourly smiles as he watches the large ork enter the king's palace alongside the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Lord Sammis the regent of Oaklynn, has just got into the antechamber next to the larger chamber where court is convened.
When a page runs in, out of breath, and after quickly looking at captain Kilmane, he says to the regent of Oaklynn "Disturbance at the palace gates my lord".
"The guards are seeing to it?" asks lord Sammis after he quickly shoots a look at captain Kilmane.
"They are my lord regent" replies the young page, who after the briefest of pauses, adds "But they are having trouble".
The regent of Oaklynn, who is just wondering if there might be rebel sympathisers in the city, and is about to tell captain Kilmane to deal with the disturbance at the city gates.
Looks to a side door of the antechamber, that bangs open, and one of his soldiers runs in, nearly breathless.
"Sir" says the soldier, who takes a couple of deep breaths, before he continues with "An army approaching the city from the east".
Both captain Kilmane and the regent of Oaklynn frown, as basically every army they've expected, has already arrived and left to go out to the duchy of Fandell, to rendezvous at Summerton.
"A foreign mercenary army perhaps" muses a thoughtful captain Kilmane.
The soldier who has just entered the antechamber says "Perhaps captain" before he continues on with "But the lookouts up on the roof say they're pouring out of those woods just a couple miles to the southeast of the city" followed by "And their horse soldiers are almost in the city".
The regent of Oaklynn, along with his most trusted officer share a look, then the two of them rush from the antechamber. Heading for the nearest set of stairs that take them up higher in the palace, with captain Kilmane calling out for the wizard Haric.
It's not long before they're on the roof of the three storey main building of the palace of the king of Girdane, and they're looking to the south and east of the city.
And they along with the lookouts who are stationed here on this exceptionally cold winter's morning as the sun continues to rise in the east.
See a ribbon of moving figures upon the road to the southeast of Oaklynn.
The road that goes over a bridge on the Tambir river, and heads into the city that's the capital of the kingdom of Girdane.
A breathless Haric the wizard, along with Sarmac the keeper make their way up one of the trapdoors, and hurry over to where lord Sammis and captain Kilmane are standing on the roof.
"Horse soldiers in the city" says Sarmac the keeper who points to the southern quarter of the city, where they're just able to see cavalry entering the city of Oaklynn.
"Didn't that mercenary army they hired, were all in black?" asks the former gamekeeper, who then gestures towards the road from the southeast, and he adds "Pretty sure they're all in black".
"They are" says Haric the wizard, who is still breathing heavily.
The portly spellcaster in the rumpled, ruby coloured robes, who has cast a farsight spell upon himself, quietly says "I'm pretty sure that's them".
"That's impossible" says captain Kilmane, who continues on with "They're in Wostin, or Fandell at the most" he then adds "No way they could be here".
"Well they are" says the wizard in the regent of Oaklynn's army, who follows that with "Because that's them there".
Then just as captain Kilmane is going to argue again, as he knows. And even Haric has told himself. That it's impossible to have a rift or gateway open long enough. For an army the size of the one approaching the city to go through.
The wizard Haric who is looking closer to towards the woods, across the Tambir river. Grimaces, then looks sharply at the regent of Oaklynn.
"My lord regent" quietly says the overweight spellcaster "What is it wizard?" asks lord Sammis, the regent of the capital city of the kingdom of Girdane.
"It's them" says Haric, who doesn't want to say it, but he does, as he adds "The rebel dukes".
There's absolutely silence upon the roof of the palace after the wizard says that.
Captain Kilmane is about to argue again, but a runner has come up through one of the trapdoors, and handed him a cylindrical eyepiece.
And when he looks through it, to look at those on the road, on the otherside of the river. He sees that Haric the wizard is indeed correct. They are the rebel dukes of Falosen, Girnath and Dalmar.
"Fuck me" mutters the captain in the regent's army, who like the spellcaster, grimaces.
Then he looks at lord Sammis, and quietly says "Haric's right" followed by "It is them, i can see them flying their pennants".
The captain puts the eyepiece up to his face again. So that he doesn't have to look at the regent of Oaklynn.
Who has a look of incredulity upon his face, that's turning to anger. As he and the rest of them watch the enemy army approach the city from the southeast.
When they should be over a hundred miles away to the west, in the duchies of Wostin and Fandell in the central region of the kingdom of Girdane.
"How the hell did they get here?" demands regent Sammis, who then mutters "Suppose it doesn't matter how, really".
Then the nobleman looks at his most trusted officer, and says "Our army must repel them" followed by "You have command of them Kilmane".
"Yes my lord, regent" says captain Kilmane, who has about six to six and half thousand of the regent's army here in the city at the moment.
No where near enough to defend such a large city, like the capital.
And no where near enough to be effective against the size of the army approaching the city from the southeast.
"I think i can hit that bridge they're crossing" says Haric the wizard "That's something i guess" says captain Kilmane, who then adds "Go for it".
Then just as the rotund spellcaster is about to cast a spell that he hopes can destroy the bridge the enemy are crossing, he senses something.
"Mageglobe!" shouts Haric the wizard in warning, who slams up a barrier and a protection spell.
Just as an explosion rocks the main building of the palace of the king of Girdane . . . . . .
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