To War 15.

Summer. Karricaw. Melaurn.

Over the last two days. Forces from here in the province of Karricaw, who have rushed back from the border with Corlinda after finding out what's happened in their province.
Have been attacked by the first army of Farque who have been waiting for them.
Wiping out most of the Karricaw forces. If not to the man, then at least decimating them so they're no longer a viable fighting force.
Companies and battalions in the first army of Farque have waited in ambush to attack the various local forces.
Who are in a mad rush to get back to their lands, to see what's happened to their villages, towns, keeps and castles. And just as importantly, their crops and fields.
All except the forces of lord Gormica, the lord of Salmah Forest. Who leads the province of Karricaw in their conflict against their neighbours to the west in the province of Corlinda.
Lord Gormica who through no fault of his own, became the leader of the Karricaw forces. For the simple reasons that he's a more than capable military leader. Infact, probably the best one in both provinces.
And because he's the twin brother of baron Wilmot. Who leads the province of Corlinda's forces. And is the chief antagonist in the dispute of how the border should lie between the two provinces.
Lord Gormica who has led his forces back over a hundred and twenty miles over the last two days.
Running his foot soldiers into the ground to do so. Hardly stopping at night to give his army any rest.
Is under no illusion that he and his forces have made it back here into the heart of the province. Not on the skills and wits, of him and his officers. And the scouts, and pathfinders he has in his forces.
They've seen in the distance, mostly to the north and south of the roads they've traveled on. And when they've gone cross country.
Evidence of other noble's forces being attacked, and not getting back to their own lands.
Lord Gormica knows that he and his army of about five hundred men, have been allowed to come back to their lands.
He doesn't know why. Just that they've been allowed to. He suspects he'll find out why when he gets further into Salmah Forest.
The nobleman originally from the province of Corlinda winces as he can see in the distance to the east, smoke rising up into the air.
Coming from the forest that gives this area of the province of Karricaw it's name.
The lord of Salmah Forest who is riding at the front of his army, looks back to where those are on foot.
Struggling to keep up with the mounted soldiers.
Lord Gormica slows those who are mounted, so that the infantry, and the following wagons they bothered to even bring back from the border, can keep up with those in the front.
Then the nobleman who has led the various forces of Karricaw in their conflict against the province of Corlinda.
Looks at his vassal knight, sir Deemus, riding beside him, who says "My lord, away to the right there".
Lord Gormica looks that way as they ride through the farmland to the west of the forest.
And he sees the burnt out shell of a farmhouse. And scattered across a nearby field, a flock of dead sheep.
While some milking cows lie dead and bloated by the burnt out barn.
Meanwhile further to the south of the farmhouse, the fields and what crops were grown there have been scorched.
The lord of Salmah Forest grimaces. As they've seen similar sights as they've come back through their province.
But this is the first time seeing such things on his own lands, here in the heart of the province of Karricaw.
Farmers beholden to him on his lands, whose livelihood, and potential taxes to him have been destroyed, maybe forever.
"Damn" mutters lord Gormica the lord of Salmah Forest.
Next to him, his vassal knight, sir Deemus nods in agreement.
As they're now seeing the destruction wrought upon their own lands, and not on other's as they've seen previously as they've come back east through Karricaw.
Lord Gormica who very much looks like his twin brother, baron Wilmot. Except he's clean shaven, while the baron of Pirtgott is bearded.
Though the lord of Salmah Forest is broader across the shoulders and chest compared to his twin brother.
Once again wonders if he and the others here in Karricaw should of offered more to hire the army from the lands Farque.
Who to him, are clearly responsible for these attacks upon the farms, villages, town, keeps and castles across the province of Karricaw.
The lord of Salmah Forest and a number of other nobles were willing to make a higher offer.
But the vast majority of the nobility here in Karricaw were unwilling to pay the mercenary army from the nation to the north of the kingdom, anymore than the last offer.
And look where that's got us, lord Gormica bitterly thinks to himself.
Our homes destroyed, our people displaced, not to mention the border is now lost, that's where it's got us, silently adds the nobleman who has led the forces here in the province of Karricaw.
They soon reach the forest, where they encounter a number of their people, who have been hiding out after their homes were destroyed.
Amongst those in the forest, lord Gormica finds his wife, and his younger children, as well as others who fled the castle that is their home.
His two oldest sons ride with his army. Who went off to the border thinking that would be victorious if war broke out between the two provinces of Karricaw and Corlinda.
Now they've come back home, they find themselves defeated. And they haven't even fought anyone, which is the most galling, and annoying thing of the whole situation they find themselves in.
After settling his younger children, and his wife in one of the following supply wagons.
Lord Gormica falls silent when he comes to the front of the column after his wife informs him that their home.
His castle, was all but completely destroyed and in rubble when she last caught sight of it, as she and the other inhabitants of the castle fled.
The nobleman who has led the forces of the province of Karricaw in the border dispute with their neighbours to the west in the province of Corlinda.
Is glad that those who attacked his home, and the village that stands near it.
Gave a bit of warning so that the castle inhabitants and the villagers could at least flee with their lives, and what little they could carry with them.
The lord of Salmah Forest knows they didn't have to do that. But deep down, in that place where he occasionally prays to the gods.
He's ever grateful that his wife and children, along with the others in the castle, and from the nearby village were able to escape with their lives.
They ride throughout the rest of the day through the forest.
Lord Gormica figures if they're not attacked soon after entering the forest. Then they won't be attacked at all in the forest that gives this area of the province of Karricaw, the name of Salmah Forest.
The nobleman who has led the forces of the province against those in the province of Corlinda, in their conflict over the border.
Calls a halt to the march in the early evening. His army can do with the rest, and so can those amongst the civilians. More of whom they've gathered as they've come back east through the forest.
After finding his two oldest boys, Harmond and Greever amongst the rank and file of his army.
And have them stay with their mother, and younger siblings this night.
Lord Gormica sits nearby at a fire with sir Deemus, and another of his vassal knights, sir Riknall. And a couple of the senior officers in his army.
One of the pathfinders who went on ahead has just come back, and informed them that the forest about a mile east of camp.
Is basically gone for as far as the eye can see further to the east. As fire has ripped through it over the last couple of days.
"I don't exactly know what we're going back to" quietly says lord Gormica who continues with "My wife informs me, my castle is all but rubble".
He looks at his vassal knights, as he adds "I suspect your keep is in a similar state Deemus" followed by "As is yours Riknall, and your hunting lodge too".
Both the other noblemen wince when they hear that, as they know their liege lord probably speaks the truth.
Sir Deemus, a tall, lean, almost thin man, a decade or so younger than the lord of Salmah Forest says "How quickly things have turned".
He briefly pauses then adds in a sour tone "Wonder what happened to all those foreign mercenary companies we hired who were coming up from Selvah Na?".
Lord Gormica shrugs, then says "Doesn't matter now does it" followed by "We've lost the border, and this war" he continues on with "They can't help us now".
Sir Deemus grimaces, while his fellow vassal knight, sir Riknall. Who is the youngest of the three noblemen sitting around the camp fire, grunts when he hears that from the lord of Salmah Forest.
The three of them, along with the two senior officers in lord Gormica's army chat late into the night.
And seek their blankets late after midnight, after discussing what they might encounter tomorrow when they leave the forest, and get to what remains of the lord of Salmah Forest's castle.
Along with the nearby village, and with the fields in the surrounding farms.
Lord Gormica is up early in the morning, well before dawn. Where he gives the order to depart at dawn. After he spends a bit of time with his family and children to see how they're faring after the ordeal they've endured.
The army, along with all the other locals they gathered here in the forest yesterday.
Set off on the road that winds it's way through the forest, and it's a little later, when they've just gone a mile or so in the early light of another warm summer morning.
That they first see the destruction wrought by fire that's blazed through the forest.
There's burnt trees for miles, smoke can be seen in patches throughout the trees. And here and there, there's still trees that are smouldering.
The army and the people with them, are silent for the most part as they head back eastwards through the burnt out part of the forest.
Lord Gormica doesn't say anything for awhile. As the forest is the major income for his lands.
As every year they harvest a certain number of trees. Which are then milled, and the timber sent off down to the port city of Ramaee in the province of Selvah Na. Where it's used in the shipbuilding industry.
Salmah Forest is one of the main suppliers for timber in the kingdom's shipbuilding efforts.
The nobleman originally from the province of Corlinda, who left there just over twenty years ago to marry his wife here in Karricaw.
Knows it will be years, if not decades before the forest will be back to what it was previously. Able to supply much of the shipbuilding industry down in the southern coastal city of Ramaee.
The lord of Salmah Forest who is in his early forties, knows that he will spend the rest of his life trying to rebuild the timber trade here in his lands.
That's if he lives beyond today, as later in the day, sometime after midday. They should be back to where his castle stood just near the eastern edge of the forest.
Eventually lord Gormica speaks, and he quietly says "It'll be some time before we're able to cut and mill to the levels we were doing previously".
Sir Deemus, nods then says "We'll help as much as we can my lord".
The vassal knight who is heartened that his liege lord is thinking of the long term, then adds "We'll get things going again as quickly as we can".
He briefly pauses before continuing in a slightly dry tone with "Not to mention all the rebuilding we've got to do".
Lord Gormica can't help but grin as he thinks about the castle that's been his home for the last twenty or so years. And the idea of trying to rebuild it.
The castle on the eastern edge of the Salmah Forest, which has been in his wife's family for more than three centuries. Has been built up over all that time.
Infact Gormica for the first five years of his marriage, had masons and builders complete one of the broach towers that had been left incomplete for nearly a century.
That cost a small fortune at the time, he can only imagine how much it would coast to rebuild the entire castle.
The local lord, and his two vassal knights at the front of the army quietly chat throughout the morning as they head eastwards through the burnt out forest.
It's not long till midday, when sir Riknall spots a rider heading along the forest road towards them.
"One of the pathfinders" quietly says sir Riknall the vassal knight, gesturing ahead to the oncoming rider.
The lord of Salmah Forest recognises the approaching pathfinder, and when he gets to them, lord Gormica asks "What is it Damond?".
"My lord, up ahead" says the pathfinder after he swings his horse around to ride alongside the three noblemen.
"It's" says the ranger or pathfinder as they're called here in the kingdom of Melaurn, who momentarily pauses before he tells his lord what it is.
Lord Gormica and his two vassal knights are silent as they listen to Damond the pathfinder.
The three of them share looks, and eventually the lord of Salmah Forest nods his head, and quietly says "Very well".
They ride in silence as they lead the army and the others along the forest road, where eventually they find the other two pathfinders, sitting upon their mounts, waiting for them.
"Just up ahead out of the forest my lord" quietly says one of the other pathfinders when they reach them.
Lord Gormica nods his head, and says "Might as well see what they want" he briefly pauses before continuing on with "If they had wanted to attack us, they would have done so already".
The nobleman who has led the province of Karricaw in the recent border dispute with the province of Corlinda, leads the way forward along the forest road which is about to end.
Lord Gormica grimaces as through the trees and out in the open, he spots the village that lies just south of his castle.
Or what's left of the village, as every building to it is a burnt out shell.
He sees the scorched fields to the south and east of the village, where the entire summer harvest has been burnt away.
And as they're about to come out of the burnt out forest, he looks to the left, to the north, and finally sees his castle, or what's left of it.
The lord of Salmah Forest just sighs as he sees the massive pile of rubble that once was a castle that was over three hundred years old.
Then he takes a deep breath, as he sees the army in black, just to the east of what was his home.
An army at least three thousand strong, which is less than a third of the army that has attacked the province of Karricaw. Not that lord Gormica knows that.
Besides he's too busy looking at the two dozen or so airships, either on the ground behind the black clad army, or in the air above it. To realise that this is just a part of the army from the lands Farque that has laid waste to the province of Karricaw.
The lord of Salmah Forest who sees a number of people out infront of the waiting army. Calls a halt to his following army and the others behind him.
"What do we do my lord?" quietly asks sir Riknall the vassal knight.
"Not attack them for starters" dryly says the other vassal knight sir Deemus, who continues on with "Just a few of those warships is enough to wipe us all out".
Lord Gormica nods in agreement, then he says to his two vassal knights "Come on, let's see what they want then" . . . . . .