To War 28.

Summer. Corlinda. Southern Melaurn.

They're silent as they ride down off the hill, heading towards the city of Pirtgott.
A city that usually has the dark brown, almost red stone keep, sticking up from behind the gray walls of the city.
But not this hot, summer morning. As the sight they see is something some of them feared.
Hoping it wouldn't be like elsewhere as they came back through the province of Corlinda.
But this morning as they look at the city of Pirtgott, the keep in the middle of the city is nothing but a large pile of rubble.
Once they come down off the hill, they're spared the sight of seeing the pile of rubble that was the baron of Pirtgott's keep.
The current baron, rides at the front of his army. With only a handful of scouts further out infront along the road.
There's a small number of others on the road, who get off it as the army comes down off the hill.
As they stand off to the side of the road with their carts, or wagons, or horses.
They watch in silence as the baron and his army go by.
When ordinarily they would be cheering his return. Especially after being victorious in the border war against the province of Karricaw.
But that victory has turned out to be short lived. Infact, extremely short lived.
Now the province of Corlinda, which the baron has led during the conflict against the neighbouring province to the east.
Has well and truly come under attack. And for all the locals know, they've been defeated in a more wide ranging war than the one over the contentious border between the two provinces.
The baron of Pirtgott looks at the city walls about a mile away, and from here, down on more flat terrain, all seems normal.
Except you'd normally see the keep sticking up from the middle of the city, over the walls.
Now all one sees, are the occasional towers within the city that are higher than the walls of Pirtgott.
Baron Wilmot lets out a deep breath as he looks at the city that's been the home of his family for centuries.
The nobleman who has led the province of Corlinda in it's border war with the province of Karricaw.
Feels physically sick at the sight of the city of Pirtgott minus the keep of the barons.
He'd seen all the destroyed castles and keeps further to the east in Corlinda as they came back through the province.
But he was hoping it wouldn't be the same in his home city of Pirtgott.
But those hopes have been dashed, as the keep in the middle of the city no longer stands.
After a little while, the baron looks back at the group following directly behind him.
And after a moment, he nods for his vassal knight sir Holjma to ride forward and join him.
Silent for a few more moments, baron Wilmot finally breaks the silence and quietly says "Thoughts?".
"From what i could see coming down the hill" says sir Holjma the vassal knight, who continues on with "It looked like it's just the keep that's been destroyed" he then adds "The rest of the city looks to be intact, so that's something".
The baron Wilmot of Pirtgott just grunts to that, as he thought the same thing as they rode down the hill.
Though that's some small comfort, considering the massive keep in the middle of the city, that his family has called home for centuries, no longer stands.
They don't need to voice who did it, they know who did. But the baron can't help it, and mutters "Damn those mercenary bastards and their warships".
The vassal knight sir Holjma can only agree, then he looks away to the north.
And sees the craters across the fields and countryside that way.
And what looks to be like dead horses, and bodies.
He spots some of the local farmers in the distance digging graves by the looks of it. And he mentions this to the baron of Pirtgott.
With a wince, the baron says "Some of our allies most like" the nobleman who has led the province of Corlinda in the border conflict with the province of Karricaw, mutters "Poor bastards".
Baron Wilmot turns, and has sergeant Morbic send some of his scouts out, to see who it is the locals are burying out there, to the north of the city.
Meanwhile the army continues to follow the road that leads to the city of Pirtgott.
As they do, sir Holjma the vassal knight quietly says "The gates are open, and people are coming and going as normal" followed by "That's a good sign".
The baron nods in agreement, then he slows his mount down, so that the rest of the army has to slow down.
As he waits for sergeant Morbic's scouts to return, to see what they've found out concerning what happened in the fields and open countryside to the north of the city of Pirtgott.
They move so slowly now that the baron calls a halt, to allow the foot soldiers, and the camp followers with the wagons, who are strung out along the road, to catch up.
Wilmot of Pirtgott is silent as he sits there upon his mount, as he looks at the city which isn't all that far away now.
The nobleman who has led the province of Corlinda in the recent border war with the province of Karricaw.
Doesn't even notice sergeant Morbic's scouts come back from the fields to the north and report to the sergeant at arms.
Who rides forward to where baron Wilmot is with one of his vassal knights, sir Holjma.
"My lord baron" quietly says sergeant at arms Morbic as he interrupts the baron's silence.
"Who was it Morbic?" asks baron Wilmot with a nod of his head away to the north.
"Lord Milson of Mottman Deep and his army" replies the sergeant at arms.
The baron and his vassal knight both wince at the mention of the lord of Mottman Deep. Who has been baron Wilmot's staunchest ally in the border war against the province of Karricaw.
"They were attacked a few mornings ago just as the city was attacked" says sergeant Morbic, who continues on with "Seems they were at the wrong place at the wrong time as they were making their way back home".
"Hell" mutters the vassal knight sir Holjma.
"Some few of them escaped through the woods up there baron" says the sergeant at arms, who follows that with "Of lord Milson, the farmers have found no sign of him".
Wilmot of Pirtgott winces again as he looks to the north, at the crater pocked fields, obviously hit by magetube shots fired from airships.
The baron hopes his friend and ally Milson was one of the ones who was able to escape.
If not, then he hopes he was killed instantly, and didn't suffer when his army was attacked a few mornings ago.
"Thank you sergeant" says the baron of Pirtgott.
The sergeant at arms nods, and rejoins the others at the front of the vanguard.
"I should of listened to you Milson" murmurs baron Wilmot, which sir Holjma hears.
The vassal knight stays silent on that matter. As he was present when lord Milson tried to talk the baron out of crossing the border into Karricaw to hunt down the baron's twin brother, sir Gormica.
And to leave it to the mercenary army from the lands Farque to take care of that.
The only advice from the lord of Mottman Deep that the baron of Pirtgott didn't heed.
Knowing that's the only time the baron will probably admit his mistake, sir Holjma says to him "Should we continue?".
As he tries to get the baron to concentrate on what they're doing now.
The nobleman who has led the forces of the province of Corlinda in the recent border conflict with the neighbouring province to the east, Karricaw.
Nods his head, and quietly says to his vassal knight "Yes, let's continue". Then waves for the army to resume the march towards the city of Pirtgott as he tries not to think about how lord Milson of Mottman Deep, had an army of nearly eight hundred soldiers with him.
The city of Pirtgott, the only city in either province of Corlinda and Karricaw, here in the south of the kingdom of Melaurn.
As they get closer to the walled city that's been home for the baron's family for centuries.
Sir Holjma notices something, then quietly says "No one's coming in through the gates, or leaving now".
Baron Wilmot as he looks at the north gates of the city, which are also the main gates of the walled city. Notices the same thing as his vassal knight.
Then the two of them, see a trio walk out through the main gates off Pirtgott, then stop.
After a moment, the baron holds up a fist, a signal for his army to halt, which they do behind him.
Baron Wilmot then shares a look with his vassal knight sir Holjma.
As the two of them recognise all three of those who have just walked out of the north gates of Pirtgott.
The first, is an individual in a white hooded cloak, a couple inches over six foot in height.
Whose features are obscured due to the hood of his cloak, that's up on his head at the moment.
The baron of Pirtgott, and the nobility of the province of Corlinda have had dealings with this individual recently.
"Damn mercenary" mutters sir Holjma from where he sits upon his horse next the mounted baron.
Who nods in agreement with his vassal knight.
The other two are nobleborn, from here in southern Melaurn. Though from across the border to the east, in the province of Karricaw.
The one on the left of the figure in the white hooded cloak, is who baron Wilmot believes is sir Deemus.
A man he's never met before, who he knows by reputation only.
While the nobleman from the province of Karricaw on the right of the foreign mercenary in the white hooded cloak, the baron knows extremely well.
For even though apart from only catching an occasional glimpse of him from across the border recently, when the two armies from Corlinda and Karricaw faced off against one another.
He's only seen him up close the once in the last twenty or so years.
For he's baron Wilmot's twin brother, lord Gormica of Salmah Forest. The leader of the forces of the province of Karricaw in the recent border war.
"What should we do?" sir Holjma murmurs to his liege lord.
The baron of Pirtgott glances at his vassal knight who he sees is looking around.
To the northwest and the woods in that direction, and up at the morning sky too.
The baron does likewise, considering how confident the trio are just outside of the city gates are.
Things could go extremely wrong, extremely quickly for the baron and his army if he does something rash here.
"They could have warships behind the south side of the city for all we know" quietly says sir Holjma.
Wilmot of Pirtgott nods in agreement, then he quietly says "I'm guessing if they had wanted to do something, they would of done so already".
The baron looks back at his army who are spread out along the road, who would have no chance against a fleet of warships.
The nobleman who has led the province of Corlinda in the recent border war with the province of Karricaw, looks at his vassal knight, and quietly tells him "No, they want to talk about something".
"Probably our surrender" mutters sir Holjma in disgust.
Baron Wilmot winces as he catches that, then he waves his son Krissner forward, as well as another of his vassal knights, sir Crissen forward.
The baron of Pirtgott tells them a few things, making it extremely care to them not to anything without an order from him.
Then the baron nods to sir Holjma, and quietly says to him "Come on, let's see what my brother wants".
Baron Wilmot and his vassal knight sir Holjma dismount, and hand the reins of their mounts to a soldier who comes forward.
Then the two noblemen walk away, heading for the main gates of the city of Pirtgott, while the baron's army waits on the road, this hot summer morning, here in the south of the kingdom of Melaurn.
"A little advice my lord baron" quietly says sir Holjma as they walk side by side towards the city gates.
"Sure" replies baron Wilmot as he looks at the trio standing infront of the north gates of Pirtgott.
"Don't lose your temper here Wilmot" says the vassal knight, who continues with "I bet that's what Gormica wants".
Sir Holjma knows how much the baron hates his twin brother Gormica for leaving the province of Corlinda all those years ago, to marry a noblewoman of Karricaw.
And he figures the lord of Salmah Forest will want his twin Wilmot to lose his temper, and do something stupid here.
"I'll keep that in mind" quietly murmurs the baron of Pirtgott as they get closer to the open gates of the city.
They come to a stop about ten paces from the trio standing infront of the north gates of Pirtgott.
The baron and the vassal knight watch the figure in the white hooded cloak.
The elven envoy from the mercenary armies of Farque, by the name of Helbe who they've had dealings with in the recent past.
Step away from the two noblemen from the province of Karricaw, and stand off to one side from the four Melaurian nobles.
The two nobles from here in the province of Corlinda face their fellow nobles, their equivalents from across the border in the province of Karricaw.
The baron of Pirtgott glances at the elven envoy from the armies of Farque, who just stands there.
The baron figures he's just going to witness what's said here between the opposing noblemen.
So baron Wilmot looks straight at his twin brother, lord Gormica and breaks the silence by saying with a touch of malice in his voice "Brother".
"Brother" replies lord Gormica of Salmah Forest in a cold tone of voice as they face one another for the first time in two decades . . . . . .