To War 47.

Summer. The Province Of Corlinda. The Kingdom Of Melaurn.

Helbe the elven thief glances sideways at the twin brothers, lord Gormica of Salmah Forest, and baron Wilmot of Pirtgott.
The highly talented elven magic user who is riding at the front with the nobleborn brothers.
Then looks back behind them, at the following combined army of lord Gormica and baron Wilmot.
Which just over a week and a half ago, were still fighting one another in the war between the provinces of Karricaw and Corlinda.
And though there's some of the first army of Farque here with them. This particular army is predominantly made up of those from the two provinces that were at war so recently.
They're in the north of the province of Corlinda, not all that far from the border with the province of Moleau.
The province where the majority of the enemy forces are coming through to get to the province of Corlinda, then onto the province of Karricaw.
Seeing baron Wilmot of Pirtgott look up into the sky again, Helbe the elven thief tells him "Not to worry baron, we won't be bothered by enemy airships".
For though their armies are still heavily outnumbered by the crown's forces.
When it comes to air power. It's a completely different scenario.
With the Farqian fleet being far superior to any air power that the crown has.
Those of the king's fleet and their allies are already flying cautiously through, and near the provinces where the conflict is taking place.
As they've started to get picked off in numbers by the superior airships from the lands Farque.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque.
And is the envoy for the armies of Farque when dealing with those who have hired them.
Nods his hooded head when baron Wilmot of Pirtgott says "That's a relief".
The elven masterthief who is the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, then says to the nobleborn twin brothers "Though we have superiority in the skies above our heads" followed by "Wars aren't won in the skies, they're won on the ground".
Both lord Gormica, and his twin brother, baron Wilmot nod in agreement to that from the elven envoy.
The elven master assassin glances at his right shoulder, where Narladene the ground pixie has just landed.
The elven princeling listens to what the tiny winged creature has to say.
Then the elven master archer says to the twin brothers Gormica and Wilmot "If you would excuse me for a little bit".
The young elven noble who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel.
Rides off the road they're on, and cuts across the fallow fields of an abandoned farm.
The highly talented elven spellcaster rides to a nearby hill on the otherside of the abandoned farm.
Once he's behind it, he sees lord Farque and Mira Reinholt the mage, standing near some trees, beside a stream behind the hill.
The grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel dismounts, and walks his horse over to the undead warlord and the once powerful mage.
Where the three of them discuss a number of things concerning the war between lord Gormica of Salmah Forest, and the king of Melaurn.
"Where do you think he went?" asks baron Wilmot of Pirtgott after the elven envoy disappears from sight when he rides around a nearby hill.
"Who knows with that one" says lord Gormica of Salmah Forest, who nods his head in agreement with his twin brother Wilmot, who quietly adds "And what's he up to?".
As the elf who is the envoy between them and the first army of Farque, the lord of Salmah Forest continues to hire, is more than a little mysterious to say the least.
The nobleman from the province of Karricaw who finds himself in a war against the king and crown.
Due to no fault of his own, as he can either fight against the crown. Or see his province of Karricaw, and that of it's neighbour Corlinda, wiped out by the crown and it's allies.
Looks back at the following army predominantly made up of his own army, and that of his twin brother Wilmot's.
Two armies that recently were fighting one another in the war between the provinces of Karricaw and Corlinda.
A war that started off as a dispute over the border between them that had been brewing for years.
And ended up being much more personal because of the twin brothers who led either side.
Which eventually Gormica of Salmah Forest won. By simply hiring the first army of Farque. After his twin brother Wilmot discontinued hiring them.
The nobleman from the province of Karricaw, then looks at his twin brother, who he finds looking at him.
"Still odd isn't it?" says the baron of Pirtgott, who nods at their army following them, as he adds "Our armies together like this?".
"It is" quietly says lord Gormica as the two of them ride ahead of their vassals and senior officers.
While out infront of them are the foreriders of the combined army. And further infront of them, out of sight, are the scouts, and rangers, or pathfinders as they're often called here in the kingdom of Melaurn.
Who are leading the way as the combined army from the provinces of Karricaw and Corlinda head towards the border between Corlinda and the province of Moleau.
Baron Wilmot, who still doesn't particularly like his twin brother. Dislikes the idea of the crown ravaging the province of Corlinda even more.
As the king has set his sights on his twin brother Gormica, who he thinks expanded the recent war beyond the provinces of Corlinda and Karricaw.
Looks at his twin brother again, who until recently, hadn't seen him in basically two decades, who quietly says to him "You know what?".
"What?" asks the baron of Pirtgott, who is learning to keep his temper under control when he's around his brother.
"I suspect the king, or i should say the crown would of done this anyway" quietly says the Karricawian nobleman, who follows that with "Even if the lord of Mottman Deep hadn't done what he did".
"Oh?" says the nobleman who led the province of Corlinda in the recent war between it, and the neighbouring province to the east, Karricaw.
"Why do you say that?" adds the baron of Pirtgott.
"Because of what the crown has done down in Selvah Na for the last century or so" says the lord of Salmah Forest, who continues on with "Always sending an army down there whenever there's a flare up of anti crown sentiment, from not just the nobility, the common people too".
Baron Wilmot slowly nods his head as he can see the logic in his brother Gormica's thinking.
"Whenever the nobility get into a fight down there, a force from the capital goes down to clean things up" says lord Gormica, who briefly pauses before he adds "Same with that war that ravaged parts of Sorros, about fourteen years ago" followed by "Remember that?".
"Yeah i do" says baron Wilmot as he recalls the war up in the province of Sorros during the winter, fourteen years ago.
When neighbouring nobles up in Sorros, were fighting over the right to be the duke of that province at the time.
"I know it was the current king's father on the throne at the time" says the lord of Salmah Forest who follows that with "But again, he sent in his army after that war was over, and shut down the victor".
The nobleman from the province of Karricaw, briefly pauses before he adds "Now Sorros, like our provinces, and down in Selvah Na, doesn't have a duke".
The baron of Pirtgott looks sharply at his twin brother Gormica, then nods in understanding after he mutters "Well, fuck me".
For every province in the kingdom of Melaurn, which there's twelve of, is essentially a duchy.
Though four of them, Karricaw, Corlinda, Selvah Na and Sorros have no duke at this point in time.
Karricaw and Corlinda haven't for centuries, as they're the two most fractious provinces in the entire kingdom. Always at each other's throats. Even before the feud between the twin brothers Wilmot and Gormica.
While Selvah Na, which is the most rebellious of the provinces in the nation. Hasn't had a duke for at least a century now.
And the province of Sorros has joined them more recently. Being without a duke for the last fourteen years.
"I suspect that the crown would like to see Orrinda and Pandilak without dukes too" says the lord of Salmah Forest, who then adds "You know how independent those eastern lords are".
"Yeah" says the baron of Pirtgott who continues on with "The crown won't move on them, because they buffer the rest of the kingdom from the hordes out on the tundra".
"That's the only reason the eastern lords are so independent" says lord Gormica, who then adds "If not, then the crown would move on them" he follows that with "Because they're almost like a country onto themselves in Orrinda and Pandilak".
The older of the twins nods his head in agreement with his twin brother as the road they're on, bends around a stream that runs through the farms in this part of northern Corlinda, close to the border of the province of Moleau.
"You think this is a systematic change the crown has undertaken for, what centuries now?" asks Wilmot of Pirtgott.
"It sure looks like it" is the reply of the nobleman from the province of Karricaw, who follows on from that with "I know the current royal family wasn't on the throne a few centuries ago when both Karricaw and Corlinda last had dukes".
Gormica of Salmah Forest continues with "But they have been since Selvah Na last did, as well as more recently Sorros".
As the baron of Pirtgott nods at that, his twin brother adds "They're just carrying on the doctrine of the what, three or four previous royal families before them".
"I can see that" says baron Wilmot, who then adds "But to what ends?".
"Control of course" says lord Gormica, who continues with "The dukes are the most powerful nobles in the kingdom behind the king" he follows that with "It's no surprise those provinces that are duchies are the most stable in the kingdom".
The lord of Salmah Forest then says "Look at it this way" followed by "Pirtgott is the only city in both Corlinda and Karricaw, even though we have the population between us for at least another city".
Lord Gormica then adds "Ramaee down in Selvah Na is the second largest city in the kingdom, but it's hamstrung every winter because of the pack ice along the southern coast, and they have to close their port, then pay exorbitant prices to ship their goods overland or by air for a good chunk of the year".
The nobleman from the province of Karricaw then says "Now look at Sorros, which has been a basket case for a decade and a bit now, since they last had a duke".
For though the provinces of Karricaw and Corlinda are often bitter rivals, where conflicts occasionally flare up.
It's nothing in comparison to the province of Sorros, where for more than a decade, much of the nobility there, have on and off in that time, been fighting each other.
"If the fighting up there in Sorros ever went beyond it's borders, the crown would move in again" says lord Gormica of Salmah Forest.
"That's if the crown isn't already funding a lot of fighting up there anyway" says baron Wilmot in a dry tone of voice.
"Exactly" says the lord of Salmah Forest, who follows that with "And Sorros is where the family of the king's mother is from".
The Corlindian nobleman nods his head, as the dowager queen is still alive, and still has a lot of influence at court, and on her son the king.
"Milson has got us in a mess for sure" mutters the baron of Pirtgott, who at first rejoiced at what his staunchest ally, and fellow Corlindian nobleman, lord Milson of Mottman Deep was able to achieve.
Now, he regrets what the lord of Mottman Deep has done. As now it has put the crown's sight upon the province of Corlinda as much as it has on the province of Karricaw.
And it seems the crown and the king, what to make an example of Corlinda as much as it does as Karricaw.
And since Corlinda is closer to the province of Calinar and the capital city of the same name.
The crown is starting it's retribution with the province of Corlinda before it does with the province of Karricaw.
Behind a nearby hill, to the right of the road the armies of lord Gormica of Salmah Forest and baron Wilmot of Pirtgott are traveling on, as they head through northern Corlinda to the border with the province of Moleau.
Lord Farque is saying to Helbe the elven thief "Remember the problem with most armies is that they're too structured, and their thinking is too rigid".
The undead warlord continues on with "They don't like surprises, and fighting against them in an unconventional manner is something they're not accustomed to".
Both the elven magic user, along with Mira Reinholt the mage nod in agreement to this.
"This is how you've got to attack the enemy" says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who is also known by the name of Draugadrottin to his people.
"And how you've got to get that army you're with to fight" continues the heavily armoured deathlord who then adds "Mira will go with you to help with things".
The once powerful mage in the black hooded cloak nods his head.
"Remember, those two may lead their armies, but you command them and make the decisions" says the lord of the death realm.
"We will" says Prince Helbenthril Raendril, and his fellow spellcaster, Mira Reinholt the mage adds "We'll make sure of it".
The undead warlord nods his full helmed head, then says "Good".
He briefly pauses before he continues with "And keep looking for that cunt lord Milson, i want him found" Draugadrottin then adds "That fucker is not going to get away with imitating my armies".
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel who knows the lord and ruler of the lands Farque wants the lord of Mottman Deep found, and killed, says "The baron Wilmot isn't going to like us for killing his closest ally".
"Fuck the baron" says the lord of the death realm, who follows on form that with "He's not the one paying us to fight in this war, his brother is".
Both practitioners of magic nod, then the undead warlord tells them "Find him, and kill him".
Lord Farque takes a few steps away from the tree they've been standing beside, and says to two of the members of his personal council "We'll keep in touch".
The heavily armoured deathlord glances up into the clear blue summer sky over northern Corlinda, then he raises his right gauntleted fist in the air, the next moment he disappears as a krean navigator teleports him back onboard the krean strikeship that's the command ship of Farqian fleet and army, fighting here in the kingdom of Melaurn.
The elven masterthief and the once powerful mage share a look, then the spellcaster who is from the city-state of Vexil, which he's in exile from, says "I'll meet you there".
The mage who also happens to be a highly skilled swordmaster disappears as he teleports up to the top of the hill they're behind, as he makes his way to the armies of lord Gormica of Salmah Forest, and baron Wilmot of Pirtgott.
Meanwhile his fellow councilor, Helbe the elven thief gets up into the saddle of his horse, and rides back to the army that's heading north to the border with the province of Moleau.
As the war between the crown of Melaurn, and lord Gormica that's so recently started during the middle of summer, intensifies . . . . . .