As summer approaches Things quickly pick up in the Kingdom of Argas. First the execution of several criminals, rumours spread that they have seen the death of the Kings Uncle and thus their fates were sealed, others in turns suggest they tried to help the uncle escape, the majority however think it simply a normal series of executions as is common.
As May reaches its conclusion the summons for the Diet of the Kingdom are sent out to the various barons, counts and dukes of the Kingdom inviting them to the Diet with the beginning of midsummer.
For before the diet can begin other matters of the state need to be taken care of. Diplomatic Parties, outfitted by the king are making their way into the dangerous lands of the Wold. Gauging for interest in alliances and marriages aswell as informing the local warlords of the new power to the north of them.
The most illustrious of these parties however, departs for the lands of Gudrun den Wold, The Lady of the Red Argr, Butcher of Haetstett. For among them travels the Spymistress Lacie.
Despite being one of the strongest warlords of the Wold, it is clear that the Wold has become poor and destitute. The Lady of War is making her home in a decrepit fortress, haphazardly fixed with wood, were once was stone. Despite this the people seem somewhat prosperous and safe, at least inside the hold.
To Lacie it becomes quite quickly apparent that whatever else they may be, the men of the Red Argr are experienced veterans. Their faces are hard and they are disciplined. Men forged and molded by decades of war. These were not mere marauders and raiders. The party is frisked thoroughly and relieved of all weapons before they are finally led into the small but cozy main hall. It was filled with more men and women, captains and other folk of importance. And finally at the end of the hall was Lady Gudrun herself.
She doesn't seem like a butcher. She doesn't seem mad. She looks tired. Oh so very weary. Quaffing an ale she quickly stands up at the approach of the party.
Welcome! So Argas has a new king i hear? As she approaches her world weariness washes away, replaced with an easy confidence and a presence that somehow commands respect. She gives the party a once over but her eyes linger far longer than is appropriate on Lacie.[/i]
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Meanwhile in ArgasThe Lord of the Corvidae knights was mulling over the maps of the Kingdom. They were all horrible. No suprise no proper cartographer had been around in at least a century. What he had were local maps, drawings and various other things which he pieced together in some makeshift approximation of the kingdom. As he mulled over them, he considered the state of the Order.
The Corvidae had never been many knights to begin with. Argas was small and poor and outfitting even a single knight and feeding him, clothing him and taking care of his horse, were extreme expenses. The Order counted twenty knights at the moment, most of them sons of minor nobility, third and fourth born sons of utter insignificance bundled away to the order so they were taken care of.
As for troubles with bandits, there weren't particularly many, In the North were the raids of the mountain tribes, rustling cattle, abducting daughters and occassionally running off with the harvest of some unfortunate farmer. In the South marauders of the warlords occassionally crossed the border causing trouble, but most of the time it amounted to bullying a few farmhands, the defloration of a farmers daughter or two and the gutting of a border tavern. In other words business as usual. While unfortunate for the locals it wasn't something that was impacting the kingdom in any serious way. Banditry in the Kingdom was light as no one wanted to rob the traders along the river (them being very well guarded no withstanding) and the locals had nothing worth taking.
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Topic: Last Argument of Kings IC-Thread Year 1192 (Read 13811 times)