KAZAMER - 51052 RAIN (Previous)
Lord Drennon Valtarim standing in his throne room in Kazamer Castle.
Having freshly finished his breakfast and his morning sparring session with the guard captain, Lord Drennon Valtarim walks into his own throne room, a large silver-coloured space decorated with tapestries of ancient battles from his forefathers on the walls. Next to his silver throne reside two lion statues, each of them clenching a purple pearl in its jaw. His advisor Valm, a more gaunt figure clad in fairly plain brown robes, awaits him next to the throne. The Lord walks on and takes a seat on his throne. He looks at his advisor.
“Good morning my Lord.”
“Good morning Valm. I suppose we have our weekly ensemble meeting today?”
“Indeed my Lord. The new ensemble has just begun its term as you directed.”
“Excellent.”
Valm motions on of the guards to open the door. Three additional advisors enter the room.
“Please welcome: military advisor Marelle of Frontierwatch, economics and trade advisor Rictorean, and production advisor Dehan Stormwood.”
The Lord takes a few moments to size up his new entourage.
“...Interesting choices Valm. Can you elaborate why you picked them?”
“Of course my Lord.”, Valm replies, before continuing, “Marelle of Frontierwatch has a long and outstanding track record of leadership on the battlefield, and she was instrumental in our victory at Uxol. Regretfully, she is not deployable for battle at this moment, due to the absence of Talo Eldertree.”
Valm points to the wheelchair in which ex-Captain Marelle resides.
“However, her mind is as strong as ever, and he appointment provides you with outstanding insights without compromising our presence on the battlefield.”
“Sensible choice Valm.”, he turns to Marelle and smiles, “Hopefully, your position is only short-lived.”
“Varushka Rictorean is a cousin of both Azos and Valeris. She has an extensive network of trade connections, particularly with the Red Delta, The Duchy, as well as the remnant states from East Tamaros. I believe she can provide us with a wide range of new opportunities.”
“Pleased to have you on board. However, you look very different to the other Rictoreans? Why is that?”, Drennon inquires.
“My mother is a Deltan, my Lord.”, Varushka responds.
Drennon nods approvingly and motions Valm to proceed.
“The third advisor is Dehan Stormwood. You may know Dehan from his exploits on the Kazamer Plains and the Hunting Lands.”
“I do. He’s eradicated half the forest from the Plains, has he not?”, Drennon says bitterly.
“Technically I have my Lord. But it was all in service to you and your army!”, Dehan retorts.
Drennon stands up. He takes a few steps towards Dehan and gazes at him sharply.
“In service to me?! Explain to me how your addiction of felling trees has been ‘in service to me’ then.”
Dehan swallows, then begins to hesitate.
“I-I…I believe you are building chariots with the wood?”
“Ha!”, Drennon’s large presence looms over Dehan.
“Those chariots are overdue to be delivered by three seasons now, and none of them have passed the initial endurance tests as of yet due to chronic Woodrot! Did you know that as well Dehan?”
“I-I did not my Lord…”
Lord Drennon motions the guards to come: “Seize this impostor, and send him to work in Blackmill! I’m sure Phennon can teach him a thing or two about productivity… Ha!”
At that moment, three guards grasp the arms of Dehan Stormwood and drag him out of the room. Varushka gasps in surprise but Marelle remains unmoved.
Drennon turns back to Valm.
“That choice was rubbish! Any alternatives?”
Valm takes a breath.
“Well, I could propose a female productivity advisor if you wish. However, it would be the first time that the position would be filled by a woman, and it would also be the first time that your advisory ensemble would consist of all women.”
“And who would she be then?”, Drennon asks.
“Sarena Steelguard. Owner of the largest steelworks in Kazamer. She may ask for a hefty wage however.”
“Hire her now. At least I know she’s competent.”, Lord Drennon responds.
“Understood my Lord. I will contact her immediately, and propose we begin the meeting in an hour then.”, Valm responds.
Sarena Steelguard, owner of the Black Lion Steelworks and Advisor of Productivity.
An hour later, Sarena arrives in the Throne Room, and shakes hands with Lord Drennon.
“Welcome to the Ensemble, Miss Steelguard.” he exclaims.
Sarena takes a bow, and sits down at the round table.
“Valm, please proceed.”
“Of course my Lord.
To begin, I am grateful to all three of you for kindly taking up your positions in Kazamer’s Advisory Ensemble. I am also grateful for all of you having completed the requisite formal procedures, including the oath, with such haste. Indeed important matters are at hand, so I will keep a minimal introductory explanation. ”
“No, please don’t.”, Drennon interrupts, “I do not wish to impede this meeting any further, my advisors know how it works, don’t they?”. The Lord looks at his ensemble, which collectively nods and smiles with a hint of hesitation.
“Very well then. Let us start with Productivity.”
Sarena stands up: “It is an honour to take place in your ensemble my Lord. Steel and arms production stand at an all-time high, and after the militarization of our schools, we are now able to produce up to 1,200 new soldiers every month. We have also commenced mining activities on the Eastern Glacial Mountains, near Tilt, now that Sindan is no longer able to retaliate from Uxol.”
“Hmpf. What about the food?”, Lord Drennon interjects.
Sarena sighs lightly: “Food production has unfortunately been somewhat disappointing. The harvests on the new Southeastern Kazamer plains is below target, despite the region having been cleared from trees by the company of Sir Stormwood. A draught and blight in the Southwestern Kazamer plains have further diminished our harvests.”
Advisor Valm looks up: “A blight you say?”
Sarena nods: “Yes. Apologies for my rather…minimal preparation, but indeed this is what I have understood from the reports. Whole tracts of land appear to suddenly wither and die, as if they are suddenly drained of life.”
Valm looks concerned: “This is a major problem. Do you suspect a monstrous presence?”
Lord Drennon then interferes: “Valm, don’t be a fool! I am sure this must be the Red Deltans overstepping their bounds again with their channeling!”
“Yes. Of course. How could I forget… but this does complicate matters my Lord. We have a non-aggression pact with Red Delta.”
“Indeed we do.”, Drennon confirms,“So let us rest this topic, and first discuss the rest before returning to this. Trade I believe?”
“Of course my Lord.”, Valm answers, “Miss Rictorean, please proceed.”
As Sarena sits down, Varushka rises: “My Lord. I bring good tidings today. First of all, the efforts of my cousin to extract troops and food from the Jackals have paid off, as we have obtained two months worth of food supplies as well as 1,200 mercenaries, paid of course by the Rictor Line. In addition, the Rictor Line has secured the Granite Mountains for us, fending off threats from the south and the south east. As for myself, I have begun to enact actions to establish a direct trade route with both the Red Delta and the Duchy through the Granite Mountains as well, allowing our economy to remain resilient as we wage war against Sindan and over the Westcorn Plains towards Stoneport. And to top it all off, we have signed a mining deal with Phennon from Blackmill, who will provide us with more exotic minerals to forge elite weapons.”
“This all sounds good. Onwards to war then.”, Drennon replies, as Advisor Marelle of Frontierwatch stands up.
“My Lord. We are currently in a consolidating phase. After our sacking of Uxol, we have obtained over 500 Belovian Weapons, which we are currently training our elite troops with. We retain a minor security presence at Tilt, and south of Uxol to prevent any counterattack from Sindan. Towards the East we rely on the presence of the Rictor Line, while in the Southwest our cavalry have now advanced over the Westcorn plains to just outside Stoneport. It is my understanding that we will have 6,000 regular and 500 elite troops at our disposal within weeks, so we have a decision to make.”
“What are our options?”, Drennon inquires.
“I believe we have three possibilities. First, we can use the troops to consolidate our gains, and construct settlements on the land we have conquered.”
Lord Drennon chokes on his wine in laughter.
“Second, we can advance on Stoneport. Stoneport is a reasonably fortified settlement on low land and I believe we have good odds of conquering that with our reinforcements.”
“Interesting”, Lord Drennon adds.
“Third, we can advance on Sindan. This will requires us to conquer Uxol again, which is relatively easy given the extensive damage there, and then move onwards through the mountains towards the capital. If we wish to do this then we must act quickly, as their forced will undoubtedly strengthen in the coming months.”
“I understand. Thank you.”, Drennon says calmly: “Who do we have as allies?”
Valm stands up: “Of course my Lord. This is where my honest assessment comes in. The situation is as follows: We have non-aggression pacts and potential trade pacts with both Red Delta and the Duchy, a vassalage arrangement with the Seven Jackals, the full support of the Keeper of Mort, and of course our long-lasting alliance with the Rictor Line. However, my Lord, I have slight concerns that cracks may begin to appear in that arrangement…”
Varushka speaks up: “What are you talking about?! We have had a fruitful collaboration for many decades, centuries even. My presence on this Advisory Ensemble is the very proof of that!”
Valm raises his hand and turns to Drennon: “While that may be true, my Lord, the nature of our alliance has changed in recent months.”
Drennon looks at Valm with discomfort: “Valm, you have made sharp judgments on many occasions, but what makes you think poorly of Valeris just now?”
Valm takes a breath, Varushka looks at him in astonishment:
“My Lord. For many years we have provided goods, people and security for the Rictor Line, while they funded our expansion. This arrangement has been large symbiotic, and one by free choice.”
Drennon nods: “Go on…”
“However, due to the failed harvests in the South our alliance has changed shape. Because they, or specifically our old advisor Azos Rictorean, handles the dealings with the Jackals, we are now reliant mostly on the Rictor Line for our primary food supply.”
“This is indeed a little concerning, Valm, but what makes you believe our alliance is in jeopardy?”
Valm continues, “Our High Treasoner has reached out to me. He has indeed secured Blackmill as we had instructed. However, he has done so in the name of the Rictor Line, not Kazamer.”
Lord Drennon stands up and slams his cup on the table: “WHAT?!!”
“This changes everything. Guards, imprison Varushka Rictorean for her own safety immediately. Marelle, instruct Colonel Brandis and ALL the new recruits to march upon Rictoris Citadel by dusk. I believe we can sack him and his castle but only if we catch him by surprise and move with extreme haste! Sarena, you remain in a separate quarters the castle for the next 48 hours for your safety and our security”
“Understood my Lord.”, Valm replies, “But what about the other territories?”
“Let the troops hold their ground for now. But send an official letter to Red Delta acknowledging the damage they have caused to the Southern Kazamer Plains. Request reparations. If our request is denied, then we will know how to act.”
Miss Varushka Rictorean. Trade advisor for approximately 30 minutes, prior to being thrown in the Kazamer Castle Dungeon.