Post

Return to Nievelheim II
Expansion post 2/4

"Hear ye! Hear ye!" cried a man clad in dark blue as he banged a rounded stick into the interior of a metal pot. He was walking along the street. "Arensmund, hear ye, hear ye!" Once he had done a few rotations and had brought most of the houses' families outside, he stopped and addressed them all. "Det Frie Mennene have heard your complaints! As the Uinnlantish menace continues plodding along the border with Rogaland, they continue spitting in the face of Bjørnsburgian sovereignty! Apocrypha may have forsaken us but we shall not forsake ourselves!"

Thank the Aspects, this town was an avid supporter of the Crown. Or, rather, of a Crown so long as it was Bjørnsburgian.

"All men who can fight are requested to stand up and fight for Bjørnsburgian independence! Det Frie Mennene want only to bring this town into the fold of the Nievelheim Free State! Reject the false rule of Austnievelheim! Their reign is unjust and must be apprehended! Reject Rogaland for it has turned its back upon our plight in order for false platitudes with the northern Tydmoric states!"

A few women brought hands to their mouths in shock at the absolute scandality of associating with Tydmor.

***

Night fell and the town was still bustling. Children were running around in play as women were milling about and men were talking about thing such as trades, weaponry and whether or not the Crown would be better than a republic. The bustling didn't end even as a few horses rode into town, their horsemen clad in similar apparel to the man who rallied them all.

"Is there a Torfinn here?" one of them called.

The man who rallied the town came jogging into the street at the mention of his name. "Aye! What's needed?" he called.

The horseman dismounted and took Torfinn's hand in a handshake. "Name's Gunnar Sylte, big wig supportive of your work. Listen," he said as he brought his hand from Torfinn's hand and set it on his back, turning him towards the direction from whence Gunnar came. "I just came from the south. I got word that little miss princess or whatever from Uinncair's coming by. I'd say it'd be best to focus on her rather than whatever 'guardsmen' are at the border. Öga för öga, tand för tand, yeah?"

Torfinn nodded slowly.

"Aye, that's it. Her end stop's either Stålvagr or whatever Nowheresburg is currently the top-dog of those northern Tydmor states. I'd bank on Stålvagr though. And she's got some kind of defense with her, though I doubt it'd be anything terrible. Be on guard when your guys are scoping her out — I could try to distract her as best as possible when she gets to Stålvagr, but I don't think it'll buy your boys long."

Torfinn nodded again.

Gunnar came in front of Torfinn and set his hands on his shoulders. "My comrade, we have the best opportunity before us. We can bring out all those Bjørnsburgians in fear out from their shells and into a revolution."

"We'll be surrounded along the coast and starved out."

"Nope," Gunnar said as he shook his head. "There are thousands of Bjørnsburgians in the League's militaries and levies. I know for a fact that they'll rise up, stand up and be counted as grand Bjørnsburg's rightful inheriters. The Aspects shall smile upon us. Kyohaku is only testing our people, though I know he will come to our side when the revolution begins."

Torfinn pulled himself away from Gunnar's hands. "It'll be a good, long and hard plan to get their hellspawn off of our land, but you and I both know that they'll fight with tooth and nail." He sighed. "Moris kråkene[1] should be here soon — we've just sent the letters to Verar and Klapp and their nearby villages. They should be here within the week."

"How many men do they have?"

Torfinn glanced at his hands and counted off of his fingers, the exact measurements arcane to anyone else. "I'd say about 150 fighting men and boys." He looked back up. "If the women have to get dragged in then that'd be about 100 more added on top. I doubt we'll need the ladies brought in through as those men are well-trained."

Gunnar was nodding along "Interesting."

"If the letters get sent to that one big ol' confederation up to our north, blocking us from Rogaland, we might have a couple thousand men added and a few thousand women. I'd say that, if all goes right, the odds are in our favor."

"How likely is that, would you say?"

"Not very likely. But, it doesn't hurt to hope."

——————
[1] - "Mori's Crows"