The Eastern Council : Session One

Vincent listened closely to the man talking, he did not care about his behaviour, the things he said were very important. After his finished and the room grew silent again after the first comments he cleared his throat and answered as well.

"Thank you for the trust the King puts into us, for me there is nothing to discuss right now, please continue."

"That is indeed true," began the green man slowly, rising from his place as Laisha finished speaking, but he was cut off by another noble responding before he could finish. Once the man had said his piece, he continued, his own voice was surprisingly high pitched, like an adolescent whose vocals had not yet broken, but regardless he carried himself with the confidence of a tried and tested veteran.

"I am Vincent du Pont, Knight Commander with the Clarion Call, and we believe that those barbarians are the primary concern for this region. Pendor has not ignored the Mystmountains, but the vast majority of her armies are positioned in Ravenstern protecting the far more populous - and wealthy - counties exposed by the fall of Poinsbruk."

Stopping only momentarily, he bit his lip as though considering what, and how to say his next piece.

"However we have fought the Jatu for decades, and have adopted to the the rapid response which fighting the Mystmountains also demands. Unfortunately we are exceptionally short on manpower, as such the role of the Clarion Call will have to be purely reactionary, and any major offensives will need to remain in the hands of you, the nobles."

Halting again for a moment to catch a breath and collect his thoughts once more, he continued.

"What we cannot do however, is garrison each and every village for you. Neither the Clarion Call, nor the Nobles will be able to defeat them alone, so we must work together. The senior command have decided to emphasise the rebuilding of the Outrider squads, with them we can react extremely quickly where Mystmountain raiders are found..."

His voice dwindled as he finished, and he sank back into his seat with a shrug.

Vealdis rose from his seat.

''The rebuilding of the Outriders is an idea that we all should rejoice at! Knight commander Du Pont? Is this idea affordable with the means you posses or could you use a donation? Coin spend defending the realm is coin spend good.''

Vealdis falls back in his seat.

Godwin turned slowly toward Count Vealdis and shot him a sarcastic smile.

"Oh, we both have very different ideas as to what is good for the Realm, my lord. You only further reinforce my lords accusation that the lords of this Realm have forgotten their duties to the Realm. Pendor, in itself, is nothing. Just dirt, grass, sand and snow. It is the people that make it so much more than just empty soil. Not to mention pay for those pretty clothes that you bedeck yourself in in. The power granted to you, my lord, was done so to ensure that the people of this land would remain safe, happy and secure under your rule, not so that you may remain indifferent to their suffering and their needs. Andros Vaaron it seems is one of the few nobles of the East that remembers this, and thus asks of them nothing that he would not ask of himself. And they love him for it. And through their love comes the respect of the people, and thus the power to govern to the greatest extent. The people are the true power in this land. The King acknowledges this. So should you"

Calming himself after being caught in the moment, his passion abating, Godwin turned to address the gathering.

"You all know where my lord stands upon matters of politics. If it aids the smallfolk of this land, no matter how little, then it is a change he will support. My...presence here is merely as a show of representation"

Vealdis face becomes red and he rises again.

''Are a few days really asked to much for the ''Oh so good and holy Andros''? What point does your Lord's praise matter when his home is on fire and his peasant's heads are on stakes? Because that will happen if your ''saint of a lord'' does not come to these meetings! Count Vaaron can't keep the whole Mystmountain horde outside his bounds if the lords that care for the Realm in the North have all fell in the fight for its defence. Every council meeting matters, for the aid of everyone in the East. Not just his peasants.''

Vealdis wants to sit down again but changes his mind and continues.

''And these cloths are not payed for with the taxes of smallfolk. I have made my own wealth, what you would know if your lord cared.''

Vealdis falls in his seat and keeps on muttering about Vaaron's aditute

Tysha observed the quarreling lords and messenger for a moment before speaking.

"We've been summoned to this council by the King. One of our number prefers the life of a peasant, so be it. Some take their duties as a noble in... odd manners. I'm sure we all appreciate the support the Clarion Call intends to offer. I do hope the King has some other assistance to offer those of us most at risk of Mystmountain raids?"

"My lord isnt a pious man by any means, and thus the phrase "oh so holy" would not apply, as far as im concerned. And I pity you, Count Vealdis, if you truly believe that the good folk of this realm are merely pawns in a game of lords, and that their "praise" is a non entity. Their needs and want are as great as any, and the East must be strong as well as the North. For if they are not happy in life and they do not admire their lords, then how can you possibly ask them to make a stand for something they have no determination to defend, if the savages of the Mystmountains begin an assault southward as you have stated they might? Think on that if you will, however it seems that your thinking and that of Lord Andros could not be further appart, and thus only time will tell who's approach shall bear fruit"

Godwin's mouth had grown dry by the time he finished speaking, and thus he filled a nearby goblet with water and downed it with gusto, before refilling the vessel.

"The people will care when those savages pour out of their northern homes," said Laisha, a touch of bitterness in her voice.  "Once, knights may have held back the tide on their own, keeping nobles from ever having to soil their fine linens on the battlefield.  No longer.  Even my brothers in the Clarion Call are too few to hold back the tide were the Mystmountains to organize again.

"Count Andros can send you here to preen about his good works while we sit here in council, but it's meaningless posturing in the face of real threats."  Her eyes glistened slightly as she finished, but she held her gaze steady.

"Very well, I will say no more about your lord then. But you yourself will be up next. Peasants are pawns. If they wouldn't be we would have no king, no counts and your Lord would be one of them. I pity your ignorance for the facts. Peasants must be protected, but there it ends. If you give every peasant a sword to defend themselves they would cut your lord's head of the first. Protection is what we offer and if Peasants could handle that thereselves we would be useless. Don't talk about things you know little about.''

Vealdis turns his head away from the man and towards Lady Tysha.

''A good question. The Northen lords are at a higher risk. If we fall ill will come to all.''

Godwin had barely taken notice of Laisha until now. He replied softly.

"And thus the people must be given a life worth defending. If my lord ever rides to war, he wishes to do so with an army that admires, respects and trusts him at his back. I here the tones of Ravenstern in your accent though, my lady, and I can understand that you would feel strongly about the situation. I can only apoligize for what the barbarians have done to your homeland"

"Gods, now I know how it must feel to be a Mystmountain. So much bickering!" du Pont muttered from his seat, glancing up at the nobles for the first time since sitting.

"Whatever your belief on the nature of the peasant, the truth of the matter is you are the ones with the resources and armies, and thus it is you they turn to for defence in times like these. I care not for your social standing, the Clarion Call is here to defend every man, woman and child who owes fealty to the great land of Pendor!"

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Vincent rose from his chair, and moved around in front of his table, then coming to lean on it idly.

"As I said, the Clarions do not have the manpower to be everywhere at once, but we do have the speed and mobility to reach the enemy wherever they may strike, but to do this we need to know where they are, and the northern lords are the ones best placed to tell us when these raids occur."

He turned then to Vealdis with a slight smile.

"We have the resources to raise what should be a capable enough force, although truly I would be a fool to reject any donations, it is information that we need most, and for enough conscripts on the ground to hold the enemy up until we can close for the kill."

Tysha looked from lord to lord for a moment, and then gave an exaggerated nod to du Pont.

"I will lead an expedition of my finest soldiers to the ruins of Poinsbruk, Sir Knight. A shame of course, that His Majesty will not allow us to drive them back and establish outposts in the lands they would claim."

Vealdis turns his head to Tysha.

''Very well, instead of every lord sending in a petty scouting force I will support Lady Tysha's scouting efforts if I can, by coin or by troops. I trust that her troops are able enough and that Poinsbruk should be a main point of interest. A force needs to muster somewhere.''

"This is ill-advised." Laisha looked at Tysha and Vealdis in turn. "Commander du Pont and I both fought the Mystmountains for the past two years. Even with a force of the region's strongest knights and what few allies we could muster, we could barely hold the attempts by the clans to enter the steppe. You would consign your levied militias to death if you marched to Poinsbruk.

"I would fully support any here whose lands were threatened by enemy incursion, but an offensive march on them right now would be suicide."

Tysha stared at the other woman as she spoke.

"You've misunderstood me. I will scout the area only. And my troops are seasoned campaigners, only the finest at that. A few levies will provide a disincentive for the savages to attack, rather than serve as proper soldiers."

Vealdis raises his eyebrows and turns his head to Laisha.

''Nor would it be an offensive march my dear lady. As I understand it the operation would be to scout out the forces, not to face them in open field. I tought that that was what lady Tysha proposed, but if she means an open attack then that would indeed be a foolish endeavor.''

Vealdis smiles at Tysha when they both give the same answer.

Count Everard lent his voice

"We need not antagonize the Mystmountains. How do they think they will feel about your scouting mission? As Lady Laisha remarked before, if they perceive a threat, they will rally and come in force. If you also recall what Laisha said before, her force of Knights and battle-hardened soldiers didn't cause the barbarians to stop in their advance to the steppe, your levies will hardly be a discouragement from an attack."

He then looked to Lady Laisha

"Is the Clarion Call in need of recruits?"

''Count Everard was it not? The Mystmountains will not stop because they got some land in the North with us as their neighbours. An attack will come and we can better be prepared. Knowing their numbers and where those numbers are is important.''

Tysha rolled her eyes.

"Du Pont has asked for information. I intend to acquire it for him, so that he might defend my land or the land of my peers. If he has another suggestion, he has proven that he is capable of providing it himself."

"The mystmountains will attack sometime, yes I recognize that. But the scale of the attack and the timing will be drastically changed if you make a scouting party mission, with a large force. Provocation is not the appropriate reaction to this threat."

He looked back to Du Pont

"Mystmountain barbarians are most likely in need of food, due to their lack of knowledge in agriculture and the death of much of the populace. Perhaps we can form a caravan where we can scout out the way to Poinsbruk, while under the guise of food merchants."

Vincent listened as Tysha outlined her plans for an attack on the Mystmountain stronghold, and he leaned forward as she spoke, clearly showing his changing evaluation of the woman.

As the debate continued du Pont kept his rapt gaze on those speaking, nodding at times, shaking his head at others, but the coy little smile never wavering.

"I somewhat doubt that the mercantile ruse would suffice" he said, speaking up finally.

"Why would the barbarians buy, when they can just as easily take? No, I feel a less overt operation might be more sufficient. My thinking was to build a chain of watchtowers with signal fires on the border. If savages are spotted, the fires are lit and we charge in. These signals shouldn't be too expensive to produce, and so long as we hold Outriders in reserve, we should be able to respond in a timely fashion."

Pausing, he stroked his chin, clearing his throat as he did so.

"I must admit I came with that idea in mind, but I was open to other suggestions. I have to admit though, that I am greatly relieved by the level of apparent support prevalent here. As you are so keen to contribute coin as well as fighting spirit, it might also be possible to create reserve camps with stores of weapons and corals for fresh mounts. It would dramatically improve our fighting efficiency for sure - though the cost of these added improvements would be significant."

Simon rose up from his seat, his impatience getting the better of him.

"I say we go on the offensive. Even if the Mystmountains are fortified in their new holdings, they should not be gathered under one warlord. The best way to prevent an invasion is to slaughter as many of the filth as possible. If they are all dead, then unless some heretic or snake cultist comes along they shall remain deceased.

The lords and ladies of the Steppes must set an example to those who would dare defile these lands. After their heads are stuck on a pike and the land is reclaimed, then you can start building defenses to safeguard the realm. My people and I would gladly take that responsibility once we reclaim our rightful domain."

Simon paused for a moment to glance around the room.

"But tell me this. If we send an expedition to the north, who will defend our lands back at home? You have made it clear that raiding our fellow nobles is perfectly legal. I'm stuck next to a lord that doesn't even speak bloody Pendorian, how am I supposed to know that he'll stay in his holdings instead of coming over to kidnap daughters of farmers?

The Clarion Call, from what I understand, will gladly police the Steppes against the Mystmountains. Against anyone else, I'll wager they'll drop on by, wave, and be on their way."

Count Lane then sat down in his seat before leaving one last comment.

"If you wish to scout Poinsbruk, feel free to do so. If you want to start the cleansing of the north, then I'll happily send my support."

For the first time during the bickering of Counts, Valdir Bazzano raised himself up from his chair and spoke in a clear charismatic voice.

"I will personally support the built of those watchtowers from my own treasury, knight-commander Du Pont. Furthermore, I have ordered one of my captains to forego his hiring fee and support the northern Counts when needed. Lady Tysha's expedition to Poinsbruk will have my men at her disposal if she so wishes."

Seemingly having said what he had intended, Valdir sat down again. He was convinced he had shown to have the best interest at heart for the people in the north.