Chapter 2 - The Emperor's Villa


As the day drew to its conclusion, preparations were begun, riders bearing the call to form the army were sent out, and the emperor settled into his villa for one last night of peace. There, he hosted a small dinner gathering of his family and closest advisors atop a grand terrace overlooking the great and noble city of Lycaron, the capital of the Empire for so many years. Wine flowed freely, alongside the favored dishes of the Empire. Olives and dates, alongside slices of cheese and a dish favored in the east called hummus, were the first course served. That was then followed by fresh caught and grilled fish, spiced lamb, a side of vegetables sprinkled with herbs, and of course hot freshly baked bread with a healthy serving of butter. A grand meal, even for such a small gathering. It won't be easy to come across all this while on campaign. It was with this thought that Drosios turned back to the topic of the war.

"Do you think going to war was the right decision, Lucon?" Drosios asked one of his junior staff officers. "The Empire is in a precarious place, but a proper victory could make all the difference. Speak honestly, you may fear no reprisal."

Lucon was an intelligent man, and already a powerful influence in the Senate. It was his talents and grasp on politics that had inclined Neretzes to attach him to the imperial staff. Lucon took his cues from the Emperor, now.

Lucon gave the question some thought. "You heard the Senate; they wouldn't have taken no for an answer. Peace may well have created a more dangerous situation than the war itself. And this is, after all, merely acknowledging the war that already exists. The Battanians have attacked us, and broken the truce forged between you and King Aeril. Caladog breaking a sacred pact in such a way cannot go unanswered."

"Arenicos doesn't think so." Drosios' thoughts drifted to the rising star in the Senate. Controversy of his wife aside, that one could rival my son Penton as the next Emperor. Drosios quashed that little treacherous thought. No good would come from that line of thinking. Arenicos was now a pillar for the east, moving against him would be an ill made effort. Besides, Penton was known as a talented man himself, a daring leader, if not somewhat impulsive, he had seen success in leading men into battle in the past. He was certainly not in disfavor with the Senate. At the very least, this campaign should make for the perfect opportunity for them both to show their mettle. Changing the topic, Drosios carried on in jest. "It will be good to have him on the campaign though, if only to weigh against that blowhard Garios."

There were some chuckles from his companions. Garios had been a thorn in the emperor's, and the Senate's, side of late. He was a successful general, which was all well and good, but the man was leveraging his success and popularity to meddle in politics. He's a problem that would need to be dealt with, Drosios couldn't help but think. It was fortunate that Garios' rise came at a time where the influence of the legions was waning.

In recent years, large standing armies had shown themselves incapable of defending the empire, and expensive to boot. In an innovative move, Neretzes had begun gradually disbanding the legions, and replacing them with smaller and more responsive local retinues attached to talented commanders and influential aristocrats. A move made easier by the lack of strength in many legions following the crisis of the past century. Still, many weren't happy with the decision, particularly the traditionalist faction within the legions. But the overburdened imperial treasury was thankful for it, and the threat of small-scale raids had dropped significantly.

"That man has no respect for the Senate." Porphalios muttered.

"Nor the people, I suspect." Lucon added. "Some of his soldiers did try to strong-arm the public assembly on the soldier stipend. Of course, he claims to disavow that action, but his rhetoric all too often encourages such disturbances."

"Put him in the front, I say!" Chason exclaimed with a lopsided grin, tipping his glass. Chason had become a rash man over the last decade, since the passing of his father. The burden of responsibility borne by a man of the imperial family had taken its toll.

Drosios didn't say anything to his nephew's suggestion, instead taking an olive from the bowl. Unfortunately, that one seemed to have soured. He pushed the bowl away.

"Speaking of the campaign." Drosios moved on. "Any thoughts on this new Battanian king?"

"King Aeril adopted the man, that must show he had some skill and influence." Lucon suggested.

He's a schemer, that one. Brought Aeril on a hunting trip and did away with him, no doubt." Porphalios said.

"A treacherous man, that Caladog, to kill one's own father…" Penton trailed off.

"An oathbreaker and a kinslayer, doubly cursed!" Chason shouted.

"Cursed or not, the man chose his targets well." Lucon broke in. "There's good wood in Montos, silver aplenty in Gersegos, and iron in Marathea. He's preparing for a real fight; those raids have given him the wealth and supplies to form a strong force to oppose us."

"Precisely my fear." Drosios said. "If nothing else, the man has shown himself to be shrewd. Not the usual straightforward upstarts that abound in Battanian clans, this one seems able to back up his ambition. We shouldn't take him lightly."

"Battania cannot stand against us, surely?" Penton asked.

"Not alone, but with Sturgia? If the Sturgians go to war as well, then there will be trouble." Lucon answered. "Grand Prince Vadinslav and his soldiers are the real threat.

"Which is why we're being cautious, and calling on our allies." Drosios added. "This will be the culmination of decades of work. The pact with Vlandia, the treaty with the Aserai, the peace with the Khanate, it has all brought us to this moment."

"The gods have granted us this opportunity, to truly knock out one of the foes that's been plaguing the Empire for centuries." Manteos Argoros piped up. Drosios wondered if the man was salivating over his lamb, or the thought of laying low the Battanians. Manteos' lands did lay on the border, and had long been plagued by Battanians and Sturgians alike.

"God granted, don't forget yourself, Manteos." Drosios added absent mindedly. "But divine favor or no, Battania has survived conquests in the past. Even if they do now however, to break the power of the High King, that could open up so many possibilities."

"Caladog is vulnerable, a new king that wishes to cement his position through a military victory." Lucon added. "Some in Battania might not have been satisfied with King Aeril, but to kill him and take the throne won't have left Caladog with the respect of the other petty kings. If we show him to be weak, the chieftains will leave him. Or better yet, they'll give him to us, as we've seen happen to other unpopular kings."

"Ergeon of the Durngils may well be Caladog's greatest threat." Drosios suggested. "He won't take his brother's murder lightly, if he sees Caladog as weak, he'll move against him."

"The Empire alone can deal with Battania, and with our allies, we can handily defeat the Sturgians as well if they side with their fellow barbarians. We can't lose!" Chason said, with a laugh.

'Our allies? Mercenaries, and little more.' Drosios could not help but think. Drosios had struggled throughout his reign to build a peace with them, but relations could not be called particularly warm. Just as is the case with Battania, should any of the members of this coalition sense weakness in the Empire, then the coalition will break and turn on itself. And what stake will the Aserai and the Khuzaits have in a battle to the far north and west? Some silver and gold? Plunder and glory? Very little to truly bind them to the Empire's army. What's to keep them from breaking and fleeing the moment they come across the Sturgian shield war, or a hail of Battanian arrows? This is a fragile alliance we hold, and should it fail, the Empire will once more be threatened on all sides.

Emperor Neretzes knew better than to voice such misgivings now.

"To victory." Penton, though less enthusiastic than his cousin, raised his glass.

"To victory!" Echoed the noble imperials.

"To ridding ourselves of another barbarian menace!" Manteos added, although one of the guards clearing their throat interrupted any more cheers.

Drosios looked to the door. "Yes, Arzagos? What is it?"

"Lady Istiana to see you, my lord." Came the terse and ever serious reply.

Drosios waved his assent, and soon entered perhaps the most cunning woman in the Empire. If such a thing wouldn't cause such scandal, Drosios would have appointed her his official spymaster. But, for now, she served capably in an unofficial capacity. Indeed, her ears heard whispers from across the Empire and beyond. The intelligence she provided had proven vital time and time again. Drosios would never forget the opportunity she had granted him, to retake the eastern islands of the Perassic Sea from the Aserai in those early days of his reign. That had been quite the coup, for so long the Aserai had seized the waters of the Perassic and raided the southern lands of the Empire. The Aserai had seemed almost invincible, first seizing Hubyar from the Empire's client king, Thuran. Then, as the Nahasan tribes flocked to Asera's banner, the treachery at Yachios. The fall of the all-important city of Sanala soon followed, and the loss of all the grain of the Damar River with it. The conquering Aserai seemed insatiable, even after taking the wealthy city of Quyaz, which threatened all traffic along the waters in and out of the Perassic Sea, and allowed them to turn their attention to the lands beyond the water.

In the following years, the Aserai edged closer and closer to the Calsa River and the Imperial heartland. Even worse, Imperial neglect of the Perassic navy unfortunately cost them the great islands of the inner sea. But that inexorable conquest stalled with Istiana. With her word that the garrisons of the eastern islands were understaffed, that they'd been requisitioned for the Aserai's war against the Padishah, Drosios had leapt at the opportunity to counterattack. The old fortresses of the island fell, and the territory soon returned to Imperial hands. Although old admiral Hongeros died in the Aserai's ensuing attempt to retake the islands, his brother Obron maintained command and pulled through, maintaining the supply chain to the recently taken fortresses. While the old admiral's bravery and sacrifice was honored, and condolences sent to his grieving son Turiados, Neretzes was hailed for the greatest triumph the Empire had seen in its seemingly ceaseless conflict with the Aserai.

With pressure on the Imperial heartland lessened, and the ability to strike against the Aserai's long stretch of territory now available, Neretzes was finally able to hammer out something of a peace with the Sultanate. All thanks to Istiana. With such a victory upon her resume, Neretzes had given her more and more responsibilities, and the budding spymaster had proven herself time and time again. She had more than earned her place at the emperor's side.

The Empire's unofficial mystikos glided across the room, almost silent as a ghost, as Porphalios struck up another conversation about his fears of the Khanate. As Istiana stopped at the emperor's side, she bent to whisper in his ear.

"The Battanian tribes are gathering at Seonon." Came a breathy voice in the emperor's ear. "Caladog's raiders, Ergeon and Melidir, all the great families and their followers will be arriving there in the coming weeks. Bar the fen Algain, that is. It seems Caladog had a falling out with Loren fen Algain after his brother's death in the raid on Gersegos. Loren's been named a traitor, and Seonon was seized from him."

"Hm." The Emperor absorbed the information. Already the cracks are forming in Caladog's reign. "Pardon me, my guests. I must make a rude host, but preparations for war demand my attention. Please enjoy this night of rest before our march begins in the morning. Penton, you'd best join us."

As the emperor began to leave, Istiana became his shadow, and Penton rose to follow.

The air cooled as they left the hot summer night air and entered the dark confines of the Imperial villa.

"Is this something serious?"

"Not overly so, but you should be aware of this news all the same." Drosios sighed, the ghost of his headache still lingered, that perhaps more than anything else moved him to say what came next. "I'm getting old, son. This will likely be my last campaign, win or lose. I have few great triumphs to precede me, and peace and stability won at tables and in letters are not things songs and reputations are built of. But it was something the Empire needed, perhaps it still does."

"Father…" Penton trailed, uncertain. "You shouldn't worry, we'll win a great victory, shatter the Battanians and secure the West. The Empire's in the best place it's been in a century, we have you to thank for that."

"One day soon, the imperial diadem will pass to you." Drosios continued. "You're a good man, raised to lead and with merits of your own. Steel yourself for what may come. I'll be visiting your children before we leave."

As Istiana began to divulge her latest whispers from the Uchalion Plateau, the air seemed to grow ever colder.


And here's chapter 2, I've been sitting on most of this chapter for a while, but computer troubles have been holding me back a bit. I've started working on my other two stories too, now that things have cleared up a bit. Happy New Year to everyone, hopefully it's good like the last one (not to say that last year didn't have its own troubles), with luck things will become ever better!

I was originally thinking chapter 2 would be jumping right into the other factions. But, I had this scene in my head while writing the first chapter, and I wanted to keep the chapters short, so I figured I'd keep the two scenes split.

Not too much of the lore builds into what went on during Neretzes' reign, so I'm kind of winging it and trying to expand on what little lore we've been given in the game. The Bannerlord wiki doesn't seem to be too comprehensive, so I've taken to typing up a little world lore and character archive of my own. That will help me keep characters, and what bits of the history we are given, straight.

Suspicious events going on in Battania, even outside my story, like what's the deal with King Aeril's two names? The guy is, apparently, also called Uthelain. Maybe the discrepancy is just a holdover of the game devs changing his name (like Gotug Khergit's name being changed to Solun), but since we have the two still in the game, I figure I'll create a tradition for Battanians to take up a second name, a nickname of sorts, which relates to the place of a major event in a character's life. Uthelaim is a Battanian castle along the Imperial/Sturgian borderlands, so Aeril earned the name Uthelain in honor of the truce he forged there with the Empire.

Anyway, I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed working on it, I feel it helps develop some of the more important characters and hints at a few major events in Battania as well as little plot threads going forward. Let me know what you think!

- And thanks to our guest, Patton Ramming, for the comment! We're thinking along the same lines for the other factions! :)