Fetch was stunned. His initial reaction was shock , then joy, afterwards a sense of confidence and happiness. Now he was stunned.
He looked at Tyris , she was sleeping but she had a large smile on her face. Fetch couldn't remember if he ever saw her so happy. Her intial reaction to Earl was less then favorable. It seemed she met him before ...a long time ago. She was ready for a fight at the sight of him, but Fetch stopped the situation before it degenerated. Earl explained a long time ago he crossed blades with Roland and Tyris. Something about an Avatar of Rawk and a mental asylum. After the initial uneasiness, the 3 went to one of the older clerics in his support squad and had him examine Tyris. Fetch thought Earl didn't need to be there, but Earl was pretty insistent he didn't want him to mess this up.
The old cleric was of the Koryis faith. A faith of peace and healers. Fetch thought if he had to rechoose a god, he would pick someone like that. After his examinations, he told them the good news. Tyris was with child. Tyris and Fetch were both shocked. It was the height of the young couples dreams.
"I'll let you 2 be,", said Earl," Don't forget your errands tomorrow. ", and with that he vanished.
As Fetch laid with his purring wife, he recalled the supposed god Kard, came to him in a dream, and told him that Tyris would not bear him a child. Was the god wrong? He didn't seem like that great of a prophet. He had a fish on his head, how could anyone take that seriously. Besides , he was the god of trickery, wouldn't it be his prerogative to lie about stuff like that. A cold shiver ran down Fetch's spine, what if something happened to Tyris before the child was born. Would that fulfil his prophecy. Was his prophecy absolute? He mentioned that someone was changing the fates, didn't that imply that fates could be change. What would be capable of changing them? A wizard? Another god? an artifact? Fetch's head started to hurt from his own questions and the implications they raised.
He stared at his happy sleeping wife, and decided to be content for the moment.
"I should be going with you! We can't separate now!", protested Tyris.
Fetch shook his head and repeated his orders, " Surry and Trip will accompany me to Olive's camp. Surry says she has the ability to get herself and 1 or 2 others there rapidly. The rest of the company will accompany Torsten's company to report to Fields and fall back to McDunnalds. "
Torsten didn't like the plan at all, but Fetch had received written orders from a senior royal adventurer. Their word was equal to that of a general on the field. "Shouldn't we wait for Olives orders to fall back? Wouldn't it be more wise if we waited with Fields and Hrolf?"
Fetch looked cross, "Listen, the orders are for us to fall back towards McDunnalds. This position will not be defensible . Olives forces are already deadlocked. Our reinforcements have turned coat. As well we have Duke Ari's legion, the howling goblins, and close to 1000 giants heading this way.
Torsten grimaced then sighed , he loved battle but he wasn't too big on suicide. "Well if you put it that way."
Frank slapped the glum dwarfs back, "I wouldn't worry too much about it Torsten. I'm sure we will be waist deep in goblins or giants before this campaign is over." Franks words brought an evil glint in the dwarfs eye as he started making preparations with his Lieutenants.
Fetch called Frank over to talk privately, Frank was curious about the secrecy. " Listen Frank, I need you to guard Tyris make sure nothing happens to her OK? You're the guy I trust the most, so don't fuck up . Stop with the canary following me routine ok ? Just till I get back "
Frank was puzzled , despite his skill he knew Tyris's skills were on a different level then his. "Oh, I see. The artifact sealing thing. Your worried that she lost a step. Gotcha boss, I won't let anything happen to her. Oh, and the canary is real. I've seen it follow me. Vickers saw it too."
Fetch grew annoyed about the phantom canary once again, he put it out of his mind as more important things were on his mind. He thought about hiding his secret , but Frank was his best friend, and he had to tell him." She's pregnant Frank. That's why shes had bouts of dizziness and morning sickness. "
Frank's eyes narrowed and he looked suspicious. It wasn't the reaction Fetch was expecting. "Kard said she won't be able to bear you any children. He's the keeper of secrets. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't lie."
Fetch countered, " He's the god of trickery. of course he would lie."
Frank shook his head. " Nooo...where were you in religious studies? He's the keeper of truth and secrets. Kard often masks the obvious , he often makes the truth appear as something it isn't . But he doesn't lie . That's what makes him so tricky. To tell the truth and make you think its something else. You asked the god if you were able to have any children, he said you already have 2 and "Tyris won't be able to bear you any children" seems pretty straightforward to me."
Fetch was ashamed of his lack of knowledge of gods. He didn't realize that Kard was that complex of a god. His initial fears started to come back to haunt him. Was the baby in danger? Or even worse, was Tyris in danger?
Frank saw the panic in his friends face and changed his tone, "Hey, forget I said that. You're probably right. Kard was most likely deceiving us , how can you trust a guy with a fish on his head. "
Galatea unexpectedly added ,"We will be vigilant in the defense of your wife and unborn child, have no fear!". Fetch forgot she was there . He only wanted Frank to know, but felt a little reassured with Galatea's oath.
Fetch nodded back uneasily , Frank saluted and walked back to Lieutenant Vickers and Bram to make preparations for the march.
Fetch waited for Surry outside the camp. She told him that she could get them to Olive's camp faster and safer then anyone else. Even through monster infested territories and through antimagic zones. Fetch brought Trip along as well. Since he was a warforged , he was remarkably small and light weight. Fetch found that besides being an excellent scout, he was a remarkable cartographer and surveyor. The maps he prepared for him were of the highest quality and accuracy. His Intel of the area would be invaluable to Olive, Fetch thought.
Fetch saw Surry and expressed his doubts, "So whats this special means of transport you have? A magic carpet? A spell that summons a Pegasus or griffon ? You know I can do that as well, I'm not sure if it would last long enough or be sturdy enough for our trip. Also I'm not sure the extent of the magical warded area. It might be painful if our means of transport disappeared and we fell tumbling to the ground."
Trip added in his squeaky voice ," Olives forces are approximately 150 miles to the north of us through rough terrain . That would take us 8 days marching or 5 days double march. That's not factoring any delays like enemy patrols or monsters we might encounter. "
Surry seemed nervous, despite his daughter following him for the last 2 months and them training together for almost 2 months before that, Fetch still knew very little about her. Amongst the troops she seemed to know a lot of people, but kept very few if any friends. The only friend she had that Fetch was aware of was Lieutenant Cala from Torsten's company. They were an odd couple the cleric thought. The beautiful archer, and his plain looking daughter.
He knew she was a fair wizard, her skill at magic had improved a fair amount since first they met. He also knew she was an excellent archer, her skill at archery was unrivaled in his company save for Trip and Tyris. Frank asked her if she was studying to become something called an arcane archer or something, Surry responded he should use the proper elven term for "Arcane archer" ...which was loser.
Fetch could sense she still had a deep resentment to her mother. Which was a shame, since Brita was a wonderful woman and Fetch considered her a dear friend. Maybe that's why we don't get along thought Fetch. His daughter still felt betrayed by her, and since Fetch was always supportive and respected Brita that was the last barrier between them.
Surry finally spoke, as Fetch and Trip awaited her method of travel. "This is kind of hard to explain. It started over a year ago. A creature, unlike any I've met in my travels appeared in front of me. I was ambushed by rival orc mercenaries while serving with Ymirs Armsmen, things looked grim for me , but this beast suddenly appeared then crushed and scattered the orcs before it. I was scared at first, the creature was surly and fierce, but it didn't seem to want to hurt me. It even allowed me to ride it , as it literally flew through the heavens and deposited me back to camp. I thought I must have been delirious from a poisoned arrow or something, but over the next few months I found I met the creature a few more times. Even Agni and a few of the armsmen met it, although It only seemed to respond me. I found over time I could summon it. I'm not sure if its linked telepathically like one of Frank's twins and come when I called for it or if it was summoned from an extra dimensional space or dimension. I even considered it to be some sort of subconscious eidilon I created like the mysterious summoners are able to conjure. A projection of ones self created from the aether to do the summoners bidding, but I have serious doubts of that idea. Anyways, It seemed like a noble although vicious beast, and I had no intention of summoning it unless absolutely necessary. It's the fastest creature I've ever seen, faster then a quickling, faster then a dragon , faster then even an air elemental. I think it actually is a form of elemental but I'm not sure."
Fetch and Trip were both fascinated by her tale. Trip who was always curious, clapped his hands at the story. "Summon it ! Summon it!"
Surry nodded, and motioned for them to fall back. Suddenly a greyish blue blur descended like a hurtled rock from the heavens. The 3 soldiers jumped back in surprise , as the massive beast snorted in anger.
"Pixietrampler! ", cried Fetch. He was the first to walk up to pet it, but it snapped its angry jaws at his hand. Fetch withdrew just in time. He could sense the horse wasn't about to attack him, but he knew he shouldn't try crossing his "personal space".
"You..You've met him before?", asked Surry as she approached the horse and petted him. Trip's eyes literally bugged out of his wood and metal head as he watched the massive majestic beast.
Fetch nodded with a smile." That's Pixietrampler! Your grandfathers horse! It carried him through many battles, even the battle against the gnoll demonlord. I've only seen it obey 2 other people, your grandfather obviously and your mother.", Fetch blurted and suddenly wished he hadn't said the last part.
Surry gave a slight frown as she continued petting the horse,"I see, and here I thought I had my own special gift. ...I shouldn't be disappointed, I'm glad I have something of grandfather's legacy. Pixietrampler...thats an odd name. Did my mean old mother gave you that name? Who would want to trample a poor pixie..."
The horse shook his head violently, and stamped its mighty hooves into the ground to indicate it would gladly crush any pixie present.
"Your grandfather didn't like fey ...", Fetch answered, he was about to say "and elves", but he didn't want to bring up his dark past.
Surry gave him a puzzled look," why would anyone hate fey? Elves are practically half fey, thus someone like myself is quarter fey...never mind hop on, We'll bring you to Olive and back , before the evening .
Fetch had rode Pixietrampler before and remembered it as both a scary and exhilarating experience. He remembered literally flying through the chaotic melee of a half million combatants below as Hildraxel and his steed made their way to Amarath.
Fetch placed Trip in his backpack , The little warforge stuck his head out to get a good look at the surroundings, Surry looked at the 2 and smiled. She then reigned the horse and it bounded through the sky .
The journey was incredibly fast. Fetch thought they could reach their destination in one or two hours. Pixietrampler wasn't exactly flying, but it was leaping and almost hovering in the air. It seemed to enjoy flattening small trees, patches of mushrooms, Fetch wasn't sure but he thought it landed on an unsuspecting brownie once. They past a large band of goblins along the way. Fetch cursed that they were able to evade his company . Instead of going around the group though, Pixietrampler landed right in the middle. It seemed to aim directly at a shaman, and his entourage. Before the goblin knew what happened , he and a nearby underling was squashed flat by a monstrous blur of grey and blue. The other goblins gasped in terror, but Pixietrampler was long gone. Trip managed to get a crossbow shot off from his backpack and nailed a goblin in the chest. He wasn't able to confirm if it was a fatal hit or not , since they were long gone before the goblin fell to the ground.
Surry seemed truly happy and free on the horse. Fetch thought he should mention to her that she didn't need to summon and re summon the horse all the time. He never saw Hildraxel far away from it. He didn't even realize it could be summoned till now.
He turned his back and looked at Trip. He seemed to be absorbing the terrain the layout of the terrain below him.
"So Trip ...what's the deal with you and that Kanjo fellow. The great war was a long time ago, even for those caught in the mists. I thought after the war, all you halflings buried the hatchet, signed a peace accord, formed the Leeha Union. ", asked Fetch trying to make conversation. The great halfling war was one of the few subjects in history that he was familiar with. Cook told him many stories and tales about it. To the people in the north , it was one of the most pivotal and bloody times in history. Over a 2 million halflings and their allies died in the terrible battles between the halfling countries. Demons,Demigods, dragons, dinosaurs, devils , devas, demodands, and daemons were all summoned and deployed in the war by both sides. It was a terrible tragedy . The people of the south only heard veiled rumors of the great halfling war. It was a popular misconception that all the halflings lined up and threw snow balls at each other till one side got cold and wet. Then they all went home for hot chocolate.
"That is true, after the war many peace treaties were signed. The governments of the halflings did not want such a lethal and devastating war to engulf the halfing nations again. Almost all halflings accepted the need to move forward. Those that still had grudges were given the opportunity to settle their differences in honorable duels or accept exile. However, to answer your question, Kanjo is not a halfling and is not bound by such agreements.", explained Trip.
"Wait..wait! Kanjo is not a halfling? He's not a gnome is he? I've seen gnomes , and hes not a gnome, He's about the right height for a halfling, has that paunch, definitely has the appetite , slightly pointed ears, and has that ruddy child like country appearance most halflings have. ", replied Fetch puzzled.
"Let me explain a bit more. After the Great War, the 3 great nations of halflings , the hair foots, tallfellows and the stouts signed many accords of peace. However there were other tribes of halflings that fought as well. The mysterious and magical ice halflings, the country dwelling hobbits, the brutish and harsh forge halflings ... These tribes were not your typical halflings but were accepted into the union as long as they followed its rules. 2 other tribes petitioned to join the union. The artificially created Warforged , and the Kenders. We warforged fought valiantly like many of the other minor tribes. Even the humble hobbit , who are normally pacifist fought bravely. However the Kenders were flighty, sickeningly "cute", and generally kleptomaniacs. They perpetuated many negative connotations of the halfling race. The union were only going to accept one more tribe. And when put to vote, the warforge were overwhelmingly accepted.", said Trip with great pride.
Fetch was extremely puzzled," umm...I hate to break it to you guys , but Kanjo looks more like a halfling then you warforged do, or even forge halflings. I don't know about hobbits and ice halflings. I've never met any."
Trip shook his head, "you don't get it..What defines a halfling? Obviously from the name, our height. But what really separates us from lets say gnomes, or short elves and dwarves?"
Fetch wondered for a bit," umm your appetite?"
Trip shook his head once again, "more stereotyping. I'll make it simple and spare you from more shameful guessing. What's different from Kanjo compared to other halflings. It should be quite obvious to a halfling, but you might miss it due to your height."
Fetch thought but then shrugged. Trip laughed "He wears boots! Hah no self respecting halfling wears boots! Not the winged magical ice halflings, not the evil forge halflings, not even the plump hobbits and definitely not the warforged. We could wear boots if we choose for extra armor, but we generally go with out . Kenders however are like you humans, always wearing shoes. Its disgraceful for a halfling to consider wearing footwear in a non combat situation. That's why he hates me so. Because the warforged were accepted into the union over his soft soled people. Most Kenders still harbor that grudge. It doesn't matter , nobody trust Kenders anyways. Most halflings consider them snotty losers. ", Trip said with a rare streak of venom in his voice.
Fetch shook his head, and then realized it was probably that type of animosity, that started the great war in the first place. He considered it for awhile, and thought he liked Trip a lot more then Kanjo anyways. He wondered if anyone liked Kenders.
Pixietrampler made quite the entrance at the 3rd army's command corp. In one stride he was past the guards, in another he was outside Olives camp. Or what Fetch thought was Olive's camp. It was similar to the previous tent that he saw at the Great Host. There seemed to be the most people lined up to get in , and messengers and Officers were constantly streaming out.
There was a small alarm at first, of an unidentified object streaking past the aerial defenses, but an officer on a horse drew little attention. Fetch thought about explaining the situation , but he wanted to inform Olive of the situation , get his orders, and rejoin his company as fast as possible.
Fetch dismounted, and told Surry to wait by the stabling area. Fetch took Trip along for the visit. Despite Trip almost killing him a few weeks past, he trusted the little guy . Any maps and surveying information he might provide could be invaluable.
Fetch was at the back of the line, but he shown his royal adventurer sealed orders to the people ahead. Despite his lowly rank, and his youth, he confidently pushed his way forward. For the most part the other messengers and couriers let him pass . There were a few grumblings, but despite his appearance, Fetch was good at projecting a no nonsense serious demeanor that even Majors and Colonels wanted to avoid.
"Coming through", said Fetch " Royal adventurer business." Fetch said to a tall darkly dressed man, that refused to budge.
The man sneered at him, and presented him with his own sealed scroll which also had a royal adventurers seal. " Get back in line boy, know your place and know who your betters are. " the man said coldly.
Fetch wasn't sure what to do at this point. The man might possibly have business more urgent then him, but he doubted it. The man also had a sinister aura about him that also rubbed Fetch the wrong way. Under normal circumstances he would have let it pass, but lives could be at stake here.
"Hey , this isn't some junior royal adventurer's seal here, this is a veteran royal adventurer's seal.", Fetch said making it up as he went. Hakon briefly taught royal adventurer hierarchy but their seals and ranks were all confusing to Fetch. " Let me pass , my mission is of utmost importance, lives could be lost if I am delayed."
The dark dressed man chuckled and showed his seal again, "This is Master royal adventurer Kerr's seal. The Royal Governor Commander of Lower Lueders, the new capital of the north. However important you think your message is from whatever 2 bit royal adventurer its from, he pales in importance compared to my master. Wait your turn boy, before I make it personal." . He said with dark intent and barely hidden contempt.
"Wait,", said a mechanical voice. Trip hopped down and stared at the mans seal, then motioned to see Fetch's seal. "This gentleman's here seal is from a master royal adventurer. Of the 100 royal adventurers fielded by Grom, a master royal adventurer is amongst the 10 most influential. However...my captain's seal, is also from a master royal adventurer. Also it has the honorific of Sir Eggbert. I'm certain that both seals are at least equal in this situation."
Fetch was surprised at Trips knowledge and shamed that he paid such little attention in class. He grew more confident at this knowledge, and assumed this Sir Eggbert thing gave him the edge in this debate. Besides he didn't want to back down to this snobbish courier. He tried his best Frank impression to make his point, " Yeah its Sir Eggbert's seal, so back of the line loser. Before someone gets hurt." , He added that last line, because he grew tired of this man.
"Hah, you expect me to believe that its Eggbert's seal. The title has not been bestowed for the last few hundred years. Your seal is an unknown Master Adventurer's seal. Obviously your seal is a fake then. And the fate of imposters is death! ", cackled the man. Fetch didn't think this situation would get out of hand this rapidly. He was in a military camp, surely there wouldn't be a duel or combat fought over a spot in line. However, he had heard royal adventurer's were equivalent to generals in rank and prestige in Grom. Maybe it was common practice for them to misuse their power , or get away with violence and threats.
The dark mans eyes grew dark and fierce, from out of thin air a huge multi armed giant with a black iron curiasss stepped out of a shimmering portal. It was a fantastic looking creature, equivalent to appearance to any Demon Fetch ever faced. It roared as the man motioned towards Fetch and Trip. The rest of the officers and messengers fell back. They obviously had dealings with this man before, and his actions must be somehow legitimate.
"Slay these 2 fools, Ahazin.", said the man as the summoned giant nodded.
Trip stared at the creature, stricken with awe as the creature raised a massive foot to stomp the 2. Fetch however was tired of not being taken seriously by this man, and even angrier that this man would choose to attack him in the middle of a camp. He wasn't even part of the army. Despite Fetch only being in the army for a mere 4 months, he felt he belonged to this organization and this man was clearly the outsider. Fetch seldom got angry , even in combat, but he was angry now.
The foot hovered above them, then hurtled downwards. Trip jumped out of the way. Fetch channeled his most destructive spell. Literally the prayer of Destruction. But that wasn't enough. He focused his normally benign deities channelings to warp the spell to empower it even more. With a mighty flash the creature shimmered briefly before collapsing in onto itself in a sickening and horrifying crunch. The giant that stood before him was rended asunder, leaving only a dark dust in its place.
The dark dressed man was obviously taken back by the death of his creature. He staggered as if a heavy blow was delivered onto him. The 2 appeared linked , and when Fetch thought about it, they shared similar facial features. He wondered if he was one of those summoners that Fetch heard about . They were supposedly capable of summoning powerful creatures called Eidilons. Whose appearance and abilities they were able to shape from the Astral aether it self.
Trip wasted no time, and leaped at the mans chest knocking him down. He placed his crossbow directly above the stunned mans eyeball. Waiting for Fetch to give the signal so he could execute him. He obviously had more experience in military disputes then Fetch had. Dealing with the problem now with a deadly solution would be a clean end to this whole messy affair.
"Wait...wait...hold on... ", said a soft but firm voice. A humanoid, slightly smaller then even Trip appeared out of the tent . He was strange looking to say the least, he looked like a small fey creature dressed in a fancy servant uniform, but had fiendish qualities about him. Batwings, small horns, reddish skin, even hooves for feet. Despite his obvious demonic heritage, he didn't looking threatening at all , he even looked friendly.
"There's no need for violence . We are all Grommers here working for a single purpose.", the creature pleaded. Trip however still focused on the man below him. Both remained motionless. Trip flexed his trigger finger to taunt his prey , daring him to say something.
"Sir Zahzon, you shouldn't have been so quick to provoke a fight. I'm sure whatever message from the most esteemed Kerr , isn't worth killing a captain and a lieutenant from the army. I'm sure its just an angry retort to Olive's demand for more troops anyways. ", the creature said trying to defuse the situation.
"And you Sir. Let me see your sealed letter. Zahzon is correct, there aren't too many master royal adventurer's in the north, let alone those with the honorific of Sir Eggbert. However , you did destroy Zahzon's eidilon with a single spell, I thought I knew all the people in the army with that kind of power hmmmmm..", the creature began examining Fetch's seal.
"I assure you , this seal is legitimate. Go ask Olive, she knows me!", said Fetch giving Trip the order to stand down. Trip hesitated, and mouthed an "oops", sending the Zahzon below him briefly writhing in an uncontrolled spasm. He hopped off the terrified man, and watched him get up. He left a puddle of shame on the ground, as he slowly got up. Trip "accidentally" brushed against him, knocking him back into his liquid discharge, as he marched back to Fetch. He rotated his head unnaturally almost fully backwards , and stared the white faced man down as he walked back to his captains side.
Zahzon, was clearly afraid, never had he met a man that could destroy his eidilon in one spell. He knew he wasn't popular in the army, for having killed several minor officers in the past. If he was killed now, they would probably cheer his attackers. Zahzon was clearly out of his element, and waited in his filth till Trip was a good distance away, then scrambled away to the jeers of the laughing soldiers.
"Its ok Kube, I know that troublemaker . Let him in before he kills someone.", said a chuckling childlike voice inside.
Kube, the fiendish looking pixie butler, bowed, and ushered the 2 in.
"Fetch! How are you! I've read your reports, seems like you are making a lot of progress in the south. We are kind of stalemated here, but our outer groups seem to be making great headway in the attrition battle needed to break the enemy's will.", said a beaming Olive. The "young" general was dressed in full military garb, sitting on a booster seat in front of a big table. The table had a map and various blocks and models representing the various forces in the area. Because of her youthful appearance, she looked like a child playing with army toys at that moment.
"You read my reports?", said Fetch surprised. He thought they would be sent to a scribe or something. or to some junior officer which compiled it to an easily read report for her.
"I read all the reports!",Olive said indignantly." Well, I normally flip through them quickly, but have aides point out anything I need to focus on. Its not as hard as you think. There's only 150 companies here, most reports are fairly short and to the point. Doesn't take me long to get through them all. I hear you have a special report for me. With Eggbert's seal? Hmmmm lets see what Earl has to say."
Fetch handed Cube the scroll. Cube flew with his small wings gracefully to Olive. She began reading the report, while eating cookies. "You know...I use to smoke, quite heavily . One of the advantages of having your youth accidentally restored is I can avoid some of the pitfalls of my life. The best part is , I'm still young, I can eat as much as this crap as I want, and won't gain weight!" she laughed , while Cube gave her annoyed frown.
Fetch waited for her to read the letter but decided to ask," So is that Earl's real name? Sir Eggbert? That's kind of a silly name, I can understand why he chooses to go by Earl instead."
Trip, Cube, and Olive all stopped and stared at Fetch, "Don't they teach you anything in the north? Sir Eggbert is the title of the kingdom's Champion. Well not quite the champion, more like lethal enforcer. In ages past when the Republic was first formed, a particularly nasty and grim royal adventurer named Sir Eggbert terrorized the land and enforced Grom's rule. When he disappeared, the chancellor would appoint other people to take that role. Even when Alphonso took over the republic and established it back to a monarchy he kept that role. and to clarify things for you. Yes Earl is the last surviving Sir Eggbert. After the kingdom degenerated to city statedom, a few Sir Eggberts were appointed in the past, but they failed in their job miserably. Not only did they have to deal with Grom's dangers, and general civil rebellion, but he had to watch his back against the growing powers of the various city governors. After awhile, the title was left vacant. Our "friend" Earl however, was stuck with me for most of the time in the north. We had our own troubles, but treacherous city governors was not one of them."
"How about this Kerr or Zahzon guy? Do I have to worry about them? ", asked Fetch now regretting taking Trip along instead of Surry. He was sure , Surry wouldn't have made the man piss his pants, then shoving him back into his own shame. Fetch like to build bridges, Trip pretty much demolished any chance of that happening with Zahzon and supposedly his master.
"Kerr I've dealt with in the past, I don't think he really cares what happens to his minions as long as theres an advantage or profit for him. I don't think you have to worry about Zahzon, you destroyed his eidilon in one blow. He's most likely gonna do something childish or stupid like spread bad rumors or something about you, but thats about it. I'm glad you taught him a lesson. He killed some of my men in the past, but was under Kerr's protection. I was going to eventually deal with it but I've been busy and it would have looked bad. I'm glad a captain in my army put him in place. ", said Olive finishing her plate of cookies and motioning Cube for a drink.
"Well this is bad...I didn't expect this. Well I partially expected it, but didn't think it would come to this. I expected the city states to drag their feet with reinforcements, but not outright betrayal. The other 3 forces arrayed against us, We could take each 1 on 1, but all 3 of them combined with the Darkriver horde, that's a massacre waiting to happen. ", she said grimly while writing new orders. "KUBE...cancel all the other appointments. Have one of the junior officers sort them by importance for me, and wheres my drink!"
"So how are you enjoying army life? I heard about the ...Hakon was it?...and how yuan ti attacked your group and almost wiped them out. Normally we would have a full investigation but we are strained for resources at the moment. I didn't realize you knew Master Clovis or commander Ymir. I loathe to hire mercenaries, but we are probably going to need her troops soon. I might make you a liason officer to the Armsmen due to your relationship with her. ", said Olive busy writing down orders, while Cube delivered a milk. He then took the orders and magically made copies of them.
"Army life's fine. I'm a bit surprised . When I left the plateau, I chose the path of the adventurer instead of being a soldier for Hero. Now look at me, I'm exactly where I didn't want to be !", Fetch said with a sigh.
"Well you are a priest of Rawk , every priest of Rawk serves sometime in the army so I hear. How's the wife? Is she enjoying my estate?", Olive continued.
"Oh...I took her along with me. The men like her singing and she's handy with a blade.", Fetch said, as Trip made an unexpected grinding noise at his understatement." Oh, and she's with child!" Fetch had trouble blurting the last part out, it still seemed surreal to him.
Olive stopped her writing and stared. Trip stared as well. " WHY congratulations! I wish I heard this news under better circumstances. I can't wait to see whatever little terror you 2 will raise. I love kids, when I grew up I was trained as a professional nanny. Can you believe that? The high general of the 3rd army use to be a nanny!" Kube nodded his head to confirm her last statement. Fetch guessed he's been her servant for quite some time.
Fetch paused , the talk about his vulnerable wife made him think of the situation at hand, "So, are we going to be trouble here? I can see the vast forces arrayed against us, I don't think its the work of the Darkriver horde. Something has to be pulling the strings here. I don't know about this Ari and his legion or the howling goblins. But the giants come from Frosthaven, and that's not an easy trip to make unless you have powerful magics. Does it have to do with those red lizard men? "
"That's very perceptive. I'll let you know since I can trust you. It has everything to do with those Red Trogs. or Red Dragon Spawn as they like to call themselves. We have reason to believe, the once great wizard Dalton the red, is pulling the strings here, and the Red Dragon spawn are his direct minions . To brush you up on your history lesson. He was a powerful dragon slayer several hundreds years ago. Between the great war and the mists. He even gained the rank of high mage in Khazag Narg. However his ambition got the best of him, it was rumored he stole the great forge and plunged the dwarven kingdoms into civil war. He retreated with his prize, and kept quiet ever since. However, there's been dark rumors about. He destroyed Boryis the grand sages tower in search of a piece of an artifact. He failed and was driven back. I suspect that this has everything to do with him attempting to get that piece and complete his artifact, and he's willing to plunge the north into a bloody war to do so.", said Olive.
"Err don't tell me. He wants the piece to complete his artifact so he embark on his journey to become an immortal. Become an epic hero , or villain in this case.", said Fetch unimpressed.
Olive paused then nodded," How come you know so much about the paths of immortality but don't even know who Sir Eggbert is?", before he could reply she continued," Yes that is my belief. He intends to take McDunnalds by force, and rip apart the city seeking the artifact. Even if we knew where it was , giving him the artifact is out of the question. He's willing to destroy the city and kill hundreds of thousands now, imagine what he would do if he was a god. Don't worry, it would take more then what he has now to siege our city. And with Karlston defecting. It makes our task a slight easier at the present. Although I suspect dire consequences for Karlston. "
Olive was finished with her orders, and Cube took them . He summoned messengers and they went off to deliver the orders. He began to set up another table, and started to prepare chairs. Olive however continued with her explanation. " We obviously have to pull back, our airships have ruled the skies so far and will be able to cover us. Not even dragons and wyverns could break our hold of the air right now. Although I suspect they are holding back the bulk of their air power. We will fall back to McDunnalds, keep our lines of supply to the west and south clear. A detachment will be sent to Xaber , but their backs are to the swamps and the Devil's woods. So they have an easy path to escape if things get desperate. I believe they will try several quick assaults. To claim the south and the west would be very costly for them, and due to the changing weather I don't think their frost giant allies would be sticking around too much longer. The goblins are numerous and they won't be able to keep supply. By the way, that's why a professional army is better then a horde. With the magics i have at my disposal I can supplement my stores so I can feed and supply my army for months , they however will run out of food fast, especially in the harsh Grom wilderness. As long as we can weather their initial siege , we can begin the long task of counter attacking. Karlston may or may not be around after that. I suspect that they will be either attacked for failure to aid their "allies" or they will be sacked to provide supplies for the enemy. In either case , its bad news for them. "
Fetch was in awe at Olive's quick summary of the situation. He thought it over , and what she said made sense. The attacking army would not be able to maintains its cohesiveness for long. They would make one or two dramatic attacks. As long as the third army was able to resist, they could counter attack if the giants leave or the goblins disperse. "This campaign is going take months isn't it? "
Olive nodded "Maybe a year if we're lucky. but most of the hard fighting will be in the next month or so. After that its just mop up. That's how things work in the army. We take time to do things right here. "
Olive finished setting up her war table. Kube and Trip aided her. Trip was given a chance to present to her , his new maps of the area. She was impressed at the craftsmanship and the accuracy of the new maps and thanked the small warforged. She got Kher servant to make a note of his skill if they ever need it in the future.
Various high ranking military officers, royal adventurers, tax collectors and people Fetch was unsure of came to Olive's tent. She told them the grim news, most expected reinforcements from Karlston and a quick victory over the horde, now they were faced with an overwhelming enemy. Fetch could appreciate the benefits of a professional army compared to levies like they had in the north. If this was a champion telling his nobles their quick campaign will drag on for a year. Many would protest and some would even leave. However most of those gathered here are professional soldiers. This was their job.
He noticed Zahzon in the group, but he was far at the back from the tent, away from Fetch and Trip. Olive even made a brief show to introduce Fetch to the officers. Despite Fetch not wanting to be known as the "Warmaster of the north". Olive told everyone that anyways. Fetch didn't mind, it would probably improve morale at this point, and after the earlier confrontation, he realized the importance of reputation in this realm. It might have been diffused if the Warmaster demanded an audience with Olive, instead of some captain and his wooden mechanical man.
She methodically presented her plan, and considered their opinions. She listened to her officers insights, and made minor changes, but her plan was mostly intact. The main change to her plan was protecting agricultural communities from the raiders. If the enemy decided to attack them, a fierce defense would slow their advance and more importantly the soldiers could burn the crops leaving nothing for their foes if their position seemed untenable. It was a harsh decision , but Fetch saw its practical aspects.
Fetch's own battalion The "Goldtooths", would fall back to McDunnalds, and procure the services of the Armsmen. Together they would guard the western flank and keep supply from the dwarven realm open. Due to the terrain, any fighting would be small scale skirmishes, which was suited to the style of Fields units.
Olive's main concern was from the other city states. Lueders, Baltar's port, Heldann, Xaber, Nendits , Tunaville and Tornic. She gave their representatives a veiled a threat, that if they did not provide sufficient support or if they dragged their heels in providing aid there would be consequences. To emphasis this point she asked Zahzon from Lueders for his support.
Zahzon , with new breeches, composed himself from his earlier humiliation began to speak but Olive motioned towards Fetch and Trip. He quickly turned white, and blurted out he would implore High Governor Commander Kerr to send as much troops as possible. With that said, he took his orders, and quickly hurried out of the command tent. Since the normally proud and haughty Zahzon seemed so quick and eager to fulfill Olives orders, the other representatives of the city's seemed eager to do the same.
Olive winked at Fetch, "Some battles are easier won then others."