NationStates Jolt Archive

The last patches of snow were melting from the topsides of the Eldricsbad hills with the coming of spring, and the highlands were already meeting the blooming of the season, with the sun high above the horizon, risen in its fullest. Animals passed through in a fast pace, seemingly afraid of a possible predator, a strange sighting of an apparent threat which they were unable to defend against.

Through these highlands, legions of men and carriages towing war machines marched. Men dressed in flawless armors and grey uniforms, donned by holy symbols of their faith, and guided by the towering standards in black cloth with their white starred crosses, symbols of what such men sought to do. Crosses where everywhere, risen by some of the warriors, carried by men who seemed to be priests marching together. Massive squares of men in perfect synchrony making their presence known by the cadency of their boots, followed from the sides by knights and cuirassiers, advancing through the north of a world that was still foreign for many of them.

Looking at the march of the faithful through the hills, a man sat upon one of the few, humble seats of one of the carriages, observing his surroundings with the same curiousity of a man who has never seen them with his own eyes. Although similar, they were completely different from what he was used to, and there was something more in the air, a chill coming from the north, a dark, depressive omen which was barred by his faith in the Lord and in his savior Jesus Christ. A distant foreboding of what he knew that they would have to face. Thoughts were running through his mind and soul, considering why they have arrived, and where they truly were. There was something terribly wrong about this new world, a curse of untold proportions, and only one of many sacred armies would be prepared to face it.

With internal safety secured, now it was the time to look to the outside of the Holy Empire, and the man knew that for many decades since their initial settlement of this new world, they have been completely oblivious to what lied beyond their borders. For many they were the limits of the civilized world, and there was only hideous abominations ahead, or perhaps even legions of demons, unshackled by the godforsaken nature of such world. The idea that anything good lied through this world was not even considered, and the man could remind quite well of their experiences with the cursed forests. All they knew came from scouts of the lands beyond, told by those who came back alive. Explorations have been limited because of the fears. For some, past a thousand of miles, the gate of Hell itself could be found, where Satan and his minions would attempt to corrupt the souls of the faithful. The man, bearing testimony to the lull that was at the moment, thought on such matters, hoping that they would not stumble at the devil dominion, but the reports were very frightening.

Those few who came back to tell the story mentioned of entirely corrupted men worshiping demons and false gods in exchange of power over the very fleshly world, for seemingly magic was more than a form of satanic worship in this new world, it was as real as ever, just like the devils behind it, and more horrible tales were given from those few, who driven by faith in the Lord, came as far as through the icy north and with His blessing, survived from the harassment of what they believed to be physical manifestations of demons themselves, tormenting many of the foolish worshipers of their masters as the reward for the heathens.

Those were the very reasons why they were now heading through the same, now partly known way of those scouts, that protected only by their faith, dared to pass though godless and demonic expanses of this new world. To simply wait for the darkness to arrive would mean to hesitate and be lax, both leading to damnation and blasphemous heresies against the only and true God, the Father, with His son Jesus Christ at His side, who has sacrificed Himself so that the men of Earth would not be cursed to live in a world like such the man was now discovering, banishing forever the domain of demons to the corruption of the divine laws of nature through the Occult, and giving to their people a chance for salvation.

Perhaps, perhaps that was the reason why they have arrived, the man thought as they continued their long journey, perhaps God has decided to give a chance to the damned and lost souls of this world bereft into satanic magics and demons self-proclaimed gods. All that was necessary was to show them the way of salvation, for with truth, they shall at last be set free from the tyranny. However, like the satanic thrones of Earth should have been, the satanic thrones of this world would have to be crushed by the swords and guns of the holy warriors, and thus, a Holy War is simply inevitable. The demon-possessed rulers of distant kingdoms would never accept the word of Christ, or likely corrupt it to their own bidding. Only the Holy Empire was rightful to govern the affairs of men, free from the machinations of the devil.

However, even the Holy Empire suffers with the growth of witchcraft, as the weak of will are seduced by the powers of magic, selling their souls to the devil in exchange of unearthly powers. Only a Holy War could turn the tide, and guide their people to be stronger of will. The example had to be given, before their youth was completely lost, and while the Inquisition, tasked to combat the very nature of evil, prepared to cleanse the Cursed Forest amidst their otherwise holy lands, the men knew that more was necessary, for apparently, their very arrival alone have awakened many of the demons that inhabited such ungodly world.

Eventually they would stop on their way, to rest and forage the land for provisions, as the man, feeling the carriage stopping, would raise, and step on the grass, looking at the columns of men ready to fight, and at the brothers ready to spread the word of Christ to distant and isolated farms and villages, to give to such people a chance of salvation, and show them the truth on magic, and on what they thought to be gods. Most of the men turned around, facing him, as he stood into the top of a hill, holding a large white cross with his right hand, and long as a staff, and thinking on what to say, as these men risked their lives to face untold abominations.

He, raising the holy cross to the skies, spoke, in a loud enough manner to be echoed and understood by the many thousands to his side, in their own language, strange to all the pagans and lost souls of this new world.

"Brothers in arms and in word! We have passed through many tribulations since the dawn of the Holy Empire, fought against the tainted and demon-owned Catholic Church, held our ground against the worshipers of Mammon threatened by the true word of Christ, by the foundation of our truly Christian community where all share the bread they bake to everyone who is in need, where the unholy greed has no place.

Our very world was full of iniquity and mostly lost, where men would kill men for the most futile reason and out of pure evilness and ambition, where innocents would die as martyrs by the hands of the Catholic taint. Yet now we have arrived in this world through either a miracle or curse, a world even more iniquous than our own. I believe that this is no coincidence, and that perhaps, our arrival is part of the will of the Lord, to save His creation in any world, any place, to give to all the chance of salvation and equality in the eyes of the Lord, and in this, we are His messengers, the messengers of the Lord, and His warriors. Blessed by His holy all-mighty power and infinite wisdom, we must now seek to spread the word to those devoid of it, to speak the light of truth through the darkness of satanic lies many men are exposed to. And to fight against the same thrones of Satanic power that spread through this world, to form a community as Christ has formed. And thus, now, as our first step of many to save this world, we prepare our first crusade in this world, and our Fifth Crusade in all the history of the Holy Empire.

Lets not be fooled brothers, for this holy mission shall be full of challenges and dangers, we must be prepared for untold threats and enemies, and to fight against the very demons and fallen angels that rule this world. We must have utmost courage and faith, and to even when facing Goliaths, stand with no fear and driven by the hand of God, emerge victorious, like David has done.

We shall march upon giant devils and corrupt ones, we shall march through the shores and gates of Hell, we shall march through demon-infested woods and haunted graves of human dignity, we shall march through places that will test our faith in God and attempt to make us forget of Him, but we will never betray the cause, and fight for as long as the Lord wishes for us to fight, to give our lives for the cause of salvation if necessary, and to make our first of many steps, to establish the Kingdom of God is this world and cleanse it of all darkness and corruption. And we shall emerge victorious, for we are the messengers and warriors of the Lord, and our cause is righteous. The evils of this world, both obvious and disguised, shall be banished unto Sheol, till the End of Times, and the Holy Empire shall last for millennia, until our mission is at last done. Victory in Christ!"

As the man shouted their holy rallying cry, suddenly a thunder, an enthusiastic crackling of thousands of voices repeated, with a nearly fanatical resolve, as men raised their muskets, swords and warhammers to the skies, resonating through the entire region around them, in their Russian language:

"Victory in Christ!"

It was by then that the man, turning around and heading towards the carriage to make an humble meal, noticed as a man in a grey cloak donned in holy symbols approached him, and with an humble greeting, said:

"Inquisitor Tomorov, our scouts have reported an isolated fishermen's house to the west, seemingly inhabited by men, what do you recommend?"

"Send a missionary to this humble house, and be courteous with them. Once the right moment comes, teach to these fishermen, fishermen like the apostle Peter, the word of God and Jesus Christ. We must be soft with those who have never seen the truth before, and harsh to those who disseminate the lies for their selfish purposes. We must continue our way though, and soon we shall arrive at some place of iniquity or with souls that can be saved." the man then replied to the Inquisitor at his side, who immediately nodded and left. Then coming to the carriage, the Inquisitor took his seat onto a wooden bean, and grabbed a clay pot and a jar with an yellowish oil, and putting a fish over the pot, he bathed his meal into olive oil and ate it with discretion, as the soldiers also shifted between them to have their rations, and others foraged the grounds for food and plants with medicinal properties.

The Vth Crusade had to be as self-sufficient as a nomad war band of the past, for it would take months to achieve its ultimate goal, to cleanse the continent of heresy, demons, lies and iniquity. As he took a bite of the fish, Tomorov looked at the skies and felt again the ill omen from the north, a sensation growing and tormenting him, until he stopped his meal, and knelt on the ground, closing his eyes to pray for the Lord to protect him from whatever demonic influence came from the distant north, powerful enough to haunt the faithful so far, but still inferior to the word and voice of God. His utmost faith eventually defeated the demonic urges to torment his soul, as he opened his eyes, and looking at the horizon, felt like God was watching him even in this desolate world.

With his meal finished, he headed on the carriage again, as they continued to march forward in their mission to convert the heathens, cleanse the corrupt and exorcise the devils from this damned place.

It was in such way that the Holy Emperor Medved has put the Holy Empire out of decades of isolation, as a messenger of Christ, intended to spread Christianism to this world and excise the pagan religions and devil-empowered magic, no matter the cost that it would take to achieve their goal.

And thus, the Vth Crusade advanced for days through the north, as the Lazardus Plains, which they had no name for, were at the plain view of their soldiers from above, as was a river, that seemed to separate the west from the east. Missionaries were being sent to all human settlements of the place, some times having to literally exorcise demons from lost souls through the power of the Lord, and realizing how that seemed that the invisible enemies, the demons unable to touch the physical world directly, were still the most dangerous foes of their cause. The Holy War was only beginning.

http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/1765/crusade1nj4.th.png (http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/1765/crusade1nj4.png)

I warn you, any atempt to attack my allies or Fanrai will end in defeat. Stay away from us. Why attack pepole for religion? Thats like me attacking you because you like eating turtle. Anyway , don,t attack us.

From:Fogeign Relations , William Tozier.
To:Pranzina

(OOC: Why do people refuse to read thread titles? And why do people godmod all-seeing capability?

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/3427/1191664289385zp9.jpg

This is a CLOSED Thread, except for the participants of Thrashia's PAST TECH world)

ooc sorry I didn,t know I couldn,t post in this thread

OOC: Where are you peoples marching Prazinia?

OOC: Ok well Lazardus plains is me so i'll post later tomorrow, I have to finish homework and then go to work today so I cant...

As the Army of the Fifth crusade marched into the lazardus plains, they had no idea they were being watched. A small hunting band of Oblivionates was hiding in the reeds just beyond a human's pathetic line of sight. The hunting band was worried, humans had not been seen in this part of the world in many years. The flags that the army bore marked them as a part of the holy empire. A crusade! War! The Council had to be notified!

The Hunters took off with the speed of a wild animal, they would arrive in the city of Fergal, by nightfall. The humans wouldn't be far behind. The High elves would also have to be notified. If the humans were on a crusade, the elves would be high on the list.

If the Hunters reached Fergal in time, they could lite the beacons of war and ready the war tribes. But for now it would be up to the redwood tribe and it's army of 10,000 infantry to hold the plains. For if the plains fell, the lower great green would fall with it....

The Crusade had not been announced to Incognitia, neither to her government, nor to her traders in ports of the Holy Empire.
This was not unexpected, of course; the Holy Empire didn't usually have informing other nations of it's exploits very high on it's priority list.
However, this one was bigger than normal. The signs were that thousands of able-bodied young men had 'gone away', and that more were a-training with pike and shot.
When one of your near neighbours starts doing things like that, it is prudent to pay some attention, and while the Assembly isn't always known for prudence, it occasionally finds the right answer almost by accident (or someone else's design, of course.) Ifni is sometimes believed to be involved...it is said the form the Assembly takes is her doing, somewhere along the line.
In any case, the Border Regiments were put on some form of alert, scouting to the north intensified and the like; all the usual things, if you will; and then a part of the militia was put on notice to be called up, letters of commission readied, all that sort of thing. Some of the better coastal regiments were sent inland to militia training grounds, to give the local militias a bit of a kick up the arse, so to speak.
And, of course, someone had to be sent to actually ask the Holy Empire what they were up to.
The man given that not entirely welcome mission (a man this time, of course, because no-one was entirely sure what the Holy Empire thought of dwarves) was Alistair Todd, and as he sailed north with a small escort to talk to the Prazinians, he cursed the fact of being in Nescia when they needed an emissary - he was the only likely candidate who had no magical practitioners in his family or immediate entourage, and it was believed this might help him get a straight answer from the Empire.

Steel Home, Hall of the Iron Kings.

In a vast city far to the north of Witching Isle, a palatial estate sits on the side of the highest mountain. This is the Hall of Nobility, and within, He stands vigil over the Iron Kingdom and its inhabitants.

In the audience chamber, a man of middling age sat on a throne made of bronze and silver. Another man, garbed in the full plate of the Lord Marshal, and a cloak of the finest Silverbears fur, approached Him and knelt at His feet. The Lord smiled benevolently down at him. "Rise, Marshal Harrad. What news from the Southland?"

The giant among men stood and, walking to a map of the Isles, superimposed on a map of the Midgaard, took a small red ruby, pointed at the end, from a table with many colored gems. Tracing a red line along the souther border marked in black, just before the pont where the Isle narrows drastically, he said, "This is where the barbarians attacked us, at Fort Giantkiller. We met them in the open field just south of the city. As my Lord is aware, Giantkiller is the largest settlement on the border. I took my Bearkin, and we ran all the way from Trollbane to the north, arriving three days before we broke the siege. We were aided by a nearby tribe of Wolfbrothers, and the detachment of Wards that sailed after us from Ironmouth."

As the Marshal spoke, he drew three lines, blue leading from the west coast, green a circle with a line leading to the far side of Giantkiller, and silver going almost straight south from Steel Home.

"The barbarians broke, as I said, on the third day after we got there, which would be the second week of fighting. We followed them to the south as they fled, all the way across the border and deep into their own lands. I am certain that we broke the Tribes backs, as we destroyed many, and brought even more back as Thralls. In addition, we rescued a great many Iron Men and Women, and some dwarves to boot. They are preparing to return to their homelands now, though nearly half will remain for some time, their leader says." The Marshal turned towards the throne,only to find that his Lord has come to stand next to him.

"These are great accomplishments. You sent many of our enemies to Valhalla, and some warriors joined our Einherjar there as well. Thor informed me he was pleased with you, very much so. But as we well know, he does not brag of others accomplishments. He allows them to do so themselves. On to other matters. There is word of a crusade marching out of Morhaut. They are calling it the Fifth Crusade, but it's just another war for the Juscrist. They plan to convert any and all from their Faith, kill anything that isn't human, and abolish majics. Again. Now, they directly threaten us, moving as they are through the Eldricsbrad Hills, here."

Wiping his hand across the marks made by the Marshal, which were brushed away as if they had not been, he made a large arrow in a pulsing red, that throbbed gently to the west, pointing straight at the Iron Kingdom.

"If we allow these fanatics purchase on the west coast of the mainland, they will no doubt attempt to take the Isle. I want you to take all strength you deem necessary to defend the Hills, and do so. The Crusade will threaten the Elven holds, so expect to be approached by them if and when you enter their territory. If so, inform them that you are on their land to defend your home. And, Harrad...I don't want a war with the Ancients, understood? I hope to make strong ties with the other peoples of this land, and I don't want the men to do anything...Hostile."

Lord Marshal Harrad saluted, slamming a gauntlet into his armored chest. "Majesty, I will give them all the courtesy I would afford to an Iron Lord." With that, he departed. Withing the hour, the entire city would know of the threat. Withing the week, all major cities would have been informed. The Iron Men were on the march again.

((Since no one else did.))

312 years after Ironfall.

Lord Marshal Harrad stood at the prow of the Wolfship, waiting for the last of his men to board. He would sail from the Home with a force of five thousand men to Eldricsbrad, while another five thousand marched from Firedeep, and two from Galien. The Iron Lord had sent emissaries to the Wolfbrother tribes, and they were always willing to fight in return for land, which the Lord could now grant easily. The Dwarves in the Kingdom had aided the Iron Men greatly by giving them knowledge of a new way to make steel and cannon, in return for alliance. This fanatical Empire was aiding them more, day by day. And soon, Harrad would either destroy them or join the Einherjar in Valhalla. The general brushed snow from his shoulder guard, the rune there flaring at his touch. Looking out over his army, his heart swelled. This was the greatest army the Isles had seen since his ancestors came ashore with fire in their blood.

Just as Marshal Harrad was about to call his men aboard, a distorted voice called from a mirror attached to his belt. taking the minuscule object in his massive hand, he saw that the Iron Lords face was within, and the surface of the mirror rippled as though made of water. His Lord spoke again. "Lord Marshal, the Crusade has ceased its movement. Instead of going directly to the High Elves at Eldricsbrad, you are to sail to the Ice Gate and land at the nearest port on the mainland, probably at Teritha. You are to make a diplomatic mission there and explain the need for troops. When you have done so, proceed east as planned." The general took it all in before speaking. "What if the Crusade has broken at that time? Should I return home?" The mirrors face shuddered as the Lord shook his head. "If the Crusade has broken, then the men will already be prepared and will be hoping for battle. If it does, we are planning to proceed with our mission to unite the Isles under our banner. Contact me with your mirror once you reach the port at Teritha, and I will inform you of how to proceed."

"By the Iron Will, it shall be done," intoned the Lord Marshal. "I will inform the Captains at the briefing."

OOC:

@ Praznia; I think what you are doing here is called God-modding, all pun intended. I would like to have received some OOC communication regarding an invasion into my lands, or into the regions directly outlying our boarders where our influence would be predominant. In any case there is no way you’d have been able to amass an army in Eldricsbrad without dealing with a Terithan expeditionary force first. If you are anywhere beyond a few miles into my boarders, (and according to your graphic, you are.) I'll ask to have your troop movements retconned. You'd easily have been spotted by one of our outposts or patrols. I'm fine with you bringing your messengers of God and all, but don't expect to just be able to ride in like you have a free pass. My people don't like foreigners snooping around at all, never mind foreigners who sound like psychopathic delusionals bound to ostracize them.


@ Steelios; There are no High Elves in the actual main land of Eldricsbrad. They’re all on the island of Quelthonas, which is not part of the mainland of Eldricsbrad. You’ll run into something more closely resembling a horde of Vikings and druids. We are a nation of humans with elven characteristics and a Norse based culture with my own small twists to make the society more to my own fixing. If your ships are coming to Teritha for an Alliance, the port to do it in would be right outside New Eldstad. You'll be cleared as welcomed guests since you are our neighbors and considered mankin by the Eldricsbrad populace. But if you're sailing with what looks like a war fleet you'll be stopped long before you get there. I’ll post a RP in here later this evening or tomorrow. I have no time to write one now.

Here is a map; http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v342/themaskednudist/terithamap2.jpg

Here is my factbook; http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=569172

UV, these posts were made before you existed in the RP, A. B) My people could very well believe there is a nation of High Elves here, not having direct involvement before now. The graphic is, I believe, a show of intention, rather than where they actually are, and C) Prazinia would be perfectly capable of creating an army right under your nose if he felt it was necessary. However, he is many miles away from you, and you have no right to order an RP that you just joined Ret'conned. Maybe he is already in your nation. The sign of a good RP'er is the ability to go with the RP, rather than attempt to change it to suit his ends.

@Prazinia, while you response seemed a little oversensitive, I agree that you shouldn't have to waste your limited RP time arguing over this kind of thing. It may be a little overbearing to assume that someone should have to read every RP just to make a land claim, but I probably would have looked for an RP that someone right next to me had started.

Just trying to head this off before we lose players here.

OOC: So this topic = Dead?

The advance continued, with the carriages and soldiers marching through north, having spotting nothing so far that could be a threat, even though there was the possibility they have already been spotted. They were about to leave the safety and advantageous terrain of the hills, to get into the plains, where their advance would be much more visible and easily spotted by the heathens and unholy spirits. Days were coming and going, with occasional stops to rest and mop up their supplies. The west was nearly completely ignored, as reports of its terrain indicated it would certainly halt their advance, and time was of essence for the success of the Crusade, for they knew what they were fighting against: an entire world ruled by devils. Instead, only an additional scouting band would head through the west, to identify what lied there, as all scouts who came back to give to the Holy Empire facts on what lied beyond explored only the direct north of their lands.

Inquisitor Tomorov prayed by his own to his God, considered the only true God for him, an habit he has performed daily, inside the carriage and his humble mobile home, knelt over the wooden frame. He was not answered, or have witnessed any divine intervention, for unlike the false gods of this world, his was one who allowed for the men to decide their own fate, without intervening into the unfolding of history both at personal and world levels, for free will was the basis of creation, and for the Creator to break the very laws of nature He created would be akin to an erratic false god, or to likely evil intentions of a tyrant-demon seeking to manipulate even the essence of existence and nature.

All the devout man could get in exchange was a serene, comforting feeling every time he prayed. No grand works, no supernatural powers or anything was granted, other than the fulfillment and brief contact with the only happiness that could be found, the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven. Suddenly however, his prayer was interrupted by a distant, ungodly howl from the south, making his spine shiver. As he opened his eyes, he then looked at the driver of the carriage, who has stopped, and said with a calm, serene voice:

"May the Lord protect our Holy Empire from the evils which dwell inside while our warriors fight against the evils which dwell beyond. No distraction must stop this Crusade, our or future will be a future of darkness and perdition. Carry on brother. I have faith we shall stand against any internal enemy."

The driver simply nodded, too concentrated into riding the horses. The marches of thousands of men interrupted for a while as they stared back to their land, but soon they, in different paces, resumed the march towards the northern plain with their discipline and fanaticism, imagining the sorts of monsters they would likely have to face in their road to war. Scouts were kilometers ahead sometimes, to attempt identifying possible traps before it could be too late, and would likely be the first to be spotted by any threat.

The march through west, of a much smaller force, intended only for scouting and securing their flanks, was seeking to move westward next to the southern bank of the river between the hills and plains, intended to identify potential threats, and report back whether it would be possible to ignore them or not. The river to their west was the primary line of defense and hindrance against those who would attempt to destroy the main force of the Holy Warriors, who in their long march, still had likely many days before likely finding their first battle, with the river still at their west, which they have recently reached the basin of, and made their decision to advance through north rather than northwest.

-----------------

The Meridian Navy has been ordered into full alert since the Crusade has begun, and patrols have become a constant and even the non-claimed shores and seas were scheduled for patrols. In the northeast of the Middle Sea, a small flotilla of nothing more than eight Xebecs patrolled the seas south of the Eldricsbad Hills, a few hundreds of miles away from the mainland. A captain looked at the clear skies, and standing at the broadside, observed the distant horizon and the visage of the distant hills to the north. The man knew that the responsibility of defending their sovereignty over seas was up to him, in part, for without knowledge, nothing could be done against any possible threats that could arrive from the sea. Unfortunately however, there were not enough vessels to patrol the entirety of their shore, let alone of close by and neutral areas of an entire sea. It would be a matter of luck, or perhaps a misfortune, depending on how exactly the event would unfold, to locate anything amidst the sea if there was indeed any threat heading on.

All that remained was a battle against tiredness, sameness and an struggle of patience. Days have passed, and nothing happened besides the same old routine of a ship. They would have to return for resupplying after three days, and the more they stood on the seas, the higher the risks of a storm coming were. The captain shuddered as he heard the howling from the east, and attempted to conceive what exactly has ushered such noise. There was not much he could do to help, from the distance they were. As the first memory to come was of his daughter, he only hoped she was safe, that whatever it was, it was not happening in the city of Gdansk, where his beloved daughter and wife lived, awaiting for him.

------------------------

There was, paradoxically, nearly no military mobilization of the Holy Empire to the south, with only what was necessary to defend its much larger borders standing, and no signs that any offensive was being readied. The instructions were clear, that the south would be more a hindrance to advance through, and they needed to have a proper focus. Their forces could not wallow into the arrogance of believing that they were able of advancing through both directions, for pride was a sin able to lead even the holiest and best to their end. However, naval patrols were on full alert across all the expanses of Prazinian's west coast, and one of them would eventually spot a new, lonely ship sailing towards the Holy Republic.

The captain of the small flotilla wondered on what was that. Perhaps a trap, perhaps only someone lost, or perhaps a ghost ship sailed by demons. There were many possibilities, and all choices regarding how to deal with it had their risks. Apparently, it was a sort of emissary from the pagan nation to the south, and perhaps to wait was the best idea. The only issue however, should such arrival bear peaceful intentions, would be language, for they were completely unaware of the language spoken by the southerners, and that could be a much greater barrier than the views of the people of the Holy Empire regarding the rest of this new, hallowed world. The captain had only one idea, and with his decision made on how to deal with the arrival, he came to his cabin, opening its plain wooden door, and headed through its cramped confines to grab the handle of a chest, where among other things, a white cloth lied. He grabbed the cloth, and headed back to the outer deck, and looking at one of the sailors, a hard working man with as much faith as holes in his teeth, looked at him with respect, and the captain spoke:

"Sailor, raise this flag!"

"Yes, captain Milov!" the sailor replied as he took the white cloth, wrapping over one of his hands while he grabbed a small rope with another, and looking at the main mast, he climbed all the way to its top. He then extended the white flag over it, and tied it to the pole with the rope. Hopefully the symbol would not have a completely different meaning, and perhaps they were virtuous pagans, with a significant hope of finding salvation, only needing to know the word nobody ever preached to them before. Such was the way Alistair Todd would be presented to the Holy Empire, likely for his very alleviation.

There was, paradoxically, nearly no military mobilization of the Holy Empire to the south, with only what was necessary to defend its much larger borders standing, and no signs that any offensive was being readied. The instructions were clear, that the south would be more a hindrance to advance through, and they needed to have a proper focus. Their forces could not wallow into the arrogance of believing that they were able of advancing through both directions, for pride was a sin able to lead even the holiest and best to their end. However, naval patrols were on full alert across all the expanses of Prazinian's west coast, and one of them would eventually spot a new, lonely ship sailing towards the Holy Republic.

The captain of the small flotilla wondered on what was that. Perhaps a trap, perhaps only someone lost, or perhaps a ghost ship sailed by demons. There were many possibilities, and all choices regarding how to deal with it had their risks. Apparently, it was a sort of emissary from the pagan nation to the south, and perhaps to wait was the best idea. The only issue however, should such arrival bear peaceful intentions, would be language, for they were completely unaware of the language spoken by the southerners, and that could be a much greater barrier than the views of the people of the Holy Empire regarding the rest of this new, hallowed world. The captain had only one idea, and with his decision made on how to deal with the arrival, he came to his cabin, opening its plain wooden door, and headed through its cramped confines to grab the handle of a chest, where among other things, a white cloth lied. He grabbed the cloth, and headed back to the outer deck, and looking at one of the sailors, a hard working man with as much faith as holes in his teeth, looked at him with respect, and the captain spoke:

"Sailor, raise this flag!"

"Yes, captain Milov!" the sailor replied as he took the white cloth, wrapping over one of his hands while he grabbed a small rope with another, and looking at the main mast, he climbed all the way to its top. He then extended the white flag over it, and tied it to the pole with the rope. Hopefully the symbol would not have a completely different meaning, and perhaps they were virtuous pagans, with a significant hope of finding salvation, only needing to know the word nobody ever preached to them before. Such was the way Alistair Todd would be presented to the Holy Empire, likely for his very alleviation.

OOC: Oh gods, not language issues...they're always troublesome. I'm assuming one of my guys has a stumbling grasp of it, hope that's okay.

IC: Alistair had been called when the flotilla was sighted, of course. He had taken the time to change into a smarter outfit than normal shipboard gear, then made his way up on deck.
The Captain had decided not to clear the decks for action, a decision vindicated when it became apparent that the ships were a patrol from the Empire; while he ran a tight ship, an experienced seaman would spot that it wasn't battle-ready, and read their attentions accordingly.
He was feeling twitchy; it was a hard thing, for a naval captain to go to meet warships without being ready for action, but necessity, as ever, trumped all.

On seeing the white flag raised by what could now be taken to be their counterparts' lead ship, he ordered an equivalent broken out and run up. A young midshipman had it up smartly, only to be asked by the bo'sun
"What you be putting it upside down for lad?"
The old hands on the poop deck roared with laughter at the boy's look of bafflement.

The white flag raised, they proceeded a little closer. When the distance was reasonable, they hove to on the Captain's orders and launched the boat.
After a brief discussion, the boat party included the Captain, Alistair Todd of course, and the Second Lieutenant, who claimed to know a little of the language of these northern folk, though he was evasive about how he had learned it.
Being as he was from a northern district, the Captain's guess was that his father was a smuggler; but it wouldn't do to ask a brother officer a question like that, so Lieutenant Kemp's knowledge of the language of the Empire would remain mysterious.
And so, finally, they came close enough to hail, and the Lieutenant called something he assured them was a greeting and request for parley.
"Hail, sailors. We come in peace from Incognitia, to talk with your government."
Well, that was what he meant to say. It probably came out as something similar...or at least, that was what they all had to hope. One of the sailors was muttering a quick prayer to Ifni as he leaned on his oar, and while he contemplated hushing him, knowing the Empire's reputation on religion, the Captain let him finish. Perhaps Lady Fortune would smile on them in this enterprise. Perhaps.

The Oblivionate hunters had reached their city in time. Said city happened to be Fergal, which in the Oblivionates language means "gateway", because the city of Fergal really was the "Gateway" to the interior of the Lazardus Plains. Fergal was a large city and as such was well suited to be defended. Her walls were at least 10 feet thick and 20 feet tall. On these walls were a series of Ballistea, which would fire bolts with ropes attached to them, which were attached to stones on the walls, which when activated would pull down a siege tower*. The interior of the city is also built on a hill, so if the walls are taken, the invaders will have to fight an uphill battle**.

When the Hunter Band arrived at Fergal, they presented themselves to the city council, their conversation went something like this...

The lead hunter stepped forward, "Respective councilmen, I bring you grave news, an army from the Holy Theocratic Empire, is massing at our borders on the south plains."

The council murmered amongst themselves, and one taller Council member, clearly the leader asked, "How many did you see mighty hunter?"

"I have no idea councilman, we did not take proper time to assess, we were worried about our nation's security."

"I see, thank you hunter, you are released."

The Hunter and his band bowed down low and left the council chambers.

The Oldest Council member said, "We must take action, we cannot allow this intrusion!"

"Nay!" Said the Youngest, "We must send a runner to meet with these "Crusaders", we cannot afford another war, not with out our god! And as all of you know, he left us after the great goblin war!"

"I say, let the tribal leader make his say." Said the war counciler.

The Councilmen who talked to the hunter, was actually the tribe leader, he was in charge of tribe redwood. He sat and pondered, and said, "We shall send a runner to these Crusaders, but we shall also light the beacons of war, to alert the northern cities and noble men to send reinforcements, just in case, the northern cities shall also notify the elves who will surely lend some sort of aid. What say you council members?"

The Council Murmered amongst themselves for a moment and then with a ground shaking cry, said "AYE!"

"Then it is decided... Ready my army!"

And so it was decided on, the army was equipped for battle, and put on high alert. In this army were 10,000 infantry, the most elite in all the land, they were made up of many veteran warriors and there students, they were composed of 1000 spearmen, 5000 swordsmen, 3000 archers, 1000 axelings.

The Beacon of War*** was lit, it burned brightly in the twlight, far away, across the plains, another beacon went up in flames, and the cycle continued until every city in oblivion knew, war was coming. Two runners were dispatched, one was sent to the elves in the north, and one to the crusaders in the south.

The Messenger to the south arrived first, he and his retinue, bore white flags of terms, and when they reached the edge of the crusader camp, the diplomat asked in accented voice, "Can Ve speak vith your commanding officer?"

OOC:
*: Like on Kingdom of heaven
**: Like Minas Tirith in Lord of the rings, except smaller,
***: Like the beacons on lord of the rings.

bump...