Morr Divided
Near Viadaza
Autumn 2402
Biagino had not at first thought it unusual that a fellow clergyman should wish to speak with him in private, but when he discovered it was to be a secret rendezvous with a Pavonan priest unknown to him, at the ancient ruins beside Lago di Scandarro, that struck him as odd. The young messenger carrying the invitation only further stirred his suspicions.
The gangly lad had been so agitated he was barely able to stand still for more than a moment, and although a youth who could surely be no more than a novitiate, yet he was tonsured and wore a cassock, and must therefore at least have made his temporary vows.
Perhaps, Biagino thought, the purportedly schismatic Pavonan church had less strict requirements concerning the age at which brotherhood could be bestowed? Indeed, during the Trantian Sagranalian uprising (several decades previously) there had been a veritable army of boy-monks, and Biagino had heard it said on several occasions that the Pavonan schism was an off-shoot of old Father Sagrannalo’s revolutionary theology, although of a kind that fortuitously permitted the nobles to remain in power and the rich to remain in possession of their wealth, which suited Duke Guidobaldo of Pavona very well.
Was he about to be lured into some radical, Pavonan design?
Of course, Biagino let none of this dissuade him. Considering all he had experienced, to shy away now from merely speaking with a fellow clergyman, even in secret, seemed ridiculous. If the priest had bad intentions, then it was best that Biagino learned of them; and if the man proved to be a true servant of Morr, then that too required his attention.
Either way, he must play along.
It was late afternoon when Biagino approached the tumbledown temple. All was calm, the lake waters adding to the peacefulness.
Were he still a boy the chance to sit by the water’s edge and skim stones would have been irresistible. The only urge that vaguely tugged at him now was to take advantage of the quiet, to lie down, and to sleep. That would mean dreaming, however, which for him was not at all restful, for in sleep his mind ran fast and deep into realms removed in both time and place, there to reveal horrors into which he sank deep. The urge to rest was a remnant of his youth, no longer an activity to enjoy.
There were four persons waiting. The priest who had sent the invitation, Father Claudio, was immediately obvious, standing ahead of the others and elevated a little by the lie of the ground. He was a large man of many chins, clothed in a grey, course, woollen cassock; so well fed that he was likely to be a priest of some authority. There was also the boy-brother Biagino had already met, while the others were either lay-brothers, flagellating-dedicants, or some unique Pavonan admixture of the two.
The boy-brother carried an axe, more tool than weapon, but held in such a way that it was clearly intended as the latter.
One of the dedicants had a viciously barbed mace, and a lighted torch in his other hand. It was not yet dark, and Biagino struggled to guess why it was lit. (Had they made their way here through some underground passage? Were they intending to burn something, or scare wild animals away? Neither theory seemed likely.)
The other dedicant lurched drunkenly, his arm extended as if to steady himself against some unseen support. It occurred to Biagino that the man’s condition was likely due to an over-exuberance in his self-administered admonishments – a common cause of injury, instability or insanity in flagellants.
Father Claudio had apparently been engaged in prayer as Biagino arrived, and now gestured the conclusion of his prayers by bringing his hands together.
“Good day to you, Brother Biagino,” he said. “Holiest Morr protect and guide you and yours. Are you alone?”
“There’s just me, brother,” Biagino answered cheerfully. “Why, were you expecting others?”
Father Claudio simply smiled, shaking his head so that his jowls wobbled. “You have the ear of the arch-lector, yes?”
Biagino had expected this, just not so soon. Ever since the raising of the holy Viadazan army he had received appeals, requests and entreaties of many varieties, to be passed on to those in power, whether military, secular or clerical. It was rare that petitioners were so abrupt, however. He chose not to answer and instead asked,
“You’ve come from Trantio?”
“Sadly, yes, we have,” said Father Claudio. “A terrible thing, the fall of such a great city to plundering brutes. It greatly shames Tilea that such can happen, yes.”
Biagino wanted to ask, ‘Was it worse than when the city fell to you Pavonans?’ Instead he said,
“There are wicked foes all about. This is not an easy time for Tilea. Yet we ought not despair, for Khurnag’s Waagh has been defeated in the south, and the vampires in the north now face our holy army, having already been driven from Viadaza. If the princes in between would stop squabbling among themselves and deal with this Razger Boulderguts, then all would be put right again.”
“Squabbling!” repeated Father Claudio. “Ah, but hasn’t it always been thus – the way of things in Tilea, yes? The goddess of war would diminish to nothing if it were not so. Yet it is one thing for Tileans to wrestle over matters of honour and revenge; another thing entirely for orc, vampire and ogre to loot, burn and murder. Our Duke Guidobaldo knows full well when it is time to put aside territorial disputes and slights against him and his own, and instead make a stand against evil.”
The duke certainly took his time to come to this realisation, thought Biagino.
“It is a great shame that the realm of Trantio has fallen,” he said. “Not once, but twice, and the second time to be left abandoned and ruined. Where have its people gone?”
Father Claudio gave no indication that he recognised the implied criticism.
“Those who did not perish fled – some south to Astiano, some west to Remas, and some – as you can see – north to Viadaza.”
“Come to join our holy war against the undead?” suggested Biagino.
“Come to ask the arch-lector to recognise the war is now made larger, and that he cannot leave central Tilea to its fate while he completes his vow to destroy the vampires in the north. To do so would be folly, yes, for there would be no home for his victorious holy army to return to, nothing left of what they are trying to defend.”
“So,” asked Biagino, “I take it then, that you want me to ask the arch-lector to commit forces to fight against the ogres?”
“He must. Not to do so would be the gravest folly.”
Biagino began to wonder whether Father Claudio was working entirely on his own initiative, as his words and Duke Guidobaldo’s actions did not sit well together.
“But the duke himself has ordered that his son and the Pavonan force he commands continue here, in the service of the holy army of Morr,” said Biagino.
“As is only proper,” replied Father Claudio, “for Duke Guidobaldo is Morr’s truest servant, and his son has made a holy vow. The arch-lector has other forces, however: his garrison at Remas, a whole army of mercenary Arabyans already bound to his service, and plenty more mercenaries available for employment. My lord will do all he can to defeat Razger, that goes without saying, yes, but if his strength should prove insufficient it is not only Trantio and Pavona that will suffer. Boulderguts cannot be ignored by Remas, nor can the fight against him be delayed, whether that be until the war in the north is won, or until Razger is before the walls of Remas.”
“The arch-lector is guided by holy Morr,” said Biagino, “divinely inspired to know when and how best to act …”
“… Yet you are right, he cannot know the true desires of Tilean princes unless he is made aware of them.”
Biagino paused, wondering whether he should give voice to such a line of thought, for it might unduly encourage and embolden such men as these. Best, he thought, to blather instead, so as to obfuscate what he had already said.
“Holy Morr concerns himself with the fight against the undead,” he continued, “and guarding our souls in his garden so that we may rest undisturbed for all eternity. To him it matters most that we do not succumb to evil after our death. We, his priests, must also concern ourselves with the living, however, for not only are we ourselves living and therefore cannot do otherwise, but we must act as guides for those on the path to Morr’s garden, so that their souls may reach its sanctuary.”
Biagino could see that Father Claudio’s eyes were glazing over, and knew his tactic was working.
“It is not right,” he continued, “to hasten our own end or that of our flock, however, for Morr prefers to welcome us when he is ready to do so, not when the servants of foul gods’ cause our deaths.”
Here Biagino’s words dried up, for he had so effectively meandered in his meaning that he himself knew not what to say next.
Father Claudio gave a confused chortle. “I … thank you for your sermon, brother, but I am cognizant of the church’s teachings.”
The torch bearer thrust his arm forwards, causing the flame to sputter. His eyes were glaring, sunk deep into his face, like that of a starving man, yet his bare arms revealed muscles a-plenty.
“When Morr tests us,” declared the man in a Trantian accent, “it is no easy thing. He doesn’t play with us, tickle us, tease us, like a loving mother would her infant child. He teaches us through suffering. We become strong through those trials, and so ready to thwart any necromantic threat. The undead are the first enemy, and Razger’s ogres the second, being a trial to truly test our faith. To fight both is not easy because to serve Morr is not easy. But fight both we must.”
Biagino now knew for certain the man was a flagellant, for his words contained the mantra of such creatures. Besides, only someone filled with an agonising commitment to Morr would fail to baulk at interrupting the conversation of two senior priests. The man was probably a captain among the flagellants.
“My companion Brizzio knows the truth of it,” said Father Claudio. “It is scarred into his flesh. We must indeed fight both undead and ogres. If we fail against the ogres then Tilea is burned, our dead are unguarded, and the vampires will work their evil all the more widely, raising wicked legion after legion to serve them. The fall of Trantio is most assuredly a sign of Morr’s displeasure. It is clear now that our lord’s removal of the tyrant prince was not punishment enough for the people of Trantio, and that the gods saw fit to allow the city to fall completely, despite our worthy attempts to cleanse it. All Tileans must work together to prove to Morr that they are indeed deserving of his love. We cannot ask for Morr’s blessing, without obeying his commands, nor can we expect to enter his garden without accepting his wrath. You must surely recognise, yes, that Morr is not merely the king of gods but the god of gods? If the lesser gods think to test us, how much moreso the god of gods?”
Biagino looked at each of them. One dedicant with his crazed expression, the other reeling unsteadily; the boy-priest hopping from foot to foot as if stood upon a hot griddle, and Father Claudio staring down at him like a disapproving teacher. These were indeed disciples of the Pavonan schism, Claudio had openly admitted it. And they were strange in their beliefs, as well as their ways.
Of course, he wasn’t going to tell them this. Not when he was here alone, unarmed (apart from his hidden stiletto).
“Your request would be taken more seriously if presented formally and with proof of Duke Guidobaldo’s agreement,” Biagino advised. And if you and your companions were not schismatic fools, he thought.
Father Claudio nodded.
“That can be done, yes,” he said. “I shall speak with Lord Silvano for he knows his father’s wishes. If he knew also that the arch-lector was likely to listen, then I am certain that he himself would present our case.”
Biagino now wondered who it was had most likely sent these men to speak to him. The young Lord Silvano had not shown his face at the army’s councils since the trial of his men for their ill-disciplined attack against the Campogrottan ogres. It had been supposed that he was wracked with indecision concerning whether to leave and return southwards or stay with the holy army. Perhaps instead it had been the youthful embarrassment of having to admit that he had lost control of his troops, while they had lured him away so that they could do what they desired? Mind you, knowing the boy’s family, it might instead be that he was annoyed he had not given the order for the assassinations himself. And if none of these, then it could simply be a matter of pride – the need to know his request would be taken seriously rather than risk being shamed by a brusque refusal. Whatever the truth, it seemed likely these men had been tasked with obtaining an invitation from the arch-lector for Silvano to attend upon him, thus saving the boy’s face, and allowing him to present his father’s wishes.
“Leave it with me, good father,” said Biagino. “I can but speak a word or two, here and there. Then we shall see.”
Gladly taking leave of the party, Biagino returned the way he had come. The whole encounter made little sense to him. In the end, he decided that Lord Silvano’s inexperience must be to blame for such a bizarre and round-about method to gain an audience with the arch-lector, if indeed that is what it was. It also occurred to him that the arch-lector, wise as he was in the ways of the world, should perhaps have recognised the need to reassure young Silvano that his presence was still desired at the council table.
Once Biagino began to ponder the request to assist the fight against the ogres, however, any clarity he was beginning to feel slipped away to be replaced with a heady concoction of doubts, fears and frustrations, riddled with images from half-remembered, and less than half-comprehended, dreams.
Was this really the time, as Tilea faced doom at the hands of vampires and ogres, to pander to schismatics? Could they be a symptom of a gangrenous rot growing within the Tilean church of Morr? And was the best course right now to placate tyrant princes? Could Pavona be the rusted hinge that caused the bolted door to Tilea to break? Or were the ogres the real danger, threatening to fatally wound Tilea as it was distracted by the vampires in the north?
Biagino was glad he was neither lector, prince nor general. But then of late, he was not particularly happy to be himself!
…
Capitano di Ventura
Autumn, 2402. Estalia, east of Solsona, at the western mouth of the Tramoto Pass
Ottaviano found himself pleased, even thankful, to be wearing the Compagnia’s livery once more. He could see Baccio was experiencing a similar satisfaction. The two of them now had a purpose beyond mere survival, a chance to prosper in the security afforded by an army of comrades. The wine was good too.
Their journey from Tilea had not been easy, nor pleasant, and their first weeks in Estalia were a time of hunger and doubt. When they finally reached the Estalian Compagnia del Sole they cursed their ill-luck, for had they taken the Tramoto Pass instead of the sea route to Almagora they would have walked straight into their comrades’ arms as soon as they entered Estalia. But as they were happy to have arrived, and to be made so welcome, they put their troubles behind them.
Having delivered the letter they carried, and briefly sworn themselves into Capitano Bruno Mazallini’s service, the pair of them were permitted to sleep long enough to take the edge off the pain in their aching legs. Upon waking they were summoned to an examination by the capitano and his marshal Luigi Esposito. It was an unusually warm afternoon for autumn, so the meeting took place at an open-air table at the edge of the camp, with the foothills of the Abasko Mountains looming in the distance.
The capitano di ventura had spent the morning hawking, and was still fussing over his bird when they presented themselves. With a simple gesture and the word ‘Please’ he invited Ottaviano and Baccio to partake of the wine and fruit on the table. Serving themselves they drank deeply of the sweet, spiced Borgas. Ottaviano noticed Baccio staring at the banner mounted behind the capitano – the Leon de Oro of Almagora.
Technically Mazallini’s Compagnia were still in Almagora’s employ, having dealt with the last of the rebellious senors in Solsona, and now entering the last three weeks of the additional ‘ad beneplacitum’ term of their service. Ottaviano decided it was very unlikely that the Compagnia would, or even could, be ordered upon some further enterprise, which was probably why, having pursued the remnant rebels along the Tobaro road towards the Tramoto Pass, they had halted. From here they could make a relatively quick return to Tilea as soon as it was honourable, and had indeed already sent chancellors to secure transport from Tobaro eastwards across the Tilean sea.
“We read your letter,” said the capitano, still admiring the hawk. “Did you know of its contents?”
“We knew only what we were told it contained,” answered Ottaviano. The letter had been sealed with a particularly stubborn wax of dwarven making, and although Baccio had picked at it upon several occasions, Ottaviano had managed to stop him before he broke it.
“And you were told what?” asked the capitano, finally turning to look at the two of them, balling his fists to lean on the table.
“A dwarf called Boldshin gave it to us in Remas, after he had spoken with us at some length. It was plain he wanted to ensure we were what we said we were and that we were going where we said we were going. He claimed to serve Tilean dwarven interests and that the letter was an offer of contract, well paid and well worth consideration.”
“He didn’t lie,” said the capitano. “It seems when you stir up some dwarfen bankers and miners, then add a wealthy Bretonnian baron, you get a very tempting dish indeed.” He turned to address Baccio directly. “Tell me more about this Boldshin.”
The hawk suddenly squawked, almost as if the name meant something to him. The capitano turned to shush the bird. It settled quickly, so he settled his eyes on Baccio.
“Erm … a dwarf’s a dwarf,” said Baccio hesitantly. “Long beard – very long – brownish. He didn’t look old, not for a dwarf anyway. Had gold on his fingers and a sullen looking guard with him. He was talkative, with a Tilean accent. Not a mountain dwarf, but city-dweller I reckon.”
“If you weren’t liveried, then how did he know you were Compagnia men?” asked the capitano.
“I can’t say for sure,” Baccio answered. “Except, well, we did tell him, but that was after he’d spoken with us for some time. Maybe he talked to everyone at the docks, until he found what he wanted with us?”
The Capitano frowned. “He told everyone he was trying to get a letter to us?”
Ottaviano shook his head and jumped in before Baccio could answer. “No, capitano, I don’t think so. We weren’t keeping it secret that we were Compagnia men, not in Remas. He most likely just asked around and got pointed our way.”
“We heard a story,” said Marshal Luigi, “that the Compagnia were blamed for the death of a high ranking Reman priest. How come the Remans didn’t set upon you?”
“I don’t think the Remans believe that story,” said Ottaviano. “It was put about by Pavonans, giving them a reason to hunt down and kill as many of us as they could.
“Most Remans think the Pavonan duke makes up whatever he needs to justify his actions, and that the truth has little to do with it.”
“The Pavonans are not to be trusted,” Baccio chipped in. “Everyone knows they are liars.”
A muttered agreement came from the little knot of men standing to the side: a guard, a drummer and a sergeant. The capitano glanced at them and they fell silent.
“It seems we must tread carefully then,” the capitano declared. “Especially considering Duke Guidobaldo might well be our next employer.” He let that notion sink in for a moment, before explaining, “Apparently, he has invited other city states to join with him to hire us, thus spreading the cost.”
Ottaviano had neither known nor expected this – he and Baccio had not exactly been moving in the same high circles as the Estalian Compagnia’s chancellors. But it made some sense.
“I did hear that Renzelli’s Compagnia men are already in Duke Guidobaldo’s service,” he said. “They weren’t at the Battle of the Princes, being garrisoned at Trantio. Despite the Pavonan’s hatred of the Compagnia, wily old Renzelli must have convinced them that he could be trusted, and that two companies of mercenary crossbows would be of good use.”
“We’d heard that too” said the marshall, his armour clattering as he shifted his stance. “Which was why we took the stories about the Pavonan hatred with a pinch of salt.”
“With respect, Marshal,” said Ottaviano, “Renzelli’s hiring was most likely a matter of simple pragmatism on both parties’ parts. Duke Guidobaldo needed a garrison for his newly conquered city, and Renzelli needed to live.”
Baccio sniffed loudly. Staring at his cup he said, “There is no doubt about what the Pavonans did. After the Battle of the Princes they hunted our boys down with deadly purpose in mind. Ottaviano and I were lucky, but many weren’t. I saw Ruggero’s head mounted on a stake like a common criminal. He did not deserve that – he was a soldier’s soldier.
“A lot of men were killed who did not need nor deserve to die. And as for our boys murdering a Reman priest, that’s a lie. I said it then and I say it now, it makes no sense. If they wanted to rob him then they’d knock him down and tie him up. No-one kills a Morrite priest before his time. It’s a double insult against Morr.”
“If it was a lie,” declared the marshal, “then they chose the wrong people to lie about.”
“Let’s not make threats until we know what is best for us,” ordered the capitano. “Remember that General Fortebraccio did not command us, nor did we owe him any allegiance. Even before we parted he was not our commander. The simple truth is that he went his way and we went ours and the Compagnia was divided. All we shared was a common past, and the name we went by. I mean no offence to you two gentlemen, for I know you played no part in the bitterness that divided the company, but Fortebraccio’s men were not our brothers-in-arms and it is not to be presumed that we should want vengeance for what was done to them.”
A silence fell over the company. No-one was going to argue. They were all mercenaries, not retinue men. They did not fight for vengeance or honour, but for pay and plunder.
“I have considered the options,” said the capitano, “and each is tempting in its own way. But I have a mind to pursue the dwarves’ offer, and for several many reasons.”
Ottaviano’s mind raced to guess those reasons. The chance to fight against ogres and not the undead? A way to avoid employment by a lord who cannot be trusted? Service in a force in which the company would only be one part, and therefore might not be required to bear the brunt of the fighting? Or simply the offer of more gold? It was not his place to ask, as a newly admitted member of the company, and so he said nothing. He saw from Baccio’s raised eyebrows, however, that was doubtless pondering the same matter.
Still, he and his companion had very recently been in Tilea, and knew the ground well, so to speak. As such they would be perhaps the best choice of agent when it came to dealing with the locals and the like. He noticed Capitano Mazallini was looking at him.
“Of course,” said Ottaviano, “if there is anything you wish us to do, captain, we are, now, entirely at your service.”
…
Late Autumn 2402
1. Holier Than Thou
Outside the City of Viadaza
The bulk of Gedik Mamidous’ mercenaries, the ‘Sons of the Desert’, had already marched by, an exotic collection of long-robed spearmen, black-clad swordsmen armed with cruelly curved scimitars, and camel riders.
Although few of those watching had ever before seen such far-southern warriors, the arabyans had taken so long to cross the river that their arrival was not at all unexpected.
Indeed, they were very late, having promised to be with the army a good four weeks earlier.
Many a campfire joke had revolved around the fact that this desert army had been brought to a halt so effectively by a river.
“An arabyan found himself by a river. Seeing a fellow countryman upon the other side he shouted, ‘How do I get to the other side?’ His countryman looked puzzled, and answered, ‘You are on the other side!”
“Why did an arabyan sleep for a month beside a river? To get to the other side.”
After weeks of delay, while the few moldering vessels remaining in the city docks were hastily repaired, there were finally boats enough to transport Mamidous’ soldiers, and now they had arrived at the city, observed by those on the walls and those in the camp outside (a not insubstantial number, for the stench of undeath had yet to fully quit the city).
Unexpectedly, at the rear of the column, accompanying the baggage train of wagons, camels and mules, came a company of Tilean mercenaries – the famous Captain Pandolfo da Barbiano’s galloper guns. It seemed Lord Alessio Falconi of Portomaggiore had felt very generous indeed when he employed this army to aid in the arch-lector’s holy war, spending extra gold to compensate for the Arabyans’ lack of artillery.
Captain da Barbiano led the brace of guns, wearing a surcoat of green and red, and riding a caparisoned and barded horse.
Each gun and limber was light enough to be hauled by a single draught horse and its whip-wielding rider. The rest of the gunners and matrosses jogged alongside clutching rams, sponges or swords. Da Barbiano had fought for several different city states over the last decade, demonstrating the worth of his company during lightening raids to despoil an enemy’s realm – burning crops, looting livestock and driving the populace to despair.
Heavier guns would be effectively useless in such an enterprise, in fact a hindrance, but these lighter pieces were capable of keeping up with a mobile force, allowing a rather unexpected element to be brought into play whenever some sort of local resistance was mustered.
Barbiano’s men now jokingly called themselves: “The Guns of the Desert”!
Among the tents, watching the gunners, were several Reman soldiers and a company of Morrite dedicants.
The latter, being hooded fanatics, were becoming a common sight in the holy army, and had traveled from all over Tilea to Viadaza. Almost all wore robes and cloaks in the grey and maroon colours of the Morrite church, and all to a man had dedicated what was left of their lives to Morr’s service. This did not, however, mean they were unified, for Morr speaks mysteriously through dreams, and mysteries are never easy to fathom. Besides, there were many much more mundane reasons for their divisions.
There were Viadazans who had fought at Pontremola against the vampire duke’s horrid legions, grizzled veterans who had lived a hard life since the fall of their city, and others who had simply fled the city when the undead arose to live in relative safety as refugees in the south, until some form of guilt or desperation spurred them to return north. Some were lay brothers, officially accepted into the church of Morr, others were crazed flagellants recruited by unsanctioned demagogues and visionaries. There were a good number of both Pavonans and Trantians, the latter including those who shared a common cause with the Pavonans, having been ‘favoured’ by them during Duke Guidobaldo’s short-lived rule of their city, and those who hated their erstwhile Pavonan masters with a vengeance. Such a variety of differences spurred bitter disagreements between factions, if not (yet) open violence.
There were haunted Urbimans who had crept secretly through the nightmarish realms in the north to spy upon the foe; once-mutinous Campogrottans serving their parole in dedication to Morr; and a good number from the far southern city states who had never-before smelled the stench of undeath until they arrived at Viadaza. What resulted was a unfathomably tangled complexity of hierarchies and loyalties, agreements and rivalries, hopes and intentions. While some Viadazans wanted to defend the city, never to be driven from it again, others yearned instead to march north without delay and repeat the sort of victory at Pontremola gained by the first popular army of Viadazans. Many of them, especially the Remans, meant to stand by their oath to obey the arch-lector’s divinely inspired will in every particular, while a handful of accomplished dreamers thought they themselves had a much better understanding of Morr’s wishes. A few Pavonans and Trantians even wanted to return immediately southwards to defeat Razger’s Ogres, putting their own houses in order before continuing the fight in the north; whilst others argued that what was happening in the south was Morr’s punishment for the hesitation and delay that kept this great, holy army at Viadaza, and that therefore they should have continued their march northwards without waiting for the Arabyans.
Yet there were signs that these wide disparities were on the wane, for as the Autumn weeks rolled by, turning into months, all non-noblemen in Viadaza found themselves pressed into compulsory service by order of the arch-lector. Their labours included the burning of corpses, the hauling of stones to rebuild the walls and whatever was required to make Viadaza habitable once again. Apart from the handful of Viadazans who had vowed to make a stand here, never to lose their home again, everyone else found this state of affairs most frustrating. This was not the urgent, ecstatically violent, holy war they were expecting. They were Morr’s warriors, not rude labourers, and the shared grumbling and complaints began to engender a common cause among them.
Four dedicants – three Viadazans by birth who had served at Pontremola and the fourth a Campogrottan archer who claimed to have killed two sleeping ogres during the infamous ‘Incident’ – scowled as they watched the galloper guns rattling by.
All were hooded, two with only partially concealed faces (which was becoming popular among the more fanatical dedicants, as their visages became more gaunt and crazed). Azzo had been doing most of the talking, commenting on every company that marched by, waxing lyrical concerning the fact that these newcomers worshiped different gods and so were not at all suitable for Morr’s work. Now that Captain da Barbiano’s company had appeared he fell silent.
“That lot look Tilean,” said another, called Jaco. “I bet they pray properly.”
Azzo scowled. “They may well do, but they’re nothing but a fly sitting on this army’s arse. The rest ain’t fit to serve in a holy war such as ours. Their desert gods are little more than demons, not even demi-divine.”
“These Arabyans are mercenaries, and have but one, true god,” declared the largest of them, Guido …
“… He’s golden, and his name is Lucre. Give them their god and they’ll fight as well as any Tilean soldiers. They’d not be here if it hadn’t been promised plentiful.”
“Fighting’s not enough,” said Azzo through his teeth. “We fought, and fought well, at Pontremola. Won the day, for all the good it did us.”
Jaco rolled his eyes. “We all know who’s to blame for that. Lord Adolfo’s corruption alone brought ruin to Viadaza. He bears all the blame. Besides,” he said, gesturing back towards the city walls as if were helpful, “we’ve taken it back now, with Morr’s holy blessing. His gauntleted hand clutched his sword hilt tightly.
Guido nodded. “We have that. But the work’s not done, and we’ve tarried here too long. Now that these southerners are here, the arch-lector will order us northwards. If Ebino and Miragliano are not cleansed, and quickly, then the enemy’s strength will double and double again. You cannot win by merely wounding the undead. You must obliterate them and grind their burned bones to dust.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of his Holiness’s plans, Guido,” doubted Jaco. “There’s a new proclamation going out to all Tilea about how he intends to repopulate the city, make it a Reman protectorate, inviting all worthy folk to settle here. Maybe this is where he intends to make a stand?”
“Make a stand!” spat Azzo. “That won’t work. They got ‘round us even when we killed the vampire duke. If we just sit here on our arses they’ll march right by and … and …” His words petered out as his face set into a grimace of barely controlled fury.
“I know that,” said Jaco. “You know that. And all too well. But the arch-lector is a Reman and this might be as far north as he wants to go.”
Tullio the Campogrottan, who had until now stood a little apart from the others, leaning on the shaft of his viciously tipped spear, sniffed.
“If this is where we’re gonna stay, and now that lot have arrived, then I hope the arch-lector has arranged for a fleet of ships to bring some grub. There’s nothing to harvest here at all; nothing much alive but us. I don’t know about you, but I don’t fancy camel stew and pickled Arabyan for supper.”
The four of them fell silent and watched as the guns trundled off and a rag-tag crowd of stragglers and camp-followers brought up the rear of the Arabyan column.
————————————————————————————
(Several days later)
Inside the City of Viadaza
This was Father Agostino’s third visitation today, all made to examine petitioners requesting an audience with the arch-lector. It seemed nearly everyone in Viadaza had an opinion regarding military or political matters, which meant his holiness’s second secretary was being kept rather busy. Of course, none would think to question the arch-lector’s religious pronouncements and positions, but more worldly concerns seemed to be fair game. The first visit was to an official embassy from Urbimo requesting reinforcements for their own garrison in case the undead sent a naval force from Miragliano to attack them; the second was a distant relative of the Duchess Maria offering written proof of his inheritance of the dukedom. This third visit involved a much more sinister group, being the leaders of the most substantial (and fanatical) faction of Morrite dedicants in the city.
Upon arrival, he discovered they were somewhat more worrying than he had envisaged. He was himself un-escorted, as it had seemed an unnecessary waste of manpower in a city populated by none other than the arch-lector’s soldiers and professed followers of Morr, especially now that the only truly rebellious element, the Campogrottan ogres, had been destroyed. Logic told him that whichever soldiers might provide a guard were no more or less likely than every soldier in the city to be trustworthy. Now he regretted that decision, for he found himself being led into an ancient, grey stone chapel by hooded spearmen, passing many a hidden face on the way in. These men might garb themselves in the colours of Morrite clergy, but they did so in a fashion that nevertheless marked them out as both distinct and threatening. Agostino found himself wondering whether holy Morr would grant him a prayer-spell if it was to be used to inflict harm upon those who also considered themselves the god’s loyal servants!
As he entered the chapel’s nave, the iron-bound door clanged shut behind him, closed by one of another pair of guards standing upon either side.
The two men escorting him came to a halt with a clunk of their spears on the stone floor and the dedicants there to meet him stood up from the tables they had been seated at and made the sign of Morr, which Agostino answered in kind.
The dedicants introduced themselves as the leaders of the Viadazan ‘Disciplinati di Morr’. Azzo, who named the others, was a peculiar looking fellow, for instead of robes he wore only a mask-like hood and a small cloak over his ordinary clothes, which made him seem both slight and awkward among his comrades.
Guido was a brutish sort, a big, bald fellow hefting an axe. His chin rivaled his forehead in size, while his large nose more than held its own amongst the rest of his features.
Azzo named the others as Jaco, Cordill and Galeb, but too haphazardly for Agostino to know for certain who was who, apart from the fact that the one with overgrown teeth was not Jaco.
Without further formality, Azzo began to speak.
“Father, my dreams are blessed with Morr’s wisdom. He has shown me what must be done. Last night I rode a horse upon a long journey and thought to let it lie down and rest a while, but this and that distracted me until my mount’s legs grew weak and it could not get up. The night before I baked a loaf and thought to save it for a special occasion, but I left it too long and it grew mouldy. Then I dreamt the wheat in the field was ready for harvesting …”
“I understand,” interrupted Agostino, raising his hand. “You fear we have stayed here too long. It is a common concern, and it must indeed weigh heavy upon many consciences. I am sure a whole host of sleepers dream of such things, but whether or not Morr has any part to play in those dreams I am not so sure. I can assure you his holiness also dreams …”
“I know when holy Morr speaks to me,” said Azzo angrily. “And even if he had not, it is still just as true that further delay will likely ruin our cause.”
“The army’s council believe that winter is not the season to be marching to war,” said Agostino.
“Do you think the undead care about the cold?” asked the hulking Guido. “They have no need to scour for firewood, or find thicker blankets, or salt flesh meat. Snow and ice will hardly slow them at all.”
“The frozen ground will make it harder to raise more undead,” countered Agostino.
“Morr’s blood!” cursed Guido. “Do you think, father, that the undead grow tired because the ground is harder to dig? Do you think they break from their labours when it falls dark?”
“It is plain to all that have eyes to see that we must march on, and now,” said Azzo. “We have stayed here all Autumn. If the arch-lector wishes to linger, let him do so, but that does not mean he should keep the rest of us with him. Morr watched over us at Pontremola, and will do so again. Viadaza was lost because of Lord Adolfo’s failings, but that would not happen again, for the arch-lector could not possibly be so tainted. So, why not have the arch-lector and his guard provide a safe haven here, a place from which to send supplies and reinforcements, while the rest of us go now to finish our holy work? We shall complete what we began, and with whatever forces arch-lector grants us I am sure General d’Alessio would be pleased to command us, as he did before. There is no soldier more blessed in the eyes of Morr.”
Agostino was flabbergasted, but he did not show it. Instead, he nodded, as if in contemplation. Then, with no sign of displeasure in his voice, he said, “I will return to the arch-lector and put this to him. If it pleases him then he will wish to speak with you, I am certain.”
Guido sniffed. “And if it does not please him?”
“Then,” said Agostino, “he will pray for guidance.”
————————————————————————————
(An hour later)
The outer yard of the Viadazan Lector’s palace.
It was already growing dark when Father Agostino arrived at the palace forecourt. There he met with the restored lector of Viadaza, Bernado Ugolini, returning from his afternoon constitutional. The lector, recently also made secular governor by the orders of the arch-lector Calictus II, was accompanied by his gnomish clerk (who was employed to assist his master in both church and state matters). Father Biagino was with him too, having been chosen as the lector’s adviser.
Immediately upon spotting Father Agostini, the lector and his companions halted.
Agostino bowed, and the lector spoke, “Good father, you met with the Disciplinati?”
“I did, your excellency.”
“And is it as his holiness fears?”
“In some ways, yes, I’m afraid so. He will be happy to hear that they gave no sign of being schismatic in their faith, but they do not seem to accept his holiness’s military command. The spirit of the Viadazan crusade lives on in them. They would march northwards themselves this very hour, made brave by their devotion to Morr and their memory of the glory of Pontremola. They also presume that General d’Alessio will lead them, as before, and believe the arch-lector will supply them with soldiers and supplies.”
The lector frowned. “When they marched before they did so with the arch-lector’s blessing, and mine, which to my shame I was late in giving for I was fooled by Lord Adolfo, may Morr curse him for what he did in life and what he is now. Lord Adolfo’s curse was not then yet known. When he refused to give them his blessing, they were forced to act without it. I think that necessarily rebellious deed, along with the victory which followed and Adolfo’s subsequent treachery, has made them irreverent of all worldly authority.”
“Still,” said Father Biagino, “they will fight. I know that for I know their kind. I marched with them; and for a time thought like them. I was with them when they gained their victory, despite being battered hard. They believe holy Morr truly favours them above all others. Yet, despite divine favour, we lost Viadaza, for faith alone is insufficient. It is an ace card, granted, but a whole hand is needed to win the game. If they leave and march ahead, it will divide our strength, allowing the enemy to devour us piecemeal.”
“What you say is no doubt true, Father Biagino,” agreed the lector. “But how do we convince them to act as one with us?”
“We can’t,” said Biagino. “But with Morr’s blessing, his holiness might.”
…
Late Autumn 2402
2. The Once Mighty Monte Castello
Southern Tilea, on the western shore of the Bay of Wrecks
(Co-written with General Valckenburgh’s player, my good friend Ant.)
As his scouts gave their report, Captain General Jan Valckenburgh perused the map they had provided, assessing the sketch in light of their words. They were good men, ritters from the Wasteland, and seasoned soldiers in good standing with the company, so he knew he could trust their account.
“Captain General, the walls already have a number of breaches,” explained Thomel, who had drawn the map. “Even the gate tower is thrown down …
… There is no sign of the engines that did the damage, but the remains of the goblin’s siege-works can still be seen around the citadel.” Thomel pointed to certain lines on the map as he explained. The castle walls themselves were drawn thick, while thinner marks traced a vaguely crescent-shaped circumvallation of earthen forts outside. The scout now indicated the gaps in the walls. “The repairs to the breaches are mostly double-timbered walls, filled with rubble, and not all completed. They’re being worked on right now, but idly, and only by a handful of goblin runts and orcs.”
Captain Singel, the company’s chief engineer, broke in, eager to offer his informed opinion.
“General, their works are quick and shoddy, nothing more than deal board and old timbers filled with rubble. They might repel attackers lacking any artillery, but even then they would be very easily set alight and so destroyed.”
Nodding, General Valckenburg pointed in turn to each of the breaches illustrated, as if to acknowledge their presence, then he gestured to Thomel to continue the report.
“They presumably had artillery pieces when they took the castle, but they do not seem to have them now,” the scout went on. “There are bolt throwers on three of the towers …
… and a stone thrower oddly positioned forward of the gate. Most are crewed by goblins but we saw some orcs too.”
“How strong is the garrison?” asked Valckenburgh.
“From what we could see, not overly large, general, but who knows what else lies hidden? Goblins can be sneaky like that.”
The Marienberger general was still running his fingertip over the map, mentally placing the forces at his disposal. Assuming the greenskins had no proper artillery his guns could pound the walls with impunity. The great siege piece would certainly make short work of any defences, no matter how well made, and should very quickly smash through a patch-work of rubble-filled planks. This did not mean it would necessarily be an easy or quick fight, however, especially if the goblins could defend the re-breached sections in strength. He knew from experience that an assault over defended piles of rubble could become a brutal, bloody and drawn-out affair, and he was keen not to waste the lives of his men. As the year had turned, however, he could not afford a protracted siege either.
There was also the fact that the greenskins had access to the sea, and so might possibly be supplied by ships. Captain Singel had earlier suggested that only the insane would venture to sea in a supply-laden vessel in the autumn storms that lashed the Black Gulf, yet greenskins were not known for their sanity. Valckenburgh currently had no means to blockade the sea lanes.
The men around him were waiting in silence while he deliberated. He approached the decision something like his brother might have weighed up the pros and cons of an investment, balancing his long-term plans, the available options and both the factors that he could and could not control. Finally, he addressed the scouts.
“Well done. Take your troop and range out. Make sure there are no hidden bands of goblins concealed outside the walls. I want eyes on the castle too, in case they are massed within in strength. If you hear battle, fall back to the reserve position.” Then he turned to his officers. “Captain Singel, move your train into range of our largest pieces. If you wish to employ the abandoned siege works – for they should be very well placed to target the repaired breaches – first ensure they are safe, then make all necessary improvements with gabions and palisadoes. I doubt the greenskins did a good job. Colonel Van Hal, order your men to invest the castle, and Captain van Rooyen, prepare your rodelaros for the attack. You will follow Ogbut’s ogres in as soon as a suitable breach is made. The firelocks will provide cover.”
The company snapped to attention, the officers giving stiff bows. This was not a sign of naïve eagerness, however, for all of them were professionals, who knew their trade well and had confidence in their commander.
……………………………………………………………..……….
Hunched behind some rocks, the three of them had a good view of what remained of the castle gate, or at least they would have done if they had the nimble eyes of hawks. Luckily Thomel had a spy glass to compensate. He scrutinised, while Rutiger and Halmut squinted.
“Definitely some coming out now – carrying pikes,” Thomel said. “They’re marching, and being neat and tidy about it.”
“So they’re not goblins then?” asked Halmut.
“O’course they are,” said Rutiger. “What else would march out of there?”
“I was joking,” explained Halmut.
Thomel shifted himself, and wiped the end of the spy glass with a linen cloth. “They’re goblins alright, and plenty of them. Came out in a column of twos on account of the timber hoarding making the gateway so narrow. Now they’re doubling their front. Like I said, neat and tidy. We’ve seen it before, at Pavezzano and Capelli.”
“At Pavezzano they just walked into our guns. They weren’t so tidy then,” laughed Halmut.
“Guns’ll do that,” said Rutiger.
“Wait!” blurted Thomel, surprising the other two men. Halmut stiffened, while Rutiger got part way through drawing his blade. “They’ve stopped,” Thomel added.
“And so did my heart there for a moment,” complained Halmut. “Why not save your sudden shouts for the moments that matter?”
“What are they doing now?” asked Rutiger.
“They’ve divided into two columns, each turning to face the flanks, then stepped forwards, doubling from the rear to form one rank upon either side of the road. Someone’s been teaching them how to look like real soldiers.”
“You’re like a living drill manual today! It’s very educational,” said Halmut.
“I think the general’s recent praise has gone to his head,” added Rutiger.
Thomel ignored them. “One of them has split off – he’s the one shouting orders. They’ve about-faced to line the road upon either side.”
“I can see that much myself,” said Halmut. “They must be planning on a parade.”
Rutiger laughed. “You’re not far wrong. I reckon they’re doing this for our benefit. They’re showing strength – in numbers and discipline – as well as how unperturbed they are by our presence. You have to admit, it’s impressive for goblins.”
“Anything beyond farting is impressive for goblins,” said Halmut with a snort. Then his brow furrowed. “Why are they doing all this though? Why don’t they just man the walls and wait for us to make a move?”
“Hang on … I see why,” announced Thomel. “Come on, follow me. Let’s get us a closer look.”
“Makes perfect sense,” said Rutiger sarcastically. “Three men should do well against an entire greenskin army!”
“Ha!” snorted Thomel.“I don’t think they’re sending an army out. They’re coming out to talk.”
…
On lower ground, the three of them could get much closer while remaining concealed. They watched as a little band of banner bearers and horn-blowers emerged, led by several meaner-than-average looking goblins.
“This wasn’t the best idea you’ve had Thomel,” complained Halmut. “They could be at the head of an army, and if they have wolf riders amongst them then I doubt we’ll be attending supper tonight.”
Once again Thomel was playing his eyeglass upon the scene.
“No,” he said quietly. “There’s no army behind them. There’s just what you see – a bunch of bloody banners and bosses. I knew it! They are coming out to parley.”
Thomel could make out leering, green faces peeking over every wall and tower, watching the party as it processed between the arrayed pike soldiers.
“Best be off to warn the general then?” suggested Halmut. “He’ll want to give them a suitable reception.”
Thomel used his hand to signal that they should wait a moment. He wanted a better look, and focused the spy glass upon the lead goblin. “Now that one IS ugly,” he muttered.
The great goblin in question sported a ridiculous grin, his teeth widely spaced as if he had plucked out every second one. A spiked helm, too small for his bulbous head, was thrust down onto his chain-mail hood. His mail shirt, extending down to his waist, was also insufficiently sized, so that it could not be fully fastened – his belly burst from the gap, which made the wearing of it a somewhat pointless exercise (unless what he really feared was being stabbed from behind). As he lumbered along, he clutched at both the hilt and scabbard of his sword, it’s blade just visible, as if he was ready to draw it on the shortest of notice.
…
Several of the VMC’s officers had gathered to await the goblins’ arrival. All within easy distance of General Valckenburgh had been sent for, the exceptions being those officers busied in preparing for the siege. Captain Singel, for example, was wholly occupied with siting the siege pieces, and most of the other field-captains were with their own companies, directly commanding them.
General Valckenburgh was fully armoured, apart from a helmet, wearing instead the dark skull cap he most often favoured. Over his blackened armour was an orange surcoat, which along with blue was the VMC’s usual livery, and in his right hand he clutched a ‘baton de commandement‘. Closest to him was Luccia la Fanciulla, carrying her blessed, Myrmidian standard. She too was armoured from the neck down and wore a liveried surcoat. There was sufficient breeze to reveal that the holy standard bore an image of the goddess’s shield and spear.
Upon the general’s other side stood the scholarly linguister Pieter Schout, looking nervous as he clutched and unclutched the hilt of his sword. More at ease moving in courtly circles, even conversing in Arabyan or Elvish, it was hardly surprising that he might feel a little discombobulated at the prospect of an interaction with goblins from beyond the Black Gulf. He was praying to Myrmidia that they might speak at least some Old Worlder, which was not unlikely as some had probably served in the Border Princes where it was not uncommon to employ greenskins as mercenary soldiers. Even Lord Alessio Falconi of Portomaggiore had recently hired an army of them, to aid the VMC in its war against Warlord Khurnag. Pieter recognised there was a certain strategic genius in the employing of greenskins to fight greenskins, weakening both armies in the process.
Next to Pieter was the long-bearded Johannes Deeter, looking somewhat incongruent in his long black cloak, curl-toed shoes and clutching a set of brass scales intended to assist the channelling of a subtle spell he claimed could help the parley proceed smoothly.
Several little companies of soldiers were present too, all the better to ensure the goblins could not play any murderous tricks, but not so many as to make the goblins unwilling to approach. The scouts had already counted the enemy party, and it was easy to judge what would be exactly sufficient for safety. On one side a single rank of Captain van Luyden’s handgunners stood with loaded pieces held at port …
… while on the other Pieter Schout’s pistolier guard were also made ready with weapons drawn.
A little way behind, guarding the rear even though it was hard to see how the goblins might scramble over the rocks there, was another file of handgunners, being mercenary Estalians, as well as a dozen Marienburger pikemen from the Meagre Company. In between these were two sergeants guarding the bearer of the VMC’s company colours. There were no army scouts present, however, for the general had ordered every one of them to scour the army’s entire periphery and beyond to forestall any attempted surprise. Valckenburgh knew of many supposedly honourable men who would not baulk at using the distraction of a parley to launch an attack, and certainly would not be so foolish as to trust goblins.
The wizard Deeter broke the silence, his curt question unadorned by social niceties such as employing the general’s proper title.
“What could these creatures possible want to discuss? They must know what we’ve done to their kin, and what we will inevitably do to them. Why waste time coming out to babble their inanities at us?”
“They know full well what we have done,” said General Valckenburgh. “Which is why they want to talk with us. They’ll bluster, no doubt, and threaten, but their wilful stupidity will be painfully evident. I have no doubt that in truth they’re simply hoping to save their skins. Perhaps they want to spin out time, or believe they will learn something of our disposition and strength.”
The general scanned the distant outline of the castle’s towers, and what he could sea of the waters of the gulf to the south of it.
“Most likely they have no means of escape; no ships and no allies to come to their aid. We shall see. It should not prove too difficult to guess what truth is masked by their attempts at deceit.”
The flags flapped and snapped in the wind, while the VMC’s welcoming party fell silent and waited.
After a little while a knot of greenskins appeared through a gap in the rough ground ahead. They too had standards, ragged and dull-hued flags hanging from yard-like supports and adorned with beasts’ skulls. One standard appeared to be a ship’s wheel which had the skulls but no rag. Somewhere amongst them a goblin was playing bladder-pipes, sounding a high-pitched tumble of notes accompanied by a wheezing drone.
“Not the most imposing of parties are they?” quipped Deeter.
“My lord general, surely it would sully the honour of Myrmidia to let such base creatures approach her holy standard unchallenged,” said Luccia.
“On the contrary,” said the general. “The goddess teaches wisdom in war, and the use of strategic prowess and tactical cunning over brute force and wild rage. Let us see what we can learn.”
“I have seen them attempt to fight,” said Luccia. “Tactical cunning is not necessary to beat them, just sufficient numbers and a modicum of discipline.”
The general glanced at her, reminding himself how young she was and that all she had seen of war was the battles at Pavezzano and Capelli.
“They are now behind walls, my Lady,” he said. “And I do not have time to waste. I want this fight over and done with as soon as possible. I want this land made safe, and quickly productive. There are greater threats to the north, and we have already spent far too long chasing goblins hither and thither. If I can gain victory one single day sooner by listening to what these foul creatures have to say, then I am happy to do so. Here I risk wasting one hour, against a potential gain of days if not weeks.”
“If these are their leaders,” suggested Deeter, “then I say let us kill them now. Would that not almost certainly mean the rest either flee in disorganised panic, and if not that, then set upon each other, squabbling over who should command? Either is a more likely outcome than hoping merely talking will make them simply lay down their arms and hand us the castle.”
“I never said we shall not do just that,” said the general. “Only that I would hear them speak before deciding upon a course of action. We got the name Big Boss Grutlad easily enough out of the petty goblin we caught yesterday, and a veritable volume of sordid stories concerning who had lopped bits off whom. I want to see what we can get out of Grutlad himself.”
The greenskins had halted whilst the general spoke, perhaps haggling over who should go further. Suddenly, a horn sounded a pretty trill of notes from the hills behind the VMC soldiers. General Valckenburgh knew this signalled the all clear – there were no goblins approaching from elsewhere.
“Well,” he declared, “unless each of them conceals a grenado, it looks like they are indeed here to talk. We could yet fight this battle with words and have them surrender without the loss of one of our men. Despite the honourable Luccia’s misgivings, I might even have a use for them.”
“My lord general, you cannot mean that?” asked Luccia.
“I do, brave Lady. If I can convince one enemy to fight another enemy then I shall have a lot fewer enemies as a result, and yet as many men to defeat them with when it finally becomes necessary.”
Pieter smiled to himself to hear the general voicing what had just been going through his own mind.
The goblins had been halted for some time now, and could be seen to be engaged in their own conversation.
Eventually, three goblins began to approach, leaving the tatty banner-bearers and musicians behind. Captain van Luyden’s handgunners stepped forwards too, closing the gap between themselves and the goblins so that any shots they fired could not fail to meet their mark.
The large goblin at the front, presumably the leader, was obviously the one Thomel the scout had described earlier. He gripped his sword hilt in a manner the general recognised from historical etiquette – neither quite drawn nor left to rest, symbolic of an undecided outcome. This seemed to be a good sign, for he had not expected etiquette of any kind. If the goblin understood there were rules to this game, then there was indeed a game to play. The other two consisted of a similarly paunchy goblin with a blood-stained sword resting over his shoulder like a soldier might carry a handgun or pike, and a second who grinned widely whilst clutching an axe almost as big as himself.
The goblin leader spoke first. “I’m big boss here. This castle’s mine, this army’s mine and you can get lost.”
“We’re not leaving,” said the general. “But you know that, because you came to talk.”
“If you’re staying it’ll be long wait for ya, ‘cos I got lots of gobs, and you ain’t getting in. Might as well bugger off now than sit here hungry while we eat salt-fish and man-flesh a-plenty inside. We ain’t intending to share, and if you tries to take what we have, then we’ll salt you up nice and tasty too.”
General Valckenburgh laughed. “You took the castle. What makes you think we cannot? We have bigger guns and better powder than you had, and you’ve got a wall patched with wooden planks instead of unbroken stone. However long it took you to get in, we shall do it ten times quicker. You’ll be dead long before you’ve even made a dent in your mountainous stock of food.”
“If you try, then men’ll die, lots an’ lots. Smash up the timbers if you like. You still has to get over the mess you make, and then you’ll pay dearly for every inch. I’ve got plenty o’ gobs who don’t mind sticking spears into men as they scrabble and scramble on rubble and splinters. Why put yerself to so much trouble and lose so much to gain this broken castle?”
“We know your true strength is nothing compared to what Khurnag’s commanded,” said the general. “We batted that army aside without breaking a sweat. Warlord Khurnag had not even ordered the advance when he took a four-pound roundshot to his belly in our first volley. And that came from one of our smallest pieces.”
The goblin glanced over at the one on his left, who nodded briefly as if to confirm Valckenburgh’s words. That one was obviously there that day, thought the general. That’s why they’ve come out – they know full well how badly it has gone for them so far.
Big Boss Grutlad sniffed in a horrible gurgling manner, and Valckenburgh spied glistening beads of sweat forming on his brow. When he spoke, however, it was with the same apparent confident disdain.
“Place is ruined anyway. We squeezed all we can from it. ‘Taint much use to us now. Might be we could sell it to you, then you don’t have to suffer in the taking of it. If you’ve got enough of the shiny stuff then I reckon you’d save yourself a lot of nastiness.”
General Valckenburgh smiled, thinking that they had now reached where the goblin always intended to go. It was not far enough for him, however.
“We both know who will really suffer in the taking of the castle. And you know that our attack will be the end of your command, one way or another. I didn’t drag all this artillery here just to turn around and go back. I killed Khurnag and now I’m sweeping up the mess he made. You think the latter task will be more difficult than the former? I’ve done the hard work, this is just tidying up the loose ends. My enemies are already defeated, all that’s left is to kill them too.”
Grutlad’s eyes narrowed and lips twisted as it all sunk in. The goblin’s bluster had turned to fluster. Both his companions stared at his back, as if they did not know what to make of his silence.
“See now,” said Grutlad, “I would’ve sold cheap, but I’m willing to let you have the pile for nothing more than letting us go. We never wanted to stay here, not since Khurnag copped it, and was just waiting for ships to take us. You give us yer word that we can leave without bother and you’re welcome to the place.”
General Valckenburgh said nothing, and just stared at Grutlad.
The big boss twitched, an involuntary motion he attempted to turn into a shrug. “It don’t even ‘ave to be all of us. I don’t care what you do the rest of them, just let us lot and a few others go. Bugger the rest. I’ll take only what’ll fit in a ship.” He leaned forward conspiratorially. “Between you an’ me, I can get all the rest to come out so it’s easy fer ya.”
“No,” said Valckenburgh, revelling a moment in the obvious fear now writ upon the goblin’s face. “That’s not what I want. You can keep your mob, but not the castle. And you can buy your lives, all your lives, by serving me as mercenaries. That’s the deal: You die, all of you, or you serve me, all of you.”
The grinning goblin with the axe surprised the general by somehow widening his already impossibly large grin, while the other looked at him as if taking the measure of him.
Grutlad slid his sword fully back into his hilt, and said, simply, “Well then! You’s just got yerself a new army!”
……
Late Autumn 2402
3. A Letter to Lord Lucca Vescucci of Verezzo
This to my most noble lord, from your loyal servant Antonio Mugello. I pray this missive finds you blessed by all the gods, and that the realm of Verezzo lies both happy and secure. I hereby and in all modesty present that which I have discovered this Autumn, having made every effort to sieve the truth from the chaff of tittle tattle and rumour. If I have been misled, then in all humility I assure you it is due to the mortal frailties I share with most men rather than any idleness or carelessness on my part.
First, I must explain that my movements have been curtailed by force of circumstances, as I have now been trapped in Pavona for over a month due to Razger Boulderguts’ double-army of brutes rampaging around Duke Guidobaldo’s city.
Anyone foolish enough to venture out from the safety of the stones would certainly suffer a terrible fate. In the face of this dire threat, when one might expect the Pavonans’ martial aspirations to shine, instead they have dimmed, for rather than fighting to defend what is theirs by right of conquest, they have retreated at every opportunity.
As I traveled upon the Via Aurelia I encountered many poor folk fleeing from Trantio …
… and so learned how the duke’s garrison soldiers had stripped the city itself and the villages and farmsteads of Preto of every moveable of any value. Indeed, as they departed, they fired the city so as to deny even its rooves to the ogres. Thus they sought to disappoint their enemies’ expectations of loot, as well as deprive them of subsistence, perhaps thereby encouraging the starving brutes to curtail their encroachment and to seek satisfaction elsewhere. It is not lost on the Trantians, however, that the duke has also enriched himself with the plunder so gained.
Boulderguts might be responsible for Scorcio’s destruction, but it was the Pavonans’ choice to deny the rest of the Trantine principality to him by themselves destroying it first. Many a Trantian curses the Pavonan duke’s name, declaring that Prince Girenzo, for all his pride and youthful ambition, would never have turned upon his own realm in such a way. The Pavonans’ legacy has been to bash their way into Trantio, strip it of all treasures, then burn their way out. Their rule was as short as it was cruel.
Upon arrival at Astiano it was plain to me that the walls could not possibly withstand a sustained attack by an army of brutes. Only last year the Pavonans had captured the city quickly and with but a modest force, battering the defences in doing so.
Now those same weakened walls faced a much greater threat, bigger in every meaning of the word, and would surely fall within days of the tyrant Boulderguts’ arrival. Consequently, I decided to continue onwards to the city of Pavona itself, being the place in which I could best serve you by learning of Duke Guidobaldo’s plans. So it was that I found myself passing by the ruins of Venafro, destroyed by the Compagnia del Sole during the War of the Princes, and then through Casoli, which was being stripped by the Pavonan soldiery of all goods and stocks in a manner exactly like Trantio.
It seems the duke has grown so timorous as to order the dismantling and destruction of his very own hereditary estates! Some said it was a sign of his strength that sentimentality and mercy did not stand in the way of his calculated strategy, yet to mine own eyes it appeared most strange to see the mighty army of Pavona become little more than a large band of bailiffs collecting goods and chattels, while the people of Casoli wept and pleaded as if they too were a conquered people like the Trantians.
It became common knowledge, advertised by heralds in Pavona’s main piazzas, that the Duke had dispatched letters to all Tilean principalities to the south and west – including the boy King Ferronso, Lord Alessio Falconi, Mayor Rafaelle Maravolte and your noble self. You, my lord, will of course know the truth concerning this, and indeed the letter’s actual contents. All I know is what was announced: that the several princes had been asked to provide military aid in the war against Boulderguts, before the heart of Tilea was torn out and consumed. I was surprised to hear nothing said in the declarations concerning any alliance betwixt Boulderguts and the vampire-duchess, for this remains a commonly held belief, certainly in Pavona. It is said to explain why even in this hour of dire need the duke has not recalled his son and his ‘old army’ from the arch-lector’s holy war – for if the ogres and undead are indeed allies, then Lord Silvano is already engaged in the fight for Pavona.
Yet it is rumored throughout the city that Lord Silvano has not fought for many months, instead forced to bide his time in Viadaza, due to the need to transport Gedik Mamidous’ mercenary army, the Sons of the Desert, over the swollen River Trantino.
When this was finally done, arch-lector Calictus is said to have ordered the formation of a garrison from his now massively swollen forces, to remain in defence of the city, while declaring that he himself, Lord Silvano and the newly arrived arabyans, would march northwards to face the vampires. Not yet, but soon.
Whether it is giddy fear brought on by Boulderguts’ destructive circumambulation of Pavona, or the schismatic Morrite tendencies rooted here, or simply their old bravado, I know not, but I have several times heard it said (and I report this only so that you will understand the depth of the people’s impudence) that a priest like Calictus is not fit to lead an army, with people claiming it takes nothing but the thought of the winter’s wind to make him huddle by the fire in Viadaza, nursing hot, spiced wine while prayerfully contemplating how he might, when it is warmer, perhaps, should the rain cease and the winds diminish, possibly consider engaging the foe. Letters sent home by Lord Silvano’s soldiers reveal that there is considerable faction and strife in Viadaza concerning the best course of action.
Fanatics preach either caution or action, but mostly action towards different ends, and the soldiers grow frustrated that they are being employed as mere labourers, clearing streets and repairing walls rather than bringing the war to a swift conclusion.
I fear the vampire duchess does not share such a tendency for tardiness, and her forces are unlikely to suffer such divisions. The arch-lector’s delay surely allows her to grow even stronger, when she was already strong. Having been forced by my confinement into close quarters with all and sundry, I discovered more than just native Pavonans in the city, and by chance spoke on several occasions with a Viadazan who was present when Lord Adolfo’s curse was revealed, and his murdered-and-raised army began their terrible slaughter.
This man escaped death first by hiding, then by fleeing. Being of a sombre and sober disposition, and not one for fanciful talk or ill-thought assertions, he told me how the vampire duchess marched from Viadaza with a much greater force than that which remained with Lord Adolfo. While Adolfo corrupted his living soldiers to forge a foul horde, he also desecrated every Morrite shrine and statue, allowing the vampire duchess to reap all the graveyards had to offer, harvesting corpses by the thousand.
In the Cerverozzi necropolis north of Busalla, and many other graveyards and burial pits, she unquieted long dead legates, luring them from the dry earth. These then issued their own commands, adding potency to the magic she channelled through them, calling upon their centurions and signifera to attend them, who in turn demanded their cornicines and drummers …
… whose eerie reveille woke the rank and file, until lines of long-dead legionaries snaked along the funerary paths.
…
Only a day after I had passed by Astiano, I learned of the cruel fate of the main body of Trantian refugees. I doubt there is a Tilean alive who has not heard the tale, for it must surely have spread like wildfire.
It is possible that because I was so close to the source, the account I heard might well be nearer to the truth than the jumbled stories that pass between travelers, and which might be all that has so far reached your own ears. Put plain, the Pavonan soldiers and even their artillery pieces managed to enter the city gates to safety, given precedence by the garrison who held back the Trantian crowd to ensure said passage, but then, because Razger’s brutes were so close, the garrison commander ordered the gates shut before the refugees could themselves enter.
Some say that one Pavonan wizard even conjured a fire to hold back the mob, although others claim it was a fire-mage amongst the foe who was responsible. The Pavonans do not speak of this event with sadness or disgust, rather they more commonly describe it as a clever ruse, some adding, ‘More fool the Trantians for not moving quicker’. It is claimed that many an ogre perished from the withering hail of missiles launched from the walls, so keen were they to drag off the wagons and Trantian corpses …
… the first to add to their ill-gotten plunder and the second to feast upon. Such a deed can only have further harmed Duke Guidobaldo’s already bruised reputation, for he has now twice injured the Trantians, the second time when they were under his care. But of all the complaints muttered against the duke’s decisions in the streets of Pavona, this deed is not included.
Boulderguts’ army proved true to its reputation and set about ravaging the land for sport as much as food and plunder, then, as if perhaps they suddenly remembered why they were there, they assaulted and captured Astiano just as quickly as I had feared they would.
Much to the surprise of his own people, Duke Guidobaldo chose not to march to Astiano’s aid, despite the army he had at his command. I suspected this was due to his lack of knowledge concerning the whereabouts of Bouldergut’s hired allies, the mercenary army from the Border Princes known as Mangler’s Band.
If that army had been close to Razger’s force, the Duke would have found himself massively outnumbered in the field, and if instead they were hidden among the Trantine Hills to the north, then the duke’s departure would leave Pavona itself insufficiently defended to withstand their attack. So it was that the duke chose to stay behind the city walls, transforming his entire army into a garrison.
Astiano was, of course, brutally sacked by Boulderguts’ army, and the remnant Pavonan force guarding it was lost entirely. Thus began Pavona’s time of waiting, which continues even now. Each and every report received has been bad news. First came word of sightings of petty-goblins near Casoli, and even within sight of the city walls, being the sort of slippery little creatures who often serve as scouts for ogres.
No-one knew whether they belonged to Boulderguts or Mangler, but the question proved academic when word came that both tyrants had re-united their forces and now marched as one through Casoli. The only source of solace in the city was that Casoli had been stripped completely bare – even crops only a week or so from harvesting had been burned. The brutes would find very little sustenance. Yet even this source of reassurance was tempered by the fact that the brutes’ hunger might drive them on more violently.
Most recently, it was reported that the double army had swept around the city to the north, heading eastwards.
This came as a surprise as many had presumed they had delayed their attack upon Pavona in order to take the less-solidly walled town of Scozzese. I cannot know the truth, having heard conflicting accounts concerning this turn of events, but some claim that the bridge at Casoli has been destroyed thus preventing the ogres’ passage, others that the Duke has fortified it to achieve the same end.
One sergeant told me that the ogres are afraid to put themselves on the southern side of the river in winter, so far from Campogrotta, while his brother laughed at that idea and suggested the ogres are simply saving Scozzese until last. Certainly, Montorio tower fell quickly, it’s garrison butchered to a man. Yet still the duke ordered no sally from the city.
At the end of Autumn, even though the ogres threatened the routes to the north, a Morrite priest delivered a letter from the arch-lector himself, sent to all Tilean lords, both clerical and secular, and ordered to be read aloud in every Morrite temple and church. I cannot know if you, my lord, received exactly the same, so I will include a transcript of what came to Pavona here for your perusal and comparison.
This to be read to all the faithful servants of Morr and the lawful gods. His Holiness Calictus II wishes it to be known that the city of Viadaza has been rescued from the vile clutches of vampires and their unholy servants. Morr’s holy army has driven them northwards, beyond even the River Tarano, and has already completed the work of cleansing the city of all corruption. I have ordered a strong garrison formed to defend the city from further attacks, so that even while our most holy war continues, the city of Viadaza need never again suffer the horror that once befell it.
Lord Adolfo, who ruled Viadaza in life, and who now serves the wicked vampire Duchess Maria in unlife, left no living heirs, and so it is that I have declared the city and all the lands appertaining to it to be a protectorate of Remas. The Reman church of Morr will hereafter provide safe sanctuary to all Morr-respecting and law-abiding souls who wish to return and settle therein. As long as empty dwellings remain they will be made available to those who desire them. All skilled labourers and artisans who present themselves, and prove their worth and skill, will be allowed to freely practise their trade for the betterment of both themselves and the city, without redemption demanded of them. All taxes will be fair and equitable, and all appointed officers and magistrates will be required to exercise the laws in a just and decent manner. Hourly prayers will be sung in temples and churches to the glory of Morr, and to beg his protection from all evil.
Come all ye who wish to prosper.
Sing hymns of thanks and praise, for Morr is good and his church likewise. Let Viadaza thrive and share a happiness and prosperity ne’er known before to its denizens.
…
Despite my confinement here in Pavona, I have learned what I can of the rest of Tilea. Due to the restricted nature of my sources, I suggest, my lord, you take this information with a pinch of salt, but I offer it nevertheless so that you can balance it with that which you have learned from elsewhere.
Over the summer several merchants had reported that the dwarfs of Karak Borgo were growing unhappy, disgruntled by the failure of their previously profitable trade with Tilea.
The wizard Lord Nicolo Bentiglovio’s tyrannical rule in Campogrotta, the city through which both the Iron Road and the River Astipo access all other Principalities, has effectively closed the gate by executing, imprisoning or levying exorbitant fines upon the city merchants, then requiring ever greater taxes and tolls from anyone left attempting to carry out the dwindling trade.
This account quickly transformed in the taverns of Pavona, inevitably infected by the Pavonans’ own prejudices, intertwining with another rumour concerning the dwarfs. As soon as the first reports of Boulderguts’ attacks came in, it was quickly put about that the Pavonan dwarfs exiled by ducal decree were behind the ogre tyrant’s choice of target! This was revenge for that which was done to them. Some few have pointed out that the Pavonan dwarfs would thus be allying with the enemies of their mountain cousins, the ogres, yet this argument was rebutted by the claim that the Pavonan dwarfs have used their urge for revenge to draw away the ogres’ main strength from Campogrotta, probably in preparation for an attack by a force from Karak Borgo. If this were true then it would be a false alliance made with one enemy to gain revenge against another, and lead both enemies into ruin in the end. I myself doubt this theory, for I myself have visited the mountain mines and found them a mostly empty place, worked by only a few stubborn dwarfs and surely not enough to muster a force of any size. And it seems to me the exiled dwarfs are also too weak, too scattered and insignificant, to achieve such influence. Furthermore, if the Pavonan dwarfs had a hand in advancing Boulderguts’ power, then this would by default mean they were allying with the vampires (if, as is generally supposed, the ogres and the vampires do have some agreement). Make of these rumours what you will, my lord.
In the far south it seems the VMC is very close to finally ridding Tilea of the last remnants of Khurnag’s Waagh, and its army has marched against Monte Castello to drive out any greenskins remaining there.
I also heard a tale concerning the uomini ratto in the far north, concerning how they have mustered a force in the Blighted Marshes and intend to press an attack on their ancient enemy Miragliano now that the Vampires are distracted. If this were true, then it would provide an unlikely (if temporary) ally for the arch-lector in the war against the undead. Yet, what with the Reman church of Morr’s clouded history of dealings with the rat men …
… arch-lector Frederigo Ordini’s supposedly ‘false’ Holy War and secret alliance with the foul denizens of the marshes causing the ruination of the north half a century ago – this could prove a harmful political complication for the current arch-lector. Again, I do not claim to speak the truth here, but simply impart what people are saying.
I eagerly await your further instructions and remain your obedient servant.
Post script: I have attached to this missive a short report concerning what I have learned from the soldiery of Pavona.
…
A Second Letter to Lord Lucca Vescucci of Verezzo
Further from your servant, Antonio Mugello.
This is to impart to you, my lord, something of Duke Guidobaldo’s army, concerning the common soldiery rather than the plans and purposes of the duke himself, or his captains. I present this to reveal unto you something of the nature of the force at the duke’s disposal, and also because I cannot access the Duke’s mind, being myself neither ambassador nor emissary, unable to visit lordly palaces, but instead having eyes upon the streets, so to speak.
I have spoken with several soldiers, acting the part of an amiable drinking companion, generous with my silver and agreeably attentive to their opinions. Among those I befriended is a sergeant named Antabio, a veteran of many years’ service and a born-and-bred Pavonan. He is a gruff fellow, heavy browed, who usually wears the hint of a pained scowl, which occasionally blossoms into its full form.
To understand much of what he says requires careful consideration, for his words must be untangled, although much that he has not said can be ascertained from what he has said. Not that he has guile in him, nor is loathe to reveal his inner thoughts, only that he struggles to do so with any clarity. I was able to learn that he held Morr to be the God of gods, having been taught as much from his youth. For him the world is divided not between good and evil, nor between chaos and law, but between those ‘enlightened’ souls who accept Morr as supreme, and all those who do not. The latter, even including the Reman Morrite clergy, are his enemies! When he fought against the Astianans he fought against sinners, when he marched against Prince Girenzo’s forces he faced wicked heretics. He holds no doubt concerning this, nor questions whether Duke Guidobaldo is in full agreement with these beliefs. He speaks in awe of the duke, even praising his lord for sacrificing his own son in the taking of Trantio; and he curses all who voice fears or doubts concerning the duke’s actions. He described the fall of Trantio to the ogres as a final cleansing brought about by Morr’s will! When I asked why Morr’s will had not then stopped the Ogres razing Astiano and was now allowing their close approach to Pavona, he said simply that they were being drawn in for the kill. I thus learned that the expression he so often wears belies a simple satisfaction that nothing at all is wrong, and that Pavona can neither fail nor fall. One might look upon his face and think him a man tortured by doubts, but no, it is disgust for the rest of the world that pains him, born of conviction not doubt. I suppose even now, as he stands at his post in the defensive earthworks that ring the entirety of the city walls (making a double layer of defences), he expects the brutes’ bodies will simply pile up before Pavona’s guns and his great sword.
I do not claim that many Pavonans have Antabio’s child-like conviction that the duke cannot fail, but I can report that those born in the city do for the most part share his complete devotion to ‘the one god’, Morr, and believe only Pavona’s priests and rulers truly know Morr’s will. The city’s nobility seem to be wholly committed to the old schism.
Until recently, however, Pavona was a growing Empire, and a good number of the more recent recruits to its army are not natives of the city, but hail from the newly conquered states. On the whole I would describe these soldiers as the worst sort of men, base rogues who have been lifted from deserved misery in their own homelands to become swaggering and proud in their livery of blue and white. Some were released from gaols, others being brigands who sought to enrich themselves from their own countrymen by serving their conquerors. Their conceit is made all the more hateful by the fact that their own homelands have been destroyed either by the brutes or by Pavonan soldiers attempting to deny the brutes the pleasure of doing so, and yet they still serve their new masters, even considering themselves among the best of the Duke’s men.
One such fellow is a young Astianan called Goldoni. He serves with the most recently formed company of handgunners and yet to hear him speak you would think him a member of one of the oldest and most famed military institutions in Tilea. Upon first encounter, he appears to be the very model of a soldier, deporting himself with the confidence of a disciplined fighter, and careful to ensure his clothes and trappings are kept pristine and in good working order. But as soon as a degree of familiarity has been established, his course wit begins to manifest, brought into play to decorate his malice and embellish a litany of tales concerning his past cruelties.
There is no religion in him, and it might seem that nothing more than brutality fuels his fastidious service as a soldier, but when one probes a little deeper it is plain that his new but steadfast loyalty to the Pavonan cause arises at least partially from his fear concerning what fate would have in store for him if he were to leave his current profession. His cruelty, although entirely sufficient in itself to make him act as he has done, conjoins with his desire for self-preservation (and the fear it instils) to produce the vile creature he is.
Much work has been done to circumvallate the already strong city walls with earthwork defences, each new bastion bristling with stormpoles and many containing low, stone-built gun platforms, bearing both cannons and mortars.
Most of the Pavonan handgunners have been stationed about these, and drill daily to prepare themselves for what is considered the inevitable (if delayed) assault by Bouldergut’s huge army.
It is possible Boulderguts already knows of these formidable double-defences, and that this is what delays him. Meanwhile he seems happy to plunder everything else that the state of Pavona has to yield, satisfied that Duke Guidobaldo’s army is afraid to move away from said defences.
Pavona’s army thus remains a mighty force, perhaps even greater than ever before? And yet although at the height of its military strength, nevertheless the entirety of its newly conquered possessions have been razed to the ground, and its own homeland is even now being destroyed in a piecemeal fashion. Despite the soldiers’ pride, conviction and determination, they are but men. None can tell me why their previously undefeated lord has become so timorous that he refuses to order his vast army to battle, yet none complain either, for what sane-man rushes to face a horde of brutes?
Next Installment: Part 13
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