While Damien was studying his spell and trying to be more efficient in using them in his neighbouring barons were hatching 🐣 schemes and plans in order to finish this long war over the Viscount title and Dylan loosing to Damien has put them in a precarious position so both sides were gearing up for the final showdown.
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In a study room in a grey castle 🏰 where the baron charlie usually spend his time administrating his territory but at this moment a dozen people where sitting seemingly to discuss some important matters among them where the heads of the santini and the bright clan respectively facing eachother to their side where the apparent heir to each clan Michael santini and Tony bright both where at the peak of first rank life form the former a wizard and latter a knight both giving a felling of power and arrogance as for the rest where all the upper echelon of both clans.
The first to speak was charle :' I called for this meeting as all of you know by now to discuss two matters the first how to win the war against the acosta and their ally the wraiths the second how should we deal with our new victoriis neighbour baron Damien of Tuscany '.
As he said the atmosphere in the room has tensed up while they all know what they where gonna discuss in this meeting none of them had in real solution to their predicament or at least not one that will not incur the ire of one f the barons or both .
Seeing the first to speak was the heir of the santini saying :' I my humble opinion for the time being we should placate baron Damien by sending him those slaves and refugees he asked for and also place a huge order of weapons and try to get some of those fire tubes he has preferably the big ones thus Inticing to back our side in the upcoming battle '.
After hearing wath the heir to santini many started node and showing signs to agreeing to what he said and they stated mermuring between them.
But then a someone cough to get their attention it was tony not wanting to be outshined by the santini after all while they looked like allies they were more like zleige and his vassal and more so when the brights get the Viscount title he started speaking:' while what my friend Michael said is sound but only from a merchant perspective not forget what we are dealing with here is a lord who come from an old aristocratic background not some trade association or a guild as you all know they value face more than anything so just making a deal with him isn't enough so to get in our war chariot we will should present him with something that will tie him to us like promising to give him some piece of land from our conquered enemy in the range like of two knight clan territories that will make more willing to part with his weapons and if possible to get him to cut trade with our enemy '.
He took a pause to look around if his proposal is getting approved or not and more precisely he looked towards his father to see what he thinks who seemed like always no showing anything at that moment one of the present personnel said:'i think both proposals are good my lords we should start with that of lord Michael as will ensure more rewards are given to our man after the victory only do as lord Tony said when we can't get what we want by gold 🪙 and promised land should be near our core territory making easy to take in the future if conflict arise '.
Everyone looked at him the man who spoke is a wandering knight who joint the santini recently so his proposal made since he was sucking up to the heir of the santini at same time not offending the bright while hoping to get part of the cake in the future.
After that lord Charles looked towards Timothy and signaled to him to speak they had already discussed every detail and prearranged for this very moment in order to have everyone on board with plan.
Then he started speaking:' first let me say both proposal are good I and lord Charles have already discussed and agreed that tomorrow morning I will be at the head of a delegation to go to the Tuscany barony to negotiate this deal but let me tell a price of information that you don't know a rank two heyina berserker ha been born and you all know what that means that baron Damien will have his hands full in the next few months so we will be adding something to this deal that we will help the Tuscany barrony defend against the heyina horde that will invade them instead of giving them land hell we may even get the blueprint of one of those weapons if the horde is big enough hhhhhhh'.
Everyone was surprised with this news even those heir apparent making feel embarrassed that while may seem to be numbre two in their clans they still don't know many things.
Then he continued:' as for the acosta and the wraith we concluded we shall wager everything on one last battle after all many surrounding nobles are starting to snoop around in order to get a piece of this cake 🍰 so in the upcoming weeks we will start a major recruitment campaign hoping to reach at least a fourty thousand man aiming for an army of seventy thousand as for the arrangement that will explained by Viscount Charles himself '.
It was clear that by letting charle explain the military 🪖 matters and calling him Viscount that the santini is relinquishing in taught of challenging the braith later on and showing submission.
As for baron Charle he was happy with the baron of santinis while they were friends clan interest took precedent over personal ones he cough catching the attention of everyone present and started talking:' like my friend Timothy said here we will be aiming to reach a seventy thousand army while it seems a lot is barely what we need to finish this war on the winning side as for it's repartition will be as follows ten thousand will secure the rear of our army 🪖,twenty thousand will be used to keep the acosta army pinned down in there territory to keep from joining the wraith this army will be led by Tony and Michael respectively your job will to launch raids and not commit to a pitch battle under in circumstances am I cleare about this '.
Both Tony and Michael were surprised with what so called Viscount said this decision was clearly a move made to consolidate their position with military achievements so they both kneeled and said :' we will do as the Viscount say'.
Baron Charle or as he was called now Viscount continued:' the fourty thousand man will led by me personally in our first engagement we will try to finish of the wraiths this will cause a chaine reaction of defection in the acosta clan they will be left with two choices either surrender and acknowledge me as Viscount or face annihilation so I want everyone to fully commit I will not tolerate any delays or miss management also if any word off this get out punishment will be the death penalty for the entire family am I clear'.
In the end of his sentence he unleashed his pressure of a second rank knight almost suffocating them the only one who was fine is baron Timothy after he reined in his pressure.
Everyone was on one knee and said :' we will follow the Viscount order '.
Charles signaled them to stand then said:' everyone you may excuse yourselves except baron Timothy '.
They bowed and left after a few minutes he asked:' what do you think of our chances of winning?'.
He taught for a while and said:' if it's just the preparation we have now is around forty percent if we add those mercenaries that we have hired then our chances will increase by ten to twenty percent after all we will be adding a ten thousand veterans to our ranks and if we secure those weapons from baron Damien I concur we will add another ten percent even if the rumours are exaggerated then problem if thus drag on we will be in need of money 💰 to feed and pay our army 🪖 '.
Charles :' hmmm I also think the same thus also I want you to negotiate to get a loan from the baron I reckon he got a lot of gold plus the ones he already making from trade so try to secure his support no matter what as long we can take the title everything will be okay'.
Timothy nodded:' I will try my best I will leave now in order to prepare for the journey ahead goodbye '.
Charles:' i hope it will bear fruit you are excused '.
He stood said:'i will bring good knees Viscount ' then he left.
Left alone charle he was looking through the window 🪟 deep in thaugh .
After this meeting has ended hours later at night the clan head of the acosta caladay received news of the meeting 🤝 but he didn't get the details of what was discussed but from the magnitude of those present he could tell they were preparing something big and he was in a fierce debate with his daughter and heir apparent to his throne Matilda acosta she was good looking women ravishing even she would have been every man dream but due to the constraints of her position she acted more like a knight than a lady .
Matilda slammed the table and said :'we should marshall our forces and hit them hard before they knew what's happening we would wipe them out '.
He looked at her due to spoiling when she was younger and letting have her way due to her talent she became to accustomed to always getting what she want and this made here underestimate the opponent.
He looked in her eyes 👀 and said:' while we may cause them to loose some at the beginning it won't be enough to shake their position at best we will gain a few knight territory and a castle 🏰 which we will keep us bogged down and when our main army retreat they will strike back and take them back like always and do not forget baron Damien is done dealing with his internal problem and he has a veteran army that can tip the balance ⚖️ so I think we should shore up our defences make every castle is well provisioned, adequately garrisoned and the walls,the watchtowers and barracks are fixed at same time I want you to contact the wraith clan and both start to recruits every available mercenary in the region and every able body to serve until we have around seventy to eighty thousands I want you to do it fast and quietly as for the weapons I have already commissioned baron Damien to make them that will buy us his neutral stance and I will try to get some of those weapons he used and two months from now we will strike while the new recruite may not be the best in the world they will do the job of holding the enemy until the knight and mercenary win at the wings '.
She started thinking about what her father it seemed a good plan but she couldn't help her self ask:' why only prepare for two months?'.
Hearing the question he chuckled and said:' I know charle he will never lead an unprepared army so he will need at least need three to four months for them to be ready so at two we will have the element of surprise hhhhh'.
In the meantime Damien has Infront of him two letters Infront of him one from the acosta in they are asking him to make thousands of weapons and armours while not of the highest quality but still a huge order and the seconde from bright asking the same only this one saying that a delegation from them headed by baron. Timothy will arrive tomorrow or after tomorrow to discuss details with him so he found himself having to make a bunch of choices on the fly.