throne room and it seems he held it until the Sho’Curlas army showed up to rescue him.”
“You should still have been able to leave by ship, though... unless they’ve already swept the coast? They had no navy, as I recall.”
“Until recently they didn’t. Lots of factors, including the weather, made sea travel too risky for me to leave from Happaso or Glorest. By the time I got to Largo, it became obvious that I couldn’t leave by sea. Sho’Curlas has essentially annexed the City-State of Oden by ‘treaty,’ which means its entire navy was made available to our enemies. They’ve already wiped out the fleet in Largo and established a blockade around our major ports. The naval detachment at Sopan should be enough to break them, once it can be mobilized, but until then naval travel is unsafe.”
“Hm,” Ruznak frowned. “What other information about the tactical situation do we have?”
“Well, we know that Sho’Curlas fully secured its eastern border in the months before this invasion. Sycanth was taken before they could put up any kind of advance, and Svieda castle fell not too long ago. Our enemy’s armies hadn’t moved on after taking Svieda Castle, last I heard, and likely will be met by the combined Glorest-Rubick-Happaso army when they do. Gilbereth implied we had some intelligence suggesting that Sho’Curlas instigated the rebellions of Abindol and the Borden Isle, but I don’t know what it was.”
“I knew it!” Ruznak crowed. “I’ve said it for decades, but no-one believed me. Now, we know for sure... and I have to wonder if it matters, since we’re already at war with them.”
“Perhaps not, but we shall see,” Maelgyn said. “I’ve been too concerned with getting to Sopan to think about it much.”
“Aye, that’s another thing I wanted to talk with you about,” Ruznak growled, once more focusing his stare on Maelgyn. “I want you to take care of my little girl on your trip through the mountains, boy. Sword Prince or not, me with one leg or not, if you let something happen to her I will hunt you down and kill you.”
Maelgyn swallowed nervously. Even in his nineties and with one leg, the old Admiral cut an imposing figure. “I... well, I’ll do what I can. To be honest, I never agreed to ‘guide’ her through the mountains. I’ve got a lot of questions for her, to be sure, but... well, she never talked about coming with me. In fact, all I expected her to do when she said to follow her was for her to lead me to the ferry.”
A dark grin spread out on Ruznak’s face. “Well, that sounds like her, all right. You don’t mind helping, though, do you?”
“Of course not,” Maelgyn said. “I don’t know what I’m helping her do, exactly, but I’ll assist her in any way I can, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the war effort. I’m not sure why she needs my help, though – she seems an impressive enough mage to handle any brigands she runs across. I stopped a pack of them who were surrounding her when I got into town across the river, but from the way she reacted to the whole affair I’m pretty sure she knows she could have handled them, herself.”
“She could have,” Ruznak agreed. “She’s not afraid of being attacked. All she needs is what she asked for – a guide, someone to help her find the right trail.”
“I’ve got a spare map of the area, if she needs it,” Maelgyn suggested. “I’m making this trip the first time, myself, though, so I’m not sure how good of a guide I would be.”
“No,” the old man hesitated. “I don’t think a map would work.”
“Can’t she read maps?” Maelgyn asked. “I mean, I don’t know what she needs to go into Sopan for, but I’m going to have to leave in the morning... surely she’s going to want more time to get ready to go.”
“She’s been ready to go,” Ruznak explained. “She’s been looking for a guide for a while, now, and had recently been trying to raise the money to hire one.
“You should still have been able to leave by ship, though... unless they’ve already swept the coast? They had no navy, as I recall.”
“Until recently they didn’t. Lots of factors, including the weather, made sea travel too risky for me to leave from Happaso or Glorest. By the time I got to Largo, it became obvious that I couldn’t leave by sea. Sho’Curlas has essentially annexed the City-State of Oden by ‘treaty,’ which means its entire navy was made available to our enemies. They’ve already wiped out the fleet in Largo and established a blockade around our major ports. The naval detachment at Sopan should be enough to break them, once it can be mobilized, but until then naval travel is unsafe.”
“Hm,” Ruznak frowned. “What other information about the tactical situation do we have?”
“Well, we know that Sho’Curlas fully secured its eastern border in the months before this invasion. Sycanth was taken before they could put up any kind of advance, and Svieda castle fell not too long ago. Our enemy’s armies hadn’t moved on after taking Svieda Castle, last I heard, and likely will be met by the combined Glorest-Rubick-Happaso army when they do. Gilbereth implied we had some intelligence suggesting that Sho’Curlas instigated the rebellions of Abindol and the Borden Isle, but I don’t know what it was.”
“I knew it!” Ruznak crowed. “I’ve said it for decades, but no-one believed me. Now, we know for sure... and I have to wonder if it matters, since we’re already at war with them.”
“Perhaps not, but we shall see,” Maelgyn said. “I’ve been too concerned with getting to Sopan to think about it much.”
“Aye, that’s another thing I wanted to talk with you about,” Ruznak growled, once more focusing his stare on Maelgyn. “I want you to take care of my little girl on your trip through the mountains, boy. Sword Prince or not, me with one leg or not, if you let something happen to her I will hunt you down and kill you.”
Maelgyn swallowed nervously. Even in his nineties and with one leg, the old Admiral cut an imposing figure. “I... well, I’ll do what I can. To be honest, I never agreed to ‘guide’ her through the mountains. I’ve got a lot of questions for her, to be sure, but... well, she never talked about coming with me. In fact, all I expected her to do when she said to follow her was for her to lead me to the ferry.”
A dark grin spread out on Ruznak’s face. “Well, that sounds like her, all right. You don’t mind helping, though, do you?”
“Of course not,” Maelgyn said. “I don’t know what I’m helping her do, exactly, but I’ll assist her in any way I can, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the war effort. I’m not sure why she needs my help, though – she seems an impressive enough mage to handle any brigands she runs across. I stopped a pack of them who were surrounding her when I got into town across the river, but from the way she reacted to the whole affair I’m pretty sure she knows she could have handled them, herself.”
“She could have,” Ruznak agreed. “She’s not afraid of being attacked. All she needs is what she asked for – a guide, someone to help her find the right trail.”
“I’ve got a spare map of the area, if she needs it,” Maelgyn suggested. “I’m making this trip the first time, myself, though, so I’m not sure how good of a guide I would be.”
“No,” the old man hesitated. “I don’t think a map would work.”
“Can’t she read maps?” Maelgyn asked. “I mean, I don’t know what she needs to go into Sopan for, but I’m going to have to leave in the morning... surely she’s going to want more time to get ready to go.”
“She’s been ready to go,” Ruznak explained. “She’s been looking for a guide for a while, now, and had recently been trying to raise the money to hire one.
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