Venead

Remaining seated on the throne, Enlidil slowly shook his head. "Your proposition is interesting, but ultimately unneeded," he explained, keeping his composure. "We have other mines that are better hidden and produce more high quality ores and gemstones. This is why the outsiders were able to take it in the first place, for no-one here had any interest in spending manpower and resources to push it into operation."

He paused again, thinking a little more on the matter. He was suddenly reminded of the ape-man, who seemed highly displeased and rather angry that the battle had been fought so close to the tribe's home.

"Although.. I may see a way to make this proposed venture worthwhile. There is a tribe of apemen near those mines whose displeasure may one day turn sour enough to form open rebellion. Though I am less interested in the mines themselves, my men have begun to fortify the wall of snow and ice that covered the pass outside during the battle. This means, of course, that should the apemen turn rebellious, they will be in a prime position to hit this fortification from the rear and possibly even route the garrison. Make no mistake that should this happen, the route through which the enemy first entered these mountains would be open again to their incursions."

"So this is my counter-proposal: I will give you the men you require. In return, I would like you to calm the apemen and keep their leader satisfied. If this proves impossible, then destroy them. Additionally, I would trade for any valuable resources your venture manages to find."

"You can have twenty men bearing my standard, led by a captain of my own choosing. They will follow your commands until such a time as they go against my interests, which I highly recommend you avoid."

A slip of parchment left Enlidil's coat and opened itself up by the side of his face. He glanced at it, then used one of his claws to prick the end of his finger to form an ink. With free-flowing blood running down the groove of his claw, he wrote down his orders and then signed in his name with the ease of a quill.

"Deliver this to any ranking officer you see. They will know my blood, thus ensuring these orders are followed. When my captain and his men have assembled, I will leave the issue in your hands to ensure a smooth, continued diplomatic alliance with the Gravicks."

Enlidil stood, handing the signed orders to Ragnar. "I expect your success," he warned, before leaving the hall without so much as a farewell.

Once free, he made his way back to his quarters, where he planned to rest for the evening. Entering the room quietly, he set aside his coat and looked around at the papers left on his desk. The duties of a Lord were often boring, but he felt it was due time he relaxed and slept without worrying about them.

"Mariah," he called out, assuming the assassin was still present. "I am going to bed now. Join me."

Ragnar took the missive with a bow. He had no intention of failing. He watched wordlessly as Enlindil left the throne hall. "Will he be our king?" he murmured to himself. Enlindil carried himself as if he already was, and Ragnar was satisfied with that. If he was granted the mining venture, his family would be tied to Enlindil's successes or failures. He was determined to find success.

He tucked the missive into his coat and left the throne hall. He gathered his retinue of Enlindil's and his own house's sworn men, and marched his way to find Bru'hoho.

<Exit to Gravick's White Peaks>

Mariah got out of bed and dressed her nude body, "It's forbidden to leave the mountains though isn't it, even if taken by force if you aren't given special permission to do so?"

In the outer courtyard of Venead, Enlidil sat upon a throne made of fused horns and faced a gathering of officers and soldiers who were in his personal service. He was to deliver a speech, or message, of some description, though no-one there knew what the Draxis Lord's thoughts or goals were. It had been an unexpected assembly and many of Enlidil's higher ranking soldiers seemed uneasy.

"Draxis, Volkrim and others. Thank you for your continued service to both me as your Lord and to our great gather Draxenssehs. Often, we do not understand the messages he sends us, though I know many of us spend much of our time in meditation and contemplation of his will. It can be difficult to place our trust in one who seems so adherent to continuing our isolationist ways, though many of us understand the reason behind this: to be alone means to live in guaranteed peace, away from the corruption of heretics and their blades."

Enlidil smiled, though he was forcing it.

"As many of us know, recently the outsiders and the heretics entered our homeland and forced us to defend ourselves. It ended in victory for our forces, but now many of our people; our elderly, our women; live in fear that they will return. In addition to this, they took prisoners of our great Volkrim commander, Owa, and possibly more if they did not fall beneath the snows. Many have sought my council recently because of this, seeking assurance of protection and defence against future incursions by our new enemy. Though I have always planned to remain vigilant and to fortify our lands, the time has come to do more."

Enlidil opened a scroll before his audience, which featured the seal of the Sect.

"Worried for my people, I sought the advice of my mother, the beloved and chosen Holy Wife of Draxenssehs, to ask the dragon for his wisdom in these unscrupulous times. It is now with great pride, pleasure, yet also apprehension, that I announce that the father of Draxen has spoken. Here on this scroll, the Holy Wife repeats his will:

"The capture of one of our most noble, loyal and valiant leaders to the heretics is unforgivable. More worrying, however, is that this horribly violent kidnapping took place on the lands given to my children to be their safe haven against all that is wrong. In this lies proof that now, more than ever before, evil and heresy have grown against us and are willing to delve even into our heartlands to take away what honour remains. As such, I hereby command thee, most loyal subjects, to take up the blade and strike back with the power and fury of righteous vengeance in mine own name."

Enlidil closed the scroll, then stood.

"Gentlemen, ladies, warriors, nobles, peasants, elders, children and their beloved companions, the word of Draxenssehs has been received and we will do his bidding. Return to your homes and prepare for war."

As Enlidil prepared his force for his upcoming crusade, a messenger arrived from the north. In secret, the runner told the Draxis Lord of how an invasion force had been spotted, comprising of roughly around one thousand men and multiple siege weapons. The news, quite honestly, was surprising.

"Send a message to the Gravick tribe," Enlidil told the man. "And send for Ragnar. He's needed here more than he is needed there."

The messenger nodded, mounted a lizard-like steed, then left Venead at speed. Meanwhile, Enlidil gathered his commanders and sent for Mariah. He needed a good pair of eyes at a time like this.