Sonnefurt in Flames

7/29/2019 Sonnefurt in Flames

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Sonnefurt In Flames

Part One: Origins of War

The night was quiet in the Sonnefurt Docks. Only the water lapping against the jetties, the faintshouting of crews staying out late preparing for the next morning s voyage along the Soll and thebuzz of the few taverns still open could be heard. Many types of ship were moored in the harbour,military, trade, personal and all were bobbing slightly on the calm waters, protected from the ragingtorrents by the great Dwarf built harbour, shielding them from the harsh realities that lay outsidethis sleepy town.

However, the peace was shattered by a large explosion, as a ship tore into flames, shards of woodsplintering through the air and the shockwaves sending the water pouring over the sides of thedocks. There was immediate commotion. Revellers came out to see what the noise had been. Dockwardens were alerting the town s fire brigade. Shouts could be heard coming from those nearesttrying to stop the fire spreading onto their own precious vessels.

When eventually the panic had subsided and the damage could be assessed it became obvious theship had been sabotaged. However, the ship was not one regularly stationed in Sonnefurt, instead itwas a ship from the nearby Kroppenleben, belonging specifically to the Kroppenleben- Hirn ShippingCompany, a private enterprise which allowed Kroppenleben to easily trade with the nearby Dwarf stronghold via the smaller Khazid Grentaz during the Spring and Winter months, when the mountainpasses were too difficult to traverse.

Sonnefurt and Kroppenleben competed fiercely for the valuable trade Karak Hirn provided forSouthern Wissenland, and were often in dispute over the use of Sonnefurt s port for Kroppenlebenships, a permission granted by the Courts of Nuln to prevent Sonnefurt from taking a monopoly of river transport of Dwarfen goods. Thus, considering all the tension, this was seen as an act of deliberate industrial sabotage, a reason good enough for war.

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The next morning Max Bachor, a humble farmer from Thalfang went to inspect his crops as the sunrose over the Black Mountains, blissfully unaware of the events in Sonnefurt the night before. Hecrossed the glistening River Aschen, swollen due to the Spring thawing of the ice in the hills. He wasglad the swell was picking up, it made the land more fertile, and he hoped that this year would bethe year he would be the year he could earn enough to be able to leave the military for at least ayear and start his family properly.

As he tended to his land, he heard a low rumble in the distance. The other farmers around himnoticed it too and began to slow in their work, looking towards the source of the noise. As themorning progressed the sound got louder and louder, and became accompanied by a dust cloudnoticeable behind the hills to the East.

By mid afternoon, the source of the noise was evident. In the distance a large column of armed mencould clearly be seen, and scouts were reporting that they bore the insignia of nearby Kroppenleben.Max thought nothing of this development, continuing his days labour, considering it just militarymovements, perhaps across the mountains against some incursion that lay in wait there for the


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citizens of Kroppenleben. Thalfang, and in fact the entire Barony had not seen any upset for a verylong time, perhaps longer than Max could remember, certainly longer than the Baroness had been inpower. As a rule, Max, and Thalfangers in general were wary of any strangers in their land, but theseNortherners didn t bother him this day, after all they were fellow Wissenlanders; there were plentygreater threats to Sonnefurt than other Wissenlanders.

This attitude soon changed when the bells in the Church of Sigmar started frantically ringing,signifying the calling of the towns militia. Confused, but not one to disobey direct orders, Maxabandoned his plough and ran as fast as he could to the town centre. There, the town crier, a portlyman, was red in the face from his incessant shouting:

Militia and residents of Thalfang, arm yourselves! Kroppenleben marches to war with Sonnefurt!Fight for your homes, your families and the Baroness! Sonnefurt needs you!

Max quickly changed into his uniform. Unlike the irregulars, he formed the small detachment of Sonnefurt regular troops. He found his halberd and kissed his wife goodbye.

What s happening darling? Is it Orcs? Beasts? I m scared!

It s Wissenlanders dear, bloody Wissenlanders!

Part 2: The Battle of Thalfang

On the other side of the river, the Kroppenleben artillery lined up. Row upon row of cannons andmortars loomed over the obviously doomed town. Clearly, this army was out for the prize of Sonnefurt, and Thalfang was an inconvenience, being the on the edge of the River Soll and Aschen,proving an obstacle for a column of men this big.

The roar of the cannons made the ground shudder beneath Max s feet. Then, seconds later, the

world around him seemed to collapse. The cannonballs and mortar shells hit the surroundingbuildings and shattered into lethal fragments of masonry and wood that splintered in all directions.Max threw himself to the ground as shrapnel tore over his head, shredding the unfortunate manbeside him, leaving his crisp, unused uniform torn and red, distinct against the traditional white andgrey.

Max ran for cover, people were screaming and trying to get out of the town. It felt counter intuitiveto be running the other way, but it was his duty. Even though the town would surely fall beforereinforcements could arrive, they had to halt the advancing column long enough forthe refugees toflee into the countryside.

The only entry point into the town was the Aschen Bridge, and this would prove difficult for toomany of the Kroppenleben men to negotiate at once, for it was a narrow bridge, perhaps six menwide. Max hoped this would make the fight a little fairer.

As the artillery began to subside, with only a few pieces still firing on the now devastated town, Maxknew the assault was coming. Sure enough, horns were sounding and the Kroppenleben men, onlydistinct from the Thalfang militia by their green trimmings as opposed to the Sonnefurt red, boredown upon the bridge with great tenacity and roaring cheers.


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Their impact was brutal, and the combat was particularly fierce. The Thalfangers were known forbeing a hard people, and they were defending their own, against foreigners, their natural enemy.Blood was quickly flowing on the bridge, staining the gleaming cobbles and new hue of scarlet, but itwas useless, the Kroppenleben forces could continue to send wave after wave atthe bridge, whilstthe militia could only hope their losses would not be too severe.

Max fought with little consideration for who he was fighting, he dehumanised them, they were notmen of the Empire, or even Wissenland, they were a threat to his livelihood, to his family and to hisbeloved Barony. His halberd fell and rose, cleaving men as they joined the fray, bloody spraying onhis previously unused and meticulously clean uniform as he managed to decapitate an unfortunatesolider. He had never been called upon to fight before, and only had his basic training but thesituation he was in drove him to fight as good as the best trained soldiers. However, there was littlehe or his comrades could do.

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Soon, it was decided that the militia had to fall back, there was no chance they could hold off any

longer, and most of the townspeople had left, and were well on their way to Ostrach and thenSonnefurt. With a heavy heart the retreat was sounded, and the men began to break away. Evidentlytaking pity on their fellow Wissenlanders, the attackers slowed their advance, consolidatingthemselves and allowing their enemies time to leave the confines of the town, pursued only by thetoken inaccurate cannonball to make sure they continued fleeing.

In just under half an hour, Thalfang had fallen. Over two hundred of its residents and militia had diedin the battle and bombardment, but only fifty Kroppenleben troops had fallen to the blades of thevaliant militia. The town was quickly sacked and the houses of the once peaceful citizens hadbecome temporary barracks for the men of Kroppenleben. The army was to rest in Thalfang for thenight, for they were sure they would see repercussions the next day when they marched on Ostrach.

Baron von Kalb caught up with the column later that evening, impressed with the diligence withwhich his men had one the first decisive battle of the campaign. Thalfang was the second largesttown of the Barony, and had fallen so quickly. He knew not to be so confident however, he had hadthe element of surprise, and the full might of his army against an ill equipped militia force.

As he took up office in Mayor Funk s townhouse, the most luxurious in all of Thalfang, he was met byhis aide and organiser of this campaign, Leopold Steinbecker.

My liege, may I congratulate you on your decisive victory this afternoon. If Thalfang was this easy,then we shall roll through this Barony with great ease. The Baroness will fall and all this land will beyours. Think how rich you will be my lord! Think of the power you will have! Nuln will have torespect you!

Thankyou Leopold, but it is not that easy. Sonnefurt has many allies further North and in the city,we cannot forget that. Remember too, our cause for war is tenuous at best, and wait until they findout that we sabotaged our own ship. I need you to send word to Kreutzhofen, I am sure they will behappy to aid me in riding Sonnefurt of the Baroness, perhaps we can exchange some of their formerland for their aid?


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An excellent plan my liege! I shall arrange for our fastest rider at once. In the meantime get somerest, tomorrow will be another easy victory for you, your excellence, and you want to be at your bestwhen we waltz into Ostrach!

Part Three: The March on Ostrach

News quickly reached Sonnefurt of the devastating surprise attack on Thalfang. The refugees hadmade their way overnight to the safety of the town walls. Ostrach had been bypassed for it wascertain it would be the next target. As a predominantly military town, it was a high value target forthe Kroppenleben army, a perfect place to locate their barracks, far from the River Soll and attackfrom their and the resources to replenish their army during the inevitable siege of Sonnefurt.

The Baroness and the Council of Sonnefurt had quickly rallied as many troops as could be spared forthe defence of the town, hoping to dent the attacking army significantly so the siege would not beable to last as long. Militias were drawn up, drafting as many men from the outlying settlements aspossible, and they would be accompanied by a significant portion of Sonnefurt s professionalsoldiers.

Max, like many of his other comrades that night had been put up in one of Ostrach s many taverns,now turned into billets for the soldiers who were pouring into the town overnight. Being a veteranof the Battle of Thalfang he was allowed to rest, but the bustle in the town made it impossible tosleep. Defences were being dug, artillery was being moved in and the men were taking advantage of the hospitality and seemingly endless supply of liquor on Ostrach s famous Alcholic s Avenue ,evidently making the most of what they thought would be their last night on Earth. Max howeverwould not join in with the revelry. He worried for his wife and what the next day would bring forhim.

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As predicted, with sunrise came the Kroppenleben troops. Still at full strength they vastlyoutnumbered the hurriedly assembled Sonnefurt army, but this time, the fight was drastically lessone sided.

Max saw the rows of armed men lined up in the fields before Ostrach. Their blades glinting in theearly morning light, just like the spring dew that flickered on the grass before them. The flags,bearing the Rose and Briars of the von Heisenberg family, fluttered in the low breeze. It was eerilyquiet, the tension and expectation of the conflict unnerved Max, at least the day before he had beenthrown in with no questions.

After the surprise at Thalfang the vengeful Sonnefurters were quick to seize the advantage to attack.

As soon as the Kroppenleben soldiers were in range the artillery opened fire. The shrapnel could beseen tearing through the enemy ranks, and Max was instantly reminded of the horror he hadwitnessed in his town, just meters away from the market he sold his wares at every week. However,he felt no remorse for these men, just like he hadn t the day before. They could easily have been tohim the foulest creatures in the world.

The enemy troops were quickly in range of the renowned Ostrach militia marksmen, a group of crackcrossbowmen whose bolts whistled through the fields and felled the oncoming army. Meanwhile,


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the infantry held their ground. With little advantage of the terrain, as Ostrach was almost completelyflat, and the unexpected artillery bombardment, the Kroppenleben army had not yet brought theirartillery to bear down on the town s defenders, much to Max s relief. Furthermore, the proximity of their troops to the Ostrach defensive lines meant that it would be suicide to even attempt such aploy.

This did not stop them from bringing their handgunners to the fore. The loud explosions could beheard on the other flank, presumably with the pellets ripping their way through the men as theystood their ground defiantly. The order had not yet been given to engage, the numbers neededthinning to make it a fair fight.

Finally, the horns sounded from a building nearby and the roar of the men rose up from the ranksand they ran towards their opponents. The crunch of battle was horrific and men fell almostinstantly. The confusion was incredible, the two sides were almost indistinguishable, and collateralcasualties were inevitable. Max tried so hard to see through the mess of white and grey for that glintof green at which to strike. The blood made it difficult for the Sonnefurt troops, as it tainted theenemy uniforms with the same crimson their uniforms were marked with. This was not how theywere meant to fight.

The intense combat seemed locked in a stalemate, the defenders were being pushed backwards intothe town but were still holding out despite all the odds. The mess of buildings made it easier tobottleneck the Kroppenleben soldiers and work their numbers against them, but their numbers werealways a factor. Clearly, Baron von Kalb was holding some men in reserve but they overwhelmingthe small numbers of defenders. This however was set to change when a cry rang out from thefarmhouse being used as a watchtower on the edge of town:

Cavalry! Coming from the South!

Part Four: Ostrach Falls

Two days ago Eduard had been living a peaceful life in Sonnefurt, the peace had now beenshattered. He was a simple carpenter s apprentice, living and working in the Dockyards district of thesleepy riverside town. He worked diligently for little pay and lived in a townhouse with his, and threeothers, families. He didn t mind though, he enjoyed his work, enjoyed the freedom he had from alenient master and loved being by the river, where he could indulge in his favourite hobby of fishingfrom time to time.

He had been asleep when the Kroppenleben ship had exploded, but the next day it had been the talkof the Dockyards. Conspiracy theories had arisen, and fingers were pointed at the harbour mastersfor letting such an atrocity happen. There was talk of Solland insurrectionists, a framed sabotage ana deliberate attack on Kroppenleben. Opinion was divided and debates were heated.

Eduard didn t attach significance to the event until the news reached him the next day of the fall of Thalfang, not fifty miles from Sonnefurt, to the army of Baron von Kalb. Over the course of that daythere was a noticeable tension in Sonnefurt, the refugees were sent to the Dockyards to find shelterin the slums and everyone he spoke to was fearful that the situation would get worse.


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However, some he talked to openly embraced the attack and the victory of Baron von Kalb. Dockerswere not known for their liking of the Upper Classes, particularly not the Baroness and her followers,as she had not yet turned her attentions to a long promised renovation of the Dockyards, clearingout the slums and reinvigorating business along the Soll. The air was filled with talk of insurrection;the Dockyards would soon be in turmoil.

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The cavalry raced across the fields towards the flanks of the Ostrach defenders. They were clearlymercenaries hired by Baron von Kalb to give him the distinct advantage against the defenders. Maxwondered how he would have had enough time to hire so many mercenaries before launching hislightening attack, but the thought quickly left his mind as he saw the huge body of men and horsestearing towards his position.

The men were clearly not Wissenlanders, and maybe not even men of the Empire. Some weredecked in many resplendent colours, family heraldries from countries far beyond the borders, andsome were in gleaming suits of expensive armour, spoils of many campaigns on behalf of many such

rich lords as the Baron.

As they hit, men were sent flying. The defenders were caught from both sides, the wave upon waveof infantry that were now being sent to win the battle more decisively coming from the East and thenights ploughing through the ranks to the South. The situation looked very bleak to Max. He aimedhis halberd at the legs of the horses, felling several, but the Knights atop them continued to fight,clearly trained swordsmen, with the militia posing little opposition to their skill in the fray.

The Northern flank was faring much better than Max s side, despite suffering heavy losses from theshooting of the Kroppenleben marksmen. Sadly, the foresight of the defenders generals hadoverlooked the exposure of the Southern flank, and it was the Northern flank that held the best

trained troops, compared to Max and the militia in the South. It was thus no surprise that the militiasoon broke, only to be pursued by Knights, who then broke off to aid the combat to the North of thetown.

The town s defence was now in shambles. The Kroppenleben troops were so confident in theirvictory that the taverns were raided and sacked before the enemy had routed completely. The townitself had been spared any significant damage, but bodies lay in its streets, from both sides. A fewhardy residents put up resistance, shooting the rejoicing enemies from the windows before beingdragged into the streets and rounded up as prisoners, or worse, executed.

Once again Max found himself fleeing a battlefield, mourning the loss of so many comrades. Thosewho had fought the day before as well were now few in number. Two days ago many had beenMax s neighbours, his shopkeepers, now they lay dead on the streets of Ostrach and Thalfang.Losses had been great in Ostrach, those who were lucky to escape were on their way to Sonnefurt,hopefully to gain a small amount of respite behind the Dwarfen walls with the full might of theSonnefurt army to give them a break from the fighting.

As the dishevelled band of men reached the city, the residents feared the worst. The Barony wasbeing devastated, Sonnefurt was in flames.


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Part Five: Insurrection

This is unacceptable! thundered Mayor Funk, slamming his chubby fist on the heavy oak Counciltable, causing several goblets of wine to shake worryingly.

The South Soll Coalition Military has been totally overrun, my dear Thalfang and now Ostrach have

fallen into the hands of that lecherous von Kalb and Sonnefurt sends one mere regiment to our aidin this dire time? Sonnefurt needs to march out and gain vengeance for the hurt to our honour thathas happened these last two days!

I concur! started Mayor Vogt, these enemies are clearly forcing their Solland tendencies upon our

honourable Barony of Wissenland, desecrating our peace and harmony through a tenuous cause forwar! Sonnefurt needs to strike them by surprise like they struck us!

Marshall Eichhorn, until then uncharacteristically quiet, plainly stated, That would be suicide. Canyou fools not see past your lost pride and see that our enemy has prepared for this campaign long in

advance. He has picked the Spring months, meaning his campaign can last for the best part of this

year and has chosen specifically the week of Von Heisenberg Day, meaning our dear Baroness is notpresent, and is visiting her family in the North.

We need to bide our time, there is no hope we can outfight such a large and well preparedenemy.No doubt news will reach all of Wissenland in the next few days, and the Baroness will be able togather reinforcements from Messen and Heisenberg. Until then we have to take cover behind ourwalls and hope for aid. This is not the way I would like it to be, but for the future of Sonnefurt, it isour only choice.

*******

Men of the Sonnefurt Dockyards, freedom is on our doorstep! Can you not feel the chance to break

our chains, to beat our meagre lives of subsistence and fight for a better life, for us and our families?Baron von Kalb offers us this chance. Sonnefurt stands no chance against his might! The Baronesshas deserted her supposedly beloved Barony for Northern climes, she is no better than theCountess herself, her own cousin. She does not care for this town like we do brothers! If we fightagainst the oppressive forces of the Nulnurt aristocracy in this town, and manage to hand it over tothe Baron, we can negotiate our freedom from the yolks of poverty! Together we can throw off thisoppression like the great Hans Hettinger! The Dockers cannot be put down! Who s with me?!

Men roared in answer to the speakers rousing chant. In the crowd was Eduard, but he was notcheering. The crowd that had formed began to divide quickly, the supportersseemingly heading inthe direction of the Upper River Side, the rich district in Sonnefurt, those who disagreed remained

behind, anxious of the consequences. As the band of men left behind the speaker, chants started torise and the anger could clearly be felt. Sonnefurt itself was now in a state of chaos, it would be easyfor the Kroppenleben forces to take now for sure.

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Max and his comrades woke up the next morning to screams and shouts coming from outside theirbillet. They had been stationed overnight in the Von Heisenberg theatre, the huge number of


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military and refugee personnel filling the barracks in the Military District, leaving the militias to bestationed in public buildings all around the city.

His sergeant ran in, offering an answer to their questions about the commotion outside.

The citizens are revolting! To arms!

There seemed to be no rest for the wicked, Max was quickly back in his uniform and on the streets.The sight outside was one of absolute chaos. Men had erected barricadesin the streets, buildingswere on fire and civilians were being dragged out into the streets from their homes, some werebeing humiliated, some were being tortured and some were being killed.

The men perpetuating the violence were dirty and disorganised; clearly lynch mobs set out to attackthis upper class district. Max had no idea of the politics behind the chaos, and had no reason to ask.These men posed a real threat to the future of the Barony, more so than the army surely making itsway to the gates of Sonnefurt.

The militia formed up behind a barricade, along with several other regiments now pouring into thedistrict. They had been ordered to stand their ground, the commanders hoping the sight of militarypresence would strike fear into the rebels. It was one thing spilling the blood of fellowWissenlanders, but everyone wanted to avoid the deaths of fellow Sonnefurters.

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That same morning, Eduard had made his way to the Upper River Side, but not with an intent of causing chaos, but as part of the counter-revolutionary forces. He had armed himself with hisgrandfathers old pistol and an axe from his workplace, rudimentary weapons, but enough to pose athreat to the rebels. He was backed up by a crowd of like minded men, who disagreed with theinsurrection due to the threat it posed to the safety of Sonnefurt. Although Eduard had sympathised

with the goal of a better future, he did not believe Baron von Kalb to be the answer, he d rather dieimpoverished than enslaved to a distant ruler.

When the counter-revolutionaries arrived the next morning near the Von Heisenberg theatre theysaw the devastation their fellow Dockers had caused. They also saw the formidable sight of theamassed military, unmoving despite the chaos in front of them, a standoff had occurred.

Quickly the rogue forces had stopped their brutal displays of anger and had taken note of the armedmen that opposed them. They turned from their barbaric actions to face their opposition. Battlelines were forming. A chant then rose amongst their ranks and Eduard watched in horror as theytore down on the ranked infantry.

Part Six: Blood on the Streets

Max watched as the town s riflemen shot into the oncoming horde of rebels, the bullets rippingthrough the disorganised rabble. When the smoke cleared those who had not fallen foul of the hailof lead we almost upon the lined ranks. Max readied himself as the brutish mob crashed into thebarricade and leapt onto the soldiers.


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One Docker leapt straight at Max, a crude meat cleaver his only weapon. Max hit him in the stomachwith the bottom of his halberd, knocking the wind clean out of his opponent. He did not want tofinish the man, being only a simple, angry peasant but more and more men were charging at him, hehad no choice. With one swing and a sickening crunch, the blade of the halberd became lodged inthe man s skull.

Max and the soldiers kept a tight formation, but were being pushed back by the sheer ferocity andmobility of these lightly armed and angry men. However, another round of shouts was heard from aside street, and more townsfolk could be seen piling into the mob, but there were not joining them,but attacking them.

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Eduard felt the thrill of the charge, his heart was racing, his ears ringing and his blood boiling. He andhis comrades had completely taken the insurgents by surprise, and were upon them in seconds. Theensuing fight was absolute chaos, a free for all of no holds barred bloody hand to hand combat.

Eduard loosed a shot into an oncoming man bearing a large axe, piercing his chest, staining his dirtyoveralls with the scarlet blood. Almost immediately he flipped it round in his hand, turning it into acrude bludgeon, and clubbing another man square in the back of his head, knocking him to theground with a noticeable crack. His levelled his axe into the chest of another man, before he wastackled to the ground, leaving the axe in his victims dying body.

On the floor he scrapped with his attacker, a young dock worker who had nothing but a crudecarving knife. They rolled on the now blood soaked cobbles, grappling in a frenzy of punches. Eduardwas careful to avoid his opponent s savage attacks with the crude blade, but it was close.Fortunately he managed to land a well aimed right hook in the cheeks of the worker, giving himenough time to reach out for a blacksmiths hammer on the ground beside, which he used to follow

his blow with a crippling smash in his temple.

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Max watched the frenzy that ensued from the attack of the other citizens, it was a bloodbath withno rules. Men were jumping on others, clawing at their eyes, their mouths, using whatever theycould to inflict pain and destruction. Evidently tensions were running high, the fear of losing theirlivelihoods in this invasion had truly divided the population in how to react.

His sergeant had given the orders to stay behind the barricades, he could not help the slaughter thatwas turning the once beautiful and elegant plaza into a scene of hell itself. Fortunately, he had nothad to kill many citizens, for the sudden attack had turned their attentions, he was painfully aware

of how many fellow Wissenlanders he had killed this week.

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Eduard looked up from the chaos to see a figure clad in red robes and a suit of armour striding intothe melee, hammer in hand, and bearing the signs of Sigmar. He was untouched by the brawl, noone daring to openly attack a priest of their almighty god. Eduard eventually recognised that thiswas no ordinary priest, this was Father Josef Schmidt, Abbot of the Sanctuary of Sigmar.


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He stopped directly in the middle of the plaza, and his voice echoed around the streets, everyonestopping the insane carnage to listen to the priest.

My good citizens! Why do you fight so? For the first time in centuries, blood has been spilled on ourstreets, and for what cause? Too many people have died at the hands our common enemy forfurther men to die at the hands of our own common citizens! It is little surprise that Sonnefurt isnow seen as weak when we fight amongst ourselves! So weak in fact that not only does Baron vonKalb and his army descend upon our town with great haste, but the entire fleet of Kreutzhofen bearsdown on our docks in cooperation!

The mention of the hated town of Kreutzhofen brought some shouts of disdain, but also murmurs of worry and panic, for it was Kreutzhofen who had subjugated Sonnefurt all those centuries ago.

Yes! Kreutzhofen my friends! It is true. The only time I want to see fighting on these streets is in thedirest of times. If we have to evoke the spirit Hans Hettinger and perform the second Defence of theDockyards, so be it! I will be at the forefront with you! But that is the only time it is just and holy tospill blood on these flagstones again!

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The crowd cheered. Many had fallen needlessly, but the insurrection had been calmed. However,Sonnefurt was in a dire situation. The Kroppenleben forces had spread out through the lands, racingfor Sonnefurt and cutting off its supply lines. Their divisions were heading for the Sonnefurt itself atthe banks of the River Sonne, and were aiming to stretch to the banks of the Soll in the otherdirection. From behind, the fleets of Kreutzhofen were blockading the docks of both Sonnefurt andErtingen so that it was impossible to pass supplies, messages or people through.

In the meantime, Von Kalb had established himself within the Baroness s mountain villa, samplingher fine wines and settling in for what he hoped would be a short siege, but from the tenacity andstoicism shown by the people of the Barony, knew in his mind might take significantly longer.

Part Seven: A Call for Aid

Klaus entered huge oak doors into the great hall of the Sonnefurt Council, a hive of activity due tothe amassing siege force bearing down upon the city. He watched as the men buzzed around in achaotic fashion, bustling with papers and eventually finding their seats. With a bang of the gavel themeeting was in session.

Lord Herwin Augustus, as chairman of this meeting, hushed his colleagues on the Council and thesurrounding attendants and newer members.

This meeting is called as Sonnefurt is now at absolute crisis point, and with the absence of our fairBaroness, we are the sole ruling body. Up until now our meetings have been haphazard anddisorganised but Baron von Kalb has given us a brief moment of respite which we must seize toregain our wits and plan our course of action. Let us hear your thoughts on thismatter.

Aldred Guttman started up, accompanied by the audible sighs of many of the people in the room,expecting a long and monotonous speech.


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As you may well know, I have had the great pleasure of working as the chairman of the Hirn-Sonnefurt Banking Corporation, and as such have brilliant links with the Dwarfs of the hold. Over theyears we have gained their respect as valuable business partners and it should be clear to them thata loss to our business would take, according to my calculations, based on net loss already, multipliedby the length of Baron von Kalb s campaign, factoring in the loss of the workforce and increased pay

of the military....Quickly, Miengot Elzacher stepped in, much to the relief of the Council.

What I think my colleague is trying to say is that the Dwarfs of Karak Hirn would have to search outnew trade partners within Wissenland whilst we recover from a war that may well annihilate us.There is no guarantee that Baron Von Kalb will keep up our trade links either. Due to their inherentdislike of change, it may be that they would be willing to send a small force to stop Von Kalb in histracks .

Thankyou Herr Elzacher, Aldred remarked snidely, that is indeed what I was trying to say, I oftenforget many of you do not share my intellect or level of mathematical knowledge. But yes, we need

to alert Karak Hirn in search of a favour.

Jusk Stromsson, the grizzled leader of the Dwarfs of Sonnefurt, added to the conversation.

Aye, despite is muddled way of sayin it, Guttman is right. Em ighlanders owe yous for all yerbusiness these years. And anyways, if they don t owe you s, you d think they d look out fer their ownkin, some of us ave clans back up them mountains, they won t ave forgotten us!

So all in favour of sending a message to King Duraksson of Karak Hirn? Lord Augustus asked

There was a resounding murmur of agreement around the table.

Then it is decided. Klaus, can we trust you with the task?

Of course m lord! Anything for Sonnefurt! , Klaus responded from his dark corner.

Methinks it moight be best if ye send im with some of my lad s as an escort Mr Augustus, emhighlander s are a bit funny about you umgi bein in their domains unattended. Plus, it moightconvince em more if we lowlanders are askin fer their elp too.

If you can pledge some men, feel free. Otherwise that matter is settled.

Despite all his anxiety about the mission in front of him, Klaus quickly exited the room, excited to beon an official mission, and further excited that Lord Augustus had chosen him first. From all the

clerks who worked for the Council, he had been picked first, his career was looking up. Maybe hewould be able to pursue his dream of working in the courts as a lawyer as the Lord s protg whenthis mess was over.

However, he had a mission to attend to. He had to rendez-vous with his escort and find a way topass the Kroppenleben troops undetected as they spread through the lands. The longer he lingered,the stronger Kroppenleben forces and their stranglehold on Sonnefurt would become.

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Albert had been in the same meeting room, timidly waiting in another corner, hoping not to beassigned any tasks by the Council. He was a humble civil servant, a quiet reserved man who liked his

job as it meant being out of the way of the public. Now, there was a distinct chance he would bethrown right into the midst of a important mission to muster support. It wasn t that he didn t lovehis hometown, but he was thinking right at that moment he would much rather see it captured than

have to face travel and formal audiences with nearby allies.The Council were slowly assigning messengers to spread out to sympathetic causes withinWissenland. They knew of course this was fairly pointless, as it was an internal political matter, andmany nobles and leaders in the area preferred Baron von Kalb for his pro-Solland and anti-Nulntendencies, whilst Sonnefurt stood as a bastion of Wissenlanders and Nulners in the countryside.

When it came to who to send to Nuln, only Albert and one other, significantly younger, man wereleft.

The issue of support from Nuln is of utmost importance if we wish to stop a takeover byKroppenleben , Lord Augustus continued as Albert tuned in again, his thoughts previously distracted

by his wild imaginings of what might possibly go wrong if they sent him.

As such, from the two of you, I think it best if you represent our interests Herr Frank. He lookedconfidently towards Albert, and in turn Albert s heart sank.

Can we trust you seek audience with the Countess on behalf of the Baroness and Sonnefurt. Weneed her to see the misconduct of Kroppenleben and their clear staging of an excuse to launch anevidently planned war upon us. We need justice to be enacted for their illegal behaviour, and a forceto be sent to put them in their place. Are you up to the task?

Albert gulped loudly, his mouth dry with angst. He managed to squeak a reply of Yes out, notwanting to disappoint and let down his fellow townspeople. He had never been furtherthanErtingen in his life, and this journey was going to prove to be his greatest adventure.

*********

Marshal Eichhorn then entered the Council chambers, having been organising the siege defenceforces for the vast part of the day.

I have managed to secure the limited aid of the Soll River Patrol through my old contacts. Whilstthey are not under orders to attack the Kreutzhofen ships which blockade our harbour, my contactshave secured warrants to search the ships tonight, looking for any smuggled objects. This willprovide the perfect cover for the Council to travel to Ertingen where we will be safe, and for the

messengers to use the waterways to speed their journeys. We will have to move fast though, for thewarrants are tenuous. We have no time to waste.

Part Eight: Under the Veil of Night

Matilda grew anxious. That night had been designated the night of co-ordinated guerrilla efforts tohamper the Kroppenleben troops in their siege of Sonnefurt. The enemy had neglected her smallvillage of Bezeinhof and the neighbouring village of Martinskorf, seeing their population as no threatand believing their subjugation would immediately follow after the decisive blows to their patron


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towns of Ostrach and Thalfang respectively. However, Matilda knew this was a decision they wouldlive to regret.

Sepp Sydow, the elder of Martinskorf had visited their Elder, Frau Gaffwiger, to gather as many ablebodies they could spare for the effort. The villages were only small and could not spare many, butMatilda had leapt at the chance to be involved. Her elder brother had been killed in the defence of Ostrach, having, as many sons of Bezeinhof were forced to do, join the Sonnefurt garrison severalyears before to earn money to support his impoverished family. Her father was too old to fight, butshe wanted her family to be represented in the struggle, and the loss of her brother to have been fornothing.

The group was assembling on the fringes of Ostrach as the dusk drew closer. They were to launch alightening raid on the town, killing the guards and burning the stores. They were vastly outnumberedshould the small garrison force wake, and as such it had been deemed a suicide mission.

********

Meanwhile, in the Sonnefurt harbour, the Soll River Patrol had stormed the Kreutzhofen ships,demanding to see their papers and check their holds for stolen goods from Sonnefurt. The crews of the ships were compelled to agree, completely shocked by the intervention of an official body in theconflict, but were as of yet unperturbed by their motivations.

Klaus and his four Dwarf escorts had been put on a small vessel towards the River Sonne. The dwarfswere distinctly weary of the water, not trusting the small wooden vessel, despite having beenaccustomed to human workman s skills over the years. What made them even more nervous abouttheir mode of transport were the presence of three ponies and a stallion. Even though LowlandDwarfs were often seen riding ponies around the Barony like their human neighbours rode horses,evidently these three had other ideas.

Klaus sensed their anxiety.

Well what did you expect? It s not like you re known for being particularly fast walkers...

Watch it umgi! replied the one who seemed to be their leader, particularly from his longer, whiterbeard, if we re seen enterin old irn on em, we ll never live it down, we may as well die our airorange and go find some trolls!

Klaus used his believed innate ability as a lawyer s clerk to reach a compromise he deemed suitable.

Ok then, the steeds ll go when we get too close, but speed is of the essence, we have a town tosave, and my career on the line!

********

On the other side of the harbour, Albert waited along with the other members of the Council, andsome important members of the Sonnefurt aristocracy. Smuggling was present in Sonnefurt andnormally kept well under control, but this night, as dusk fell, several smugglers had beenmysteriously commissioned by Marius Blech to conduct the safe passage of the precious cargos outof the town s waters.


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Albert was put on a ship with several nobles who preferred to return to their Winter homes in Nuln,their plans for a warm spring and summer in the South of the Province dashed by the war. He spokelittle, but just thought about his journey and how he would construct a convincing argument to theCourts of Nuln in order to win their support. He was not a born orator, he had deliberately become acivil servant to avoid having to speak aloud and in public, but now he was being asked to in front of

the most important people in the land for the most important cause.The Council were also being loaded onto a small ship that would carry them across to Ertingen. Itwas believed that there they would be untouchable, but would be able to fly messenger pigeons theshort way across the water to continue guiding the people of Sonnefurt. It was believed that theKreutzhofen ships would not risk violent action against Sonnefurt without having been attacked first.If Sonnefurt should fall, they would be safe for a short while, being the far side of the river, wherethey could attempt to organise a last ditch counter attack.

*********

Frank waited by the banks of the River Martin in one of several small rowing boats which were

bobbing up and down with the waves. He didn t know if it was this motion making his sick of his fearstemming from the attack he was set to launch on the Martin Bridge with his fellow village guerrillas.

They had rowed downstream from Martinskorf with the intention of destroying the Martin Bridge, alarge Dwarf bridge which spanned the mouth of the River Martin and linked Ostrach and Thalfangand ultimately linked Sonnefurt to Kroppenleben. The sabotage of this bridge would make it difficultfor reinforcements and supplies to enter by land, forcing them to use the River Soll, which was nowheavily patrolled by the Sonnefurt division Soll River Patrol who were working unofficially in thefavour of Marshall Eichhorn, making this task infinitely more difficult.

The raid would not be easy, the enemy knew the importance of the bridge all too well, and had

stationed a small regiment to defend it. Sepp Sydow had prepared the stealth attack and hadsomehow acquired several barrels of explosives. Frank was to accompany Sepp and row under thebridge as quietly as possible and detonate the explosives, whilst the rest were to draw attention tothe bridge, luring the regiment into the path of the explosion, sending a message to the rest of theKroppenleben troops.

Frank was on edge, he knew he had the riskiest job, but knew the importance of his role. He was nolonger just a woodsman, even clad in his simple, grubby clothes, rather than a gleaming uniform, hewas as much of a soldier as any man who the Kroppenleben forces had already killed that week.

Part Nine: A Night Ablaze

As night fell Matilda and her fellow guerrillas moved into Ostrach, cloaked by the inky blackness of this cold spring night. They spread out rapidly, bows at the ready. They could not afford to alertanyone to their presence just yet.

Matilda reached for an arrow from her quiver, losing it silently into an unaware guard s neck, killinghim with only a slight gurgle. Despite being a girl, she had had to be a keen marksman, hunting for

her family, and defending them from the creatures who inhabited the woodlands, creatures muchmore terrifying than mere Kroppenleben soldiers.


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Her target was a barn at the far end of the town. She and two others made their way around thetown, using the cover of bushes to hide them from the patrols, whilst felling anyone who might givethem away and who was foolish enough to be alone.

When at the barn, it was decided Matilda would lead. She snuck up to the edge of the barn, notingthe sole guard who stood at its entrance. She found her old hunting knife, a gift from her brotherwhen he left to join the military, and it glinted in the moonlight as the clouds that had cloaked themso far began to part.

The guard noticed the glimmer from the corner of his eye, and as Matilda raced at him, he managedto cry out.

Intruders!!!

Matilda swore. She had let down the raid, wanting to use her brother s knife for vengeance whenshe could have killed him with a quick shot of her bow. Bells were ringing and men were clambering

to get to their positions. Evidently, they thought the attack was far greater than the raid it really was.

Matilda quickly set about torching the barn, hoping to escape as quickly as possible. She noted thatsmoke was billowing all around the town; the others had rushed to complete their objectives. TheKroppenleben garrison was in chaos.

********

At that very same time, Frank was rowing underneath the Martin Bridge, and was priming thebarrels. He was to wait for Sepp s signal before he lit the fuse, giving the men above enough time toretreat from the explosion.

He heard in the distance the shouts of many men. The distraction forces had launched a raid at the

camp a short distance from the bridge, and were now running towards the bridge, being chased bythe soldiers just as planned.

Wait fer it lad, wait fer it... Sepp reassured.

Frank obeyed and waited. He knew the barrels were perfectly in place, he had checked several timesin his nervousness. His hands were sweaty and clammy, and he feared he would dampen the fuses if he touched them. His brow was damn, and his heart was racing. It all hung on him.

The shouts got louder and louder and the definite sound of sword fighting could be heard. Shortlyenough, he could hear it above him, they had made it to the bridge.

Frank my boy! Now!

Not one to disobey Sepp, despite his anxiety Frank lit the fuse and began to row away quickly fromthe bridge. The fuse could be seen glowing in the darkness, and as the clouds began to part, bathingthe scene in moonlight, the men could still be seen on the bridge, engaged in bloody hand to handcombat.

They re not movin , they re gonna get emselves killed! Sepp exclaimed.


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The men were so engrossed in their conflict with their hated enemies that they were not moving fastenough off the bridge, hoping to cut down their foes traditionally and settle their grudges.

Moooove! Move you bastards!! Sepp shouted at the top of his booming voice from the boat.

**********

A huge explosion tore through the night. The flames lit the town like daylight. The force of it blewMatilda from the barn and threw her into the cobbled street, leaving her limp and battered with thewind entirely knocked out of her.

Before she had torched the barn, she had neglected to check its contents. Here they were storingthe gunpowder that would fuel the handguns, cannons, mortars and siege bombs that would beused to level Sonnefurt. The enormous explosion could be heard for miles, tearing into the peace of the night.

Matilda had dealt a crippling blow to the Kroppenleben siege effort, but lay barely conscious on thefloor. The other raiders had managed to flee the scene, but had presumed Matilda dead from theforce of the explosion. Ostrach was in flames, they had done their job and were fleeing to theMartinswald and the relative safety of Bezeinhof. Matilda however, was left and incrediblyvulnerable.

***********

Frank heard a loud explosion and his heart sank, believing that when he opened his eyes he wouldsee all his comrades dead. He was therefore surprised when he saw the bridge was still intact andthe men were still locked in mortal combat upon it, and further surprised when he saw a hugecolumn of black smoke billowing out of Ostrach a few miles to the West.

The Bezeinhof raid must ve struck gold m lad! chuckled Sepp.

The grin was however quickly wiped off his face as another explosion ripped through the night.Frank was stunned. His fear of only a moment ago had been realised. His brief moment of relief shattered. The men were only just clearing the bridge when the barrels launched the masonry highinto the sky, along with the bodies of many men. Too many men.

Sepp cursed loudly. It had all gone wrong.

A large wave rocked the boat profusely as the pair still looked on in amazement and disbelief. Tearsbegan to form in Frank s eyes and he began to sob violently.

It s not your fault m boy, we couldn t help them...

************

Matilda slowly regained consciousness and began to open her eyes. She saw the smoke and thepanic in the town and remembered she was in Ostrach. Suddenly, a boot slammed into her vision.She turned her head to see who it belonged to, and saw the unmistakable uniform of aKroppenleben soldier, marked clearly by the green feather in his cap.


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Well, well, what do we have here then? he chuckled with a sly grin.

Part Ten: Homecoming

Max watched from his post on the Sonnefurt battlements as the forces of Kroppenleben establishedtheir camps in the fields surrounding the town. He had gladly welcomed his few days of respite from

the intense combat, but could now tell it would be coming again. The air was filled with tension.People talked of the abandonment of Sonnefurt, for the Council had mysteriously disappeared thenight before, only to send messages from Ertingen that morning. Max found it hard not to relate it torats fleeing a sinking ship. Everyone sensed that there was a distinct possibility Sonnefurt would fall.

The only good news came from the chatter that the explosion that was heard the night before hadbeen a resistance movement in Ostrach that had deliberately targeted the gunpowder supplies of their enemies. Sure enough, Max could still see a small plume of black smoke rising from the town tothe East and had been able to hear the occasional smaller, follow-up explosions carried on the wind.

The Kroppenleben army still seemed to be enormous, a vast horde of men decked in the livery of

Wissenland but also many irregular troops, both clearly from Kroppenleben with their greenmarkings but many with their own heraldry, clearly mercenaries drawn to Baron von Kalb due to thespoils he could offer from the rich and bountiful Barony and the trade routes he sought to secure.

Construction could be heard throughout the morning as the men toiled to make ladders and othersiege equipment. The lack of gunpowder meant it would be difficult to muster a long artillerybombardment to break the Dwarf built defences and they would need more traditional ways toenter the city. Thus it would be a good few days before they were ready to launch their assault,enough time, Max hoped, for reinforcements to arrive.

**********

Victor awoke to a lot of commotion outside the window of his townhouse. He was a fairly wealthy,middle class citizen of Ertingen and lived in the centre, near the grand plaza of the town hall. Crowdswere assembling here and looking towards the town gates. Victor spied Mayor Heim bedecked in hisfinest livery and also noticed he was accompanied by many other important figures within theBarony, the Marshall, several nobles and the Mayors of the surrounding towns. He quickly gotdressed and rushed outside to see what all the fuss was about.

The Council of Sonnefurt have established themselves in our town hall, a friendly passerby toldhim, and the Baroness is on the outskirts of the town. She s back, and she s brought soldiers!

**********

The armed men walked into Bezeinhof early that morning. The villagers stopped their work whenthey noticed they were dragging a girl with them in chains. Their jaws dropped when they noticed itwas Matilda. She was cut a bruised and had clearly been tortured. Her comrades from the nightbefore had thought she was dead, now they realised she had suffered a worse fate at the hands of the enemy soldiers.

This woman, started the lead soldier, was involved on an insubordinate raid on Ostrach last night,along with what I can only assume were many other residents of this village. Baron von Kalb was


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gracious enough to leave you villagers alone, in the hope you would obey in return for peace, butyou were brazen enough to attack his men. He wants retribution, and he will get it.

He signalled to the men to drag Matilda forwards. He grabbed her by the throat and shouted in herface.

Denounce your fellow raiders! Denounce them or I will kill you here and now! In front of yourfriends and family!

Matilda s mother let out a muffled yelp at this threat.

No. Matilda uttered quietly.

What was that?! Defiance?! the leader slapped her round the face. Do you not fear your death?!

Matilda spat at the floor before his feet.

The soldier pulled a pistol from his belt and levelled it at her forehead.

Do you wish to change your answer? One last chance!

Matilda said nothing, staring down her tormentor, never blinking, pure defiance glinting in her eyes.

He cocked the pistol.

Bang!

Matilda s body slumped to the floor, the blood from her skull pouring into the earth, running farwith the morning s dew. Her mother ran to her body, clutching her tight and whimpering. Her fathercomforted his wife, tears welling up in his eyes. They had lost their only two children to this conflict.

If there s another attack, all of you will endure the same fate!

*********

The armed column that entered Ertingen was by no means large, but was a significant number of men. They were troops from Meissen and Heisenberg, towns far to the North from which the VonHeisenberg family had come generations before and still had strong links with. The Baroness hadbeen spending her annual visit in Heisenberg for Von Heisenberg day when the conflict had erupted,and had been travelling with the column almost continuously, collecting token gestures of troops insupport from the towns to accompany her.

Gustav had been with the Baroness for the entire journey, comprising her personal guard. He hadrisen through the ranks of the Sonnefurt military, originally hailing from Ostrach, until he had beenpromoted due to his valour to the ranks of the Zweihanders that protected the Baroness day andnight. When he had learned of the treacherous attack and the fall of his homeland, he had beenitching to return, and now he was entering Ertingen, he finally had.

The soldiers provided by Meissen and Heisenberg were well trained men, but were not numerous.The towns had decided to pledge resources which wouldn t damage their own military numbers,supplying mainly artillery and sharpshooters, who would be kept out of the fray and could be sent


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back in one piece. This is not to say there were no infantry men, the half pike regiments that weresent were dressed resplendently in their uniforms, marked with black and red markings along withthe traditional Wissenland colours. Gustav was happy to have these men at his side, and at leastthey would provide some reinforcement for his homeland. The time for Sonnefurt s liberation wasnearing.

*********

Frank and Sepp waited till the clear of morning to see the damage caused by their mistimedsabotage the night before. They claimed it was for the light of day, but it was clear they wished notto return to Martinskorf without any other survivors.

The bridge was utterly decimated. Huge pieces of Dwarf masonry lay in the river, and had displaceda lot of the water. Bodies were washing down the Soll, a grizzly surprise for the fishermendownstream, far away from the conflict of this Barony.

The two men had run over explanations in their heads for the entire night. Frank blamed his sweaty

palms, but that would have served to delay the explosion. Sepp blamed his rousing of the menbeforehand, making them eager for Kroppenleben blood. They both tried to blame the faults of thebarrels and their mysterious origins, but could not blame anyone but themselves however hard theytried.

Fortunately, the attack received no retribution, for it was largely attributed to the same group fromBezeinhof, but the sentiments of the village were equally solemn and vengeful. Sepp thought it bestto say they died fighting, but were overwhelmed, a lie which held a lot of truth, but kept him andFrank out of blame. He thought that this village, suffering such significant loss, would still need himas a strong leader. However, he did decide that resistance efforts were not the best option anymore. Both raids had been a success, but at a huge cost.

**********

Victor listened attentively as the Baroness gave her homecoming speech to the townsfolk of Ertingen.

My beloved citizens, our Barony is in dire times. Let me first let you know that I would neverabandon Sonnefurt, it is my home and the legacy of my family. I have been entrusted to lead youthrough the good times and the bad, and that is my only purpose. Fortunately for me, in my absenceI have a great Council I can call upon! As you can see, I have brought men I hope can turn the tide of this terrible situation. The Marshall tells me word has been sent to all the surrounding towns hopingfor pledges of support, and messengers are as we speak on their way to the greater powers of Nuln

and Karak Hirn, pleading for intervention to save us. One can only hope they succeed in their journeys, for Sonnefurt needs all the help it can get right now. I need every man to take up arms fortheir homes and families. We will not be beaten!

A rousing cry went up from the assembled troops and citizens. Victor felt incredibly passionate,seeing the Baroness return had restored his faith. As an Uppsoller for all his life, having been born in

the small town of Strazen, he had passed off this trouble as a Sotsoller problem, and that they wouldbe the ones who would solve it. Now he realised they were all in this together, that everyone had


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their part to play in Sonnefurt s darkest hour. Despite being a wealthy merchant, he bore this inmind and signed up to join the Ertingen Irregulars, part of the Dieten Hills Township Militia. He wasequipped with simple leather armour and a halberd, and began a rudimentary training programme.Victor was going to war.

Part Eleven: Urgent Messages

Klaus and his escort voyaged upstream in their small vessel for a short distance, well out of Sonnefurt and towards the mountains to which they headed. The spring thawing of the mountain

snow meant that they had to disembark earlier than they had thought, the strong currents making itdifficult to pass further up the River Sonne. They managed to disembark beyond Scharmbeck, carefulto remain undetected for Scharmbeck was Kreutzhofen territory, being caught here would spelldisaster for the attempted relief effort.

Grudgingly the Dwarfs mounted their ponies whilst Klaus rode his stallion. Although he could easily

have beaten them to the hold, he took pride in telling them what this would do for his fledglingcareer, and thus in return what he could do for them should they come into trouble.

No offence m lad, but yer umgi careers aren t really worth anythin . One of the Dwarfs grumbled,A real job is manual, we don t need no one tellin us what the law says, wes all know it, n stick toit. It s not ard, you break it, ye get punished. No if ye d shut up for a minute sos we can focus on ourtrek, me beard keeps gettin caught in me stirrups

Klaus promptly kept his mouth shut for the rest of the journey, not wanting to upset the people setto protect him. As they advanced further into the mountains it became clear they were entering therealm of the Dwarfs. Brilliantly crafted statues lined the passes, with well built and strong defencesoverlooking key choke points.

Little did the party know, they were being watched.

**********

Once well out of the Sonnefurt docks, it was safe for Albert and the nobles to emerge from the holdof the ship. The ship was cruising quickly down the River Soll, passing the countryside rapidly.Fortunately there was a good wind, and the sail was full. Albert remarked at how busy the river was,huge amounts of traffic filling it from bank to bank. It was evident the Kreutzhofen blockade had noeffect on the lives of any other river based merchant, hence the lack of objection. It would still take acouple of days to cruise this river but the weather was good and the boat was luxurious, befitting its

crew.

The passengers attempted to make small talk with Albert, probably out of boredom, and Albertfound this difficult. He much preferred to look out upon the lands, land he had never voyaged out inbefore. He had no comprehension of how far Wissenland stretched for, or what Nuln would be like.He was a simple country fellow; he knew what he liked and didn t like to be taken out of his comfortzone.


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He did not that the rest of Wissenland was terribly peaceful in comparison to his homeland. Over thelast few days, with all the chaos in the offices of the Council he had imagined everyone was at war,that there was a huge incursion of beasts. He forgot that it was just his small Barony that was havingany trouble. Most of the land was quite content to let Kroppenleben and Sonnefurt have theirdispute, it was nothing to do with them. He knew the other messengers would be unsuccessful or

even turned away. How he wished he was one of them, no responsibility whatsoever, but he wasgiven the most important task. With no other aid Nuln was the only other ally besides Karak HirnSonnefurt could try and rely on. It was all down to him and Klaus.

*********

Out of nowhere a band of Dwarf rangers appeared from the rocks before Klaus and his Dwarf escorts. They emerged laughing, having caught the three Dwarfs sat on their ponies. They began tomock the Dwarfs in Khazalid, their sergeant leading the verbal assault.

Look ere lads, these boys are riding umgi ponies, they must be Lowlanders. All that town air andhuman fraternising has lost them their way. Look at their clothes, all baggy and poncy. How could

you do this to yourselves boys? And now you dare to bring your tainted ways back up into the landof the real Dwarfs?

One of the Dwarfs bucked up, but having only learnt Khazalid from his parents, was fairly rusty.

We, errrr, are here, ummmm, on official business errm, of Sonnefurt. We, hmmm, wish to speakerrrr, with the King.

We can speak the umgi language if yous want pal? the sergeant retorted, seems yous ave losttouch with yer roots!

The band chuckled amongst themselves. Klaus was very glad they were now speaking the Imperial

tongue, for he had no idea what had been going on, but now wished to show his negation talentsoff.

My good men, we are on official business of the Baroness of Sonnefurt, we seek an urgent audiencewith the King. If you would be so kind as to lead us to him, I would be eternally grateful and in yourdebt.

He showed them a seal bearing the rose and briars of the Von Heisenberg family.

Do yer now, well methinks es quite busy bein King and that, but might be able fit ye in m lord thesergeant mocked Klaus well spoken Nulnurt dialect.

That would be most excellent, thanking you kindly .

Klaus felt rather proud of himself once again, he felt that he was definitely sent on this mission dueto his evident talent and personal skills. He had managed to get an audience with the King of KarakHirn and had an escort there. The rangers marched the messengers through the mountain passes allthrough the night. Klaus hoped the next morning he would be able to speak to the King, and maybehe could personally turn the tide.


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Part Twelve: Shattered Hopes

The next morning Albert arrived at the port of Nuln. The steady wind had kept up through the night,and the swollen river had helped with strong downstream currents. It was almost as if Lacotheaherself had been with the ship on its voyage, and was on Sonnefurt s side, willing it to gain thesupport it deserved.

Albert was blown away by the city of Nuln. It was enormous. People filled everywhere Albert looked.It was hectic, noisy, smoky, and smelly. Albert s senses were assaulted violently as he left the ship.He was to be accompanied by a noble who had links at the Court of Nuln and could manage to getan appointment fixed for Albert to plead Sonnefurt s case against Kroppenleben. The man leadAlbert through the streets, for it was almost certain Albert would have become lost without him.

Albert was amazed by how different Nuln was to anything he had seen before. In Sonnefurt he feltsafe and in a friendly environment, it was clean, flagstonned and organised. It was busy, but notchaotic, and he felt like he could fit in. Already in Nuln he felt violated. People pushed and shovedand shouted. They were rude, obnoxious and selfish.

As they left the docks and entered the University district however, Albert suddenly felt much moreat ease. It was quieter, more serene and beautiful and full of polite people who greeted him and hisguide. He could imagine living and working here, not in the noisy city but in this peaceful enclaveamidst the bedlam.

Soon he reached the Palace. His companion had a few words and managed to secure him a meetingwith the Countess and her advisors in a couple of hours. This was Albert s time to shine, hedesperately needed to come out of his shell.

***********

As Albert was seeking an audience with the Countess, Klaus was making his case known before theKing of Karak Hirn. The King had been busy with other business, but wanted to know whether theconflict below would cause him any grief. Klaus obviously turned on his charm and oratory skill topresent his case.

Your Highness. I have been sent to you on behalf Baroness von Heisenberg to seek your aid in amatter of war. Soldiers from Kroppenleben threaten to utterly destroy and take over our lands.Baron von Kalb seeks to take all of our trade with you under his own wing. Surely you do not wantthis to happen? The Hirn-Sonnefurt Banking Corporation and the many other trade partners havehad long established relationships. Why change this now? Would you not rather deal with peopleyou know you can trust, instead of changing the leadership? We need your military aid to put this

right. If you could pledge some soldiers to turn the tide in our war, we would be eternally grateful toyour hold and people and our long established trade links could continue to proper and flourish.

Klaus finished his speech, pleased with himself, and sat and waited for the King s reply. This tooklonger than he expected, as the King mumbled to several advisors, and carefully considered hisanswer, which took him a while to formulate in his long unused Imperial tongue.


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You mention that Baron von Kalb of Kroppenleben wishes to take over yer trade with us do ye not?We find this arrangement acceptable. We deal with too many of you umgi as it is, and asimplification would be greatly appreciated, the less I have to deal with yer politics, the better.Besides, the Baroness ye represented is too young to know ow to truly deal with us Dwarfs, and sheis a female, she does not ave the beard for it. I m afraid I won t be gettin involved, ye ll ave to sort

yer problems out yerself.With that the King stood and left, his bodyguard leaving with him, leaving Klaus and his party stoodgobsmacked in the great hall of the hold. Klaus was particularly stunned, not believing he couldhavefailed, especially with such an impeccable speech. All his hopes from the night before had beendashed in an instant.

**********

Meanwhile, word had reached Baron von Kalb of the return of the Baroness to Ertingen, along withthe reinforcements she had brought with her. He had also learned of the smuggling of the Council tosafety and of the messengers out of the docks. He began to curse loudly atLeopold.

How could this happen?! How could we let them slip past us?! We had the noose tightening aroundtheir necks! Now they could be gaining support from anyone! The River Patrol is on their side, it isonly a matter of time before Nuln are too! And what about Karak Hirn?! We were so close! Damnthese Sonnefurters

He threw his empty goblet at the portrait of Max von Heisenberg above the fireplace in the largedining room.

Leopold softly calmed his inflamed master.

But my liege, he cooed, there is no one left to help them! They lost a lot of friends in the Solland

Effort by staying neutral; they can count on no support from the local area. Only the local division of the River Patrol are set to help Marshall, and they act against direct orders, I have alerted the correctauthorities as to their betrayal of trust in their neutrality in politics. Nuln will be reluctant to help,the Countess is reluctant to help her cousin due to her jealousy, it will take a lot to convince herotherwise, and this will buy us time. The Dwarfs were also easy to manipulate, I convinced them of the ease if you were to assume control of Sonnefurt s trade, and a sowed seeds of doubt in theleadership of the Baroness for many years. There is no need to worry my lord, no need at all.

Very well Leopold, as always you have planned meticulously. I still dislike that Ertingen is gainingstrength however, perhaps we need to knock them down a peg.

I ll get right on it my liege. Leopold cooed slyly.

Part Thirteen: Rules of Engagement

Victor woke up again to commotion, but this time it was much more sinister. The ships in theharbour had begun a bombardment of Ertingen. Fortunately for Victor, he had few minutes to rushhis family to his cellar before the cannons turned on his district.


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As they did the noise was horrific. The balls of iron crashed all around, sending shrapnel in everydirection. Victor donned his armour and grabbed his halberd, he was expecting an invasion, and thebells were calling for the militia to assemble. He weaved his way around the town, dodgingcollapsing buildings and flying cobblestones, burning buildings and fleeing townspeople. It wascarnage. People lay dead in the street, torn apart by the whirling debris. Time seemed to slow as

Victor darted everywhere, nowhere was safe, there was no cover from such an attack.Shrapnel scraped his leg, and he swore as he saw his blood trickle down his leg, but thought himself lucky considering the other outcomes. To his surprise, the bombardment continued, but began toslow. This wasn t a preliminary attack to signal an invasion, it was planned to throw the town intodisorder and disrepair, to maim the townsfolk and drive down moral and to attempt to deplete ordamage the reinforcements.

The fire slowed to a reasonable rate, but continued for most of the day, an occasional blast to keepthe people on their toes. In a way, the attack had been successful. The town hall was ablaze, theplace that held most of the Council and many troops. Many townspeople were lying dead in thestreets, and many had and were fleeing to the safety of Strazen, fearing another ferocious attack inthe near future.

Victor helped in any way he could. Fortunately his family had been saved, but the window he hadlooked out of that morning had become a large cannon ball hole, with a similar one of the other sideof the room. He had been lucky, many others had not. He helped bury the bodies, mostly of civilians,and put out the fires. The enemy had gone too far this time.

***********

Klaus and his band had left the hold disappointed and had been shown to a point where the RiverSonne became traversable by boat as it emerged out of the mountains by the rangers. From his

view, Klaus could see smoke rising from the distance, to what he believed to be Sonnefurt. He knewhe had failed. He couldn t win over the King of Karak Hirn and now Sonnefurt was in flames.

***********

Captain Strotmann stood on the prow of his ship, followed by several others from the River Patrol,all brimming with armed men and re-entered Sonnefurt for the second time in two days. This time,however, he had a legitimate cause, rather than the tenuous warrants he had secured to aid his oldfriend Marshall Eichhorn. This time, he had been ordered to force the Kreutzhofen fleet to standdown. Their bombardment of Ertingen had killed many innocent bystanders without fair warning,and was unprovoked due to the nature of the conflict being between Sonnefurt and Kroppenleben.

The ships cut through the amassed fleet in the harbour, and theCaptain headed for the flagship,hoping to talk to the Admiral of the Kreutzhofen fleet. He and his support boarded the ships, bearingan official declaration of the breach of the rules of engagement and the violation of the use of theRiver Soll.

By decree of the Countess and Wissenburg, and orders of the Soll River Patrol, you are hereby

ordered to stand down immediately, or risk punishment! You shall end you re blockade of Sonnefurt


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and return to Kreutzhofen. Any reformation of this fleet for use against Sonnefurt and itsprotectorate towns will be seen as an illegal usage of this neutral waterway.

What authority do you act on Captain Strotmann? the Admiral retorted, do you think we wereborn yesterday? We know you work for Sonnefurt, your stunt the other day was in their interests.Who says we should believe you?

The men on the ship began to draw their weapons, the River Patrolmen reached for theirs too. Theatmosphere was tense, it was becoming a standoff.

The silence was broken as a cabin boy shouted.

Boss, I think you need to look at this!

In the distance, dozens more ships bearing the insignia of the River Patrol were heading into thedocks of Sonnefurt.

Alright men, stand down! We best be out of here!

***********

Klaus had quickly made it down the mountain on the rapids streaming from the melting snow. On bisdescent he had seen many ships entering the Sonnefurt harbour from downriver and thought thatmaybe help had been on its way. He had felt slightly relieved; he had not failed the town entirely,perhaps Sonnefurt would be saved after all- he could only hope.

As the band had reached just south of Scharmbeck they had noticed a crowd of soldiers waiting onthe banks of the river, wearing the livery of Kroppenleben.

Simultaneously they swore as they realised their fate.

Part Fourteen: Treachery and Greed

The Council sat around in the broken and battered town hall of Ertingen. Although the Baroness wasnow entitled to assume total control of the situation, she was happy to delegate to her Council, forshe found the harsh realities of war hard to deal with, and preferred the Marshall to assumecommand on her behalf.

She still however attended the meeting, and Gustav was selected to stand guard within the meetingroom with several other guards. The debris inside the hall had been cleared to some extent, and atable had been found in a nearby merchant s house that served to replace the destroyed officialtable.

Marshall Eichhorn began the meeting, sitting this time as its chair.

As you well know, the Kreutzhofen fleet has been banished from our waters on orders of Wissenburg and the River Patrol, this was not even my doing. Captain Strotmann assures me thatthe Patrol are here to stay to make sure the free conduct of our war can happen without illegalimpediment or citizen slaughter. Their intervention also gives me faith that we may well soon be


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hearing from Nuln, the misconduct of the Kroppenleben-Kreutzhofen alliance has been noted by theauthorities, it is only a matter of time.

But we still aven t eard from Karak irn yet grumbled Jusk Stromsson, it shouldn t ave taken thislong, we should ve eard the great orn blowin if they was comin to war.

*********

Open the gates!

Max was on gate duty with his militia regiment, and had seen a lone cart dragged by a single ponyheading towards the town. When it had reached the gate, it was searched by a guard, hoping it wasnot explosives, and was quickly admitted through.

Max struggled to see the carts contents through the inquisitive crowd that began to form. The coverwas removed and a gasp rose amongst the assembled onlookers. It was four bodies, racked withcrossbow bolts, one human and three Dwarfs. The human wore the seal of the Baroness.

**********

The messenger whispered in the ear of the Marshall, passing on an urgent message.

In answer to the earlier question of Karak Hirn s support, I have just had reports that it seems highlyunlikely. The bodies of the four messengers were reportedly pulled out of the River Sonne byKroppenleben forces today, riddled with Dwarf made crossbow bolts. It seems that either ourmessengers fell foul to a patrol who believed them bandits, or that they managed to upset theDwarfs. Either way, it looks like we cannot count on the support of our mountain allies.

Whispers and groans of disappointment echoed around the table.

Prince Imre Lank, stood up, for the first time offering his thoughts on the conflict. Being from theBorder Princes, Gustav struggled to understand entirely what he was saying.

I thinks that asa the Dwarf no want to helps us, we haves to takes the matter into our own. I hasmany contacts in this land here froms the old country, mercenaries who will fights for a cost.Maybes we cans convince them?

Herr Elzacher interrupted the Prince.

A fair point, this land teams with mercenaries, but it seems they have all been taken under theKroppenleben wing, Baron von Kalb has used his wealth to pay all the available mercenaries, hopingto pay them back with the spoils he earns from us. Besides, we have no money to affordmercenaries, we are financially stretched as it is.

Not entirely true, my dear Miengot. Herr Guttmann interjected, as human company executive of the Hirn-Sonnefurt Banking Corporation, I am sure I can secure us the funds. The Dwarfs haverefused to help us, and may even have killed our messengers, I think we are fully justified in legallyseize their assets stored here to finance a mercenary contingent.


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This was the first time anything Herr Guttmann had said had been greeted with joy by the Council. Itwas quickly decided that a messenger would be sent to the nearest mercenary captain, one workingfor Kroppenleben who was stationed outside of Ostrach, hoping to turn his allegiance with thepromise of large amounts of Dwarf gold.

**********

Alonso sat in his tent smoking, pondering on how he would spend the riches he was currentlyearning for sitting doing nothing. Baron von Kalb had hired him and his mercenary company beforethe conflict had started, promising the spoils of Sonnefurt and perhaps some land in the southernBarony, somewhere he could spend time when not in his home country. However, he hadyet toactually fight in the conflict. Instead he and his boys had been filling in the lines, and they weregrowing restless. Alonso had become a mercenary not for the money, but the fighting and the glory,and this was being denied. He did not object to the princely sum he was being paid for his lack of work, but hoped he would be put to best use soon.

One of his guards ran into his tent, out of breath.

A messenger from the other side wishes to speak with you, says he has an interesting proposition.

Bring him a to me, I am a so bored it might a provide at least leetle a bit of entertainment.

***********

Johann had been chosen to send to the message to the notorious mercenary captain AlonsoCapitore. He had a reputation of being a grizzled veteran of many campaigns, all over the Old World.He was a Tilean but spent much of his time in the Empire, and had made a name for himself inSouthern Wissenland as an expert general, and his band for being ruthless and efficient killers. Assuch, Johann was more than a little nervous about meeting him.

When he was ushered into the tent, he saw the man before him. His face was covered in scars andwounds. He wore an eye patch over his right eye and had a scraggy black beard. He was a terrifyingsight to behold, but when he spoke his gentle Tilean accent was juxtaposed with his ruggedappearance.

I hear a you have a proposition for a me? Howa can I help a you?

Johann stuttered, and finally managed to get his pre-prepared speech out.

Senore Capitore, I have been sent on behalf of the Baroness and Council of Sonnefurt to ask foryour aid. They recognise that you have been employed to fight against us by Baron von Kalb of

Kroppenleben but are prepared to double his payment to all of your men should you turn againsthim and act in our favour. Furthermore, should your actions turn the tide of this war, and Baron vonKalb should lose, we will aim to recover your already agreed payment from him, allowing you to earnthree times your rate if you should side with us.

That s a very interesteeng offer you a make my friend. My men a grow bored of his a treatment of us. I will a consider your offer, and will a discuss it with my men .


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Johann issued his great thanks and headed back to his boat. Perhaps these men would be interested.

*********

Alonso watched as the timid messenger left his tent, considering his handsome offer. He knewconflict would come soon and he would get his chance for glory, but for which side? If he stayed

with Kroppenleben he may well be victorious, but would be involved in a long, monotonous siege,with only one decisive battle after months of waiting. If he joined Sonnefurt, he could turn theircampaign around, be recognised by them as a great hero, and fight in many battles against hisemployers. Plus, he could earn a tidy fee doing it. He began to ponder his treachery....

Part Fifteen: A Beginning to an End

The bells tolled in Sonnefurt, panic ran through the streets and men scrambled to their positions.The first assault of the Kroppenleben troops on Sonnefurt itself had finally begun. Max witnessed asthe military district turned into a scene of frantic dashing, as men barked orders, armed themselves

and headed to the walls.

Max s regiment was positioned at the front, seeing as the South Soll Coalition Halberdier Corps werenow veterans of this campaign. As he climbed the stairs behind the walls, he saw ranks of men firinginto the oncoming troops as they attempted to scale the walls.

The noise was horrific, the cannons and muskets fired, clouding the battlements in thick smoke,making Max choke. Fortunately for the defenders, the supply lines of the Kroppenleben troops werestill in turmoil, meaning the assault was accompanied only by limited artillery, which was not beingeffectively used to conserve gunpowder. As such, the enemy were using hastily constructedbattering rams, siege towers and ladders to assault the walls.

The force was mainly infantry in nature, wave upon wave of expendable soldiers thrown against the

battlements, hoping to break the defences of the riverside town. However, they had little hope andthey knew it. The artillery of Sonnefurt was bolstered by that of Meissen and Heisenberg and wasquickly destroying the towers that came towards the walls. The ranks of men, Max included, wereeasily fending off the ladders, pushing their men to the ground below.

The attack was shortly over as the Kroppenleben troops retreated to their camp. Max knew that thiswas only a reconnaissance mission, too few troops had really been involved for a proper siege.Baron von Kalb wished to wait out the Sonnefurt surrender and coerce them into submission. Theyknew he could launch attacks like this almost daily if he wanted to, keeping them on edge.Kroppenleben were determined to bring down Sonnefurt, and would not stop at anything to do so.

*********

All the while Sonnefurt had been holding off Kroppenleben, Albert had been in and out of the NulnPalace. Meetings had been adjourned early or just plain cancelled and rescheduled. In total, Alberthad only had to actually speak with a varying board of Councillors for an hour, and the Countess wasonly present for fifteen minutes or so over three days. Albert had realised that Nuln was stalling.They considered themselves separate from the affairs of Wissenland, being a separate state, but thefact their Countess ruled both, meant they were obliged to be involved.


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The Countess clear disdain for Sonnefurt was evident from her blas attitude towards Albert, her jealousy of her cousin getting the better of her even in the face of true danger. Albert was becomingincreasingly annoyed with the Countess and the Councillors, seeing that as he had been made to gofar out of his comforts, they could at least have the common decency to hold a proper meeting.

Finally, a few days later, a proper meeting was scheduled with the Countess and her Council, noexcuses could be found, and she had exhausted all possible ploys to avoid the audience. Albert nowhad to deliver his argument. His mouth was dry but he was not going to let this chance pass up; he

just wanted to go home.

My noble Countess and esteemed Councillors, you are already well aware from our other brief meetings of the plight that ails Sonnefurt at the hands of the Baron of Kroppenleben, and even theBaron of Kreutzhofen too. We have reason to believe that this attack was entirely unjustified,motivated by Baron von Kalb s jealousy and greed. We have never provoked Kroppenleben and yetwe are engaged in a war for our very survival. We feel Nuln needs to lend aid to provide stability toour region, Baron von Kalb is known to harbour Solland tendencies and wishes to hold a monopolyover the trade of much of the South of Wissenland, former Solland territory. Surely this posesenough of a threat to Wissenburg, yourself my dear Countess and even perhaps Nuln itself should aseparatist war ensue?

Albert felt rotten to his stomach; he was sweating profusely and growing pale. The Council dismissedAlbert and he was forced to wait outside, time ticking and the lump in his throat swelling, he wantedso desperately to know if he had managed to succeed.

Soon, Albert was ushered back into the Great Hall and a Councillor spoke on their behalf after somehushed mumblings.

The Council has agreed that as the dispute between Sonnefurt and Kroppenleben is of internal

Wissenland politics and poses no immediate threat to Nuln, that Nuln will not send intervention tothe conflict. The Countess, on behalf of Wissenburg and Wissenland has also decreed that thedispute sho

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Sonnefurt in Flames

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