Y1106: Border Towns [KRAEGER]

Having managed to turn the undead army on itself, Collette returned to Avalon with her new ally, the vampire Maccus Bloodthirst. And just in time to catch the barbarians retreating from Baltasar and Adelaide attack, who suddenly found themselves between Masinissa's horsemen and Collette's undead.

The region is now firmly under Blackwall's control and Jarkonas' invaders find themselves pushed back to Trilobar, their ally, Melchor, licking his wounds in the remote settlement of Roc Haven.

Finally in the advantageous position she dreamed for, Adelaide pushed for a final strike to take out the barbarians from her lands. "Melchor is a pitiful coward and will stay in his place. He is no danger at all to us." she argues, though Baltasar is shaken by the trick the necromancer managed to play on them. Could he pull another one like that? If it hadn't been for Collette, once again... The girl is more useful than that idiot Harold

Olivia knew what happened to her distant cousin in the service of the Blackwalls. She was always suspicious of them, so when she didn't see her twin brother coming back with Collette, she was quite perturbed. Olivia went to Collette's house in the ruins of Avalon. Maccus was standing guard there. That's right, the mistress insists on keeping her home a barn he joked. Olivia didn't return to her tent that night

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Harold went into battle hoping to rescue his standing in the family he served. In battle alongside Adelaide and Baltasar, he led the Harondale militia in the middle of the melee. He was fighting there when a banshee cry signalled the undead army's arrival. He looked on with burning rage in his eyes at the horizon where that upstart spymaster was showing him up again. His scowl became permanent when a greataxe was driven into his side

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Adelaide and Baltasar sat in their field headquarters northeast of Avalon. They planned to march toward Trilobar. Baltasar yelled for a guard. Where is Harold and Collette? Adelaide reminded him that Harold had fallen in battle. Baltasar looked back at the guard. The guard almost whispered, Collette and her pale man-servant led their army toward Roc Haven. Baltasar cursed and then dismissed the guard with a look. I guess we will have to wait. She has earned a chance to exercise some autonomy, I guess. I admit I never got comfortable with her and those undead make it only worse. I hate that I'm placed in the situation again. I was once forced to work with a necromancer and it still isn't sitting right with me.

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Collette and Maccus sat upon skeletal horses as they marched with their army toward Roc Haven. As they entered the hills, the foliage became sparser. Be careful, mistress. Occasionally, there are landslides here. I can't guarantee that the ground is stable. Collette then asked, Maccus, what ever did happen to my bodyguard? Maccus reached into his pocket and pulled out a flask. He took a swig. I haven't had a good sirloin in millennia, as you might expect. Did you know that minotaur blood doesn't taste any different that human? I am quite disappointed Collette cackled.

New treat

Even though Baltasar decided to trust, or at least, not question, Collette's doings. Whatever she was up too, it saved him and his man various times. If she was gone, he just assumed she would return with another town or army flying Blackwall colors. Adelaide was not so sure about the young woman however. It was not so much the undead, she was practical and had no moral issues with the use corpses. But there was something in Collette's eyes. Something plotting, something dangerous. Her frequent escapes had to mean something...

Roc Haven was hidden in the vast plains behind the mountains. There was only one way to get there. Unless you knew the area like she did...

Adelaide receives a visitor in the night. The window blew open and a leaf blew in. As that leaf landed on a stool in the room, the leaf started to transform into a short, elderly woman. The seer says, A snake is in the grass, but stumbling away. You must catch her or lose the bay. Those who wander are not foes. Trust they may solve your woes. The seer transformed into a raven and flew out the open window. Adelaide, fearing receiving more visitors, locked the window closed. Adelaide reached to the necklace she wore over her heart. The bay leaf there was still there. She sighed with relief. So maybe there's time. Adelaide dispatched Masinissa with a promise of rewards if he is successful. Masinissa arrayed his men around the forests' entryway. Take this opportunity to rest and sharpen your blades. When I am Khan and rule my own territory, I promise the ones who kill the most zombies a dozens horses. The nomads prepared for battle

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The nomads went out to collect wood and set up a palisade to corral the undead into a killing field. The nomads didn't account for the host of skeletal horses that the undead army had acquired. They had left their horses tied up in the center of their makeshift camp as they walked out of the camp to collect wood. The undead cavalry led by Maccus and Collette stormed through the camp. The sentries at the entrance of the camp both received a shard of ice through their chests via the necromancer Collette. Maccus charged to the makeshift stables and slashed the ropes holding the horses. These horses ran among their undead forefathers out of the camp. Traveling a dozen yards past the camp, those horses were released. Maccus smiled. He was on good terms with a red dragon to the north. He would appreciate this gift. The smile vanished as determination returned. He whistled and the cavalry wheeled around to charge back into the camp. As they arrived, the massed undead infantry arrived. The nomads were caught in the middle, horseless and finally hopeless. Collette smiled realizing that she had finally received some unexpected reinforcements

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The army came to a halt outside Roc Haven. The necro- spymaster and her vampire cavalier was stunned at the state of the settlement. The garrison seemed to be almost the size of the besieging army. Melchor stood up on the battlements and yelled down, This is why I marched with dwarves. Never attack with your own men and when your enemy comes to attack you, make sure that they are all below 5 feet tall. As Melchor laughed, the armies prepared for battle.

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Melchor was overconfident as usual. He never properly saw the ingenuity of his masters even after he usurped some of them. Collette's army stood at the bottom of the walls. Not only was there an army at his doorstep but Collette had planned for this. She had been the one to send the 'seer.' If Adelaide hadn't taken the bait, then she could be trusted. Adelaide had, so Collette pledged to ruin that sacred bay leaf over her heart. Adelaide had, so when Collette arrived at the gates, she already had the wood collected to build the siege engines.

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Melchor went to bed. Any attempt wouldn't come until the morning. He believed his calculations were correct and there would be a battle then. He was wrong. As his undead army laid dormant waiting for action, ladders were already being placed along the walls

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Dawn was still an hour off, when the banshee cried. Collette's army all stood perched atop the walls. They burst down the stairs in a mess of bone and rotting flesh. The last homely house in Roc Haven was set ablaze. Melchor barely escaped from the blaze with extensive burns on his legs. He struggled to sit as he cursed his ruined legs. He was only able to get a single lightning bolt off in the direction of the invading army off when a skeleton archer placed an arrow in his skull. The battle continued for another half hour until the defenders finally realized that their necromancer boss had already fallen.

With one stone, three birds. Collette smiles as she looks the burning village. The dead village. With that pesky Harold accidentally dying in Avalon, she only had to discredit Adelaide. The petty wizard was supposed to be a nobody, but her skill had kept stronghold safe and turned the tide of the invasion in an heartbeat, forcing the barbarians on the defensive. But she took the bait and now she was a traitor to the great Blackwall family. OR so it would look like once Collette's words got to Baltazar's ears. Better yet, she dragged down the annoying 'Mace of the West' with her.

The idiot Melchor was even easier to trick. How stupid can you're be to think your are safe under the moonlight?

Maccus left north with a tribute to the great wyrm. Nothing stood in her way now.

Maccus rests under a tree. Cursed sun. Mistress Collette requires a little extra help. I haven't see Cyrranyx in 26 years. I hope he doesn't mind that I didn't bring camels. Dragons are weird. Maccus looks up, avoiding the sunlight, through the tree's removed roots, as a black dragon swoops down and grabs one of the horses. Xyabonyx always was the greediest here. I will have to work quickly to save the presents. Who knows? Maybe I'll find some camels on the way.

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Collette lifts the tent flap and strides into the campaign tent. Adelaide and Baltasar are there. Collette sneered at Adelaide. Baltasar smiles naively at Collette, saying Good that you have made it back. My emissary reported back saying that you have completed the mission at Roc Haven. Baltasar signed his name on a paper and handed it to the replacement seneschal. The seneschal ran off. While Baltasar talked to his new aide, Adelaide strode over to Collette, hugged her and whispered in her ear, I know who you are . You might have bested the wanderers, but I will not allow your fiendish schemes to harm this kingdom. The seneschal returned and handed Baltasar a scabbard. Seeing the sword, Adelaide scowled and stormed off. Baltasar handed Collette the ceremonial sword, You've earned this. I'm pleased to offer you the status of Dame. When we seize the homeland, I will properly reward you.

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Collette strolled back to her tent and found that Baltasar had removed several of the common camp items and replaced them with that of a noble. Collette smiled, A lovely tiptoe, but a tiptoe all the same. A bloody handprint grabbed her arm from behind. Collette turn on her heel to see her ambusher, Masinissa. He collapsed on the floor of the tent and a letter fell out of his pocket. Collette seized the letter, smiling wider as she read the letter. Finally, Collette bandaged the wounds. Masinissa would be an asset as the campaign ended

Collette is almost ready. Her control of Baltasar Blackwall is almost absolute. She earned his trust and managed to remove most of her opposition, isolating him while feeding into his dreams of the rebirth of the old glorious house. Now that she had the letter from the double crossing Masinissa, she could prove the "assassin" was payed by Adelaide in sheep.

Adelaide was nowhere to be seen. She had been tricked and let that Grimwalk girl get the better of her. What were the Grimwalks doing here and why did Melchor side with Jarkonas. She looked at the messenger waiting for her response. Druuk wanted to see her. Was this a trap, or could she trust the barbarian?. The letter bore the stamp of Blackwall and the signature of Lyonar Brightsilver himself.Maccus couldn't stand the heat as he walked the streets of the old fortress the red dragons called home. The place was completely silent as if abandoned ages ago. He and his small party of undead carried the horses to the main square and started to tie the animals to make his intention clear. There were no camels this time, but Cyrranyx would recognize an offer from his old friend... if the dragons were still around. The fires from the mountain was still burning, but something was off. Usually, the dragons would not let anyone come this close without making their presence noticed...

Baltasar checks his men from his horse. The army is ready to march. There were three ways to cross the river into Trilobar. He and his guard would take control of the watch tower in the swamp to scout the barbarian's movements. The main army would split and camp around these three passages, waiting for his orders. Jarkonas had nowhere to run.

The vampire, Maccus Bloodthirst, sat waiting on his skeletal horse. The skeletons and zombies tightened their grips on their swords and axes. 6 dragons were in play. 5 might be friendly. The last couldn't be fed enough.

A pair of dragons flapped their wings to slow their descent, landing on a pair of ruined buildings. Cyrranyx spoke first, "Greetings Sir Whispers, or is it Bloodthirst now? As I understand, you vampires like to change your names. Not exactly trying to blend in with a name like that, are you, my friend? The dragon laughed. Xyabonyx glared at him, I thought we were here to talk business. I really do appreciate that gift you brought me, vampire. Nothing I like more than a good Arabian. Let me know when we are ready for business! Xyabonyx flapped his wings furiously and flew off, with another horse in his jaws.

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With the black dragon gone, Cyrranyx scowled. It's good that you are here, vampire. I've really been trying to get rid of that scum. He's been living in my city and my children seem to appreciate his presence.