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Sigmarzeit-12-2492

"What happened in the end?" I asked while resting on a cot, suffering one of the strongest muscle pains I'd felt in a long time.

"When you killed the necromancer, that skeleton clad in armor imbued with ruinous power collapsed while it was still fighting the greenskin leader. The brute roared in triumph, celebrating his victory over the skeleton. While he was distracted, I stepped out of formation and with one stroke of my sword took his head clean off. Once the other greenskins realized their leader was dead, they quickly fled for their lives. They were soon pursued by the pegasus riders in the area and wiped out. Then we finished off the stragglers, so I'd say it was a good victory considering the circumstances—especially with the necromancer appearing out of nowhere," Karl said, seated and watching me.

"The damned necromancer must have been moving between battlefields, trying to raise an army from the countless corpses left unburied by war. It's no surprise he showed up here. When he sensed our battle, he probably saw it as the perfect chance to rebuild his army after the setback he suffered in the east," I said, rising despite the burn in my abdomen with every movement.

"Yes, that must be it. Sounds likely—especially after what we found when we arrived at Monfort: hundreds of unburied Bretonnians. He could very well have been searching for exactly that," replied the prince, thoughtful.

"Just make sure a priest of Sigmar purifies everything the necromancer used, and burn it all with cleansing fire. We can't risk another would-be necromancer raising the dead with his belongings. Everything must be purified and turned to ash so this area remains pacified," I said, setting my feet on the furs of my campaign tent.

"I already sent letters by pegasus to the nearest priests of Sigmar. They should be here soon," Karl answered calmly.

"And the dawi? Are they working on cleansing the area already?" I asked, straining to sit up, feeling my muscles ache at even the simplest effort.

"If you mean burning every stone stump they see—yes. Since the battle ended they haven't stopped lighting pyres, then they bring a machine that pumps scalding steam into the cracks to purge everything," replied the prince.

"Good… that should make the greenskin problem vanish from this region for a long while, before they become a threat again requiring another army to clean them out. Now, tell me… how many did we lose? I know what I did was desperate, but if the necromancer had taken all those bodies and escaped, the entire Empire could have been in danger," I said, bracing for the bad news.

"About six thousand dead," the prince said gravely.

I pressed my lips together at the high number of casualties. It was ten percent of the army under my command.

"Not a huge percentage, but I can see the number weighs on you all the same," Karl remarked, noticing my expression.

"Yes… it's something I can't shake. I overthink the consequences of my actions. I still feel guilty, even when I send warriors to certain death for a tactical advantage. Six thousand dead means six thousand families who lost someone—maybe even their only provider. Orphans, beggars… problems that ripple through society. Damn it… I'd give anything to kill that bastard again. But by now his soul must be suffering in a place worse than anything I could do," I said, giving myself a bit of grim comfort.

"Now I see why you govern well. If you weigh so many aspects beyond the loss of soldiers, it makes sense your towns turned into cities in just a few years—while it takes other nobles generations," said the prince, with a gesture of respect.

"I'm good with numbers, and I overthink things. Statecraft and war go hand in hand. That's why I'm a decent politician in that sense," I answered with a faint smile.

"Politician?" Karl repeated with a sarcastic grin. "I'd say you've barely more etiquette than the greenskins or the beastmen. You fall asleep in negotiations as if they don't matter… so I doubt that's true," the prince replied with irony.

"War, young prince… war is a continuation of politics by other means. And in that, I am a better politician than you. A diplomat must know how to wield the fear that the State's sword inspires—and that is something I do well. Look how I have these nobles in line, while all they think about is how to get rid of me," I said with a tired smile.

"A strange view of the world… but you certainly know how to lead armies. This would have been a great victory without the necromancer's presence, but it was difficult—if not impossible—to predict he would come to this region," said the prince, studying some maps.

"So then… do we have another mission from the Emperor, or am I released from my duty as general?" I asked with interest.

"What's this? You sound like you no longer want the position of general… do you have other plans?" asked the prince, fixing his gaze on me.

"Yes. To earn the respect of the dawi. I promised to travel south to aid in recovering some of their lost karaks. Duran, the dawi thane, has secured aerial transports for me to move part of my troops and join them in the reconquest. I don't intend to break that promise," I replied sincerely.

"Well… father wanted us to cleanse the forests of Reikland of beastmen. Leave them as clean as your lands… well, what's left of your forests. I hear they vanish more every day—to the dismay of Taal's cult," the prince said with a hint of irony.

"They can suck a lemon. Great forests are just breeding grounds for beastmen that never stop causing trouble: kidnapping people, performing rituals, breeding more monsters. While those tree-huggers cry over a few logs, we're preventing massacres in villages and stopping the people from being used as sacrifices, food, or broodmares," I replied angrily.

"Your position is quite clear, and well accepted by both the cult of Sigmar and that of Ulric. In fact, it is also my father's intent: that the forests of the Reikland be cleansed, so the land can be reclaimed for fields and pasture," Karl said firmly.

"That would be the most optimal… and what better than to build a nice railway line connecting all the cities of Reikland, eh?" I said with a smile.

"Already thinking of making yourself richer?" said the prince.

"What makes you think I'm rich? I have high income, yes, but even higher expenses. In case you forgot, I have a sea of Bretonnians to whom I must build houses, drain swamps, work the land, provide tools, draft animals, fertilizers, seeds, mills… I'll burn through everything I have left on that. The Bretonnian loot barely covers a couple of months of my expenses," I replied.

"Impressive… you really think of everything… but I suppose we could give you some gold as a reward," said the prince, pensively.

"I'd rather have those peasants from Parravon I was negotiating with your father about. I was going to buy them, but nothing came of it—he was reluctant to sell me so many Bretonnians. He didn't want a province full of them. But now he has it… so what's the harm in a few hundred thousand more in my lands?" I said with a grin.

"You claim you have almost no gold? How will you maintain those peasants?" the prince asked, folding his arms.

"Let him grant them to me as a reward, and let them remain where they are until I need them. When I have more gold and land prepared to receive them, I'll bring them back. What matters now is that my lands are populated as quickly as possible with hard-working people who can be recruited easily. I only have three cities and a very small pool of recruits. I can't keep expanding my armed forces with newly arrived Bretonnians or with folk from Marienburg, as I don't trust their loyalties for the moment," I answered.

"Fine… I'll speak with father. We couldn't avoid ending up with a province full of Bretonnians that might rebel," said the prince.

"Relax, they are very docile. Give them some bread with legumes, a slice of meat, and a priest of Sigmar to remind them that Sigmar cares for them, and soon enough they'll start speaking Reikspiel and adopting the local customs. In my cities there is already a sizable group of Bretonnians who speak it fluently. Don't worry, in two generations they'll live like Reiklanders," I replied.

"If you say so…" the prince answered, clearly doubtful.

"Well, I suppose you will handle the cleansing of the forests of Reikland… or will you wait for me to return from the south? If all goes well, I expect to be back by harvest time, or shortly after," I said, interested.

"Without your troops we lose a large part of the army's firepower. We should wait. Many nobles will not be pleased if we don't assign one of them to rule independently. That would reduce the Imperial army to only the most loyal provinces, because the decision would be extremely unpopular. But hey… that means you won't be at the victory celebration banquet," the prince said, staring at me intently.

"What for? Those events are a circus of bootlickers who only want to bleed me dry like leeches, until there's nothing left. They don't stop hounding you until they've squeezed out what they think they deserve," I replied.

"There is something very important we must address, something that bothers my father more and more each day," Karl said.

"Who have I offended now?" I asked, scratching my head.

"No one—for the moment.... But given the way you act, it's only a matter of time before someone complains about you in court. It's your lack of an heir. We know you have a brother in Altdorf, studying at the university, but he's disinherited. Your mother took a vow of chastity, and as far as we know you have no direct relatives. Your death would place the Emperor in a tight spot, as he would inherit your lands. That would frighten the other electors: an Emperor with so many lands and troops directly under him would be seen as a threat," said the prince seriously.

"Quite the problem… don't you think? We'll resolve that when I return from the south," I said, beginning to stretch, feeling my muscles still stiff.

"This must be solved sooner rather than later. You shouldn't leave the Empire until you have an heir," replied the prince.

"You want me to tell the dawi that the Emperor won't let me go to help them?" I said immediately.

"That would put us in serious trouble," Karl said with a frown.

"And you think it wouldn't for me? I already gave my word to the dawi. If I go back on it, they could write my name in the Dammaz Kron. If your father doesn't like it, too bad, but I must go south. I doubt he wants to lose the only vassal loyal enough to support him in his plans to centralize the Empire and solve the problem of provincial autonomy," I answered harshly.

Karl shook his head. "I just hope you don't die, because if you do we'll be in serious trouble. Your lands are already a challenge with so many different people living there," the prince said with concern.

"Don't worry so much. I'll return alive—I have to," I said with a smile.

I began preparing everything, ensuring the army men returned to their lands and discharging the veterans who had spent months campaigning in Bretonnia. To many, I offered the chance to move into my domains, with gold as incentive.

In the end I brought with me four thousand men retired from several state regiments of the Empire, who would reinforce the garrisons of my cities and fortresses. I needed them: I had too much territory to defend and still lacked the hands to cover every post.

So, in Monfort I took care of moving everything necessary, leaving only the Reikland troops to garrison the ducal castles, while my men withdrew to Reinsfeld with the dawi to prepare the supplies for the journey south.

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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.

Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.

I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.

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