-Callen-

  The return of the ships back to town wasn’t a particularly unique event, usually happening once a month, but returning with a successful catch was another matter entirely. The town saw at best one or two fish every year. This was our second this year, with the previous being pulled in after the worm attack, which saved us from famine. Actually the meat was the least valuable part of the fish. The true reward was the scales, which could be ground into powder and used in metal to meet the minimum threshold for simple rune-work. The value of the bones varied, with some being ideal for arrows while others could only be ground into powder for fertilizer, which would be sent to the capital.

  This time we were filled with excitement as Sis jumped down from the ship and was embraced in a big family group hug. Even little Rylin was excited, though that may have just been all the new stuff he was seeing while Mom carried him. The family turned to make our way home, but we were intercepted by the mayor’s messenger. Whatever it was, he better hope it was important, or we will be having another discussion about bothering me during family reunions.

  I apologized to the others and split off, jogging towards the town hall. I made it to his office without interference, and it became immediately clear that this was a big deal. The mayor, all the town's knights, Reesia with a senior guard, and the Stone-Foot clan leader. With my arrival the meeting began.

  He started off with introducing the town's emergency messaging system. A means of delivering a letter great distances but also a consumable tool that was only produced in the capital. It had been previously used in the worm incident and the monster tide to alert neighboring towns, but this time we received the emergency notice. Portten Town had been put under siege by an army of bandits claiming to be acting under the orders of the new baron, Lord Eldraine. The town was completely outmatched and calling for aid from all adjacent towns. The town held against the initial invasion because the invaders were ill prepared to face sturdy walls, but the inhabitants had little hope of resisting once the walls were breached.

  With that announcement a grim quiet settled on the room. The mayor began the conversation again with the most pressing question.

  “With this information comes the question of how we respond. This isn’t a decision I can make alone, so I called all of you. If these bandits stop at Portten, I would be relieved, but I fear what may happen if they do not. Captain Reesia and Mr. Lewis, can you estimate our position from these reports?”

  Reesia and the soldier looked over the letter again, evaluating the danger, and Reesia spoke up first.

  “From the standpoint of soldiers, it's likely we’re completely outmatched. Portten has a greater population and employs more regulars than us and Woodside combined. The letter is unclear about the situation of knight-level combatants, but it may be in our favor. Portten only has two knights: the lord, who specializes in sword skills, and the head mage, an earth specialist. The inability to breach the wall is likely the combined efforts of these two, one holding the wall itself and the other reinforcing the wall against damage. I think Sir Fullart might give us more insight regarding how many knights we might be facing.” With Reesia’s statement finished, the focus shifted to the knights, who seemed to briefly speculate among themselves. Eventually Sir Fullart began his analysis.

  “Before I left Baron Eldraine's service, the state of his city and rulership was in a severe decline. The bandits might very well be soldiers under the Baron’s command, but that doesn’t mean he has the backing of the knighthood. Many were considering leaving, and the outflow of power may be why the Baron is launching this attack to restore his authority and raise the level of his soldiers. As for knight-level combatants, it's likely between five and ten. This may run contrary to your estimates, but this may be a ruse to draw the supporters of our towns into the open so they don’t have to fight us in defensive positioning.”

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  The statement filled the room with silence. Everyone contemplated the issue from different perspectives. Personally I felt Sir Fullart had a strong point. Bandit forces large enough to raid a city didn’t appear out of thin air, and while news of dangerous conditions in the Baron’s city had reached us, no reports of frequent bandit activity had been present. If this was some plot by the Baron, I really wasn’t sure how far it would go. The man’s reputation was absolutely rotten from all the stories Grandpa had managed to pry from Fullart while they were drinking together.

  I could still remember the uneasy look on Mom’s face when she heard who the new baron was, but she had brushed it aside when I asked previously. Since breaking the siege was likely intended as a trap instead, we had to consider how best to even the odds. My mind drifted back to the giant floating platform the Earthkin had used to make it to our town. Maybe instead of breaking the siege, we could try bypassing it. What if we helped them hold on long enough to use the giant platform to evacuate the townspeople?

  The Clan Leader suggested a similar plan, but instead of flying over, they wanted to tunnel into the town. Sir Fullart didn’t have much direction to go on, as bandits were typically exterminated long before they could grow into such a plague, but his suggestion was an infiltrative team to cut the head off the beast. Reesia didn’t have a plan to address Portten Town, but she did suggest contacting Woodside for reinforcements and establishing a forward position at the river, which could be used to force them into confronting our united force without putting our neighbors at too much risk. If we had the knights of Portten, Woodside, and our own gathered together, we would have enough to confront even a worst-case scenario of ten knights.

  We quickly agreed with Reesia’s suggestion that a united front with Woodside was a necessity, and her suggestion offered the greatest compromise between position and exposure. As for the plans regarding how to confront the bandits around Portten, it was deemed too risky to try ambushing the leadership. None of our knights had any particular specialization in assassination, and bandits would have no shortage of decent spotters. The question of my idea vs. the Clan leaders. The logistics and issues brought up led to long debates and suggested stretching long into the night. However, in the end a plan was made, and everyone dispersed, ready to carry out their role. I went home, but looking in from outside with everyone sleeping, I couldn’t bring myself to settle down for the night. Instead, I left for Nightshade’s tower and spent what remained of the night in meditation.

  Sir Portten

  I could scarcely believe it when my scouts reported a mob of what seemed like bandits but in far too great a number coming down the road from Eldraine City. I had frequent reports from the city regarding the well-being of my second son, whom I had entrusted to my longtime friend Lord Grimmark. When news of the boy's ascension to acting lord came, I was uncertain how to feel, but I sent congratulations nonetheless.

  The following months I couldn’t help but wonder how poorly the man had done raising my boy. Now that he ruled the city and even the region, he had gone rampant, spitting on tradition and self-control. He seemed to have developed a hatred for everyone and a growing paranoia that wouldn’t just destroy him, but now it was apparent that everyone nearby would also be dragged into his foolishness. There was little I could do other than call my people to arms and brace against the worst while hoping that the army at our door wasn’t what was abundantly apparent.

  Their leader was a pig of a man, rotund and balding and bold enough to claim to be my son. I had seen my boy during a visit not two years ago. This pig couldn’t have been him, and if it was, I would disown him. I told the man that much, and it seemed to ignite some kind of impotent rage. It was clear he wasn’t the true leader of this band. My eyes locked onto the hooded figure who was consoling the pig. That was our real enemy.

  The enemy tested our walls only to perish in the attempt, but it was clear this was only testing how well we could respond. Instead of pressing the attack, the bandits formed a siege around our city. Continuous harassment was meant to demoralize and weaken our defenses while they built siege tools necessary to break through our walls. It was obvious they were waiting for something, but I could only hope they didn't get it. I looked to the north, praying that Port Town might come to our aid, but in the back of my head I feared they wouldn’t take such a risk.