BLCC-13

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BLCC-13

Sargot after CC-13

Set 1

Disturbance

Set 2

Guardians

Set 3

Hillside

Set 4

The Final Act

# Calm Before the Storm

## Lore

*Two neighbors must defend against overwhelming odds.*

*High Regent Botaran has struggled to regain the momentum he carried ever since his ascension to chief ruler of Battania. Rocked by assaults from both Vlandia and Sturgia, the Battanian people's hope has wavered as castle after castle falls to Calradic invaders, tearing down their statues and suppressing worship of the old gods.*

*The High Kingdom is not the only one struggling to maintain its independence. To its west, the Kingdom of Vlandia fights bitterly against the Sturgian front in harsh weather and terrain. The campaign, spearheaded by none other than Archduke Leofric dey Talbot, has faced setbacks as Caleus and Nevyansk have fallen under the control of the principality.*

*Botaran fears an attack on any front at any time, whether it be from the militaristic Western Empire, to the diplomatically shrewd Vlandians, or the ever lethal Sturgians. To complicate matters even further, an extensive spy network is said to be established within his lands, though their allegiance is unknown. Sensing a need for decisive action to save his kingdom, Botaran has launched an invasion of the west, slipping through the mountains and pushing onto the city of Sargot.*

*With his marshal tied up in the north, King Derthert has taken it upon himself to personally oversee the defense of Sargot, shoring up its defenses and taking command of the levies gathered by the city's owner, Duke Luke. Derthert himself has been looking for a reason to push deeper into Battanian territory, and Pen Cannoc under the Gruffendocs is looking more and more appetizing by the second.*

## Post Event Lore

*What is the price of a mile, let alone that of a kingdom's political unity? That is the question facing the Vlandians and Battanians in the aftermath of Sargot.*

*Regent Botaran organized the campaign into Vlandia to raise the flagging spirits of his people, but with the death of High King Caladog during a hunt, a victory was needed now more than ever. As the new High King mourned for his almost-to-be father-in-law, the Wolfking Bobby used the influence from his recent victories against Sturgian raiders to gain command the combined host. The stags of fen Gruffendoc, the Wolfskins, and the Crimson Crows' cavalry would march into Vlandia and prove to Calradia that the old ways were not dead yet.*

*The Vlandians, reeling from the disaster at Caleus, also sought victory to end the incursions into their lands. King Derthert would lead the assembled vassals and knights himself this time, rather than his Marshal. Disunity and arguments among the vassals had weakened the realm for too long, and this king would prove he was still a force to reckon with through the defense of his scribe and loyal vassal Luke, the Duke of Sargot. The only question was whether the host would remain cohesive enough to win the battle, or if the dey Vilsen and dey Talbot families would conflict again.*

*The Vlandian hosts gathered at a milltown west of Etirfurd, along a creek possessing an Apple orchard, Beautiful hill, and Cemetery, awaiting the Battanian invaders. Both sides knew that while infantry would secure victory in the press, the infantry would need their might multiplied by their army's respective specialists. And that day, Battania's proved not only more effective, but more able to work with their infantry. As the Crimson Crows of Battania baited young squires and arrogant knights into traps their commanders had warned against, the longbowmen were able to shoot down their horses and leave them as food for the infantry, securing the advantage the Battanians needed as skirmishing came to an end.*

*The cemetery, much to the knackers' annoyance later, was the site of the least fighting. Instead, much of the battle came down to a tug-of-war as both sides deployed to the orchard and to the hill. Twice the Battanians gained the upper hand in bloody battles, then rallying his men King Derthert counter-attacked and pushed the Battanians off of the hill in an equally bloody counterattack. So close King Derthert came to forcing the Wolfking to commit his final reserves, yet in the end the wolf outfoxed the lion. He had positioned reinforcements to take the higher ground that the Vlandians had previously used against him, and drove the Vlandians into retreat. Against a skilled foe, the Battanians had decisively secured the field. The Wolfking had proven his worth to his new High King, and made a statement of Battania's endurance to the continent.*

*The Vlandians fell back to Sargot, knowing that their enemies sought both to secure the city, the mountain passes it covered, and the Duke-Scribe's records to boot. Bracing themselves, the Vlandian forces manned the walls and prepared for a grim siege as the weather turned for the worse. The Battanians did not wait long, storming the walls by ladder and when that took too long brought them down even as their ladders docked. The Vlandians bought time with space, using every obstacle they could find - even fish - to slow down the Battanians. Victory was so close for the Battanians, but as they stormed the final street they found themselves meeting the fiercest resistance of the campaign. The people of Sargot, armed from the duke's prepared armory for such an occasion, fought back with all they had. The Battanians answered with undaunted bravery. Both fell one by one, fathers and sons, in the streets of Sargot as it devolved into a grueling contest of will, spite, and siege stores. And as it happened, the Vlandians had enough stored to outlast the Battanians.*

*The battle was exhausting, even for the victors of the field, but both sides came out with their heads held high. The Wolfking Bobby had proven that the Old Ways of Battania were not yet ready to give way to the new, and the clans united to right the wrongs done to them. With the new High King soon to be enthroned at the Rock of Glanys, perhaps the time had come for Battania's fortunes to change? For the Vlandians, it proved to be a moment of unity that even they had not expected: Whatever feuds the dey Talbots and dey Vilsens had with each other or with dey Meroc, they were petty compared to the defense of the realm. They would learn from this defeat, and perhaps together forge a future victory?*

*Perhaps...*

## Aftermath

No lands were exchanged between the Kingdom of Vlandia and the Kingdom of Battania.

## Links

Event post: [1]

Wrapup post: [2]