by Wissenlander
Part 1
The sun slowly rose above the mountains in the east, showering the land with brilliant light. It was a nice change from the cool night, and from the way the haze shown around the sun it looked like it was going to be a hot day. Such was the temperature swing at this time of year and in this part of the land; bitter cold at night and quite warm, almost to the point of becoming unbearable, during the day. The farmlands were just beginning to show signs of growth. The crops being planted some months earlier, spring time meant rebirth and it was always encouraging to the people. There was too much rain and snow during the winter months and everyone was thankful that that time was passing.
Graf Gerhard Olenbay stood atop the gatehouse looking towards the sun, with his eyes closed and smiling ever so slightly. He took in a deep breath and exhaled and opened his eyes towards the silhouetted mountains. “So peaceful,” he whispered. “Yet within those mountains lie unimaginable horrors.”
“M’lord,” replied a deep voice from seemingly out of nothing.
“Seby, what are you doing up this early?” questioned Gerhard who continued to look out over the ramparts.
“I couldn’t sleep,” came the answer. A large man dressed in a red and black shirt came striding up the stairs behind the Graf. The man approached and stood slightly behind Gerhard and folded his arms across his chest. “You know how I can’t sleep when a fight is so close at hand.”
“Well, that may be so, but you should get some rest,” the Graf countered looking up and over at his friend. “Sometimes,” he paused for a moment before he continued. “Sometimes, Seby, I wonder why I was placed in this position.”
“Pardon, m’lord?”
“Nothing, I should not have said anything,” Gerhard stated as he placed his hands behind his back and looked again towards the horizon.
“M’lord. You needn’t worry. Lord Sigmar blesses those who seek his favor.”
There was no response, just silence as the two looked out over the early morning landscape. This was the conversation nearly every morning between the two, and Olenbay knew he was capable, but he feared that catastrophic decision that would doom his people. If only he had taken advantage of that time with his grandfather, Whalter, when he was alive. If only his grandfather had not been killed two years earlier. Gerhard stood there silently, then looked down towards his own feet and shook his head.
“I should know better by now,” he chuckled to himself. “Thank you for your patience Sebastian. You listen to my muttering and rambling every morning like this.”
“It’s quite alright m’lord,” Seby replied. “I have confidence in you, and the people have confidence in you. It has been some time since your grandfather, may Sigmar bless his soul, fell in battle. You have lead us fairly and justly since that time and there wasn’t a better person to take his place.”
Sebastian’s words held some truth. Gerhard, although quite young, was a capable leader. He had reorganized the battalions and militia into an easier order of battle and changed a few things in the hierarchy of the town. Nothing major was changed, just minor adjustments that his grandfather would not make. He was too kind and reserved for certain areas. Gerhard took after his grandfather quite a bit, a quiet reservation about him and some timidity which caused his nagging questioning of his own abilities. However, Gerhard did learn from the mistakes that his grandfather made and was determined to not let them happen again.
Gerhard thought about this as he exhaled again, seemingly washing the doubts from his mind and heart.
“Did any reports come in last night?” asked Gerhard, his mind now focused and clear.
“Nothing yet, m’lord,” replied Seby. “The last I heard, movement was spotted along the opposite side of the river.”
“Yes. And at the moment, we have no authorization to send any troops into Averland to support. I cannot risk sending any troops in and igniting a border war.”
“Aye,” responded Seby.
“I did send word to Averheim and Wissenburg of the threat. I even sent a dispatch to Nuln to warn them.”
Seby smiled, knowing the words to come would irritate Gerhard. “Sending word to our fair Countess, hmm, m’lord?”
Gerhard shot Sebastian a hard glance that would have startled a lesser man. Gerhard had only met the Countess Emanuelle once, at her court in Nuln. That impression was forever burned into him of a ruler, the likes of which, he never wanted to become.
“Sebastian, you know as well as I that we would receive aid from the Bretons long before the fair Countess would even lift a finger.”
Sebastian roared with laughter. A laugh that echoed off the mountains themselves, which was quite a feat considering the distance between them and the mountains.
“I did try to gain support from Agbetten,” Gerhard began. “They will not commit to help us unless they know for sure that they can spare the troops. They feel that it is not safe at this time. I do not expect to gain any aid from them.”
Gerhard looked out over the land one last time and turned, hands still behind him and began to walk down the stairs, his friend close behind. As the two descended from the ramparts a squadron of soldiers was awaiting. Seeing their lord approach they all placed their right hand across their chests to their breast, an ancient salute. The Graf returned the salute and thanked the men for watching his horse. The two mounted their steeds and galloped off towards the castle, the ancestral home of the lord of Brennenburg.
“Well Seby, the council will be assembling soon. I want you there.”
“M’lord, I need not be pres...”
“The Captain of my personal guard should be there,” Gerhard interrupted. “Besides, you are one of my finest strategists. Your insight will prove beneficial, or so I think.”
“And your thoughts are the only one’s that matter,” Sebastian roared with laughter again. The Graf Olenbay could not help but follow suit.
Part 2
Not long after, when the sun had fully risen and all those invited had shown, the council assembled in the old keep of Brennenburg. Gerhard ruled his lands, but if he did not at least seek the advice of the council members, his life could become very miserable. The council had grown considerably since the time of Wolfgard, weak grafs before Gerhard allowing others to gain power and influence decisions. Gerhard did as much as he could to limit the power of these men, but it would be difficult to reverse hundreds of years of tradition over night.
The members sat around a long rectangular table. It was old and very heavy, made from the finest timber that could be found in those parts. There was much history engrained into the wood, seeing many a gathering during the Olenbay familial reign. There were twelve members that were invited to the assembly.
Gerhard sat at the head of the table with Sebastian at his right hand. To the right of him sat Marshall’s Felix Kaltenbach and Aloisi Unterschmidt. Kaltenbach had just recently become Marshall after the death of Klaus Fritz. There were rumors that Kaltenbach himself had Fritz poisoned, but after an investigation the charges were dropped. The men under Kaltenbach’s command thought him an able commander, but thought nothing for him. He had not proved himself to be a popular choice amongst his men, which Kaltenbach himself cared little for. Unterschmidt was opposite in the fact that his men adored him incredibly. He was born to a Brennenburg father and a Tilean mother and was not much older than many of the troops he commanded. He had proven himself repeatedly in battle, being in the thick of the fighting with his troops, enduring hardships along with them.
Next to these men sat Lothar Mann, Lector of Sigmar. Lothar was an elderly man, past his fighting days, but proved a very wise friend to Gerhard. He was the eldest man in Brennenburg and had experience in areas which none of the others could fathom. To his immediate right sat his protégé, Burkhard Werner. He was a younger man, broad of shoulder and incredibly strong, nearly always accompanying Brennenburg contingents into battle. He was a devout man, a bit rash and impetuous at times, but respectful of the authority of others.
At the other end of the table, opposite Gerhard, sat Vera Clausewicz, the only woman on the council and a sorceress of the Grey order of magic. She was the only member of her order in Brennenburg, and had been for some time, being a very capable conjurer.
To her right sat Lukas Manstrom, who was elected to represent the other landed gentry. He was a portly man, greedy and fearing constantly for his land. The only reason he was elected was the other gentry knew that he would be very verbal for the safety of his lands which would ensure the safety of their own.
Next came Altman Gunnar, Burgomeister of the city. In many towns across the empire, men of Gunnar’s position would rule supreme, and he knew this. Because of his position, he was a constant hindrance to Gerhard, as he had been for many years. As Burgomeister, he controlled trade and because of that influenced the gentry quite heavily as well as the artisans, led by Willi Waldschmidt. Waldschmidt was not the kind of man that should have been in charge of anything, and everyone knew it. He did not stand for anything, and many disrespected and ignored him. The only reason he did head the Artisan’s Guild was because of Gunnar.
Karsten Hochstahl sat in the seat for his father Ulf, Grandmaster of the Wissengaurd. Ulf rarely came to Brennenburg but it was the tradition of the order that the Grandmaster was always the representative of his order in every council across the county. Obviously, it is impossible to be everywhere at once, so a suitable substitute must be present. Sometimes it takes days for such a representative to arrive, and can delay councils considerably. Starting without the Wissengaurd present is a grave insult to their order. The kind of insult that Ulf would not forget, and the kind of insult that none wanted to render. The Wissengaurd were indispensable in battle which Ulf knew and used to his advantage. Karsten was not as harsh as his father, more worldly in many ways, and much more of a diplomat. He had long blonde hair and caught the eye of many a young maiden as he himself was quite strapping.
Finally, rounding out the council is Grunri Hammerstrom, elder of the town’s dwarf population. There was a fairly sizeable population of dwarfs in Brennenburg, and they needed representation at the council as well. But, even if there were only one dwarf in the whole of the town, he himself would be in the assembly. It is better to have a dwarf on your side after all.
“Let’s start this thing, shall we?” demanded Altman Gunnar, slamming his fist on the table as everyone began to settle in their seats.
“Thank you Altman,” chided Gerhard as he sat. “But I believe I can handle the opening remarks.”
Altman quietly sat down, angered at what he thought was insolence from the Graf. The rest of the gathering sat down and the murmur hushed as everyone anticipated Gerhard’s coming remarks.
“Thank you all for coming,” started Gerhard. “These may prove to be trying times, as there are reports, of which I’m sure you’ve all heard, of a large orc horde approaching from upriver. It appears they are traveling along the river front and still in Averland territory. Within the last hour I have received a report of the horde destroying Hochsleben and are fastly approaching Agbetten. I called you all here to decide the course of actions we should take. I open the floor to discussion.”
“I say let Averland handle it,” remarked Marshall Kaltenbach coldly. “It is their matter, not ours.”
“I agree!” shouted Manstrom. “We don’t want to draw the horde towards us; maybe they’ll stay on the other side of the river.”
“We cannot just leave the greenskins to ravage our brethren,” countered Berkhard Werner.
“Averlanders and Wissenlanders are hardly brethren,” retorted Kaltenbach in haste. “Plus those in Agbetten have already refused us aid.”
“Under our Lord Sigmar, we are,” stated Lector Mann, supporting his protégé. “Whether you like it or not, we are united under the Emperor who is ordained by Sigmar to rule the lands as one.” The Lector received support for this statement from several, signified by ‘Ayes’ and slight pounding upon the table. “It is not of our doing if Agbetten does not remember our kinship ties.”
“Perhaps we should wait from word from Averland, to find what they think of this matter,” commented Vera. “It would be unwise for us to prattle in business that may not be our own,” she received a similar salute from some as the Lector had. “Averland may not want or even need our help.”
“I have already sent messengers to Averheim and Wissenburg to assess the situation,” replied Gerhard. “But we may not receive instructions until it is too late.”
“I will not take orders from an Averlander!” bellowed Kaltenbach as he pounded his fist onto the table.
“No one is asking you to bow to Averland,” stated Sir Karsten as he leaned forward. “But it may be wise to lend our support in a combined effort to crush the horde. If we can keep them away from our lands, all the better as I see it.”
“I agree!” shouted Manstrom.
“Our forces are strong,” started Marshall Unterschmidt. “But I am not sure if it would be wise to split our forces with such an imposing threat present...”
“Exactly,” interrupted Kaltenbach. “We have strong walls with which to aid in our defense if the need arises.”
“An’ dontcha forgets it,” retorted Grunri. Making sure all remembered that his kinsmen had a crucial part in the construction of the town walls.
“I never thought I’d see the day when our ‘brave’ Marshals would cower behind walls,” laughed Gunnar.
“Watch who you insult,” roared Kaltenbach as he stood and drew his sword. Gunnar continued to laugh, putting up his hands in mocking apologetics. Unterschmidt placed his hand on Kaltenbach’s shoulder and urged him to sit.
“Remember who has protected you,” stated Unterschmidt matter of factly as Kaltenbach sheathed his sword. “You may control the trade in this town but an orc would care little for that if he were to get to you.”
“I knows not where the fight be, but wherever me axe is needed me and me lads’ll be,” declared Grunri.
“Thank you for that support Grunri, we have always relied heavily upon it,” stated Gerhard sincerely.
“Even if we do receive word from Wissenburg or Averheim, it may be some time before they provide any aid,” said Sebastian, finally entering into the discussion.
“This is true,” replied Mann. “With the destruction of Hochsleben I am sure that Averheim knows…”
“You can’t seriously think that Averland will be able to assemble troops in time to stop this horde?” interrupted Gunnar, as several others began speaking causing the room to form into a maelstrom of opinion, the words gaining volume and anger by the second.
Sebastian leaned over to Gerhard, “I knew this would happen,” he stated as the Graf slanted to hear his friend’s words. Gerhard only nodded slightly, trying to hear what was being said, but there was no hope. Kaltenbach and Gunnar were yelling at each other while conversations broke down at the corners of the table. It was impossible to get a point across.
“Alright, alright,” Gerhard stood to silence the council. “We will break for half an hour, everyone cool down and assemble your thoughts. I will hear everyone’s say and I will make the decision accordingly.” The murmur never totally died down, but Olenbay turned and left the room with Sebastian closely behind him. “I will be in my chamber if you need me Seby,” stated Gerhard as he hurried along looking down with his hand rubbing his head as he went.
“Aye m’lord,” replied Sebastian as he halted where he stood.
Part 3
Entering his chamber, Gerhard flung himself upon his bed face first. The room was fairly dark with a few candles and the fire place lit to provide most of the light. It was a nice relief from the bickering of the council. The room was quiet, only the crackling of the fire place could be heard.
“Are you alright Gerhard,” came a sweet voice from out of the darkness.
“Yes, m’love. Everything’s alright,” he responded, his words muffled from the sheets that covered his face.
“Is the council fighting again?” His young wife, Isolde, emerged from the darkness and sat next to him on the bed rubbing his back gently.
“Yes, they are,” he replied letting out a sigh of relief as she caressed him. “Some believe it’s Averland’s responsibility, a couple seem to want to attack, some want to hold and wait to see what happens.”
“And what do you think?” Her words were almost earth shatteringly profound to him. It was difficult for him to sometimes realize that he himself made the final decision, it may cause friction at times, but it was still his choice in the end. Gerhard turned, pushed himself up and sat on the edge of the bed. He sat close to his wife and laid his head upon her shoulder, resting there for several minutes to gather his thoughts.
“Thank you my dear,” he said with his arm around her. “You calm me like none other can.”
He soon stood, their hands entwined, and he pulled away gently telling her with his eyes that he had to leave. It would not be long until the council reconvened and he now knew what action needed to be taken.
As the councilors gathered in the room, Gerhard entered, Sebastian in tow. As Kaltenbach and Gunnar began to speak Olenbay raised his right hand, halting their speech.
“The time for indecision is past,” he began without sitting. “There is no time for further discussion,” he leaned forward onto the table with both hands balled into fists. “I have heard your council, and appreciate it greatly. I have made my decision on the course on which we are to take. Please do not be angered that I did not take a vote, but this is my decision and my decision alone. I will need all of your help in the coming days, and proper credit will be given where it is due, I assure you all.”
Kaltenbach and Gunnar grumbled as they were cut short. Gunnar was especially distraught as he sat down in his seat, slouching back and hardly heeding the words the young Graf declared. While these men dreaded this decisiveness, even in the face of a major threat, others nodded and smiled seeing the development of a great leader in front of their very eyes.
“We will remain here and make our stand,” Gerhard began again. “I agree with Aloisi that our forces are not strong enough to engage this threat, which we still do not know the vastness of. However, we do need to locate the horde if possible and determine it’s course. Aloisi,” Gerhard looked over at the Marshal who was only a few years his senior.
“Yes m’lord?” Aloisi rose from his seat.
“Assemble your most dependable horsemen to find the horde and track it’s movements,” Gerhard nodded his head letting Aloisi know that it was alright to depart.
“Yes m’lord,” he replied, bowing slightly then leaving the room quickly.
“Karsten, if at all possible I would like to request a contingent of the Wissengaurd to be assigned to Brennenburg for a short time, until we can determine what the next few days will bring.”
“I have a cohort of men with me at present; I can send word to my father and request more of my brethren if you wish?”
“Yes, please,” Gerhard asked lowering his head, showing respect to the young knight. The Wissengaurd were a completely autonomous order of the state, and even though they were sworn to protect Wissenland, it was up to the Grand Master to decide where his order was most needed.
“Felix, I’ll need you to coordinate with Aloisi. Organize the militia and ready the regulars. Double the watch and shore up any problems that may be present. If you need any help, anything that I can be of assistance with, do not hesitate to ask,” Gerhard stated with earnestness.
“As you wish,” answered Kaltenbach as he started to settle down. He was quite arrogant at times, but once orders were assigned, he was very good at carrying them out, even if he did not like who was giving the orders. “I’ll report to you as soon as I have all of the information.”
“Vera, I know nothing of magic but if you need assistance from your order, please send word to Wissenburg requesting assistance.”
“I shall do so immediately,” she replied. “It would be foolish not to in this instance, I think.”
“I as well, but you know the winds more than I,” he stated nodding to her as she left.
“Lector, if I could ask for your prayers as we prepare. Werner, your brother warrior priests will undoubtedly be invaluable when the time comes.” The two nodded their approval, feeling pride as they saw the greatness of the Olenbay line coming out of the young Gerhard. “Lukas, let the rest of the gentry know of the possible threat. I’m sure that you, as well as they, would like to gather up your stores and secure them. I suggest bringing them within the walls of the town.”
“What if it is all eaten?” Manstrom was still more worried about his holdings above all things.
“They will be in the town storehouses, no one will eat them,” he said reassuring the gentryman. “Altman, Willi see to your people, make sure they are not heading upstream for any reason. You may all leave,” he said as he looked over to Grunri finally. The remnants of the council left, Altman Gunnar fuming as he lead Waldschmidt out of the room, berating the man as he went. “Grunri, I know your people came to our lands to avoid conflict, but we will need your help if the orcs attack.”
“Aye, that ye will,” responded the aged dwarf as he stroked his long white beard. “There be some things that never change though, friend. An’ one of them be tha’ you can neva take the fight outta dwarfs. As me said before, where we needed, we be.”