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The fight is bloody and goes on for at least an hour, with thousand of tribesmen throwing themselves at each other, with spears and knives and cudgels in hand. Blows are traded, war cries are bellowed for all to hear and the wounded and dying slump to the muddy earth of the Choslitol's banks. For some time, it is difficult to determine who the victor might be, but it is the blood-drinkers and mountain men who win the day. For every one of them who falls in battle, their comrades fell a dozen river bugs as retribution.
Eventually, the Tibuk are left with little choice but to turn and run, to flee from the bloodshed, to live to fight another day. Vuvovic, Sharovic and Croglatovic alike lift their weapons above their heads and cry out in elation, revelling in this moment of victory. Not long after, they tend to their wounded and see the river bugs who still live but were unable to run. The women are to be taken as thralls, while the blood-drinkers drain the men of their precious vitae and gorge themselves on it, as is tradition. The sticky brown blood of the dead shall grant them greater strength and bring them closer to earning An's forgiveness.
In the following days, the remaining villages are conquered with little resistance. Garrisons are posted and before long, the entirety of Tibuk territory is occupied by the Croglatovic. It is simply a matter of convincing the leaders of the tribe to serve as chiefdom, to accept that they are a part of a greater whole. Those who refuse shall be made thralls, along with the villages that they lead.
Unfortunately, it isn't that simple.
Days before the arrival of spring, when the first flowers of the year are on the verge of blooming, envoys from the Bladrek and Roguwek arrive in the land of the river bugs. They seek out the village where Shacol Igladac can be found and request an audience with him, as well as any others who led the invasion of the Tibuk.
The chieftain of the Croglatovic is given an ultimatum – he will turn around and leave his forces away from the lands of the river bugs, so that they may remain free and independent, or the wing-stitching and rock-eating tribes shall refuse to trade with the chiefdom forthwith. The people of the great lake will be cut off of from their sole source of cowrie shells – the primitive economy of the chiefdom shall be left in shambles.
Of course, Shacol is incensed. As soon as the messengers excuse themselves, he expresses his desire to conquer both of these tribes for daring to make demands of the Croglativic. He'll subjugate the Slawik too and unify the entirety of the Choslitol beneath his rule. That way, he'll cement his legacy for evermore and become known as the unifier of all of the peoples of the Grascan.
