Quoted By:
You are told of their arrival by a servant.
With a train far, far, smaller yours was, their arrival was not one of astonishment, but of surprise - several troops of light horsemen, alone, rode ahead entirely freed of infantry, and indeed, as you would soon learn, he had brought none. What he did bring, however, was far more valuable: <span class="mu-i">cannons</span>. You can see them from a distance, dragged by dozens of horses each. In comparison to yours, though some are small, others dwarf it completely, and others are even drawn in wagons. It does not take long until you are told the prince has summoned all the noblemen for a council of war.
Your arrival greets you with the sight of the fully assembled summons of the prince - there is Don Fadrique, whom you already know, yet also two new others. Don Salazar, an older, sturdy man in fanciful nobleman's clothing. Although merely a Baron, his deeds in the Imperial Army had granted him much honor, including the title of Don. You knew he had already arrived here before than either you or Fadrique, and was indeed not a summon, but a direct member of Prince Carles' forces. The other one was the recent arrival, the Marquess of Castalla, <span class="mu-s">Don Octavi.</span> You knew his lands to be the industrial center of Segoma, their manufactories fed by the nearby mines in the Ascarpian Mountains. Though you did not speak with the man very often, you knew him to be an scholar much like you, if perhaps a dozen years older. Despite this, he was weirdly thin, and, if you were particularly unbecoming, 'ratlike'
"Finally arrived, eh, Don Octavi?" says Fadrique, with his usual tone.
"It was not easy securing several guns from the <span class="mu-i">Mascaloman Artillery Guild</span> in such a short notice. It is not as easy as dragging men from their fields to the camping grounds.." Octavi responds.
"Quiet! The Prince has arrived..." interrupts Salazar, before the two can begin to argue.
Don Carles, finally strolling in the room, seems to hold himself with a positive mood. He wastes no time in beginning to speak.
"Greetings be to you, my illustrious vassals. We, of the nobility of Segoma, stand assembled at last, in this <span class="mu-s">24th of September.</span> Although not the only vassals of mine, you stand amidst the most influential, and it was for that reason that I had summoned you to form the army we have now completed."
As he begins to speak, Salazar unveils a piece of parchment showing the sum total of your combined forces.
"As you may see, we have amassed a force <span class="mu-s">10,343</span> strong, a little over three Imperial Regiments worth. I will not say it is a force that shall dwarf our foes, but it is indeed a respectable one, and thanks to the efforts of Don Octavi, we also hold the capability for siege operations. Which brings us all to my plan for this conflict." he says, stopping for a moment, before continuing.