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"I've a few, my prince." you say. Wordlessly, the prince motions for you to continue, and thus you ask him of what specific wargoals you held.
"Such matters can hardly ever be answered in time..during a theater of war, the situation evolves rather quickly, i've found. What In a broader sense, however, our goal remains to <span class="mu-i">seize control of the city of Montellegaria</span> and return authority over Nera to the Spisa family.
"How much strength should we expect from the enemy, then? Is there chance of foreign intervention?"
"Warfare in Straccia is done a bit differently from most states, Viscount. Though there are...<span class="mu-i">outliers</span>" he says, clearly having one such example in mind, "The trade republics are consistent in their usage of mercenaries, having little to no professional forces, save perhaps for an <span class="mu-i">elite core</span> that is kept at all-times to ensure control. In the case of Nera, this would be their Famiglia. Do you know of it?"
"I have been told it is a regiment two-thousand strong comprised entirely of horsemen." you respond, unsure of what else you may be lacking in information.
"Ah, but that is not all. This is a rather <span class="mu-i">recent</span> development, and not one that's been widely shared, but the Spisa have told me that the Famiglia have not too recently finished outfitting every last one of their riders with <span class="mu-s">Amazonian Mares</span>
At this mention, your eyes shoot up. <span class="mu-i">Amazonian Mares? This was bad, severely so. Amazonian Mares were one particular breed of horse with a very, very notable trait: though their stallions were already of comparable size to most other prized warhorse types, their females grew to posssess a monstruous height and strength, being born in far greater number than the colts. It is said they were brought from the depths of the northwestern tundras, far beyond the land of Valschen, during the Great Migration, when the Uhren peoples who would become the Straccians were driven across the Meringian Sea. The difference between them to the next strongest stock is akin to the difference between a common draft horse and a war stallion. The only thing that had stopped its spread as the universal standard was its sheer cost and dietary requirements - not only did these horses feed far more than a common one, their diet required the presence of Wetgrain, a plant only found to grow in warm wetlands such as the ones across in the eastern coast of Straccia and the islands of the Meringian Sea, such as Bellavista.
"The entire force, sire? The costs to acquire such thousands of them, and the feed required for it..."
"Colossal. Indeed, it was one amidst the several issues that allowed the Fortelli to seize power. Apparently, they spent quite a vast portion of Nera's coffers on this...with the Famiglia on their side, it has unluckily come to bother us as well. I've also no doubt that our rivals will be happy to help them to continue to fund it, such is their preferred mode of intervention."</span>
