>>6262096"We can spare 30 men. We have a little breathing room, though we can't open our fist any more than that."
"I understand. That is more than what I was expecting already!", says the oldest man you ever saw. General Dravos later tells you this is the legendary Marshal Leon Volt. When he says that, you remember hearing about someone with that name. Dravos tells you the Volt family is known for their martial prowess, many high ranking officials come from that family - marshals, generals, colonels, majors... There are a bunch in this very room! Seems like military brilliance runs in their veins.
Later, however, you hear some gossip that military ranks are largely Hereditary, and the Volt basically only put their own family in positions of military leadership if they can help it. They gatekeep everyone else as much as possible, and the king trusts them so he lets them get away with it.
You hear about plans of building a castle while you are there. They haven't decided yet where they are going to put it, but a fortune is going to be spent on it - a ridiculous sum that doesn't even make sense to you.
So you boot in and ask whether they wouldn't build it in Kent.
They look at you with a weirded out face.
"In Kent? You really think so? There are so many other places in need of defense. Besides, if they take Kent, we can always fall back to Holmgard, the fortress there hasn't been taken in five hundred years... I've been thinking we could put it somewhere near Cymbalus..."
"Cymbalus? Are you mad? How are we even going to defend our workers while they build there?"
"Yeah, that's a problem... you think we should build it in Torvalus?"
"If we build anything in the contested areas they are going to send endless amounts of troops to harass us. We can't spare enough warriors!"
"You're right... perhaps we could ask Count Zachary where in his county he thinks would be the best place to put a castle... but he's not here."
"Yeah, where is him?"
"He is sick, or so I heard."
"Who else is from his county that is here?"
"There are a few barons... including the new girl, from Kent."
"You guys really think it is a good idea to place a castle in Zachary's county? I mean... we have to put a castle Somewhere, otherwise we'll have to give the gold back to the crown..."
"No, no, no, that's unthinkable! Let's hold a vote... tomorrow. Study the proposals and check where you think is best."
You hear that they have Six locations where they could build the castle!
One of those is Kent!
But Kent is far from being the most defensible one. Or resource rich. Or crucial, really.
The other cities where they would build it are far larger, far better established, hold more crucial resources.
Still, you have a whole day to convince all those old military men to build a castle in your city!
