The week went by fast after my return to Verrigo. As per my instructions, the small village has already begun preparing for war. My Majordomo, Vieri, has been drilling all able-bodied citizens, training them to use both sword and spear. They’ve also prepared and preserved food and supplies that could last for a year and with a lifespan of at least 5. The weapons and other supplies that I ordered have also arrived and been accounted for, and each of the citizens have been given and trained on their own.
I spent the afternoon of my arrival watching the drills and training happening. As expected, the citizens of Verrigo is full of life and vigor. Vieri has informed me that the drills happen in the afternoon so as to not fully impede the lives of the citizens in the morning, as their craft would still serve as an important part of our community.
“I wouldn’t have done it any other way,” I said. True enough, in a small village like this each craft is unique and important and cannot be taken away. Though they’ve been scaled down in favor of the preparations, it doesn’t mean that they could be stopped completely.
On the night of my arrival, I held a meeting with my rune-smithing tutor, Sir Eldin, as well as the other runesmiths in town. In attendance was Paul and the village cartographer, Mathew. Our goal for the night would be to figure out the best places to put trap runes on the ground in case of an attack.
As the most senior runesmith, as well as being a former runesmith in the Wyrm Hunt War, Sir Eldin is a valuable asset for our group and thus led the discussion. Of his suggestions, the most notable were the use of ‘Weaken’ runes along the cliff sides that overlooks the village such that, if the enemy brings in cannons or mortar with them, it would be difficult to keep them stable with a good vantage point as the cliff would simply collapse under its weight.
There’s also the more standard ‘Hold’ runes being placed on pitfalls so that it holds as well as normal ground until the rune is damaged, most likely by the enemies’ march. ‘Fire’ runes would also be built around the village as a means of warmth in case of a long siege, as well as to allow for the quick destruction of any infrastructure the enemy might use.
With a few more bullet points, the meeting came to a close.
The second day of my arrival was spent realizing what had been discussed last night. I began my day by listing all that would be needed for the runes that we would be drawing, and then I joined the others in digging the pitfalls and making the firepits where the runes would be placed. This job took about 3 days to complete halfway, or at least that’s when the ingredients arrived and we began the actual runesmith work.
Rune-smithing is a simple process. It involves using the ingredients to make a special type of ink that you’d use to make the rune. Each ink can produce a different kind of result depending on the ratios and the rune you’d use it for. There are five basic ingredients for a rune - the ashes of burnt wood, the scales of a sea creature, dusted bones, ground up leaves and flowers, and the feathers of a bird. They will be infused into whatever dye you’re using alongside a healthy sprinkle of either gold or silver dust - gold often produces stronger effects, while silver lasts for longer.
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Once you finished making the ink, you would then draw the rune with it. The runes are an abstraction of what you want and will work for as long as it is legible. It’s unknown who or what is reading the runes that give them power, but the Standard Rune Directory provides various runes that can produce various results depending on the ingredients. For the most basic rune - the Hold rune - it would be a single horizontal line in between two vertical ones, with three dots on top of it to represent ‘weight’. If you, for example, use burnt wood to make the ink used in it, you would make whatever you write it on be immune to fire. Thus this rune is often used for wooden structures so as to prevent fire.
The biggest problem with runes is that they must be legible for them to work - while the mystical properties of gold and silver are often considered to be the best, others use a mix of bronze and tin to make their own, longer lasting but substantially weaker runes. They won’t fade away as fast as either gold or silver, but can never reach the heights that either of those two would.
However, this weakness can also be turned to an advantage as with regards to our ‘pitfall’ traps. They work by having a hole dug underground which would then be covered by leaves and dirt and then placing a ‘Hold’ rune on top to make it stronger. This would allow the trap to support the weight of a person or even multiple people on it for as long as the rune holds. However, if it is damaged in any way - for example by the footstep of an unsuspecting soldier - then it would immediately collapse under that soldier’s weight.
Such is the power of runes in defensive warfare.
***
After the week has passed, I once again received summons to return to Alsace once more, this time from the Duke himself. The letter informed me that their predictions were correct - Rhapsody, fearing that an invasion from the Kytherian Empire and the Duchy of Naval, requested aid from the Duchy of Lorraine. In addition, the Republic of Interio has seen fit to visit their staunch ally to help convince them.
Both Prince Eoster of Rhapsody and Lord Maximus of Interio would be staying at Alsace for two weeks. In one week’s time, King Leonid III of the United Kingdoms of Kyther would also come to visit Alsace. It is on the day that would follow that a summit between the four leaders would be held, and we were invited to witness it.
I departed immediately on the day that I received the summons, once again bringing Paul with me. While I can defend myself well, being a former adventurer and all, I couldn’t be too careful in bringing a bodyguard with me.
“So, are you prepared for what comes next?” I asked him as our carriage traveled down the Whisky Highway. “The war and all that?”
Paul looked away, nervously watching the nature around us as he did. “...No,” he finally said.
“Good.”
His eyes fixed themselves on me, as if to ask what I meant by what I said. I smiled at him, which only served to confuse him more.
“I’d be surprised if you’re confident going into your first campaign. You’re still young, after all, and with a wife and kid back home.”
“Actually, we have another one coming…” He fiddled with his thumbs as he spoke.
I smiled and tapped his shoulder. “Congratulations, then. That just means you have to fight harder to survive. Don’t worry, I’ll be with you for most of it anyways.”
Paul smiled back at me.
“War is not a pretty sight, and the least you could use is a friend. You’ll be mine, alright?”