31. A New Nation

Spendius’s actions had many local actors questioning the intent and the reasoning. It was similar to Yerek, but Yerek was not so bloody, not so callous, and was far more cautious in its planning. The voice was reported to be a Balnan by accent, and the man was hopping around taking loot and funding small parties of men. The problem was not big enough for Selim the new King of Balna to have heard of it, but some of the marcher-lords had, and were sending men to do something about it. Local Hunur tribes also wondered about this new threat.

“Is the rumour about this new ‘Mendek’ true? Is this not some Yerek psi-ops?” One Hunur asked another, “who in their right minds would take over a town like that?”

“He said that he wanted to spread his religion,” a Hunur rider said, “that sounds like Mercurius and Yerek. But they did it differently. Very differently.”

Spendius would surprise the riders by appearing before them and immediately started spouting things that they had heard about in the rumours.

“I want Hunur riders in my army!” He said, “the God of Trade requires the mobility and flexibility of your people.”

“Get away scum,” the older rider said.

Spendius did not needlessly shed blood, instead going to a more appropriate place, he went to the local clan leader and immediately began spouting his diatribes about the Church of Light.

“Ah Mendek,” the clan leader said, “we are the Uzuri, we destroyed that temple, but! But!”

Spendius looked at the bald clan leader who wished him to not kill him so.

“Go on state your terms old man,” Spendius said.

The clan leader was merely fronting. Eyeing his guards who were to kill the local troublemaker.

“I will submit our clan to your religion and country if you help me claim the title of supreme chief of the Hunur.”

Mere moments later, Hunur bodyguards attempted to arrest Spendius. Realising the ruse he teleported behind the guards, killed them quickly and then the clan leader. Spendius proclaimed himself ruler of the Uzuri. Confused clan members gathering around to see the usurper lift a bloody knife.

“Even if he said it as a ruse, I choose to make good your former clan leader’s promise. I as your clan leader will extend the rule of Mendek to the whole of Hunur!”

Spendius gathered 200 warriors, making the artisans produce his flag, and having the audacity to ride around absorbing local clans. Taking out their clan leaders, and turfing out the Church of Light. He went back to Othar finding the situation to be calm, before immediately blipping back to his riders.

“Lord,” one man said, half bowing, “you have taken out the Primi and Secundi clans but they are comparatively small, the Ostro clan is the largest in the area, and if you are serious about trying to unite Hunur under your rule, you should take it!”

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“Of course,” Spendius said, “of course I am serious.”

He bribed his fighters well, hiring 500 mercenary Hunur riders who quickly joined his army, making a total of 700 riding them to take Uruq settlements. News had apparently travelled fast, because Uruq was sending a 5000 man army to probe the border. 1000 horsemen and 4000 infantry they were led by a junior officer, it was a big army, but not a generals army. Spendius decided to engage anyway, the spoils of war too enticing for him. He assassinated the commander, then proceeded to savage the cavalry. Hitting one man after another, tossing spear and knife into a terrified force of cavalry, as he appeared and disappeared, killing a lieutenant and then another. The Church of Light priests attempted to send fireballs his way, but were instead greeted with knives in their stomachs. The night made the whole situation even more confusing.

“He’s here!” Endlessly repeated as the soldiers were hitting each other.

Spendius killed so many horsemen that the cavalry outright routed, in the madness, his Hunur force chased the routing and confused force of Uruq all the way into Uruq territory, annihilating it with arrows and and then sabres. He collected the gold and silver, selling the weapons in Hunur markets before quickly returning to his forces. He collected 1000 gold coins from the dead, and earned another 500 from the selling of weapons. He gave the loot to his troops, who watched as the madman marched on the important citadel of Hisar. He marched straight in without a fight, the guards not really understanding. He bought 1000 spearmen mercenaries with his gold and seized the city. He teleported the governor all the way to the other end of Uruq in Hatun, tired of killing for the day. Returning to steal the governor’s gold and valuables. There was 5000 Uruq gold, which he promptly distributed asking that the populace convert to the God of Trade. His yellow banners were put on the capitol, put on the city walls, Uruq soldiers asked to change allegiance or leave. There was not much of a battle, but an orderly withdrawal of thousands of Uruq soldiers. In the night time confusion the Uruq withdrawal seemed logical, but in reality a much larger force had surrendered a city of 30,000 to a band of 700 without much of a fight. Spendius slept in his cave, safe of human plots.

Taking the north eastern citadel of Hisar was a feat in and of itself, and with the funds he had there he promptly raised another 1000 Uruq style cavalry and rode them off to his Uzuri clan allies. Spendius spent some time trying to recruit the mountain tribes between Uruq and Balna, his fame had travelled somewhat, and some locals switched sides, mainly to avoid his wrath. Church of Light priests were kicked out and Spendius blipped around his territories, policing and fighting enemies. He noticed an army of 2000 coming down from the mountains toward his town of Othar, and he confronted them with 200 mercenary spearmen. Again he appeared before the commander, assassinated him, and this time scared his men into surrender.

“If you don’t surrender, I will individually hunt you all down!” He screamed, “don’t try me!”

It worked, and they surrendered, instead surrendering to him, he sent them back up the Balnan mountains with his own banners, taking village after village, town after town. When a Church of Light priest tried to burn his minions, he killed them, and continued the process. He went about stealing the Church of Light’s gold from their church vaults, using it to bolster his forces. Everyone know knew about the upstart lord and this new regime of ‘Mendek.’ Night fell and Balna and Uruq found out about the shocking news of Hisar falling to some upstart, and immediately began organising their troops for fighting. A new war was brewing, and this time, Mercurius had nothing to do with it, but perhaps in a perverse way he had. Spendius used his time recruiting mountain tribe after mountain tribe, perhaps levying 5000 light spearmen.

If I take the city of Bethyr, I will control both ends of the mountain. And a hefty amount of iron and who knows what other kind of minerals. And people, a lot of people.

A greedy man, with greedy plans. He had already begun a process that was hard to escape from, the clutches of a bloody war was about to begin, and without a lot of the bribery of Yerek.