I bought all the emerald color fabric in the Baldenburg, which was not much. That fabric was expensive, which served my purposes better. I didn’t want my band's name hijacked by some bandits. Then I left Baldenburg. I loaded my fabric to my horse, and mounted it.
I was rather happy. Normally under defensive war conditions he could have over 2000 armed peasantry in the population pool of 22.000 but Alfred ruined his chances with his mismanagement of people, no starving villager would fight for him even he pushed them on the battlefield. I didn’t think his soldiers would be good ones either, he didn’t look like someone who cared about merit, he only cared about superficial things like bloodlines and nobility . If his territory would have been neighboring to any foregin kingdom he would have lost his land quickly. But his territory was internal and other lords couldn't invade it directly, due to the law.
While I ride my horse back, I get in a village. There wasn’t any inn. I just walk around the village. I saw the malnourished people in the fields. But they had very few guards in the village. I decided that is because of people being emotionally broken. Normally when you are suppressed by this little of a force you rise up. I would bet when I start to beat soldiers serfs are going to rise up quickly. But I knew my lessons from my previous life. I never underestimated my enemies. In war you make your plans and see them going out to the trash in a few days. My motto was in war your forces must always be overkill. So I was going to found and train a good militia force. A force well armed, relatively well trained and not going to make any move before the 3 month time limit.
I ride my horse to the Baron Stone’s lands. In the villages there, lumberjacks, timber production, hunting and tanneries were very common.
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I go to a pub in a big village. After a hard day's work there were many lumberjacks, hunters and farmers drinking and relaxing there.
I got inside. I got near the fireplace and started talking in a loud voice "I am here to tell you about an opportunity. Opportunity of adventure but more importantly earning gold." Few of the young men looked interested in the adventure part but money got more interest from the majority of the crowd.” I cleared my throat and started speaking “ As you know in winter months you can’t earn money, you already sold your wood, your farm does not need tending. But what would I tell you instead of suffering bickering women for three months I said to you you can earn 5 gold each, just in 3 months?” This was an appealing proposal because I was offering them 6 months of hard working worth of money on the time period they can earn nothing. A guy, a lumberjack in his early forties spoke. “Look young man, if something is too good to be true it usually is. So speak carefully, we don’t like swindlers around these parts.” I thought about what I am going to say next for a minute, then broke the silence “I am here because of my god, Altus, he is god of hunt, wild and revenge.” Hunters among the crowd seem uncomfortable. I should have thought that most hunters nowadays worshiped Caris, goddess of the hunt, wild and celibacy. So with talking about the old god of hunt I made them uncomfortable.
I started to speak again “Altus showed himself to my father in his dreams” I seriously hope my father would be daring enough to lie about prophecies and risk angering a god. But as far as I understand, gods didn’t care what people say about them in places people didn't believe in them. And I continued, “There are many injustices done, which angered Altus. A kid's mother violated in front of him, his father killed when he tried to prevent this. His siblings were killed just because of cruelty. Altus heard his cries and ordered my father to punish the offenders with vengeance. I don’t expect you to risk your lives for our cause no. We are just going to train you in the art of combat, the lessons which you will make use of your entire life. After the training you are free to join us for more money and secure justice or you can return to your homes richer and new skills which protect you and your family from bandits for the rest of your life.” I wasn’t expecting this. I had around ten volunteers rise up to join me from my fist village. I didn’t know it was because my oration was too good or just the promise of money. Or maybe being a peasant was too boring, whatever it is I had many volunteers from my first village.