Mandate of Ainrii

[Mandate of Ainrii]

[Koinalis (Border Town)]

Koinalis still felt unfamiliar to Ibrari. She the name still brought up memories of the smoking ruins she had marched through during the Goblin War. Back then the town had been bereft of any signs of life, nothing but a smoked-out husk on the riverside. That was more than forty years ago now, not that long for an elf, but Koinalis had gone from destroyed husk to one of the largest towns in Ainrii during that period.

It was all thanks to the army, of course. After the war the Ioran decided that they needed to keep a close eye on the goblin border, and the remains of Koinalis made a perfect base. Situated just up the river-bend from the border, the town provided a safe haven that was easily supplied and from whence soldiers could intercept any goblin raids. At first there had just been a collection of barracks and armories, but by the time Ibrari had been transferred from her post down south a vibrant community had grown up around the military complex. Apparently they felt protected enough to ignore the goblins down the river.

Her companion looked like he was going to burst. Ibrari had decided he must be a greenhorn; veterans like her quickly mastered the art of standing idly to attention. You learned to relish the peacefulness of guarding a door. It wouldn't try to stab you like a goblin would.

Alas, her fellow spearman had yet to learn the tranquil art of doorwatching. He simply had to gossip.
"You think the goblin's will try something?" He finally asked, failing miserably at his dignified guardsman post.

"Maybe."

"It seems to happen a lot, I'll bet once they finish we'll have to march off right away."

"Doubt it."

"I wonder why they never let us be in the room when they're scrying. It would be a lot more interesting than standing outside the door."

Spirits, this guy would not shut up! Ibrari rolled her eyes. The mages in town did scryings all the time, it was the best way to know if the goblins were planning any attacks.

"Still, I hope they find something. I want to stab one of those goblin monsters! It's . . ."

The spirits seemed to have answered her prayers. The door the two were guarding opened abruptly, causing the greenhorn to snap to attention faster than a bowstring. The elf who exited was obviously a well-decorated mage. The badge he wore marked him as the commander of the mage's company stationed in town. He was carrying a scroll, and his expression looked far less than happy and he stormed down the hallway.

Amazingly, the greenhorn did not comment on this.

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-- An exchange between two typical elven soldiers stationed near the Kurgan/Ainrii border

-- Ioran military mages cast Minor Scrying in order to survey the goblin borderlands for possible threats

[Mandate of Ainrii]

[Governor's Mansion, Riimakis]

"The question of whether this is a full-fledged invasion force is irrelevant." Governor Menral declared, pounding his fist into his hand. "The border forces are equipped the handle this. We should launch a foray and strike now while they are unsuspecting. We could do great damage to the little monsters and dissuade them from any further probing."

The Keeper of Scrolls shook her head at this, leaning forward on the hip-high table the others stood around. "While I would like nothing more than to bloody their noses, our current forces are not equipped for hit-and-run maneuvers. They would be unable to withdraw swiftly enough and would most likely become trapped on the goblin's side of the river before they could withdraw."

"If we hit them hard enough, they will not have any forces to pursue us with." The governor retorted.

Across the table, Governess Iinsali listened quietly, watching as the sunlight from the windows danced across the carefully planned map of the world. Small, elegantly carved and sculpted tokens indicated the position of cities, people, and armies. The important figures, the one everyone was looking at, were two pieces representing the approaching goblin army and the Ainrii border forces. "They haven't attacked yet, which means they're unsure of the situation." Iinsali finally pointed out, silencing the other two. "If they are merely probing our defenses, showing a solid front will be more effective than attacking first."

"I agree." The Keeper of Scrolls assented. "stationing our forces directly across the river from these goblins will show them that we are ready for anything they attempt, and if they do try to invade our lands they will have to fight to cross the river - an advantageous position for us."

Both of them glanced at Governor Menral, but the young elf apparently saw the wisdom in their course of action, even if he would not openly assent to it.

"Very well then, I will send the necessary orders."

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[Ainrii Survey Camp, Deadlands border]

Daniil Ioran groaned verbally in his tent, letting his head fall forward onto the table in front of him. He'd been in the deadlands for almost a year now, but somehow his superiors back in the capital always had one more even more absurd ritual for him to try in the deadlands. The current experiment, sent along with a basket of materials, seemed more like a lower-caste folk ritual than real magic. Is this how ignorant we are of Varinus' power? he had to wonder.

Outside the tent he could hear two things: The wind (which was always there) and the clatter of movement as the guards prepared for another tedious day in the deadlands. If it was an interesting day, they would get to kill a ghoul that wandered too close, if it wasn't then they would drink tea and patrol the little camp while they complained about being stationed so far from home.

Sometimes Daniil had to wonder whether sending fifty soldiers and half a dozen mages all the way to the deadlands was worth it. They had learned much, true, but even after years of study their ignorance was palpable. At times like that he had to remind himself of the Goblin War. If there was anything in these deadlands that would help crush those little monsters it would be worth years of study.

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-- A small army consisting of 2 swordsman companies, 1 spearman company, 1 mage company and 1 spellsword company is stationed directly across the river from the approaching goblin forces.
-- The survey team in the deadlands continues its magical experiments in order to learn more about Varinus' magic.

[Silvan Elves of Sith'ari]

Mandate of Ainrii

The Mandate of Ainrii had been one of the first kingdoms in the Known World to bounce back after the War of the Realm. The Silvan Elves of Sith'ari coined their quick recovery on their manipulation of the arcane, but few truly knew why the Ainrii had recovered so quickly. Not all was well however, as a looming threat on their border dared to change the course of history. Diviners had caught the threat early and adequate forces were being mobilized to maneuver into a position that could intercept the huge Goblin Army before it could further threaten Ainrii lands.

The river was the primary obstacle, but it would not hold the host for long, already Goblin patrols had crossed the river and killed a few handfuls of loitering mages and farmers. For the most part, those who didn't live in the major population centers remained where they were, unknowing of the impending threat. The Ainrii could dispatch units to round the people up, but it would take ime and precious military units. If they were left to their own devices and the Elves were defeated at the river, the people would most likely be taken slaves by the Kurgans.

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The Dead Lands were a perpetual mystery. Diviners who attempted to even scry on the Dead Lands were met with visions and nightmares of horrendous beasts and creatures, some so badly they would never cast again. Those teams dispatched into the Dead Lands themselves often reported that they felt less wholesome when they finally returned. The ghouls were explained with more ease. They were sustained by Animate Dead spells, in which of the sort was being cast by mere presence in the light fog that perpetuated the Dead Lands. If ever an elf, a dwarf, an orc, anything died within the Dead Lands, it would be reanimated as a ghoul. If bitten by a ghoul, one would transform into a ghoul within hours.

The Ainrii had stabbed rather deep into the Dead Lands, but had never gotten close enough to the looming tower that Varinus' once inhabited to investigate it due to the growing number of ghouls and the alleged dire spiders that crept and crawled in the various crevasses near the tower itself. One thing was for sure though, huge magical power seaped from the tower itself.

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-- Many Ainrii Elves are in danger of being taken captive if not evacuated. This will take time and military resources though. They must either be evacuated or left to their own.

-- The Dead Lands remain a mystery, though Varinus' tower seaps with magical energy.