Somewhere in the Ursine Forest
"Boss, They are here." said a man keeping watch from a tree near a cave entrance.
A tall man with a rough look and a scar along the left side of his face got up and walked toward the entrance of the cave.
He could hear the sound of the horses coming in their direction.
"Alright you basterds it's time to go to work, rest time is over get your ass up." shouted the tall bandit.
-After a few minutes-
The group of horsemen stopped in front of the cave entrance.
"Sain the chieftain said it's time to make a move." said a man from the group.
The tall bandit Sain , "Lauh, is it time they made their move."
Lauh with a smile said, "Yes, the count's men were seen around the entrance of the range. They are now camping near the Welie Lake."
Sain nodded, "We are ready to move at any time."
Lauh smiled," Good. Start mobilizing the men."
-Eastern Urisine-
As the dawn breaks over the horizon Count Den Desdemona stares at the entrance to the Ursine forest, the Army of House Desdemona along with many others stands arrayed in mighty ranks, organized and ready to march into the shadowed depths where war awaits. Led by the pride of House Desdemona Ballion Desdemona a 6th Rank Mage and a genius of the kingdom, stands at the front of this army with a formidable blend of steel, magic, and unbreakable resolve.
The Composition of the Army
The Noble Knights of the Iron Vanguard (1,500)
Clad in enchanted plate armor, their visors bear the crest of House Desdemona a woman in a dark veil with only a bright light from her eye visible. Mounted on barded warhorses, they form the hammer of the king's will. Among them ride 50 Paladins of the Sacred Flame, their blades alight with holy fire.
The Arcane Collegium (300 Mages and Battle-Sorcerers)
100 Pyromancers, their staves crackling with ember and flame. 75 Geomancers, who can shatter earth and summon stone guardians. 50 Stormcallers, commanding thunder, and hurricane winds. 75 Illusionists, cloaking troops in mist or shielding them from arrows.
The Steel Legion (4,000 Men-at-Arms and Heavy Infantry)
2,000 Sword-and-board legionnaires, their tower shields locked in an unbreakable wall. 1,500 Halberdiers, their polearms bristling like a forest of death. 500 Zweihander-wielding champions, cleaving through enemy lines with monstrous greatswords.
The Rangers of the Grey Cloak (800)
Masters of forest warfare, moving like ghosts between the trees. Armed with longbows and poisoned arrows, they pick off foes before battle is joined. 200 Beastmasters command trained wolves and hawks for scouting and ambush.
The Siege Breakers (500 Engineers and Artillery)
20 Trebuchets, hauled by oxen, capable of hurling enchanted boulders. 50 Ballistae, their bolts tipped with alchemical fire. Mobile Arcane Cannons, relics of a lost age, powered by mage crystals.
The Faithful Zealots (1,000 Warrior-Priests and Fanatics)
Clerics of the War-God, chanting hymns that harden flesh against blades. Flagellants, their bodies scarred with holy sigils, charged fearlessly into death. Exorcists, wielding relics to banish dark spirits lurking in the woods.
The Shadowblades (200 Assassins and Spymasters)
Silent killers who infiltrate enemy camps, slitting throats and burning supplies. Doppelgängers are mages who take the form of foes to sow chaos.
The Royal Guard (200 Elite Protectors)
The Phoenix Guard was sworn to die and be reborn in service to the king. Each bears a dragon steel blade, capable of cutting through magic and armor alike.
The March into the Forest
As the army advances, the earth trembles beneath their boots. The mages ward the front ranks against ambush, their eyes glowing with detection spells. The rangers flit ahead, ensuring no traps lie in wait. The knights ride at the flanks, their lances ready to skewer any beast or warrior that dares attack.
Above them, stormcallers summon a mist to obscure their numbers, while pyromancers keep torches alight with eternal flame. The forest itself seems to recoil—ancient trees shift, and the howls of unseen creatures echo in the dark.
They are the wrath of the realm, and they will burn the forest to the ground to the ground if it stands in their way.
Ballion Desdemona, "Uncle, while the force assembled is an impressive force in this vast forest how are we to find her let alone bring her back." asked Den Desdemona.
After a moment of silence, the count responded," After the incident, there has been no movement in the forest it is as if the forest itself has gone silent which is proof that the forces within the forest know of what has happened meaning the attack was not coincident by rather a predetermined strike so we only have to go to the hideout we know if they will come to us no doubt.'
Ballion, "If that is the case then they should be aware of our arrival and will be preparing an ambush won't they." asked puzzled.
Den, " Yes they should be aware of our arrival and be preparing for battle."
Ballion was angry," And you are marching straight into their ambush." looking at his uncle with disbelief.
Den, "What other choice do we have? We have to get her back no matter what is not House Desdemona is finished."
Ballion ," Uncle while the attack may have happened in our territory that should be enough for the king to react so violently would it?"
Den," The fact that she was traveling through our land should not have been known to many so how these mountain dwellers so accurately predict their movement and chose to attack in a location where we would take the most amount of time to send reinforcement to."
Ballion, "So you mean someone from the capital is behind this,"
The count said nothing but his silence said it all. Ballion could only hope for this war to end their success or as his uncle said this incident could be the death of them all.