The chill of early winter crept through the mountain tunnels of Dünrath, but inside the grand hall the air was electric with purpose.
Emil stood before a crude but growing map — pinned with notes, sketches, and coded messages from across the Northern Lands. The scattered sparks of rebellion had become a roaring flame, and now he would forge it into an unstoppable engine.
The Propaganda Office
Near the entrance of Dünrath, the first Office of the People's Voice had been established. Here, scribes, teachers, and former clerks labored day and night, printing pamphlets, posters, and clandestine newspapers.
Their message was simple and sharp:
"Freedom through knowledge, strength through unity.""The land belongs to those who work it.""A musket in every hand, a voice for every soul."
These leaflets slipped quietly into mail sacks, were nailed under village noticeboards, and left in taverns disguised as religious tracts.
The Union's voice would be heard in every corner, sowing ideas like seeds in fertile soil.
Uniforms and Identity
The patchwork rebels — peasants, smiths, hunters — began to adopt a common symbol.
A simple red armband, stitched with a black gear and quill, was distributed by the Union couriers. It marked friend from foe.
Soon, whole village militias trained in matching patched jackets, rough but practical, dyed with natural reds and browns. Emil knew the power of unity and morale — a uniform wasn't just cloth. It was identity.
"We are no longer scattered rebels," Emil told the leaders. "We are a people."
Central Command
The great hall of Dünrath became more than a meeting place — it was the heart of a growing military and political machine.
Maps of roads, supply lines, and patrol movements covered every wall.
Emil appointed Jorund, the ex-soldier, as Commander of the Union Guard — tasked with training militias in tactics and discipline. His laugh was rough, but his drill was relentless.
Emil himself took the title Chairman of the Union, but more importantly, he set up a Council of Delegates to share command and avoid dictatorship.
"A revolution can die as easily in one man's ego as in an army's defeat," he told them.
Tactics and Training
Under Jorund's watchful eye, the Union militias learned the art of skirmish warfare — guerrilla tactics suited to their muskets and knowledge of the land.
They practiced ambushes, hit-and-run raids, and the use of terrain to offset the nobles' heavy cavalry.
Village hunters taught marksmanship and tracking, former sergeants instructed in formation, and blacksmiths developed faster-loading flintlocks.
A New Hope
One evening, Emil stood atop Dünrath's highest tower, looking toward the frostbitten horizon.
The towns below were quiet, but in every hearth, a fire burned — a fire of hope, knowledge, and defiance.
"They will come," Emil murmured. "But when they do... we will be ready."