With the council meeting over, the advisors sprang into action. Time was of the essence. Even if the army wouldn’t march for at least another month, the sooner everyone acted the better.

  Count Clement was busy building support for his cause. Most of the West already on his side, but the rest of the kingdom was still up for grabs. The areas that the royal heralds reached before Clement’s lackeys did would be more hesitant to join his side, but they weren’t completely loyal either. The narrative had to be controlled soon.

  A new group of messengers was dispatched. The Western areas, just East of Tresannes and the current frontline were prioritized. The people there had to be warned of the count’s treachery.

  Alderman Fedlow was accused of being the actual murderer. Court Mage Tobias, and Count Clement were additionally highlighted as key conspirators in the plot. Whoever heard this news first, would be far more skeptical of the rebellion’s message.

  After a consultation with Nilo, he agreed to lend his name to Varre’s cause. He trusted his friend. Even though it pained him to go against his father, he couldn’t argue with the evidence. Clement tried to kidnap him. And now the count sparked this rebellion. In exchange for Nilo’s support, the king agreed that Clement’s life would be spared. He didn’t want to hurt his friend’s family.

  The herald’s message also highlighted that Nilo of Quendon was firmly on the crown’s side. He condemned his father as a traitor, but promised that if he was to lay down his arms, his crimes would be forgiven. This lent a lot of credibility to the loyalist side. Even Clement’s own son didn’t support him.

  Of course, some people would refuse this message. If Varre was truly the tyrant he was painted out to be, he could have easily kidnapped Nilo and tortured him to get that message out. But this utilitarian side was susceptible to another argument. If Clement allowed his own son to get captured, how could he possibly hope to rule a kingdom? Or win a civil war. Even if he was on the side of justice, he was losing.

  To highlight the fact that Nilo supported this message personally, Varre made sure to add him to his entourage. The young aristocrat stuck closely to the monarch, publicly participating in court sessions, showing everyone that he was there of his own free will. He even visited a couple other cities across Logres, by himself, to prove that he could escape or seek shelter if he truly wanted to.

  The same team of heralds dispatched to slow down Clement’s support carried a second message. They revealed the crown’s extensive recruitment program, offering high salaries to all those willing to fight against the rebellion.

  It worked just as Varre had intended. Now, most people saw this as an isolated quarrel between two noble families, with Clement’s movement being a simple power grab. They no longer felt like they had to pick a side. Even those who secretly believed that Varre did, or at least could have assassinated Mikkel, weren’t going to stake their livelihoods on it.

  Some still chose to support the rebellion of course. They either felt that strongly about it, or believed it was the best chance to improve their life. A small trickle of volunteers moved West, prepared to fight. Most knights however, saw the salary offered by Varre and had their decisions made for them.

  Peasants on the other hand were completely staying out of the conflict. In fact, most were happy. Politics was completely beyond their purview. Their only contact with wars, were the devastation caused by plunder and getting drafted into their local lord’s force as some sort of levy. Varre’s side promised to keep them out of the war. Furthermore, many salivated at the prospect of earning real gold coins in the army, though their lords would never allow the serfs to leave their lands.

  Most prospective recruits came from the cities. Young adults, old enough to hold a sword, but not to start families moved to the capital. The salaries were far better than what they could hope to earn with labor alone. The job was dangerous of course, but there were enough volunteers to outfit a small army. Luckily, that’s all that was needed.

  Each upper noble was tasked with setting up a small recruitment office in major population centers. They would investigate prospective volunteers and examine their physical capabilities. This also limited the scope of the army, in case there were more prospective soldiers than the crown’s coffers could account for.

  Finally, four days after the arrival of the royal herald, Count Clement’s official message reached the capital. In it, he outlined his reasons for the rebellion. Just as the messenger confirmed, the noble was accusing Varre of murdering his own uncle. The former student should give up his crown and subject himself to an investigation by Clement. This was the only way to ensure his innocence and survival.

  The count then called on all loyal people of Logres to rise up against the tyrant and squash him. He wrote that Varre wasn’t going to leave the throne willingly and that he would force the nation into a brutal civil war to destroy his opposition. Clement recommended that all people willing to stand up for what’s right should ride for Quendon. Once the army was ready, the tyrant’s days would be numbered.

  Fortunately, the count did not anticipate Varre’s move. His prediction was wrong. The crown wasn’t going to call all of its vassals into the conflict.

  Still, with this message reaching the capital, the last possibility for peace was officially over. The countdown to war had begun.

  The crown didn’t stop at the army. The king tried other avenues for building support too. He needed more than just soldiers, after all. The first plan was to meet with the guild master of the adventurers.

  The guild was an organization that spanned across all of Logres. Their headquarters were in Westbridge, but they had small field offices in several other towns as well. Plenty of young and skilled warriors throughout the nation joined up, in hopes of achieving glory and wealth. Most were knights, as these were the most likely to afford training and equipment necessary to survive such harsh conditions. While the eldest children would get to inherit the family village, the others had to get a little more creative.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Some saw becoming an adventurer as a shameful thing to do. It highlighted their poverty, or at least lower status in society. Still, a few years fighting monsters and threats gave one enough wealth and prestige to overcome that stigma. Experienced adventurers commanded respect and often earned enough coin to retire, returning to a noble life at even higher standards than before they left home. Assuming they survived, that is.

  Though rarer, the guild also accepted plenty of commoners. Unlike the Mage Guild, they were far more egalitarian in that aspect. The only thing they cared about was raw talent. Noble blood didn’t make anyone inherently better at swinging a sword, it just made one more likely to afford training and equipment. Still, those with naturally high attributes, or born with powerful skills, could achieve great success despite their low birth.

  Commoner adventurers could achieve the same levels of respect, wealth, and power. Though retiring wasn’t as simple for them. Hypothetically, they could always move to a city and become merchants, or live off their savings of course, but they weren’t allowed to buy up villages like a noble would. If they wanted to achieve a stable source of income, they had to be knighted first. A difficult, though not impossible task.

  This resulted in a strange dichotomy. Though commoners were a minority amongst mid ranked adventurers, most nobles left the guild before achieving the senior levels of the organization. Even if they were knighted later on in their careers, much of the guild leadership came from low birth.

  Such a different mindset, made the adventurers easier to negotiate with. They weren’t as snobby, and were far more willing to try new things than the aristocratic mages. Though they did not want to participate in politics directly, Varre did manage to come to an agreement with them.

  The crown was allowed to hire all interested adventurers across the country. In the form of quests, posted in every field office. Even with their high talents and attributes, their rates were too steep to draw large numbers into the army directly. A small number could make excellent teachers though.

  The crown hired several dozen experienced warriors to train the new recruits pouring into the capital. Captain Hakon was just one man and he already had his hands busy with increasing the Royal Guard as Varre commanded. He regularly inspected the infantry’s training and gave plenty of recommendations, but much of the actual work on the ground was done by adventurers.

  Though the pay wasn’t amazing, many applied for the positions. Those who were still recovering from earlier injuries, or simply wanted a break from dangerous monster hunting, could now move to the capital and spend a few weeks in safety.

  Those with knightly training were quick to introduce real tactics into the newly formed army. The brightest commoners were selected as sergeants to further streamline command. Then, the volunteers were drilled on marching, moving in formation, and following flag and trumpet signaling.

  Adventurers with commoner upbringing had useful lessons of their own. Less familiar with tactics, they focused on combat drills instead. Many of the volunteers had no experience with fighting whatsoever. Even just a couple days of sparring with their comrades could be the difference between life and death on the battlefield.

  Varre took yet another step. He attempted to negotiate with Archmage Kadmos as well. The king had seen the might of a powerful wizard first hand and instantly understood how valuable they could be in war. Unfortunately, this guild proved far less interested in any cooperation.

  “I’m sorry, your majesty,” the Archmage put bluntly, though still unusually polite, “but I’m afraid I cannot help you this time.”

  For this meeting, Varre made sure to bring both Hakon and Marna. He also brought Elvira, though he was less certain about this choice. The obvious conflict between the two wizards could have just made the negotiations harder. Still, he deemed the presence of a loyal Court Mage worth the risk.

  “And why not, exactly?” the king asked. He turned to Elvira, who gave him an ‘I told you so’ look. At least she softened it with a sad smile.

  “Your Court Mage should have taught you about our agreement,” the Archmage glared at the witch, “the guild stays out of civil wars.”

  She had, in fact, warned him about this, but Varre wanted to hear it straight from the source. Perhaps Kadmos could still be negotiated with. At least to a compromise like the one reached with the adventurers.

  “This isn’t a civil war. It’s a rebellion. We’ll arrest Count Clement, remove him from power, and ensure he can never be a threat again. It’s just a minor quarrel,” the king argued.

  “Semantics,” the Archmage waved his hand dismissively, “it’s still the same problem. The guild cooperates with you in many other ways. We offer advice through our Court Mage,” he nodded towards Elvira, “we produce elixir for your needs, as well as the rest of the kingdom, and we sell it to you at a heavy discount. We offer magical services, we hunt down monsters, we train the next generations of wizards. We even help you in case of foreign invasions. But we stay out of internal politics.”

  “I understand it’s a longstanding policy,” Varre said, “but this isn’t even politics. Just a quarrel. The victor is already decided. Clement played out his hand and lost. The nobility isn’t rising up in his support, and his little rebellion will be squashed in months, at worst. You lose nothing by helping me, and you can be sure that I will appreciate any support you can give. It’ll be worth its weight in gold,” he alluded.

  Kadmos’s greed was well known. Varre was briefed on this factor in advance and he planned to take full advantage of this fact by making an offer the wizard couldn’t refuse.

  The glint in the Archmage’s eye showed that it was beginning to work. “Even if that were so, the risk is too great. Every mage guild in every kingdom has the same exact policy. This is standard! Before this, every time a civil war rocked the nation, mages on the losing side would be culled. No one wanted to leave such traitors in power. That’s why we stay out of politics. This principle ensures that our research can continue uninterrupted. No matter who sits on the throne.”

  “We do not need you to pick a side,” the king countered, “we just need you to allow us to hire some of your wizards. Only those that want to take the risk.”

  “That’s still too dangerous. Even if I officially announced my guild’s neutrality, the lives of my mages would be at stake,” Kadmos shook his head, “all of those who support you now, would be killed if you lose. That is too heavy a price.”

  There it is, Varre thought to himself. “I understand that it’s a difficult sacrifice for you, to risk your own guild members. Especially at this time. I’m told you’ve had struggles with training up new members.”

  “Indeed,” the Archmage locked eyes with the monarch, “we’ve lost a lot of good people recently, as you very well know. We barely have enough resources to prepare the next generation for magic.”

  “What if I gave you those resources?” the king offered.

  “That would make this decision a lot easier,” Kadmos smirked, “I’d be a lot more willing to allow my people to take the risk, if I was certain the kingdom’s magic research would survive. What did you have in mind, your majesty?”

  “I recently came into possession of some land just outside the capital. What if I gave you a village? It’s the perfect site for a brand new academy and you can even use the farms’ income to pay for the upkeep. That should help with training some students.”

  The Archmage leaned forward in his chair. “Magical academies are expensive your majesty. Both to build and to keep them running.”

  Varre glanced at Marna. She slightly nodded. “Two villages then. Final offer.”

  Kadmos smiled and extended his hand. “Your majesty. You drive a hard bargain.”

  We get a little bit of world building here too, with an explanation of the kind of people who become adventurers in Logres.