A most noble reward

Chapter 1

My companions and I have ridden through these dark woods for several days now. We do not know these strange lands, nor do we know where our journey is taking us. Even the purpose of our departure is not yet clear to either me or the brothers and sisters of my alliance. But we follow our leader, who is riding at the head of our column, with neither complaint nor hesitation.

A few weeks ago, nobody had expected us to set off on a mysterious journey. It had been business as usual in our alliance. We fought strange invaders who attacked our Great Empire, traded with and supported each other, and struggled with other alliances. Until one day our leader was called to the court of the great emperor… This was already out of the ordinary, since our majesty usually only communicates through his trusted herold Lumbricus. For his majesty to invite somebody to his court was a great honor, but also strange… even stranger was the fact that we learned from other alliances that their leaders had also been invited to the emperor’s court.

My alliance brethren and I already knew that something extraordinary was going on. A few days later, our leader returned from the imperial court and brought along the coat of arms and charter of a noble house. This caused quite a commotion in our alliance. We had long ago agreed to not acquire a noble house charter. Although this is always a prestigious honor, we felt like the cost in resources would not be worth the actual benefit. Something had changed our alliance leader’s mind… But what announcement might have triggered these new developments?

And now we are here, in the middle of this forest, riding below a flag with our new coat of arms. But we are still unsure where our journey will take us. All that we know is that “a deserved reward” awaits us.

Finally, warm sunlight shines ahead, and the trees begin to thin out. We are reaching the edge of the forest! And suddenly, its massive walls appear before us. It’s a palace… no, it's a city, a city of gold and granite, a mighty citadel! And flying above its walls and towers is the new flag of our noble house!

Our leader turns around on his horse to face us, sporting a cocky smile: “Welcome, my brothers and sisters in arms! Welcome to our alliance city!”

[4439625] CM Arcanine [None] :: June 1, 2016, 2:05 p.m.

Chapter 2

We walk through the streets of our alliance city, a look of wonder in our eyes. The city walls are sturdy yet richly decorated with the proud banners of our alliance. The streets are paved in a smooth, fine marble, and the lush greenery and vibrant decorations lift our spirits immediately. Majestic buildings of the finest workmanship soar into the sky, but I’ve noticed some conspicuous empty lots in the city’s layout. Space for more construction maybe?

Our leader guides us through the city, pointing out landmarks and buildings. “Over there are the barracks. And there, next to the river, is the city’s keep. And in that lot we will build the drill ground.”

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One of our battle sisters speaks up: “We have to construct it? Commander, are you saying that the city is not yet complete?” Our leader nods firmly. “That is indeed correct. His majesty funded the initial fortifications and buildings, using some of the funds we paid for our noble house charter. But there is still more work to do.”
Our leader turns towards us, pointing at each alliance member individually: “Many tasks await us, and we all have to do our part. We need to collect more resources. Not only wood, stone, coins, and rubies, but also coal, glass, iron, and oil! We need to collect these resources and use them to build up the city! Construct new buildings, improve those buildings we already have, and make this city the pride of our noble house!”

One battle brother sounds skeptical: “Commander, this sounds like a lot of work… won’t it distract us from our other duties? We still have to take care of our own castles, fight battles, go on adventures! Our commander nods again: “All valid points, but I truly believe that if we work together as an alliance, we can achieve these noble goals. And our alliance city is more than just a pretty, useless decoration.”
Our leader points a finger at the keep, explaining its purpose: “All of these buildings will perform a valuable service for all members of our alliance and improve each member's economy or military power in a specific way. Also, in times of emergency, we can gain temporary advantages. And finally, this is about our pride as an alliance. We will not open our alliance city to enemy attacks! We will not let them mock us!

This statement made me worry: “Commander, what enemies do you speak of? Are you expecting an attack? But who would dare to attack us? The nomads? Those crazy fools from Berimond, mayhaps?”

Suddenly we hear a stranger's voice from behind: “Now, now, Commander. Let me explain these facts to your valiant warriors.”

We turn around and see a stranger at the door of a building. He is richly dressed, yet if I were to speak freely, I’d compare his appearance to that a hairy worm. I have never met this man before, yet he seems eerily familiar, especially the way he’s holding his scroll…

The stranger chuckles dryly: “Ah, I see that you’ve already met my cousin. Very well. You may call me Parvulus. I am an imperial prefect and by order of the emperor tasked with overseeing all matters concerning the alliance cities. Let me tell you about the upcoming battles and the prestigious royal capital…”