Was it time to show their true colors? Or should they feign allegiance and die for their new masters? Walking into the room he found his 3rd wife reading to his 8th son, and two youngest daughters. She read from the bestiary of dragons that once flew the skies of Calorn yet still fly on her three moons. According to the dragon books there were thirty two types of dragons. Lung Dragons, yong Dragons, knuckers, ampitheres, Lindworms, Wyverns, marsupials, colony dragons, Dwarf Dragons, stone dragons, firebird dragons, earth dragons, Apophis Dragons, Sea Dragons, Blue crest Dragons, Red Dragons, Green, Black, Metallic, white, fire Drakes, Leviathans, behemoths, nagas serpents, nidhogs, wyrms, hydras, cockatrice, purple and gray dragons. He ha to remember all those dragons. Closing the door to their chamber Baron Blackmire interrupted the reciting of the 350 page bestiary. His wife, one tall beautiful battle mage, Ingrideinne the motherly had a knack for stories, teaching, training, and hard working. Knowing her since childhood, he knew she was afraid of spiders. It was something he always teased her about. Whenever he went too far she would through a small fireball at him. Blackmire also had a angry hedge mage in his armies.
"Time for bed children, you need your sleep. Tomorrow will be a day of festivities and fun." Blackmire said making the next day sound exciting for them. Each little face had an excited expression appear. His own wife, his mother, gave him a more cross expression.
Ignoring her Blackmire said his goodnight to each child before taking her off to their own quarters. She was silent in her black gown with silver designs. All he had on was a wool laced shirt with their Black Dragon insignia. Although not the only Black Dragon Clan or Family the Blackmire House felt forced to pledge allegiance to the alien Gantronese. Those light gray humanoids with no noses, scared faces, and large black eyes. Some say these were ghost demons from the skies. However they did provide protection from the other invaders, the Nazdar. Entering their room he saw a Green Dragon wine bottle holder on a counter bar against the stone wall. Next to it lay two chalices. A Duwal Chalice with twin Dragon Blood figures guarding a skull crest. The other was a goblet with a blue divine Dragon holding a blade. Sitting down he pulled his wife in with him. She did not resist as she got in bed while he poured them a little wine. Blackmire started to drink, but his Ingrideinne did not for some reason.
"What is wrong?" he asked her lowering the wine from his face.
"Are you going to face them?" she asked him. "Are you going to confront our new masters?"
"Not yet. They have summoned us to protect our half of the small continent." He assured her rubbing her shoulder.
"If they haven't already, they will send our men to fight against those Vestrisians. What do they want?" She retorted back at him grabbing his arm with fear.
"I have summoned the other Dragon Clans. We must march to the south where this new enemy has just landed on our shores." Blackmire responded.
"You mean the Gantronese lands. This was once home to the Blackhell peoples who are likely to side with the new invaders." she tried to argue.
"We have new weapons to use against these new invaders. A few Lesdonian vessels went down from a turret they gave us." He boasted to her face.
"That five man turret that looks like a death trap only sunk small skiffs or gunboats!" She said as though it was a rebuke.
"Ingrideinne they gave us a Nazdar Tank, well three Nazdar tanks."
"One stolen tank, and two broken down ones." She replied.
He wanted to tell her about the 375 Assault Rifles, and AA transporters the Gantronese also gave them. That would either have to wait or be shown in a few days. Finishing his wine alongside his wife Blackmire laid back and fell asleep. Morning came as the light of the dawn hit his closed eyes. The children entered their room with the nanny chasing after them. Forced to get up because of the children he ate morning meals with them and his wife. Each one were excited over what he was going to show them. What none of them expected was a bit of company. Seven other guests arrived wearing traditional clothing of their respected regions. Count Redmire of the Red Dragons arrived with his fiend looking maid. Lord Greenmouth of the Green Serpent Dragons, Baron Abbogus of the Gold Dragons, Gantronese-Puppet Commander Count Viggu Rabashi leading the commoners, Sir Eudes the Green Drake had the militia under his command. Looking at each leader he spotted 6 kegs, 8 crates and 6 barrels that were taken from a siege tower some lone Oni made into a home. On the wall hung a ceremonial Dragon Costume with Draconic Bat wings.
"Welcome my fellow collaborators. The Gantronese have ordered us to repel an attack by an invader. No it is not the Vestrisians, but someone else." Blackmire addressed to his guests. His feast for them was waiting in the other room.
"I understand the past blood feuds are still lingering over our heads. It would benefit us all, if we stood together while serving the Gantronese. I have offered 337 of my own Black Dragon Warriors to serve them. What about the rest of you?" Blackmire addressed to the gathered leaders.
One at a time the leaders presented how many they were offering to defend their realm. Count Redmire offered a unit of 715 Red Dragon warriors for this defense. Lord Greenmouth brought over 635 Green Serpent Warriors. Baron Abbogus commanded just 198 Gold Dragon Knights for this fight. Count Rabashi had over 7555 armed commoners and peasants under his command. Sir Eudes commanded over 1,000 militia armed with Gantronese weapons. One company of 210 Foreign mercenaries was given their own commander by the name of Eman Bowerstone the Harpoonist. Not playing around Blackmire insisted they begin moving troops to the south. Gantronese authorities, their rulers, would not doubt have someone executed over any delays.
"Making the most of the forces were are allowed to marshal, we have to move quickly. These 10,650 warriors we rallied already exceeds what they allow to be marshaled." Blackmire persisted before the other leaders who came.
"How much time did the Gantronese give us?" Rabashi inquired folding his arms.
"Just ten days to rest and begin moving our troops." Blackmire answered Rabashi.
"Moving a large amount of troops is going to be difficult. Most of the motorized vehicles are taken by the Gantronese!" Greensmouth touted before the meeting of leaders.
"We can march on foot!" Abbogus gave him a sincere glare that would send apprentices in the corner wetting their pants.
"We have no time to march on foot, Abbogus. A fort of Retainers is under siege by these monster aliens called the Order of the Beast and CSO." Greenmouth pointed out. An argument arose among them over what to do. Blackmire put his head in is hands with his elbows on the table. Hearing arguments when they needed to get a move on created head aches. As they almost came to blows something hit him. Someone else could lead their forces. Another person could do this for them.
"How about someone else do this for us? Lead our troops or their own troops that is closer to the front." He suggested to them. Every leader fell silent. They knew of whom he spoke of. A loner, who had military experience when fighting the Nazdar, Vestrisians, and the tribes of the Unknown Lands. This person was familiar with the area.
"Mogg the Ghost Marked Orc is closer to the invader than we are." Blackmire suggested to the leaders. In his mind he knew how it sounded. The invader, if he was a neutral official watching this unfold their Gantronese Masters would be the invader. Fighting for them would make them a traitor to the rest of Calorn. It apparently made them traitors, anyone who fought for the Gantronese or Nazdar. One Grussian Prisoner of War spat the words at his face from their prison cell.
No one said a word in response. Each one showed a blank yet scared face. He knew what Mogg was like, the Orc Hybrid wasn't what they really cared for nor had the balls to confront. Looking down at the table he spotted the Dragon Letter opener sitting next to some Draconic Sea Lions figurines on the table. Representing real draconic sea lions in the southern seas, the decorative pieces appeared eye catching. These really belonged to the cross chamber full of artifacts his wife arranged. However she insisted on setting the sea lion pieces on the table. For a half an hour he convinced the other leaders to let him contact Mogg tomorrow while they prepared to march south.
At dawn they marched with a force of over ten thousand. Only five of the leaders went with them. Blackmire kept close contact with them via a radio given as a gift from the Gantronese. Through this communication he learned smaller forces joined them. One band of 25 fire warriors of Retoriam, a company of 252 Green troopers with Gantronese rifles, one creator wit 25 automaton sets of armor with swords, and another company of 152 marksmen joined them. Blackmire himself had to march down there two days later. A unit of 92 Cat Folk warriors, 6 Dog Soldiers, 43 human collaborators, 468 rifle Dragoons, and 7 barbarians arrived at his home. Leaving the castle-mansion to the defense of a Gantronese Field Marshall, the cat folk guards and Dog soldiers he marched with the rest of that unit. Riding with this unit they arrived at the scene of the invasion. Carnage was all they found as well as the forces they sent over. Corpses of the invading forces, collaborators, some of their own knights and warriors littered the grasslands just before the coast. Signs of infighting could be found in abandoned villages, some coves, and the main bay. Some fortress was under siege around the time their forces arrived. Just 77 retainers to a Gantronese Lord survived a battle and siege. Corpses trailing from a nice grove towards the fort showed how fierce the fighting was. Blackmire surmised the determination of both sides over control in this region. Checking the bodies he noticed their Gantronese Masters seemed less in number among the casualties. Were their masters losing manpower or were they trying to use them as cannon fodder.
Disposing of a population through war was never seen by Blackmire since 1838 AN. Several nations of Elves and Dwarves were sent to their deaths in the Unknown Lands bordering Mulzan. Although they were gifted cipher wheels as friends to the Gantronese, these humanoids were used as expendable troops. That was something Blackmire could barely forget no matter how hard he tried erasing the memories. Combining the new forces with Red Dragon, Green Serpent Dragon, Gold Dragon, Black Dragon warriors, and their militia, Blackmire's new command found the invaders at a beach further west. Speaking with newly promoted commanders because of the intense combat killing off the original ones proved difficult yet informative. Over a division's worth of aliens invaded marched under the banners of some Order of the Beast, and a Chaotic Surprise Oligarchy that acted like rivals. Eager to send the invaders to their graves or into the seas, his Gantronese masters insisted on attacking them. Claiming they would be finishing them off they engaged a force of more than eleven thousand. Another collaborator unit attacked from the northern flank with just 915 troops out of ten thousand. Hearing this news Blackmire wondered if this army attacked with over 100, 000.
Knowing this would lead to his death Blackmire attacked alongside thirteen thousand others who made a mess in the fighting. Facing various alien mercenaries they discovered a few rebels joined them. One unit of 200 people of the Blackbell Isle chose to fight against the Gantronese, an island on the southern end of the continent. Another unit of traitors was among them, known as the Lairthos wolfmen, a humanoid race that pledged fealty to the Gantronese. Apparently, it was a fake pledge through their eyes. He drove his blade through the throat of one wolfman as 950 green faced troops engaged with bayonets alongside 708 hobgoblin-wolf like beings called Tessari, 621 Mahadi cat folk. Forced to fight in gunfights, close quarters combat his forces also engaged 809 tattooed warriors called Woadi. For several hours forces loyal to the Gantronese fought off another set of alien invaders preserving another alien's foothold. Taking out these new invaders wasn't easy, but they managed to wipe out the rest of them while driving the remnants into the sea. Either forcing them down into the muddy water face down, or choking them under the water Gantronese collaborators won a costly victory. Ending this battle alongside his fellow Tenmosians Blackmire slew other aliens such as Vanudai Ratmen, Qhelmite Bug humanoids, Chugo pigloid humanoids, Primate Bhitalions, Andazi reptilians, elite blue demons, Chugsin(warthog humanoids), Ogres, and Baubauns (baboon humanoids). Among these aliens they discovered a few Vestrisian Dark Elf collaborators who were likely acting as spies to these new alien invaders. Some of them had fake I.D.'s along with VUVR ID's with the Vestrisian Emblem and flag on the back of the ID card.
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