[i]The First War...[/i] That's what most people called it, because -- quite literally -- it was just that. The Continent had never seen conflict on this scale before. Oh, sure, for as long as their had been more than two them in the same general location, men had had disagreements, had argued, and sometimes had fought. Sometimes, they had fought with their fists, other times with weapons; sometimes they had fought one to one, and other times with their friends, family, or subjects supporting them. But until The First War had come to fruition, there had never in over a thousand years of recorded history been a conflict in which more than perhaps a dozen men had lost their lives around any one event or disagreement. The First War had now been raging for more than a generation, reaching every corner of the Continent, involving in one way or another every Duchy, County, City, Town, and Village. The true cost in lives wasn't precisely known, but it was estimated that more than 10,000 men had fallen on the battle field. Even more tragically, ten times that many [i]non-combatants[/i] had also lost their lives to the conflict, either directly or indirectly: murder, famine, disease, enslavement, and so many other preventable tragedies had seen entire communities disappear from the map. .......... [i]The Duchy of Westrock:[/i] [url=http://i.imgur.com/HKpOJwh.jpg?1]Paul[/url] had, for good or bad, played a part in this life changing devastation and carnage, even though it had never been his intention. Eighteen years ago, when Paul was but 8 years old, his father Cranston and older brother Carl -- respectively, the Duke and heir to the Duchy of Westrock -- had gone east with the former's army to assist the Duchy's allies in fending off a brutal invasion from the north. The Westrock Army held its own for almost a decade, then suffered a major defeat in which the whereabouts of Cranston and Carl went unknown. At just 14 years of age, Paul had led a squad of the House of Cranston Guard against an outlaw band of Highwaymen, proving himself a true warrior and replacing the Captain of the Guard, who had died in the fight. Now, after having begged for years to join his father, Paul found himself instead leading a Guard Expeditionary Force to simply locate his father and brother and bring them home ... dead or alive. He'd left in the Year 914, and now Paul had returned to Westrock for the first time in 12 years. He had been sitting in his saddle, silent and still, for almost an hour, just staring over the mile wide coastal plain at [url=http://i.imgur.com/8b2dUKc.jpg]his family's home, the Castle Westrock[/url]. What remained of his Force, supplemented by survivors from his father's Army he'd located over the years, stretched out in two ranks behind Paul, to his right and left. It wasn't the energetic, young, eager Force with which he'd left so long ago, but there were still proud warriors loyal to their leader, so they too had remained in their saddles, waiting. Hours before they'd even come into sight of the Castle, Paul and his men had been spied by a Frontier Scout. The man had quickly turned his horse westward to report. When Paul first sighted the castle, he couldn't help but note that the banner flying above it was not that of the House of Westrock but was instead that of the House of Ryrstone... .......... [i]The Castle Westrock:[/i] "You're [i]certain![/i]" The Scout kneeling on the stone floor peeked upward at the question, then quickly dropped his head again as he declared, "[i]Yes[/i], m'lord ... they are flying the banner of the House of Westrock." [url=http://i.imgur.com/qPFccae.jpg?1]Count Lars Barker[/url] was looking out upon the Western Ocean, his back to the Scout and a dozen other people who had responded to the incredible news. Most of those present were likely as concerned about the news as was Lars. But looking back over his shoulder at the faces and the expressions upon them, he knew that there were be some who would be excited at the prospect of change in Westrock leadership. "And you are sure it is Lord Paul's banner ... of the Expeditionary Force...?" he quizzed, adding with a hopeful tone, "Not that of the Duke's Army." "Yes, m'lord," the Scout confirmed. When Lars asked how many men he'd seen, the Scout answered, "Twenty, m'lord ... maybe more, but not much." Lars went back to staring out the window for a long moment, knowing that those assembled behind him were on pins and needles wanting to know how he was going to react. For almost two decades, Lars had essentially ruled the Duchy of Westrock. As Cranston's most trusted Knight -- as well as husband to Mary, the Duke's eldest daughter -- Lars had been well positioned when the Duke and his eldest son went east with the Army. Lars had taken the role of Regent, advising Cranston's second son, Richard, in the affairs of state and -- should his father and brother not return -- in how to be a successful Duke. Of course, Lars had never planned on turning the Duchy over to Richard. The odds of Cranston or Carl returning were slim; and Richard -- while intelligent and charismatic -- didn't have what it took to run a Duchy during a time of conflict. Lars had been easily able to manipulate Richard, who at the time of his father's departure had been on 12 years old. Soon, most of the important positions of power -- from Tax Collector to Captain of the Guard to Prime Minister (who was responsible for negotiating with the Counties under the Duchy's control) -- were filled with Lars's friends, family, and boot licking [i]minions[/i]. In a handful of years, the treasury of the House of Ryrstone was larger than that of the House of Westrock. But Paul had become a problem. The young boy had become a skilled warrior and leader of men barely past his mid-teens. When word came of the destruction of the Westrock Army and Cranston's disappearance, Lars was quick to privately suggest to Richard that he send his brother and loyal force of men to search for the missing Duke. Of course, no one had known that Lars had been responsible for the discovery of the Army's secret location, resulting in its ambush and virtual annihilation; nor could anyone know that soon after Paul's departure, Lars would poison Richard, leaving him lingering in pain for weeks before dying of kidney failure. After some additional [i]accidents[/i] and [i]sicknesses[/i] over the years to come, Lars found himself firmly in control of the Duchy, with his own children -- Cranston's grandchildren via the Duke's daughter, Mary -- in line to become the next Duke. Lars had nearly faced an [i]overthrow[/i] when the Duchess Eddithia -- Paul's mother -- conspired to have him assassinated, but Lars had taken care of that easily enough by threatening to kill Mary and the children she'd birth with him. And then ... this. Lars turned away from the window to look out upon those awaiting his response. Movement at the back of the room caught his attention and turned his stomach. His daughter Olivia had been closer to Richard than Lars would have liked, and while he'd attempted to keep her away from the Castle and, thus, the Duchy's heir, she'd still managed to grow up with an affection for the men of the family Lars was trying to eradicate. "[i]Out![/i]" he commanded. Lars waved a dismissive hand at them all, then looked right at his daughter, repeating, "[i]Every[/i] one ... [i]out![/i]" They turned to leave -- some hurrying more than others -- all except for one man. After the room was clear, Crone -- officially the Captain of the Guard of Westrock and unofficially Lars's go-to man on all issues violent -- came forward so close to the Regent as to be able to talk in whispers. Crone told Lars what he knew, which wasn't much more than the Count already knew. "I want men watching their every move," Lars told him. "I want to know what they do ... who they speak to ... I want to know what they're eating and drinking before they put it in their mouth." "Should I get the girl?" Crone asked. "Yes," Lars said, knowing exactly which of the young women in his employ Crone was speaking. "I want her to be the first set of tits Paul lays eyes on." Crone bowed slightly, backed a step, and turned to leave. "And raise the banner," Lars said as an after thought. When Crone turned back to him with a knowing glance, Lars glared, clarifying the question the man didn't want to ask. "The banner of the House of Westrock." .......... [i]On the Coastal Plane:[/i] As they watched from the far side of the vast coastal plane, the banner over the castle began lowering from the pole high above the Castle. A moment later, the massive banner of the House of Westrock -- which shared features with the one flying behind Paul -- rose to the top of the pole. Paul looked to his Lieutenant, sharing a quiet glance before he relaxed his hold on the reins, allowing his horse to begin a slow walk toward home...