Koval’s starkly blue eyes were locked on Henrik as he waited for a reply, looking carefully to judge his mannerisms. The hard process in which one earned trust of the people of Arda’Njor was a byproduct of the harshness of the land. Offering trust so easily would have led to the collapse of the Province long ago, and Koval was not about to make that mistake. He intended to challenge Henrik, and challenge he did.

[i]"In fact, it was at the behest of my father, the late Jarl of Arda’Njor, that the war continue. That an occupying force remain to ensure the obedience of the Gothran people. He saw it then, as did others. Yet Beron did not heed our warnings. Instead, a peace was brokered, allowing Vlad to rise to prominence, and the threat persist. The Gothran are a vicious people, and like the dogs they are, the should have been kept on a tight leash."[/i]

Taking a deep breath, Koval shook his head. [i]"The threat that the Gothran possess is obvious, and if you cannot see that, then how can we expect you to meet it? You speak of an age of Glory, but how can Glory be obtained without first ensuring the security of our land? Of your own, land?”[/i] Koval wanted those last words to sting, and he made sure his tone betrayed that.

[i]”…and while you dismiss me as a warmonger, understand that I have accepted that our security can only be achieved by meeting this threat on the field of battle. That the long lasting perpetuity of our land can only be assured, when the dogs of the Kingdom of Gothra are held in check by a short leash.”[/i] With one of his massive hands he makes a yanking motion, as though her were to cull a feral beast.

[i]”So again, I ask you. Are you of the sort to back up your words, and drive our enemies into the ground? Or are you of the same sort as our former King, and back down at the earliest offer of tribute?"[/i]