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[color=598527][hr][hr][h2]The Fortunes of Kingdoms[/h2][hr][hr]
The fortunes of nations rise and fall in war like waves on a beach. Sometimes they ebb low and other times, they flow high. If the Parrench had been mauled in the Fields of Fire, then they had come away with a dragon in the hands of one of the king's most trusted: Sir Maerec of Solenne. If the Eskandr were now directly threatening Chamonix and King Arcel with a superior force, then at least the city was wholly committed to its defense and Eleanor was on the way with what remained of her army. 

Burned as well, had been a goodly portion of that great city of the yasoi: Loriindton - in some respects cleansed in the fire. The Eskandr were vile now, in the eyes of these people, their cause firmly allied to that of Parrence, and the soul of Talit'yrash'osmax irrevocably damned in the process. They rode out in force and with all due haste to strike a blow for their chosen side. 

Meldheim had been put to the torch, a thousand years of Eskandr history and culture along with hundreds of souls lost. Yet, some had been saved by what many were calling an act of the Gods. A prince had been ransomed as well, but the result had been a people united and rallied and an alliance with Kressia formally struck. A second great heathen army incubated in the southlands, gathering its strength before a march north and a final reckoning. Preceding it, however, came the forces of Kressia, now assured of its position as an Eskandr equal and fully committed to the conflict. Queen Astrid had joined them atop Frelser, the great Volcanic Dragon who lived in the Eldfjall and was hers to command, along with a small number of elite Æresvaktr warriors. 

Ebbs, they say, and flows.[/color]

[color=DAA520][hr][hr][h2]A Test of Loyalty[/h2][hr][hr]
Talit’yrash, now effectively Baroness of Loriindton, was one of those people who knew much about the fortunes of battle. Leading a battalion of one thousand from the city where she ruled in all-but name, she drove them hard on horseback. The rangy, tree-dwelling yasoi were less-than-comfortable under the open skies as they departed the forests of south-central Parrence and entered the east-central plains. 

It was at the small town of Belfleur where they encountered a conundrum: a sizable Eskandr raiding party under the command of Jarl Ivar the Red, a notable fireblood and cousin to Þorunn Silverhair, had been attacking the town’s outlying villages and now threatened the larger settlement. Ensconced behind his motte and bailey walls, Guillaume, Baron of Belfleur, had raised every able man in his service and even some women and put out a desperate call for assistance. The yasoi had somewhat coincidentally arrived at just the right time to intervene. While they held a substantial numbers advantage of roughly three to one, dealing with the Eskandr would almost certainly slow their rapid march to Chamonix, and there were some among them who were not particularly keen on helping the Parrench as opposed to simply putting an end to the ruinous war. Their choice was stark and a test of where their loyalties lay: bleed time and strength saving the two-thousand souls of Belfleur or let the town and its people burn in the name of reaching Arcel with all due haste.[/color]
 
[color=CD5C5C][hr][hr][h2]Redoubt[/h2][hr][hr]
It had been four days since that first glancing encounter between the vanguard of Sweyn’s army and Arcel’s rearguard. Upon realizing that they were at grave risk of being caught between two enemy forces, the Parrench had broken off from their attempted relief of Chamonix and occupied the high ground west of the city, in the village of Saint-Guilhem and the partially ruined Avincian watchtower known as the La Tour Courbée. From this redoubt, they loomed over the efforts of the two Eskandr armies to dislodge their countrymen from the great city of the East. 

The Southmen began constructing engines of siege and sent out raiding parties to harass the surrounding countryside, hoping both to resupply themselves and force the Parrench army to battle while they had the numbers advantage. Arcel, meanwhile, ordered small detachments out to make contact with the nearby villages, evacuating noncombatants and levying local militias to defend themselves or assist the Grand Armée. 

Then, in the great distance, scouts began reporting the approach of a fourth army - a smaller one - and the rush was on to identify it. By the time that Queen Eleanor was recognized at its head, the Eskandr were moving to cut off its path to Arcel’s force and the Parrench were at just as great pains to ensure the union, for then they might have the strength to mount an offensive. Forces were urgently recalled from the countryside: Ulfhild of Ulven’s raiding band, Arnaud the Aheri’s militia squad, and the Nashorn’s engineers. The question now became one of just how much each side would be willing to commit.[/color] 
 
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[hider=The Particulars][color=8882be][h2]The Particulars[/h2]
Following an unfortunately long delay, welcome to the third act of Oriflamme: Ebbs and Flows! Following the inconclusive Battle of Relouse and the actions at Meldheim, Loriindton, and in the Fields of Fire, the reinvigorated Eskandr set their sights next upon the great city of the East: Chamonix, where they outnumber both the small garrison and Arcel's army. To the king's rescue ride the forces of the two women to profess their love for him: Queen Eleanor and Baroness Talit of Loriindton. With the first arriving, a potential action looms, as the queen attempts to join her greatly-reduced army with her husband's. Below are some action opportunities and specific actions available to different players within this scenario.
[list][*]Camille, Caelum, and Arsene: as part of Queen Eleanor's relief force, they must decide whether to try to break through the Eskandr force separating them from Arcel's larger army or not take the risk, make camp separately, and harass the Eskandr from there.
[*]Arnaud: as part of the king's army, is urgently recalled from his work raising a militia in a nearby village. Only now starting to feel fully recovered from his wounds sustained in the opening action. 
[*]Talit and Otios: they've had quite a breakneck journey to where they currently are, only a few days out of Chamonix. Tensions from the debacle in Loriindton and their army's prioritization of yasoi well-being may still linger as well. 
[*]Ulfhild: leading one of the raiding parties hoping to provoke the Parrench main army from their hilltop strongpoint and into open battle, she has combine forces with the Nashorn and will need to judge how much to commit: keeping the Parrench forces apart may risk getting caught between them.
[*]Eliis and Rae: having escaped from Loriindton, they are free to have joined up with Ivar the Red's raiding party nominally as friendlies, have reached the main conflict, have infiltrated Talit's force, or be moving solo through the countryside.
[*]For any players, don't be afraid to summarize any conversations had before leaving, in the conflict at Chamonix, or any actions.[/list]
That about covers it. Good luck and happy writing. Sorry for the long delay. Life has been pretty crazy.[/color][/hider]
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