The Kingdom of the Boros
Sunhome Keep
I swear myself to the King of the Boros,
to the common man,
and to the ideal of justice.
My blade shall be kept keen,
my shield polished,
and my heart true.
I shall uphold the King's law,
and the land's peace,
and Aurelia's Truth.
The last of the words left the mouth of the kneeling lord, and the hall was nearly silent, the sounds of celebration common in the rest of the city dull and unheard past the high stone halls of Sunhome castle. The grand hall graced King Tajic as well as his five lords, the last of whom stood after reaffirming the oath they made when they were made a lord. The party made their way from the quiet hall and ascended to a meeting room far away from what would be a busy hall on any other day. The war room, as it was oft called, was at the pinnacle of the fortress. Maps covered the walls and the center of the round room housed an equally round table where the lords moved to sit. King Tajic removed his gleaming golden crown and laid it on the table in front of him as he sat, while the lord of Ferlkeep removed the pelt he wore and hung it from his chair, and Lord Eydis set the maul she always carried against her seat as she slumped into her chair.
"We all know why we are here." Tajic began as he looked over his lords. They were a noble selection, among the finest examples of honor and justice, Tajic was proud and relieved to have them. His reign had not been long, only a few years since his father passed, and it had been quiet, but now a warm summer was arriving and it promised conflict. "We're here to decide who needs bashing this year." the lord of Ferlkeep said with an almost predatory tone. "Eloquent as ever Lord Ethan." Balson chuckled. The lords who reigned in the southern lands, Ethan Ferl was a fairly tall man, though his girth was more impressive. A skilled archer and decently skilled in the other forms of combat, his lands were, unlike the rest of the Boros domain, heavily forested and wild. Balson however stood out even more, his advanced age, large gut, and weak arms were not suited to a knight, so it was suiting that he was instead the head of the Church of Aurelia, his wit and charm well known. Tajic responded, "If the way of the Boros is to be protected, then those who would see us broken must be defeated, for a long time my father has kept us passive, his mercy unquestionable." At this the lords each nodded, either knowing the mercy of the last king first hand or through their fathers, "One must practice mercy and compassion, but know when they must end." Tajic quoted the holy texts, and once more a nod in agreement from most of the assembled lords.
"Those to the north practice Aurelia's Truth, but to the west and south we still face yearly raids from riders and centaurs alike." Lord Ignan state. He was the spitting image of nobility, with a long thin body, angular features, and golden hair. Some have suggested his bloodline has a hint of elf though no proof of this has come to be. Ignan lorded over the eastern lands, and has ruled in a notably fair and noble fashion, "However we cannot march south without running the risk of war with Chelodon..." "Murdering centaurs is nothing new to me, Ferlkeep will hold out another year and many more!" Ethan boasted, Ignan, clearly flustered, regains his footing, "Which leaves the west, and the raiders who have oft made trade impossible with the western kingdoms." "Bout time we deal with them, They've been a bother fer too long." Lord Malota stated with evident disdain. "You must deal with less than half of them." Lord Uther said. Tajic watched as Malota, the Lord of the north western farmlands, stared at the lord of the lands directly south of her. Malota was a tall proud woman, though slow to trust and quick to anger, and she looked at Uther with such intensity as if to slay him where he sat. "I merely speak the truth." He said after a moment. Uther was the tallest one in attendance, a mountain of a man. He was blunt in his words but kind even to the smallest and least, and was well regarded by those under him.
Everyone saying their peace Tajic continued, "We will assemble our forces, and when our armies are ready we shall march on Lorea."
