The Rise of Belomas

Concluding their terms and conditions for the alliance, the corpses of the men from the first line of defense and those that perished in the last battle were gathered together, in order to put them onto the wagons to transport back to Belomas. The men that perished were deserving of the highest honors of that time, and it was only right that their loved ones should have them back. Funeral expenses were to be covered by Belomas.

At that time, Belomas was not the wealthiest of places. However, the willingness to cover the expenses was something to signify to the families that not only will their loved ones have a better future by joining the war effort, but also that they are committed to their people in life and death. To be honest, it was an ingenious move on Fedor’s part. By providing aid to the mourning families, they were able to show their commitment to them. On top of that, it would have motivated the younglings that would be recruited for this campaign. In general, the foundation of Belomas' empire was laid by the greatest architects of that time period.

The negotiations between the Sejuku and the Belomas representative concluded swiftly. Each of the two parties emerged from the tent satisfied with the terms and conditions for the alliance. On the other hand, the chieftain of the Sejuku, Leuca, could not help but to be curious about which tribe they would pinpoint their manpower towards to. The Younger Stanillo reminded her to not be hasty, and that Belomas would have her hands full with the Nori. Leuca offered to help with the Nori, but Stanillo preferred not to get her involved, considering that they were in no position to trust her completely yet. Plus, the Elder Illya is the head of this campaign and, ultimately, it will be up to him.

The Younger Stanillo was aware of his limits, and he did not dare to go against the wishes of the man that he not only considered a friend, but also a brother who had granted him the opportunity to enrich himself and his family. Leuca understood, but if she had it her way, she would prefer that Stanillo was the leader himself. The woman was not quite patient, but she was aware that the subjugation of the Nori was to come first.

By now, the entire region must be on alert of Belomas' presence within the region, and they must have learned of the defeat of the Nori at the hands of Belomas. Essentially, Leuca was reminding Stanillo that they were on the clock, and that they needed to attack quickly before the tribes began to form an alliance amongst themselves to defend their territory. Stanillo acknowledges this worry of his ally, but he reminds her that even he has limitations of power.

Leuca did not attempt to persuade him any longer. Instead, she petitioned Stanillo about whether he could grant her a favor. This favor would not be out of his reach, she asserted, and the favor that she asked of Stanillo was to be granted permission to take Polochko with her. Such a favor puzzled Stanillo, so he asked what use could Polochko possibly be for her? Leuca reminded Stanillo that despite the great manpower she possesses at her command, she does not possess a worthy general capable of raising a great army for the campaign that they wish to conduct throughout Ugrica. Last fall, Leuca lost her general in her last attempt to expand. Since then, she has struggled to find a suitable successor.

If Polochko were to accompany her, she could be guaranteed to raise a great army. Polochko is a great warrior and possesses the experience that’s necessary to train and raise an army, for the tedious campaign that is to come. Hearing her reasoning, Stanillo could not fault her for asking. In the end, a prepared army would benefit Belomas greatly, and having an agent of theirs with Leuca would ease the tensions of trust. He accepted, but on the condition that Leuca also would grant him a group of ten of her best warriors for his personal guard.

Leuca abided by his request, and gave him six of her best male fighters and four of her best female fighters on the condition that for every one that died under his watch, he was to give her two warriors of the same caliber. Stanillo found her stipulations to be fair, but Polochko was not quite eager to travel with Leuca; however, Polochko was in no position to decline. Instead, Polochko attempted to get Stanillo’s permission to see the Younger Illya, but Stanillo denied this request.

Having been granted her request, Leuca prepares to depart from Belomas' newly established camp. As she prepares for her departure, Leuca is curious about the mention of the Younger Illya. She had heard the mention of the Elder Illya in her talks with Stanillo, but this was the first time that she heard the mention of the Younger Illya. Leuca’s curiosity would get to her, and she would ask her newly acquired friend about the Younger Illya. 

“The Younger Illya is,” Polochko said, “the son of the chief of Belomas. Well, he is the adopted child of the chieftain; however, he considers him to be his true son.”

“How interesting,” Leuca replied, "does he too not partake in the campaigns?”

“The Younger Illya fought in the battle that had just concluded,” Polochko said, “He is a young boy.”

“He fought in that battle? Perhaps, the father is not the man that I thought him to be,” Leuca said, “The Household of Illya has my attention…”

Suffering defeat at the hands of the Resistance, the Chieftain of Nori, Acco, was forced to withdraw in embarrassing fashion back to the village. The appearance of the Sejuku and their forces was something that Acco could not have possibly anticipated, and their appearance in these lands made him quite anxious. The intentions those people may have cannot possibly be great.

On the other hand, Acco’s withdrawal and return caused the village to go into chaos. The villagers were rightfully anxious about what awaited them at the hands of Belomas. Nearly ⅔ of the army were injured and slaughtered by the Resistance. They had neither the manpower nor spirit to respond to a pending counterattack from Belomas. Not to mention, Belomas is likely to raise an army to invade and take the lands of the Nori.

There was also the possibility that the Sejuku would take advantage of the worn-out Resistance, and slaughter them at once to lay claim to the fruits of Belomas labor. In either scenario, the Nori are in great trouble against a powerful foe that they are incapable of combating. Immediately, the worried Chieftain headed to his estate, which could be the only place where he could find refuge and be granted the ability to think peacefully. Of course, the villagers learned of this, and came to the estate in large numbers demanding a solution to the inevitable invasion of Belomas.

The garda’s at the estate were able to keep the villagers in line, but one of the villagers attempted to climb over the gates. This action led to the brutal execution of the villager at the hands of the garda’s by way of spear. The villagers began to grow frightened at such treatment towards the man; others grew furious and began to challenge the garda’s authority, and this led to a fight between the garda’s and villagers, in which, dozens of villagers were massacred upon the Chieftain’s estate.

As the conflict grew outside the estate, awaiting Acco were none other than the village elders and their personal guards, who had anticipated the chieftain’s idea of taking refuge in his estate to ward off the backlash from the public. The elders were in the midst of discussing a solution to the situation at hand, but just as they were in the midst of that, the Chieftain had entered the estate. To his surprise, the elders had taken the initiative to enter his domain without his permission. Of course, Acco could not be upset at this considering the situation at hand.

In a matter of minutes, a disagreement broke out between the Chieftain and the Elders. The Chieftain considered their accusations of incompetence to be improper, but the Elders reminded him that he had the advantage in the conflict. The element of surprise and the overwhelming numbers of men would have been enough to lay waste to those people. Instead, he had failed and now put his people in the position to be subjected to their enemy. These remarks were enough to break the spirit of Acco, and to put himself in no position to discuss solutions.

Furthermore, the Elders decided to strip the Chieftain of his powers and to put him on house arrest, for fear that the public would assassinate him. The five Elders were men that commanded great respect, and each Elder had either served as a chieftain or was a commander in their prime. By stripping the powers of Acco, Adietumarus, one of the five elders, was able to end the chaos at the estate. This gave Adietumarus the opportunity to put forth his proposal to the other Elders, in which, he proposed that the Nori were to surrender to Belomas, in order to avoid further destruction and to have the possibility of coming to terms that may be lenient. 

A peaceful surrender can open the path to a treatment that may be less humiliating. In order to ensure this desired outcome, they will use Acco as a scapegoat and surrender him to Belomas as a sign of submission. In addition to this, they will surrender their arms and the ability to produce arms on the condition that Belomas installs a garrison within the village to defend them from their neighbors. The other four Elders found this proposal to be the most proper, and they therefore abided to the peaceful surrender to Belomas.

However, one of the elders could not help to ask, “How will the people react to such a decision?” The great Adietummarus replied, “The way I view it, comrade, self-preservation is much more important than a people’s pride. You are no longer in the position of the mighty. You are at the mercy of your conquerors, and it is best to submit with grace.” At that moment, Acco could not hold back his fury, barking at the elders, “You dare, throw me to the wolves! I did what I could, and there is no other man that could have anticipated the Sejuku would appear to aid Belomas! You thy trade your liberty for temporary security, deserve neither the liberty you possess nor the security that you seek!”

On the orders of Adietummarus, Acco was seized and restrained. Before Acco was escorted elsewhere, Adietummarus did not leave Acco’s remark unanswered, stating, “It is you that has traded your people’s liberty for temporary security, and it is YOU who guided his people to such a fate! Had you done your duties properly, you and they would not be in the position that they are in!” At this point, Acco was dragged outside the conference to the unknown, and it was at this moment that Adietumarus ordered an envoy to be sent to Belomas, in regards, to their surrender and willful submission to their yoke.  

Elsewhere, the Young Illya arose from his slumber. Awaiting him at his bedside, was Bay. He was astonished to see that the Younger Illya survived the battle, but also to see that he had awakened. The Younger Illya did not recognize Bay, but before he could ask questions in regard to what occurred, Bay began to credit him for his feats against the Nori. The Younger Illya was a bit groggy, so he was unable to pay attention to what Bay was actually saying.

Anyhow, Bay recounted a bit of the battle to the groggy Illya. He mentioned how it was thought impossible to be able to heal one’s wounds with their own energy; however, it was proven possible when Acco healed his shoulder in his fight against the Younger Illya. Everybody who managed to survive the manger from our side was noted to have grown significantly stronger. Bay was unable to convey his perspective on his own power, but he admitted that he too had grown significantly during the battle. It was almost as if the conditions and circumstances played a crucial part in warriors growing in power, or perhaps it could be that great power can only be obtained through experience in battle.

Despite the growth of power, they still had a pending battle with the Nori. They may have defeated them, but they had not laid claim to their lands yet. They could not give them time to raise an army, and they were in need of manpower at Belomas and the Elder Illya to put an end to the Nori for good. At that moment, the Younger Illya pleaded for Bay to cease all talks regarding the war effort and his father.

Bay abided to his young lord’s request, but he reminded him that this was going to be his life, for the unforeseeable future. A life full of uncertainties, death, and survival. Campaigns, like these, do not come to an end quickly. Having enough of hearing his comrade’s words, the Younger Illya turned to his side, trying to avoid any further conversation. The Younger Illya grunted at the points made by Bay, but he could not deny the truth in them. This was his first battle, and it was quite a brutal one. On the bright side, a lovely young woman awaits him back home. It was she who made it all worth it. A slight moment of joy came to him, realizing that he had survived the battle and would be able to be there for his women and child.

Concluding his business with Leuca, the Younger Stanillo began to prepare an envoy to be sent back to Belomas. The people of Belomas must have thought that they perished in the battle, and he did not wish to panic the people. However, his thoughts were interrupted by his men, who told him that a group of twelve individuals from the Nori were approaching them. The people did appear to carry weapons.

In addition to this, they appeared to be accompanied by their chieftain; however, not in the conventional sense. The chieftain was in chains, and it was this subtle detail that piqued the Younger Stanillo’s interest. Immediately, Stanillo ordered his men to be alert in case they were playing dirty and preparing a possible ambush against them. The orders were followed, but the envoy of the Nori eventually would arrive at the newly established camp of Belomas. The Younger Stanillo ordered a table to be brought over, and to bring two chairs for himself and for the person that would conduct talks on behalf of the Nori.

Afterward, the Younger Stanillo called out to the envoy, asking which of them would be the one to conduct the talks, assuming that is what they came for. One of them came forward, a man named, Atethas. After all, Atethas was one of the few people at Nori capable of communicating with them. First things first, Atethas made it clear to the Younger Stanillo that he came on behalf of the Elders of Nori with the intention of negotiating a peaceful surrender. This intrigued Stanillo a great deal, and he told the boy to continue.

The Nori are willing, stated Atethas, to surrender their lands and their ability to possess and fabricate weapons on the condition that Belomas provides a garrison to protect them from their neighbors. In addition to this, they offer their chieftain to Belomas as to prove their willful submission and to show Belomas that they are not trying to be deceitful. Stanillo admitted he liked what he was hearing; however, he wanted to add a couple of stipulations to this proposal of surrender on behalf of Belomas.

He assured Atethas that the Nori would have their terms for surrender granted, but he wished to add a couple of stipulations on behalf of Belomas. For instance, Stanillo added the following stipulations: 1). Belomas will manage the lands of the Nori. 2). They will provide men and resources for wars when asked. 3). Lastly, they are to provide a yearly tribute of 600 pounds of silver, 30 tons of meat, 100 of their children to be educated at Belomas and that will be returned in three years, and a governor of Belomas choice will be installed to manage the newly gained territory and to serve as an intermediary between themselves and Belomas. This selected governor will hold the highest position of power within their ranks, and this selected governor shall be informed of all decisions and ideas by their Elders and Chieftain.

Belomas will not interfere in the selection of their chieftain. This was something that Atethas could not have anticipated, and he became uncertain whether to accept these stipulations to be apart of the deal without input from the Elders. On the other hand, Belomas was granting them their terms and conditions for surrender. If he were to abandon the talk here and now, the Younger Stanillo may change his mind. Begrudgingly, Atethas accepted the stipulations that were added upon the proposal for surrender. In a matter of three months, the willful submission of the Nori was achieved without further bloodshed.

The news of the defeat that the Nori suffered at the hands of Belomas was quickly spread throughout Ugrica, and in addition to this, it was rumored that the Sejuku had a hand in the fall of the Nori. This rumor was difficult to confirm, but to the Frans, it was reasonable to believe that the Sejuku had a hand in their fall considering their push for expansion. The Sejuku were already on the Fran’s radar, but having been rumored to have a hand in the demise of one of the strongest powers in the East worried the Frans. The Sejuku were a target for hatred in Ugrica, but their possible alliance with foreigners was something that could not be forgiven!

The Ugrics may be divided into their tribes, but if there was anything the Ugric's detested more than themselves, it was one of their own siding with those foreigners that they have been trying to annihilate for decades. Their recent attempts to aim for control of the whole coastline and the North was something that could not be ignored any longer. Having considered the situation at hand, it made it more believable that the Sejuku had a hand in the fall of the Nori. The constant bickering between the Nori and Sejuku, in regard to being granted safe passage through the lands of the Nori was something that made it all apparent. The Sejuku allied themselves with Belomas to get access to the trade routes that they desperately needed, and in turn gave Belomas the opportunity to use the lands of the Nori to set up a buffer zone that made them impenetrable.

It was clear that Belomas was aiming to retake Ugrica, and to restore the land back to its prior inhabitants. This was a bold campaign, but if the conquest of Ugrica were to be achieved, it would lead to the expulsion of all Ugrics from the West. The buffer zone cannot be established with just the defeat of the Nori, though it still requires the defeat of the neighbors of the Nori to be conquered too. This was something that could be prevented right now, and so Attalus of Frans took action and ordered an envoy to be sent. In time, Attalus' pleads were heard and the remaining tribes in the East established a resistance against Belomas. In a matter of hours, a siege was ordered against the capital of the Sejuku in the north. In addition to this, the newly formed resistance of the Ugrics began to penetrate the defenses of the Sejuku, and they began to plunder and destroy their sea vessels. The idea was to diminish the resources of the Sejuku and to cut off their ability to communicate to their subjects within the North. Leuca noticed this, and she attempted to send numerous envoys to Belomas, but each envoy never returned, and their fates remain unknown.

As the news spread to the Ugrics, the news of Belomas triumph over the Nori also spread in Rus. For the first time in nearly a century, a successful exploit was pulled off against the Ugrics. To many, the West was a lost cause and those minor villages or cities that remained were not seen as worth the trouble of annexing by other great powers, who saw them more troubling to defend. However, the triumph of Belomas began to reawaken the dreams of reclaiming the long-lost West.

Others saw this triumph as a potential threat to their sovereignty. If Belomas were to take over the entirety of the West, it may be the beginning of a Belomian Empire. However, it was not something to be troubled by considering that Belomas is a mere village that does not possess the manpower to lead a campaign of that magnitude. For now, the great powers of Rus would leave Belomas to their own devices, but keep tabs on their activities in Ugrica. 

After what felt like hours, the Elder Illya and Fedor entered enemy territory, just to find their originally established camp abandoned. Everything was destroyed at the camp, indicating that the enemy likely reached the camp. As anybody reasonably would be, the Elder Illya was puzzled. If the enemy had made it here, where could the enemy be?

Little did he know, a great battle took place between Belomas and Nori, a couple of miles away from the camp. The Elder Illya began to believe that his people had somehow managed to best the Nori, but Fedor reminded him to not get his hopes up considering that they were likely outnumbered; however, the Elder Illya insisted that if that were the case, how come the enemy had failed to make it to Belomas? This was a point that Fedor could not argue against, but he believed it was best to continue scavenging for clues. Immediately, the Elder Illya ordered his men to continue their march and to increase their speed to their maximum.

On the other end, the Younger Stanillo had just concluded negotiations with the Nori. Along with dispatching the envoy from the Nori, Stanillo collected five of his trusted men to accompany the envoy and to seize the arms of the Nori. As business concludes, one of Leuca’s warriors comes to Stanillo, stating a large army of men from the East is nearing. This news surprised Stanillo, considering that there are two other peoples in the East capable of forming an army aside from Belomas. Neither of those people were bold enough to charge into Ugrica, and this large army could only mean that it was from Belomas.

This army was likely being led by the Elder Illya, who must have heard the news and came to help the Resistance. Immediately, the Younger Stanillo ordered his men to stand down and to pave the way for the incoming army. These orders were followed, and it turned out that Stanillo was correct in his assumption. On arrival, the Elder Illya and Fedor were greeted by those who survived. These greetings were not enough to attract the attention of two high-ranking warriors of Belomas, as they were speechless at the sight they were seeing.

Hundreds of enemy corpses scattered throughout the battlefield, and it was all at the hands of a small group of men. These men had managed to beat the Nori…how could that possibly be? Getting off his horse, the chief greeted his men and commended them for their bravery and victory. The chief also embraced Stanillo, and he was glad to see his childhood friend had managed to survive the battle too. Stanillo chuckled at his friend’s womanly behavior, stating, he did not think that he would get to see the sun once more, but here they are! On the other hand, Fedor was impressed at his colleague's feats. Out of every person, he never thought Stanillo was capable of leading men in battle, considering that Stanillo is not much of a warrior himself.

The Younger Stanillo confirms Fedor’s remark, stating it was not easy. Most importantly, the Elder Illya asked the status of his son, and Stanillo confirmed that his son had barely survived. In the final moments of the battle, Stanillo admitted, it was the Younger Illya that took the challenge of facing the Chieftain of the Nori. The boy, he admitted, nearly died at the hands of the Chieftain, but he gave him quiet the battle! This news was music to the Elder Illya’s ears.

To add on, Stanillo confirmed that the Chieftain of the Nori fell into their hands, along with the lands of the Nori. He informed the Elder Illya, in regard to the peaceful surrender negotiated between himself and the Nori. The Nori willingly submitted themselves to Belomas yoke on the condition that no more blood is shed between the two parties. This was beyond anything that the Elder Illya could have managed, and he demanded a detailed explanation of the events that had taken place.

Stanillo chuckled at his disbelief, citing he would not believe who he managed to get as an ally for their campaign. Overall, things were a success for Belomas. After, the Younger Stanillo spoke to the Elder Illya in great detail about the events. The Elder Illya could not help but be amazed at what occurred in a matter of hours. Of course, the Elder Illya informed Stanillo that he had also succeeded in getting Stalavat to join them. Stanillo had anticipated this prior, and he informed his chief that he had made the alliance between the Sejuku with the possibility of another ally in mind. 

As of now, the Elder Illya wanted to lay claim to the lands of the Nori and install the agreed-upon garrisons. They must not lose momentum of their victory, and continue the campaign further. However, Stanillo objected, citing that he and his men were in no condition to advance. The Elder Illya understood, but he was unwilling to postpone the campaign for a handful of soldiers. Instead, he would continue the campaign here with the men he had brought, but order the annexation of their neighbor. Fedor thought this to not be wise, he considered the division of forces to be unwise and a battle on two fronts was not ideal. On the other hand, Stanillo liked the idea, and suggested he and the Younger Illya would command the campaign with the backing of Stalavat. Furthermore, Fedor thought that the annexation of their neighbor could prove to be fatal to their relations between themselves and Stalavat.

The Elder Illya objected to this, citing the marriage between Diana and the Younger Illya was something that was meant to unite both peoples. Whatever benefits Belomas achieves, Stalavat is just as likely to reap the rewards. It was settled, the Elder Illya put the plans to annex our neighbors in the hands of the Younger Stanillo and the Younger Illya. As for the Younger Illya, he would be temporarily discharged from the campaign at Ugriica; however, his father desired to speak to him about Coria and her pregnancy, in addition, to his arranging marriage with Stalavat’s ruler. A conflict between father and son awaits…