The Final Castles: France (rost) Needs Only 1 Stronghold
With an overwhelming array of 8 strongholds under its sway, France (rost) requires a mere 1 keep to attain the 9 keeps necessary for absolute victory. Rival courts are paralyzed with fear as the final campaigning season approaches. Trumpets sounded from the gatehouses of France as couriers rode through with news of the great triumph. 'Fortune smileth upon the host of France, yet the conquered soil will demand constant vigilance,' murmured a retired knight.
Dispatches from the Marches
Unbending Frontier: Burgundy (Agent007ki) and France (rost) Collide and Bounce at Normandy
Neither host could prevail at Normandy, where the supported forces of Burgundy (Agent007ki) and France (rost) locked shields in an immense trial of strength before recoiling. The disputed territory remains in an uneasy vacuum between the contenders. Uproar swept through the great trade fairs, where merchant syndicates and moneylenders gathered in anxious debate. 'He who trusteth to the loyalty of neighboring courts leaneth upon a bruised reed,' warned an old diplomat.
Dispatches from the Marches
France (rost) Stands Fast at Dauphine: Burgundy (Agent007ki) Beaten Back
Letters delivered under ribbon and green wax announce that France (rost) hath repulsed a coordinated storm of Dauphine launched by Burgundy (Agent007ki) with allied backing. Assault ladders were cast down into the ditch and the attacking columns were forced into a costly retreat. 'Let the scribes make room in the chronicle; France hath won a great name,' declared a visiting scholar. Castellans across Burgundy ordered moats cleared and portcullises dropped in anticipation of an assault.
Dispatches from the Marches
Valiant Stand: France (rost) Preserves Normandy Despite Onslaught from England (LeoGalande3)
A textbook feat of defensive warfare was achieved at Normandy, where France (rost) resisted the full weight of a supported assault directed by England (LeoGalande3). Chroniclers praise the castellan's calm disposition during the height of the crisis. 'The saints themselves rode with our vanguard this day,' declared a chaplain in the camp of France. At border river crossings, toll-collectors doubled their guard and inspected every cart with keen eyes.
Dispatches from the Marches
Sovereign Advance: Burgundy (Agent007ki) Brings Scotland Under Fealty
The undisturbed solitude of Scotland is no more, enrolled henceforth into the feudal rent-roll of Burgundy (Agent007ki). Neighboring courts exchanged formal laments, but the sword upon the hearth brooks little argument. Guildmasters of the great cloth towns looked to their storehouses, fearing interruptions to the winter fairs. Village maidens observed that a retreating knight rideth every bit as swiftly as an advancing one, and looks far less proud.
Dispatches from the Marches
The Chivalric Levy: France (rost) Recruits Fresh Lances
The muster-rolls of France (rost) have grown by 1 military detachment, outfitting both cross-bowmen and mounted men-at-arms. Officers boast that the host hath never appeared more formidable. The chancery of France hastened to dispatch couriers bearing gilded parchment rolls of triumph. 'Such deeds of chivalry will be chanted at tournaments for forty years,' vowed a traveling troubadour.
Affairs of State & Royal Embassies
Centuries of Spite: England (LeoGalande3) and France (rost) Bleed Upon the Field
Warfare between England (LeoGalande3) and France (rost) hath spanned 2 straight years without a single lasting truce to interrupt the bloodshed. Both treasuries are drained of silver, yet chivalric pride forbiddeth any concession. Crossbowmen returning from the picket lines confirm that fresh feudal levies are already being summoned to the standards. Court poets are already discovering that the conqueror's grandfather was, by astonishing fortune, a paragon of chivalry.
Taxes, Tithes & The Great Fair
The chancery of Burgundy (Agent007ki) recordeth 1 fresh holding on the rolls, totaling 7 holdings.
Diminished tithes afflict England (LeoGalande3), dropping 1 castle to stand at 2 castles.
A fruitful season for France (rost), which addeth 1 castle to hold sway over 8 castles in all.
Tavern Hearsay & Cloister Gossip
It is whispered at the sheep-fair that Burgundy hath offered to mortgage a rich coastal manor to England to settle private dice debts.
Public Notices & Oddities
Fierce autumn gales strip the orchards in 1426, howling down stone chimneys and rattling iron weathercocks.
Public Notices & Oddities
BROTHER BALDWIN'S BALSAM: Sovereign remedy against the ague, boils, demonic melancholia, and sword-gashes. Blessed by the bishop of Auxerre.
