The Golden Boar column halted in a secluded pine valley two miles west of Veron Crossing.
Supply wagons were parked in a tight defensive ring, horses were picketed in the brush, and campfires were kept low to avoid sending smoke into the sky. On the high eastern ridge, the stone towers of Veron Castle loomed in the distance, flying the purple and gold banner of Clan Corenios.
Numerius tied his chestnut stallion to a pine branch and groaned, rubbing his inner thighs. "I swear, riding on those wooden saddles for six hours straight feels like getting kicked in the groin by a mule."
Nathaniel checked his crossbow bolts by the wagon wheel, laughing dryly. "At least your horse doesn't try to bite your knee every time you adjust the stirrups."
"Your horse just knows you're a soft merchant, Nate," Numerius grinned, sitting on a log.
"Look at that ridge," Yuzon said, looking through his brass spyglass toward the castle. "Veron Castle sits right on the choke point. If Achios has archers on those battlements, anyone trying to force the stone bridge without siege shields is going to get shredded."
Mataranas hauled a bucket of water over to their five mounts, setting it down with a heavy thud. " Thick bridge."
Before they could say more, the sound of galloping hooves echoed down the mountain path.
Captain Mira rode into camp at the head of her forty cavalry scouts. Her heavy two-handed sword was slung across her back, and her face was coated in road dust. Beside her rode five armored knights on barded chargers, flying the red lion standard of the Vlandian crown alongside the rich heraldry of Clan dey Arromanc.
At the center of the royal escort rode a towering young nobleman clad in a polished steel coat of plates and a rich crimson mantle. It was Lord Thomund of Clan dey Arromanc, the eldest son of Baroness Calatild of Jaculan and the undisputed number one tournament champion in all of Calradia.
Captain Rodrik walked out from his command tent, strapping his broadsword to his belt. Vice-Captain Kaelen and Scout Officer Mara stepped up beside him.
Rodrik looked over at the horse lines and spotted Jade.
"Jade, get over here," Rodrik called out in a low, firm voice. "You represent the skirmisher vanguard. You are in on this."
Jade gestured for Mataranas and the others to hold the horses, then jogged over to the command pavilion.
Inside the tent, Lord Thomund stood by a heavy wooden table, leaning his gauntleted fists on the surface. Captain Mira, Scout Officer Mara, Vice-Captain Kaelen, and Captain Rodrik gathered around the table, while Jade took a spot near the entrance.
"Good ride from the northern pass, Mira?" Rodrik asked.
"Battanian scouts were watching the tree line from the north," Captain Mira said, spitting on the dirt floor. "They're staying in their woods for now. But the Imperial pickets across the river are active."
Lord Thomund placed a parchment scroll on the table, breaking its red wax seal with a snap.
"Captain Rodrik," Thomund spoke, his voice carrying the natural arrogance of a renowned arena champion. "I bring sealed orders directly from King Derthert and the high council."
Rodrik leaned over the table, crossing his scarred arms. "We were wondering why the crown marched our company down here toward the southeast border instead of stationing us along the northern shores."
"The northern situation is settled," Thomund said, unrolling the map of the Western Empire border. "Three days ago, our diplomats in the north concluded a formal peace treaty with Grand Prince Raganvad of Sturgia. The northern coast is officially secure."
The officers in the tent exchanged sharp looks.
"A peace deal with Sturgia?" Captain Mira raised an eyebrow, a predatory grin touching her scarred cheek. "That means the King is freeing up his entire army."
"Precisely," Thomund continued, tapping the map with his heavy signet ring. "King Derthert has declared war on the Western Empire. Our main baron armies under Lord Ingalther are currently assembling near Jaculan and Sargot to march on Garontor Castle and Ortysia. But the northern pass here at Veron Castle blocks our left flank."
Thomund looked at Rodrik with cold calculation.
"Veron Castle is held by Lord Achios of Clan Corenios," Thomund explained. "Achios has eighty heavy Imperial Menavliatons and Palatine Guards garrisoned behind those stone walls, supplied by the bound agricultural villages of Veron and Goleryn. If Ingalther lays siege to Garontor, Achios can march down the valley road and hit our rear."
"And where does the Golden Boar fit into this?" Rodrik asked.
"The King's official decree pays the Golden Boar eight hundred denars to act as our vanguard force," Thomund stated. "Cross Veron Crossing under cover of darkness, infiltrate Imperial territory, and disrupt the supply lines to Veron Castle. King Derthert wants Achios's garrison distracted and drawn out into the field before our main baron army arrives."
A low, knowing chuckle rumbled in Captain Rodrik's chest. He shook his head, running a thumb across his scarred jaw.
"Now that explains it," Rodrik whispered in a low rasp, looking at Kaelen. "That is why we weren't stationed up along the northern shores near Ostican and Rovalt to defend against Sturgian raider attacks. The King was planning an invasion of the Empire all along."
Thomund then pulled a separate, heavy leather pouch of silver from his own belt, slamming it onto the table with a loud thud.
"That is the King's official decree," Thomund added, his eyes flashing with an aggressive, reckless grin. "King Derthert is a calculated, merciful man. He wants a clean campaign with minimal peasant casualties. But I say the King is too soft for his own good."
Thomund tapped the heavy silver pouch.
"This is two hundred denars of dey Arromanc silver from my own personal coffer," Thomund said, his voice dropping into a harsh, cold tone. "I offer this personal bounty to the Golden Boar if you wipe those two villages out completely. Put the peasants to the sword, burn the timber cottages to ash, and leave nothing standing. If Lord Achios has to spend three days hauling rotting bodies out of his fields and digging mass graves, he won't have the stomach or the manpower to march south to Garontor."
"Wait!"
The single word slipped out of Jade's mouth before his brain could stop it.
The pavilion went dead silent.
Lord Thomund stopped mid-motion, his cold eyes snapping toward the entrance. Captain Rodrik, Scout Officer Mara, and Vice-Captain Kaelen turned their heads, while Captain Mira tilted her chin up, an amused smirk spreading across her scarred face as she raised an eyebrow at the recruit.
Jade's stomach dropped. He realized instantly that he had blurted it out on pure instinct, but there was no taking it back now. Every high-ranking officer in the room was staring right at him.
A sharp hum rang in his ears as a glowing blue system window flashed across his vision.
[Dialogue Encounter Persuasion Check Initiated]
[Target Captain Rodrik | Alignment Pragmatic Calculating]
[Success Required 2 Slots]
[Option A Emotional Appeal. Slaughtering unarmed farmers is wrong. Base Success Chance 15%]
[Option B Tactics Argument. Burning cottages alerts Veron Castle immediately. Intact villages allow supply ambushes. Base Success Chance 35%]
[Option C Trade Argument. Two hundred silver isn't worth the Imperial bounty on company heads. Base Success Chance 30%]
Jade swallowed dryly, his mind racing. His Social and Charm stats were at baseline, nowhere near Nathaniel's level. Begging for mercy would get him laughed out of the tent, so he reached for tactical logic instead.
Jade stepped forward, keeping his voice as steady as he could under the heavy stares.
"Captain Rodrik," Jade said, looking past Thomund directly at the mercenary leader. "If we burn the cottages of Veron and Goleryn to the ground, the fires will light up the valley. Lookouts on Veron Castle will see the smoke plumes from ten miles away and know our exact numbers. But if we leave the timber roofs standing, Achios will think the villages are secure, allowing us to ambush his supply wagons in the narrow pass without taking fortress arrow fire."
Rodrik listened, his scarred face unreadable, his eyes narrowing slightly as he weighed the tactical angle.
[Persuasion Slot 1 Succeeded]
Lord Thomund scoffed, his face twisting in sudden irritation. The young noble stepped toward Jade, his steel coat of plates clanking.
"Who authorized a common skirmisher recruit to question the high council's strategy?" Thomund snapped, his voice sharp and dismissive. "I care nothing for ambush subtlety, boy. I want fear. I want smoke thick enough to choke Achios on his battlements."
Jade pressed his point, trying to secure the second slot. "The Western Empire won't just mourn their dead, my Lord. If the Golden Boar butchers an entire village, Emperor Garios will put a permanent blood bounty on every sellsword wearing the boar crest. We lose all future contracts in the south for a single bag of silver."
Captain Mira let out a low, appreciative whistle from against the wall, clearly entertained by a green skirmisher having the guts to argue back against a high Vlandian noble.
Rodrik's hand hovered over the heavy leather pouch on the table. He looked at Thomund's dangerous glare, then down at the shiny silver coins, and finally back at Jade.
In the end, two hundred hard silver denars in hand outweighed the words of a peasant recruit with low Charm.
[Persuasion Slot 2 Failed]
[Persuasion Attempt Failed]
[Relation Decreased with Lord Thomund -12]
[Relation Decreased with Captain Rodrik -8]
[Current Relation with Lord Thomund -12]
[Current Relation with Captain Rodrik 10]
[Trait Gained Impulsive]
"That is enough, Jade," Rodrik said, his voice dropping into a cold, flat tone that brooked no argument. "Mind your place. You were brought in here to receive vanguard orders, not lecture lords on politics. The company captains decide what burns."
Lord Thomund sneered at Jade, adjusting his crimson mantle. "Teach your whelps to keep their mouths shut, Rodrik. The silver is yours if the fields burn."
Thomund gave a final, arrogant nod, turned on his heel, and walked out of the tent to remount his barded charger.
Once the sound of the noble's hooves faded down the path, the tension in the pavilion snapped.
Captain Mira laughed out loud, crossing her arms. "Kid's got steel balls, I'll give him that. Thomund looked like he wanted to challenge him to a duel right there on the rug."
Rodrik didn't laugh. He slowly picked up the leather pouch of silver, weighed it in his palm, and turned toward Jade with a dark, furious glare.
"Are you out of your damn mind, kid?" Rodrik barked, slamming the silver pouch down onto the wooden table so hard the maps jumped. "You question a Vlandian high baron in his own war council?"
Vice-Captain Kaelen shook his head with a grim scowl, while Scout Officer Mara watched Jade with a tight, critical expression.
"You're lucky Thomund is an arrogant tournament fighter who thinks you're beneath his blade," Rodrik continued, stepping up until his scarred face was inches from Jade's nose. "Any other lord in this kingdom would have ordered his knights to take your tongue for insolence, and I would have had to let them do it to save my company's contract."
Jade stood his ground, though his jaw was tight. "I was laying out the tactical reality, Captain. Burning villages alerts the castle."
"You made a decent point on the smoke," Rodrik grunted, his voice dropping into a harsh rasp. "I'm not blind. But in the mercenary trade, two hundred denars in hand buys a lot of silence. You never contradict the man signing the parchment, understood?"
"Understood," Jade replied quietly.
Rodrik exhaled heavily through his nose, rubbing the back of his neck before turning back to the table. The anger in his eyes faded into cold military pragmatism.
"Now pull your head out of your ass and listen to your orders," Rodrik said.
He looked around the table at his officers.
"Mira, take your forty scouts and patrol the high Battanian tree line to make sure no northern patrols sneak up behind us," Rodrik commanded.
"Understood," Captain Mira nodded, turning toward the tent flap.
"Mara, take your veteran archers and secure an overwatch position on the west bank of Veron Crossing," Rodrik ordered. "If Achios's bridge sentries spot our vanguard, pin them down with arrows before they can sound an alarm."
"Consider it done," Scout Officer Mara replied with a firm nod.
"Kaelen, get the heavy infantry ready to cross the river bridge at midnight," Rodrik added.
Rodrik then turned back to Jade.
"Jade, your five-man skirmisher squad rides point," Rodrik ordered. "You take the front across Veron Crossing before the main company moves. Scout the road between the village of Veron and the village of Goleryn. I want to know where Achios has his patrol pickets stationed."
"Understood, Captain," Jade said, keeping his voice carefully neutral. "We will scout the village approaches."
[World Campaign Update]
[Faction War Declared Vlandia vs Western Empire]
[Active Contract Imperial Border Incursion]
[Objective Scout Veron and Goleryn Village Routes]
[Squad Renown 32 | Influence 6]
Jade gave a brief nod and stepped out of the command tent into the cold evening air.
As he walked down the dirt path toward his camp, quick footsteps followed behind him. Scout Officer Mara caught up, walking alongside him with her longbow slung across her back.
"Don't take Rodrik's yelling too hard, kid," Mara said in a quiet, rough voice.
Jade glanced at her. "I thought you'd call me an idiot too."
Mara offered a faint, dry smirk, looking out toward the mountains. "When I first became a mercenary, I was just like you. Thought logic and honor mattered more than gold. But this is the mercenary life, Jade. Money talks louder than reason. You want men to listen to your ideas? Increase your standing. Build your name, raise your renown, and maybe someday every other bloke here will bow to your influence. That is my advice."
Mara patted his shoulder once, then turned back toward her scout company to prepare her archers.
Jade stood in the quiet pine shadows, her words echoing in his mind.
Why did I never think of this? Jade thought, his jaw tightening.
Back in his gaming chair, raiding an enemy village in Bannerlord had just been a progress bar filling up while denars and experience ticked into his inventory. He had never thought about the human consequences, only caring about min-maxing clan renown, kingdom influence, and party morale. But in this living world, common soldiers and sellswords were completely at the mercy of lords with deep pockets. If he wanted to protect people and actually dictate terms, he needed real influence and power.
Jade walked back to the campfire where his squad was waiting.
Numerius looked up from tightening the leather wrap on his mace handle. "What did the noble want? Are we getting paid extra to garrison the bridge?"
Jade sat down on an empty wooden crate, taking a breath as the four of them leaned in close.
"The peace treaty with Sturgia was signed," Jade explained. "Vlandia declared war on the Western Empire. King Derthert's main baron army is marching on Garontor Castle and Ortysia. The Golden Boar is being paid eight hundred denars to cross Veron Crossing tonight and cut supply lines between Veron Castle and its villages."
Nathaniel's eyes widened, adjusting his light crossbow. "Wait. We are in the middle of a full-scale kingdom war now? Not just local bandit contracts?"
"Full-scale invasion," Jade said. "And there is a darker side to it. King Derthert ordered a standard military strike on supply lines, but Lord Thomund put down two hundred denars of his own silver as a personal bounty. He wants the company to slaughter the common villagers and burn their homes to the ground."
Numerius scoffed, shaking his head. "Screw that. I'm not hacking up some random farmer while he's feeding his goats. That's bandit shit."
"Waste of stamina anyway," Yuzon said, checking his bowstring. "Peasants don't have armor or silver, and killing them just ruins the local trade routes."
Mataranas just scoffed, shaking his head as he leaned against his heavy cavalry shield.
Nathaniel adjusted his leather bracer, shaking his head firmly. "We literally just left our own families in a farming village two weeks ago. I'm not butchering someone's parents for Thomund's pocket change."
"What happened in the tent, Jade?" Yuzon asked, his sharp eyes noticing Jade's grim look. "You look rattled."
Jade let out a short, self-deprecating laugh. "I spoke up out of turn. Tried to convince Rodrik that burning villages was a bad tactical move. Thomund nearly took my head off, Rodrik chewed me out for insolence, and the system slapped me with a new trait."
Numerius perked up, grinning. "Wait, a new trait? What did you get?"
"Impulsive," Jade said, tapping his temple. "Minus caution, plus direct actions."
Numerius burst out laughing, clapping Jade on the shoulder. "Look at our tactical genius turning into a hothead like me! I knew you had it in you, Jade!"
Nathaniel frowned, leaning in. "Wait, does it lower your trade or charisma stats?"
"No, it just tracks personality alignment," Yuzon said, shaking his head at Numerius. "It happens when you take reckless dialogue options in front of major lords or making impulsive decisions. What's the plan for midnight, Jade?"
Jade looked around at his four friends, his resolve hardening. "We stick strictly to our scouting orders. We ride point across Veron Crossing with Mara's archers covering the west bank. Our job is pure reconnaissance, map the road between the village of Veron and Goleryn, locate Achios's patrol pickets, and report back before the main company moves. We don't touch the villages, and we ignore Thomund's blood money entirely."