~ Not Nolram invasion - Shadows of the Kingdom 453 ~

The shadows that stretch across Kingdom 453

Kingdom 453, the Northern Kingdom, had been living in a cramped atmosphere for several weeks. The roads once frequented by merchants were beginning to empty, the patrols of the major alliances circulated with the obvious caution given to the dangers lurking in the intention of attacking what was working, in a territory fragmented by a thousand and one wars, a rumor kept coming back insistently, that the legendary lancers of the WEE alliance would flush out of their obscurity, were preparing to put an end to it: the campaign launched by a providential lancer was always methodical, implacable, obsessive in the detail they reserved for it.

His name passed from bivouac to bivouac, whispered in the black cold of the breath: Not Nolram.

The converging reports painted a picture of a skillfully patient player who only engaged in battle when the decisive advantage was guaranteed. Always accompanied by his disciplined spearmen and a staff of veterans of the art of war, he knew how to analyze the slightest weakness in his opponents. To many, a strategist like so many others. To the unfortunate few who had already experienced him, a force so brutal that at his feet lay only clear and irreversible defeats.

Elsewhere, several leagues to the north, Lord Deil, a notoriously famous archer of the TME alliance, was gathering his troops near an advanced fortress. His specialty was deadly volleys capable of breaking a front in seconds. Deil did not shy away from battle. His archers, loyal to the point of self-sacrifice, formed a ridge of arrows that had already driven back a superior force.

He was unaware that Not Norram had already turned their attention to him.

And that this campaign would be like no other.

⚔️ First Attack - The Shadow March

On the eve of the war, a dry wind swept across the plains, carrying with it the dust of the old battlefields. The WEE scouts returned before dawn to confirm what Not Nolram had expected: Lord Deil had indeed lowered part of his surveillance under the pretext that the area was merely a transit zone.

The column of spearmen advanced, silent. Nothing suggested their presence except the metallic glint of their spears in the first, still pale ray of the rising sun. Not Nolram gazed silently at the fortress from a rocky height. His staff noticed that his gaze never left the ramparts, as if he were trying to confirm the slightest sign of resistance. From the day the signal was given, Wee's army tightened its grip on Lord Deil's fortress like a jaw.

Inside, the TME archers, though capable of firing in formation, were swept aside by such an assault that they had to carry their line from the rushing lines. A hail of arrows rained down on the spearmen, but not enough to counter the brute assault.

Not Nolram won the battle, 8 million against 319 million for Lord Deil.

And yet, it will prove difficult to discern the extent of the damage, it is true, as the opposing archers, despite being surprised, put up a good fight. Some units, these WEE, feeling surrounded, will be released either by an unexpected maneuver: a breakthrough on the flank will force the archers to break ranks, or the hero himself, to defend a strategic reserve, rather than surrender, will launch a final charge. He is certainly swept aside, let's not forget, but Deil's forces have given themselves precious seconds.

Not Nolram knows this; his plan worked. Moreover, the battle reveals something troubling.

Lord Deil is not playing fair.

He will quickly learn from this defeat.

And he will not tolerate such an insult.

Except for the silence of victory: TME already seems to be preparing a counterattack… The survivors are astonished by Deil's focused, calm demeanor, his gaze burning with a new and determined gleam.

Not Nolram, meanwhile, is already off planning a second attack.

⚔️ Second Attack - The Ash Break

The TME attack never materialized. A heavy, insistent silence replaced the sound of gunfire within Lord Deil's ranks. A stillness that both captivated and worried the WEE strategists.

The scouts returned with a perplexing report.

Lord Deil's castle was moving, but disorganized. The troops were repositioning themselves, knives at their throats. Something had just changed.

Not Nolram sensed the hour of risk, but also the hour of opportunity. A wounded body, it was true, became increasingly unpredictable.

So he ordered an advance.

The second attack, magnificent, unleashed an atmosphere akin to creation, in the heart of a luminous twilight. The clouds seemed to mourn the obstructed sky, the earth softened beneath the feet of the spearmen who preceded the first line of archers, pressed forward, tense. While, on the fringes of the battle, and thanks to a new iteration of the same chessboard, the archers regained their structured formations, the WEE's front lines found openings and gaps in Lord Deil's defense, but nothing like the precise volleys of a reorganized Deil. In Deil's defense, something had broken since the first defeat: morale, strategy, weariness in the face of the relentless pressure of an overconfident command.

Not Nolram, irritated, broke into a hole with surgical efficiency. Defeat soon took hold in TME's mind.

Not Nolram wins: 2M against 85M for Lord Deil.

Lord Deil loses his Lord.

This time, it's defeat.

With Lord Deil defeated, the enemy organization has collapsed. The archers break their lines, unable to maintain a structure without their main commander. The remaining officers try to regain control, but panic spreads faster than orders.

We know that the TME banner trembled before falling, as if it knew it was the end.

Yet, despite the brutal outcome, the WEE troops are not triumphant.

There's a mixture of admiration and seriousness in the air.

Lord Deil has competed with the strategists for too long.

He proved himself a formidable player, and his absence will be sorely felt on the battlefield.

Not Nolram, silent on the field, knows full well that a page of the book has turned.

But here, every victory calls for another.

And every defeated lord leaves behind wounded allies seeking revenge.

📜 Conclusion - Echoes of a Campaign That Has Only Just Begun

Not Nolram's two assaults on Lord Deil quickly spread throughout Kingdom 453. The staggering figures flooded the taverns, were plastered on the alliance walls, and appeared in strategic reports: 8M against 319M, then 2M against 85M for the defeat of the enemy Lord.

But beyond the scores, it was Not Nolram's methods, precision, and calculated audacity that truly impressed.

Some saw it as the beginning of a new era of WEE coalition dominance. Others declared that TME wouldn't stop there. But all, unless mistaken, agreed on one point: this was one of those battles that will be talked about for a long time, where a single player, who knew what he wanted and how to do it right, altered the delicate balance of power in a kingdom!

But for Not Nolram, this is just another twist in the news cycle. For here, in Kingdom 453, there is no peace. Just a light cloak suddenly slipped over the approaching storm.

END