As the sun set over the city of Nuln, it caught the gleaming weaponry and gargantuan battlements with brilliance. It was not so much a city but a living, breathing fortress; walls festooned with cannons had sprouted up like weeds over the last 10 years and defences upon defences were piled high in the great arms race that had characterised this part of the great war between the Empire and the Triumvirate.
The mage-general in charge of the defence of Nuln looked out over the place he'd once called home. Now, General Kester (also known as Avax Geviar Kester) deemed it unrecognisable to the city of 10 years ago. So much had changed. And not all for the better... The faint rumbling often heard in the distance in this region was not present, thankfully, but the scars wrought upon the city by the Von Carsteins could not all be undone. The deaths of soldiers and innocents, lives bled into the dust by a mindless and seemingly endless undead horde, could never be accounted for, although they could be avenged. And much avenging had been done: for this had been the place where the relentless invasion had finally ground to its halt. The vampires were playing the long game now, Avax reckoned, but that might not profit them: for supplies could be brought into the city via its heavily guarded rear gate, which still had contact with the Empire. The city was also ready for a long siege, and was enduring one, although not a true siege, given that it was still connected to other Empire-controlled territories. That said, the unique strategy brought to bear by Mircea von Carstein was arguably just as formidable as a siege, if not more so. Gabriel von Carstein would wear down the outer walls (they would then be thickened from within the city), rush assaults would then be sprung to kill the builders (defences would be brought to bear), and several times, the city had nearly been taken.
Nearly, The general smiled, but every day we grow stronger. The beauty of humanity was its ability to adapt and evolve, and this had been displayed within a city of great innovation. He gazed longingly at the horizon, beyond the great outer walls on which he now stood. Beside him, his apprentice shifted uncomfortably. The ceasefire had held for some time now, but troops were building up on both sides of the walls, and it was only a matter of time until it was broken once again. The apprentice, Asnior Steinn, spoke up, "Will they be attacking again soon, my lord?" It was not so much a question, but askance for a confirmation of his own opinion from his direct superior. "Undoubtedly," Kester replied, glancing back at the relatively more intact part of the city, within the inner set of walls. The palace of Countess Lieberwitz, once opulent and lavished in splendour, was now a snarling bastion of defiance, determined not to be breached so easily after its last encounter with the first vampire council. Everything was militarised: every window barred, every battlement manned, every door guarded. Strange weapons, produced in great forges and designed by the city's engineers, bristled, ready to expound their built-up, mechanical rage. In times of battle, the hiss of ODMC could be heard as partially airborne soldiers made their way frantically across the city.
Avax's armoured bodyguard tensed up. Isabell Highglade was generally reserved but when she expressed herself as obviously, it was usually for an important reason. He turned to look at her and asked, perturbed, "What is it?" She replied frankly, in a concerned tone, "Look, a number of riders are passing through the Von Carstein camp. They appear to be of some importance." Avax could tell she was right, for rarely would there be a commotion amongst the Von Carstein force when so few arrived to the front line. "Perhaps some sort of Von Carstein commander has arrived, my lord?" Asnior suggested. The winds of magic seemed to twist around some of the new arrivals, as they did around beings of magical potency. "Perhaps," Avax responded, "and so perhaps it is time for peace talks to resume."
"Peace talks!" a voice laced with scorn exclaimed. "Pah!" A figure approached, his glare a mix of contempt and resignation, bound to a wheelchair. Lord Commander Eckhart von Kossen, the leader of the Winged Protectors, rattled over to them, the engine in his mechanical transport whirring, a cane in his hand and Field Marshal Varison Zimmermann walking at his side. "You know what I think of those already," Kossen hissed, "but I will not attempt to persuade you again, only tell you this: we don't need to end this war so abruptly. We can win it outright." Avax smiled cordially, "I think that was another attempt at persuasion, von Kossen." This elicited a hiss from the man it was addressed to, but that did not stop Avax's speech. "I have told you many, many times, Eckhart. We might well win, but in our current state we would weaken ourselves so much in the process that we would not be able to face the threat to the north. That is overwhelmingly more dangerous."
"How do you know?" retorted Kossen. "What does it matter if the chaos warbands are more active than usual? The Kislevites are simply using that as an excuse to refuse assistance to the Empire!"
"Believe me, Eckhart, I know," Avax replied, "something foul is afoot in the north. The winds rage far more to the north than in previous years, and there are whispers of new chaos champions rising to ascendancy." In all his fifty years, he had not seen such consternation in the north except at the time of Lord Mortkin's invasion of the Empire. It troubled him deeply. "The Sylvanian aristocracy are just as evil as the chaos forces we face...but probably not as strong. And thus, we must prioritise. Our intelligence suggests a gathering of vampires took place in the last few days."
"They are planning to destroy us!" Eckhart spat. "We must strike at them first."
"Use your brain, Eckhart," Avax retorted to the fuming commander. "It has served us well before. Do not blind yourself with hate or bitterness. Chaos wants to divide us and then conquer. It is in their nature to revel in the havoc that a continuation of this war would cause."
"You would jeopardise our people's future! Subjugated under those monsters, fattened up for the slaughter that is to come when the Empire falls completely under Carstein sway."
"I am protecting our people!" Avax replied angrily. "Do you think I do not care for those we have lost to the Triumvirate? I assure you that I do! But we must prioritise. We cannot afford to spend any more lives whilst a second enemy has us in their sights, not when fighting a war like this. The lives lost regaining territory without reinforcements would outweigh those currently subjugated under our enemies."
"We would win."
"At what cost? I have already told you, unless our military situation changes we cannot invade the Von Carstein Empire. We know this, and I suspect they can't invade our lands either. Any assault would be too costly for either of us whilst the threat to the north remains. And that is, perhaps, what this gathering of vampires was made to deal with. After all, they haven't attacked us yet."
"No, not yet."
"You are cynical and bitter, Eckhart, and, more importantly you are not in charge of the defence of the Empire on this front."
"Not yet."
"Ambitious, too?" Avax laughed. "I don't intend to meet Morr just yet, Eckhart. Now, I must deal with these new arrivals on the Von Carstein front."
"Do you want my soldiers to kill them?" Eckhart von Kossen's eyes lit up with forlorn hope. "Just give the order," he said with a beam.
"No. You are dismissed; I must parley and I don't intend to do so with...diplomatic liabilities...nearby."
For a moment, Eckhart looked like he might explode. Then he sagged with disappointment and sighed. "Varison?" he asked wistfully, looking up his subordinate. The gaunt, tall man simply nodded and drove him past the mage-general, and away. It appeared that the Lord Commander had given up for the time being.
"Come, my friends," Avax addressed Isabell and Asnior, "we must negotiate." They fetched a white flag implanted into a stone in the wall, and stepped down a set of stairs to a lower battlement. Avax stepped to its edged and noted that Marshal Gabriel was deep in conversation with another figure, this one being more powerful than the Marshal, judging by the winds of magic. Avax yelled to the marshal, who was standing on the ground far below: "Marshal! I wish to speak with you about an extension of the ceasefire that's being held here. If that's a superior standing down there with you, and I suspect that it is given the strength with which the winds of magic bend about them, then I expect an audience with them! We have after all provided you with an, ah, explosive welcome here in Nuln over these past few years, so I expect you to return the favour." He chuckled, and waited for a sign of acquiescence from Gabriel. When and if it came, he would go down to negotiate with his long-time enemy and his mysterious superior, whoever that might be.