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Empire: Forged in the Frontier

System based book inspired by elements of Mount & Blade game series. ------------------------------------------------ Exiled from his homeland, Gresvin Oakfall, the son of the Marquis of Oakfall, had no choice but to venture into the windswept and unforgiving Endless Plains. The Endless Plains are home to scores of bandit groups and barbarian tribes. It was an unlawful, chaotic and war torn land. Gresvin had ventured into the plains seeking a place he would be able to call home once more. Battle had ensued and he found himself the savior of a small village called Coedwig and became its protector. In doing so, a mysterious power awakened in him, a system that would enable him to create a kingdom never seen before. To transform the small village of Coedwig into the capital city of all of Aehtelgard would be his task and goal. March along the journey of a small time protector growing into a king that would rule the most powerful kingdom to ever exist.

Warrior_Blade · Fantasy
Not enough ratings
75 Chs

The report is made and Gresvin's concern regarding the raid

"Well… my homeland could be said to be much different than the Endless Plains. I grew up in the region of Aethelgard beyond the Howling Peaks…" his voice softly sounded, and the words he spoke made the group gasp ever so lightly with their eyes burning with curiosity.

Gresvin knew what they wanted to hear just by seeing the eyes of the villagers sparkle, "It had a much more rugged mountain terrain than the Plains, woods of various sizes laid at the feet of lonely mountains and cliffs. My family had their own territory, which was quite a large one. We grew our own produce, grain and barley being the main products, while grapes and apples were harvested from the forests surrounding us." As Gresvin spoke, his words started the trail ever so slightly; he was immersed in the memories of the house, the land, and its people.

The joy and sorrows he experienced and his memories brought a plethora of emotions with them, but Gresvin held the rushing emotions in and forced himself to stay calm.

"The warm summer sun shines over the fields of yellow, bringing a beautiful sparkle to the lush green. I could see and feel the dew of morning still persisting in the rays on the grass and leaves. But to be honest, I think my favorite place was the small forest we had at the back of our house. I would go to the forest early in the morning to hear the songs of the birds and the rustle of the leaves when the dawn would break, and the forest would come alive." 

Gresvin narrated his favorite memories for the villagers, and with his descriptions, images appeared in each of their minds resembling what he held dear. The atmosphere was warm and somewhat sweet. Everyone was lost in their thoughts when an aged voice rang out, "Lord Gresvin, may I ask. If what you say is true, then why would you leave to come to a place like the Endless Plains?"

His words wiped Gresvin from his memories, and the feeling of home and its emotions disappeared.

"Mm, thank you for the meal. I will retire to my cabin." Gresvin stood up, and without waiting for any further questions, he walked off. Gresvin's sudden exit left the villagers befuddled; they would never have imagined him having just gotten up and left.

Whispers sounded from the group, "Do you think it is something we said or did?" one villager asked, somewhat concerned about seeing him leave just like that.

"I don't think so? Maybe," one replied in confusion. None of the villagers knew how to react to Gresvin's sudden departure, and they could only guess as to why.

"Mm, maybe it was related to old man John's question?" one of the older villagers replied, "I mean, he did walk away when old man John asked about him leaving home." 

"Ah! Do you think something happened to his family?" a woman asked loudly in surprise. "Who knows, but I think it's best we do not ask Lord Gresvin such questions in the future," the aged man said after a moment of silence.

The group continued to discuss and guess Geresvin's reason for being in the plains for a very long time into the night. Only when the moon hung on its highest peak did the group scatter and return to their own homes.

Meanwhile, when Gresvin returned, he had already made his way into his cabin. The sudden remembrance of his family had made him quite sad; he did not know when he would see his mother again, and the fact that he was in the Endless Plains did not help with his thoughts even in the slightest.

He did not want to continue worrying and deliberating on his memories and had chosen to climb into bed, wanting to sleep.

Alas, that proved to be difficult; no matter how hard he tried, he could not fall asleep. He just laid on his bed without much to do, and with that being said, hours passed by, and just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard a knock on his door.

Gresvin groaned in response, 'Who would come in the dead of night?' 

"My Lord, I bring back urgent news," an anxious voice sounded from behind his door. 'Marcus? He has returned earlier than expected.' Gresvin opened the door and asked, "You are back? What could be making you feel so anxious?" Clearly, Gresvin had heard the anxiousness contained in Marcus' voice, not to mention his complexion, which was full of worry.

"My Lord, I bring back news of a possible raid," Marcus responded urgently. "A raid, you say? Come in," he invited Marcus into the cabin and quietly waited for the man to speak.

"My Lord we traveled east and after a few miles of tracking we arrived next to a massive lake. It was extremely large and there were no forests or hills that were in between us and the lake, only a vast grassland where the grass grows to our thighs. Anyway, we wanted to search the surroundings more when we noticed two figures walking down the shoreline, we hid and wanted to ambush them as we identified them as bandits, but before we had a chance, we overheard them speak." he explained swiftly and summarized the events leading up to their encounter with the bandits.

"We overheard from them that their boss is planning a raid on our village," Marcus said. "Are you sure, Marcus?" Gresvin asked cautiously.

Marcus nodded his head in response and added, "Yes, they mentioned our village name—Coedwig. We did not want to delay the message, so we did not do very much reconnaissance. I am ashamed to say that I did not think of following them at the time. I wanted to deliver the news, and as such, I do not know when they will strike or how many there are," he said with a frustrated expression.