POV Eden Civillis, Emperor
The world burns. It hurts to watch it all go.
What I heard from the fronts of my allies is that the war goes well for them. Dalka is overrun, Northspire is ered, and the east holds. My side was going well at first, with the river secured by mermaid strike teams, and heavy ons ing in from Crystalspear things were good for a while.
However, this wasn't enough in the end. It retty obvious my position in the capital wasn't one I could hold. Magnus stopped an untable number of assassination attempts on my life. Many of those attempts were desperate citizenry that feared the alliance, including the Empire's freatest enemies. It does gdden me greatly that while those people were many, those who sided with the Coalition were ier t.
"The path is clear mi'lord, those scouts you sent were right." No, what eventually destroyed our position weren't the inpetent nobles or internal strife.
"Excellent, from this point on we could use every bit of fortuowed upon us by either of the goddesses."
The defense of Beirlitz quickly devolved into a disaster in the making when an atack came from squid-faced interdimensional forces. They rapidly took the walls while sending monsters into urban area's. Many of my generals said that we could repel them with time and effort, but it would cost us dearly. Not to mention, the noble fa would not doubt use the moment to take the capital. So instead, I ordered the plete evacuation of the capital. There were protests of course, but the capital is its people. As long as the people survive, we rebuild. The invaders seemed more than happy seeing us leave.
"How is our caravan looking?" I direct the question to the governor of the capital, who is now in charge of the people on the move. It is fasating to learn so much from nomadic travel from a short versation with some greenskins.
"Food is dwindling, but moving across the river and forest is keeping it plenty stable for now, and while spare parts are in high demand to fix the wagons, the ste of parts is still plenty higher." Good news on that front then. Once we began the evacuatioook everything with us that wasn't nailed down, and I also took and of the mermaid expeditionary force to cover our fnk while also providing fish for the fleeing city. We effectively sacked Beirlitz, and if all goes well, my enemies will find a surprise left.
"Your majesty, your order has been fulfilled successfully, glory to the Empire." A member of the Shadow Hand says it through the thin fabric of the wagon. He probably intended for the message to be only heard by him, but the thick walls of the pace are no more, and my cil overhears it. I suppose the time for hiding has now passed.
"Look! The capital!" One of the escorts points behind us as we asd a small hill, from here everyone see what happehere, and my cil see what I ordered.
The Beirlitz pace be clearly seen at this distance, especially sidering it is on fire right now. Nearly all of our explosives were used to set traps at vital locations, and many of those bombs were indiary. Invading forces would simply find themselves in a ruined city. A city that those damn squid-heads and the nobles fight to the death over all they like. The governor and the general of the vanguard stare at me wide-eyed. Seemingly at odds with believing I could burn our oital.
"I think gratutions are in order for me, I am not only the first emperor to sack Beirlitz, I am also the first to raze the rgest city in the world." It is fasating to learn so much about nasty tricks from a short versation with an otherworlder.
I'm surprised that people still get shocked so easily from stuff like this. They know we are 'headio rally with allies', which only mean The Demon Lord. My other allies are dwarven bandits, mermaid pirates, barbarian cultists, and the undead.
After a mihe first few sparks of prehension dawns on the men. I don't want to be here to hear their questions that they themselves easily answer, so I take the time to get a horse, and move closer to the river. The pirate ship sailing with us mostly carries supplies, and while its guns are mostly for show, what is below the ship is certainly the real threat. Moving closer to the water, a shadoears from u, and a mermaid carrying a crossbow emerges from the water.
"Greetings Emperor Civillis, what do you need?" The mermaid looks around in suspi. It really doesn't take a genius to figure out they take after their leader.
"What has Esstrey been doing to all of you to get such... discipliroops? I wasn't expeg pirates to have any guards, let alone a rotation." They have been patrolling the river even at night, like we get attacked every night from the river.
"She mostly just has us locked up with some of the starving mongrels only found oreets in Quintillius. I think she said something about making people desensitized to close quarters bat, but our ship bound rades tend to jump at shadows from the training. They seem to think there is a threat lurking uhe water wherever they are." The mermaid gives a rge smile as she says the st bit, thhly enjoying seeing humans scared, no doubt.
"Right, I'm going to go see if I talk to someone more mentally stable." I move my horse away from the water, and slightly more to the ter of the caravan. Some dwarven smiths have made mobile smithies in the wagons, and are stantly replenishing ammo for our fing parties to use.
"Hello ds, how goes work?" I pick up a small metal globe o an anvil. Urist's people sure make some weird stuff.
"Careful yer majesty, yer nae wanna lose yer fingers, aye?"
"Why? It doesn't look too dangerous." It kind of looks like artwork of a fruit that was all the hype some years back among the nobles.
"It be a bomb, ye push tha' lil thingy right there and kaplooey!" I carefully put the death-fruit back where I found it. Alright, the sanity isn't here either.
I look bay capital, the capital I burned down. Do I even deserve sane pany?
As I start to pohe legitimay rule, I am interrupted by the fpping of bird wings, and a harpy nds on top of a nearby wagon.
"Massage for uhhh... Eddy Civilian? It's from scary fish!"
Goddess, I could use a massage right about now.