Version 2.0
In the aftermath of the bloody battle, the Ryder King stood victorious, his forces having crushed both the coalition armies of the Western kings. The battlefield was strewn with the fallen, and the once-proud banners of the defeated lay trampled beneath the snow. The Fisher King was left with no choice but to face the harsh reality of his defeat. His forces were decimated, his allies shattered, and his lands vulnerable to further attacks.
The Fisher King met with the Ryder King as his prisoner. The cold wind whipped around them as they stood on the frozen field where so many had fallen, their breath visible in the icy air. The Fisher King, his pride wounded, and his body battered, looked up at Eamon, knowing that he had lost it all.
The Ryder King 'offered' terms. He gave the Fisher King a choice: to swear fealty and acknowledge the rule of the Ryder King or face total annihilation. Under this new arrangement, the Fisher King would be allowed to keep his lands and his people, as well as the Celtic practices and religion. But from that day forward, he would be a vassal to the Ryder King, serving under his rule and paying tribute to him.
The Fisher King reluctantly agreed. He had no army left to defy the Ryder King; the Old Gods were unlikely to be willing to send more men. In a solemn ceremony held in the ruins of his camp, the Fisher King knelt and swore his fealty, his voice quiet and broken. The Ryder King accepted his submission with a smile.
With this secured, the Ryder King turned his sights on the Greenwood King who was still raiding his lands. The Ryder King rallied his forces once more, their morale high after their victory despite the beginning upset, and began his march toward the Greenwood King.
However, before the Ryder King's army could reach the Greenwood King, his scouts brought news. The Greenwood King, wary of Eamons strength and the fate that had befallen the coalition, had already withdrawn. He mistakes the course of the battle as a large ploy done by Eamon rather than the luck of Eamon in that he was still there and had managed to gather his men again in time.
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The words of war changed, as tensions between the Red King and his neighbouring rulers boiled over. Royce had grown increasingly wary of the growing power of both the Ryder King and the Winter King. The recent battles and shifting alliances had left him feeling left out, and Royce knew that if he didn't act soon, he risked being overshadowed. His pride and ambition demanded action.
The Red King began gathering his forces. His eyes turned to the lands of the Slate King due to him being one of the weakest kings and his control over his markets. Royce summoned his men including his Jarl Overton, and then marched his army.
However, his movements could not be hidden from the Eastern Alliance. The Locke, Slate, and Tower Kings could not allow the Red King to advance. They gathered their forces, forming a united army. The Locke King was a follower of the Celtic faith while the Slate and Tower Kings were more neutral in their beliefs being more open to both religions. They also feared a repeat of what happened to the Western alliance and so were tight-lipped about themselves and their men about religion.
Together, their forces marched as one. Meanwhile, in the north, the Umbar and Frost Kings had also moved. As with the agreement, they sent their raiding parties into Royce's lands.
Soon enough, the two armies came face to face on a vast, slight plain betwixt hills between the Slate King's lands and the Red King's domain. The battlefield stretched out before them, covered in frost and snow, with the skeletal trees of the nearby forests standing silent on the horizon.
The battle erupted with ferocity. The Red King's forces marched forward with a deafening roar, as they crashed their line into their opponent. The eastern alliance held their ground, their shields interlocked. The sound of bronze clashing against bronze soon filled the cold, still air, and the battlefield quickly swirled with men, weapons, and blood as the lines pushed against one another.
Royce, led from the front, his crimson armour glinting in the pale light of the overcast sky. He fought fiercely, cutting through the ranks of his enemies but the strength of the alliance soon became apparent. Though his forces were formidable, the coalition of kings had the advantage of numbers, and the Locke King had organised them as he had been given command of the army. The Locke King's had the most men in the army plus the biggest kingdom gave him the right to lead the battle and he loved nothing more than battle.
At first, the battle was balanced, the Red King's forces pushing the alliance back slightly, but soon cracks began to form in his line. The eastern army was relentless, using their superior numbers and battlefield tactics to slowly encircle the Red King's forces. The Slate and Tower Kings held the line then the Locke warriors struck like a hammer on the Red King's flank, breaking through with sheer force.
As the Red King's forces began to falter, exhaustion set in among and then they broke. Seeing their formation crumble, Royce called for a retreat, hoping to salvage what remained of his army. But unlike the chaos of the Western battles, the Eastern kings had prepared for this. And they pursued them for the rest of the day never letting up.
Royce bloodied and desperate, tried to escape the battlefield, but the alliance's forces were relentless. His men scattered, and he was left with only a small group of loyal King's guards. After a brutal chase through the snow-covered hills, Royce was finally captured. Dragged back to the camp, the Red King found himself surrounded by the victorious kings and their armies.
Humiliation burned in his chest as he was brought before the three kings he knew he was greater than, only one King deserved to be equal to him and he would overpower him soon. The Locke King, Slate King, and Tower King loomed over him, there would be no mercy for the man who converted their lands.
They forced him to sign harsh terms of surrender. First, Royce was compelled to cede control of part of the mineral-rich Lonely Hills to the Slate King, along with some open lands to the Locke and Tower King. Second Royce vacates his influence over the markets of the Slate and Tower King. With each concession, the anger in the Red King's eyes burned hotter as he ground his teeth. His power was being stripped away piece by piece, but his pride made him stare the three kings down. Finally, the Red King must adhere to peace between the eastern kingdom and stop his raiding of their lands, they knew it was him and they were not impressed.
With no other choice, Royce accepted the deal before returning home battered and lost but burning with rage and intense need.