Short one again, I have too little time to get this all out but I need to. House Reinard spends money and part of their troops to help in the reconstruction of Swinnigh's destruction, improving his popularity among the people as well as local wealth. House du Briërust investigates the Darkwald Order to figure out if the radicals are backed by most of the organization. While Milena du Briërust shows up to the meeting, the Darkwalds do not, leaving behind only a poster with two green eyes nailed to the door of their meeting location, both eye with an arrow through them. Milena leaves Tirgunn with the assumption that the radicals essentially control the entire order by now, and by extension, much of the local guard. It is further clarified that because the Darkwalds come from Tirgunn, that is their local pride, and where many of their families work. Asking them to cut down the Darkwalds is like asking the devout families to attack their own heroes and members on the request of an aberrant Duke. The Darkwalds immediately spin this as if the aberrant Duke is trying to rid Brissiaud of its stalwart defenders against mutations and demons, proclaiming him a disciple of the Archdemon, preparing the land for a great cult summoning of Demons. Without anyone on the outside stepping up in a clever manner, it seems Tirgunn is going in the direction of rebellion. House Delmotte invests in their own economy and does some other expenditure off the hook. The Synod asks the Church of Father Salvation why they don't pay money. They say because relations between the Synod and the Patriarch are at an all-time low and there isn't enough Etosian representation in the Synod. The Synod sends money and Reverend Aelfric Harhold to Kausis to give them financial aid. Because the region is occupied by the Isldar however, Reverend Aelfric Harhold is savagely beaten, and finally let go again, while all the money is stolen by the Isldar. The Synod sends the High Reverend to the City of Calemberg to celebrate Allamarichtag with House Typhonus, improving Synod loyalty in the devout heartlands of Calemberg. House von Drachenburg celebrates Allamarichtag also with a beer festival, announcing a cultural separation from Dragenthal and more joint Calemberg-Waldmark brotherhood. House Avalorn uses their money and nature sorcery to produce wood-sung vessels, somewhat unique yanar-themed looking warships to add to the Avalorn navy. House Avalorn also makes a major investment in the Coivra industry, which uncovers a Delmotte investment also. Turns out that both families have been unknowingly in a bidding war over the love and support of the poor Coivra people, while the Anahera continue to blame the central government for meddling in their sphere of incluence. House Avalorn then also improves political stability by celebrating recent victories. House Fristadvlom gives out charity alms and other gifts to the locals of their newly established barony. House Black sends Dianne to Worthing to meet the local lords, but lacking finances, she is forced to only meet a few of them as she cannot afford to travel across the land with no money taken with. House Typhonus asks Groswald commune to vassalize under them, who clarify that they practically are already vassalized, since Ulric Typhonus agreed to a protection arrangement with them in exchange for foreign control. House Typhonus also celebrates Allamarichtag with the Synod. The FInance Minister visits Coivra, who states that with a government payment of 30,000 Regals, they will be able to liberate the economy and move around the industry to an independent model of dyes, while also buckle-cuffing Avalorn and Delmotte attempts to sway the economy to them. The Finance Minister requests House Kade and Lampero to reduce their troops, who decline. Simultaneously however, some states pull their troops back, particularly in Drixagh and the border where they want the troops home in case of a war with Drixagh. With a lack of response from House Harhold, the second city falls, leaving a straight path open to Vlissinghelm for the Rourke Barons. House von Duerr tries to sway Duerrstein land to a medical focus by spending a whole whopping 340 Regals, which is just enough to buy a few crates of bread and hand them out in a single village. Needless to say, it goes nowhere. The Synod sends more emissaries to the Ithanian Sovereign, asking if the Court wishes anything from the Synod. The Ithanian Sovereign replies that he is still fine, and loyal to the Synod, as they were one of the first to acknowledge his kingship, and that everything in Ithania is currently fine, though the gifts are appreciated. The High Reverend purchases another 3 expensive looking Puretek weapons from the Guilds of Belliard. After finally having been tragically inactive and sitting around bleeding money while the Rourke barons invaded Vlissinghelm, the Duke finally sallied forth with his 50,000 total soldiers in an attempt to dislodge the 45,000 Rourke army that faces them on the road to Vlissinghelm. House Yates-Varley meanwhile pays for 8000 mercenaries to pretend to join the Rourke Army intending to betray them halfway through the battle. The Rourke Barons however already smell the betrayal coming from a mile away, since they saw Yates-Varley fat with Harhold cash just a few weeks ago, and immediately attack his mercenaries. Despite this failing of a double-crossing, the Rourke 45,000 army still faces off on 58,000 soldiers coming from two sides, which severely hampers their ability to fight. While the Rourke army is fighting much better thanks to Viduggla's supplies and training, the battle is still lost as fighting on two sides of the battlefield is practically impossible. Some of the barons and their armies are captured, but a decent bulk retreats back to the second city, and then back to the border city, not wanting to get caught in a protracted siege inside a Harhold city. Yates-Varley's mercenaries are in a decent shape, though Harhold did suffer a lot of levy casualties in the process. House Yates-Varley's state donations immediately ceased on account of going into deficit.
