[OL-FB] When a city dies

[Keymonus]

The ruins of Jiangkai, December 620, El Oleonda

Wisps of smoke rose slowly in the sky, from right beyond the hill... they had almost arrived. The small party, led by the "governor" of Fort Arltrees Marcel Dubois, spurred the horses, and a desolate landscape appeared in front of them. It was even worse than they had imagined: the crops in front of them were a stretch of mud and ashes, turned into a marsh by the recent rains. Further beyond lay the ruins of the city: blackened walls, piles of rocks and burned beams, nothing more... the Corrish sacking had damaged the city, but the retreating Lotii army was far more scrupulous, blowing up the city fortifications and setting all the other buildings on fire.

In spite of the devastation, several people had remained among the ruins, building a series of miserable shacks. Civilians frightened by the long march towards Luyang, stragglers who returned from the jungle just to find their barracks devastated, some deserters... all the people left behind by the Kingdom of the Lotus, now struggling to survive with the scarce food available. Technically they were still enemies of Oleon, but most of them would've not arrived to the following summer without help.

This was the reason why Lieutenant Dubois was there, with a dozen of mules loaded with food and a small bodyguard. The organization of the rescue expedition was the last order left by Tristan Rimbaud before leaving for Terraversa. Marcel personally approved the plan, but he also knew that it could end very, very bad for himself: scared people can be dangerous, especially when they have weapons and poor discipline.

As expected, the sight of armed horsemen set the nearest encampment into complete caos: some people started running towards the ruins, others grabbed weapons, tools and sticks to repel the "attackers". In spite of the immediate reaction, the signs of scurvy and denutrition were already clear on those men.

Calming down the spirits required a lot of time, diplomacy and all the limited knowledge of the Lotii language Marcel had. Then, the distribution of food could finally begin.

Lieutenant Marcel Dubois spent two of the following areas trying to understand who could represent the local heterogeneous community, and several more discussing the terms of a treaty: Jiangkai would have become part of the glorious Empire of Light, although with a certain degree of autonomy. In exchange, Oleon would have helped with the reconstruction, and would have provided military protection in the future, especially against Carno and the hated redcoats, but also against the Lotus Empire, which considered deserters and traitors the ones who had remained behind the retreat. Marcel didn't know if he, or -for what mattered- even Tristan Rimbaud actually had the authority to stipulate such an agreement, but it was the best thing to do. He signed the paper, frankly hoping that the Crown would have agreed. At least, this time he only risked a degradation, not his own head... following Tristan's orders, for sure, was quite far from a boring job in the colonial administration!

Edited December 28, 2021 by Keymonus

[NOD]

Good story and selection of minifigures. I like to read your stories and look at the photos.