My Lord. I have good news and bad news. The bad tidings is that the Royal Guard has decisively (and publicly, for a definition of "it is public knowledge to anyone in the capital") sworn to the Queen Widow as the rightful heir to the throne. The good tidings is that the queen herself has offered her hand in marriage to you, personally, unifying your houses and sharing the throne. I would not trust her greatly with this; interrogations about military posture followed (I claimed your initial army will be a thousand strong); she seems both a snake and not terribly competent.

Moving on to trivia: The Royal Guards have a thousand men (numbers based on personal observation, so does not include anything that left the city before I got there), described to me as "elite" and "veterans" (and as heavy infantry and cavalry). The captain has sent an envoy to Stavelot to browbeat him into joining the notional coalition we have here. The captain is a good man, in the worse way possible - he loves the common people and hates to see war. He made the queen swear an oath to prevent "undue" suffering in exchange for his loyalty. He also appears to be the tail that wags the dog in this coalition. 

The queen's guard is 500 men (see above), presumably levies also will be present. Quality not assessed. The queen is Not Good At Infosec, and also at least once called me the envoy from Glentos. Maybe a bluff, but I kinda doubt it. 

They have both suggested I travel to Emelle to secure a suitably holy wedding. I would not be opposed. It has occurred to me that I'm not actually going to get any reply letters from the western cities you sent initial overtures to, so please pass on any replies intended for others. Please as well as your opinion on the proposed wedding and coalition, send suitable lies and or truths about military numbers and posture for me to provide to this coalition.

Regards, 
Vizier Greenlark

Ran into a royal guard agent in Warmwren. Named Tøstig. Cordial meeting, but he didn’t mention his mission and seemed in a hurry to leave. We let him pass through uninhibited. Do with this information as you will. Try to find out his mission if you can.

I believe the royal guard has sent men to negotiate with Stavelot for the same purposes as we have - that may be what this Tostig was after. A good thing if a strong coalition forms but perhaps it will not; make sure Stavelot is on our side and not the peace's side. Envoys from Stavelot and Emelle have arrived in the capital. The good abbot has attempted to assure me that his master does not seek the throne and any rumors to the contrary are fabrications - words which are but air. I have prevailed on him to have his master declare you the true heir - for all that this may be a matter of trivia if the wedding occurs as desire, it still matters as Queen Neveria sees herself the highest authority possible. The envoy from Caradoc was terse; I don't believe they expected me to reach out. But he seemed open to the idea of an alliance - though he agreed this was best discussed between you and his lord. A quite day. I intend to use the time write to Karavale and inform them of the alliance; it's hypothetical existance will no doubt influence them into our circle.

Yours faithfully Vizier Greenlark. 

P.S. is it just me or do letters arrive without verification about their source. Assuming you were the origin of the letter I received regarding Tostig. Implement some form of cryptography?

Quite day. No notes. If I do not hear from you within a couple more days I will travel to meet you. Your loyal subject.

Duke Luxiano to Vizer Greenlark

Blackburn looks favorably on unification with the queen and her house, and with the royal guard. Our claim to the throne will be legitimized by the this tie, the church, and the royal guard. Ideally queen and church will assent to a public announcement, so all the people know. We value public show of legitimacy more than any whispered pledge, for they may lightly break a secret alliance.

You now have authorization to speak and act in any ways necessary to secure the alliance, and generally advance the diplomatic interests of Blackburn, according to our three objectives. Travel wherever you think best; write concerning your location; remember that the further you are the slower we communicate. Letters will be forwarded to you when they arrive, and copies kept just in case. Next time we meet in person we will speak of codes to secure our communications. 

We are about to meet with Marshal Markus of Stavelot, under law of hospitality. Thanks to your efforts, we walk into this meeting more informed than he about the political situation, the strength of the royal guard, and why the royal guard sent envoy to him. Expect another letter soon concerning the results.

Of goals and strategy: We are content to let the royal guard call the shots, so long as we sit upon the throne. In time, we hope to prove greater than the queen, and so turn the guard to our side. If he cares for the people, we will prove ourselves better for the people. We will also prove our strength, by arms and by securing allies loyal to us personally more than the others. Stavelot will be the first, if talks go well. 
Our military strength remains unchanged. When harvest ends, we raise between one and three thousand militia. 
A final musing: a coalition of all quickly becomes a coalition of none.

Sent 1025-07-08 from Blackburn Castle.
I returned to try and meet with you, and thence received your letter. I will relay your acceptance of her majesty's proposal. I have heard as gossip that Glentos seeks to strike Karavale or join our alliance but have received letters or envoys from neither - I have sent letters to Karavale offering out defense to them, but I suspect the queen prefer Glentos; these two seem the weakest links in the coalition as I understand it. All speculative naturally. The demands for public announcement will be relayed to the Queen. Little is happening in your castle with now, but if you are unaware, the Bishop Gennadi and your servant Uhtred are here. Neither has had much to say to me. I considered remaining two days further to spoof knowledge of my traveling, but diplomacy is more essential and they surely know that Blackburn is a day's ride from the capital by my being the first Envoy to arrive there. 
A strong coalition will be able to settle certain disunities in the isle and face the dread empire. Perhaps we could even do a little empire-building of our own? great ambitions - but a way to give a overly large coalition certainly.
Regards, Vizir Greenlark
P.s. Did I remember to tell you that the royal guard and mystic claim to be receiving an envoy from the Iron Spears soon? More details as I learn them.

Duke Luxiano to Vizer Greenlark

We have met with Marshal Markus of Stavelot, to great success. We understand his concerns to be avoiding infighting within the realm, maintaining his position as marshal, and potentially another invasion by the dread empire. He seems supportive of the royal guard coalition, and does not wish to announce loyalty to us until the marriage to the queen is announced. We have made a handshake deal to call on each other for defense, and an understanding that we see eye-to-eye even if the coalition fails. All in all, we think him an honorable man and aim to keep peace between our lands.

My lord,
I have returned to Damrel. Neveria claims she will announce the wedding between you and her promptly, without any particular terms or criteria. 200 of the royal guard will likely arrive in Stavelot soon along with the Guard captain, leaving 1300 troops total in the capital for now, with me, Neveria, and Tostig as the only ones still in the capital. Do you know where the Iron Spears are currently based? Little else of note today.

My lord Blackburn,
Do we have a plan for when we will raise levies in place? It seems many are mobilizing their own forces now and I am concerned that they might well get in the first strike. If all our allies have armies and we do not ... This would be a concerning situation, perhaps. Relatedly, 2000 men (including by verbal report 300 cavalry) with the iron spears under captain Anna have arrived in the capital, along with two subcommanders at least (Nog and Eric.). The mercenary subcommanders are crass men, but the captain seems civilized. She reports her fees to presently be 1.5 loot/infantry and 3.5 loot/cavalry, per day, paid for the defense of the capital and no campaigning. It is not clear to me who is footing this bill at present - the royal guard appears to be the one who negotiated the deal. The queen has requested your presence for the wedding - naturally you cannot be in the field for a wedding. However I am feeling paranoid and worried about a trap here, however, so we must plan with all carefulness. 
Your eternally loyal servant Greenlark
P.s. how is your new minion settling in?

My lord Blackburn,
Are we aware who rules the towns of Black Hollow or Natwich? Confusion in the capital regarding current siege news.
Greenlark.

Duke Luxiano to Vizier Greenlark
We are unaware of anything involving Natwich but expect to learn more in time. About to travel to Damerel, escorted by royal guard. We will speak soon. Rozmar Silverbriar given temporary command over the Blackburn armies.

My duke.
Hoping you did not just starve to death in Transmere. Drama today in court - Captain of the Royal Guard bickering about interventionism. The queen wishes to do nothing for a while and then invade Karavale so she can give it to Glentos - she thinks the siege in Natwich is a prelude to a Emelle-Archeon war that will exhaust them all to her advantage. She considered taking the field herself, but I talked her out of it - possibly a mistake. The good captain wished to decisively intervene and only stood down on this with a forceful invocation of royal authority. The majority of the troops in the capital are mercenaries operating on promised future pay because nobody knows where money comes from. Things seem to be trending towards inaction presently. Praying for your swift arrival so that a royal voice can act on equal footing and this shark of a coalition moving. Raising a scout to investigate various forward-leaning matters from my own loyalists presently.
Yours loyally,
Vizir Greenlark.

What the fuck is going on sire. When shall you arrive in the capital. The queen grows impatient. She quarrels with her captain over myriad things, and swings between extremes in tactics, wishing to be conservative or drastic but never measured. 5000 mystic troops and the royal guard deployed to threaten war with Emelle today. Loot promised to iron spears. Detailed troop breakdowns only recorded via screen shot through with threads, and I do not have time to transcribe embroidery. Iron spears to be sent west? Currently under debate. Hope this does not come to pass. Queen seeks sacking of karavale for unclear reasons.

Sire. My lord. Get the fuck over here.

And send me mail more often.

If you stay away from the capital for too long the coalition will decide it doesn't need you. If I have to hire more spies just to confirm you didn't starve to death I'm not able to do my job of keeping the diplomacy intact. I am doing my best but I can't attend your wedding for you. Bring guards in case of treachery.
Greenlark.

P.s. Glentos joining coalition in exchange for Karavale. Iron spears not acting on order of queen - "searching for lost family members."

P.p.s. Queen plans to betray Glentos "in a few weeks probably"

Duke Luxiano to Vizier Greenlark
We continue on our way to the queen, eagerly, yet faced with obstacles. Mercenaries agreed to return to their lands without battle; now we encounter the crown captain with an army of 800 guard. When  we arrive, in addition to the alliance, we wish to present the queen with important evidence.

My Duke,
Do you know how long it will take for you to arrive? I appreciate you writing to me, but in future please tell me where things are happening. The royal guard are supposed to be traveling north to confront Emelle regarding their disloyalty, etc - I note that this might have lead them to meet with you in Raleoh by coincidence. Who knows. Presently there are 2k mystic and 1.5k iron spears in the capital. Archeon sounding out war vs Glentos. Seems wise if possible. Any clue what's going wrong in Stavelot?
Greenlark

Treaty of Damerel
1. Neveria of Mystic will marry Luxiano of Blackburn.
2. The marriage will not be matrilineal or patrilineal so as to signify that the two are equal partners. Any offspring resulting from the marriage will bear the last name Mystic-Blackburn.
3. Neveria of Mystic and Luxiano of Blackburn proclaim themselves, by the Grace of God, as Queen of Causter and King of Causter respectively. They shall have fully equal powers and co-rule the realm for the duration of their lives.
4. Upon the death of one of the two, the other shall become the sole monarch, and after their passing, the oldest child of the two will ascend to the throne.

Courageous Commanders, Daring Diplomats, and Valorous Vassals, here is your weekly dispatch:

We are instituting this weekly announcement to keep you all up to date on the big picture. Send a message to Luxiano at least once a week with your location and a summary of your situation, for the report.

Our forces:
Duke Luxiano, Greenlark, and Rozmar are all in Damerel, with a force of 200 soldiers. We have taken heavy casualties from battling rebellious mercenaries, and now wait for reinforcements.
 
Sir Highclover is in Blackburn, gathering the levies. 

Uhtred’s location is unknown, was serving as envoy to Emelle and Natwich.

Dragon Copperash is heading to Emelle, to observe the Crownguard situation and to try to find Uhtred. 

Strategic Situation:
Stavelot is a trusted ally. Their peasants are rebelling but the marshal’s men have said they don’t need our help. If they change their mind and ask for help, we should support them.

Mystic is bound to us by marriage alliance. The queen’s unpaid mercenaries have decided to sack Damerel. Armies commanded by Duke Luxiano and Queen Neveria are in a standoff against the mercenaries, but need reinforcements to push them out of the city. 

Emelle is under attack by a force of around five thousand Mystic and Crownguard soldiers. The treacherous Crown Captain commands this army. The Queen has sent one of her barons, along with Crownguard sgt Pijano, to take command of the army from the Crown Captain. 

Acheron, Glentos, and Karvale are unknown.

Goals
Keep our alliances intact, for the safety of Blackburn.
Reinforcements to Damerel so we can deal with these mercenaries and the Crown Captain.

Dear King, 
Karavale is currently actively besieged by ~3k Glentos troops. No diplomacy has occurred yet, but this seemed important to you.
Regards,
Greenlark

Dear king Blackburn, 
Glentos said some weird implications about past letters.; can I have those letters? Karavale is terse and ambivalent. Neither seem tremendously open to deals. Talks are slow. Glentos is loyal to Neveria (conditional on his yet larger personal lands expanding), he says. I have asked him to swear vassalage publicly; he refused, citing non-performance in the deal to provide mercenaries for his campaign. He seems well-informed. He does not think highly of Neveria. Karavale endorses Blackburn as the rightful heir but this is basically an act of desperation I suspect. Given the current siege.
Regards,
Greenlark.

Duke Luxiano to Greenlark
Mercenaries have been soundly defeated by Mystic forces. Blackburn cavalry arrived in Damerel, numbering 600. Infantry yet to arrive.

Duke Luxiano to Greenlark
The only letter we have from Glantos is this one. Thought you already had it. TLDR, glentos seems insulted and also wants to see strength. 
—begin letter—
For Duke Luxiano of Blackburn,

By the time you'll receive this letter will be long, and likely not the response you wanted but I'll give a response as per formality. I refuse your call of support, as interesting as your offer is and willingness to give benefits, I will not make the immediate declaration to your side. For your envoy Vizir, if he comes I'll grant him hospitality if nothing else.

But I'm honored and in excitement that you have sent us a letter, in mercy I'll give my There are other players present and everything is uncertain, & I have the luxury to wait on who's winning. On your offer for the chance of royal marriage will not be enough, perhaps if you promised it, I might have debated in my response. But personally, I do not see your claim on being the heir worth much for being related to Harold by connection to your Great-great grandparent. If you want me to really come in support for you, do what Harold did in their military conquest of might and brilliance and maybe we'll talk then. But I think you and among many others are already have that in motion, so there's not much else to say.

In closure,
The Wolf-Duke of Glentos
—end letter—
The queen still hopes to attack Glentos. Knowing this, we could try to make it look like we’re the good guys. Tell Karvale the queen isn’t sure which side to take, but openly declaring us ruler and asking for help would mean we could sway her to defend. Only try this if you think it a good idea. If Glentos seems weak, we gain from striking. If Glentos seems strong, better to stay uninvolved.

Dear Luxianio,
Thank you for the letter. I do not retain access to the shared Blackburn records when I am abroad, so things I did not think to check or copy before I leave do not remain. I appreciate you informing me. Current plan is to pump Karavale (despairing mood) for information and see where to go from there but I am not optimistic. Have you considered telling the Archaeon representative that Glentos is currently committed to a siege? If you do not write to the negative in the next two days I will write a letter to this effect. 
Regards, Greenlark.

Dear Lord Blackburn,
Karavale claims they never got off their levy but could have raised 3k levies for our use if they survive. Might be good?
Regards, Greenlark.

Duke Luxiano to Vizier Greenlark

The reinforcements from Blackburn have arrived. Our forces number approximately two thousand infantry and seven hundred cavalry. We are still figuring out the supply situation for them.