There is no doubt that the rebellion that broke out in the Luskan Arcane Brotherhood instantly shocked the entire Northland like a bomb.
Because ever since Akram Grace came to Luskan and personally founded the Arcane Brotherhood, he has been the undisputed ruler of the city and even the surrounding areas.
It has been maintained for more than ten or twenty years, and no one has ever dared to challenge his authority.
But now, the four tower masters have joined forces with several other high-level mages to overthrow the tyrant's rule in one fell swoop.
Not only that, they also severely injured the latter, forcing him to escape in an extremely embarrassed manner. It is unknown whether he is even alive now.
The most important thing is that the timing of launching this rebellion is so sensitive that whether it is Silvermoon City, Neverwinter City, or Waterdeep City near the south, they think these guys are completely crazy.
This is because the rulers of these cities have already learned that the fleet of Nelanthel Islands has just wiped out Luskan's fleet and has now landed on the Whalebone Islands to deal with the pirates who are allies with Luskan.
Moreover, Zuo Si had also said hello before, making it clear that he would completely destroy the Arcane Brotherhood this time and bring Luskan into his sphere of influence.
Therefore, serious civil strife breaks out in the Arcane Brotherhood at this time, and they simply don't know how to write the word "death".
Realizing that the opportunity to defeat his old enemy Luskan was imminent, Lord Nasir ignored the opposition of his men and immediately contacted some traditional allies in the surrounding areas, formed a coalition of up to 4,000 people, and marched to the border in a mighty manner.
Pretend to attack.
Realizing this, the Arcane Society did not bother to fight for power, and immediately ordered the few troops in the city to organize themselves to face off tensely with the Neverwinter coalition forces across a river.
But what's interesting is that no matter which side it is, there is no chance to take action first. Instead, they strictly restrain their soldiers and prohibit any provocative actions.
For Neverwinter, as long as it can hold back Luskan's troops, the mission has been completed. There is no need to take huge risks to fight.
Luskan, on the other hand, had just lost almost all of its fleet and skilled sailors, leaving only a few unknown ordinary pirate captains who could barely maintain the situation and did not dare to take the initiative to attack.
Once they lose, complete destruction awaits Luskan.
Not to mention anything else, the orcs, half-orcs, barbarians, goblins, wolves, giants, ogres, trolls and other monsters from the north can kill everyone in the city and even become their opponent's food.
Don’t think this is a joke!
At the most dangerous time, Luskan even issued an emergency order, which prohibited all non-human intelligent creatures from approaching the city wall.
This shows how terrifying the survival pressure this city, which stands at the northernmost tip of Faerûn, is facing.
It is this kind of mentality of "fearing both sides" that allows both sides to maintain a delicate balance in a very rare way.
Watching the nervous and anxious reactions of the Luskan soldiers on the other side of the river, Lord Nasir immediately smiled and said to the paladin beside him: "It seems that the news is true. Luskan's fleet was really wiped out, and Akko
Lem Grace was also wounded and escaped during the rebellion. The Arcane Brotherhood and Luskan are currently in chaos. It won't be long before the biggest threat in the North will be eradicated once and for all."
"Your Excellency, I must remind you that your approach is not in line with the teachings of Tyr, the God of Justice." Aribes looked obviously confused.
Because strictly speaking, Neverwinter's role in this incident was not glorious, and it had nothing to do with the word justice. It was all an exchange of politics and interests.
"I know this is not in line with Tyr's teachings. But the problem is that there is never any justice in politics. As a lord, the only thing I can do is to do my best without violating the principles.
Neverwinter strives for more benefits and ensures that all residents are protected from harm from the outside world."
When saying these words, Lord Nasir clearly showed helplessness.
If possible, he also hopes to implement his ideals as he did when taking risks, use the sword in his hand to hoe the strong and help the weak, and save innocent people in danger.
But if we do this in politics, Neverwinter City may fall into a situation of no return in a matter of minutes.
"What kind of promise did Soth give that made you willing to take such a big risk?" Aribes probed in an uncertain tone.
Lord Nasir replied nonchalantly: "A lot! Including purchasing a large amount of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy products from Neverwinter City, and providing us with sugar, salt, spices, condiments, cloth, silk, and grain.
There are the most important high-grade steel ingots. Do you remember those long swords, helmets and breastplates that were commissioned from the blacksmith not long ago?"
Aribes nodded slightly: "Of course I remember. Those blacksmiths were full of praise for the quality of the steel ingots, and believed that the finished products were no less inferior to magic weapons and armor with level 1 enchantment."
"These steel ingots are the deposit paid to us by Soth in advance. Such steel ingots will provide us with another 1,500 yuan after the completion of the project, which is enough to arm an army of about 3,000 people."p>
As he spoke, Lord Nasir turned his attention to the Neverwinter City guards who had just finished changing their uniforms not long ago.
Just the shining armor and weapons on their bodies made people from other towns in the coalition feel envious.
You must know that although Neverwinter City has hot springs from underground and is rich in various agricultural products, poultry, and livestock, it does not have any decent iron ore resources. It can only be purchased from other places at high prices.
Therefore, Zuo Si can steadily provide special steel from the industrial era, which is very attractive to Neverwinter City.
"Okay, maybe you are right. I still have reservations about Neverwinter joining this war." Aribes finally compromised.
As one of the top military commanders, she is very aware of the Neverwinter army's desire for high-quality steel.
Moreover, Miraba, a town rich in steel products in the North, is located on the upper reaches of the Mirar River. If you take the relatively cheap waterway, you will inevitably pass through Luskan, and you may be robbed by pirates at any time.
If you take the land route, you need to make a large circle through Chang'an Town, Three Boars, and Red Pine Town, and finally reach Waterdeep City, and then cross the Sword Mountains and Swamp of the Dead from Waterdeep City.
Just the monsters along the way and the soaring costs caused by long-distance land transportation are enough to make the price of these military supplies soar several times or even more than ten times.
Not to mention how much goods and wealth the prosperous maritime trade can bring to the city after the Luskan pirates disappear.
Therefore, no city in the North would be as eager for Luskan to disappear or find a new owner as Neverwinter is.
Lord Nasir shrugged his shoulders indifferently: "It doesn't matter, as long as you don't openly oppose it. In fact, the Church of the God of Justice does not support me, but I still have to do it. Once a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like this comes,
If you miss it, I’m afraid there won’t be another time.”
"How long will it take for the fleet from the Nelanthel Islands to arrive at Luskan and launch a general attack?" Aribes couldn't help but ask.
"Maybe three days, maybe five days. I'm looking forward to how Luskan, who always likes foreign aggression and expansion, will react when they see a huge fleet appearing in their port."
When saying these words, Lord Nasir's tone was filled with undisguised gloating.
After all, this was how Luskan threatened a series of surrounding city-states, including Neverwinter.
With their huge pirate fleet, they can plunder whoever they want. Neverwinter's ports and ships have been robbed more than once.
When the losses were heaviest, most of the dock area was occupied by the incoming pirates. Countless warehouses, houses and shops were evacuated and then set on fire without restraint.
As for the residents, those who resisted were all mercilessly killed without exception, and the prisoners were all put on ships and transported back to Luskan as slaves to be sold.
Young and beautiful women are also subject to inhumane gang rape and abuse.
In short, since the founding of Neverwinter, the bloody feud with Luskan has been endless for three days and three nights.
Lord Nasir hopes to completely end the grievances between the two sides under his rule and seek justice for the murdered residents of Neverwinter.
After all, there are many understandings of "justice", and "just revenge" is naturally included among them.
"Will we launch an attack then?" Aribes subconsciously put her hand on the hilt of her sword.
"It depends on whether our allies will send people to support us. You must know that many of this coalition forces are used by surrounding towns to resist threats from the wild world. I don't want them to suffer too heavy losses."<
/p>
Having said that, Lord Nasir ignored the young paladin who held an increasingly important position under him and walked alone towards the tent not far away.
He still had some details to discuss with representatives from other towns about this war.
Aribes stood there in confusion.
Because as her position became higher and her responsibilities became heavier, she began to gradually come into contact with the dark side of politics and a lot of insider trading.
This kind of behavior is undoubtedly a kind of torture and suffering for the paladin who symbolizes absolute kindness and order.
Although most of the time, she can understand the choices made by Lord Nasir.
But understanding is one thing, and recognition is another.
Just when the entire Northland was in disbelief at the civil strife that broke out in the Arcane Brotherhood, Akram Grace, who had fled to the safe house, was drinking a bottle of potion to treat serious injuries with trembling hands, temporarily stabilizing himself.
A dying and aging body.
At this moment, he no longer looked as majestic and cold as usual, but instead looked as weak as an old man in his dying years.
There is no doubt that this high-level rebellion was fatal to him.
The physical damage is secondary, the key is the mental and psychological blow.
Akram Grace even couldn't help but wonder whether what he had done before was wrong. He should not have given those tower owners too much power, let alone let the bottomless internal affairs within the Arcane Brotherhood be allowed.
Dou.
But unfortunately it's too late to think about this now.
Except for an aging body that may not last even a year, he can be said to have nothing now.
As for fighting back to regain the leadership of the Arcane Brotherhood and even Luskan, it is simply impossible to do so in the current state.
To be continued...