Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

”I believe Alric’s intent is to earn the Dragon Clan’s goodwill by killing the DragonSlayer’s daughter for them. The dragons fear Merlin Pendragon, yes—but fear is only part of it. Arrogant creatures like them must resent him even more. And Alric... well, Alric would see an opportunity in that resentment. He must believe that hurting the DragonSlayer on their behalf will earn him enough dragon goodwill to secure covert support.”

”A bold assumption,” the old man murmured.

”Bold,” Erman admitted, ”but entirely within the character of someone like him. A twisted strategy, but exactly the kind of strategy his mind would devise.”

He paused briefly to gather his thoughts before continuing.

”There are several reasons I believe he has partnered with, or at least enlisted the services of, a shadow faction. The first concerns the Confederacy. By targeting Lady Zora, Alric has intentionally discarded any diplomatic route he might have pursued with them. The Frost Family’s main line ends with her. Her death destroys any chance of a soft-power alliance. He has, knowingly, backed himself into a purely military option.”

He took a deep breath.

”Even if the dragons turn a blind eye or even assist from the shadows, the defence of the Nearmarch Confederacy is not something the Wastelander forces can breach alone—not if they intend to capture land and, more importantly, hold it. For him to make such a rash move, he must have a partner inside the Confederacy.”

Erman tapped his fingers against the armrest.

”A partner capable of turning Lady Zora’s death—the death of the final direct descendant of the Frost dynasty—into the spark of an internal crisis.”

He continued,

”And there are many ways to engineer that spark. The simplest is a succession war. The Frost dynasty’s wealth and influence span almost the entire Confederacy. Every confederate member state has Frost blood somewhere in their lineage. All of them can claim legitimacy. It is a powder keg waiting to explode.”

His eyes narrowed.

”And all it needs... is someone willing to light the fuse.”

Erman continued calmly, ”For this plan to work, the spark must come from within the Confederacy itself. There must be a faction capable of influencing the member states to take the bait. And that same faction must also possess enough reach across the border into our Empire to attract Alric’s attention in the first place. Otherwise, he would never risk aligning with them.”

The old representative nodded thoughtfully.

”And the second reason?” he asked.

”Duke Siegmund Wastelander,” Erman answered without hesitation. ”This entire plan contradicts the Duke’s character. It is not something I believe he would ever approve. If he intended something this extreme, he would have chosen it from the beginning. He would not have wasted time or coin attempting to marry Zora into the family through Alric.”

Erman folded his arms.

”And after what happened during his Legendary progression? Duke Wastelander is terrified of the DragonSlayer—especially now that Merlin Pendragon has been publicly revealed as an Archmage. The Duke would never sanction a move that risks making him an enemy of the DragonSlayer.”

He looked the old man squarely in the eye.

”So it is extremely reasonable—and far safer—to assume Duke Siegmund Wastelander has no involvement in this plot.”

The old representative said nothing, urging Erman to continue with a faint gesture.

”But if the Duke has no part in it... then where is Alric getting his resources?” Erman asked rhetorically. ”The laws governing high nobility are clear: as long as the Duke sits in that seat, the Wastelander family’s powerhouses—including their rumoured Epic—cannot act behind his back. They wouldn’t support his son in undermining his authority. They would, instead, strip him of his position outright, hand it to Alric, and support Alric’s ambitions above board.”

He tapped his fingers on the table.

”Since none of that is happening, it means the support Alric is drawing on—the person or group shielding him from the DragonSlayer’s potential retaliation—is neither House Wastelander nor anyone within it. That leaves only one possibility: a powerful shadow organisation.”

The old representative stroked his beard slowly, nodding once.

”Your reasoning is sound,” he said. ”A little weak in some places and speculative, but not unreasonable. Still, there’s no harm in letting the situation develop further to see whether your deductions prove accurate.”

He fixed Erman with a level look.

”What do you intend to do now?”