War Plans

Lord High Admiral Ambrus Mialee was always a patient man when it came to explanation of any given project. During his last stand, it took him less than an hour to devise the plan he thought could last the day. It took him about an hour to fully articulate his words to his ship.

That war report took him nearly five hours of truthful testimony for his freedom, all due to questions that interrupted his tale naturally. It was natural play on how conversations were woven, demanding answers from immediate and meditated questions. Giving a plan to revolutionize the ultimate force of the empire was no different. He drew breath and spoke exactly, to the point of a sword did he show the inadequacies of many ship hulls that made the Lothric Navy.

Not all of the class were negatively seen, but many of the old Swanbird class were exposed. Their hulls ancient, its unique self loaded ballista hopelessly outdated and not able to mount spellbolts. He proposed the class to be rebranded to a new design, to take to the seas as their primary light escort of the fleet. The design he proposed by scroll would streamline her keel, utilizing the same rudder mechanism as the Seadriver. He would lengthen the hull, allowing more room for an updated repeater design for their ballista.

Of the Myron class, Lord Mialee felt no need to change that. The class would receive a better means of propulsion and have the hull reinforced with Lothric Steelforge.

The Seadriver class would need a new engine overhaul.

All of this, Ambrus proposed. He laid down the timetable of such requirements, being nearly six months to a year to overhaul most of the fleet. Ambrus, however, was more than confident that the overhaul could be done faster than that. He was well aware of the industry the kingdom possessed.

Callius silently tapped the side of his head in thought of Ambrus’s proposal. “Do you have a design in mind?” He raised a questioning brow at his cousin, “If we change our weapons to fit the dream you have, do we have the resources we need to make it a reality?” Quill waited for permission to speak, from a nod of Callius he spoke, “For the Highlord’s proposal. We do in fact have plenty of resources to create these spellcannons Lord Ambrus dreams of. The Nexus does have areas of crystallization, something the Edon mines produce much of.”

Ambrus agreed if only in his head with Quill. He did not see why the human had felt the need to speak up, however his explanation saved his breath. Callius considered the proposal, “I admit, our navy is a bit outdated, but how can we upgrade the cannons to spellcannons without the Ruiners using it as a means to escape? Not only that but Yiril’s Lion is still battling this supposed ‘war’, which alone is suspicious as the lion is no fool.”

“The nature of arcane spellcraft is individualistic, My Liege. No one mage has the same enchantments, even if they are the same. The same basic principle can be applied here. As an added notion, my designs require rather specific focusing crystals for the battery; ones that the Ruiners would only find beautiful and little to no use.

Callius didn’t look at Ambrus as he spoke, “Your proposal is approved cousin, you have full access to the arcane technology, I will notify Highlordess Ovien. Do not disappoint me.” He turned to his cousin, “Now, how can we get Yiril’s lion to retreat?”

He did not smile, though the satisfaction of being granted such resources was still tangible to him. He drew breath for his answer, speaking the same voice. “We make the Ruiners look away."

Callius stared at him, waiting for the lord to explain. "The Gulf of Amûn lies between Yiril and the lands of the Ruiners. It would be watched by both. However, we can surprise the Ruiners there. My Seadrivers can slip beneath Yiril ships and land troops. From there, we can… 'strongly suggest' to The Lion to return to Yiril."

"Why such an action? It relies heavily on stealth in one of the busiest waters," asked the king.

"Fulvius recognizes bold actions, My Liege. Such a move will make him notice. Whether his hatred of us will win out over logic, I do not know."

The king pondered his words. "This is no simple matter, we cannot simply scare him into following us. However it is a distraction we can utilize. There is a political war going on, using the Lion. So we distract him, keep him at bay. We will send in an agent. A name I think shall fit you, Vulas Aekian." He faced Quill, now Vulas. "You will charm the Queen of Yiril, convince her to end this war." Taking a ring from an offering servant nearby, and placing it in the boy's hand. "Report to me whenever you make contact with her, and your progress." Vulas gave a nod, "Thank you my liege, I shall do as you order."

Callius turned to Ambrus, "Dear Cousin. Do what must be done, do not kill the Lion. He has his uses, I would rather have a fierce war dog than a dead one. You have your orders dismissed." He gave them an approving nod, watching the two leave the throne room. He gently took a seat on his throne, "Let the games begin."