Sir Wilmer stood before his men, outlining his plan to them.
“How do you get rid of rodents? With a Trap! And that’s what we are going to do, were going to trap those vermin, and exterminate them!” While some of his soldiers smirked at the proposed bloodshed, many, including a young soldier named Ellis, were not as pleased with the genocidal implications.
Ellis couldn’t help but to feel a sense of unease about the upcoming mission. It was true that Kolbolds had been raiding caravans along the Tradeways, and some of the attacks were merciless. But Ellis had grown up with a number of Kolbolds that lived in the city proper, and he knew they were as capable of good as they were of evil. And he was afraid of what type of response a Kolbold slaughter would provoke from both their chieftains (known as Kahns) in caves along the Tradeways, and from the Kolbolds that had settled in his home city of Sirende.
As Sir Wilmer stood before his men, outlining his plan to send an army to set a trap and kill all of the Kolbolds, Ellis. He knew that Sir Wilmer’s previous skirmishes Kolbold raiders clouded his judgment and that this plan would only lead to further conflict.
Ellis stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Sir Wilmer, with all due respect, I believe there may be a better way to handle this situation,” he said.
Sir Wilmer turned to him, a hint of annoyance in his eyes. “And what would that be, Squire Ellis?”
“Instead of immediately resorting to violence, we can send out a small reconnaissance party to investigate the situation and try to talk with the Kolbolds. Maybe we can find out what has been causing them to attack the merchant wagons”, Ellis said. “There must be a reason they are suddenly raiding the wagons. Perhaps there is a problem that we can help them solve, without disrupting the general peace we’ve had for centuries.”
Sir Wilmer scoffed. “We don’t need to understand their motives. They are nothing but a violent, uncivilized race. We need to protect the people of Sirende, and the best way to do that is to eliminate the threat.”
Ellis could see that Sir Wilmer was not going to be swayed easily, so he continued, “Sir Wilmer, I understand your concern, but this action could lead to war. Can we at least explore the possibility?”
Sir Wilmer’s expression softened slightly, but his tone still held annoyance. “And how would you suggest we do that? I’m not sending our troops in to be slaughtered, and the nobles will not send out diplomats without our protection.”
Ellis cleared this throat, and with a shaky tone, offered his thoughts. “I suggest we hire some local mercenaries to scout the area, and make contact with the Kolbolds. Perhaps they can help us figure out why the Kolbolds have started attacking our wagons, or at least, they can gather intelligence we can use.”
Sir Wilmer considered Ellis’ words for a moment, and then nodded slowly. “Very well, we will send out a reconnaissance party and try to communicate with the Kolbolds. But if they are shown any aggression, we will have no choice but to take action. They have four days. If they are not back by then, we ride to exterminate the problem.”
Ellis nodded, relieved that Sir Wilmer was willing to at least consider a different approach. He knew that this was only the first step, but it was a start. He had to find skilled mercenaries, and fast.
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