Kaven leafed through the various reports from his camp commanders.
A few desertions, nothing on the big side, and to be expected. Mostly mercenaries by the look of it, probably not content with the prospect of staying the winter in a tent holed up in front of a castle far away from a familiar location.
A group of soldiers in detention for drunken brawling. The camp followers who eventually always came with an army of this size had managed to erect something akin to a bar around a couple of wagons in the south-west corner of the camp. Normally Kaven would have had them evicted from the camp itself, but he thought it would do wonders to morale with someplace for the men to feel completely off duty, and the self-proclaimed bartender had agreed to keep an eye on his customers and close the tap for anyone who seemed like he had recieved more than his fill.
It was something else with the women... the young Baron had had a hard time accepting the fact, that eventually some men will miss the company of beautiful women. Granted, the women who where desperate enough to follow an army of disgruntled troops around where not high on wits nor looks, but as they where the only option within miles, they had their work cut out for them. Kaven, determined at least to keep it out of sight from everyone else, had allowed them to erect a tent inside the perimiter of the contravallation, but as far from earshot as humanly possible.
The camp was in many ways turning into a settlement. Carts arrived several times a week, with provisions from the south, wood for kindling and various other stuff to either be sold or bartered between the soldiers who now found that they recieved their fee regularly, but had no place to spend it.
Kaven sighed and signalled for a runner to enter his tent.
"It is that time of the week again. Send a message to the castle, and ask for their surrender..." it had become a weekly ritual for him, and he was determined to let the castle-inhabitants see that he was relentless but also merciful.
"Also, send me someone with knowledge of the terrain. I need to know about the pass through the Seamists."
The runner nodded and walked out again, following the Baron's orders.
"It's been some time since we've heard from the men who where sent to Isilien," Kaven commented to noone in particular. "I do hope they have managed to keep themselves alive..."
Ooc:
Stay put and keep investing in the castle. Make sure that provisions are plentiful and that the men have the wood to keep warm.
Question: The pass through the seamist-mountains, is it safe-(ish) to assume that it will be closed for the winter-period? Otherwise I'm thinking 2 units of Irregulars to harry anyone seeking to come through it en force might be an idea. Should someone convince Kaven that the pass can be traversed, this is what he'll do.
