Session I: Back in the Saddle

General Summary

Lord Pavel Drazik of Velinsk arrived at Roventa with twenty lancers under the banners of the Grand Duchess Tatyana Nosov. He was received at the southern gate by Earl Yelyzaveta “Bess” Konevod after a brief delay.
  Bess sent word for the elders to be invited to a feast that was to be held that evening to honour the emissary’s arrival. As the elders arrived in town, Stefan Mikowski reported Reichguard scouts had been sighted near his farm.
  During the feast, Bess attempted to convince Lord Drazik that Roventa’s value lay not in the levy of men but in its position as a fortress denying Reich passage through the northern marches.
  Elder Kurchin the Scarred openly questioned Bess’s intentions, accusing her of seeking to cheat the Duchess of her tithe and argued with the other elders.
  Despite this, Drazik conceded that there was wisdom in her argument and agreed to petition Her Grace to bolster Roventa with one hundred ducal soldiers, declaring that “Roventa, properly fortified, would serve as the shield of Birodrov.”
  That night, Countess Maria dreamt again of Yarta.