Chapter 10: The quiet forge
After the first demonstration, Duke Vardon moved swiftly. He immediately gathered the most loyal and trustworthy blacksmiths and carpenters in the Dukedom. He also gathered large amounts of varying materials. He did this with the utmost secrecy.
As the Iron Duke of the North, he was no stranger to spies. No matter how tightly he controlled the information, the sudden mobilization of craftsmen and resources would eventually draw attention. The flow of goods could be slowed, but not hidden forever.
The spies of nobles within the kingdom, as well as the spies of those from other kingdoms and Empires, reported what they found.
Upon hearing the reports of their spies, the people behind the spies’ initial thoughts were that the Iron Duke was building something, but based on the materials he gathered, they could not imagine what kind of thing they were building.
Their patrons ordered the spies to keep watching, waiting for anything to explain the Iron Duke’s strange mobilization.
...
Far to the west, in the opulent halls of House Darenthal, one of Norvaegard’s most powerful noble families, Viscount Cedric Darenthal leaned back in his chair, brows furrowed as he read the latest report delivered by the spies he had in Stellhart.
"Mobilizing blacksmiths and carpenters... hmm. No sign of military deployment. No monster wave warning either. Also, these materials, they don’t add up to anything..."
He drummed his fingers in an uneven rhythm, a habit that surfaced whenever something refused to make sense to him.
"What is that monster of a man planning?"
His advisor, a sharp-featured man named Vellis, cleared his throat. "Shall we consider tightening our own border defenses near the Northern passage, my lord? If he’s preparing for war—"