Game of Mysznos...?

“You’ve been king less than a week. The courtly intrigue has to be in full swing.”

“It is, and I expect the Voivodes to test my patience in all sorts of ways. Fortunately, all but one of them is pleased to see me on the throne,” Ignas replied. “Andrik had minority support. Unfortunately, one of his staunch allies is one of the most powerful Counts in Myszno. And with that, I must ask that I speak with Hector and Suri alone.”

“Yes, sire.” Ebisa gracefully bowed, flourishing with leg extended, and was almost at the door before Rin had gotten out of her chair. The smaller Mercurion trotted off after her like a happy puppy. Once the door was closed, Ignas got to his feet and began to pace in front of us. I set my HUD to record the conversation so I could replay it later. 

“To be honest with you, when I gave you both your peerage, I didn’t realize the extent of how Andrik had let the Crown’s authority in the outer provinces falter,” he admitted, speaking stiffly. “But he has. And I must ask you both for a great boon… but first, I must brief you on the political situation there, and the reason why this vampire has gotten as far as he has, as fast as he has.”

“Nothing like a bit of political weasel-wrestling before breakfast,” I replied.

Ignas made a short sound of amusement under his breath. “Indeed. Well, I will try to keep it simple. Firstly, as I mentioned earlier, each one of Vlachia’s provinces is managed by a Voivode.”

“Right.” Suri finally took a seat. “Voivodes. Got it.”

“The Voivode is typically a hereditary count or countess, and they are always the wealthiest lord in their province,” Ignas continued. “They are the military and administrative authority, and they also serve as judges in the Royal Court. Now, each county in a province also has a count, and these nobles are technically the equals of the Voivode. In practice, this is rarely the case. We have historically had a problem with ambitious Voivodes trying to usurp the royal dues and even foment rebellion against the crown. Some of them style themselves as ‘little kings’ in their own territories. My dynasty, the Corvinus line, has persisted as long as it has in part because we embraced and utilized airships to keep our vassals in check.”

We both nodded.

“Andrik let this discipline lapse,  and without strong central leadership, the regional nobility has been forced to take on more authority. ” Ignas motioned to the table. “They’ve had years to get used to it. Now… the specific problem with Myszno is that the Voivode, Lord Dragutin, and his family went missing during the fall of Karhad. The Demon is currently occupying the ducal castle, and the Voivode is feared to be dead… or worse.

I winced. “Fuck. So who’s in charge?”

“Good question,” the Volod replied wryly. “As it turns out, one of my brother’s friends. The Count of Vastil, Lord Ladislau Soma, has taken it upon himself to assume control of the province in his absence.”

Suri arched an eyebrow. “Did he petition you before deciding he was top dog?” 

“Not a word,” Ignas said. “Lord Soma was a favorite of Andrik’s, and one of the lords who supported his ascendancy to the throne. Vastil is also the wealthiest county in Myszno, as the Count of Vastil commands the Vastil Pass. Lord Soma mostly controls who enters and leaves the province. So let us say that he possesses a sense of entitlement beyond his means.”

“Wunderbar,” I said.

“Now, this is all well and good, but when the Voivode fell, it was his loyal Castellan, Istvan, who took command of his lord’s banners. Istvan is everything anyone could want in a military commander. He is competent, inspiring, brave and intelligent. He is young enough to be energetic and old enough to have experience. His troops love him. There is one problem: he is a sworn knight of common ancestry, and not only is he common, he is a bastard of mixed Yanik and Vlachian heritage. Personally, I couldn’t give a rat’s arse if a man has foreign blood in his veins: once a knight has been sworn in, he’s been sworn in. However, a lot of the local noble houses have nothing better to do with their time than inbreed and draw figure eights on their family trees, and Lord Soma in particular takes great offense to this ‘mongrel’ taking control of ‘his’ army.”

“So tell him to quit it, or you’re going to bring down the royal hammer,” I said.

“I intend to. But there must be steel to back up the royal decree. Provincial lords are masters at making messengers disappear in the woods, or accidentally letting their dogs eat the parchment.” Ignas gave us a thin smile. “And that is where you both come in. Your titles were, up to this point, an honorary peerage. But I rather fancy the idea of having immortal, loyal vassals in a strong position in a province that is physically distant from the capital, for reasons that should be obvious… and so I am considering extending that title into a true peerage, and specifically giving you the title of Count and Countess of Racsa. You will have to fight for it, but if you succeed, then I will be glad to deed the ducal castle to you. You can either be Voivode and Voivodzina together, or one can rule and the other can willingly accept the position of Castellan or Castellana in its stead. It comes with great responsibilities, of course, but provincial Voivodes reap most of the wealth of their domain, minus taxes and the king’s due. What do you say?”