The campaign for Skagos

Arthor looked on at the envoy who was still struggling under his hand.

"You have spoken some very... very, serious words. Your lord's lands?" He questioned before breaking out in laughter, "these lands have always been beyond the reach of your lord and now he claims these are his lands, dares ask for my people, and harvest as tribute?"

Arthor's voice did not rise up with rage, but everyone present felt the chill embedded in those words, the chill that raced down their spines was enough for all of them to straighten in attention.

"Go on then eat. Eat and have a fulfilling meal, you asked for our harvest did you not. Eat and have your fill." Arthor pressed down forcing Ondrew to have a mouthful of dirt. Once Arthor believed he had, had enough, he brought out his axe and took of Ondrew's head with one swift motion.

Finished, Arthor made it to his feet and turned around to face Ondrew's guards who were in his men's custody. "You are a cursed man, you spilt the blood of a messenger!" one of the guards wailed as he stared into the eyes of Arthor. His words failed to illicit any response from Arthor who simply observed the guards, after a minute he pointed at another guard.

"Kill the others except this man", his judgement final, the men moved to his will causing the guards to scream out in protest. Their words fell on deaf ears as they were sent of to meet their ancestors. The guard who remained had sweat pouring out his forehead and snaking down his face.

Arthor moved to him, returning his axe to his waist before cupping the man's face in his hands. "Do not fear, I have no intention of killing you." Arthor stared into the guards eyes taking note of the emotions that were at war in his eyes, distrust, conviction, anger, fear.

"All I need for you to do, is deliver a message for me" with those words said the war of emotions which took place in the man's eyes came to an end. His survival instincts triumphed over his pride as Crowl man. With the message at hand, the man was allowed to ride the horse he arrived on back to his Lord.

Once he was atop his horse, the man did not need to be told twice as he immediately set off. He had no intention to stop before he reached his destination, he had heard the tales, they all had but they had dismissed them as just tales.

However with what had just occurred, the man had no intention to tempt fate and so he rode, rode until his thighs could not handle it anymore.

....

Once the messenger was sent away, ravens flew of to confer to the others Arthor's call for a meeting. 

It was not long before all had assembled in the large building set aside for important meetings. The murmurs between the council grew as they discussed what was sure to come, "It seems the dreams of peace will remain just dreams" Freya spoke up with her eyes trained on Arthor who sat upon his wooden throne.

"Bah, war was all but a matter of time with those lords", Lothor leaned back into his chair but the grin of his face betrayed just how excited he was, to his family.  Torghen remained silent at where he sat observing the grin on Lothor's face before giving each of the siblings a glance, his eyes stopping once they focused on Arthor.

Torghen had been apart of the tribe for a long time now, from the time of the defeat of is father, he had observed as Arthor proclaimed himself high chief of the woodlands. He had seen him defeat enemies they thought impossible till just recently, he had emerged victorious against a coalition created to destroy him.

His feelings for Arthor had gone from hate, to complicated to finally a feeling of complete adoration. And now as he stood here he wondered to himself, what history was Arthor about to create this time.

"I wanted peace, I would have happily grown old and died here as long as I had it. But peace and slavery are two completely different things and I would die before I ever consider them the same." As Arthor began the murmurs died out as they gave him their full undivided attention. 

"For a long time we have already seen these so called lords, as fools and undeserving. Once we win this war, what then? Will the Stanes come or will it be the Magnars next. I have come to the realization that there will be no peace as long as these lands remain divided which is why I proclaim there shall be one last campaign"

"This will be the campaign for Skagos".