Necromancer: Kingdom Building with My Legion of Undead Knights

Eight thousand coins...

Thandor had been seven thousand, now Amberwick was eight.

The numbers were beginning to pile up again in his head.

”Amberwick, like Thandor, isn’t very far from us,” the older knight explained. ”About a day’s ride from Percvale if travelling normally.”

Darion nodded once for him to continue.

”The debt came after the first Baron fled,” Garren said. ”The next Baron tried stabilizing Percvale again and eventually went to Amberwick for assistance.”

”They lent us the money under almost the same conditions as Thandor,” Garren continued. ”Repayment whenever Percvale recovered enough to manage it.”

Darion frowned slightly.

That meant Percvale’s earlier rulers actually had people willing to help them. Which somehow made the kingdom’s collapse even more frustrating.

How do you not even recover slightly!

Then Garren added:

”But before repayment could happen... that Baron died during a hunting trip.”

Darion blinked once.

”Hunting?”

Garren nodded.

”Boar attack from what I remember. He survived long enough to be brought back to Percvale but died not long afterward.”

Darion exhaled quietly.

This Barony’s history genuinely sounded cursed sometimes. Every time Percvale seemed close to stabilizing, something catastrophic happened immediately after.

Invasions...debt...leaders fleeing...leaders dying.

It was almost impressive at this point.

”And after that?” Darion asked.

Garren scratched lightly at his jaw.

”I honestly don’t know how Percvale convinced Amberwick to continue waiting for repayment,” he admitted. ”Or why they never attacked us afterward.”

Darion thought about that. He didn’t know either. Maybe Amberwick simply never saw Percvale as worth invading.

Or maybe the rulers there genuinely believed there was nothing left to gain from destroying an already collapsing territory.

It could even be political caution. Attacking a dying Barony over debt might’ve made neighboring rulers uncomfortable at that time?

Especially if the debt was originally given willingly.

Still...

Eight thousand coins was not a small amount. No ruler simply forgot numbers like that forever.

”Will they become a problem now?” Darion asked after a moment.

Garren gave a small shrug.

”If word spreads that Percvale is recovering?” he said. ”Possibly.”

That answer was honest enough.

”But I don’t know how they’d react exactly,” Garren continued. ”Same as with Thandor, I can only guess.”

Darion folded his arms loosely.

”Let’s hope for the best?”

Garren gave a tired huff.

”Something like that.”

Darion thought quietly for a moment.

The situation with Amberwick felt more uncertain than Thandor already. Thandor at least had a history tied to kindness and Garren was able to give a more detailed explanation in a way considering the debts.

Amberwick sounded more neutral. Which was dangerous in its own way because neutral rulers could shift in either direction depending on circumstances.

If Percvale looked weak? They might ignore it.

If Percvale suddenly looked wealthy? That might change.

Darion rubbed lightly at his forehead.

Politics really was exhausting.

Back on Earth he used to read about kings dealing with neighboring territories and think it sounded dramatic and interesting.

Actually living through it? Mostly stress.

Every relationship between territories felt like balancing on unstable wood over a cliff.

One wrong decision and suddenly armies started marching.

But at least they finally had options now.

A month ago these discussions would’ve been pointless because Percvale physically couldn’t repay anything even if it wanted to.

Now there were actual choices to make. That alone was progress.

”So that’s Thandor and Amberwick,” he said. ”Who else?”

”We’re owing the Redfang Tribe six thousand coins,” Garren said.

A tribe?

Darion was surprised. Out of all the names he expected Garren to give, that was probably the one... he didn’t expect.

A tribe had lent Percvale six thousand coins?

Darion stared at the older knight for a second, trying to process that properly.

Because from what he knew about tribes, tribes were usually... primitive. Not necessarily stupid, but primitive.

They were usually small settlements filled with hunters and gatherers. Warriors living deep in forests or mountains far from structured kingdoms and Baronies.

Basically places like Gonbb. And Gonbb definitely did not look like somewhere capable of casually lending six thousand gold coins to another territory.

If anything, Darion would’ve expected tribes to be the ones borrowing from Baronies during hard times, not the other way around.

Six thousand coins was serious money.

Enough money to stabilize small territories temporarily, enough money to fund farms, soldiers, buildings and trade.

How exactly did a tribe manage that?

”A tribe lent Percvale that much money?” Darion asked again.

Garren seemed unsurprised by the reaction.

”They weren’t always wealthy,” he explained calmly. ”The Redfang Tribe used to be relatively ordinary.”

Darion folded his arms loosely while listening.

”Then they discovered mines.”

That immediately changed the entire conversation.

Ah! Now it made sense.

”A cave filled with valuable ore and gemstones,” Garren continued. ”That discovery changed everything for them.”

Darion nodded slowly. Of course it did.

Gold mines and gemstone deposits turned kingdoms rich. A single major resource discovery could completely transform a territory’s economy within years.

Apparently the same thing applied here.

”They began mining heavily,” Garren said. ”Sold the ore, sold gems, traded with merchants and eventually accumulated more wealth than most people expected from a tribe.”

Darion honestly found that mildly impressive.

A forest tribe accidentally discovering economic success through mining sounded almost absurdly lucky.

Then again, luck like that changed history all the time.

”And they lent Percvale money out of goodwill too?” Darion asked.

”Yes.”

Garren nodded.

”They heard about Percvale’s situation after the invasions and agreed to help.”

Darion noticed something strange now.

”So that’s three separate territories that willingly tried helping Percvale,” he said slowly.

Thandor. Amberwick. Now the Redfang Tribe.

Which honestly made Percvale’s collapse even more tragic than before. People had tried helping this Barony, repeatedly and somehow previous rulers still managed to ruin everything.

No wonder it was the worst place you could live on this continent according to people, forests and deserts excluded.

”And after Percvale failed to repay them?” Darion asked.

Garren shrugged lightly.

”They never pushed the issue aggressively.”

Interesting.

That meant Valdenmoor was actually the first creditor to truly become openly hostile toward Percvale.

Which honestly explained why the situation escalated into war so quickly. Aldric had treated the debt like something to enforce.

The others apparently hadn’t.

This was because of Aldric though, if it had been his father, he wouldn’t be this aggressive.

Darion tapped lightly against the table once.

”Where exactly are the Redfang Tribe located?” he asked.

That question seemed to shift Garren slightly into storytelling mode.

”The Redfang Tribe originally lived deep inside the eastern forests,” he explained. ”Long before they became wealthy.”

Darion listened carefully.

”They were hunters mostly,” Garren continued. ”Very primitive in structure back then. Wooden homes. Tribal leadership and animal worship traditions.”

Animal worship?

Interesting.

”They had a strange relationship with the forest creatures there,” Garren added.

Darion raised an eyebrow.

”What kind of relationship?”

”They lived alongside them.”

That answer somehow raised even more questions.

Garren continued before Darion could interrupt again.

”The forests they inhabit are filled with fang-beasts.”

”Fang-beasts?”

”Animals with unusually large front fangs,” Garren clarified. ”Wild wolves, certain fox species and Ocbxes.”

Darion frowned immediately.

”Ocbxes?”

That was definitely a new word.

Garren noticed the confusion.

”They’re difficult to describe properly,” he admitted. ”Imagine a hare...”

Darion blinked.

”...with the posture and behavior of a wolf.”

Darion stared at him.

”...Huh?”

Garren remained completely serious.

”They’re roughly the size of large dogs. Long ears like hares. Powerful hind legs, fur similar to mountain wolves.” He paused briefly. ”And teeth considerably worse than normal wolves.”

Darion just sat there for a second.

This world genuinely had the strangest creatures imaginable.

First Bogarts. Then Rops. Now giant wolf-rabbit hybrids apparently existed too.

Honestly, he wasn’t even surprised anymore.

At this point someone could tell him there were flying crocodiles somewhere and he’d probably just nod tiredly and continue the conversation.

’Crazy world.’

”The Redfang Tribe adapted to those forests over generations,” he continued. ”They learned the animals’ behaviors, learned how to coexist with some and fight others.”

Darion listened carefully now.

”With their hunters and trained fang-beasts, they slowly secured territory inside the forest itself.”

That actually sounded impressive. Most people would avoid forests filled with monstrous predators. These people conquered one.

”They eventually established a centralized settlement deep within the forest,” Garren explained. ”Large wooden structures built between the trees themselves.”

Darion imagined it immediately.

Massive forest homes connected through platforms and rope bridges.

That sounded kind of cool.

”They also constructed walls,” Garren continued. ”Very large ones.”

Darion raised an eyebrow slightly.

”In a forest?”

”Yes.”

”How?”

”Wood,” Garren answered simply. ”Thick massive sharpened logs driven deep into the earth around the settlement perimeter. Woods thick like stone.”

”They made the walls extremely high,” Garren added. ”Tall enough that many forest creatures couldn’t scale them easily.”

Darion nodded slowly.

Primitive didn’t necessarily mean incompetent.

The more Garren described the tribe, the more Darion realized they sounded surprisingly organized.

”And the mines?” he asked.

Garren nodded once.

”The cave was discovered during a hunting expedition years ago.”

Darion leaned forward slightly now.

”They originally entered thinking it was another beast den,” Garren said. ”Instead they found gemstone veins inside the cave walls.”

That would change everything immediately.

”The tribe claimed the cave as theirs,” Garren continued. ”Expanded the mining operations over time and eventually started trading the resources outward.”

Darion imagined merchants realizing some random forest tribe suddenly possessed gemstones worth fortunes.

That must’ve been chaotic initially.

”They became rich quickly?” Darion asked.

”Very.”

Garren nodded.

”They sold gems constantly. Rare ores too.”

Darion thought briefly about the five gemstones currently sitting inside Percvale’s treasury room.

And apparently this tribe discovered entire caves filled with those things.

Ridiculous!

”They invested the wealth intelligently too,” Garren continued. ”Rather than simply hoarding it.”

”Hence the loans.”

”Yes.”

Darion slowly exhaled through his nose.

This Redfang Tribe sounded significantly more competent than several actual nobles he’d heard about already.

A primitive forest tribe discovering wealth and successfully turning it into long-term economic stability without collapsing into stupidity was honestly impressive.

Very impressive.

”Wow.”