King Haecadem II walked across Eicain.
He talked to the newly appointed elders of the castle and told them: "Do not fear, for you have surrendered and so are now under my protection. As I am a king of Varica, my word is sacrosanct, and I will keep true to all that I have promised you; remain faithful to your oaths of surrender, and I will make sure that no harm comes to you and yours while we war. As for what comes beyond that, know that your acquiescence has been wise; the decisive battle draws near and if we should win, then you shall become privileged subjects of the True Emperor, whereas if we should lose then by the laws of your country you should not be held guilty for allowing us to rule over you having conquered you in battle, and shall be duly rewarded by your own rulers for acting lawfully both in war and in peace."
He then went to the great fortified walls and talked to the engineers, and said: "It is good that you have done your work as diligently as you have, but now there are further tasks for you to attend to, and here ordinary diligence will not suffice, for what you shall have to do will require cunning, which is a quality of warriors. Therefore listen to Boheort, for he is an experienced and cunning warrior, and prepare to hold this fortress against the attackers under his direction." And when they raised objections to what he instructed them to do, the king rebuked them mildly and said: "There is no need for you to worry about the elders and anything I promised them. They will either fear you too much to protest when you tell them the truth that you are acting on my orders to make good on my promise, or they will betray you prematurely, and so will deserve everything that will happen to them as Haeka's justice, if it comes to that."
He talked to the surviving Thune and told them to depart; their part in his plan was to start already, and if there were fewer of them now than he might have liked, then that just meant they would have to strive harder and in the end win greater glory and renown, as well as greater bounty for their communities.
After that he spoke to a man in an overhanging hood and cloak, and dismissed his concerns. "Why should I fear my subjects and followers?" He briefly allowed himself to muse then, "It might well be that they all plot against me; but what does it matter? If I win here, their plots will come to nothing in good time, as no one will support a conspiracy against a victor in a holy war; and if I lose, then I will die anyway, and will no longer need concern myself with their tedious plans."
He then gathered the warriors and other worthies, and spoke to the Hrafn priests and others: "By the Emperor's command I have accepted the duty of examining the case of Callista of the Xanfa; with Haeka's guidance, and having examined all evidence and testaments, I have come to the conclusion that she is not guilty of witchcraft. No damning testaments were brought forth but those given by her known enemies and servants who are easily bought. No convincing evidence was provided by anyone but them, and no connection between it and this accused one could be found. None of the known signs of witchcraft could be found on or about her. I prayed to Haeka for guidance, and he shed his light amply. Whatever else might be true or false, Callista is not guilty of witchcraft."
And in private, he was said to have added to one of his trusted men: "Do not let them think I was motivated by kingly and not priestly concerns in this, for it was not so; instead, point it out to them that my interest was solely to keep the enemies of the Empire from using false accusations and treacherous and blasphemous means to sow discord among us; and turn their attention also to the authenticity of the proof provided - might it not be that there really is a witch involved, but that this witch means to put the blame for her actions on Callista? Have them consider this."
Then he once more addressed the entire crowd, and pronounced that this was verily a holy war. "All omens point to this as a time when Haeka will test his subject's subjects; and I say on the behalf of those of them over whom rule was delegated to me that we shall not step away, and doubtless the same could be said by all the others who came here to this great war. While fools might repine at the hardships, I will thank Haeka. It is well that the Empire should be assailed from all sides; for it shall mean that we will not need to look long to find enemies. It is well that it should be a harsh year; for it will drive the warriors to leave the pursuits of peace, and to dedicate themselves entirely to the war. Yes, it is well that we should be so tested, for this shall allow us to show our full prowess under the eye of Haeka, so that he may be pleased with us and reward us with victory."
"For years now we have struggled against the armies of the False Emperor's servants, and have prevailed again and yet again against his blasphemous designs. Now he at last has shown himself and brought forth his greatest might. He showed himself as a worthy opponent, yet he is foolhardy, as he calls himself an Emperor and a God, though there is truthfully no God but Haeka and no Emperor but Hroth. Within this year, we shall face him in a decisive battle, and as Haeka's justice is with us, I swear on his name that we will prevail, and if not, then may I be struck down where I stand. Then, when his armies are scattered and his outrageous claims are overthrown, we will reap the long-awaited fruits of victory, and all who fought in this holy war will be remembered as warriors of the Emperor and servants of the Sun. And all that is of the Manische shall come into the one true Emperor's possession as it was always meant to be."
Having done and said all that, Haecadem departed for his tent right outside Eicain, accompanied by his most trusted advisers and commanders, among them Bedeon the Blind, Emeric the Gray, young Kaleden the Thane, old Boheort, and also trusted retainers, including Truri, Bewiolf and Riphric, the latter a new addition, who nevertheless already proved himself most worthy in several skirmishes against the Hyren.