Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

The square was a seething mass of bodies, a living tide that ebbed and flowed with the pulse of commerce and the constant hum of voices.

It moved like a great log upturned in a bog, revealing a thousand crawling things beneath,squirming, shouting, bustling in every direction. Elbows brushed shoulders, heels were stepped on, and the smell of sweat mingled with that of spice and roasted meat, forming the unmistakable scent of city life.

Merchants stood on crates or leaned over their stalls, hollering with rehearsed enthusiasm about the quality of their wares.

Their voices competed with one another in a symphony of promises "Freshest pears from Romelia!" "Six copper for salted lamb!" Their hands waved in grand gestures, their eyes flickering between would-be buyers and rival sellers with equal fervor.

People wove between the stalls with baskets on their hips and children tugging at sleeves. Others cradled chests and cloth sacks filled with the day's purchases: crusty loaves of braided rye, piles of red-stained apples, bundles of herbs tied with string.

For the fortunate looking for a treat, a cut of lamb or a skinned chicken, something to celebrate a good week's work or perhaps simply to remind themselves they were alive.

But where crowds gathered, rats came sniffing and in cities, rats wore boots and cloaks, their teeth hidden behind smiles. For every ten folk haggling over whether to buy four or five loaves of bread, there was one with lighter fingers , eyeing which pocket would give up its coin the easiest. Cutpurses slipped like shadows between the distracted, their hands gentle as whispers as they lifted coin pouches or small trinkets, vanishing back into the crowd before a curse could be shouted.

A handful of city guards patrolled the square, distinct in their polished armor and white-plumed helms, but they were too few to truly impose order on such a sea of humanity. Their presence was more symbol than shield, a warning bell rather than a locked gate. They strode with authority, but even they knew: when thousands gathered shoulder-to-shoulder, law became a matter of suggestion.

Yet despite the noise and press, there was life here. Color. Energy. The square was more than a marketplace, it was a stage upon which the daily play of the city was performed. Deals struck, friendships renewed, rumors passed, and eyes ever-watching for opportunity, honest or otherwise.

It was, in all its chaos and clutter, the beating heart of Yarzat.

And somewhere within that ever-shifting throng, the City-Speaker readied himself to shout above it all.

As he climbed the stone steps of the central plinth, the murmurs of the square shifted. Like water pulled toward a center, heads began to turn, voices dropped, and the restless rhythm of the crowd momentarily slowed. Those who had already finished their shopping, or simply had no reason to rush, gathered closer with the idle curiosity of townsfolk who knew that public announcements were free to listn to.

Many, seasoned by life in a crowded capital, instinctively pressed a hand over their coin pouch or tucked their purse more securely beneath their tunic. Thieves thrived on distraction, and few distractions were greater than the booming voice of the man paid to channel the voice of power.

The City-Speaker unfurled the first sheet of parchment with practiced elegance, the royal crest of Yarzat catching a glint of the sun at the top of the page. His voice, honed by years of oration, rang across the square with clarity and weight, silencing the last of the nearby chatter.

"By decree of Her Grace, Princess Jasmine of House Veloni-isha , rightful ruler of the principality, let the following be made known to all citizens, merchants, and freeholders within the capital and surrounding lands."

He paused briefly to let the names and titles settle, then continued:

"In recognition of the hardships endured during recent years, and in the spirit of encouraging recovery and prosperity among our shepherding kin, the Crown hereby enacts the following tax reform:

— All herds of sheep within the boundaries of the principality shall be exempt from grazing and head-count levies for a period of two full years, effective from the first day of next month.

— Taxation on herds of goats, cows and any other cattle shall be reduced by half for the next three years.

This decision is final, sanctioned by seal, and to be observed by all collectors and local reeves under pain of dismissal."

A ripple of murmured approval ran through the listeners, especially among those with kin or coin invested in livestock who had come to the city to sell the wool or the eggs and milk from their husbandry.

Of course, the official reason was to relieve the populace of some of their troubles; the reality, however, was another.

The rationale behind the recent tax exemptions was multi-faceted.

Foremost among them was Prince Alpheo's growing vision for military expansion. With the steady enlargement of Yarzat's standing forces came an increased demand for wool, an essential resource for producing uniforms for every soldier in the army.

Of course, a simpler, and cheaper, solution might have been to requisition raw wool directly from shepherds as a form of levy, and then pass it to the spinners and weavers already under contract with the crown. But Alpheo had little interest in patchwork fixes or short-term thrift.

His ambitions stretched beyond mere provisioning.

He envisioned nothing less than the transformation of Yarzat's economy from an agricultured one into a semi-industrialized system, at least within the domain of wool processing. A princedom could not claim lasting power if it remained at the mercy of single-industry fragility.

Until now, Yarzat's commercial renown had rested on three key industries, soap, paper, and cider, all of which were still closely held trade secrets. But secrets, Alpheo knew, never lasted forever. The techniques would eventually be copied, stolen, or sold, and when that happened, the economic edge of Yarzat would vanish overnight.

If that day came, and no alternative sectors had been cultivated, the consequences would be dire. The state might be forced to scale down its military to cut costs, a prospect Alpheo refused to entertain. For the army was not just a shield; it was the throne's sharpest tool, and a visible measure of royal supremacy over the nobility.

Thus, investment into the wool sector was very much needed. By fostering local wool production and lifting taxes on sheep herds, Alpheo hoped to birth a homegrown industry that could not only supply the army, but also compete in regional markets.

True, Romelia still held a firm monopoly on the wool trade in the South. And while Alpheo had no immediate intentions of challenging that power, he did not rule out the idea of clashing with them one day. When that time came, Yarzat's foothold in wool could become the first wedge.

As for the tax cuts on cattle and goats, those served a different purpose.

Cattle provided milk, meat, and labor. Goats thrived on scrub where grain could not grow. Chickens and sheep added eggs and wool, offering sustenance even in times of crop failure.

Still, the announcements were just starting as the City-Speaker turned the second page and held it high, clearing his throat before continuing, this time with a tone that leaned more toward inspiration than formality. His voice rose again over the heads of the gathering crowd:

"In accordance with the directive passed by the Minister of infrastructure , under the authority of Her Grace, the Princess of Yarzat, we hereby announces the commencement of a new public infrastructure project: the construction of a sewer system.

To this end, the city seeks the service of no fewer than two thousand men for labor and maintenance duties tied to the project.

All able-bodied persons over the age of sixteen may present themselves to the Clerk of Works at the Eastern Gate Barracks beginning on the second day of the coming week. Registration will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Each laborer shall receive a monthly wage of three silverii, paid in full at the start of each month by the Treasury of Yarzat. Workers will also be provided with three daily meals and necessary tools for their task.

Masons, stone-cutters, carpenters, and other skilled tradesmen are likewise invited to present their credentials and will be compensated at higher rates in accordance with their craft and prior experience.

The duration of the project is estimated to span from four to six months"

He lowered the scroll slowly, scanning the crowd. Some heads were already turning. Young men and weathered ones alike whispered and nodded to one another, already calculating how early they'd need to rise to be among the first at the barracks come hiring day.

The City-Speaker's fingers hovered for a moment over the edge of the second sheet, already worn smooth from the repeated touch of nerves and ink.

A brief breath left his nose, as this was no routine bulletin. No priestly procession, no market update or change in grain allotment.

With a practiced gesture, he turned the page as he started reading the start of what will be known as the Alpheus corpus.