Chapter 419

Anser checked the Spirit Net’s coverage. Its northern boundary barely extended beyond the line connecting Neverwinter and Silverymoon. It had yet to reach Mithral Hall, Citadel Felbarr, or Menzoberranzan in the Underdark.

‘No wonder the news is a little behind.’

Citadel Felbarr was quite far from the Kingdom of Many-Arrows. If the orcs had arrived there early this morning, they must have set out several days ago.

The border between the Kingdom of Many-Arrows and the Silver Marches had never been peaceful. Friction between the two sides was constant, and bloody clashes broke out frequently.

Orcs did little to produce their own food. Whenever they ran out, they simply raided wherever they could. Their savage nature never changed.

The Silver Marches knew the truth behind the orcs’ war of conquest, so there was no way they would be fooled by the appearance of ordinary border skirmishes. They must have learned about it long ago.

“The Silver Marches must have known about this for some time, right?” he asked.

“Most likely,” Shamar replied.

Anser browsed the latest news, but found no detailed reports on developments in the Kingdom of Many-Arrows.

‘They’re probably keeping it quiet on purpose so the orcs won’t see it,’ he speculated.

The Spirit Net was open to all creatures across Faerûn. Humans and elves accounted for the overwhelming majority of its users, but other races were represented as well.

Once certain information was made public, it ceased to be a secret.

“Do you think the drow are involved?” Anser asked, voicing his suspicions.

“I’d be surprised if they weren’t,” Shamar replied frankly.

Anser nodded silently.

On a flat map, Menzoberranzan lay close to Mithral Hall, the ancestral home of the dwarven Battlehammer Clan.

Both were also underground.

Mithral Hall was one of Faerûn’s most famous legendary dwarven strongholds. Located beneath the Fourth Peak in the Frost Hills of the Spine of the World, it had originally been a mithral mine belonging to the Battlehammer Clan. Over time, it developed into a self-sufficient underground city that witnessed the rise, decline, and resurgence of dwarven civilization.

Several centuries ago, the dwarves dug too deep and broke into the Shadow Caverns, releasing the shadow dragon known as Shimmergloom.

The dragon joined forces with the duergar in a surprise attack, slaughtering most of the dwarven inhabitants and seizing the fortress, turning Mithral Hall into a lair of darkness.

The surviving dwarves fled to Icewind Dale, where they established a new home near Kelvin’s Cairn and preserved the Battlehammer bloodline.

Later, a dwarf named Bruenor Battlehammer personally forged the legendary warhammer Aegis-fang and resolved to reclaim his homeland. He formed a party with the drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden, the barbarian warrior Wulfgar, and the halfling Regis.

After overcoming countless hardships, they reached the Fourth Peak, used Aegis-fang to open a hidden entrance, and fought a decisive battle against Shimmergloom, ultimately succeeding in reclaiming Mithral Hall.

But the good times did not last. The Kingdom of Many-Arrows invaded, and Mithral Hall suffered another bloody massacre. Even now, it had not fully recovered its former prosperity.

As a result, the dwarves of Mithral Hall also hated the orcs with a passion.

‘As an ally of Sehanine Moonbow, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.’ Anser rubbed the stubble on his chin, already itching to get involved.

The Kingdom of Many-Arrows had an enormous orc population, far beyond anything the orc tribes of the Storm Horns could compare with.

“Fearless Banner General, what have the orcs around Suzail been up to?” Out of respect for his privacy, Anser refrained from addressing the deputy commander of the Purple Dragons by his real name.

Fearless Banner General: “After gathering their scattered troops, they fled northeast. They also raided a village and took quite a few citizens of the kingdom with them. Our men are still tailing them.”

Anser understood.

That half-orc Chosen was no fool. He hadn’t dared linger near Suzail. Otherwise, if Anser called down another Meteor Swarm, the orc coalition would be finished.

By taking Cormyrean civilians with him, the commander was undoubtedly also trying to discourage Anser from bombarding them indiscriminately.

Northeast of Suzail lay the heartland of Cormyr. The kingdom certainly wouldn’t ignore an enemy force moving through its territory, so more fighting was inevitable.

“If anything new happens, please make sure to tell me immediately,” Anser emphasized.

Nobody would post genuine battlefield intelligence or military secrets on the Spirit Net, unless they were one of those “bounty hunters” who had risked their lives infiltrating enemy territory.

Fearless Banner General: “Absolutely!!!”

He was probably even more excited than Anser, practically wishing Anser would unleash another Meteor Swarm.

“Do you know the half-orc commander’s real name?” Anser pressed.

Fearless Banner General: “Not sure. He must be an outsider. We’ve never seen him before.”

Anser felt a little disappointed. If he knew the commander’s real name, he had plenty of ways to set a trap and surround and kill him.

Just then, another notification chimed on the Spirit Net.

Sakkors had proactively forwarded him a news report that had just passed review and been published:

“Orcs from the Spine of the World March South! Mirabar Falls!”

Anser was startled, finding the news rather hard to believe.

Mirabar lay south of the Spine of the World, along the Mirar River, southeast of Neverwinter. Built atop a network of dwarven caverns, the city had a diverse population that included dwarves, humans, gnomes, and halflings.

It was a member of the Lords’ Alliance and had always enjoyed a relatively prosperous economy. Its main enemies were the orcs to the north.

In theory, capturing such a city should have been no easy task for the orcs.

Anser hurriedly opened the article. It was a paid intelligence report containing around a dozen photographs, all close-up shots of orcs rampaging through the city. The scenes were bloody and brutal.

Judging by the timestamps on the photographs, the events had taken place just half an hour earlier.

According to the article, countless orcs had poured out of the Spine of the World, spreading across the land in overwhelming numbers and slaughtering everyone they encountered.

Before Mirabar’s outposts could even relay a warning to the city, they had been systematically eliminated.

An orc coalition numbering more than ten thousand had smashed through Mirabar’s defenses in a single assault. Their ranks included large numbers of mid- and high-level Professionals, making them virtually impossible to stop.

The surface inhabitants had been routed, leaving only the dwarves stubbornly resisting in the underground districts. The current state of the fighting remained unknown.

‘This is clearly organized!’ Anser paced back and forth.

The orcs had acted swiftly and decisively, even knowing to eliminate witnesses and outposts. Their operation had all the hallmarks of a blitzkrieg.

Most orcs had no mounts and traveled entirely on foot. But their entire population was capable of fighting, and they didn’t need to carry supplies. Wherever they fought, they simply lived off whatever they could seize.

After taking Mirabar, they would undoubtedly continue attacking settlements throughout the Sword Coast, sweeping across Faerûn like a plague of locusts.

And beyond the Spine of the World, the Kingdom of Many-Arrows, and the Storm Horns, there were numerous other orc settlements scattered across Faerûn. Those orcs might already have begun moving as well.

Shamar was right. War had broken out!

Faerûn was already chaotic enough, and now the orcs had come along to stir up even more trouble, pushing the turmoil to its absolute peak.

‘My federation probably won’t be affected for the time being.’ Anser wasn’t panicking. He calmed himself and carefully considered the situation.

The Silver Marches already had enough trouble fighting the Kingdom of Many-Arrows, especially with the drow possibly causing trouble behind the scenes.

With Mirabar fallen, Neverwinter and Longsaddle would be directly exposed to the orc onslaught, and there was a good chance they wouldn’t be able to hold out.

Waterdeep would probably send troops to reinforce them, keeping the danger away from the city itself.

But what if the orcs didn’t bother assaulting fortified positions and instead scattered in every direction?

That thought immediately brought Baldur’s Gate to mind.

There was a Chosen of Lolth there, too!

If he were on Lolth’s side, he would certainly seize this opportunity to launch an offensive.

The orcs wanted to replace humanity as the rulers of Toril, but Lolth’s ambitions were bound to be even greater!

‘I need to go take a look.’