The armies of the Realms had an unwritten rule: quality mattered more than quantity. The gulf between classed individuals was immense. A legendary warrior could physically enter the Astral Plane and grapple with a Yakfolk chieftain, while an ordinary soldier might struggle to deal with a handful of goblins. Thus, the true measure of an army's fighting strength lay in the lord's personal force of elite household guards.
Today, Salian showed everyone his household guards.
Twelve hundred elite warriors clad in extraordinary full plate and wielding extraordinary weapons.
The exceedingly rare Snow Elf Arcane Archer Battalion.
A bloodthirsty, frenzied force of Half-Orc retainers wielding broad-bladed swords.
And the Half-Dragon Force serving under Big Dragon Aegir.
Of course, everyone had already heard something of these troops. Today merely gave them a chance to see the real thing, so their presence alone should not have surprised anyone too much.
What truly astonished the many nobles of Suzail and Lady Laeral, who had come to join them, was Aaron's determination to prosecute this northern campaign against Tifanton.
Alusair had issued the royal summons. She had mustered the army, and the Purple Dragon Knights were still on their way.
Under such circumstances, convention had always dictated that the Obarskyr Royal House shoulder the main burden of combat.
Yet Aaron had launched an attack before the princess even arrived, and he had revealed his secret weapon without the slightest hesitation.
What was that cannon? And what was that fireball?
Did anything like that even exist in the Realms? Surely its power was more terrifying than even the Ninth Circle spell Meteor Swarm?
Salian of Cormyr, were you really... that loyal to Obarskyr?
Under the countless gazes watching him from behind, Aaron showed no reaction. He simply ordered the attack.
Naturally, the Shepherd Legion obeyed only