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Aaron had already heard from Banneret Lucian about the secret societies within the Purple Dragons.
There was no helping it. Wherever people gathered, factions formed. As mentioned before, every large organization contained countless smaller groups, divided by interests, backgrounds, values, political views, and personal ambitions. They clashed and cooperated, together forming the greater whole.
The Soldiers’ Salvation Association was one such faction. Ever since Alusair became regent, its members had harbored longstanding grievances against her.
Did they think Alusair's methods were too radical and her rule too domineering?
Wrong!
They thought the Princess Regent's methods weren't radical enough! Her rule wasn't domineering enough!
The Soldiers’ Salvation Association believed that Cormyr's current national focus tree should prioritize retaking Arabel while conquering the Moonsea region and Zambia to the east. Nothing mattered except military objectives.
More than once, they had proposed granting Purple Dragon Knights direct authority to convict and execute, imposing indefinite nationwide martial law, and placing every port, trade route, and market under the order's control.
They advocated universal conscription, closing every entertainment venue, banning all recreational activities, and abolishing the major churches' relief efforts for the poor and sick. Their justification was that such aid only bred idlers and weakened the people of Cormyr.
Their views were so radical that even the iron-fisted Alusair disagreed with them.
This produced a rather interesting spectacle: the princess, a veteran of countless battles, failed to win the support of many career soldiers. Instead, they backed Duke Caspar, the late Crown Princess's husband, despite the duke never having set foot on a battlefield and being too weak-willed even to confront Alusair directly.
Likewise, Caspar, whose claim to the regency held a slight advantage, received more support from outside powers, while Alusair, whose claim was