The Nautilus Omega made dock not too far from where the fighting is held. Far enough away to allow them to prepare for what may occur very shortly. Lyse has never seen a conflict like this ever in his life, and he felt somewhat under immense pressure to be grazing it. But still, they have to be prepared. They have little else an option. The crew that Moxie had personally selected began to collect weaponry and armor. It was a strange thing to see on something that was supposed to be a merchant ship, but they all moved in very practiced motions. Not a surprise to Lyse, but it was interesting to witness. The assortment of weaponry was also a bit strange. Firearms and sabers, some shields. Some in armor, some without. Maybe an ax or two. A cooking pot of several nation's most iconic implements of war, more Hath than anything. He himself prepared all he had acquired from Nychterida. The armor was well-fitting and pretty light for armor. It was a lot more comfortable to move in than the armor Gabbes had him wear in his training. The inside was lined with thicker fabric that comprised most of the armor's weight but will keep him decently warm as they travel on. He strapped a kite shield to his back and waited for everyone else to finish their preparations.

Edlund was already geared and ready to get off this boat. He, more than anyone, was glad to get to solid ground for once. He wasn't as bad as Gray, but he was certainly what the sailors called a land crab. Edlund checked that his straps were secured tightly as he joined Lyse on deck. He was carrying a few packs and a shield on his back as well.

"I never thought snow-blanketed fields would be so beautiful, Lyse," he said. "One may think I might rather face frostlanders than stay on this cursed boat."

"Well, we might get our wish," he said. "It's a miracle that we haven't been attacked by either side coming down here. But that just means that they are still in their grace period. The fighting might get intense up ahead, you know."

"Kind of expecting it, brother," Edlund let out a slow breath, letting it drift on past him in the wind. "Hopefully, we can sneak around."

"I heavily doubt that. Scouts will surely notice a hundred and fifty men marching through the snow north. If we are going to get through this, we'll have to pass straight through the conflict."

Makyra finally came aboard the deck, immediately scanning the land around them. They were docked on the rocky shore of the right side of the river, anchored out. The sparse forest to either side of the river hid the vacant, barren hills of the tundra. She was dressed back in her Thirian armor, clawed gauntlets, and all. Even among men and women that were taller than she, her presence and stoic look made her stand out above them and clear them from her path as she joined Lyse and Edlund aboard the deck. Orders were going around to lower the planks; the trek will be soon upon them.

"Look better than ever," Lyse said. "Ready for a run in the snow?"

"More than you two," she said. "It'll be a rough journey east, we can follow the river a great deal, but we'll be battered all the way."

"It will be a treacherous journey, but nothing more than what we have faced so far," Lyse told her. "And this time, we have a bit of help to aid us, don't we."

"Of course you do," they all turned to see moxie climbing down from the navigation deck, a few satchels, and bags in hand, most likely filled with either gunpowder or ammunition. She was in her regular captain's jacket, and a rifle on her back, two pistols strapped to her chest, and a saber sheathed at her belt. this was the most battle-ready either of them had ever seen her. Moxie will be joining them, mostly just to look after her crew, but Lyse liked the company either way. Blij, of course, will be staying behind and look after the Nautilus.

"Ready cubs? " she asked, handing her baggage to a crewman, and shouldered her rifle.

"Of course, we are ready," Edlund said. "Are your men?"

"Most of these men can't wait to see some action," Moxie grinned. "And by the looks of things, they might yet see it. The Nautilus will be waiting for us.

Lyse did not relish the opportunity in trying to explain what a hundred and fifty men were doing in the Frostlands led by two knights and a Thirian. As the men unloaded, Lyse could spot the small fortress-like structure that acted as sort of a base for the border skirmishes. This was surrounded by a camp packed to the brim with soldiers and then a wall that surrounded even that. It wasn't too far from the river; he could see the tallest tower over the tree line. But if they would like any passing, they will have to go through this checkpoint or risk being identified as an enemy of the empire. Marching, they made their way along the side of the river, leaving the massive warhog ship behind with the rest of the crew waving and hollering for their friends. Lyse had a tense expression, looking across the roaring river to the left where the forest thinned out into rolling hills, the gentle snow covering the ground. The snow wasn't particularly thick, but the air was biting off the flesh, and the sun seemed a distant thing. Everyone held in loose formations huddled together, either for warmth or support. Lyse couldn't wait to be in far more abiding company.

They approached the walls of the camp. Much unlike the regular wooden structures that Lyse was accustomed to, thick stone walls with large blocks spoke of much wore. Wear and tear were everywhere, scratches and large gouges of stone pulled forth from the walls, but still stable. They must have taken a fair share of assaults' from the Frostlanders. Pillars and spire of ice jutted from the ground at very odd angles, entire sections of the wall covered in nearly a foot of ice. Trenches were dug into the ground, and some were covered over with more ice with spear jutting from them. As Lyse looked closer to some, he thought he spotted a few bodies within them. Few were broken. It was a bewildering battlefield, the first battlefield that Lyse had seen. If he had come here a few months ago, he would have been a little twisted in the stomach. But after all that he had witnessed, his mind instead went towards thinking of the possible attacks that the Frostlanders may have committed. They appeared just as the stories described them, it seemed. This sight was rarely new to most of those who accompanied them. They most likely saw a lot worst in the various conflicts out east. But the hollowness, the disregarded frozen corpses, was eerie nonetheless. No matter how hardened, any man would find their stomachs twist under the visage.

"Quite the sight," Edlund said hollowly, noticed a body severed in half and frozen in a sheet of ice in the ground. The other sailors had grown a little silent. He looked to Makyra. "This was what it looked like when they razed your village."

Makyra was deathly silent, not even looking at the destruction on the field before the entrance gate. She seemed unaffected, but Lyse did notice stiffness in her shoulders.

They were only a few dozen feet before the wooden gates before Lyse and Edlund suddenly felt the presence of several men around them. From the trenches, soldiers sprung out with shields and spears, bows behind them. The wall sprang to life with archers aiming their arrows down at the group of men. Some of the sailors grew stiff with hands and handles and guns. Their stern faces blanketed white by the harsh snow, expressions grim and prepared for a bleak ending. Lyse resisted the instinct to draw his weapon as well but managed to restrain his combative afflictions and instead delved back into diplomacy. Diplomacy that may or may not spell the end of their future travels.

As he walked forward, he noticed a few tips pointed at him specifically. His helmet obscured his face, but he tried to seem as neutral in posture as he could muster. He felt like the only moving thing on the ground as he approached, a ripe target of any uneasy hand. He looked up at the gate where several men gathered, spears not at the ready but cautiously examining the group of warriors that had suddenly approached them.

"Hail brothers," Lyse's voice climbed up the walls into their helmets. "We travel on word from our king who dwells in the mountains east. I am a brother who runs along with the lion, who seeks aid in continuing my mission eastward if you permit. Please, we ask for hospitality."

The uneasiness did not lessen by his well-crafted words. The winds were unchanging. But the one above, most likely the captain or general, did look down upon them with a grim expression.

"It is quite the sight to see brothers walk among those who do not fly our flags," he said.

"These hired hands prove necessary, but we have the means to affirm our identity if you wish to see them," Lyse said. "We offer no compromise upon you nor demand your attention but seek mere aid."

A bit of conversation racked the walls momentarily before someone besides the captain raised a yellow flagged and waved it back and forth in several motions. Lyse recognized this form, a sign or either retreat or standing down, depending on the sequence of battle. In this circumstance, they are to standby but not retreat. Then, the tension did lose its hold, and they were left will the chill uneasiness with o many people with weapons in the same place. A man, who had leaped from the trenches, walked towards Lyse, gesturing for whatever he had offered his lord. Moxie handed him back the documents they had forged, but this time Lyse only gave him the actual letter that James gave them supporting them as a representative. The man took this and ran immediately towards the wall. With an aura-assisted jump, he managed to clear the wall and land near the captain, who took the paper, scanned it, and waved down to whoever was beyond the wall. Blades sheathed and spear settled on shoulders as the gate rattled against the iron bars.

"It is nice to see the white lions come across for even a visit," he said. "Unfortunately, if you seek to travel beyond this point any further east. The enemy holds an unceasing grip onto the river, and the terms of combat have fallen into their hands. We shall discuss further inside. However, only citizens shall be allowed within this wall. We have no blood to spare for mercenaries and hired hands."

He gestured to Moxie and her men with that last comment. Moxie's expression turned taciturn, but she gave Lyse a reassuring look before turning to the others, making orders to set up camo. That left Edlund, Lyse and Makyra to go inside. They gave the briefest of farewells before allowing the men who surrounded them as escorts. Inside were several temporary large structures, mostly made from thick canvases and large wooden posts. Very few of this structure was made from wood or brick, besides the tower that was perhaps four or five stories in height and ended into the steep-sloped style of most Nychteridan structures. However, he noticed very few of the soldiers within, solemnly preparing weapons and eating quickly as if the next battle shall commence shortly. It was a very dire-looking scene, many men wounded and in waiting for treatment. Several of those doctors, black cloaks moving along from one unfortunate soul to another, treating frostbite and wounds. The middle, road-like path the only place showing packed, bare earth. The captain waited for them at the base of the tower, a side structure covered with a tarp with a large table set up. It wasn't exactly covered by the elements, but they took the warmth from a fireplace and braziers about. The soldiers stood by as they entered, the captain waiting and taking off his helmet. Short black hair peeled out, brushed out of the way of a round face and stony grey eyes. The crest on his shoulder was that of Lykos, the wolf's silhouette on a blue-black ground, four stars in the darkness.

"Forgive me if I've offended you, but you should be well aware of the circumstance that has been sparked up in the north," he said. "Attacks has become rampant this time of year, and the shadow of ill Fate has fallen upon us all. They throw their ice mages, those cold-blooded fiends that can blanket the rivers and force conflict at any time they so desire. And we are unable to retaliate. The river is too harsh for minor vessels, and bridges have been destroyed up and down the shores as fast as we can set them down."

"Wait, so you have no temporary bridges in place then?" Edlund asked.

"We have some built, but none in place," he said. "Every time we get one down, they can simply toss it aside and send it tumbling in those damned waters. Lost a lot of men that way. We can't go further east without turning it into the challenge. We were waiting for reinforcements, perhaps even some knights to aid us. But until then, no one will be able to cross the river."

"So the only way we're headed east is if we get rid of this force?" Lyse asked him. "How long do you think that will take?"

"Again, we were hoping for a bit more reinforcements. We are on the backfoot. Without an actual assault on our end, the fight will always be on their terms. Forgive me as I have not made attempts towards introductions. I am captain Hagroth Tonus, hailing from Lykos."

They all gave their appropriate title and shook hands with the captain as well. He seemed a bit shaken but more determined than downtrodden. The empire encourages bravery and strength. To return in defeat would be a disgrace; to allow that weakness to show would be even more of a disgrace. He went further to explain exactly what had occurred in the past few months, and it was clear that they had few options to avoid this conflict. They respond to any attempts to cross the river, and they tend to attack sporadically. So far, there had been three major battles and a few skirmishes. The first battle occurred four months ago, just on the harvest. The report goes that the river was suddenly frozen, and they immediately attacked. They managed to prepare enough to keep the fight a fair away from the fortress itself. They did not want to have to endure a siege, the reason being proved the following month when they attacked in the dead of night. Using ice spires, they managed to assault them relatively easily and fight along the wall itself, fighting tooth and nail. There were heavy casualties on both sides, but the hit was big, and they lost a captain in the fighting. After that, they received their first set of reinforcements from Lykos, which is where Hagroth came from. He initiated a plan to entrap them, digging trenches into the ground to prepare countermeasures for any more direct assaults'. this worked well, though ice mages always find ways to counteract them and adapt fairly quickly, freezing over the trenches and making way for a secondary siege on the fortress, causing a lot of structural damage.

Lyse figured that the Frostlander's goals were to drive them away, abandon their posts. Hagroth agreed.

"This river used to be a regular trading route for them before we came," he said. "There are small villages further down the river that had to be abandoned. Now that we have engaged in this war, a lot of effort went towards driving us away and then use the river as a resource route. Their base camp is about a mile or two from the other side. But if we attempt to make a crossing, better know that they'll be on our hides like arrows."

"I see," Lyse considered. "So we're stuck here until this battle is finished."

"So it seems," he told Lyse. "You're free to stay as long as you wish, knight. But. Any further trek would mean a death sentence for your men."

Lyse could feel the disappointment in his eyes as he turned back to the map of the surrounding region. He may have hoped that Lyse's entire group would be the help they've needed. But even if they were, the force was far too small to make any significant change in the stakes of the battle. As Lyse looked around at the massive camp, he estimated over a few thousand men and women. There were possible more, even, at this post when it was first built. He pondered for a moment as they traveled back to where Moxie and her men were waiting, setting up a small camp just outside the walls.

"Of course, the winds would turn this way," Edlund sighed.

"We can make a wide swing around and find some other point where there isn't as much fighting," Makyra said. "Perhaps a little further east, or we could double back a few miles and maybe avoid Frostland patrols."

"I'm afraid either will result in the same troubles," Lyse said. "Frostlanders seems very adamant in their patrols. This river is the battlefield itself for all of the eastern conflicts. It may be very well the same all along the river. And our destination lies across it. If we head back, we lose time, and we may end up dealing with patrols. The same if we try to swing around."

"So what are our other options then?" Edlund asked.

"Looks like we'll have to get rid of this threat first before we cross," Lyse told them.

"And how do we do that?" Makyra asked. "It's not like having a few hundred men will drastically change the situation."

"What they need isn't numbers," Lyse said. "By his descriptions of their armies, they have only half the men that they currently have. It was simply up till now they have not gotten anyone who could appropriately deal with the ice mages that monitor the rivers, it seemed."

"So they need our help," Edlund offered.

"He wanted knights, and here we are," Lyse told them.

"Great," Edlund groaned. "I knew we'd be in a situation like this. How exactly are we going to route an army of Frostlanders?"

"Give me a moment to ponder," Lyse asked of him. "But once more, numbers isn't an issue; we just need a plan."

"Fancy yourself a strategist?" Edlund asked, a little coyly.

"I better fancy myself the smartest man alive," he told him. "Cause like it or not, we are crossing this damned river."

They finally approached where Moxie was making up camp. She had set aside her weapons, only carrying a rifle while looking cautiously across the river. She turned to them as soon as they arrived. A few men were already setting up additional watch stations around their little camp.

"If only we can just dock ourselves on the other side," she said in a huff. "But I can see their scouts running along just on the horizon. They are keeping a keen eye on us. No telling when they may decide to strike before more reinforcements come their way."

"For now, we'll have to think of a way of getting across, and the Frostlanders won't just leave us be," Makyra told her.

"Sounds like my men can finally have some target practice," she said. "So, what's the plan looking like."

"I'll speak to the commander on any possible routes for bridges," Lyse said. "Until then, I suggest we rest up for the night and maybe a good night's supper."