Highland Conflict

Instructions

Thalith is the most rural and hilly kingdom of Frieskonika. While in theory its ruler is King Pyke, the kingdom's ongoing succession dispute between him and his three relatives leaves the realm nothing more than a puppet state on strings manipulated from Macols IV's throne in Dabel. On the other hand, Lykal is a flat, industrializing and urbanizing kingdom. These recent developments have been spurred on by the longtime Friland ally who rules it, Leith XVII, who is old and a remarkably resourceful king, albeit snarky and greedy. This leaves his citizens rowdy and with unfavorable views of his rule. Being on differing sides of the heating Frieskonikan tensions and right next to the current flashpoint of Tresca, it's no wonder that chaos is breaking out. Lykalians and even some Trescans have been reporting sporadic raiding and attacks on their villages, with the attackers allegedly being of Thalican origin. King Leith XVII has pinned the blame on Thalith and furthermore, Ulstranca. He portrays the attacks as Ulstranca's attempt to break down what order remains in Lykal and encourage the public to overthrow him, which would lead to the loss of an important Frilandic ally. If this is Ulstranca's goal, it unfortunately appears to be working; small protests are breaking out in Fisalicus due to a lack of military response from Leith XVII, which he states is to "not encourage further conflict". Polls from the Neutral Republic of Tresca show that most Trescans blame Macols IV in one way or another, with ~60% blaming Ulstranca, ~20% blaming Thalith or Poladis (another Ulstrancan ally), ~15% blaming Friland, and ~5% blaming Lykal and claiming the whole ordeal an elaborate setup. Most believe the lopsided opinion to be as a result of Friland rooting for the rights of the Trescan lower class, leaving to a high public outlook of King Fried II. Thalith claims the whole ordeal a Friland-backed, Lykalian setup to justify a government intervention into Thalith to overthrow King Pyke. Furthermore, King Pyke has denounced King Fried II for this "action", calling him an "unspeakably deceitful monarch". Ulstranca and Poladis also back this claim up. King Fried II has stated he has nothing to do with the attacks. As a result of the whole squabble, King Fried II has ordered the 2nd Ibecos Footmen to be dispatched to the Highlands, in hopes of returning peace. Meanwhile, in the Lykalian capital of Fisalicus, trouble is brewing. The streets are unusually empty as of late. A tense atmosphere seems to engulf the city. Locals speak in quiet whispers, taking glances at the capitol. If this is a plot to overthrow King Leith XVII, it seems to be going suspiciously well...