At first, invaders attack with fury in House Hamilton, House Topwell, House Seafyre, House Dragonfyre, and House Krakenfell. The horselords, the slavers, the slave soldiers and their mythical beasts advance near the land borders Caelora Province shares with Topwell Province, with the vast fleets of the slavers, the corsairs, the sellsails, and the Maritime Compact advancing upriver and spilling into the Bay of Caelora, threatening to take over the coastal ports, coastal cities, coastal towns, coastal isles and coastal villages of Caelora Province once again. The invaders also advance close to Hamilton Province’s.shared land borders with Solara Province, their vast fleet spilling downriver into Solara Bay, deftly and skilfully navigating the treacherous shoreline of Solara Bay where a many a merchant ship, many an unsuspecting war frigate got sunk by the whirlpools and the sharped jagged rocks jutting out of the sea in Solara Bay, getting closer to Solara Port every passing minute.

“ So Theron and Cain finally decide to advance on Thaloria City, my lords and ladies. They will advance on Blackmoor Province as well. “Crown Prince Alaric says from inside the comfort of his heavily armed, swift horse drawn carriage, painted with the sigil of House Blackmoor, a roaring lion guarding a chapel, to the rest of the Blackmoors also assembled inside the horse-drawn carriage. “ I warned you that the massive invasion against the allies of Third Prince Cain and Second Prince Theron was a folly. And you did not listen, nephew. Now we flee from Thaloria City like hounds with our tails slunk beneath our legs. “Pope Aurelian booms with disapproval, his unsettling pale gold eyes fixed upon his nephew. “ It isn't a folly, Uncle, but a… necessary sacrifice. Oh, and don't prattle at me with your long and boring sermon about the need for all those piecemeal raids, fallbacks, and piecemeal sieges. Will you have me waste my time playing cat and mouse with Second Prince Theron and Th

The skies, the seas and the lands around Thaloria City are eerily quiet, moments before the invasion, at exactly 9 am in the morning, when Thaloria has just finished eating breakfast, and the defenders of Thaloria City start to man their posts, and their ships. Then a massive, combined fleet of ships from House Hamilton, House Dragonfyre, and House Krakenfell, consisting of swift, small, lethal Dragonheart Imperium steel frigates laced with Umbralith steel, and bristling with solar gun turrets, solar anti-air missile launchers, and solar torpedoes sail boldly into Dragonrider Bay, aiming to capture Thaloria Port, and the numerous harbors on Thaloria City, amidst a rain of automated catapult boulders, wildfires and ballistae bolts that manage to sink some ships of the combined fleet. The corsairs and the sellsails sail out just in time to meet them in the open seas on the shores of Thaloria City, where the two fleets are locked in mortal combat, with the far smaller fleets of House

“ All kneel for King Alexander Cain Thaloria, the Second of his Name, Lord Protector of Thaloria Kingdom, Lord of the 8 Provinces, and Protector of the Realm. “Pope Aurelian Blackmoor, dressed in modern Pope regalia that Third Prince Cain Vailtair Thaloria insists that he wear for the formal reinstatement in the quickly rebuilt, modernized Thaloria Royal Castle, deep in the heart of the rapidly rebuilt Thaloria City, says in a clear, loud, powerful and booming voice over a microphone attached to his ears and head, whilst performing the reinstatement ceremony, also upon insistence of Third Prince Cain Vailtair Thaloria. A few days before the reinstatement ceremony, Crown Prince Alaric and Second Prince Theron argued with Prince Cain, or rather tried to lecture him over every single detail of the reinstatement ceremony, insisting on a blend of tradition and modernity, to no avail. Third Prince Cain Vailtair Thaloria, who doesn't like being lectured and walked, clearly didn't pay atte

“ You call for me again, Your Highness. It's been a long time since you last visited us. What is it that you want of me this time, Third Prince Cain? “Cecille Beckett, still the Secretary of what is once the Frostmark Space Agency, which is now rebranded as the Royal Federal Thalorian Space Agency upon the insistence of Second Prince Theron, curtsies an elegant, formal curtsy right in front of Third Prince Cain, who elevated the astromancer to such a high and respected position a few months ago. Third Prince Cain humors Cecille Beckett with an elegant, mocking bow of his own, whilst grinning his devil may care mocking grin widely from ear to ear, his sharp viper eyes glinting with barely concealed amusement. “ It's been a long time indeed, my lady. What I want from you is simple. I want one of those luxurious spaceships I tasked you and your space agency to make a few months ago. “Third Prince Cain Vailtair Thaloria says smoothly and frankly, his tongue dripping with honeyed mock