The War Council of Helheim was studying the strategic situation with care. The western reaches of the kingdom were occupied by the bat people of Xibalba , the north by the semi-giants of Ur , the southern lands had been conquered by the cold giants of Niefelheim and their undead legions while on the south east the tribes of Machaka had grown strong. And of course on the north-east border, Agartha and their Pale ones were a vivid threat. But on the eastern borders, no one. Every single general had been expecting some nasty army to appear and threaten the Kingdom, but after more than a year of conquest, not a single heretic had been sighted.

That was indeed much of a surprise, but also an opportunity. Some gold had been spent wisely to build a fortress right on that eastern border, and what was to be a defensive stronghold was now a beachhead for expansion. Sure, there was still the possibility of some unknown opponent hiding in the shadows of these lands, but even then, Skaljv had now gathered such a strong force of Valkyries that she was pretty confident she could handle any situation.

And so while a strong diplomatic activity secured a Non Agression Pact with Machaka and Ur, the armies of the Vanir slowly annexed the eastern eldorado. Compared to the early days of the war, the battles were cakewalks and no real challenges raised up. While Skaljv and her Valkyries secured 7 new provinces, including a Throne, Munin the Vanherse conquered 3 others with a host of Hirdmen. Also, Skaljv took the time to claim the power of that new throne, the Throne of Thorns, in the name of Lord Kall. That came as a surprise to him when he understood that he could now channel a new power for his blessed troops. They were now mostly immune to poison … an advantage that could come handy in battle.

However, a peculiar discovery was made in a forest down on the coast. The scouts reported there a throne so heavily defended that many wondered what kind of mighty power was protected like that. Indeed, if the Pantokrator had gathered more than 400 creatures commanded by a goddess-like beast, it was for a good reason ! Sadly, Helheim wasn’t ready for such a challenge. There was still plenty of troops to recruit and resources to gather before even thinking about it.

By the end of the second year of the Ascension War, the kingdom had reached a size of 27 provinces, including 3 thrones. 2 Fortresses had been built, Ard in the center as the main base of operations for eastern operations, and another one south of the Throne of Bureaucracy to control the borders with Niefelheim and Xibalba.

In the meantime, several scouts were sent to probe Agartha’s defenses. They counted only 7 provinces, but still 5 fortresses including their capital. Compared to Helheim that made them weak, and their army was probably as small as their territory. After conquering these many neutral lands, the only way for expansion was to go to war with another enemy pretender. Now aware of the apparent weakness of the Pale ones, the War Council decided that these territories belonged to Helheim and prepared the armies for an immediate attack.

As the decision to go to war was taken, another good news secured the decision. The frost Giants of Niefelheim had sent their troops against the tribes of Machaka. That meant that with the non agression pacts with Ur and Machaka, and Niefelheim busy fighting Machaka, the only hazardous border was the small one with Xibalba. The omens were good, very good, nothing would stop Lord Kall’s rise to power.