The royal army was marching downstream of the river Estauter under the rare rays of mid-autumn sun.
Unlike during most marches, this time they were ready for combat: all armor was worn, the weapons were close at hand, and the more vulnerable parts of the army were surrounded by lines of infantry. This meant, first of all, the heavy dwarven cannons and the recently returned from their raiding party battle mages.
The mood in the army was grim. A notable part of its forces, the soldiers brought by Count Mirrand, were in mourning of their leader's sudden death in his sleep. Count Mirrand was old enough to die from weariness and stress of the road, but clerics have confirmed that his death came from Dark magic that they were powerless to stop.
Mirrand's eldest son had taken the lead in his father's stead, but the spirit of the army was low.
