The roles of diplomat and intelligence officer have always been inseparable. Besides persuading Zalanda to join the Governance Council, Helena's mission also involves on-the-ground reconnaissance of the true situation in the Tesser Kingdom.
The situation on the road was far worse than what their ruler and ministers had imagined.
The half-century of warlord conflicts in the Tesser Kingdom is not mere rhetoric but a true occurrence.
The four Dukes are merely representatives of the warlord nobles, not the entirety, as there are still numerous Earls, Barons, and Feudal Knights below them, where the main conflict stays at their level.
The Governance Council formed by the four Dukes has limited control over the Tesser Kingdom, with decrees mainly reaching the large cities under their control, possibly extending tens to hundreds of kilometers, at most. Most lower-tier nobles merely acknowledge their orders without actual compliance.
