Following the untimely death of Count Hubert de Vraillly and his son Louis, the county of Tilbaut was thrust into a civil war of succession. Louis’s sister and uncle have both declared themselves the rightful heir apparent. Aliena de Vrailly secured the castle of Tilbaut yet with a loosened grip, as her father’s council sought to garner more power and influence. While Jean de Vrailly was partially successful in raising his battle-hardened army that was only recently disbanded.
Once it became clear that war was inevitable, both sides came to blows and engaged in a few skirmishes, the council of Tilbaut managed to raise a large army and Aliena de Vrailly found her strength in numbers, with an army of five thousand men, mainly composed of levies, mercenaries and inexperienced soldiers. In comparison, Jean de Vrailly only managed to raise nearly two thousand men, with an army consisting of one hundred-twenty lances and their retinues.
The first major battle took place forty leagues to the south of Tilbaut, Aliena’s host managed to overwhelm Jean’s assembling army in a surprise attack, chaos ensued and as expected they were soon routed. While retreating and suffering heavy casualties, the superiority of Jean’s tactical military brilliance proved unmatched on the battlefield. Once the danger lessened they mustered their strength and gathered by their commanders' side before launching an organized attack of their own, catching the unsuspecting host of Aliena by surprise, hundreds were slain and both sides gradually fell back to their respective rally points.
The grim realization settles on both claimants as they realize time is running out, the brooding presence of the Vaegir occupiers over Swadian lands is forever growing. Knyaz Ivan Dokuchaev looms over the region as he undoubtedly plans to root out all Swadian presence from the conquered lands and divide it amongst his loyal supporters. With count Hubert dead, this seems like an inescapable conclusion to House Vrailly.
The village of Sarlès holds a massive food supply which supplements the county and other regions, with vast wheat fields and enormous mills. The village was built after the collapse of the Duchy during the 1263 rebellion and the devastating events that took place, it was built in an effort to revitalize the economy and supply the people with sustenance. Since the village is in close proximity to the castle itself, its strategic advantage is invaluable. Both claimants began mobilizing their armies and preparing for the Battle of Sarles.
