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But they had support. From the Vanguard, most obviously, but also from other, quieter sources, Vanderberk knew. Possibly Intar, if the rumors were true, though he didn't know if he believed them. Steccat seemed much more likely to his mind, though he doubted he would ever find proof of that. Those elitist Steccacti pricks were as secretive as they were insufferable, but they had to know that if Vantalay won this war, it wouldn't be good for them in the long term. It would probably just be a matter of a few years until these gutsy Vantalayans decided to launch another invasion north.

And Void willing, Vanderberk would be there for that war, too.

Why Steccat hadn't joined in on the action already, he could probably guess. Sai-hee was rumored to have a vice grip on that country's political landscape, and she hated getting directly involved in war unless someone forced her hand.

Not the best policy, he felt. But what did he know? She was the empress, not him. She probably had other reasons, too.

Other excuses, heh.

And then, of course, there were these Rainlords.

A bigger thorn in his side, he had not experienced in some time. They were entirely unpredictable to his mind, right now: the big wild card in this mess at the edge of the continent.

And in fact, there was an argument to be made that their decisions here could determine the course of the entire war. If the Vantalayan conflict found a decisive victor soon, the winner would then have considerable resources to send to the other fronts.

With Calthos on the verge of complete conquest and Kavia also doing well, help from Vantalay could quite easily push one or even both of those conflicts over the edge in Abolish's favor.

A decisive victory here might very well mean a decisive victory in three out of the five main fronts.

That was the best case scenario, though. Vanderberk knew better than to put all his eggs in that basket. Things rarely went so smoothly. And heck, even if they did, Steccat and Intar would be quite unlikely to standby at that point. Their hands would be forced.

Which, in its own way, would be enough for Abolish. Stirring up a war that involved all three of the Eloan superpowers? That was just about the best thing they could've hoped for, even if the tide then turned against them.