The southern forest of Luthania was filled with Luthanian tents, troops, and horses. In one area of the forest, archers practiced their skill under the leadership of their centenaurs. The centenaurs (leaders of a hundred archers) took their commands from the Master of the Archers. Calls of “ready” and “loose!” echoed through the trees before a flurry of arrows shot up into the air toward cloth targets hung for the purpose.

Elsewhere in the trees, the footmen practiced combat with wooden axes, spears, mace, and other weapons. Platoons (groups of 20 men) were pitted against each other to test their ability. They strained and sweated as they swung, dodged, and moved about, flattening the ground cover in their sessions. Commanders watched over these mock battles, looking for weaknesses in their defen...

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