The speed of the river would more than make up any risks, you decide. Traveling to Buhaw on foot would take a week in normal conditions, and with the rains turning roads to mud, it would only take longer. Reaching Castle Buhaw first would place you in a strong position, as well as a place to determine who (read: you) would become the new ruler of Chaw.
You change the army's course, heading towards Suwari in order to acquire river barges. The negotiations are swift, as ships are technically a part of your levy and you find river captains that are crazy and loyal enough to traverse the flooded Conqueror's Flow. Within a scant few hours, you have more than made up for lost time, and by the following dawn, the army of Yeqerta passed into the Buhaw province.
The voyage was far from uneventful, however. You lost count of the number of times the barges struck rocks hidden beneath the water, glancing blows that nearly threw your men into the water below. The lead barge hit an unexpected current, spinning it around and nearly capsizing the barge and putting your entire army in danger. Through the quick thinking of the barge's captain, the barge remained and you lost little more than some supplies, which you swiftly replaced by your abundance of such supplies.
Four days of harrowing river travel later, your army disembarks at the closest point to Castle Buhaw. Ten miles away, you know the castle stands, and you order your men onwards, intent on claiming it.
The march is hard, much of the land flooded and turned to mud. While mounted on a horse, you don't experience the difficult task of pulling one leg free of the clinging mud, but you can tell the exertion is slowly taking it's toll on your men. Once you reach the castle, they will have time to rest.
The land is quiet when you see the walls of Castle Buhaw rise from the horizon miles away, but a distant movement above the castle catches your eye. Using your farcaster, you see a banner flying above the castle's keep. It is a version of the Buhaw Dynasty's banner, a golden crown on top of a field of black. This version, however, is of the reverse: a black crown on top of a field of gold, with a black bar sinister cutting through the banner. Inverted colors and a bar sinister, the banner of a noble bastard. Rigard Sand, or Rigard Buhaw as he calls himself now, has already claimed the castle.
"Well... That changes things."
Options
[] Contact Rigard and begin negotiating for... Something (Write in)
[] Siege the Castle: Warfare in Remnant is not based around sieges, but Rigard was disowned by King Buhaw, revoking his claim to the throne. You have no clue how strong the army within is, but attacking may pay off.
[] Break off and make contact with another pretender: In order to take a castle without taking so much time that the Grimm strike, an assault is needed. For an effective assault, you need more men than you already have. Making contact with one of the other pretenders would be conducive to this end. (Choose as many or as few as you want.)
- [] Contact Alrich Asad: You have a pact with Asad, and you know his army is in the area. If you alert him of this, you could form a temporary alliance to claim the castle. He would likely want to reaffirm where you stand, however.
- [] Contact Cilmi of Donna: Cilmi, the normally bookish Knight is Alrich's military rival, and his army is made of mercenaries. Alerting him to this fact could help you take the castle. Where he stands, however, is unknown.
- [] Contact Ristuko Mutsu: The true unknown in all this, your spies have found very little of her movements in all this. That being said, contacting her could help you figure out what her plans are. There is the whole "The Bastard is not what he seems" thing, as well. She knows more than she is letting on.
[] There should be other ways to go about this. (Write In, Within Reason)
