Yeah, that would be pretty tough to hide, but depending on the extent of those caves, not impossible. I hate to ask, but do we know whose side the different epic-levels are on? If we could win them over in the course of our efforts that would be a big help, I know one of them supposedly lives in the Esterwall range if we can locate him.
Character note: Ancor couldn't give less of a crap about Valacian politics at this point. As far as he's concerned, the place is a racist, fey-ridden hellhole run by imbeciles, and he's got more ties to the Dwarves than Valacia anyway. That said, he does care about the plight of the lower classes quite a bit, and would like to see someone more competent on the throne. However, he doesn't much care who that is. Honestly, he figures that if we're going to finance an army already, we might as well claim the place for ourselves. Usurpations happen all the time, and the people probably won't complain too much about us taking over if we promise them economic improvement. That's not an unrealistic promise, given the possible boost trading with the Dwarves could give us. Ancor might even be able to convince the Seafarers to loosen oceanic trade restrictions, under the right circumstances. Ancor doesn't really have royal aspirations himself, but given his positive relationship with the different groups surrounding Valacia, it wouldn't be the most absurd choice in the world. Of course, the other Archdukes would complain and try to fight us, but if we can get the Dwarves to back us, the Archdukes wouldn't stand a chance because their territory would be exposed to the Dwarves as soon as their armies advanced on the capital. Just a thought.
