While Devaguea had wanted this to be a short and decisive war, with the two forts and the two armies, they could only blast the same barely developed land that Devaguea had only recently claimed. And with the fort next to the now very active silver mine, the biggest target in the region that wasn't a city was damned well covered. And Devaguea could hold his armies indefinitely; Pitax was definitely on a time limit. They had to do something soon, relatively speaking, or else they would either have to stand down armies, or make a big push.<br/><br/>Then Kesten and Akiros came up with a plan to catch one of the Pitax armies out of position and crush it. Both armies did a 'normal' clear of the area near the silver mines, chasing off scouts and outriders, before restocking at the northern fort, and then both armies marched south to the southern fort, hoping to catch another army in the area. In reality, only Kesten's army left, split into two columns with extra carts to provide the illusion of two armies, while Akiros and his army of rough and tumble irregulars waited behind, most in the fort, but with several groups of scouts out to keep watch for the target.