Lufkit
Merc Hall
In which Edger and Sheather change course in response to fresh information.
I suppose technically Edger has come to the correct conclusion, but I’m dubious about his premises: surely the same bustle would be afoot without Val Con’s involvement. (Then again, perhaps it wouldn’t. The luck moves in strange ways around Korval.)
I’m struck by the term “blood war”, which more than one merc has now used to describe the Yxtrang invasion, but I don’t think any of the Yxtrang themselves have used. Perhaps it’s a merc term, used to distinguish a conflict with motives other than a nice big paycheque.
I’m almost certain your correct, that a Blood War is a war fought by mercenaries, but not for pay. My sense is that it’s not just reserved for Yxtrang either; that certain situations could provoke Merc HQ to declare a blood war, though it’s probably a pretty rare occurrence.
The short story “Code of Honor”, which I hadn’t read yet when I made the entry, confirms that “blood war” is a term used by mercs to distinguish any conflict in which the combatants are acting on their own account and not under contract to an employer.