After having dispatched the verminous deer, I sent my apprentice back to guard the citadel. Losing the citadel to brigands would spell instant end to my ambitions, so until I have an alternate base of operations, I must dedicate some troops to guard it.
I have also received a report from my ally, the Witch Pantariste. Her tower is located some ways to the west and a little to the south and her surroundings seem to offer much richer pickings.
(Pressing TAB will hide all units and show only the map terrain)
There is a lightly guarded coal mine and an iron mine that has been taken over by these goblin-like creatures, the Bakemono. A large and powerful tribe has made the mine its home, so it is likely that she cannot evict them anytime soon.
While her Androphags are formidable warriors and their archers use poisoned arrows, there are not yet enough of them to dislodge the Bakemono.
Of greatest interest to me is the ancient battlefield close by, since there would likely be an opportunity to reanimate significant amounts of undead with little effort. However, there is a problem. The battlefield is guarded by several soulless and worse, my ally reports that stalks of death fungus have been seen growing in the area.
The death fungus is a thoroughly nasty fungal specimen, a large mushroom that reacts to the presence of living creatures by spewing forth a cloud of parasitical spores that will settle on the hapless victim, bore in and begin to rot the doomed creature even though it is still alive. The process does not take long and is invariably fatal. Worse, the fungus feeds of dead and rotting flesh and given a sufficient quantity, will spread until there is a veritable forest of them. Fire is the only reliable means of eradication. At least these are out in the open, in a forest the things are almost undetectable unless one has minions versed in woods lore along.
Pantariste also has a problem with brigands who prey on the area. They have a lair close by and undoubtedly the malcontents are out and about, waiting for opportunities. These outlaws have been known to attack even well fortified citadels in sufficient numbers to overwhelm them and they are masters of moving undetected. One needs scouts of one's own to be forewarned of brigands before blundering into them. Dire wolves or something similar that is not so very easily fooled will do equally well.
Let us hope that the brigands in her vicinity do not pose a problem.