The lads from Lareborg

The Lads from Lareborg or in Imerian "Pojkarna fran lareborg" is an Imerian novel in the popular boarding school genre and like most stories directed to young men does it focus on the heroic adventures of younger men and boys. Released relatively recently in the federal literary canon was it released to great acclaim by the author Birger Hilgerssen that was the first non-human, and troll, to make it into the Imerburg royal post's most recommended book list despite only being released in 2019. The book follows the adventures of a school of boys in the fictional Lareborg boarding school and their struggle against an undead invasion by an evil necromancer that is only referred to as "the vile necromancer"

Characters

While the school boys from age 8 to 16 are all characters and a list of the entire student body was released by the book and their fates in the first edition of the collected release do some stand out;

Nils auf Hilgersbal, the main protgonist, a young 14 year old boy, said to be the greatest fencer in the school and one of the few noble characters attending the school being just the second son of a friherre. He is however a dashing young man and held up as a credit to his lineage. Nils being from Sydvinland originally is described as having olive skin, pale blue eyes and dark long hair.

Göran auf Holgershajd is an older student, 16 years old while also a noble is he not as highly ranked as Nils as Nils can trace his lineage further back than Göran despite both being friherrar. Göran is originally depicted as a bully and arrogant despite his lower social situation compared to Nils but he is described as the best jouster that the school can field and a crack shoot that also boast of an impressive academic study. Compared to the darker complexion of Nils is Göran often said to be the spitting image of a native son of Scandera with a long blond mane of hair and a strong impressive jaw.

Trudrig Filikssen is the best friend of Nils, a commoner of birth and a troll is he not too bright and not as academically gifted but he is still able to keep up with his class and heavily outproduces most of them in physical studies.

Birger Butter an old scared veteran from the royal guard, lacks a hand and is the teacher in charge of military education of the school.

Plot

The plot starts out first following the conflict of Nils and Göran as the older but socially inferior boy humiliates Nils as a new arrival on the tourney field and the two boys often comes to blows even leading to a duel with dagers that Göran ultimately wins leaving Nils with a scar over his cheek. However the rather normal daily life ends suddenly when most of the staff is out in the nearby town of Segera when suddenly the students can hear screams and violence from the city. Göran and Nils both are told to mount up on horses and ride to see what is happening and despite arguing do they see how a large dead horde summoned by a vile necromancer from abroad. Most of the city has been massacred even if the town militia and peacekeepers still put up a resistance in the main square as survivors evacuate by train. Seeing how the horde is heading towards the school do both Nils and Göran turn around and tries to warn their comrades.

However despite their best efforts is Göran's horse caught by a quick running dead man that surprises the boy and Göran is tossed from his horse. Acting on instinct does Nils charge the dead and rescues Göran as both ride back home in quick succession. They are able to make up and tell the rest of the school about the danger approaching. Informing Birger as the only male teacher left in the school do the old veteran order the schools training ammunition storage to be broken open and the students arm themselves with rifle, sword, grenades, and pistols.

The first assault is brutal but the students are able to fend it off while suffering causalities. Chief among them is the teacher and veteran Birger that leaves command in the hand of Nils and Göran offers his approval as while not the oldest is Nils the man of highest blood. A second wave attacks again but the students are now in better positions and more prepared and it is fended off with less stress and they see how the dead withdraw facing organised resistance. They do however hear the panic from a nearby temple dedicated to Mirviva, the goddess of fertility, and as such only staffed by women.

Arguing quickly between the command of the student do they decide to mount a rescue. Nils take command and leaves Göran in charge of the defence and to support the rescue have they finally been able to start up the few training tracklayers and demi-tracklayers that the school had available to it and a few students had been able to replace their training weapons with sharp machineguns making them effective light female tracklayers. A group of students mounts up and supported by the tracklayers are they able to launch an assault towards the temple and rescued the priestesses and are able to take them over to the now fortified school. When Nils return does another debate break out as the student argues about what to do, the priestesses are able to tell them where the necromancer in charge of the horde is but they can also hear the bombings of a full federal counter assault. The children debate about letting the guard handling the situation or taking on the situation themselves. Ultimately do the students decide that they should attack and strike the beast down themselves.

Organising into groups do they all reload their rifles and weaponry and begins a push towards the necromancer. However despite the main horde is off in the distance are they still stopped by a large enemy force, one they doubt they can fend of. Göran suggest that Nils takes a hand picked elite of troops and move around the enemy while he and the older students launches a frontal attack and the rest of the children withdraw. Nils is at the beginning reluctant but agrees when Trudrig says he knows away around the horde and that as the best Swordsman around them Nils should lead the charge.

Göran mounts up with the remaining horses and tracklayers and proclaims "Worry not my liege, shall I drag them upon us and cut through their lines we shall make for the vile foe and cut him down, shall we have them dragged upon us and survive shall we have cleared the way, shall we still be overthrown will we no more be troubled with homework and test as well as clearing the way, no matter how you look at it victory shall be ours!" and he kisses Nils as a friend and fellow fighter. Nils and his groups make their way towards the necromancer while Göran organises the charge with the support of his light tracklayers. Making their way around the enemy are the student group able to surprise the vile necromancer and after a heavy battle does Nils strike him down and they see that the horde falls.

Making their way back down the road to school are they met with a forward group of real tracklayers and riders lead by the squire-lieutenant that had begun the counter offensive against the dead hordes. Nils is given the right to attend military academy and the squire-lieutenant offers to make him his personal cadet when the time come. However when they return to school are they met with the sad news that Göran died in the charge as he fell trying to get the crew of one of the tracklayers that was being overwhelmed by the dead out of harms way. The squire-lieutenant notes that the lad fell a true warrior and that every son of Scandera should take inspiration for such a heroic lad and his willingness to face danger and death in name of king and realm.