April Content Update: A Chronicle of the War in the Northwest Pt 2 (Patreon)

6/1/Annesouais 25

Your Grace,

This message I have dispatched with the courier from your staff, who I had auspiciously encountered the day before. He had not been able to reach me before my departure from Fananne, and as a result he was obliged to follow along my route of travel over land for a considerable period of time, enduring much hardship and deprivation which was not included within the strict confines of his brief.

For this, I would see the man commended and rewarded, for his behaviour speaks well of his attention to duty and piety to the order of things.

I travel now along what has been officially described as 'dispatch roads', established early in the reign of the previous emperor. These were intended to facilitate traffic between the various posts of the outer and foremost outpost lines present on this island in case that the exigencies of war should make passage of communications by sea impossible. This is to say, that I am using these roads for their original intended purpose.

Unfortunately, I must regrettably report that the way these roads were designed clearly show that those responsible for carrying out the particulars of this scheme never intended the product of their labour to be used for that officially stated purpose.

While the Dispatch Roads were intended to allow the speedy conveyance of priority parcels and messages over land, the way they have been designed makes them unsuitable for the task. Instead of being cut straight and wide through terrain features, they wind and swirl through valleys and around hills. The designated rest stops are often empty of any of the amenities expected of them, and the roads themselves are very poorly maintained. It was understood to me that the original intention of the planners was that the local people would maintain them for their own use, but as the natives of this land constrain themselves primarily to the business of their own regions, they have little need for roads which travel great distances, and neglect the roads accordingly.

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6/12/Annesouais 25

Your Grace,

I write now from a small port on the western coast of the island, where the dispatch roads terminate and passage across the Straits is made available through a series of mail ships. This coast is settled, but very sparsely, as the ground is very unsuited for farming and the weather very poor. The majority of those living here are migrants from the lands of the Santamorids, who have intermixed with the few natives already present here over the course of the past century or so. Some of these leaders - settler and native both - style themselves lords of various demesnes along the coast, using the title 'Ealdor', or 'Earl', which is apparently a sort of petty king amongst the native peoples. As they have proven cooperative in their dealings with the emissaries of the Grand Staff in the past and are hostile to the intrigues of the Great Enemy, they have been allowed to continue onwards unmolested.

The most prominent of these local petty kings rules a small island off the coast which translates as 'Lion's Court' in his own language. This man, the grandson of a supposedly very infamous pirate king, charges tolls on traffic from his island fortress, which he enforces with a small fleet of vessels. This, the local commander of the Foremost Outpost Line has taken advantage of upon his own initiative. He has hired this local ruler to ensure the safety of traffic along the coast and across the straits. While his very minor forces are incapable of causing direct harm to the Great Enemy, his knowledge of the many hidden passages and coves in the islands off the coast ensure that the Eru-venne are incapable of penetrating these waters, rendering them almost entirely safe for passage by out own forces.

As a result, my own journey is expected to be swift and mostly secure, save for the normal hazards of sea travel.

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6/18/Annesouais 25

Your Grace,

I write to you having made safe passage across the strait.

Our vessel was a small but very swift boat of local design, much reminiscent of the coastal craft used by the Castrians. This vessel was approximately thirty paces in length and eight in beam, but possessed two great triangular sails as well as a bank of oars. The hull was very narrow in profile, but was able to comfortable accommodate myself and my attendants.

This vessel belonged to our pilot, a man of the island fortress which I had mentioned previously. He possessed to me the bearing of a bandit, with clothing of many bright colours, which he wore with his chest and feet bare. He carried two short swords fastened to his waist by a belt of twisted multicoloured cloth, as well as four pistols which I could see and a small thin-bladed knife which he used for eating as well as prying open the shells of oysters and crabs. His crew was similarly dressed, though only half a dozen in number. Upon further inquiry, he explained to me that under normal circumstances, such a vessel might have a crew of thirty or forty men, sufficient to pull the oars with were carried alongside to give the vessel extra speed. I suspect that such a large crew would also be of use for overpowering and seizing merchant vessels, which I believe to be the primary occupation of these men.

Regardless, our pilot explained that in this case, he had reduced the number of his crew to render us more at ease and grant us more space for our luggage. Privately, he also intimated that by doing so, he reduced number of men he would have to split the payment with for conveying us, therefore granting larger shares not only to himself, but to the others of his crew, who were all his brothers or other sworn kinsmen.

While very coarse in manner and deed, the pilot and his crew served us well throughout the voyage, having proven themselves canny navigators and very familiar with the local waters. They allowed us as much privacy as were able and disturbed us only when necessary for the proper direction of the craft. I would commend them and those like them to you as useful allies, although I suspect I shall have to make further inquiries as to just how much the local commander is compensating them for such a service.

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6/21/Annesouais 25

Your Grace,

I write to you now having made some acquaintance of the people of this island, who are called the Oi'boue and possess many settlements along the length of the land. Claiming descent from those who travelled from the Homeland many centuries ago, their customs and language are similar to some of the coastal districts of the Northern Dominions. They are well-formed and handsome in aspect, but very indolent, as the land here is very fertile and very little effort is required to render it sufficiently productive to sustain the numbers of people who live here.

As we share many similarities with these people, they are very friendly to us, and have perhaps inherited some hatred of the Great Enemy from their ancestors. As a result, the local commander has deemed it fit to allow these natives continued authority in governing over their lands, requiring only that they answer to him in matters of supply and defence, which they seem most amenable to. However, the Oi'boue are not united, and those who I have spoken to have intimated that other settlements have been hostile to outside interference. These peoples, the local commander has seen fit to ignore, on the grounds that his priorities lie elsewhere.

As for their settlements themselves, the Oi'boue build very handsomely, with stone and wood with great porticos which open the interior spaces to the island's breezes and offers shelter from the heat. Their villages are well-ordered and very rarely walled, for warfare is rare here. Trade, on the other hand, is quite common, as many villages make a point of growing or crafting a single sort of crop or handicraft which they then trade with others along waterways and the roads, which here are in very good condition. The wine pressed here in particular is considered very good, though it is sweeter and heavier than that which I am accustomed to in Midi'haie.

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6/28/Annesouais 25

Your Grace,

I have arrived now at the regional headquarters of the Foremost Outpost Line, and have applied to the staff of the commander here for an interview and permission to inspect the works. However, I have been informed on more than one occasion that the local commander cannot currently entertain guests at this time, and that such matters must wait until a less vigorous phase of operations.

This being said, I do not think I can find fault with the way which the local commander has organised his affairs. The cantonments here are efficiently laid out and well positioned for mutual defence, even though this area has not been under direct threat for some time. Picquets are placed both at land and on sea, and both shore and land batteries appear to be at a high state of readiness. Since my arrival four days ago, I have been challenged multiple times each day by sentries and other sentinels, even far away from the expected avenues of attack or threat. This, I think, speaks well as to the discipline and alertness of the soldiers here.

There is also here a very large civilian establishment, intended for the housing and care of those driven from the areas of active combat by the depredations of the Great Enemy. Having made some attempt to question the local authorities as to how such an establishment is funded and maintained, I received the curious reply that while this encampment exists with the permission of the local commander, it is wholly under civilian administration. I have thus applied to the relevant organs for permission to inspect the aforementioned premises, so that its nature may be better understood.

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7/2/Annesouais 25

Your Grace,

The day after I sent my last letter, I received permission to tour and inspect the civilian encampment. This turned out to be a vast enclosure surrounded by a ditch based on what had previously been a hunting lodge maintained by the local commander prior to the war. The lodge itself now serves as a headquarters for a very great assemblage of tents, housing perhaps fifteen or twenty thousand civilians in all, with subsidiary encampments evidently hosting several thousand more. The encampment is well-laid, with rows of tents nearly organised, washing facilities for each row of habitations, cooking facilities, and organised latrines which have been placed appropriately to stave off disease.

Directing these efforts was an individual whom I had the opportunity to conduct a brief interview with. This is a Great Lady of one of the families resident in the M'hidyossi colonies north of Fananne, who was introduced to me as Lady Octavia of the House of Monteferro, the heiress of a family of great wealth in a city of that region. Evidently, upon the outbreak of hostilities, she proceeded under her own auspices to this island, with the permission and support of her family. From here, she devoted her resources to caring for and resettling those refugees driven from their homes by the attacks of the Great Enemy.

The manner in which this was done was quickly demonstrated, as soon following this interview, a convoy of small vessels came into sight, civilian vessels from one of the island chains currently serving as the forefront of battle. These ships carried with them perhaps three thousand individuals in all - far greater than they were intended to carry - many in condition of great hunger, thirst, or injury. The Lady Octavia quickly organised a space for these refugees, and mustered her staff - of which a considerable proportion is made up of her personal attendants - to prepare to treat the wounded and feed the hungry, hours before the ships carrying them pulled into harbour.

By nightfall, when I was obliged to leave, operations were well underway, and great numbers of the stricken were already being fed and tended to.

Perhaps it would then follow that I would commend this Great Lady to you. She has hitherto refused to accept official support beyond permission, on the grounds that she wishes to remain as impartial as possible. However, once the conflict is brought to a successful conclusion, I believe that some manner of honour may be suitable for one who has done much to alleviate suffering here.