Pride of the Marches

"I know for a fact that this is the very shield the Marcher general, Tommy Drakes, took with him into the battle with the Tyrant Boyar of Varushka," lied Allisto with an absolutely sincere expression on his face.

The Marchers seemed interested, and asked several follow up questions. The carta had anticipated most of them, but there were a few that came from unexpected directions and he had to improvise quickly and seamlessly. He was in his element, carefully playing on the Marcher's genuine heartfelt desire for what he was saying to be true.

The third person though, they made Alliso nervous. They hadn't spoken since they'd entered the "antiques shop" Allisto and his compatriots had created using a lot of small trinkets, brass, and red leather. They'd simply stood a pace or so back from their companions, and watched what was happening. They were mostly hidden from sight in their pastel-green robes. Hands shrouded inside the deep sleeves, their face lost in their voluminous hood. He assumed they were Urizeni, probably. Every time he glanced at them he felt the prickling on the bad of his neck that his grandmother had always called the "scoundrel's nip" and any mountebank knew they were foolish to ignore.

"Time to wrap it up," he thought. He touched his ear, seemingly casually, but in fact as a signal to Barto on the other side of the "shop" that they were going in for the kill.

He finally brought out the aged old document of provenance. He was very pleased with the effect - the paper, the ink, and even the wax used for the seal were each a century or more old. Obviously, the actual text had been written less than a fortnight ago, after they'd heard the declaration of the Conclave. Jacern had a lot of practice faking things like this and he doubted old Leontes himself would be able to tell it from the real thing. Not while examining it in the dim lights of a shadowy antique shop at any rate.

The Marchers were nodding, and then one of them casually asked their companion what they thought.

"Let me see it." This was the first time they had spoken since entering, and they stepped forward as they did so, holding out one hand toward the mountebank. In that hand was a lambent orb of translucent green glass. Allisto froze, convinced the orb was watching him. Holding his fingers steady by effort of will, he presented the document.

"No," said the figure. "Not the paper. The shield."

he could see that Barto was making the "fuck it and run" gesture, but Allisto soldiered on. He was so close to sealing the deal, and they stood to make so much money if this came off. He held the shield out.

"As you can see, the years have not been kind to it, but I assure you it is the very shield that turned aside the blows of the monster they called the Butcher of Bulgakov," he extemporised wildly.

The figure passed the orb over the battered shield - which was an actual Marcher shield but had in fact been recovered from a battlefield outside Holberg. It paused, passed it back. Paused. Then the orb disappeared back inside the capacious sleeve. The figure reached out and tapped the shield, hard, with one long finger.

Allisto was lifted off the ground and hurled backwards through the glass case of artefacts behind the desk. He smacked into the wall with enough force to drive all the breath from his body.

"This is a lie. It is not what we are looking for," said the third figure calmly and without another word turned and walked out of the shop by the door through which Barto had already bolted. Their actions left the Marchers shocked, and looking back and forth between the departing entity, the mountebank, and the broken glass, frowns starting to spread across their faces.

"Uh-oh," said Allisto, to nobody in particular.

Tom Drake was in some senses the founder of the Imperial Military Council.

Overview

• The Imperial Conclave asked Kimus to track down the vorpal sword of Tom Drake

Last summit the Imperial Conclave accepted a Boon of Finding from the eternal Kimus. Raewynn Farkas, on behalf of the Silver Chalice, directed them to seek out the Vorpal Sword of Tom Drake, the first general of the Marcher army and one of the founders of the Imperial Military Council. The heralds of the Thousand Eyes have completed their search and informed the Empire where the relic - the weapon that struck down the tyrant boyar Alderei the Fair - is to be found.

Pride In Small Things, Loyalty to Great Things

• The heralds of Kimus have found the vorpal sword of Tom Drake

Tom Drake is a complex figure; the general of the Marches who is credited with winning the Cousin's War for the nascent Empire, uniting the fractious Marches as the nation it is today, being the first general of the Drakes army, leading the war against Alderei the Fair, shaping the formation of the Imperial Military Council. An impressive legacy.

He was known to be a master of several weapons, favouring both the sword and the bill. In his final confrontation with the tyrant-boyar Alderei, the battle that cost him his life, he wielded a Vorpal Sword crafted for him by his wife Amanda. While he ultimately died, he killed the Varushkan general before his wounds claimed his life. He was returned to his beloved Redstone and was buried beneath the apple trees of Tom's Orchard beside generations of ancestors and descendants.

The eyes of Kimus are sent out to find that sword, wielded in that final battle, and that ultimately slew Alderei the Fair. It takes them surprisingly little time to locate it.

It has been nearly four centuries, but the line of Tom Drake still lives in Redstone, on the very same farmland that the general worked. William Drake is a respected Yeoman, a participant in the political pageantry of Anvil during the time of Empress Britta, now retired.

Tom Drake's vorpal sword hangs above the fireplace in his front room.

The Blade of Tom Drake

• The sword has been located in Upwold
• It belongs to William Drake, a descendant of Tom Drake

The sword is an heirloom of Drake's descendants – passed down from parent to child through the long centuries since his death. It is without doubt the legal property of William Drake, and his to do with as he wishes.

He seems surprised at the interest in the weapon. “It's a sturdy enough blade,” he says, “but you can buy its like in any market in the Empire near enough.”

The weapon is not an artefact. It has had it's potency restored a handful of times since Drake's death, usually by family members. It was last wielded in battle in 349YE during the final fight against the Jotun in the Mournwold. When the territory was lost, William's mother hung it up and it has not been taken down since.

William does concede that it is not just an old family relic. “Anyone who holds it knows their duty,” he says grudgingly. “They remember what matters, and what they have to do about it.” He is however not interested in a trail of people tramping through his front room wanting to prod and poke at the family heirloom. He makes it clear that anyone who tries to trespass on his time or that of his family will be given short shrift “be they archmage or Empress, they best remember that every yeoman is the master of his own fields.”

A Civil Tongue

• William Drake is prepared to give it to the General of the Drakes in return for certain concessions
• He wants Tom Drake recognised as an exemplar of Pride
• He also wants the Senate to reinstate Drake's Due - and recommission the Drummers as part of the Marcher armies

William Drake is not a fool, however. He knows that the Imperial Conclave would not have sent Kimus' agents to find his ancestor's sword without a vested interest in recovering it. He's prepared to bend a little, if the Empire wants it. But not the Conclave. William Drake does not trust the Conclave. What he does trust is the Marches, and the Imperial Military Council that his many-times-great grandfather helped create.

He wants two things before he is prepared to surrender the heirloom blade. He wants the Imperial Synod to recognise his ancestor as an exemplar of Pride, and the Imperial Senate to reinstate a group called Drakes Drummers.

Drakes Legacy

• William Drake wants his ancestor recognised as an exemplar of Pride

He wants to see Tom Drake recognised as an exemplar of Pride. “Tom Drake was never ashamed a day in his life, and he knew well that words or deeds alone were never enough.” He's somewhat skeptical that the Imperial Synod is sensible enough to see the merit in this however. So to encourage them he asks that the Imperial Senate, the Minister of Historical Research, or the Lepidean Librarian commission historical research into the life and history of Tom Drake. Once that's done, he's confident the assembly of Pride will do the right thing.

Drakes Drummers

The Drummers are not a new Marcher archetype; they are equivalent to the jackals mentioned in the Red Wind Corsairs; a character hook you could use when making a martial Marcher character

The Drummers were a tradition within the Marcher armies that started with the Drakes. They were veteran soldiers who actively gathered support for the Drakes – and eventually the other Marcher army - at every opportunity. Recognisable by the traditional drums they used, and by the tattoo of the army sigil that they generally wore on their forearms, they represented a solemn calling.

Their duties were threefold. Firstly, they recruited new soldiers from the youth of the Marches, regularly attending fairs and market days to beat their drums and proselytise about the benefits of joining the army. They often organised contests of physical prowess or cunning, with small prizes for the winners who were also the main targets of their recruitment pitches. The Drakes want the best, after all.

The problem was that these practices continued even when the Drakes were billeted in foreign nations, and were occasionally a source of friction for the Marchers. The Constitution guarantees that anyone who serves two years as part of an Imperial army will receive "50 acres of land or equivalent wealth or property" at the end of their service. While sounding out those they thought would make good additions to the Marches, the Drummers often found a receptive ear among disaffected youth. And they were good at it - almost everyone recruited by a Drummer went on to become a Marcher citizen. That didn't always sit well with well-to-do folk in other nations. The Navarr might help those already searching for another place in the Empire, the Drummers were accused of poaching the best and the brightest with promises of a better life in the army and afterwards.

Within the army itself they were seen as exemplars of solid Marcher virtue. No matter how far from home the soldiers of the Drakes travelled, the Drummers made sure that they remembered where they came from. Traditionally, every Drummer carried a sack of Marcher soil and a pouch of seeds with them. Wherever the Drakes fought, they made a point of using that earth to plant some of those seeds, creating a corner of every battlefield where Marcher soldiers have shed blood that is in some way part of the Marches.

Not everyone approved of the Drummers. They were not shy about using their drums to ensure their service was for the good of the Marches. They would soon let their general know if they thought their army was off on campaign when it should be at home fighting threats to the Marches. And if that didn't work, they were adept at turning a bit of rough music into a larger heap of trouble for those that directed the Empire's wars. A lot of folks in the Military Council were not sorry to see the back of the Drummers when they fell out of favour.

All of this sounds good to the Marchers... but the other nations disagreed. In particular, the Drummers received a special stipend from the Senate to help fund their activities. Small as it was, that stipend was easy for their critics to paint as a frivolous expenditure, and so in the reign of Empress Mariika it was abrogated. The Drummers continued to do their best for the next few decades but in the face of opposition and criticism, they eventually hung up their drums. The Marchers are less proud for their lack, says William.

Drake's Due

• Reinstating the Drummers requires reinstating Drake's Due - increasing the upkeep of the Drakes by 5 Thrones each season

The current custodian of the sword wants the Drummers – and what he calls Drake's Due – reinstated. This would require a Senate motion and would permanently increase the cost to support the Drakes by 5 thrones each season.

If this were done, the Drummers would be reinstated. This would permanently change the quality of the Drakes to Pride of the Marches.

Inspired, and supported by the Drummers, it would mean the billet order would be available across the Marches rather than just in Mitwold and Upwold – the Drummers were always keen on encouraging their fellow Marchers to support soldiers whether of their own nation or any other, knowing the benefit of allies.

Pride of the Marches

• The army can take the Drum up support action when defending
• This army can benefit from emergency resupply regardless of what territory they are in or whether they are engaged by the enemy.
• This army can benefit from natural resupply regardless of what territory they are in even if they are taking an attacking order, so long as they are not engaged by the enemy.
• Other Descriptors: Quartermasters, Superior Logistics

The Drakes are beloved across the Marches, seen as exemplars of the nations Pride and Loyalty. They have expert logistical support, able to quickly distribute resources and assign new soldiers, even while under attack. The Marchers who join the army are doggedly committed to their cause, so that soldiers who are so badly hurt they would normally be decommissioned fight to be allowed to rejoin their units. Young folk from across the Marches want to join the Drakes, and with the aid of the Drummers, they are given every opportunity to do so. Indeed, even while resting in other nations, the Drakes attract young people who want to fight in Tom Drake's army, and ultimately become Marchers themselves.

Drum Up Support

• Casualties inflicted by this army are reduced by one tenth.

The army concentrates on recruiting local population. They recover more quickly as a consequence. Their natural resupply is increased by 50 casualties each season, or 100 casualties if they take the order in a territory that belongs to the Marches. Any other Marcher army that is taking a defending order in the same territory gains an additional 25 recovery.

Regalia

• William Drake wants the sword to go to the General of the Drakes as part of their regalia

Regardless of what happens, WIlliam is only prepared to pass the sword to the general of the Drakes. Specifically, he will only hand it over if the Senate (or the new Benefactor of Regalia) make it part of the generals regalia. “The only other folk who have any right to call themselves Tom Drake's heirs,” he says, “are the soldiers of the army he loved near as much as his family.”

This could be done as part of the same motion that reinstated Drake's Due, given it is dependent on that decision. It would however only take effect once historical research regarding Tom Drake had been published, or the Synod had declared the Marcher general an exemplar of Pride. Until then, William Drake will not part with the sword.

Further Reading

• The Marches history
• Tom A'Bedlam's song