I already know you

Artur grumbled to himself as he stepped out into the fresh spring air. Spring, sure, theoretically. You could hardly tell given the thin drizzle and grey skies that lay low above the Mourn today. Still, they’d put it off long enough – it didn’t look like the weather was going to clear anytime soon, and it was hardly wise to let all that lumber out to rot, so they’d have to make do with what they had.

“Hello there Artur!”

“Hm? Ah! Hello Collin!” He waved to his neighbour. A good enough soul. Sure, his farm seemed oddly prosperous, given the only thing Collin actually seemed to do with it was stand at the walls that marked its boundaries and have deafening, long-range conversations with people. He turned around, and let an awkward silence pass as he busied himself with his pack. he needed to get a move on; he was due to meet the rest of the gang at the millpond within the hour. Before he could stop himself, he glanced around to check whether his neighbour was still there. He was. Looking expectant.

“Out and about?” Artur called over.

“Eyup. Same as yourself.” Collin noted.

“Good, good.”

Another pause. Collin seemed to have something on his mind. You could practically hear the grinding of the mill wheels in there, slowly rumbling into position.

“I hear you’re a beater now Artur!”

“Wha-what?” Artur whipped around, the poorly secured shovel falling from the unfastened loopholes.

“It’s good that we’ve got a new band of beaters in the area. I’d been wondering who was going to maintain the canal after the construction work was done.”

“Who said I’m a beater?”

“Everyone’s saying it! We were all sayin’ it, down at the Hog. It’s the way youse was referred to at the Stewards’ meeting at Wort Crossing.”

“No – no, I don't think we're!” He fumbled the words. He had a growing sense of uncertainty - not panic precisely. Just the feeling things were running away from him.

“I’d join meself,"Collin rambled on. "Only the farm takes up most of the day, and at night I just like a cup of tea, I wouldn’t be able to dedicate meself full time to the old beating.”

“Good for you Artur!” A new voice chimed in.

The bewildered orc looked around, and there in the thin mist, on the other side of his tiny cottage, was Camary, his other neighbour. She had a massive hen under each arm. Though her footing was uncertain in the mud, and she slipped a few times as she approached, the two birds’ heads remained fixed precisely in place, their bodies adapting and maintaining perfect steadiness, fixing Artur with gleaming eyes of proud stupidity. True Marcher chickens, those.

“Good for you Artur! Good someone had the sense to call an apple an apple at last! Goin’ around, fixin’ the paths an’ beatin’ the bounds, keepin’ the whole place from collapse! Well done Artur! Good for you! Good for you! I’d like to -” She approached a particularly tricky spot in the path, where Collin had lain down chips in order to give his oxen more purchase. The human farmer watched with interest as she stepped onto what she thought was dry land, and instantly sunk into it knee-deep, spluttering and staggering as she tried not to fall, and yet still dance out of the water. “Fixin’ paths!”

“It’s not just the paths he’s beatin’, it’s the canal!” Collin contributed.

“I’m not a beater!” He tried to explain. He knew what a beater was, obviously, but that wasn't what they were doing. He and the others were just... taking care of things.

“I don’t care what you’re fixing so long as we calls an apple an apple!” Camary was never one to let go of an idea.

“Look! We're not beaters! We're not armed for a start! We don’t take up weapons, you know that. Beaters have weapons, alright? So we can't be beaters.” He tried to explain, increasingly agitated, giving an exasperated gesture at his two, desperately stubborn human neighbours as he set off.

"Good to see young folk keeping the traditions alive," said Collin before nodding his head at Camary and heading back toward his own cottage, leaving the other farmer to extract herself from the mud puddles in which she was mired. The chickens watched him go.

Land matters above all else.

Overview

Life in the Marches is rarely entirely settled. There's always something going on, and it's usually quite loud. The current situation in Bregasland has already been discussed, as has the business of Bushell Sykes, but there's plenty happening elsewhere as well. Whether it's giant blocks of cursed stone being pulled out of the Westmere, the ongoing transformation of the Mournwold Orcs to the Marcher orcs; or questions about the connections between the four armies and the four territories that (currently) make up the Marches, there's plenty to talk about. Add to that Imperial Orcs preachers and well-meaning Highborn priests and you've got more news than can be easily written on one page.

The Marches stand proud and ready to look at raising a fifth army, to welcome new Marchers into the fold and to reclaim the fens of Bregasland from rebellion and sedition. We reach out in Loyalty through our peerless kinship, as Asenath marched to Bregasland, to support our Marcher cousins.

Olyvar of Esther's Sanctum, Highborn Assembly, Winter Solstice 385YE, Vote: 306-10

A Peerless Kinship

• Highguard has declared their peerless kinship with the Marches, but request a little more guidance for fear of making situations worse

During the Winter Solstice, the Highborn declared their peerless kinship with the Marches. Unfortunately, while the Highborn are keen to offer their support and aid to their cousins in the west, they're not entirely sure where that aid will be welcome. Olyvar of Esther's Sanctum has suggested they might "welcome new Marchers into the fold" and "reclaim the fens of Bregasland from rebellion and sedition." While that's clearly what the Highborn assembly think would help, a number of Highborn priests have looked at the current situation in the Marches with the very real concern that instead of helping they might just make things worse.

On the three previous occasions the Varushkans, the Brass Coast and the Imperial Orcs made it clear where their help would be best directed. They could just dive in... but here they're loathe to do so. Sometimes Highguard gets a not-entirely-undeserved reputation for telling people what to do when they haven't asked, and they're not unaware of that. The situation in Bregasland is delicate enough that a few feet put wrong could literally provide the first sparks of open rebellion. The former orc thralls are very sensitive about the suggestion they are blasphemers and heretics, as are their neighbours, and a ham-fisted approach might make that situation worse as well.

There's a real enthusiasm to offer peerless kinship to the Marches - it's the last of the nation's opportunities to do so - but making things worse entirely defeats the purpose of reaching out to the virtuous siblings of Highguard. As such, the opportunity for Highguard to offer assistance in the Marches is not lost, it is just delayed. The Highborn congregations ask that the Marcher Assembly give them a clear invitation - a mandate in the traditional rather than Synod sense - by telling them what they think they could best help with. As long as that happens during the Spring Equinox, they'll set to work and see how they can aid and support the Marchers. Any invitation should be enough to ensure they don't accidentally and with the best of intentions set off a disaster.

Block and Dredge

• The dredging of the Westmere is complete, bringing a burst of prosperity to Bregasland, Mitwold, and Kallavesa
• A massive cursed block of rune-carved stone has been dredged up and people are rightly a bit worried about it
• The hastily convened Westmere Council has asked the Senator for Mitwold, Sally, to make a decision about what to do with the rock

In autumn last year the Imperial Senate supported a motion from the Senator for Mitwold, and supported by the Senator for Kallavesa, calling for the West Mere to be dredged. It was a serious undertaking, deepening the bay, clearing debris, and otherwise improving shipping access to both Meade and Fisk. Both territories, both nations, stand to benefit from the move, not least due to improved opportunities to trade with the coastal towns and cities of Faraden on the Sea of Snow. With work now complete, new business opportunities have opened up in Bregasland, Mitwold, and Kallavesa alike. The Alder of Meade and Mediator of Fisk will be appointed during the Spring Equinox, and start dealing with trade from with the Tseriyn and the Salagiin. Whatever else is going on in the world, opening the West Mere has prompted a boom of prosperity around the Gullet.

The dredging has been somewhat profitable for those involved in actually performing the hard labour needed to clear the sediment from the bed of the Westmere. Centuries of shipwrecks and lost items, along with small amounts of gold, orichalcum, and even ilium, have been recovered. Along with something else. Something a lot larger, and perhaps a little bit worrying. It takes two weeks to actually shift the thing, and in the process two of the boats working to lift it end up sunk. It's as if the thing doesn't want to be pulled out of the waters at all. It sits there, dripping, on the shore. A massive stone, marked with Wintermark runes.

Now, normally, this would be a seven days wonder - a mysterious stone, perhaps a monolith, marked with runes? Except it isn't really a mystery. It's pretty clearly the stone that fell into the Westmere that Mary Reader wrote about. The cursed stone that is all tied up in the story of the "missing" Marcher smiths. With the vital part of that sentence being the word "cursed". Examination by several of Mitwold's landskeepers confirms it. One of those who visits the stinking rock, Hester of the Starlings describes it as "the most cursed object she has ever come across - a thing dripping with doom as well as lake mud". It's not a curse laid on the thing, it's a curse woven into its very being, something that was instilled into the rock during its creation. With the Wisdom of the Balanced Blade, she and her fellow landskeepers are also able to confirm that the centuries it has spent at the bottom of the Westmere have just made the curse worse. It's a matter of time before something bad happens - something worse than the rash of painful and debilitating injuries that begin to plague the workers responsible for finishing the dredging of that part of the Westmere.

Building a Runeforge
Nobody at the Westmere Council is suggesting this but... cursed as it is, the forgestone would be an excellent addition to any runeforge... at least up to a point.

It would reduce the amounts of white granite and mithril needed to build the forge by 30 wains apiece. It would allow a magic item of up to fifty materials to be crafted, or a schema forged, in six months, and another three months for each twenty-five further materials.

Weighted against that, it would also increase the upkeep of the runeforge by a additional five thrones each season (people are loathe to work at a cursed runeforge), and it seems very likely that some of the magic items created at the forge would end up sharing a little of its doom (as might items made from schema created here).

Also, as evidenced by the fate of the first attempt to use it in a runeforge, if the building wasn't completed quickly there's a good chance that doom would strike the construction site, or nearby breakable things like the city of Meade

According to the Mestran scroll Mary Reader found, the old alders of Meade were very worried that the thing might bring some sort of disaster on the city itself. Hester and her mates concur. A hasty council is convened, consisting of several landskeepers, some Meade alders, the heads of the work-gangs who actually brought the thing up, and the abbot of a nearby monastery. They reach an agreement - the thing can't stay where it is - but there is no consensus about what to do about it. So they decide the best bet is to make it someone else's problem. In this case, the Senator for Mitwold, Sally.

Suggestings of the Westmere Council

• The Westmere Council has come up with some suggestions as to how to deal with the rune-carved stone
• The Senator for Mitwold can make their decision known by speaking to the egregore

Destroying the thing will take powerful magic. Hester of the Starlings and her fellow landskeepers who have examined the stone suggest it would need a Words of Ending ritual of magnitude sixty, and that might not actually deal with the problem of the curse. So the Westmere Council has two proposals.

First, they could do what their forbears did. Chuck the cursed thing back into the Westmere. They'd drop it somewhere nice and deep - part of the problem may have been that the thing wasn't put into the lake with any intentionality so it was lying in relatively shallow water. There's a few places in the deeper parts of the Westmere, even before the dredging, where you could drop something and it will never be seen again.

Alternatively, they could load the thing up and send it to Anvil to let the great-and-the-good deal with it. At least then if anything bad happens it'll happen in Casinea, far away from the Marches. The alders of Meade are very happy to foot the bill for transporting the thing, if that's what the Senator wants.

Senator Sally might have their own ideas about what to do with the massive rock, obviously. The one thing that everyone does agree on is that they don't want this thing sat in Meade March any longer than it has to be, and they wouldn't wish it on their worst enemies. Or even the people of Upwold, for that matter.

Once the Senator has made their decision, they just need to tell the egregore and Jack will make sure their decision gets communicated to the Westmere Council immediately, so they can start making preparations to either throw the thing back into the lake where it can be forgotten about, or moved to Anvil so it can be someone else's problem, or some clever third thing the Council haven't thought of.

Smiths

• One alternative involves the tradition of the brightsmiths of the Marches

On which topic... the abbot mentions an obscure judgement that came up in the Marches assembly this time last year. Edmund of Barrowby made reference to the brightsmiths, and that raises an intriguing alternative. Isn't the forge stone tied up in the ancient agreement with the Prince of Shikal? Finding a way to sort this stone out without further damage to the Marches might be an excellent chance for William Guildenstern and Gemma Brightsmith to "revitalise the tradition of the Brightsmiths?"

We meant what we said, the pursuit of virtue supersedes doctrine and the law. The life of the Mournwold Orcs is one of Virtue and this assembly welcome them to the Marches. We send Rosie of Goatsbridge with 50 doses of liao to make sure the Marches know what's what. We will defend our cousins against any who might attack them.

Sister Meredith, Mandate, Marches Assembly, Winter Solstice 385YE, Vote: Greater Majority 216-0

The matter of orc souls should be left to orcs. We send Bloodcrow Knott with 25 doses of liao to let Imperial Orcs know that the Mourn Orcs are Marchers. We demand the humans of the Empire give our new siblings time while we offer them guidance in the ways of the Abyss and Ancestors..

Bloodcrow Pip, Mandate, Imperial Orcs Assembly, Winter Solstice 385YE, Vote: Greater Majority 182-0

Neighbours

• The Marcher and Imperial Orcs assemblies have made their positions on the former Jotun thralls, now Marcher orcs, clear

During the Winter Solstice two landmark mandates were enacted, one by the Imperial Orcs and one by the Marchers. Rosie of Goatsbridge has been busy in the Marches, making it clear that the former Jotun thralls are part of the Marches, virtuous souls who are welcomed, and who should be defended against anyone who might harm them - just as the Marchers would defend any of their neighbours against attack. Bloodcrow Knott echoes these words, letting their own people know that these former Jotun are Marchers, demanding the Empire recognise them as such, and encouraging Imperial Orcs to share their understanding of the Abyss and the ancestors with them in the hopes of finding some middle ground.

These two mandates ensure that if anyone - Imperial or otherwise - threatens the orcs of the Marches, they will not be undefended. When the whole of the Marches are threatened, they won't get or expect special treatment. But if anyone tries to single the Marcher orcs out, then the people of both nations will expect their representatives at Anvil to come to their defence - with armies if necessary.

Plenty of time to argue once the wheat's in the barn.

Marcher proverb

The impact of the mandate is downplayed in the Marches, with a lot of people voicing sentiments such as "well of course if they're Marchers we'd stick up for them." It's laughed off a little, but deep down a lot of people are pleased to hear it. It clarifies things, it makes it clear that this isn't a game or a fad. The Marcher orcs are here, and they're Marchers, and that's settled. Even if there might be arguments about reincarnation, they can wait until the harvest is brought in.

The mandate of Bloodcrow Knott has also softened some of the prickly feelings the Marcher orcs feel towards the orcs of Skarsind. Most don't want to argue matters of spirituality with orc preachers, but those that do prove that they are capable of giving as good as they get. Three months of winter discussion have reinforced what the Marcher orcs have said all along - they believe they reincarnate and they say they have just as much "evidence" for this as humans did before the Way. Children who possess knowledge beyond their years. Flashes of profound deja vu. Moments of clear certainty that they have lived before. It's ephemeral, but the beliefs it anchors are solid as bedrock.

There's an element of all this that is surprisingly helpful to the Imperial Orcs, incidentally. The spiritual leaders - don't call them godhi - among the Marcher orcs know a fair amount about the Jotun ancestors as well. They hear their voices from time to time, alongside the voices of ancestors they are pretty sure lived most of their lives as thralls. They're able to tentatively put names to some of the voices the Imperial Orcs hear, fill in a few stories about the faðir, and ponder on what it means that some Imperial Orcs clearly hear the voices of Jotun ancestors.

There is a clod in the milk - isn't there always - but at the moment it's a relatively minor one and it's partly the fault of Henry Fletcher

As we welcome Mournwold Orcs to the Marches we recognise their skills and ambitions and gladly anticipate the blending of our cultures. We will strive for prosperous roles for these new Marchers with opportunities of non-violent natures within the ranks of our armies. As each new physick or quartermaster, or else-wise, shall enjoy a prosperous welcome, so shall the Marches prosper.

Henry Fletcher, Winter Solstice 385YE, Vote: Greater Majority 206-0

The Monk Question

• A few questions have been raised about whether it's a good idea for orcs to become monks
• Abbots and orc friars across the Marches are interested to hear what the national assembly thinks

The Marcher Orcs have their own spiritual leaders - people who're seen as especially wise. Hap the Soft is one of them. They're not godhi as such - in fact they don't really have a specific name. The more open they are about their role, the more obvious it seems that they are effectively fulfilling the role of friar in the Marcher orc communities. They tend to spiritual needs, and exert the kind of gentle but far-reaching influence that is familiar to anyone who's spoken to a "village priest." In the Mournwold, at least when it comes to common sense matters of virtue, humans and orcs don't seem to have a problem taking good advice from the friars of either community.

During the Winter Solstice, Henry Fletcher raised a statement of principle that was supported by the Marcher Assembly. Part of it dealt with matters of soldiers and armies, but it also said it was important to "recognise their skills and ambitions and gladly anticipate the blending of our cultures." For the most part, this is almost inevitable, and a similar subtle process is taking place in the League as well. What else would you call an orc in the Marches who works and owns their own land, if not a yeoman? Military service is still military service if one heals and supports soldiers, even if one doesn't fight oneself. An orc coven that uses magic to support the nation is likely to be accepted as a gathering of landskeepers. And so on. Just as in the League, the orcs are bringing new perspectives to their neighbours - they're subtly altering the archetypal Marcher traditional roles just as they themselves are altered by them. That's natural, and an inevitable part of accepting the former thralls as fellow citizens.

There's one area, however, where there's a little bit of uncertainty (well two technically right now, but the beaters are a slightly different matter). The monasteries are communities of monks that have been at the heart of Marcher spiritual beliefs since before there was an Empire. Their tradition isn't really practiced among the Marcher orcs - while there are some peripheral similarities between some monasteries and the Kirkja of the Jotun, thralls don't become active parts of the Kirkja. There's no animosity between the monasteries and the orcs, but so far there are no orc monasteries and no orcs who have petitioned to become monks. But... it's only a matter of time. And there are some concerns.

The Marcher orcs believe they reincarnate, and the Doctrines of the Faith say they don't. Specifically, the Doctrine of the Howling Abyss flatly contradicts Marcher orc beliefs. Right now, thanks to the fine work done by the Marcher assembly, people are working round that in the best faith they can manage. But if a Marcher orc joins a monastery, what then? Right now it's not an issue, but a few abbots have suggested the Marcher Assembly might want to get ahead of it. Or at least start thinking about it. Individual abbots will make their own decisions about whether to accept orcs, but its a potential source of friction. Nobody is demanding a statement of principle or anything like that, but there's both human and orc folk who'd be interested to hear the Marcher assemblies' thoughts on the matter of orc monks.

Beating the Banks

• A group of Marcher orcs, who have been working on maintaining the Black Canal, are coming to Anvil
• They have started being called beaters by people living near the Canal for their work but are concerned about some elements of the role
• They're expected to arrive around 21.00 on Friday

The vast project that is the Black Canal continues to grind one, with large parties of labourers navigating the ambitious waterway that will eventually connect Sarcombe and Meade. At the forefront of the cut, heavy work is undertaken to dig through the dirt and rock, establish permanent barriers, create functional locks, and establish all the infrastructure that the canal will need.

There are quieter portions, however, where the work has already finished. In the south at least, the inhabitants of the Mourn work to maintain and protect these parts of the canal. Communal labour is traditional in the Marches - it a good way of ensuring that things get done properly, in a way everyone can agree on. A key part of this maintenance work is being undertaken by Mourn Orcs, several of whom previously worked to build the canal and have either retired from it because the main work got too far from their own homes and farms, or because they found a place to settle. They've formed an informal group which busies itself with the maintenance of the canal, complete with some informal meeting locations, tool sheds, and work schedules. There's every sign they plan to extend this informal network as the canal nears completion.

Previously, there was no need for a name for them. They were "The orcs that work on the canal and secure its boundaries". The second orcs became a part of the Marches however, it is with some sense of relief and satisfaction that their human neighbours began calling them what Marchers call people who maintain an area and secure the boundaries - beaters. Several people are taking inspiration from the words of Henry Fletcher, upheld in the Marcher assembly, and applying them to every facet of Marcher life not just the question of the armies.

The orcs themselves are a little uncertain about this label. Obviously they are flattered, and very glad to see that they are being accepted by their new nation. But there is nervosity about the expectations associated with being a beater. The overwhelming majority of Marcher orcs do not fight, and surely the full traditional duties of a beater means they are fighters, aren't they?

Discussions on the subject haven't yielded any firm results. Encouraged by their neighbours, a delegation of the Mournwold orcs have been pushed to head out to Anvil this summit in order to discuss the matter with the broad cross-section of Marchers that gather there. They're expected to arrive around nine in the evening on Friday.

Meet your Representative

• The orcs would particularly like to meet a delegation of beaters, and ideally among them, beaters of the Mourn, most particularly the Bailiff of the Downs, Thomas Oak
• They'd also like a chance to speak with the stewards of the Mournwold, and their Senator, Willum of Goatsbridge
• Finally, the orcs would like to meet people who got involved in the construction of the canal, and learn more about why it is called the Black Canal

These Mourn Orcs, most of them young enough that they don't remember the Jotun lands, have never been to Anvil before. Partly this is an adventure - a chance to meet folks from all over the Marches, shake hands with important power brokers, and see where the big decisions are taken in the Empire. There's more to this than mere sight-seeing however. They're very keen to talk to a gathering of beaters, both from the Mournwold and elsewhere, about what it means to be a beater, and whether it's possibly to fill that traditional role without being a fighter.

It's not that the Mournwold orcs are incapable of, say, tackling a poacher when they try to run off with a brace of lambs. They're not non-violent in a traditional sense. The problem is that they won't take up arms - they won't wield a bow, spear, or sword against another sapient being. That's the main reason the Bailiff of the Downs position was created - to help protect their communities from the kind of ne'er-do-well that will use weapons to threaten good farming folk. The Marcher orcs are good at all the other things a beater does - beating bounds, maintaining things, keeping an eye out - but that part of the role isn't something they can, or will, do. So can they still call themselves beaters?

Beyond that, they're also keen to meet their representative, Senator Willum of Goatsbridge. They're not able to stay for the Senatorial elections on Saturday, but one of their number represents the steward of one of the new orc households, and is very keen to talk to any stewards about the politics of the nation. As Marcher citizens, they know that if they come to Anvil they'll be able to stand for Senator, or vote for the person who'll represent them to the Senate, and there's a suggestion that even as full Marcher citizens they want to make sure that isn't going to cause trouble.

Beyond that, they are also curious to meet the human financiers of the canal, the people who helped get the project underway, and also to learn the origin behind the name - why it is called the Black Canal when it's not black?

Heretics

• The Orcs remain heretics according to imperial religion
• The orcs have sworn to abide by the text that welcomed them to the marches, they will not discuss religion
• If religion is forced into a discussion with them, the orcs will leave early

These would-be beaters are not here to talk about religion. Like all Marcher orcs, they believe that their souls reincarnate as long as they don't attempt to cross the Howling Abyss. Also, like most Marcher orcs, they're cheerful about embracing the virtues, and using them as a guide as to how to live their best life. These young orcs aren't here to debate spiritual matters - their reason for coming to Anvil is entirely mundane.

There's a good chance that if anyone uses this opportunity to preach at them, to tell them they're heretics, or to start an argument about the soul, they'll just leave early rather than let it sour the mood in the Marches camp.

We, the Marcher Assembly, propose that the Tusks should be thought of as the Mournwold army. We believe acceptance of such an identity would bolster the Pride, Loyalty, and morale of the army, the Mournwold, and the nation as a whole. Firstly, consider that the other Marcher armies have their roots in specific Marcher territories, however the Tusks are not currently tied to any such tradition. Whilst the Tusks did not, indeed could not have been founded out of the Mournwold due to its status of occupation, this army was raised for the express purpose of liberating the Mournwold and its foundational campaign was waged for this ambition. Nedry, the first general of the Tusks went to the wicker man in atonement for the bloody liberation of the Mournwold. With his courageous sacrifice he showed the inextricable bond between the Tusks and the Mournwold, and the commitment to make amends. The Tusks have demonstrated a flexible nature and the Mournwold itself is in flux, with many opportunities and challenges on the horizon. Just as the Mournwold evolves and changes, the Tusks will change with it to rise to the occasion.

Rosie of Goatbridge, Winter Solstice 385YE, Vote: 148-68

Reeds, Drakes, Tusks, Bounders

• Mandates and statements have created an opportunity to bind the armies of the Marches to the land in the same was as the Strong Reeds are bound to Bregasland
• This would secure the support of the people of the territory for their army
• It would also present an opportunity to explore what it means for the Tusks to be the army of the Mournwold

Before setting off to speak to the Marchers about orcs, Rosie of Goatsbridge raised a statement of principle that's attracted a lot of attention and discussion. It didn't get a greater majority, but it chimed alongside the mandate enacted by Larkin Otterways, speaking of the oath sworn by general Amberlain P. Black of the Strong Reeds. "The Reeds will not forget this and we will never abandon Bregasland again."

For many Marchers, Rosie is speaking common sense. The Tusks were briefly called High Courage and the first thing they did was fight to liberate the Mourn. If it achieved nothing else, the sacrifice of General Nedry cemented that association in many peoples' minds. Even before General Amberlain's oath, the Strong Reeds are a part of Bregasland, the Drakes have been the Pride of Mitwold just as much as the Pride of the Marches, and the Bounders cut their teeth protecting the borders of Upwold. For some Marchers, supporting "their" army is as a much a part of their spirit as supporting "their" team at foot-the-ball.

But what does that mean? Maybe it's time for the other generals to follow General Amberlain's lead, and cement the ties between the Drakes, Bounders, and Tusks and the territories that support them.

If the three current generals of the Marcher armies swear an oath before the people of the Marches during their daily muster at Anvil, then that would be a thing indeed. The oaths wouldn't need to be anything long - just a statement that they recognise the tie between the army they lead and the territory that supports it, along with a promise that when the people of Mitwold, Upwold, or Mournwold respectively need them, they'll be there. If this is witnessed by egregores, and by the Marcher assembly, then that connection can be strengthened and made binding. Three mandates have been prepared, echoing the words of Sam Wych-Elm who proposed the mandate that Larkin Otterways brought to Bregasland.

Know your heart and what commands its devotion above all else. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to let everyone in Mitwold know that the Drakes are as proud of you as you are of them and they will never abandon you

Synod Mandate, Marcher National Assembly

Know your heart and what commands its devotion above all else. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to let everyone in Upwold know that the Bounders will always calls Upwold home, and they will never abandon it.

Synod Mandate, Marcher National Assembly

Know your heart and what commands its devotion above all else. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to let everyone in the Mournwold know that the Tusks will always fight to keep them safe.

Synod Mandate, Marcher National Assembly

Pewter and Lictors
When the proposal was first put forward to cement the link between the Strong Reeds and Bregasland, a landskeeper from North Fens called Larkin Pewter brought up the possibility of getting the oath witnessed by the Lictors of the Autumn realm. He's raised the same suggestion again, but this time it has no traction at all. "Why would we need Lictors to hold our generals to an oath?" and "Our Amberlain was too smart to get tangled up like that, why would any of the other generals be any more foolish?"

Perhaps just as relevant, one of the heralds of the Autumn realm busy working to arrange the deals secured by the Autumn Archmage throws their own unsolicited opinion into the mix. A visitor from the City of Gold and Lead they are amused and aghast in equal measure when they hear of Larkin's proposal. "Never invoke the Lictors for something like this," they say once they have been reassured it's not a joke. "Never ask the Lictors to ensure an agreement where bad luck might be all it takes to cause you to default. Because they will never care why the agreement is broken, only that it has been broken, and there are no clemency pleas when you deal with the Green Iron Prison."

Larkin Pewter has returned to his home in North Fens, and is reportedly having a proper sulk about getting his little pewter charm back.

If one of these mandates is enacted, then it will cement the connection between army, people, and land. And the Marchers take land very seriously indeed. As a result the army will gain a bonus equivalent to a thousand additional strength whenever they are fighting in their "home territory" reflecting the armed support they will receive from their fellow yeofolk. It won't matter when, nor who the general is. It won't matter if the army are defending, or attacking to drive an invader out. It won't even matter who they are attacking or defending against. Marcher yeofolk, human and orc, will support them in their struggle.

As with the oath sworn by the General of the Strong Reeds, there is a risk to such things. If a territory is attacked and the army is not present at the start of the very next season to lead the counter-attack or defence, then the oath will have been broken. If this happens, it would sever the trust between the army and the land. At the absolutely minimum the benefit of additional support would be permanently lost, it would likely have other impacts depending on the army and the territory involved (the army would not be welcome to billet in Upwold or Mitwold for example). Marchers have long memories .

Enacting one of these mandates also provide other benefits, potentially. Henry Fletcher called for the armies to find ways to integrate the talents of the Marcher orcs into their ranks. "As each new physick or quartermaster, or else-wise, shall enjoy a prosperous welcome, so shall the Marches prosper." At the very least, cementing the link between the Tusks and the Mournwold would lead to an opportunity to assess the army and how it might best reflect that connection.

There's some question of what all this might mean for a fifth Marcher army. Nobody knows who said it first, but the sentiment spreads quickly: "If we have a fifth army, then we'll surely need a fifth territory for it to look after."

Timing: Note that as with other mandates, these are only available during the Spring Equinox. After that the inspiration of General Amberlain and Larkin Otterways will have faded.

Resolution

• The Marcher Synod passed mandates to confirm the important link between each one of their armies and the territory from where most of the soldieres are drawn
• The four armies will enjoy a permanent benefit when fighting to defend the territory they are associcated with
• The oath will be considered broken if the armies do not return to defend the territory the season after it is attacked

The Marcher synod chose to pass the three mandates, asking Larkin Otterways, Sister Meredith and Friar John of the Mourn to spread word of the oaths across the Marches. Everyone is aware that a solemn oath has been sworn that the army will return to defend the territory if it is ever attacked. General Amberlain has already sworn a similar oath that the Strong Reeds would defend Bregasland.

If that doesn't happen, if one of the Marcher territories is attacked, and the oath-sworn army doesn't immediately return to defend the land in the season that follows, then the oath will have been broken.

Further Reading

• New port, old wine - 386YE Spring Wind of Fortune relating other events in Bregasland
• Fighting fish - 386YE Spring Wind of Fortune mostly talking about Bushel Sykes
• Mournwold Orcs