Smoke and oakum

"It's a fine idea," said Patrick slowly. "But it's like planting oats and expecting apples to come up."

Bill took a mouthful of beer, wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, and asked him what he meant.

"When Jotun come, it won't be by boat. They'll come marching down Odd's Way and it'll take more than a few buckets of water to scare them off."

"I know, I know. But people are frit. They need to keep going so they laugh and cheer and brag about sinking boats. There's no harm in it." Bill smiled wryly. "Imagine though. Imagine if it were something we could carry off. Bloody their damn noses. Show them what it's like, for a change. Go to their homes and kick the coals out the hearth. The best sauce goes with owt, after all."

"Aye, it'd be grand all right." He sipped his apple juice, and the two drank together in companionable silence for a few minutes. Then Patrick frowned.

"You know, I just thought. If there were a word I'd not use when talking about Jotun it'd be 'easily frit.' You know what I mean? Has anyone every found out why it is they're frit of the sea do you know?"

Before Bill could answer, the pair of them became aware that they were no longer alone. A young woman stood a polite distance from their table, drink in hand, with an expectant air. She had a pleasant, open face and they guessed she was one of the Navarr helping out at Other Bill's place, by her clothes and markings.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she spoke in a rush. "But I couldn't help overhearing. Are you talking about raiding the Jotun?"

"Happen we were, aye," said Bill, a little guardedly

"We've got a little bit of experience fighting the Jotun ourselves, you see." She gestured to where two other Navarr were sitting at the table in the corner. The oldest of them, wearing a leather vest that left their arms bare, had beautifully intricate briar tattoos coiling around forearm and biceps. All three looked tired - Other Bill had a reputation for being a hard taskmaster - but alert. One raised a pint pot in a friendly salute.

"Do you mind if we join you? We've heard people talking about this Jotun thing, and we'd very much like to learn more. Because if you're serious about bloodying them up? Well we've got a few ideas of our own for how you might go about it..."

We, the Marcher National assembly, recognise the virtues shown by those Marchers who have put aside their farms and trades to take up arms in defence of Bregasland. We call upon those who remain on their lands to defend the Prosperity of the Marches. We ask that they spare their labour to help maintain the farms, the farms of their neighbours, who leave to fight for defence of our nation. In conclusion bear in mind what example has begun. What today you do you in kind has power for everyone.

Friar John of the Mourn, Autumn Equinox 383YE, Vote: 122 - 0 (Greater Majority; Primacy)

Overview

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During the Autumn Equinox, the Marcher National Assembly upheld a number of statements of principle which achieved a greater majority. Several of them clearly addressed matters of great concern to the people of the nation. Three in particular are of note to the people of the Marches. Furthermore, it's not gone unnoticed that the priests of the assembly seem to be doing an excellent job of presenting a united front. There's a patter of interest in who's responsible, how they're achieving this thankless task, and whether there is anything that could be done to recognise and encourage the people responsible.

Sword and Shears

Two of them - raised by Brother Hugh and Friar John of the Mourn urged yeomen to leave their land and take up arms to fight the Jotun. The hope expressed was that those Marchers who remained on their lands would tend to their neighbours' fields.

These statements produce nods of sympathy, and agreement that it is a fine idea, but few if any backers. Marcher society revolves around land and political power lies with those who farm it. A great many Marchers feel their land defines their identity, it is what makes them Marchers, and the thought of giving it up is more than they can bare. Yes, they agree, it is a problem that there are Jotun in Bregasland. Yes, every sensible Marcher should be doing whatever they can to stop the orcs taking over the territory. But they are needed on the farm, without them the land would go to wrack and ruin. What good does it do to defeat the Jotun if they lose their land doing it?

The encouragement to tend the lands of those who are away meets a similar fate. Marchers are a stubborn and fractious lot by their nature, and there are more than a few for whom the idea of tending their neighbour's lands, or having their land tended by their neighbour, is an idea more horrifying than the Jotun conquest. The more prosaic limitation is that people in the Marches already work as hard as they can. Agriculture is back-breaking hard work, most Marchers already work their land from dawn to dusk. "My fields are watered with blood, sweat, and tears," says Dan Rudystock of King's Stoke. "How much would I have to drink to water someone else's field as well?" The truth is that nobody is in a position to take on the extra work of looking after another person's farm. They understand the importance of defending their lands but for many Marchers, their two years service fighting in the Drakes, the Strong Reeds, the Bounders and the Tusks was served to gain a farm. The plea to give that up to return to the life of the soldier falls on deaf ears.

Nobody is downplaying the threat of the Jotun. Nobody thinks their being in Bregasland is good; they want them gone just as they wanted them gone from the Mournwold. But the general opinion is that there are better - more Marcher - ways to do it. There's a strong thread of sentiment that if the Marcher Assembly is concerned about the ability of the nation - of the Empire - to protect their borders, they would be best served getting the forest of Alderly cleared, then they can see about raising a fifth army.

Jotun are on Marcher land in the Bregas swamps, so we're gonna fuck them up. Jotun are scaredycats who don't like water and are afeared of boats and suchlike, so why were they in Bregasland anyhow? We can privateer just as well as any Freeborn. Marchers with boats raid the crap out of the Jotun. Make them fear the sea.

Sister Elspeth, Autumn Equinox 383YE, Vote: 122 - 0 (Greater Majority

Turnabout is Fair Play

• A possibility exists to inspire a raid against the Jotun by the Marchers
• There are three possible territories where a raid might work

The Marches assembly also upheld with a greater majority a statement by Sister Elspeth - a call to arms that swelled the chest of every Marcher sailor, from ship captain to cabinjack. "We can privateer as well as any Freeborn!" and "Fuck the scaredy cats!" become popular toasts in the dock front drinking establishments of Meade and Odd's End.

Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that the Marchers cannot privateer as well as the Freeborn. Meade is the most important port in the Marches, but it is barely a fraction of the size of Siroc, and most of the vessels that pull up here are small fishing boats that operate on the Westmere. The Freeborn have corsair traditions that date back to the founding of their nation, all honed in naval combat against the Grendel and the pirates of the Bay. By comparison the Marchers have precious few fleets and no history of naval conflict. The Jotun avoid the water as much as they can, so there are precious few orc vessels to privateer and little threat that comes from that direction either.

In that, the Jotun are not dissimilar to the Marchers because what both nations do very well indeed is fight on land. Once everyone has sobered up, that gets them thinking. You don't need to be privateers to raid the Jotun kingdoms. To the west of Bregasland lies Hordalant - a territory the Empire knows well enough that it has a damn map of the place. The Jotun may (temporarily) own Grey Fens and North Fens, but heading west out of the marshes is not the only way to get between Jotun lands and the Empire... as the Jotun themselves have demonstrated...

To Look at the Hill

If the Marcher assembly is serious about sowing chaos among the Jotun, they could enact a mandate to inspire their countryfolk with the idea of raiding westward. It's a risky manoeuvre - but the qualified victory of the Winter Solstice presents opportunities. The Jotun are known to take the protection of their thralls very seriously, and a serious strike against their homelands might be enough to make them look behind them rather than at the prize presented by Bregasland. It might not be enough to pull an army back, but might be enough to persuade some of the grand champions that fight alongside them to abandon the offensive for a few months.

The Jotun raid our lands with impunity, but turnabout is fair play. Nobody sits in our farms waiting for bandits to attack; they go to their camp and execute the lot of them. We send {named priest} with 75 doses of liao to encourage the people of the Marches to prepare for a raid against {Jotun territory} after the Spring Equinox.

Synod Mandate, Marches National Assembly

If this mandate is passed, then the people of the Marches will begin preparing to support a raid into Jotun territory by Imperial military units. Part of these preparations will be securing access to the chosen territory, and ensuring that raiders will be able to get back to the Empire. This might include gathering boats and ships to cross the Gullet, or equipping beaters to find a path through dangerous marsh or forest.

If they do want to encourage this raid, however, the Marcher assembly will need to determine where exactly to go. There are three obvious possibilities.

Hordalant

The Quiet Step of the Navarr is currently billeted in Upwold. The soldiers of the army are dispersed across the Marcher territory and while the injured are fed and supported, those who can do so help to work the farms. In exchange they receive bed and board. When they hear talk of raiding the Jotun, they're quick to offer their own suggestions to their hosts. Going straight through Bregasland would be difficult, and would risk losing the element of surprise. If the Marchers are serious about striking at the Jotun, there is a way it could be done. While an army would struggle to pass through Liathaven, they know from grim experience that smaller groups can often move fast enough to avoid the attentions of vallornspawn and orc alike. Even with the current state of Liathaven, it should still be possible to pass through Liath's Ring to West Ranging and thence to Hordalant. Particularly if one had access to enough marsh boats to get to the border, and especially if one had Navarr support.

Game Information: The Empire has extensive information about Hordalant, and the raiders would likely be able to pick their target with some precision. The more support they could garner, the further into the territory they would be able to reach. Furthermore, one of the Yegarra leaders - Mathilda Fisher - claims to have been living along with her family in the marshes of Hordalant and this might suggest at least one target that could yield strategic advantage.

Skallahn

Another alternative comes up during discussion with the warriors of Wintermark currently fighting alongside the Marchers in Bregasland. It's not often discussed, but it is known to be possible to pass between West Marsh in Kallavesa and the Jotun territory of Skallahn, in Kalsea. Indeed, only a few years ago a force of Jotun invaded Kallavesa along the narrow straits that lie between the two nations. Cooperation between Marcher fisherfolk and the ships of Westerhal wouldn't be enough to get an army across undetected, but might be enough to get smaller groups into position to raid the territory.

Not a lot is known about Skallahn - although the Empire has just recently commissioned a spy network there, it has no good quality map of the territory. it has a long coastline and the rich Jotun town of Kierheim lies somewhere along the shores. Most of what is known about Skallahn comes from the campaigns of Emperor Guntherm, but the stories speak of "the great plains of the Iron Stand" and the "the low-lying farmland and fisheries of Greenwall" which combine with accounts of the Jarl of Kierheim to suggest a rich territory. If they went in now, the raiders would be operating on limited information, gathered by courageous scouts, boat captains, and the memories of the people of Westerhal. On the other hand, if the Empire has been able to secure a map by the start of the Spring Equinox, there might well be opportunities to better direct the raid.

Game Information: A raid into Skallahn will categorically not produce a usable map of the territory - such a thing is only available through the spy network. If the Empire does not have a map of the territory by the Spring Equinox, there will still be some opportunity to choose a suitable target, and perhaps accrue a little more information about parts of the territory, but everything will depend on how successful the raid is. This adventure will be riskier than an attack on Hordalant, and will need commensurately more force to be successful, but is likely to yield greater rewards.

The King's Pantry

Finally, there is one other territory that the Marches could conceivably reach and raid, but it is a major gamble. South of Hordalant is a territory that nobody seems to know the name of. All signs point to it being the territory where Gudmundur Arason, King of Narkyst, He Who Calls Himself Jarl-of-Jarls, Who is Chieftain of the Southern Jotun has his lands. Even Emperor Guntherm didn't penetrate into this territory. But with the vallorn uprooted from the Westwood it is certainly possible to get from the Marches to... whatever this place is called. It is quite literally terra incognita however - there is very little known about it and choosing a specific target will be very difficult. Instead, the assembly will likely have some ability to define an approach or broad strategy for the raiders to follow, and hope for the best.

Game Information: As with Skallahn, raiding this territory will categorically not produce a usable map. This is definitely the riskiest of the three raids, and complete success will likely need significant support from other nations. It's impossible to say how rich the returns will prove, but arguably given that the Empire knows basically nothing about the area almost anything they find out could be valuable. The question is whether it will be possible to find anything out or achieve any victory that will have any military application.

Heroes and Thorns

• The Wintermark and Navarr assemblies could issue mandates of their own to support Marcher raiders

While both Wintermark and Navarr have their own concerns, there is a history of cooperation between these two nations and the folk of the Marches. All three nations have suffered invasion and conquest by the Jotun, and there are heroes and warriors in both nations itching for more opportunities to strike against the western orcs. The national assemblies of either or both nations could enact a mandate of their own, encouraging their people to offer whatever aid they can spare to any Marcher raid.

The Marchers propose a heroic raid into the heartlands of the Jotun. While our armies have fought together in Bregasland, we will fight alongside their heroes in the west! We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to urge any Winterfolk who can to offer aid to their endeavour.

Synod Mandate, Wintermark National Assembly

If this mandate is enacted then during the Spring equinox there will be an opportunity for the people of Wintermark to further support the raid. In particular the folk of Westerhal will offer whatever aid they can to a Marcher raid across the Gullet. This will be most useful if the raid targets Skallahn or Hordalant, but will still provide some assistance if the raid targets the King's Pantry.

The Marchers intend a surprise strike against the Jotun homelands while their attention is elsewhere. Their enemy is our enemy, and whether through Liathaven or the marshes of Kallavesa, we can help them wound our mutual foe. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to urge any Navarr who can to offer aid to their strategy.

Synod Mandate, Navarr National Assembly

If this mandate is enacted then during the Spring equinox there will be an opportunity for the people of Navarr to further support the raid. In particular the experienced scouts and pathfinders of the Quiet Step will work with the Marcher beaters to secure safe passage through to Jotun lands. This will be most useful if the raid targets Hordalant or the King's Pantry via Liathaven, but may also be helpful in a raid against Skallahn.

Game Information: These mandates only have take effect if the Marcher assembly enacts their own mandate urging their people to prepare a raid against the Jotun. Each mandate will create support for the raid during the preparation stage, providing additional options tied to Wintermark or Navarr during the resulting Spring Equinox wind of fortune.

Thankless Tasks

• The successes of the Marcher National Assembly have inspired a re-examination of the role of convener

One thing that hasn't gone unnoticed is how many judgements the Marcher Assembly have passed that had greater majorities - and how many have had primacy. That speaks of organisation. Of "people taking responsibility, not being in charge" as Abbot Matilda of Becktunn Monastery might put it. Even the most cynical Marcher priests can't help but approve of what they sometimes term the "echoes of some proper organisation".

Furthermore, it's not been lost on the priests of the Marches how significant the mandate enacted by Brother Hugh during the Summer Solstice has been. it seems like such a small thing to the Empire, maybe, but hearing the General Assembly say "Neither the practice of shriving nor the belief that humans can be reborn in the bodies of trees or animals are directly contradicted by any part of the Doctrines of the Faith" has moved many monks and friars to tears. There's no doubt among the pilgrims of the Marches that their representatives in Anvil are plowing a difficult furrow straight.

While a number of abbots and influential friars initially opposed the idea of creating a "speaker" for the Marcher assembly, they've recently begun to revise their positions. A proposal has been put together, drawn up (a little grudgingly) by Abbot Matilda. Like the exemplar Margaret of Meade who inspires her, she's come up with a suggestion as to how the people responsible for that organisation might be recognised and encouraged.

Looking at the Speaker of the Highborn Assembly ("anything they can do we can do at least as well"), and drawing further inspiration from Rund's Hall in Wintermark and the varushkan hearth tender, she suggests the Marcher assembly might want to resurrect the long-since-lapsed position of Convener of the Assembly. The actual origin of the title is mired in vicious historical argument, but it's generally believed that the convener began at Stockland Fair years before the Marches joined the Empire. it was initially an unofficial post held by whoever was prepared to put the work into getting various prominent abbots, monks, and friars to come together to talk about religion, but received official recognition during the reign of Empress Richilde. It eventually fell out of favour some time during the Second Interregnum. Perhaps it's time to start talking about it again?

The proposal is not uncontroversial - again this is the Marches. One of the problems that dogged the Convener of the Assembly was accusation of bias - especially when the title was held by someone from Upwold or Mitwold. The numerous long-held grudges of the households and market towns of the Marcher heartlands invariably boiled over into claims of favoritism and bitter recrimination. Before matters can become heated, however, the example of Bill Sabbey monastery is brought up, silencing the more quarrelsome monks and friars (at least temporarily). Here is an example of Marcher folk putting aside differences to work for the good of their neighbours, and to grumble and complain about "favouritism" in light of the deaths of monks and Imperial heroes alike is seen as churlish.

The Fields of Ashbrook

• A monastery dedicated to the history of the Marches could be built in Ashbrook
• The proposal costs 20 wains of white granite, 40 crowns, and takes two months.
• It would create the title Convener of the Assembly to help guide the Marcher National Assembly
• A further proposal would provide half the materials and money, if the title were committed to acting without favour

In central Ashbrook stands the Woldstone, near the forest of Walksend which popular Marcher myth claims marks the site where the first Marchers, emerging from the forests of Birchland, saw the fertile grasslands of Upwold laid out before them. Not far from both lie the fields where the Marchers presented their demands to the First Empress, in the wake of the The Cousin's War. Everyone knows the importance of this area of land, and nobody can deny that even though it is in Upwold, it is central to the story of the Marchers.

Abbot Matilda proposes that rather than trying to find some old building of religious significance to house the Convener of the Assembly, the Marchers build a monastery between Ashill and the Woldstone, dedicated to no particular virtue over any other, and intended to serve as a repository of the nation's history. The convener would take responsibility for the monastery, but more crucially they would formally take on the role that previously had been unofficial - to guide the Marcher Assembly, ensuring its traditions are upheld. They would "chair" the meetings of the national assembly, encourage the priests of the Marches to raise and vote on Synod judgements (and not just in the Marcher Assembly), and to express the will of their congregations. it would of course be appointed annually by the Marcher Assembly. "It'll be a thankless job," opines Matilda. "But what hard job isn't?"

Building the kind of monastery and library suggested would cost 20 wains of white granite, 40 crowns of labour costs, and take three months to complete. The convener would receive 9 doses of liao and 18 votes in the Synod. They could use this liao and these votes as they wished, but the assumption would be that they be used to support the interests of the Marches.

The spectre of the past is not laid to rest so swiftly, however. Several monks dedicated to the virtue of Vigilance and Loyalty have put forward an additional proposal, one that might make the convener's job both harder and easier. If the Senator (or Bearer of an Imperial Wayleave) is prepared to add the additional proviso that the convener will be responsible for fulfilling their role "Without favouritism for or grudge against any Marcher, whether they be yeoman or alderman, farmer or miner, and wherever they hail from" they will between them provide half the white granite and half the labour costs meaning the monastery could be created for 10 wains of white granite and 20 crowns.

Reward for a Good Job

There's no rush on creating a convener, assuming the Marcher assembly even wants one. The offer to provide half the white granite and money, however, is good only until the current enthusiasm fades. If the monastery is not commissioned by the end of the Spring Equinox 384YE, that offer will expire.

Of course, even if the Marcher assembly does decide they want a convener, there's also no requirement for it to be tied to a monastery such as Abbot Matilda proposes. The responsibilities could be applied to any suitable religious sinecure just as effectively, provided the commission had a clear connection to the Marchers' history and spiritual beliefs.

Resolution

Following the Winter Solstice, several mandates relating to a raid against the Jotun were enacted. Henry Fletcher enacted the mandate to encourage Marchers to plan for a raid against Skallahn. The mandate was supported by Maarit Suvidotti and Corey Wayfarer, who encouraged the Winterfolk and Navarr respectively to support the raid.