Thank you.

No, really, thank you. Whether you read one chapter or made it all the way to the end, I appreciate it.

It takes a lot to put your work out into the public domain for total strangers to read, critique and *gasp* enjoy. So thanks for whatever way and in whatever depth you engaged with this story.

I first wrote Quid Pro Quo in 2004 and have been occasionally prodding it ever since. Now, in 2021, it is in its best editorial condition - though perhaps not finished, is anything ever finished? - and is ticking along very nicely on Wattpad thanks to you, and others like you, who clicked on the image and began to read.

Quid Pro Quo is not my finest work, but it holds a special place in my heart, being as it is the first piece of novel length that I actually completed. It was the process of uploading it to Wattpad that gave me the confidence and the inspiration to dive back into writing in 2019, and I'm exceptionally glad that I did because that resulted in further work of which I'm extremely proud.

As is the way with fiction, I've taken a number of liberties with history, geography and sociology in order to deliver a story. So, in the name of transparency and for the benefit of anyone interested, I offer the following:

The Ordovices were a tribe of Celtic Ancient Britons who inhabited the hills and valleys of what is modern-day North Wales. They were one of the few tribes who actively resisted the Roman invasion, helped by their penchant for building fortified hill forts among the steep hills and mountains of their homeland. This led to a prolonged struggle against the Romans where many of the other tribes of Britons offered little or no fight. The Ordovices, like their modern day counterparts, were known to farm sheep, to be fiercely independent, and a tough breed.

The practice of crafting votive offerings, precious objects given as gifts to gods, was common across the ancient world. It is known to have been something that the Ancient Britons undertook, including the tribes in Wales. Often votive items would be weapons, armour or tools that had been crafted to a high standard and then buried or otherwise offered in such a way as to make their recovery impossible. Indeed, a cache of votive objects was discovered in Wales during the Second World War at Llynn Cerrig Bach, some images of which are below, and are on display at the Museum of Wales.

Most votives were small, elaborately decorative and not intended for their purported use. Votive swords and shields were not, to the best of my knowledge, used in battle. The existence of a solid gold votive sword and shield is also a fiction, or at least it is at the moment. Who knows what might be unearthed in the future?

After having been initially quelled, the Ordovices rebelled in ~75CE. Surprising and killing a Roman cavalry unit, in a similar fashion to what I describe in the story. This gave rise to the Roman desire to end the Ordovice resistance once and for all. This brought about the campaign which culminated in the invasion and subjugation of Anglesey (Yns Mor) in 77-78CE, during which a great many men, women and children were slain. The sources are unclear about the reality, but relate the clear intent on the part of the Roman leader to exterminate the entire tribe.

Here is a stylized image from the Victorian era that imagines the slaughter of the Druids in their groves by Roman Suetonius.

Many of the Celtic tribes did practice the religion of Druidism, and Roman historian Tacitus recounts that Anglesey was one of the hotbeds of the Druidic tradition at this time. In an age when life was short and often brutal, far more people put significantly greater store in the power of gods or spirits to watch over them than they do today. The Druids blended a mix of shamanism, animism and reverence for the power of the natural world and were revered for a combination of their wisdom, connection to the spirits and the practical knowledge of healing via herbs that they brought to their communities.

The village of Pebble Deeping is entirely fictional. However, rural Shropshire and South Staffordshire are dotted with villages and hamlets that look very much like it.

If you enjoyed Quid Pro Quo, please let me know. If you hated it (and made it this far? You must REALLY have hated it!) please also let me know. I value your thoughts and comments much more than your votes, so I urge you to consider leaving me a message here, or dropping a comment on a chapter or passage that interested you. That kind of engagement totally makes my day, spurs me to open my laptop and keep tapping away on new things.

If you had a good time inside Satchmo's head and would like to read more in the same style as he continues his next adventure, then please check out on my profile. I'm confident that you will enjoy that even more.

Tarra-a-bit.

SouthPawStance