A Note from the Editor:

The Westmarch War ended without any further conflict, but its geopolitical ramifications were felt for quite some time. Sapphire fell from its perch as the Head of the Council of the Jeweled Cities and lost its status as the First among Equals in the doing. With the backing of the Guild, the artisan guilds in all of the Jeweled Cities helped organize the citizens of that area. The Jeweled Republics have yet to officially form, but their government structures are inexorably moving in that direction. I expect the Great families of the Jeweled cities will either lead that reformation process, or be swept aside by the rising tide of reform. As for the people whose writings I have included here and the places they mentioned…

Lord General Ochen Shagari’s decision to retire from military life and Sapphire politics left something of a power vacuum in those areas. He missed the resulting rounds of political infighting and assassinations by moving to Westmarch, where he lived out his life as a minor landholder and farmer. Many of the survivors of his Army of the Jeweled Cities followed suit in equally quiet manner for their own reasons. These seasoned veterans would play a large part in the formation of the Westmarch Army, along with the survivors of the Westmarch Militia.

Private Reth Nakima was honorably discharged from the Army of the Jeweled Cities on the first of February, 770 as a Private First Class with wound medal. He settled in Westmarch and lived happily as a baker, marrying the daughter of one of the healing women.

Mayor Bilal Muhktar was elected as the first Prime Minister of the Westmarch Republic. He is still serving in that position, with every intention of continuing to do so until his advancing age or declining health forces him to resign.

Garrison Commander Nalo Samirah became General Nalo Samirah of the Army of Westmarch when it was officially formed. So far, he has served as an honorable keeper of the peace, and maintains good relations with Warlord Elder Otab the Old who commands the Army of Glacierheart.

Shaman Elder Wolfbite Glacierheart became, in effect, the Prime Minister of Glacierheart. The official post is still coming into place, and the spheres of authority attached to it are still being felt out. This was somewhat inevitable, given that he was the original impetus and spiritual heart of Clan Glacierheart. We are fortunate indeed that despite his age, he shows every sign of being in good health and organizing a smooth transition of power when it does come time for him to step down.

Shamaon Koroc the Singer was drafted, almost without his consent, to be the Prime Minister Elect of the Glacierheart Republic. For now he serves as Shaman Elder Wolfbite’s Minister Without Portfolio, to use the human title, and roving problem solver.

Shaman Mul the Silent vanished almost without trace just before the seasonal thaw had finished. She left behind only her journal and entries in the Shaman’s Records. Reading over that Material has yielded no indications as to where she may have gone. For my part, I doubt that she is still living in the Glacierheart Mountains, despite popular local legends to that effect.

Captain Rivoril Syllynn led the Ironbark Mercenary Company back to Sapphire to pick up a new Guild contract as soon as the truce was formalized. That contract is in the small town of Chedal, and Ironbark was last seen marching in that direction.

Chronicler Vian Cofaen and Chronicler’s Asistant Aris Cretu stopped by my tower only long enough for true, archive copies to be made of all of the existing Logs of the Ironbark Company. I would have liked for them to stay longer, that I might have recorded their stories in greater detail, but they hurried off to rejoin Ironbark. I did manage to polish up their understanding of the Old Tongue, better known as Primordial by us spell casters.

Old Leon did not accompany the Ironbark Mercenary Company when it left Westmarch. His old age and failing health finally caught up to him as the thaw was progressing. He died of pneumonia, and was buried with full military honors at the Ironbark Outpost Cemetery.

The Ironbark Outpost itself has become something of a shrine. The four military graveyards around it, one each for Ironbark, Westmarch, Glacierheart, and the Army of the Jeweled Cities, have become something of a pilgrimage destination for families seeking to know the fate of their loved ones. It also shows promise of becoming a public library and records-house, rather than a closed monastery.

Fort Westmarch still stands, although it has both grown and changed. Large portions of its wooden walls have come down. Stone walls are being laid down around what will be the permanent military garrisons. Houses, inns, and trade posts have sprung up as trade begins to flow through the area once more. The outline of new fortifications are being drawn, with an eye towards using proper siege cannons instead of catapults. In a few years it will once more be one of the most difficult fortifications to breach.

The Glacierheart Clanhold is becoming a proper city in its own right, though I expect it will keep its current name. Proper farms and mines have sprung up with the thaw. The beginnings of true industrial processes, such as metal casting manufactories, are beginning to emerge. There are also signs of a Druidic circle in the nearby forests, which bodes well for the health of the lands in the area, as well as the people, orc and human like, who live there.

I also expect the formation of an organized Wizard’s Tower or similar to emerge in either Westmarch or Glacierheart as the years go by. It may never be as large as the one in Ebony, but the presence of local spell casters in need of formal education will ensure its development in the years to come.

Also of interest is the refinements in Westmarch Republic gunpowder beginning to come to light. Obviously, the exact process is a closely guarded state secret, but the results are hard to mistake. What few light cannons they do have, twelve pounder field cannons and two pounder wall guns, shoot further and faster than their Jeweled City counterparts. I expect the Glacierheart Republic will either be let in on the secret, or is already part of the development process. Even if Sapphire or a coalition of the Jeweled Cities does try coming north once more once the truce has expired, I don’t expect them to like the outcome any more the second time around.

Thus ends this Work on the Westmarch War. I hope that its contents grant you some insights as to the conflict, the people involved, and the costs and ramifications of the conflict. I expect the ripples will continue to spread as the years progress. The resulting political instability in the Jeweled Cities still needs to play out in full. The Westmarch and Glacierhear Republics are still feeling their way into the web of trade networks that spans the globe, and their willingness to not sign on to existing, or create new, exclusive trade agreements is making some not so small waves in its own right. I am no economist, but already I am noticing some goods are available for a fair bit cheaper, or in better quality, then they were previously.

As soon as this work is completed, proofed, bound, and archived with the Guild as well as here in my own tower, I intend to begin traveling once more. It has been too long since I have been out in the world, and I still need to speak with Aris Cretu and Mul the Silent once more as I mentioned earlier. Things are changing in this small corner of the world, and that makes me wonder what other events and changes that I may have missed in other places. The song lyrics quoted in this volume remind me of an old song, and it seems fitting to end with a snippet of it.

Blank slate / A trip to begin / Look to tomorrow / Clean plate / A fresh little wind / A road to follow…[7]

Lady Ilelahne SiDabolo