The Myrkentown Wall

[Cinnabar]

Town criers spread the news to the people of Myrkentown as morning dawns, and posters, ink still fresh, offer reassurances to the citizenry.

The grand wall that has sprouted up around Myrkentown overnight stands twenty-five feet tall, five feet thick at its highest level, with thirty-three watchtowers spaced along its perimeter; it forms an unbroken defensive ring a half-mile across, encircling the town in a girdle of pale granite, formed as if carved from a single piece without mortar or join. Stout gatehouses allow entrance at the north and south where the North Passage Down passes through town, and another at the west permits access to the wharves and jetties on the shore of Silver Lake. The gates themselves are of oaken timbers a foot thick, bound and reinforced and studded with iron; a postern in each gatehouse permits passage of foot travellers when the main gates are closed, which notices declare will be from dusk each day to dawn the following day.

[Kylerryth]

In the dark of night a courier appeared at the Meetinghouse, demanding an audience with Cinnabar Calomel. Not the Governor, not even the High Constable -- Cinnabar Calomel, the silver-haired youth who'd chosen to bear the weight of Myrken Wood on his shoulders. The men at the gate, after realizing who he was -- the courier wore the colors and badge of House Aldred on his heavy wool coat -- had let him pass, and he'd spurred his horse on until the steed's hooves rang like thunder on the cobblestones.

He did not bother removing helmet or scarf; he'd be on the road again soon enough, when Calomel penned a reply.

[indent]To Cinnabar Calomel;

Salve. Pardon my lapse in manners; I am short on time, and it is late. You, however, have some explaining to do, and you had best explain quickly, because I do not recall agreeing to a wall springing up overnight around the town.

Sincerely,
Aston Jylan Aldred
Lord of Aldred
Councilor of Defence & Civil Security[/indent]

[Vanidor]

It was a rare sight here within the walls of Myrkentown itself. Within the Wall of Myrkentown, that was. The Elf Lord stood, facing one of those signs that denoted the sudden growth of this edifice to Humanity. He had felt the tremors of the earth as the thing had risen. Had been forced out of his rest with the rumbles of the ground as it was torture so by the Will of one person. He frowned, and cast a glance backwards to his silent partner. The smaller elfess rolled her shoulders in a non-committal manner. As if to say 'This is why I do not stay in town.'

The taller male shook his head at this, then reached out to slap at her cheek in a friendly manner. "Cadien." At this, another elf who stood with them turned his head and glanced at Vanidor. An eyebrow arched. "Please return to the manor and speak with Mage Taein and Warden Felinara. Tell them it is a thing of the Humans here, a Wall. Made with the strength of the earth, and their invasive magics. It.. should not cause much trouble, but watch the soil non-the-less." The dark haired elf nodded his head at this, then turned and headed for the house he kept here on Merchant's Row. "Rhu. Please take this to the Governor." And here, Goldenhair would remove a piece of paper from his open faced coat and hand it to the slender female. She would nod as well, turn, and depart. The elfess would run for the meetinghouse, and simply leave the item with the Constable at the desk. No response, no words (it was questionable if she even spoke the Common Tongue), but a quick salute and then she was gone.

The contents of the letter...

Governor.

One side of me, that which has declared itself guardian of the 'Wood for time immemorial applauds this measure, even if it was never truly discussed at the last meeting we had. Talk of a wall, yes, of a suggestion of one. But not one that would rise like the sun from the shadow. This is a concern for you Men, of course, and does not bother me.

The other side of me, that which deals with the wilds and wilderness, however is concerned with what You have wrought. For it bothers me that the magic your race uses cause such strain upon the earth. My forest trembles with pain of this invasive draw upon the soil. I would like warning, next time you plan such a thing, so that I can calm the spirits of the earth and air before you ruin their balance with your magics. You do not live in balance with them as I and my people do, so you do not have to face their wrath as we do. Again. I would request that you inform us of such incidences. Or next time I may allow them their fury.

Also. I understand that your pet artificer was the one with the hand in its design, there are things I must know about your Wall. Such a thing does not spring up without any other... protections.

Ethios ala Denaria,

Vanidor Goldenhair
Councilor of Agriculture

[Cinnabar]

To Aston Jylan Aldred, Councillor for Defence and Civil Security

Councillor Aldred

Myrkentown's lack of effective fortifications has been of some concern to me of late, particularly following news of Duke Burel's military adventures in Derry. As such, I felt it prudent to arrange for this oversight to be corrected with all haste. Given the manifest good sense of such a measure - particularly after the Duke yesterday marched two hundred of his soldiers through Myrkentown's streets without so much as a by-your-leave - I had assumed that you would approve, and did not feel it warranted interrupting your important work of mustering an army for Myrken Wood's defence to secure approval for such an eminently sensible plan.

If your concern is not with the Wall itself but the swiftness with which these fortifications were erected, that is certainly understandable. However, I would politely suggest that, while my encounters with the Duke's military commanders have shown them to be quite charming and hospitable, I do not think they would be quite so obliging as to allow the army of five thousand Thessilane soldiers currently making camp a half-day's march north of the town (of which you have no doubt heard reports already) to stand by until we had finished fortifying the town in the traditional manner.

I hope this explanation satisfies.

Sincerely

Cinnabar Calomel

--*--

To Vanidor Goldenhair, Councillor for Agriculture

Councillor Goldenhair

I am advised that no aspect of the Wall's creation would have impacted the metaphysical environment in the manner you describe; the stone of the wall was not drawn up from the earth beneath, but conjured forth from some other realm of existence entirely - a prodigious work involving considerable effort, certainly, but the only strain involved was that which fell upon the artificer alone.

While I am not familiar with matters of the wilds or wilderness, nor indeed with the spirits of such, I would humbly suggest that perhaps the disruption to the balance comes not from the construction of the Wall, but the presence of two full squads of Duke Burel's war-sorcerors on Myrken soil. Their magics are notoriously potent and destructive, and if anything is likely to overthrow the balance of things, it would be they.

Fortunately, as you surmise, some defences against arcane assault have been integrated into the Wall itself, and should serve to shield both Wall and Myrkentown from the vile magics that Burel's channellers might throw against us. The threat of such is a concern for us Men, of course, and I do not expect you to take much interest in it. Suffice to say, Myrkentown is protected.

Sincerely

Cinnabar Calomel

[Vanidor]

The Elf received the response with good measure, perused it in the quiet of his Woodland home, then pursed his lips slightly at the mention of mystical protection. A glance out of his open window, peering into the night and through the phosphorescent faerie-fire that made up the lighting in this part of the 'Wood. He eyed the slender tower that housed the Mage Taein and his two apprentices. They would have to find a way around that sort of protection, of course. Not because they didn't trust Calomel. But because they didn't trust -men-.

In any case, he picked up his pen and put ink to paper once more.

Governor,

Thank you for the swift response. Your assurances were perhaps mistaken upon the point of the metaphysical in this case. I understand that such earthworks did not come from our own soil, but from another plane of existence. That does not mean that this alien stone does not clash with the native energies of our own land. Believe me when I say that we are far more in tune with these than your own kind. No fault of your own, of course. I would have just liked some warning. Even if it had simply been... 'Heavy magic in use.' We shall, of course, continue our work to make certain that the energies of this new stone melds truly with the spirits of the old.

As for your antagonists channelers, we understand their ability to some small degree. We find such willful control of the elements distasteful, for it is not the coexistence with nature that we ourselves maintain. Men... do as they will, yes? My only concern is that our main method of travel between our enclave here in the 'Wood and Myrkentown is through teleportation from our Ring here, and the Ring in my house on Merchant's Row. It is a far distance to walk, when haste must be made. If I am forced to make changes to a method I have used for centuries, I must know so that they can be made. And the time to move my Ring if that is the case.

Again. Your timely response is appreciated. Simply deliver this into the keeping of the guard at my home in town, and as long as your... arcane defenses are not up, I will receive your response with haste.

Ah, as a last, you may be glad to know that the last of the granaries here at the enclave have been finished, and half of those in the fields to the south of Myrkentown completed as well. Mine are full for the coming winter, with the new strain of grain harvested from that farm we were experimenting on this last season or so. I will let you know if there are any adverse effects. Hopefully we can plant these in the coming spring, if things go as well as we expect. The completed granaries in the fields are full as well, though I have not had time to check up on the stores in town. Your Wall surprised me, I will admit. If things have continued, they will be full enough. As long as nothing untoward occurs, of course.

Ethios ala Denaria,

Vanidor Goldenhair
Councilor of Agriculture

As before, the elfess Rhu would be the one to deliver the letter from Vanidor. She'd chirp something in that harmonic elven tongue of theirs, smile at whichever constable was in place to receive the letter, and turn and depart.

[Kylerryth]

[indent]To Cinnabar Calomel;

Please, Calomel -- do not insult my intelligence with your bland observations and sardonic wit, nor assume anything about me or my business.

In truth, I do not care about the wall. Myrkentown has needed proper defensive fortifications for some time; now it has them. Of that I approve. I approve also of the swiftness with which it was constructed, if not entirely with the means of its construction, but I know no other way for it to be done so swiftly and surely. It has saved us considerable time and manpower.

In addition, I do not care that Duke Tassnehof is riding in the streets of Myrkentown with his wife and daughter and two hundred of his finest, with or without our official permission. I do not care that he possesses five thousands more soldiers a day's ride north, waiting his pleasure. And, finally, I will continue not to care unless he takes any direct aggressive action against us, which I highly doubt he will.

What I care about, Calomel -- what concerns me most -- is your total lack of regard for your fellow Councilors and their opinions.

Due to your legal finagling, you are a part of the Judiciary Council, the ruling body of Myrken Wood -- a part of it, not above it. As Governor, you are at best the first among equals. At the moment your signature puts laws into effect -- but the Judiciary Council creates the law, and executes it. As High Constable, it is your duty to ensure that any laws the Judiciary Council passes into effect are enforced. In addition, any plans for the town, province, or any part of Myrken Wood are to be considered and subsequently ratified by the Judiciary Council, not approved on the whim of one man, whether or not they are in the best interests of the province and its peoples. Hence why it is called a Council, and not a dictatorship.

Are we clear, Calomel?

If not, then you should resign immediately.

Sincerely,
Aston Jylan Aldred
Lord of Aldred
Councilor of Defence & Civil Security[/indent]

[channe]

The next morning, a party from Calomel's farm makes its normal sally off to town; there are narrowed eyes, disbelieving talk, and then, finally, Piotr, who is driving the cart, calls the animals pulling it to a halt, Giertruda swears for the first time, and Dominik steps forward, shading his eyes.

"... you have *got* to be kidding me."

[Jirai]

To Cinnabar Calomel, Governor and High Constable

Governor Calomel,

I had a missive penned to inform you that I was having trouble procuring all of the stone that would be necessary for the construction of a wall. I now see that this is no longer needed.

Regards,
Rondeau Spier, Councilor for Trade and Commerce

[Cinnabar]

To Aston Jylan Aldred, Councillor for Defence and Civil Security

Councillor Aldred

That you hold my regard as being of greater importance than the thousands of foreign troops present on Myrken soil is flattering, but perhaps misguided given your position as Councillor for Defence and Civil Security. Surely concern over such matters is central to your duties? I am also heartened by your immense confidence that the Duke has only peaceful intentions in depositing an army on our doorstep, in addition to copious building materials suitable for the construction of fortifications; however - and I apologise in advance - I had assumed that your business included taking precautions against the possibility that his intentions are not amiable? Waiting until he has taken direct action against us seems somewhat short-sighted.

In any case, I greatly look forward to hearing your complaints, opinions and justifications at great length during this Friday's meeting of the Judiciary Council, to be held at the interim Government offices - the converted warehouse building next to the Constabulary's headquarters, rather than the old premises on Haberdashers Row - at which I shall do my best not to insult your intelligence.

Sincerely

Cinnabar Calomel

--*--

To Vanidor Goldenhair, Councillor for Agriculture

Councillor Goldenhair

My thanks for your good news regarding the state of the granaries and foodstocks; this is a great comfort to me, and as winter approaches I have no doubt it will be of similar comfort to the people of Myrken Wood.

I am assured that neither the defences currently in place nor any of the future defences planned will interfere with your traditional means of travel; this in mind, I look forward to seeing you at the meeting of the Judiciary Council at the interim Government offices - the converted warehouse building next to the Constabulary premises - this Friday. The Artificer for Government Works will be in attendance, and will hopefully be able to answer any questions or address any concerns you might have regarding her projects.

Sincerely

Cinnabar Calomel

--*--

To Rondeau Spier, Councillor for Trade and Commerce

Councillor Spier

My thanks nonetheless for your sterling efforts in obtaining stone for Myrken's building projects; please do not dispose of that which you have managed to procure just yet, as there are other projects which will find quantities of masonry equally useful.

In the meantime, I would be glad of your presence at the meeting of the Judiciary Council at the interim Government offices - the converted warehouse building next to the Constabulary premises - this Friday.

Sincerely

Cinnabar Calomel

--*--

To Aloisius Treadwell, Councillor for Administrative Sanctions

Councillor Treadwell

I hope your trip to Westenford was pleasant and productive, and that you did not face too many arduous duties while there; unfortunately I cannot say the same of Myrken Wood, as there are a number of issues that need to be discussed and so I fear I must ask for your attendance at that most arduous of duties, a meeting of the Judiciary Council this Friday November 2nd. I hope this will not prove too soon after travelling back from Amasynia, but there is a certain urgency to matters that forbids me from delaying this meeting any more than is absolutely necessary.

This gathering will be held at in the meeting-room at the interim Government offices, with which you are already well-acquainted, and I shall endeavour to ensure that adequate refreshments are provided to restore you after your long journey.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely

Cinnabar Calomel

[Treadwell]

The letter to Treadwell will be delivered to his mansion estate with all due haste. . . and will sit there on his desk 'til his return to Myrken Wood from his hometown of Westenford on Friday morning. Too soon after his traveling home?

Certainly!