Pride of the Marches

Overview

Last summit the Imperial Conclave accepted a Boon of Finding from the eternal Kimus. Raewynn Farkas, on behalf of the Silver Chalice, directed them to seek out the Vorpal Sword of Tom Drake, the first general of the Marcher army and one of the founders of the Imperial Military Council. The heralds of the Thousand Eyes have completed their search and informed the Empire where the relic - the weapon that struck down the tyrant boyar Alderei the Fair - is to be found.

Pride In Small Things, Loyalty to Great Things

Tom Drake is a complex figure; the general of the Marches who is credited with winning the Cousin's War for the nascent Empire, uniting the fractious Marches as the nation it is today, being the first general of the Drakes army, leading the war against Alderei the Fair, shaping the formation of the Imperial Military Council. An impressive legacy.

He was known to be a master of several weapons, favouring both the sword and the bill. In his final confrontation with the tyrant-boyar Alderei, the battle that cost him his life, he wielded a Vorpal Sword crafted for him by his wife Amanda. While he ultimately died, he killed the Varushkan general before his wounds claimed his life. He was returned to his beloved Redstone and was buried beneath the apple trees of Tom's Orchard beside generations of ancestors and descendants.

The eyes of Kimus are sent out to find that sword, wielded in that final battle, and that ultimately slew Alderei the Fair. It takes them surprisingly little time to locate it.

It has been nearly four centuries, but the line of Tom Drake still lives in Redstone, on the very same farmland that the general worked. William Drake is a respected Yeoman, a participant in the political pageantry of Anvil during the time of Empress Britta, now retired.

Tom Drake's vorpal sword hangs above the fireplace in his front room.

The Blade of Tom Drake

The sword is an heirloom of Drake's descendants - passed down from parent to child through the long centuries since his death. It is without doubt the legal property of William Drake, and his to do with as he wishes.

He seems surprised at the interest in the weapon. “It's a sturdy enough blade,” he says, “but you can buy its like in any market in the Empire near enough.”

The weapon is not an artefact. It has had it's potency restored a handful of times since Drake's death, usually by family members. It was last wielded in battle in 349YE during the final fight against the Jotun in the Mournwold. When the territory was lost, William's mother hung it up and it has not been taken down since.

William does concede that it is not just an old family relic. “Anyone who holds it knows their duty,” he says grudgingly. “They remember what matters, and what they have to do about it.” He is however not interested in a trail of people tramping through his front room wanting to prod and poke at the family heirloom. He makes it clear that anyone who tries to trespass on his time or that of his family will be given short shrift “be they archmage or Empress, they best remember that every yeoman is the master of his own fields.”

A Civil Tongue

William Drake is not a fool, however. He knows that the Imperial Conclave would not have sent Kimus' agents to find his ancestor's sword without a vested interest in recovering it. He's prepared to bend a little, if the Empire wants it. But not the Conclave. William Drake does not trust the Conclave. What he does trust is the Marches, and the Imperial Military Council that his many-times-great grandfather helped create.

He wants two things before he is prepared to surrender the heirloom blade. He wants the Imperial Synod to recognise his ancestor as an exemplar of Pride, and the Imperial Senate to reinstate a group called Drakes Drummers.

Drakes Legacy

He wants to see Tom Drake recognised as an exemplar of Pride. “Tom Drake was never ashamed a day in his life, and he knew well that words or deeds alone were never enough.” He's somewhat skeptical that the Imperial Synod is sensible enough to see the merit in this however. So to encourage them he asks that the Imperial Senate, the Minister of Historical Research, or the Lepidean Librarian commission historical research into the life and history of Tom Drake. Once that's done, he's confident the assembly of Pride will do the right thing.

Drakes Drummers

The Drummers were a tradition within the Marcher armies that started with the Drakes. They were veteran soldiers who actively gathered support for the Drakes - and eventually the other Marcher army - at every opportunity. Recognisable by the traditional drums they used, and by the tattoo of the army sigil that they generally wore on their forearms, they represented a solemn calling.

Their duties were threefold. Firstly, they recruited new soldiers from the youth of the Marches, regularly attending fairs and market days to beat their drums and proselytise about the benefits of joining the army. They often organised contests of physical prowess or cunning, with small prizes for the winners who were also the main targets of their recruitment pitches. The Drakes want the best, after all.

The problem was that these practices continued even when the Drakes were billeted in foreign nations, and were occasionally a source of friction for the Marchers. The Constitution guarantees that anyone who serves two years as part of an Imperial army will receive "50 acres of land or equivalent wealth or property" at the end of their service. While sounding out those they thought would make good additions to the Marches, the Drummers often found a receptive ear among disaffected youth. And they were good at it - almost everyone recruited by a Drummer went on to become a Marcher citizen. That didn't always sit well with well-to-do folk in other nations. The Navarr might help those already searching for another place in the Empire, the Drummers were accused of poaching the best and the brightest with promises of a better life in the army and afterwards.

Within the army itself they were seen as exemplars of solid Marcher virtue. No matter how far from home the soldiers of the Drakes travelled, the Drummers made sure that they remembered where they came from. Traditionally, every Drummer carried a sack of Marcher soil and a pouch of seeds with them. Wherever the Drakes fought, they made a point of using that earth to plant some of those seeds, creating a corner of every battlefield where Marcher soldiers have shed blood that is in some way part of the Marches.

Not everyone approved of the Drummers. They were not shy about using their drums to ensure their service was for the good of the Marches. They would soon let their general know if they thought their army was off on campaign when it should be at home fighting threats to the Marches. And if that didn't work, they were adept at turning a bit of rough music into a larger heap of trouble for those that directed the Empire's wars. A lot of folks in the Military Council were not sorry to see the back of the Drummers when they fell out of favour.

All of this sounds good to the Marchers... but the other nations disagreed. In particular, the Drummers received a special stipend from the Senate to help fund their activities. Small as it was, that stipend was easy for their critics to paint as a frivolous expenditure, and so in the reign of Empress Mariika it was abrogated. The Drummers continued to do their best for the next few decades but in the face of opposition and criticism, they eventually hung up their drums. The Marchers are less proud for their lack, says William.

Drake's Due

The current custodian of the sword wants the Drummers - and what he calls Drake's Due - reinstated. This would require a Senate motion and would permanently increase the cost to support the Drakes by 5 thrones each season.

If this were done, the Drummers would be reinstated. This would permanently change the quality of the Drakes to Pride of the Marches.

Inspired, and supported by the Drummers, it would mean the billet order would be available across the Marches rather than just in Mitwold and Upwold - the Drummers were always keen on encouraging their fellow Marchers to support soldiers whether of their own nation or any other, knowing the benefit of allies.

Pride of the Marches

The Drakes are beloved across the Marches, seen as exemplars of the nations Pride and Loyalty. They have expert logistical support, able to quickly distribute resources and assign new soldiers, even while under attack. The Marchers who join the army are doggedly committed to their cause, so that soldiers who are so badly hurt they would normally be decommissioned fight to be allowed to rejoin their units. Young folk from across the Marches want to join the Drakes, and with the aid of the Drummers, they are given every opportunity to do so. Indeed, even while resting in other nations, the Drakes attract young people who want to fight in Tom Drake's army, and ultimately become Marchers themselves.

Regalia

Regardless of what happens, WIlliam is only prepared to pass the sword to the general of the Drakes. Specifically, he will only hand it over if the Senate (or the new Benefactor of Regalia) make it part of the generals regalia. “The only other folk who have any right to call themselves Tom Drake's heirs,” he says, “are the soldiers of the army he loved near as much as his family.”

This could be done as part of the same motion that reinstated Drake's Due, given it is dependent on that decision. It would however only take effect once historical research regarding Tom Drake had been published, or the Synod had declared the Marcher general an exemplar of Pride. Until then, William Drake will not part with the sword.

Further Reading

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