The Lost Emperor's Highway (RONIN)

[ConcordantNexus]

The newly promoted sergeant took one last sip from his mug of frothing ale. Setting it down on the dark wooden table, he stood up and nodded politely to his fellow officers. Hopefully they'd be too bust drinking themselves to note that he'd barely touched the alcohol. Wouldn't do for an officer to be drunk on his first (or any other) watch.

"Jolly good of you all to arrange this little get together to congratulate me on my promotion,"he said just loud enough to be heard over the general murmur of conversation. "Alas I fear that I must now leave you and head on over to join my troop for my first patrol as a sargeant."

This last brought a ragged cheer and much spilling of beer as tankards were clumsily hoisted in the air to toast him. He slipped out of the Dead Barnabite and onto Naginata Street were he had to dodge between government officials, barristers and squads of the City Watch as he headed north.

Naginata Street's principal landmarks were the Dead Barnabite (a bar favoured by City Watch and other security types), the Civic Courthouse, the Escape Clause (a coffeehouse favoured by the lawyers from the courthouse), a medium-level security jail as well as numerous buildings belonging to the Ministry of Information.

The sergeant turned east when he reached Merchant's Promenade and walked for 3 blocks before turning north onto the Grand Boulevarde. By now what little ale he'd actually imbibed had been walked off.

[ConcordantNexus]

The sergeant had arrived in good time at the cavalry barracks just north of the Little Talingol neighbourhood. Little Talingol was a poor working class neighbourhood that nuzzled up to the road where the Lost Emperor's Highway became the Grand Boulevarde. Most of the population therein were refugees from the abandoned city of Talingol, happy to be living in a mostly safe city with work to be had and food to be earned by said gainful employment.

Other than a warren of hastily erected or renovated tenements and hovels, Little Talingol only had a couple of things in the way of landmarks: the military barracks on the northern-most edge of the neighbourhood, the Talingalese Bazaar and Our Lady of Talingol church. The bazzar was a large brick warehouse that contained a very active bazaar/flea market, that was already famous for reasonably cheap prices throughout the Metropolis. It stood in a little square, just off of the Grand Boulevarde right beside Our Lady of Talingol. Our Lady of Talingol was modest brick church dedicated to Isonia that catered exclusively to the spiritual needs of the Talingalese refugees.

At the main gates to the military complex, the newly promoted sergeant had to wait while the guards verified his papers before directing him to his quarters.

[ConcordantNexus]

Two hours later the sergeant was leading a troop of 20 light cavalry north along the stone-melded highway. They were lancers, equipped with long light lances, sabres and longswords. Their armour was lamellar, brandnew - which either suggested that this was a newly raised troop or that they'd recently been favoured by whatever pernicious godlings run Requisition and Supply.

The midday sun played peekaboo with the clouds high in the sky. A cold wind blew from the Northwest, getting colder as it crossed the Great River Constantine. The riders shivered in their bearskin cloaks. Milepost after milepost passed by.

[ConcordantNexus]

Foreign spies and scouts were reporting unusually high activity on the Lost Emperor's Highway to their various masters. Unusually strange too, instead of sending soldiers out from Imhabia - families of the various lords and ladies were heading IN to Imhabia. Various Isonian monasteries and religious orders were sending their records and relics under heavy guard to the capital. For some reason those merchants most closely aligned with the Ronin where hurriedly wrapping up accounts and contracts. In some cases even buying their way out of long contracts. Strange tidings indeed...

[Norgarth]

Lord Norgarth, Warden of Crossing, lead a large column of troops and wagons south along the Emperor's Highway. Their rate of travel had slowed from the first few days, they now travelled upon large section of the Highway which had fallen into disrepair.

Few patrols travelled this far from the large cities, but the bandit packs were not stupid enough to fight such an overpowering force. Most moved eastward, away from the river and (they hoped) far from the column's notice. Others, less given to thinking, remained, some even going so far as to claim the territories of thse who left. Most of these bands were eliminated by the rangers and scouts guarding the army's flanks.

Norgarth's aides and personal agents also accompanied the army. Lorianna, the elven sorceress, rode at the head of the assembled priests and mages. Torque, the alien catlike centaur, lead the rangers in their sweeps. The two saboteurs, Varag the Bogie and Velcrom the Leprechaun sat in an enchated cage in one of the wagons where they couldn't cause any mischief. Only Lucien Starshadow, Norgarths chief aide was not with them, as he was already in Imhaia making preparations.

[Norgarth]

Norgarth stalked through the remains of the bandit camp. With the disappearance of so many Ronin, a charismatic bandit chief had managed to amass what amounted to a small army of thieves and cutthroats which he led to terrorize the towns along the Emperor's highway. Norgarth , frustrated by his inability to locate either of the Jonins, had chosen to lead the force against these scum and work off his frustrations. It had worked quite well. The halfogre paused and looked over the wreakage of the 'fort' that acted as the headquarters of the bandits as his troops searched for and dispatched any of the lowlives who had survived.