Blackwater
Veteran
January 25, 1421
Dear Baron Delinardus:
It was wonderful to receive your last letter from you, and I'm glad to hear that your wife recovered from that nasty cold. The winters here in Zendar aren't nearly as chilly as further north, though we have had a few days where frost has coated the ground. It's indescribable how gorgeous the canals look with a fine layer of ice on them. However, I must say that I do prefer the warmer weather down here, as I've never enjoyed the winter, and it's a welcome change not to have to wrap myself in furs just to buy dinner.
Kivana and I have settled into our new home with few problems. We didn't have many belongings to begin with, so the mansion looks fairly empty at the moment, but thanks to the treasure we brought back from the New World, buying furniture has not been an issue. Rather, the problem has come from deciding where to put everything with so much space. In the end, we settled on decorating it with some of the less valuable treasures I recovered from the New World, and a couple of tapestries and rugs have rounded out the rest of the decor. Kivana's handmaiden, Vladimira, has been invaluable in this regard, and I do feel a bit guilty that her room is somewhat smaller than ours. She does not seem to mind, however, as she mentioned that it was far preferable to sleeping on the streets.
Our work has also gone rather well. Kivana has begun rehearsing for her part in "Helgerad and Kara," and though she's only part of the choir to start, her conductor has mentioned that once she has more practice, her roles will expand. She has talent, but she lacks experience, and that can only be achieved with time.
As for myself, I have found myself rather enjoying working at the museum that the Doge set up. It's run by a former professor from the University of Jalkele, whom I think you would rather like. He's gruff, but a natural leader who keeps us in line, which I reluctantly acknowledge to be a necessity. He's ensured that we don't just study anything that we desire, and instead has us grouped by our specialties. As I'm sure you've guessed, my own specialty is linguistics. Which, of course, means that I've actually spent very little time interacting with the same treasures I collected from the New World, save for those that have any writing on them.
Which brings me to the diary that you sent me from the ruins of Uxkhal. You claim that your men found it behind a loose brick in the old keep? I must confess, I'd have never thought to look there, though in my own excursions to the ruins as a boy, I did not exactly press every brick in the ruins in the hopes of finding some hidden treasure. That would, however, also explain how remarkably well-preserved it is, with the pages only slightly yellowed and no real signs of damage to it. I congratulate your men on working so hard to ensure that it wasn't damaged in the trip to Zendar, though I must confess that I'm a little curious as to why you didn't have it sent to the University of Praven instead. Not that I'm not grateful, mind you!
The translation itself was not particularly difficult. Aside from some idioms, spelling, and grammar, the language we speak today and the language this was written are not very different. The tongue this diary is written in is closer to Ancient Calradian, while our tongue has more Nordic, Vaegir, and Sarranid phrases added to it thanks to greater interaction with those cultures over the centuries, mostly due to trade and warfare. However, were I to present the diary to you in its raw form, you would likely be able to understand it, albeit with some difficulty.
I also understand that you would like some context as to the setting of this diary. I would be more than happy to do so. After the fall of the Calradian Empire, the successor state with the greatest power was Swadia, the only nation that could truly be called an heir to the Calradian Empire. For several centuries, it controlled the present-day Nordic lands, Rhodoks, western Vaegirs, and parts of the Sarranid desert. However, as the Calradian Empire collapsed, the Khergits of the east made inroads into Swadian territory, leading to rapid fracturing as Swadia struggled to balance a dwindling economy with an army large enough to fight the Khergit invaders. To the north, the Nords violently erupted into an independent faction, as they had never truly been considered part of the Swadian population, since they had their own culture and beliefs. The Swadian Empire, therefore, dwindled until all it held were its present-day territories with the exception of Tihres, and present-day Rhodoks. The latter, however, eventually also rebelled in a violent war of independence. Swadia fought ruthlessly to suppress this rebellion, as Rhodoks had always been considered by the Swadians to be their own people. However, the strains of a collapsing empire proved to be too much for the Swadians, and eventually they had to begrudgingly grant the Kingdom of Rhodoks its independence.
The borders of the Calradian nations remained fairly stable until about the mid-thirteenth century, when adventurers and nobles began to war with a ferocity not seen since the Calradian Empire was founded. This period is collectively known by historians as the Unification Wars - an ironic name, since Calradia never came close to being reunified. For their part, Swadia wanted to re-establish itself as the seat of a pan-Calradian empire, despite the fact that it had only a fraction of the strength it had enjoyed following the collapse of its empire. In particular, it sought to reunite with the Kingdom of Rhodoks and form a super-state that could potentially have the power to conquer the region once more. For a time, the Swadians were unable to mount a successful invasion of Rhodoks due to pressures from other nations, particularly the Nords to the north and the Vaegirs to the east. However, the two powers that gave Swadia so much trouble finally turned on each other, allowing Swadia to consolidate its forces and turn their attention to the south. In 1265, King Harlaus II declared war on Rhodoks, beginning what history would come to know as the 13 Years' War.
The war began with a Swadian invasion from Vyincourd Castle that swept south towards Veluca. On the open plains, the Rhodoks infantry was outmatched by the speed and power of the Swadian heavy cavalry, and in short order, the Swadians had managed to capture Ergellon and Grunwalder Castles, and the surrounding territories, in only a year and a half. Shortly after this, they laid siege to Veluca, and within four months the city had fallen. The Rhodoks were taken aback by how swiftly the Swadians had manged to defeat their forces and retreated deeper into their territory, setting up a defensive position in the region outside of Jelkala, or present-day Jalkele. Here, the Swadian army began razing nearby farmlands and villages, but thanks to the defenses set up by the Rhodoks forces, the Swadians were unable to cross the nearby river to capture the capital of Jelkala. Thus, the invasion was stalled.
To the west, the Rhodoks infantry began to have much more success. Western Rhodoks was much more rocky and mountainous, and the Swadian heavy cavalry was unable to move as surely as they did in the lowlands. While they suffered no outright defeats, at least for a time, the western invasion only barely managed to capture Culmarr Castle after a protracted campaign, and they were finally halted at Maras Castle. This was where the Swadians began to run into the same problems that had plagued them during their earlier campaigns. Swadian cavalry is powerful, but also very expensive, and the soldiers that comprised it had to be heavily trained and provided with expensive armor and horses to be effective. When the assault on Rhodoks lost its momentum, Swadia found itself unable to fund such large forces from plunder. Rhodoks realized this and dug their heels in, turning the fight into a war of attrition. Because Rhodoks was on the defensive and fielding largely peasant infantry armed with crossbows and spears, they would be able to outlast the Swadians in a protracted campaign.
As the war dragged on, the Swadians became increasingly desperate. They were able to achieve brief victories at Maras Castle in 1271 and the Battle of Reveran in 1272. But as the coffers of the Swadian army began to run dry, the Rhodoks were able to maintain their own funds through naval trade. The Swadian navy was unable to establish an effective blockade along the Rhodoks coastline, and at this point the Rhodoks and Sarranids were on at least neutral terms, so trade flowed freely between the two nations. With the advantage in coin finally swinging their way, the Rhodoks began to push back against the invaders, starting with a campaign in the west. The Rhodoks first reclaimed Culmarr Castle in 1273, and from here cut off trade to Maras Castle, forcing the Swadians to surrender that territroy and at Haringoth Castle, which the Rhodoks forces laid siege to. With their military spread too thin, the Swadians pulled back to defend their territory, and the Rhodoks quickly recaptured Veluca and Grunwalder Castle. Ergellon fell in 1275, and Haringoth suddenly became the crucial turning point of the war. Seeing this, King Harlaus rode to personally lead the fight against Rhodoks. Without his tactical acumen, however, the Rhodoks rode north from Ergellon, and in 1276 the Rhodoks force laid siege to Uxkhal, leading to one of the most legendary sieges in history.
This is the world in which the author of this diary lived, and while translating this, I was granted new insight into the way they viewed their own circumstances, as well as some of the political occurrences that took place during the siege. What you found, Your Grace, is essentially a treasure trove of information that may well redefine how we view this siege. I cannot emphasize enough how invaluable this is to our history, and it was a personal honor for me to work on it, being a son of Aldeburgh myself. Enclosed you will find notes that comprise the translated version of the diary. Once again, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to translate this for you, and I do hope you'll look to me in the future should you find anything else like this.
Sincerely Yours,
Isen of Aldeburgh
