Foreword,

Oh with what sweet relish I write these words once again. I fear, perhaps, I am taking too long with some events and not enough with others. It’s possible my own involvement at times has biased my perspective on the matter. A fair historian might argue that nothing prior to the revolution truly mattered, but that is a mere simplification. It breezes over what work and learning went into Lucius’ development. This is the sort of simpleton who thinks only the finished cannon is what matters, and not the various prototypes stained in sweat. Appropriate perhaps for shorthand, but not for this form of text.

The Misty Isles welcomed Lucius the way a pitcher plant welcomes insects. It allured with the weather, the sandy beaches and the plentiful fruits of tree and of sea. But not one day after he set foot upon the shores, the twin poisons of the land began their dire work. The first, the blight that was the Kuku Plant. Sticky with wax, intoxicating as smoke, and a direct stab to the ambition of all who partook of it. It was originally a ceremonial drug, for religious initiations, but a certain someone hybridized the plant with hemp. Even a half-brained fool could grow it after that. The Kuku plant made it near impossible to marshall the services of the locals. They didn’t revolt either, but as the drug oozed through the shadows, entire operations came to a halt.

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The second great foe he faced, worse even than tacit insubordination, was the island god, the incarnation of the mountain (whichever mountain happened to be closest), the rebellious bastard angel of Titania to the east. The very creature that spread the Kuku plant and whispered in the ears of wayward sailors. Umbra I knew her as, and for clarity I shall substitute this name for all instances of local contrivances.

Umbra was like a wolf caught once and still bearing the collar of domestication, but also the chewed through bit of leash. It chaffed at her neck. It stung in her heart and left her with both the fear of past failure, and a violent passion for revenge. So, she proved a greater foe than any godling Lucius had yet encountered. She was cunning in her hatred.

But, this is not just the story of violence. This is the time when Lucius proved his ability to lead people, not just soldiers. His restless pursuit of fine meddling to chase out corruption that could only be admired. And he did this with no small help from the women in his life. Including a second he had to win over, or kill.