A note from the Editor:

This work may never see widespread publication. It may only ever be read by scholars, tucked away in the dark corners of libraries and scriptoriums, far from the light of the public's eye. But it is a worthwhile read for those interested in the subject matter, a glimpse into the minds of some of the key actors and otherwise silent and inconsequential spear carriers.

There are far more authoritative works on the Westmarch War, such as Nasha Ahmedu's exhaustive seventy-six volume work on all of the minutiae of the campaign. There are far more readable (albeit fictionalized and sensationalized) publications, such as Nabil Hussaina's popular history tale. But all of them tell this story at second- and third-hand. This is a collection drawn from the first- hand accounts, brought together to shed light on the lesser-seen portions of the conflict. The human (and orcish!) side of the war. The day-to-day living and hidden thoughts behind some of the most well-known names. They show the people, not the personas. Some of them I have had the privilege and honor to know, others I only met through the writing they left behind.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Given that some of the source material is so intensely personal and never intended for others to read, much less general publication, my hands are bound in some cases to not reveal everything. Such is the cost for peeking into the private journals of people and re-printing sections of the material contained within. Other sources, such as Chronicler Vian's Logs, are also bogged down by the bookkeeping trivia endemic to their positions. For the sake of readability, and not boring you, the reader, onto death, I have also omitted those sections.

Of the materiel I both can place into this work, and what I have deemed worthy of inclusion, I have arranged by chronological date. This places all of the events into their proper sequence, at the cost of jumping about the region in question like a deranged hare. I have tried to place related or geographically close entries together to minimize this effect, but sometimes these jumps are indeed unavoidable.

May you find this work in interesting, and perhaps fodder for thought and reflection.

Lady Ilelahne SiDabolo