Ah, but history is a many-headed beast, is it not? And so the Kenaran princess calls me a demon. And yet, I would proceed in peace, where possible. I have made contact with her people. Those in the foothills seem amenable to a peaceful resolution. It is unfortunate I know so little of the Kenarans. There is a lord in the the greater Yxer valley who claims to hold power over his people. However he must make it happen, I told him, I want the iron and wood--my access to those resources must be absolute. I will do what I must to secure it.

I am waiting now in Tarasein for the snow to melt in the north. Once the spring thaws come I will make my move. Already, I have troops scouting the mountains. The rest of my army rests on the north coast. I am eager to go. This will be my second campaign, but the first I will command without the aid of my good general, who will remain in Ilaria as regent while I am gone. I know so little of the mountains. Albicar, my chancellor, has dismissed the region as a savage backwater. And yet, Dymas's allusions to the country in his Chronicles, however scarce, are compelling. A land of ice and granite, he called it. Most historians dismiss his skirmish in Kenar as a mistake born of pride, that it was foolish and excessive to follow the fleeing princess. And yet, in some small measure, I feel he glimpsed... something there, that drove him on. I do not know what happened, but I intend to find out. I dream of the place often. There is something that waits for me, too. I feel it here, in my heart.

It is hard to imagine the cold mountains when the I am warmed by the sun and cooled only by a wandering breeze, carrying with it the scent of the sea and the cry of seagulls. Tarasein is my mother's legacy, bequeathed to me. It was her city, and though Demetras and the others do not think it proper I stay here, and my father himself refuses to return, I find myself reluctant to leave for the dark, stifling walls of Ilaria. Even Damion, though he will not say it, Galanda bless him, does not understand why I remain. I see it in his eyes, questioning me, as he patiently waits for us to return to the homeland. But it his homeland, more than mine. I am half-blooded. They forget it, or choose to overlook it, but I am proud of my mother's heritage. Tarasein teems with life, such as Ilaria has never seen nor, I suspect, ever will. Here, the ports bring in travelers from as far as the Outer Isles, and with them, tales of more distant lands wash ashore. Here, my mother's library holds books in languages I've never encountered; nor, unfortunately, have I found scholars who can read it.

There, see? I have rambled on for too long. Damion is quick to scold me when I have, though more often he is devoted enough to endure my lectures. Still, it would do him some good to learn of history. He too often thinks only of the here and now.

[This message has been edited by annepin (edited August 30, 2008).]

What is your wife like? Does she counsel you in your decisions? Do you trust her judgment?

My relationship with my father is troubled, though I try my best to honor him. The doctors say his animus is diffuse and seeping away slowly. The Oracle claims such is the fate of those who linger on after they have fulfilled their destiny--as he did when he fathered me. Still, I believe it is grief that kills him slowly. He speaks often of my mother, who died bearing me, and it is because he fears her ghost that he will not return to Tarasein.

I am the emperor selected by Usia herself. It hardly matters that my father is still alive. He ruled as regent until I turned 14, but by then, he was already too ill, and his adviser Albicar, now my chancellor, acted in his stead.

What is your wife like? Does she counsel you in your decisions? Do you trust her judgment?

Jeyna has the grace and beauty of Veroa, the acumen of Panthara, and, Galanda have mercy on me, the will of Usia. She is, in every way, an empress. She will represent my interests while I am on campaign. And though she has a different vision for Ilaria, given time, she will see things as I do.

What do you think of Damion? Is he your friend? Are you his friend?

Concerning the campaign, which do you value most: Glory on the battlefield, or strategic capture of the resources in the Northern lands?

Do you anticipate interference by the Kenarans during your invasion of Tarasien? Why or why not? And how much would it hinder you if the Kenarans were to supply aid to the Tarasiens?

The answer to your choice, surely, is both. In strategic capture lies the most glory. The god of war is not the only god I worship, nor the most important, though the soldiers would convince you otherwise. I do not worship him blindly, only calling on him when the need arises. There is Panthara, too, the goddess of conquest and acquisition. Why take by force that which would more easily be taken peacefully It is Usia's will to see a land united under Ilaria's rule. She has provided to me the blood of men; it does not mean she is eager to see it spilled.