Pirate's Swoop - Late July
Excerpt of a private letter from Baron Charles of Pirate's Swoop to Jonathan of Conte, King of Tortall, written in late July:
...along the coast, but the same thing could probably be done with scrying if you can guarantee enough mages at each keep. With your permission, I'll talk to George about it the next time he's here or sooner. The reinforcement of the outer wall is not something I want to leave until winter, but it will be the least vulnerable time for it and will give the researchers at the university time to come up with a Tortallan version of the Earth materials needed for the extra reinforcement of the wall.
Like I said in my official letter, the pirates have overlooked us so far this summer. The way the outer wall is situated makes us still look run down from the sea and the village is only a quarter full. Considering their limited resources, we're not worth the probable financial outcome of the raid. I don't see that lasting more than a few months, but by then the weather will work in our favor. By next pirating season, I'll have the core of the Swoop guard trained and ready to defend the village as well as the Swoop itself. People need to know their homes will be protected so they feel comfortable putting everything they have into making a place for themselves here. If the numbers are right, I'll have a specific unit of the guard prepared trained in special tactics for coastal incursions. I've attached an outline of the unit I'm talking about.
There's also the first draft of the third chapter of the army covert operations manual enclosed. The fourth is a work in progress, but I was thinking...
[Open for letters]
...along the coast, but the same thing could probably be done with scrying if you can guarantee enough mages at each keep. With your permission, I'll talk to George about it the next time he's here or sooner. The reinforcement of the outer wall is not something I want to leave until winter, but it will be the least vulnerable time for it and will give the researchers at the university time to come up with a Tortallan version of the Earth materials needed for the extra reinforcement of the wall.
Like I said in my official letter, the pirates have overlooked us so far this summer. The way the outer wall is situated makes us still look run down from the sea and the village is only a quarter full. Considering their limited resources, we're not worth the probable financial outcome of the raid. I don't see that lasting more than a few months, but by then the weather will work in our favor. By next pirating season, I'll have the core of the Swoop guard trained and ready to defend the village as well as the Swoop itself. People need to know their homes will be protected so they feel comfortable putting everything they have into making a place for themselves here. If the numbers are right, I'll have a specific unit of the guard prepared trained in special tactics for coastal incursions. I've attached an outline of the unit I'm talking about.
There's also the first draft of the third chapter of the army covert operations manual enclosed. The fourth is a work in progress, but I was thinking...
[Open for letters]