..Report on the Status of the Provinces of the Empire - Summer 640 MR
Compiled by Scout-Master Helena of Dars of the Dasarian 1st Legion: Draconis
As was anticipated, the Canites continue their focus on solidifying their hold on the Western Empire rather than forcing their way East and engaging the threat of the Province of Dasaria. Old Varana appears firmly in their grasp, though there is evidence of significant movements refugees north, east and south out of the province, and a vicious purge of unbelievers is said to be well under way.
Rumor comes from the West that the Iron Throne has declared all Dusericians and their descendants to be a blessed people, and the laws are being restructured to grant them favorable treatment for their longstanding support of the "True Lord God Emperor, Canas." That said, there seems to be no real resistance to Canite rule in the Province. The citizens of Old Varana have fully embraced the new Canite heresy. Within the Legions, however, there are persistent complaints of high desertion rates, and mandatory service is being implemented. To where and what flag these soldiers are purported to be deserting, little has been said.
New Varana is said to be a boiling cauldron of open rebellion against the Iron Throne, led by their Regional Prefartri and the Elders of the Dwarven Clans. They have declared their loyalty first to Lochwar, and somewhat more grudgingly to the legitimate heir of the Dairamik Dynasty, Elias Marcusson, Princeps Siril II, and his mother Nelina, Empress-Regent by marriage and treaty. The fighting there is merciless and no holds barred. It is the expert opinion of this scout that New Varana can hold but six more months at best. If Arkang falls, their one remaining major seaport and connection to the outside world, their holdfast will be measured in days, not months. As it stands, the anti-Canite holdouts in New Varana are concentrated in the Vars valley. The Great Valley has all but fallen to the Canites, save Safehold, which appears to be ready to fight to the last.
The situation in Dars is more nuanced. Caphsta-Oelm is firmly in Canite hands, but due to the tribal nature of the Darish people, no clear authority controls the province. The Darish tribes are said to have splintered along three axes. The first bears loyalty to the Empire, the second loyalty to the traditional goddesses (Ioasia and Ineania), and the third axis is between the traditional tribes and settled tribes. Only the most general trends can be ascertained. Those loyal to the goddesses are almost always anti-Canite, but complicated internal tribal workings and old family feuds poorly understood by outsiders underpin the entire society. While this means there is no centrally organized resistance against Canite rule, there is no real central control of the province by the Canites either.
The only constant seems to be the Canites' relentless push to forge Marcus' Great East-West Highway across the hostile desert that separates Dasaria from the Eastern Provinces. Once the project was hoped to be the Emperor's immortal legacy, conceived by the greatest of his Imperial Engineers and executed by his most powerful Geomancers. Now, it is dug mainly by slaves and mindless undead with bare hands and crude tools. Still, day by day it inches ever closer to the Whitesand Wastes, threatening to form a great conduit down which Marcus' armies can pour into the East. It would be best to consider Dars a hostile no-man's-land for now, and any messengers or convoys should be routed well around Caphsta-Oelm. I would also encourage efforts to be undertaken to disrupt the construction of this new highway with any forces we can spare.
The Province of Rell continues to stand against the Canites, though they have been slowly losing ground and are being pushed father South. This has come as a surprise to most, seeing how the province raised its banners for the Canite Heresy in the last conflict. From what has been gathered by our sources, the Canites took a similar track in attempting to conquer Rell as they took in Dasaria, first by reinforcing the monstrous tribes secretly and then more open and overt acts. This led to a more solidified resistance against the Canites. Further, Governor Vittorio D'Alla, upon hearing about the usurpation of the Emperor by Canas, rounded up any and all persons rumored or accused of having Canite sympathies and executed them, regardless of rank or station. While in many cases this may have created further rebellion, the fact that the first person to be executed was the Governor's own beloved son undercuts much of the rebelliousness, as the Governor is now viewed sympathetically. This does not change the fact that these purges have killed thousands of Rellians, many of whom may be innocent, and is setting a dangerous tone for the war in that province.
It is hard to get any news of Iryrod, as it is so far out from the rest of the Empire. That said, from what has been gathered it seems the elven isle continues to remain free of the Canite heresy, and all battles involving it are at sea. It seems the Canites are content merely to bottle up Iryrod, rather than outright conquer it at this time.
Duseric is being rebuilt and repopulated with the staunchest of Canite supporters. As noted, the laws have been changed to favor those from that province and vast sums of gold are being poured into the province to rebuild it. Only a few scout reports managed to come back from the province, as it is so firmly under Canite control there is no single sympathetic person there to our side. The reports that did come back indicate that vast armories and war-works are being constructed to supply the Canite armies, as well as new impressive estates that serve as rewards to those who serve well in the name of Canas.
submitted by Peregrinus
Edits by Sanguinity, Shade, and Wired