This one went up late, so it got no FB ad.

In the first draft of this page, we spelled out what I’m not sure is implicit here: the positions in the east are hillier terrain and in theory easier to defend. But Byron’s knowledge of the soldiers’ psychology paints a different and more accurate picture. His fight for adventurers’ rights is still paying dividends, in a way he never expected. As we’ve seen, soldiers are often just adventurers who opted for a little more structure in their lives.

Penk continues to take the measure of his allies, as he deems necessary. He knows Byron can’t be thrilled about having to kill fellow humans…”I don’t like anyone killing their own kind,” Byron said a couple of lifetimes ago. Penk is compassionate enough to understand that, having lost trolls on the battlefield. And he’s insightful enough to see that Byron’s nevertheless committed to the cause.