The Bastion's Missive

"This is not a place of honor."
"But it is ours."
"Leave. Or die."

- Ilmira

Throughout Theolin's war for independence, there are several battles that are remarkable for being turning points. The battle of Harlan's Valley is known not only for the protracted battles that continued there off and on for more than half the war, but for it's very explosive end.
The Bastion's Missive refers to a declaration made by Ilmira after a decisive blow to Orelli forces in the valley. During the dry season, as the Theoli had pushed north again, Ilmira gave the order for all Theoli to withdraw to the edge of the tall grasses. They had previously established trenches there for use in future traps or shelter, but now relied on them to serve as a fire break.
Ilmira went into the grasses alone, and ignited them. The fire spread across the valley within the hour, and the Orelli forces were in a desperate retreat - first to the town they had occupied, and then beyond. As the sun set, Ilmira stood at the edge of the trenches, and signaled for the Theoli to be ready. At the moment of dark, Ilmira raised her hands, and extinguished the valley's fire.
In the ashes and charred remnants of the fields, the valley must have seemed a seamless dark bowl with the sky above. And that void provided an appropriate backdrop for the three lines of Ilmira's message - each word painted in lines of fire almost a mile high.
The commander of the Orelli forces, Ivayne Edrest, signaled the retreat as the last letter faded, and there was no more fighting in Harlan's Valley for the rest of the war. Though regrowth has begun, the valley is still uninhabited, and now known as the Scorched Fields.

Repercussions

The presentation of the missive contributed largely to the belief that Ilmira is more than human. The words vary in each retelling, until some say she presented an entire soliloquy and others say only a single word. But the method of the giving, the wildfire smothered in a gesture, the giant letters condemning fighting in the valley, are too remarkable to change.  
When Edrest first reported the reason for her withdrawal from the valley, she was presumed to have been drinking. It was only after every soldier present repeated the same story, and several scribes presented their copy of the missive, that Orellia's government believed the tale. Edrest, when informed her story was no longer doubted, responded with her suggestion that the Theoli should be allowed to claim their independence. It is a sign of the message's effect that she was not demoted.

Type

Text, Letter

Authors

• Ilmira Theosa