Stories I Found
November 25th, 2025
Behind Enemy Lines
Dear Readers,
Hello all! I have unfortunately been pretty sick over the past couple of weeks. It seems the lingering head cold that I mentioned turned in to a sinus infection. I am on my last day of antibiotics as this is sent out, and I am feeling much better. Modern medicine is wonderful. I have been able to start the job search process and have sent out multiple applications. Here’s hoping for good news. I also attended a networking event with BayState IO and got to spend time with wonderful professionals in my field. I am also looking forward to traveling to Maine for Thanksgiving with my in-laws for some much needed rest.
My sickness has made writing tricky over the past couple of weeks. However, I was able to complete Chapter 18 late last night. That said, I hope to get more writing completed in the next two weeks then I did in the past two. We shall see what we shall see.
This Week’s Chapter
This week, we continue the story of Ulrich and Acretia in Chapter 6. We dive into the action of the war, seeing the planning and execution of a mission to learn about Acretia’s war plans.
Like all wars historical and fictional, information plays an important role in Irrkengrond’s struggle against Acretia. I think that both Ulrich and Acretia know this and both take actions to gain the upper hand in the information sphere of the war. Similarly, both Ulrich and Acretia are skilled war planners and commanders, so I wanted to give them both a chance to show that off in this chapter as well as the next. We also get to see certain characters deal with grief, a inevitable consequence of war.
I have fewer deep philosophical notes for this chapter. It is an important part of the story as it advances the events of the narrative but it functions primarily as set up for broader points that get emphasized and driven home in Chapter 7. The main take away of this chapter is that war will always take something from you, even when you plan and prepare as well as you possibly can. Loss is an ever present reality in war. To engage in it, is to make a statement of what you are willing to lose for whatever you are fighting for.
Please feel free to share these newsletters with other people you think may be interested, and leave comments on the chapters!
“Chapter 6: Thinker’s Gorge
Ulrich passed word of his meeting with the Lady on to Devlos and his superiors. Indeed, even the wisest among them was unsure as to what to make of the meeting, for the war seemed not to change, even after such a strange occurrence. Stranger still did the meeting appear when in the coming weeks of the war the council found that Acretia could not be found anywhere on the front line of the war as was her custom. In her absence, the war proceeded in a sluggish fashion, the forces of Kilkretha content to wage a brutal war of attrition. Their encroachment upon the walls of Irrkengrond crept ever closer but slowed without Acretia.
Tera-ta-sata ruled well in peace and his virtue was upheld in war. His wisdom disposed him to listen well to his advisors, trusting the words of Devlos…”
Something Extra!
This weeks something extra is the first book recommendation for the news letter! Island of Ghosts by Gillian Bradshaw is a favorite of both Aubri and I. A wonderful piece of historical fiction set in Roman Britain, the narrative follows the Sarmatian Prince Ariantes. He and his men have been sent to Britain as part of a peace agreement with the Romans. They are out of their element, away from home, and navigating a complex political environment. The book deals heavily with questions related to cultural identity, personal belonging, and how one caries their values into a new place. All together it is a great read that I highly recommend.
