Tribune Today Dec 29th 2038

Time at Loxley has not been wasted, my aim to spread the truth and support the Woodland Forces in defiance of the Knox Empire is ongoing, but even I was not prepared for the encounters I would make during my five days here. Today I will continue on with the events of my second day, as I try to share a little of the life and times around Loxley with all of you.

Day Two. December 17^th 2038

Space on the page is my enemy, and I left yesterday having learned the truth from Meg, a new recruit to the Specialist forces of Lord Loxley. Meg had told us of the brave and selfless act done by Lee Sherman, one of the oldest friends of the Lox family, in a bid to save the lives of women, men and children at the city of Knox in Scarborough. It was distressing for my guest, and so we moved the subject away from the battle to one of life with the Specialists. Tell me what is it like being a new member of the group?
Meg appears to cheer up, her voice is actually very quiet, and she does appear quite slight and delicate, but after her earlier transcript, I think her bravery is beyond all of us. “I am settling in alright, it does feel a little strange as I have been living in the city for most of my life, so being here with all the space and trees in very new, but really special for me.”
What about the other members of the group? There are some very intimidating stories about them; do you feel safe being around them? Meg laughs for the first time.
“They are nothing like they have been portrayed when you get to know them. You must not believe all of the stories, I heard them before I met them, and to be honest I was really scared at first, but people exaggerate a lot of what they hear. They are a very close group of friends just like any group, I suppose any outsider would feel nervous if they sat amongst them.” I notice the change in her posture, talking about the group somehow lifts her confidence and Meg starts to smile more.
“They are the Specialists, but that is pressure for them, as they know how the other fighters look up to them. I am still getting to know most of them, but they have been very kind and good to me, especially in the area of training, they have really helped spend a lot of time with me raising my abilities.”
So you have to improve in order to fit in with them?
“Its not that I have to improve, I am already an ace shot with the long bow, but all of us feel we have to be the best, and so those with special skills, teach all the others, that way we all have more than one talent or special skill, it is what is expected of us.”
So apart from the bow, what other skills have they helped you to train in?
“I cannot disclose that, none of us advertise what we can do, it’s a way of ensuring we all remain equal and no one of us is targeted by the enemy to weaken us.” I understand and wish for a moment I had not asked the question. The rumours are that all Specialists have to swear loyalty to Lord Loxley, and swear an oath to put his life above your own. Did you have to swear that you would be loyal?
“That is just gossip, I arrived at the house on the Mere and Rune and Jade took me upstairs and sorted me out with better clothing, and once I was dressed and looked the part I was in. We already would risk our lives to save him, as would any of the soldiers within this stockade, he has never expected any of us to place our lives before him or swear that we would. We serve him freely as our lord and leader, and we serve all the people of the woodland realm, our motto is that we will defend those who do not have the means to do so themselves, and that is what we have done to date.”
I am fascinated by this, and find the lord of Loxley more and more intriguing, sitting before me I can see the passion in Meg’s eyes, and hear the grit in her words, and I can only start to think that most of what I have heard of the Specialists has more than a grain of truth to it. Tell me Meg of the personalities of the men, there are many tales of them, such as Rafe and Lady Jett Amber, not to mention Ambassador Phillips from York, are they really as wild as they say?
“They are probably wilder, you have to understand that especially with Rafe and Jett, few who face them live, they really are the best at what they do.” I am taken by complete surprise and wonder if Meg is not having a little fun with me, but her face appears quite serious. It is said that Rafe bites people? She gives a nod.
“Yeah he does, but you have to understand that is only if they make him very angry, most of the time he is just a happy joking person, I will say I have not seen him do it yet, but they talk of it round the fire when they joke with him… Look the Specialists are basically a very hard working, and hard fighting group of men and women. They get all the hard jobs and I might add the dirty jobs as well, they never complain they just plan it all out and then execute it as smoothly as possible. At the end of the day they are there for each other, and they look out for each other all the time they are working. The Woodland Realm asks a great deal of them, and like everyone they get tired and go a bit wild when they get some time off, its all a part of balancing normal life with what needs to be done, never forget that the Knox line has been doing this for many times longer than we have, their Cutter forces are ruthless and show no mercy, but we have made giant leaps in a year to catch up and level the pegging. The Specialists are my friends as well as the people I fight with, I have much to learn but they are behind me, and that really is what is important.”
I am delighted to hear Meg talk in such a normal way about a group who have achieved the status of legends in just a short space of time, but I do feel I have pushed a little harder than maybe I should have, the next hour is spent talking about Loxley and her love of the wilderness, and finally when we part, I feel I have to a degree made up for pushing so hard. It has been a morning well spent and I am surprised at how fast the time has gone, Meg has duties to perform and I wish to explore more of Loxley.
I had been so busy that I had not noticed it had began to snow, and find it delightful as I step back outdoors and walk across to the stable, where the doors are open and two boys are inside cleaning up. To my left I see two large round targets of straw on a practice range, and I am suddenly very aware of how Lord Loxley became such a skilful shot. The targets look well used, and looking at the pile of old targets resting against the fence, it is clear the range is used very often.
Certain areas are off limits unless I am escorted, and I had wanted to walk up the lane and visit the school, but at the moment I am without Steve my guide, so I head back through the farm towards Hawthorn Lane. The school from what I have been informed by Jane, is a relatively new undertaking, up until recently children have been educated by their parents, but Robert Lox made the decision that all the children, of which there are a great number, must attend for basic education at least three days per week. I feel its is a very worthy endeavour that has my full approval, I know from experience that there are too many children out in the world who work at their parents side, and by the time they hit their teenage years, they are unable to read.
Loxley feels like it is making big efforts to help as many people as possible, and I have learned how at their core is their belief that they will lead by example, the lesson of the Specialists is exactly that, and I can only ponder what will happen if the Empire of Knox is defeated and what the new world free from the constant fear of Cutter raiding parties will be like, I certainly know that it gives me great hope.
As I reach the small street of the centre of the village (Which is what the locals call it) I can see that the spirit of the year is starting to show. The snow is stating to fall much quicker, and yet all down the street I can see the decorations for Yule are being arranged and hung. Thick bushy wreaths of holly and mistletoe are being hung on the doors, and candles that have been decorated have been placed in the windows. A cart at the bottom of the street is delivering bushels of holly and spruce trees, and suddenly I become aware of the diversity that exists within the walls of Loxley, for it is a community very rich in the Earth Faith, but I also note symbols of Judaism, Buddhist and Christianity.
It feels like a special time, and I find it hard to realise that this community is sitting on the edge of war, and even though there is this terrible threat looming over the community, they still prepare and do their best to make the most of the moment, it feels like a very different mindset to the rest of the country, especially my own home town, which although is currently in a very safe zone, may one day be dragged into this conflict. I cannot help but admire the spirit of Loxley, for it is strong and resilient and I feel an inward admiration as I walk through the snow towards the end of the street where I see a familiar figure waiting, it is my guide who is returning from the barrack houses.
Steve watches with me, as we observe the traders decorating the outsides of their homes for Yule, I find it feels so normal and ordinary, and I think if this was any other time it would be hard to know that a war is brewing. My guide studies me as I watch and reminds me of the effort behind the scenes to protect those here at home with their families
“There are a lot of men based out of here; they are all over the place out in the snow under trees and waiting in the lanes. I suppose I am lucky as I am for now based here, but we have a lot of families here who have not seen their fathers and sons or daughters for months. Holding the line takes a lot of souls, and we still need more, the Knox Empire has a lot of men, and the fight when it comes will be a tough one, there will be plenty of empty seats in houses this Christmas.”
It is a sobering thought as I watch the soft fluffy flakes fall from the sky, backlit by the light pouring out of the windows and open doors, although the lights at number six are off, and I wonder where the two wild commanders are, and if they are huddled out in the cold under the falling snow as they maintain the watch over all of us. Megs words resound in my head, maybe they do have some of the hardest duties, and I realise it is easy not see the full picture of the sacrifice being made to protect what Loxley has built.
Its still bitterly cold, but I am enjoying the crowded street filled with shoppers as I slowly pace back along it, I notice that there are a few who having been observing me, and one lady in particular outside the Cheese Shop appears to be very interested in me with my guide as she talks to some of the other women, Steven leans in to whisper to me.
“That is Agatha, she runs the Cheese Shop with her granddaughter, her shop gets a lot of debates started in Loxley.” Which I take to mean she fuels some of the rumours. I give her a polite nod and she immediately walks down the street towards me closely followed by several of the ladies she had been talking to. I prepare as she gives me the once over and then smiles.
“Good afternoon Mr…?” I introduce myself and I am instantly swamped with questions about the news paper, and have many offers and points of view to contribute, and it is unfortunate that I do not have the space on my meager news offering to accommodate it all, but I have a pleasant exchange about the imminent birth of a new member of the Loxley family, and of course the recent news that Lord Loxley’s wife is also rumoured to be expecting. Gladys Pope, (Flower arranger at the Church) express’s great delight. “Oh it is so exciting for poor little Alice, Beth Lox must be over the moon to become a grandmother so soon.”
Agatha Patterdale. “I still think its twins looking at the size of her, but there again she is a Lox and they breed them big in these parts.” I have a many other comments along the same vein, and slowly I get the general sense that like all towns and villages, Loxley has its fair share of different opinions and viewpoints. I finally get to move on, and spend the day enjoying the snow falling from a warm seat in my accommodations talking with my guide and sorting through my notes.
There is a great deal happening in the Woodland Realm and I find that Loxley is actually host to many guests at the moment. York has been represented here for many months as it has a permanent Ambassador at Loxley. The New Hotel, which has only recently been completed, has delegates from all over the country including Caerleon which holds the seat of power in Wales, and has made significant advances against Knox all along the coast at the mouth of the River Seven where it has kept possession and has reinforced Bristol.
Further North around the Aberdeen area the resistance forces of the Scottish Alliance under the command of a Grace Mackintosh, have managed to keep control of most of the area around the large city, after the removal of a Knox family member, and the city has been emptied of captives swelling the Woodland forces and holding the soldiers of Knox in siege.
Fighting is still fierce in the North of England, and units under the command of Ian of Carlisle are holding the line and exerting a little pressure on the Black Army soldiers. Lower down the coast line Scarborough harbour is still unable to accept the ships from the Knox Navy as large scale remodling work is being undertaken, and there have been a long series of night time attacks and raids along the walls of what is known as the black City by un-named parties, of which one is a special strike force made up of some of the freed citizens who escaped when Lord Loxley made his daring attack on the city just over a month ago. One source that I cannot disclose did inform me that there have been sightings of members of the Knox forces scouting the area above York, and York has been placed on full alert as a result.
On a flyer I received, which is being distributed from Loxley, it does warn traders who may have booking in York to cancel them for the foreseeable future until a stable situation can be arranged for them to visit and trade with safe passage.
Our Postal Mistress has informed me that on a brighter note postal services have been expanded in the country, and new stations have opened the full length of the west coast, and some inroads have been made into central territories to provide communications for a much larger majority of the country, and in many cases because the mail is classed as neutral, several smaller towns controlled by the official marshals of the Knox Empire, have allowed the mail to pass unobstructed, although Rags has instructed her riders to stay clear of all Knox personnel.
Loxley is currently providing a register of those disposed by the conflict in the south, and relatives can either visit the office at Loxley or write with details of any relatives they wish to contact, listing the previous address, and the new office will try and match them to their relatives to re-establish family connections.
The official office of the Fellowship of the Bowman has put together a new pamphlet instructing people in low populated areas of what to do if they spot enemy troops, and also how to prepare for rapid evacuation. The Pamphlet also contains a fully illustrated sheet on how to preserve and protect food stocks over the winter where they can be hidden to prevent them being stolen.
In tomorrows news I will be reporting more on what I have witnessed at Loxley, and providing you with more up to date factual news from those who live, work and defend the realm. Hope the paper makes it through to you, and until then I hope all of you stay safe and do your bit to help defend the freedom of everyone.