Notes from a Wandering Soldier

A collection of personal essays and journal entries describing Makoto Ryu's experience as a soldier in Bucephalus the Rambunctious' mercenary army during the Kiri-Kawa-Oda War. Traveling through more than half a dozen nations and participating in several major encounters, Ryu's writing offers a firsthand account of a pivotal moment in the Northern Territories' history and the changing political dynamics of the region.

Historical Details

Background

Following the end of the Kiri-Kawa-Oda War Makoto was awarded with a comfortable job as a civil servant in Oda Clan's capital of Olenjii. Bored with the role, the former soldier passed the time by adapting brief journal entries during the war into a longer record of the conflict. The book was published in the summer of 881, capitalizing on the five-year anniversary of the war's end and becoming a bestselling read across the Northern Territories.

Legacy

Notes from a Wandering Soldier provided a short and entertaining account of the war to a large audience, a sharp contrast to the thick and cumbersome military records at the time. The book inspired a new generation of historians to take a more sociological approach towards history, focusing less on the broad strokes and battle tactics and more on the individuals affected by the war. Bards would adapt the format to transform their travels into anthologized tales and entertaining adventures.

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Notes from a Wandering Soldier

Excerpt from pg. 244:
'As we stopped at the edge of the Younash Plains, our leader took a break from his endless war councils to host a night of revelry in our honor. Three weeks of ceaseless marching and a deadly confrontation with the Kiris drawing close, he could tell we needed time to enjoy ourselves.
Although skeptical of the stories about his past as a bard, our leader proved the rumors true as he gave us an incredible performance during our decadent feast. We, an army a thousand strong collected solely by his charisma and coin, cheered him on for a second and third encore as we drank far beyond or liquor rations for the night. 
During a lull in the show I looked around the camp, the faces of countless villages and towns illuminated by the soft glow of the torches. I had never traveled more than a dozen miles outside of Sanjuro City before joining Bucephalus' army, but within weeks he had collected together fighters from every kingdom in the territories. Dragonborn, half-elves, even a kuo-toa swelled our ranks and fleshed out our numbers. I could feel the emotion in my face as I took in the camaraderie of our camp and our leader's third encore, hiding my expression in a fifth bowl of drink before falling into a stupor of revelry.

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Type

Manuscript, Historical

Medium

Paper

Authoring Date

881, 4th Cycle

Location

Northern Territories

Authors

• Makoto Ryu