*
(Author’s Note: This author uses colorful terminology found in the classical writings that are cherished down to this day. Credit for the inclusion of ancient nautical words of the Lower Realms to describe the sky ships from the Rebel Wars can be attributed chiefly to a woman from that world, Tabitha Copeland. After the wars had long ended and well into the beginning of the Fourth Age, when children of the innocent years were becoming numerous, Tabitha took it upon herself to become a poet extraordinaire for the children of that time.
Along with the many historical works, i.e. Copeland and Garlock’s, The King’s War – A History, to name just one, Copeland put her pen to songs, ballads, and – as she is best known for – a series of adventure novels accounting the tale of a fictional character by the name of MarySanne, her great-grandmother’s given name. Generations of children grew up on those stories, the collection today called The Tabitha Letters, this old, romantic terminology being liberally dispersed throughout her novels. To the non-technical reader, these descriptive words and phrases conjure up vivid pictures of those wild and dangerous days when the life and death of a universe hung upon a thread and hope was often little more than a dream.
I have chosen to follow along in the style of this famous author, writing my historical narrative with a flavor for the youthful adventurer. Although my accounts are historically accurate, the colorful oratory of a troubadour is used to paint an emotion and understanding that history, coldly written, sadly fails to deliver.)