[i]As written in a letter carried by a small galley journeying to Addacius[/i]

To the attention of His Majesty Menesthios, Emperor of the Addacians.

I have been warned by the commander of the garrison on Thassox of the arrival of barbarian ships near a fishing village. As his report indicated, their purpose did not appear to be a raid or attack of any kind; indeed, they appeared to be peaceful, if armed. They are humans, although their language does not resemble any known human language, nor any other for that matter. They have ships unlike any others, made of metal and moving without oars nor sails. These vessels also produce a loud, continuous noise as they move, like the sound of distant thunder. Their clothes are equally strange: obviously made with fine cloth of which the individual strands cannot be seen from a few paces away, not unlike silk or the finest linen fabrics; yet despite this they do not wear much in the way of jewelry, if any. These clothes also lack the vibrant colors and ornaments one would expect on such refined pieces.

Their weapons brought yet further confusion to my mind. I can only speculate that they are some sort of hand cannon, but look almost nothing alike. The barrel is long and narrow, coming out of a case that seems to house an inexplicably complex trigger mechanism. Neither myself, nor any of the officers present could figure out how they could possibly function and for what purpose. By contrast, the armor worn by their warriors seems to be quite primitive by comparison, seemingly made of thick plates of cloth sewn together as some sort of breastplate. Their helmets are similarly thick and padded.

It seems that the barbarians had left a large quantity of fish meant to be a gift. Based on what limited exchanges we could make, although I could not understand where they came from exactly, it is probable that they seek some kind of trade. Their craftsmanship is evidently unlike any in the Empire, to the point that their methods cannot even be guessed at. I shall maintain regular contact with this tribe awaiting for your instructions and send further reports to inform Your Majesty of any developments.

Thus are my words,
Theramenes, Warden of the Northern Coast and devoted servant of the Empire.