Proposition from Prefect Ganis to the Legion High Command in Timbur Deep, on the subject of transitioning the governance and oversight of Bolestan from military to civil authority.
Esteemed Commanders,
The Bolestan outpost has been of strategic importance to our order for some time and will likely continue to remain for the foreseeable future. As such, it is the recommendation of this office, once again, that the responsibility of administration over the settlement be reassigned to civil authority. What follows is the evidence which this office believes supports this decision.
Bolestan Background
As you may know, the Bolestan outpost has its origins in the bubbling ponds that formed near the Sova River just south of the city. The area was thought to be cursed as travelers passing through reported becoming ill when breathing the air near these ponds, and some died in their sleep. It wasn’t until a wayward campfire caught one of the ponds, and the surface of the water burned far longer than it should have.
Over time, our engineers came to understand that underground pockets of air leaked through the ground, and this air carried the stench of failed eggs but cast flame without wood or charcoal. Since then, these underground pockets have been tapped and used to provide earthfire flames for a variety of industries crucial to the Legion.
Craftworks and Supplies
While the flame produced through the burning did not prove hot enough for metalworking, it does provide a steady heat that proved immensely useful for certain crafts. Tanneries, bakeries, breweries, brickworks, and simple clay can all be reliably produced using the earthfire.
The tanneries and bakeries are of special interest to the Legion, with the hard breads satisfying the Legion’s need for well-traveling rations better than traditional baked varieties. Tanneries provide the raw materials used by the city’s armorers to craft the hardened leather used by Legion soldiers, and protection of these resources remains a strategic necessity.
Recent Improvements
Cooperation with Khuldinai engineers has yielded improvements in both the safety and output of the earthfire. The outpost has not had a significant loss of life event in six years, and we can therefore conclude that the systems are designed optimally. The earthfire is channeled though clay pipe into a chamber where it bubbles first before being directed elsewhere. This simulates the original conditions of bubbling through ponds, while the controlled flow ensures it will not come into contact with stray flame. There are now a dozen such points collecting the earthfire across the outpost, each of which has supplied continuous fire to several workshops.
Prior investigations concluded that it was errant leaks which came into contact with stray flames that resulted in the destruction of previous apparatuses.
Proper orientation of the earthfire at an exterior wall, rather than plumbing to the center of buildings, has reduced the reports of workers getting sick. When instances of illness have risen, clerics have been able to isolate the symptoms and found them related to food or curse, not the earthfire.
Inspection protocols have been refined as well, leading to faster detection of potential leaks in the structures where earthfire might escape. Hounds belonging to House Landry have been trained to follow the earthfire scent to its source, and they do almost without fail. When the hound has warned of a breach, workers apply a greasy solution which produces bubbles to show exactly where the leak might be. These inspections have increased costs but reduced repair times greatly. It has proven to be preferable to invest in the maintenance of these structures rather than waiting for them to fail as the failure is often catastrophic and results in the loss of nearby structures as well.
Civil Governance
Given these improvements and the current working relationship with multiple Houses to maintain the outpost, it is therefore the request of this office to transition administrative governance to a civilian authority. Legion support was necessary to prevent outside interference for a time, but no enemy has penetrated so deeply into the heartlands in generations. Further, this outpost has not faced vandalism or other threats, with Timbur Deep less than a day’s march away.
This station does not warrant assignment of an experienced Prefect, and the Legion assets assigned here are likely better utilized elsewhere.
Regards,
Prefect Ganis, Steward of Bolestan