Friends and Enemies: Alyssa la Coste Ariette du Martise

Alyssa la Coste Ariette du Martise is the only daughter of the famed swordsman and fencing master, Seigneur François la Coste Ariette du Martise. His manor in Echine overlooking the city and the sea was famed, in his youth, as a place to learn the intricacies of the Valroux school. Hoping to pass on his mastery of the blade to his daughter, he spent many hours with young Alyssa to instill in her a love of the noble art.

In 1649 the Seigneur's steward, Tomis LaMarche, hired a new chef for the manor kitchen: a young woman named Martín, who brought with her her daughter Beatrix. Hoping that she would find a friend in young Beatrix, François brought the child into the main house and placed her in Alyssa's fencing lessons. Though young Alyssa enjoyed her fencing-master no better, she did grow to befriend young Beatrix.

Alyssa's friendship with the serving girl grew every day. Eventually, she demanded her father place Beatrix in her dancing classes and accompany her on her outing in the city. Indeed, when Martín died, the Seigneur all but adopted Beatrix into his family. She was as a sister to Alyssa, though the divide between them was impossible to bridge—Beatrix was the daughter of a disgraced farmer, and Alyssa of one of the luminaries of the school of Valroux.

Beatrix continued to study the blade long after Alyssa dropped her studies in fencing. She pushed herself to excel, impressing even the Seigneur. Eventually, François himself replaced the fencing master and teach the girl himself. Meanwhile, with Alyssa and Beatrix growing older, they started to visit salons and sneak from the manor at night to cut a red swathe across the city.

One evening, Alyssa decided to taunt a particularly hot-headed young knight at a salon in the city. He grew angrier and angrier as Alyssa and Beatrix made a mockery of his skills at the blade and pistol. Before the night was over, the Chevalier Launairre challenged Alyssa to a duel. "If you're father is such a swordsman, let's see what he taught his daughter!" He assumed Alyssa would decline and stain François' name. But she accepted the challenge, expecting to lose honorably.

Beatrix jumped in front of her and accepted the challenge in her stead. Her years of training with Maître François enabled her to dispatch the chevalier handily. From that day forth, Alyssa's mood with her faux-sister began to sour. She realized that her father saw in Beatrix more of an heir than in herself. As the years went on, Beatrix was given her own quarters near to François' own. He treated her more and more as his natural daughter, and clothed her in the finest of clothes.

When Lord Ariette du Martise died, he left his most valuable possession to Beatrix—the blade Aquiliarde, a puzzle sword produced by one of the last remaining Maîtres. When Alyssa realized what her father had done, she went to Beatrix and asked for the sword. Beatrix refused; Alyssa had never cared for fencing, or the art of Valroux.

When all the accounts were settled, it became clear that the Ariette du Martise estate was nearly depleted. The only item of value left was the Aquiliarde, which Alyssa desperately needed to sell to secure loans to recover her father's wealth. Beatrix, furious at what she saw a disgrace against the old lord's memory, once again refused her.

Since that day, Alyssa has turned all her venom and vengeance against Beatrix, even to the point of forcing her out of the country after having turned the very law of Montaigne against her. The one thing she wants back is the Aquiliarde. For her, it is the crystallization of all her father's disappointment and misplaced love.

Now, Alyssa has married the wealthy and indolent Marquis Aramert Cologne du Martise. Though her coffers are restored, she still seeks Beatrix... and her father's prized blade.

7th Sea: A Tactical Study of El Morro

or: Why is that fortress so damn important?

This is something I've mused over for many hours. The 7th Sea books can be amazingly detailed and they can also be hopelessly vague. The question here is this one: With two hundred miles of Rio del Delia, why is Montaigne so focused on capturing El Morro, and why does it serve as the lynchpin of the western Aldana defense? As presented, there are no answers. All it takes is a few moments looking at the map of Théah to realize the Montaigne should just go around the great fortress and either cut its causeways from behind, or simply bypass it and stretch their supply lines to capture San Cristobal where they would be able to, at once, begin reinforcing their army by sea and thus take Vaticine City without worrying about the forces at the Black Fortress.

Here, then, are a number of reasons why El Morro is the most important fortress in Castille and the Montaigne may not easily abandon its investment:

1) Attempting to cross El Rio del Delia would leave San Tropal exposed. The city of San Tropal, at least the way I have set things up, lies about a quarter or half mile from El Morro. If the Montaigne forces left in Castille (which are less than robust after the withdrawal of Montegu) were to attempt to forge another crossing, the garrison at El Morro would easily overrun San Tropal and its guardian fortress, thus pushing back the Montaigne conquest. Since a Castillian army in Torres would inspire insurrection and untold sorrows, the Montaigne cannot afford to take this risk.

2) The process of fording del Delia would take too long. By the time the Montaigne Armée Soleil had arrived at the location they were going to make the crossing and prepared to cross in force, a Castillian army would be ready to meet them. Well-supplied from its unbroken line to El Morro, this army would hold defensive territory while the Montaigne attempted to fight over a river, possibly in small rowing boats, large barges, or upon a hastily constructed pontoon bridge.

3) As long as El Morro stands, the river is in Castillian hands. Though Montaigne sea-power might be mighty, they have no riverine vessels capable of contesting the Castillian navy that regularly sails up the Delia. They cannot bring their navy to bear along the rivers due to their prohibitive width, thus meaning that whoever controls the most powerful fortress along del Delia's banks may also move ships with impunity. These Castillian naval vessels could easily sever contact from an army that crossed to the far side or, worse, destroy the army while it was crossing.

4) The garrison of El Morro can speedily redeploy. This is related to numbers 1 and 2 but is more applicable as a general rule. Once the investiture of El Morro ceases, its defenders are free to reposition anywhere they want to face the Montaigne army. As long as San Tropal continues making at least a showing of assaulting the fortress, they are trapped where they are.