The Blackwater War, Volume 3
Original media : TES Online
By Valenca Arvina, Historian-in-Residence at Gwylim University
By 1E 2816, General Bucco's legion had been depleted to a mere six cohorts—none of which were at full fighting strength as the campaign pressed on. Endless raids, disease, and mysterious disappearances were compounding on each other, creating a culture of utter hopelessness and cynicism. Seeing that the cause would be lost without reinforcements, Bucco called for an additional legion to be deployed to Black Marsh. Rather than shifting these fresh troops to the front to relieve his beleaguered force, he set them to work building the "Reman Way" (later known as the Swamp Road). Almost no one knew where the road went or what purpose it would serve in future conflicts, but Bucco was convinced that a well-paved and well-defended road would aid the war effort and turn the tides of battle in the legion's favor. In theory, the road should have been a boon to the Imperials. Lack of supplies had long been a thorn in the legion's side. A secure supply train would mean more frequent troop rotation and an uninterrupted flow of food, water, and equipment. Alas, the road would never be completed. The Reman Way fell under attack almost as soon as the work began. Waves of Argonians crashed upon the workers day in and day out. Troopers who should have been armed with shield and spear were forced to defend themselves with shovels and lengths of chain. Soldiers also routinely succumbed to exhaustion and swamp fever. The road made it only half-way to the front lines before construction was abandoned. The Swamp Road project would long be remembered after the Black Marsh campaign came to a bitter end as "Bucco's Folly."
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