Hannah Turset

Married to Thomas Turset, children, Melanie and Harmonie.
Like her Daughter, Melanie, Hannah (40) enjoys horse riding and has passed her sense of business accumen onto Harmonie.

Native Bodstonians (Warriors)

The natives of Bodstonia are generally a peacefull race as can be seen on the accounts of Jocelyn de Bodley´s  discovery of Bodstonia, although warfare  not unknown to them.
As far as can be discovered, mainly through information supplied by Adahy, the "warfare" is on a small scale, short lived, intermitent, usually bloodless and generally  brought on by territorial disputes or the eagerness of younger members of a particular clan to "prove" themselves.
In the last few years this has become more of a "problem" as the population of Bodstonia grows and more land is required to accommodate thier needs.
One expansion meant that a woodland had to be cut down..a woodland that contained a grove which had important superstitious relevance to the local clan. This significance of the grove was unknown to the Bodstonians and they were suprised by the hostile reaction of the natives. Tempers rose on both sides and some bloodshed followed, the natives making of with several firearms*
Since this "incident"  more care is taken in the treatment of land, the task of communicting intentions and resolving any problems being given over to James Forrester.

Here we see a "warband" of natives with thier traditional warpaint. Some wear shirts and other items of clothing traded (or taken) with the Bodstonians. A "warband" is usually 15-20 strong, some clans who have close contact are known to band together and a "warbands" of nigh on 100 strong have been reported but never seen. As the exact number of tribes and therfore the native population as as yet unknown, it cannot be determined as to how many warriors the natives (if the joined together) could field but it is assumed to be  in the many hundreds.

Some natives work as guides and trakers for the bodstonians. Here we see one with an offcast jacket from Company A the Bodstonian Fusiliers
Several of the clans, particularily those who first made contact with the Bodstonians, lend thier warriors to the Bodston defence forces, thus creating a third, though not entirely realiable, force of militia.

A "death" warrior. Some native warriors paint thier faces as to resemble the appearance of a skull. According to Adahy, this signifies their preparedness to stand and fight in order to either obtain some status within the clan or die trying. If succesful in defeating an opponent they will take thier fallen foes heart in the belief it gives them a longer life.


* Before the discovery of the land of Bodstonia, the natives weapons were generally those that were used in the  pursuit of hunting, bows, spears, wooden axes and bone knives. Since Jocelyn de Bodley´s landing, they have aquired quite a reasonable amount of firearms. This has been through trade and some theft on the part of the natives. Another source (although this is not collaborated) is from Jack Dore and his Pirates. When they took the cutter Daniel´s Pride, they aquired a large number of weapons, more than thier number could possibly need. It is assumed they have either traded these with the natives or, given them to a nearby clan which now is in alliance with them.

The Pirates of Jack Dore

Avoided  and ignored since the foundation of Bodstonia, Eggism finally raised it´s ugly head in the spring of 1728. A small family feud had been brewing for nearly a year between the Dores and the De Witts. One evening it came to blows between the two factions after a night of drinking at the Bear inn.
The next day feelings were still running high and to lay the trouble to rest, Bartholomew Montesfort called a meeting of the council, to which the heads of the Dore and DeWitt families were summoned.
Both were sworn to keep the peace or face imprisonment to which both sides agreed and left.

Unfortunately that same evening there was further arguments which again escalated into a fight in which Jack Dore stabbed William DeWitt. The wound was later found to be not serious but at the time the DeWitts left for home, swearing to come back and exact vengeance.
The Dores and several of thier companions also left for thier homes to arm themselves.
The owner of the Bear inn called the watch who quickly formed a guard around and in front of the inn.  The Dore faction took little heed of this and advanced along the high street towards the far end of town, thier intention to march onto the DeWitts farm.
The Watch called out for them to halt and disperse but still they came on. Warning shots were fired, the Dores, thinking they were under attack, opened fire on the watchmen..one member of the which was slightly injured in the  left shoulder. At this point someone rang the Oak Bell and seeing that all was up, the Dores fled.

Within minutes of the Oak Bell being run, a large group of militia, "Purple Roses" and Bodstonian fusiliers had gathered. In the panik, the Dores and thier friends stole down to the dock and took the cutter,  Daniels Pride. This act of piracy was noticed at first light and even though pursuit was given, no trace of them was found.

"Capn" Jack Dore. The titel is self given. At the age of 38, he and his motely "crew" of 46 refugees have spent the last 3 years on the run. Exactly where they are camped, how they are  providing for themselves or if they are in contact with any natives is, as of yet,  unknown, even to Adahy
What is known is that they have taken  one supply ship headed for Bodstonia and at least one Zvezdonian frigate. Both ships and crews they abandoned after plundering thier holds.

The "Purple Roses" (2)

The "infantry" section of the "Purple Roses".
They act as the control role of the unit, the flag and drummer in a rallying and signalling role, the 3 sharpshooters defending Juliet Pride´s gun team, enabling them to concentrate on  operating  "Long Tom", and Rose Tremain, as the commander of the unit.
Thier uniqueness within the Bodstonian defence forces is reflected in the colour of the flag, red, meaning they are attached not only to the regular forces but are directly associated with Company A of the 1st Regiment of Foot, the Bodstonian Fusiliers.

Rose Tremain

The "Purple Roses" (1)

The women of Bodstonia are not only the keepers of hearth and home, but they also take part in the defence of those hearths and homes.

This role is carried out, as with the menfolk, in two forms.  Either they join the militia or become regulars, in a reserve role but still they wear a uniform.
Their unit is called the purple Roses for two reasons. The Unit is commanded by Rose Tremain, a self made woman who runs the dress making and tailors guild in Bodstonia.
Due to the capture of a Zvedonian trade ship in the second Federation war of 1700 - 1705, Rose came into possesion of a large supply of purple cotton. As purple was not fashionable at the time among the Bodstonians (it still isn´t) there was no  profit to be made so she had the cloth made into uniforms for her unit.
The Purple Rose´s number 10 in all and form a small reserve artillery unit, fielding one 6pdr, nicknamed "Long Tom". Why the gun is called Long Tom remains a closely guarded secret among the ladies.
They have competed in the yearly "shoot downs" winning the event twice.
Being obstensively an artillery unit they come under direct command of Bartholomew Motesfont

 The 4 women who are the main gunners. The other 6 take a support and protection role, relaying information to the gun team as to their possible targets. 

Mistress Gunner Juliet pride

Jocelyn de Bodley

In 1685, At the age 41, the descendant of Paul de Bodley, the lord of Styrow on the foam, Jocelyn de Bodley,  set out on a voyage of discovery on board the Galley,  Sea Urchin.
According to the ships logs, they sailed for near on 6 months before finally sighting land. Great cheers arose from the crew, but these soon grew still when they neared the landmass, and realised that it´s coast was one of nothing but sheer cliffs. They sailed for 12 days to the west, and upon finding no landing place, they turned and sailed east for nigh on a full month before finally, when all hope of a landing was lost, a bay was spied.
The ships longboats were launched and raced to the foreign shore.
Upon landing, Jocelyn ran up the beach and raising his left hand, claimed the land as now being under the authority of  Styronia.  The bay, was named Entry Bay.
Realising that a voyage back to the mainland was near impossible due to lack of provisions, the decision was made to remain and reprovision.
A small camp was built upon the flat land above the beach and patrols went in search of water and foodstuffs.
For near a month the men enjoyed the peacefullness of the new land until one night a dreadfull storm raised it´s anger, breaking her ties and driving the Sea Urchin upon the rocks. Luckily she held fast..the handfull of crew still onboard battled all night and finally, as the storm subsided they managed to re-anchor her in the shallow waters near the beach. The damage was not severe but repairs were necessary to allow the return journey.
By now, autumn was approaching and realising that a return voyage in winter was of great risk, the decision was taken to remain. To suit this, a  more permanent residence was required so a small stockade and log cabins were built.

On the 9th of October 1685, a small group of sailors were out hunting when they were suddenly confronted by a large group of natives. Luckily, the man in charge, midshipman Arthur Cobb, realised the indians were not hostile and put himself between the natives and his men.
With hand gestures a conversation of sorts took place, at the close of which, both groups parted company.
The news of this encounter caused some exitement and small concern within the encampment. Sentries were posted, Marines accompanied the food patrols,  although no sight or sound of the natives was heard of for several weeks.
The next contact was at the end of autumn, when three natives, two male, one female came to the stockade, offering gifts of caught fowl and a deer.
Slowly over the next weeks more and more contact was made, the visits by the natives became regular daily occurances, some even set up a small encampment within hailing distance of the stockade.
A decision to remain was made on the grounds that it being better a winter on land as a winter at sea  and the extra time would give them more opportunity to further investigate the new lands Fauna and Fora.

Over the winter of 1685 -86, both natives and Styronians learnt some of each other language and customs. The natives were unsure how large the land was, but told of a mountanous forrested inland, a massive lake, large rivers, other tribes, some of which were hostile, plentifull wildlife but of greatest import, no knowledge of others from the mainland ever having visited.

In the spring of 1686, the Sea foam being fully reprovisioned, the crew, although of heavy heart at having to do so, made preperations to leave for home. At a ships council, it was decided, that if any wished, a maximum of 6 men could remain behind. A guarantee that they would ever be recovered was impossible to give, so only single men could be considered. Under these conditions 6 men did volunteer, thier names being recorded in the ships log as;
William (Bill) Colthurst
Jake Lambton
Larry Merton
Bartholomew (Bart) Rudhall
Isaac Saynsbury
Cyril (Cy) Woodward


On the 11th of march 1686, they finally left, a fond farewell was waved to them from the shore by the natives and thier 6 crewmates.
Near 6 months later, they docked in the port of Styrow on the Foam to a resounding welcome.
News of thier discovery was soon known by all in the land and the great council of Styronia ordered preperations for a fleet of 10 ships to be built and sent to occupy the new land.
After nearly a year, the ships were nearing completion when..in the  late spring of 1689, war broke out. This war was not Styronias want or wish, but as they were part of the northern federation they were obliged to send assistance, troops, and ships to aid thier allies. This meant all of the near completed ships meant for the expedition were quickly converted for war.
Due to the war, the damage to the ships and repairs to the land, another eypedition to the new land was not considered until 1695, nearly 10 years after Jocelyn had stepped onto the beach at Entry bay.

Jocelyn at the front, left hand held high. Behind him is Isaac Saynsbury, and to the fore, Midshipsman Arthur Cobb.


In June 1691, Jocelyn was killed in the 1st federation war, leaving his wife Maria alone with thier two young sons. As custom allowed, Maria kept her Husbands sir name as did one of her sons but the other took her fathers name...Forrester. A grandson, James Forrester was born in 1710, in Bodstonia.

More Female citizens

Old and not so old..Rich and not so rich, some more of the female citizens of Bodstonia.

This group shows the way that the different social niveaus of Bodstonia mix and feel comfortable in each others company. From the maid to the rich Dame, they all share the world of Bodstonia as equals in the spirit  if not the "body"

To the right is Agatha Montesfort, wife to the Grand Protector, Bartholomew Montesfort

The one on the far right looks like one of the Turset maids out on a shopping errand

Regular Infantry Tactics

Bodstonian troops are drilled, alongside regular rank and file tactics,  to fight in open order.
This method of fighting was brought in for three reasons;
1.Due to the small population density of Bodstonia it is not possible to maintain and therefore field a large regular army, one which is capable of fighting in the volleyfire tactics so prefered on the mainland.
This tactic also leads to unnaceptable casualty rates..firing into the packed ranks nearly always leading, if not to a death, then an injury, especially when under cannon fire.
2. The disparity of weapons. The regular troops, the 1st Regiment of foot, the Bodstan Fusiliers, is equiped with the same type and bore of muskets, but the Folks Militia has a wide range of musket types, some even using shotguns and blunderbusses. This disparity, in a rank and file system would lead to varying  loading and firing times.
3. Topography. The main areas around Bodston are largely cleared of forests but still are hilly and broken with hilly rocky outcrops meaning that forming up in rank and file is only possible on the rarest of occasions.

Deployment
The main battle tactic would start with the troops entering the field and taking up position towards the enemy in two extended ranks.The spacing between each rank and each man withing each rank is that of two paces.

Closed order the opening order with which the troops enter the field..enemy to the front.

The command, Officer,  Staff sergeant, drummer and standard bearer, form up in the centre of the two ranks.
At a signal from the Staff Sergeant, both ranks move outwards from the command, to the left and right until a spacing of 5 paces between each man.
The front rank now moves 3 paces forward, kneels anfd lays on. The rear rank then moves 3 paces to the left (left of command) and 3 to the right (right of command). It kneels and makes ready.
This  opens and  staggers the ranks, enabling the rear rank to fire through the front rank without hinderance.

Fully deployed in open order

Attacking/Advance (Open Ground)
From the deployed position, the front rank remains kneeling, the rear rank stands and runs forward 10 paces ending up 5 paces to the front. They kneel and lay on,  the now rear rank stands and the procedure is repeated until contact is made.
The command always remains in the rear rank. The number of paces that are to be moved can be altered depending on the proximity of the enemy and the lay of the land.

Attacking/Advance (Broken ground)
When advancing in broken ground, woods etc, the company is broken into pre-arranged 4 man units. These then act as if attacking over open ground, though in this case each unit acts independantly of the rest, shortening or lengthening thier advance in consideration to the lay of the land but keeping an eye to not staggering the battle line to drastically, signalling to each other by voice or hand signals.

Advancing in "4´s"

Defence (Open Ground)
In certain circumstances a concentration of firepower is required. In this situation  the front rank kneels and lays on. The rear rank then stands and moves to within 2 paces of the front rank. They then move from the left and right towards the centre until they are within two paces between each man. They then kneel and lay on. The front rank then stands and moves towards the center until they are also within two paces between each man observing that the end up in a staggered line to the rear rank. They then kneel and lay on.. Basically then form up in a close order formation, the only difference being that the two ranks are staggered.

Moving into close order from open order

Closed order with two paces between each man

Withdraw
In either open or deployed formations. The rear rank kneels and lays on whilst the front rank stands and moves 10 paces to the rear. They then turn to face the enemy, kneel and lay on as the second rank stands and moves 10 paces to the rear and so on.

Withdrawal in close order

Changing Flank
The Staff sergeant holds his staff along the line that the troops are to take up. The outer most "4´s" then move as rapidly as possible, revolving around the command in the centre. This is a difficult manouvre, which requires a lot of training and is best carried out when militia or mounted infantry are available to cover the exposed troops as they move into position

Flank change to face the left.

These skirmish tactics are only used by the regular troops or seasoned militiamen as untrained troops will encounter problems.
The main problem is with bunching or thining  of the battle line, especially in broken ground
The tactic of moving into defense or changing flank can also become problematic for unseasoned troops but drilled troops resolve this with the extremes (farthest left and right of centre) moving faster to quickly close or open any required spacing.

The Militia are, in a battle situation, put to the left and or right of the main regular battle line in support of any mounted infantry, defend and aid the artillery and to act as a mobile reserve.

Adahy ("Live´s in the woods")

Member of the Native tribe, the Illini. Adahy is a man of few words who can dissapear into the wilderness for months at a time, appearing as if called to aid and assist James Forrester and the Albon Brothers on thier quests to map and record the "unknown" areas of Bodstonia.
He speaks, along with several native dialects, Bodstonian

His age is unknown but he must be in his 40´s. No wife has been seen or mentioned

Bodstonian Anthem - "The Flashing Blade"

Penned by Ebenezah Bladewell in 1717 to mark the 1st year of Bodstonias independance from the mainland.

Interested parties can listen to the Anthem HERE sung by the Bodstonian Folks choir, instrumentation by the Folks Orchestra.

Symphonie DelaCroix

Symphonie (19) is alone in the world..her parents, both artists of some renown,  were killed in a boating tradegy. Fortunately, for Symphonie,  they left behind a not inconsiderable sum of money in the bank and the  family home .
Not being able to reconcile her feelings of loss whilst living in the family  home, Symphonie sold it and on the spur of the moment boarded  a ship leaving for Bodstonia.
This was just over two years ago, in which time Symphonie has started to paint, draw and write, an enterprise in which she has some sucess as Bodstonia lacked a cohesive artistic community.
She has become the head of a small group of like minded ladies, and the occasional rare Gentleman.
James Forrester has been known to attend the occasional book reading, much to the delight of Symphonie.

A large barn in Bodston has been converted into a rough and ready playhouse for the purpose of putting on plays and musical soirees. With the support of Jeremiah Coleman, mainly because Jeremiah´s Wife, Anne, is part of the Bodstonian Ladies of Culture group, there have been moves made towards garnering support from the council of 12 to have a purpose built playhouse created.

Symphonie has  had several "proposals" from the  Menfolk of Bodston, all of which she has politely declined and has only shown interest for one man in the whole of Bodstonia..James Forrester.

Harmonie and Melanie Turset

Harmonie and Melanie, daughters of Thomas (41) and Hannah Turset (40)
Thomas has a large cloth trading business, importing nearly 3/4´s of all the cloth into Bodstonia and exporting the same percentage of furs and skins abroad. They have also a considerable cotton farm.


Melanie (18) is a very outgoing young lady, whose interests revolve mainly around horses,two of which she owns herself.. This equine interest has brought her into contact and the notice of Bradley Ashyt. They are well matched although no proposal of marriage has been made.
She also shoots for a hobby, can handle a rapier quite well and plays cards.

Melanie at home with her 4 legged friends

Harmonie (21) is bethrothed to Charles Livesy, Captain of the Artillery section of the 1st Regiment of Foot, the Bodstonian Fusiliers. Harmonie has a shrewd mind for figures, at a glance she can spot a deal that will bring her monetary gain. She sings and plays the harpsichord with ease.
The wedding is scheduled to take place in the May of next year...that is if their new house will be finished by then.

Classic "habitat" for Harmonie..a ballroom

Jeremiah Colemann

Jeremiah Coleman of the Pentridge Colemans, Colonel of the  1st Regiment of foot, the Bodston Fusiliers.
Born in 1679, he served with distinction in the Army on the mainland. He entered at the rank of captain and  slowly bought and worked his way up through the ranks.
After recieving a large sum of  money from his father, he was among the first to move  to Bodstonia, setting up a saw mill, became the main supplier of timber in Bodstonia and to the mainland which greatly increased the families riches.
Loyal to the core, although a bit hot tempered at times, he has a shrewd eye for tactics although he has been prone in difficult situation to let his temper get the better of him.
This fiery side to his character proved to be of advantage at the battle of Trapton in 1702, during the Great war of the Federations, when at the age of only 23, he rallied two companys of grenadiers and then led an assault on an  enemy redoubt, capturing the guns therein and turning the tide of the battle.
For this, The city of Styrow on the Foam gave him the freedom of the city and he was promoted to the rank of major.
Married to Anne (Born 1682) he has three children, Elizabeth, 31, Rupert, 29 and Walter, 28.
His father, also called Jeremiah, is the Major elect of Pentridge, a town some 25 leagues North of Styrow on the Foam

The Braunstone Brothers

Builders. Everyone need them and Bodstonia is no different. They repair, mend and build the homes and workplaces of the population.
The town of Bodston has a team of builders, the brothers Emmet (37), Francis (36) and Peter (34) Braunstone.
When there´s no or not enough building or repair work to keep them employed, Francis and Peter work on the local farms whilst Emmett works in Jeremiah Coleman´s Sawmill.
All three of them are the Folks Militia, Emmet with the rank of Group leader.

From left to Right; Peter, Emmet and Francis

Here the brothers are preparing the ground for a log cabin, built on a plot of land recently aquired by the DeWitt family. As the project is out of town the brothers sleep in a tent next to the site. The clothes they wear are typical of Bodstonian manual labourers. Britches have been replaced by trousers as they offer more protection to the shins. The hats are of a simple design, but being made of thick felt they offer some head protection.

From a slightly higher vantage point we can see the staking out of the eventual position of the cabin on the DeWitt´s Plot of land. Posts are hammered in to mark the lines of the Log cabins walls.

The positioning of buildings upon a plot is  the owners choice, although a couple of basic rules need to be observed.

1. The outer wall of the building should be no less than 2 stick lengths (2 meters) near to the border of the plot.
2. The building should be no less than 4 stick lengths (4 meters)  from the track, road or thorofare.

These basic rules are to help prevent the spread of fire and if needed, give room to expand the width of any tracks or roads running along the property.
The measurement "the Stick" was first introduced to Bodstonia after the Lord Protector, Bartholomew Motesfont used it in a small land dispute. At the time there was no measuring device readily to hand and Bartholomew, in a rare fit of pique, threw his walking stick down onto the floor with the words "by the stick!!!" Since then his walking stick, known as the "Protectors Yard" is the basic unit of land measurement in Bodstonia. The "Protectors Yard" is roughly 1 meter in other world measurments)
The phrase "by the stick!" has been adopted as  the rallying cry of the Bodstonian Folks Militia, meaning "look to the standard".
Obviously in the town these rules do not apply as they were only brought in in the 6th year of Bodstonias existance and after a substantial part of the town had already been built.

Children´s Toys and Games

As allover, rich or poor, children play a wide variety of games, they are by nature inquisitive and inventive and no less than anywhere else than in Bodstonia.
It would be long and exhaustive to relate all the games played but a few examples of the most popular ones will be illustrated here.

The first game is one involving  horseshoes and is called, perhaps not suprisingly, Horseshoes. A post is driven into the ground. Players throw their horseshoes, usually 3 per player, at this post from a set distance. Points are scored for those that encircle the post, lower points are given for shoes that lean on or touch the post.

A similar game involving throwing is called "Huzzlecap" and uses coins, when they were available. The goal is to "capture" pennies by tossing your coin to land on top of your opponent's. This game is considered a form of gambling and is frowned upon by the adult Bodstonians.

A common toy used by all children, more so the younger ones, is one called "Catch the hobbit". This involves a stick, at one end of which is a small cup and a ball which is joined to the stick by means of a string. The object is to flip the ball and try to catch it in the cup.




Another is the spinning top. This is either one driven by simply turning it with the hand or wrapping a string around the top handle.
The aim of the game is to keep the top spinning longer than any other, using a small whip to aid in this end.






Jackstraws is a game played by the Native children and taught to Bodstonian  youngsters. Native children play the game using grass or reed straws whereas Bodstonian children use coloured wooden sticks. The object of the game is to drop a bundle of sticks -- usually 31 -- and pick them up, one at a time, without moving another stick in the process. The child with the most sticks at the end is the winner

Of course, a great favourite among the female youngsters of Bodstonia are thier dolls. These come in a large range of variations, from the simple rough rag doll of the lower orders to the specially made dolls of the richer children with porcelain heads and hands.
To the right we can see examples of girls dolls with their owners.




"Hoop" is another game played by both sexes. It is basic in it´s nature but highly popular. A simple wooden hoop is "whipped" along by the means of a small stick, "Hoop" races being common.








Boys, and indeed a great number of the older Bodstonian males have an interest in collecting and "wargaming" with sets of toy soldiers. These are usually made out of lead which can make them an expensive item but skilled craftsmen are able to produce wooden toys soldiers, and most  fathers will whittle a few such figures for his son during the long winter nights.

Among the  most expensive of toys are "Automatons" These wind up tinplate toys are quite amazing to behold, some of the most expensive performing several actions...even walking, issuing noises and some even produce smoke !!!

Here we see an "automaton" of a poor gentleman being assaulted by a mythical beast, the "tigre"

Lastly, the Rocking horse. As with the dolls, these can be either very ornate, realistic paintwork, and having saddles, bridles etc or basic wooden representations of the equine creature.








There are of course a great many other games played by the children of Bodstonia, those involving balls, those with cards and a great many more. As written at the begining of this small treatise on childrens Toys and Games, children are similar the world over. If you, in your part of the world see a child happily at play with marbles, a skipping rope or banging a small toy drum, then it is of guarantee that they will at some point play the very  same in Bodstonia.

Bodstons Fort Artillery

Here we see a  6pdr and a 20pdr held in the town´s main fort. 10 pieces in total, six 6pdr´s and four 20pdr´s.
Rarely are these guns taken outside of the fort, the Bodston Fusilers having two 2pdrs that are intended to  escort them into the field.
Along with the Folks Militia, the artillery and the Marines of the Fort are under direct control of the  Lord Protector, Bartholomew Motesfont

"Mary", one of the 6pdr´s and one of the 20pdr´s known as the "4 puddies"

On this occassion we see a team of the gunners from the fort out for a range day, testing their skills as a gun team in not only hitting a target but the time in which it takes to re-load thier guns.
Generally only two of the 6pdr´s will be used on a range day along with two teams chosen from a rota system.
Each team vys to better the other, the punishment for the loosing team? They have to supply the winners with free ale that evening..with drinking bouts going on long into the night, this can be expensive, not only on the purse but on the next days constitution. The reason why gunnery practice is held on a saturday and then,  not every saturday!!
These "shoot downs" have become a small event in Bodstonian life. A small fair is set up near the range with people turning up from far and wide to see which team comes out trumps. Bets are placed and an unnoficial  "Team League Table" is created each year, the top team recieving a small purse and a gold plaque which is  attached to the winning guns carriage.
It has even drawn attention of the "upper orders" with a party being held in celebration on the weekend of the last "shoot down" the so called Cannon Ball.

Adventurers

James Forrester and his two faithfull companions, the  brothers Pierre and Pascal Albon, 23 and 24 years old respectively.
The brothers are extremely  experienced woodsmen, crackshots and expert trackers.
They keep themselves to themselves, living in a log cabin on the very edge of the uncharted  native territories, virtually thier only contact with civilisation being James, Adahy* or an occasional Army patrol.
They finance their living through selling of furs and meat.
Pierre and Pascal, living where they do, have a extensive knowledge of the native language and customs..although not everything is known about the natives, hence the need for the three to travel deep withing the interior, mapping and learning as they go.

The three companions Setting off on another adventure

Pierre and Pascal

James take aim to get tonights dinner

Thier two Mules, Dotty and Dora

* Adahy ("Live´s in the woods") is a Native who often goes on the companions journeys. He is wary of being seen by "outsiders", hence his not being in this set of pictures.

Bartholomew Motesfont - Lord Protector

Born in 1670, Bartholomew Motesfont is one of the richest men in Bodstonia, his fortune made through the steel industry which he sold off 12 years ago, retiring to come to Bodstonia.
He carries the  Title of "Lord Protector" and is married to Agatha (born 1672)
They have two children, Clementine (36) and Stuart (39)
This is an elected Titel not an inherited one. The election takes place every 2 years, postponed in times of   emergency, and is decided by a Pyramid system of voting. He abides over a council of 12, the only permanent members of which are Jeremiah Colemann and  Judge  Cornelius Makepeace.
The duties of Lord Protector include;
Protector of the land..deciding final usage of land and any disputes
C & C of the Military in Times of war.
Deciding Vote in the council...although this use of this is considered to be  an indication of the failure of the council´s abilities.
Lord Protector is the only person allowed to wear a bi-corn.
His walking stick is known as  the "Protectors Yard"

Company A of the 1st Regiment of Foot, the Bodstonian Fusiliers

Created in 1716 from the local Militia, The Bodston Fusiliers consists of four  20 man Companys, A - D.  Attached to them is a field artillery section of 16 men with two 2pdr cannons, an 8 man squadron of dragoons.
Added to the Fusiliers is the Folks Militia of Bodstonia. The  strength of the Militia is variable  but seeing as all able persons can take part in the militia thier numbers are at least twice that of the regular troops.

The Bodston Fusiliers are affectionately known as Colemans "Mustards" due to thier Uniform colour of Mustard yellow, a nickname which they have taken to heart as it suits the fiery nature of thier commander Colonel Jeremiah Coleman.

Range day. Company A practices volley fire by ranks

Company A has the privelage of carrying the Bodstonian Standard. To the left of the Standard is Staff Sergeant Obediah Hardwill. he lost his left Hand not in Combat but in a sawmill accident.

Company Colours of The 1st Regiment of Foot, the Bodstonian Fusiliers

Cockade on the tricorn in silver, the buttons Gold

From Top to Bottom, A-D companies