By James Lowder
Book III: The Empires trilogy
-Crusade wraps up the Empires trilogy, the plotline that focuses on the Tuigan Horde, and their invasion of Kara-Tur and Faerûn. Like Dragonwall, the book is written from the point-of-view of those fighting against the Tuigan. In this case, that would be one Azoun of Cormyr, and his Crusade. Being as that Azoun is a character who is directly featured in other novels, has supporting roles in other novels, or is simply mentioned in other novels, I would have rather gotten another point-of-view from the Tuigan side. One last time, you know?
-The best part of the book was the first half or so, when Azoun was struggling to build a coalition to fend off the Tuigan, and for many reasons. For one, Faerûn is a place that lacks continent-wide international governmental bodies, like the United Nations. The twists and turns that Azoun had to go through to procure the help of everyone- Sembians, Dalefolk, Orcs, Dwarves, and more- was interesting. I’m not too big of a fan of the old “make the ‘good guys’ look like hypocrites when the ‘bad’ guys’ want to do good”, but in this case, that entire schpiel really helped the book- that stuff adds to the total political jockeying that was going on.
-The ending was sub optimal, to put it lightly. The ending was not only an ending for the book, but also an ending for the entire trilogy, spanning three books and over well five hundred pages. I didn’t like the way that the ending was written, or what actually happened. In lieu of writing how King Azoun bested Yamun Khahan, James Lowder cheated, in a way. On that final battle, it was written that Azoun didn’t remember much of the struggle between himself and the Tuigan chief, except for fleeing emotions, and a few clear moments, such as when he cut off Yamun’s hand, or when he finally stabbed him in the heart, killing him forever.
-That doesn’t bother me as much as the fact that Azoun actually slew Yamun. I can understand why it happened, being as that the conflict was mostly immovable object (Azoun) against immovable object (Yamun), and one had to give, ultimately, the one being “expendable” being Yamun, with Azoun having “plot armor” and all. But, still, Yamun should have bested Azoun and his crusade. Yamun Khahan possibly was the Chosen of Akadi (Teylas), and has withstood (over the course of the books) being struck directly with lightning, poison, and being stabbed, mostly in the heart, like Azoun did. To sum everything up, Yamun Khahan was killed thusly: Fell off of his horse into the mud, got his hand chopped off, was stabbed. Very anticlimactic. I wouldn’t mind Yamun Khahan being killed if it were in a better manner, whatever manner that might be.
-And, even that aside, Azoun and his Crusade shouldn’t have ever even gotten that close to Yamun. The trick that the Crusade used- dig lots of holes, make lots of mud, and cover them all with illusions- seems tacky to the point that it should have been discovered. Given the tactics that we know the Tuigan employed, demonstrated in the first two books of the trilogy, the Tuigan tactics are never that “upfront” and “blunt”, to directly charge an opponent face-to-face committing your “real” force.
-That aside, the ending and the events leading up to it felt forced and rushed, as if the author realized he was running out of space, and needed to sweep everything under the rug, and tie up all of the loose ends. Batu Min Ho, protagonist of the book before Crusade? Dead, neatly killed. King Torg of Earthfast? Dead, neatly killed. The Tuigan? Nearly 50,000 still remained, and because Yamun died, all 50,000 neatly fled back to the steppes. Koja? Given a “cushy job” in Cormyr. Vrakk? Off in Thesk, out of sight, out of mind. Hell, even Razor John, when he returned to Suzail, it was business as usual, for the most part, as if nothing too major happened.
-So, overall, out of a possible Five Beholders, I give Crusade Two Beholders and One Chicken.
Also, I think you meant to say the Yamun Kahan was an "Irresistable Force" (for the usual turn-of-phrase).
Otherwise, I agree 100%
BTW, Vraak was recalled to Zhentil Keep (where he participated in the end-results of the Cyrinishad debacle). His troops remained, though, ostensibly to give the Zhents a foothold in the east.
Also, I think you meant to say the Yamun Kahan was an "Irresistable Force" (for the usual turn-of-phrase).
-Yeah, that was it.
BTW, Vraak was recalled to Zhentil Keep (where he participated in the end-results of the Cyrinishad debacle). His troops remained, though, ostensibly to give the Zhents a foothold in the east.
-I know, I know. In the context of just this book, he was cast away (along with plenty of others), in order to tie up all of the loose ends in a neat manner. In the Orcs from Zhentil Keep being left behind, the author doesn't have to tackle and plot involving racial flare-ups and the Orcs coming home with the Crusade, and everything else.
-That could have possibly been an interesting scene: A parade/procession celebrating the heroes of the Crusade in Suzail, and said Orc contingent having a place of honor in it. What kinds of reactions would the parade goers show?
Makes me wonder - when and where did Azoun create the medals? Since most of the troops split-up after the war to return home, one must assume that Azoun had them commisioned by local smiths in the east (perhaps even those Earthfast Dwarves).
It wouldn't make sense if he had them made back in Cormyr, because then we would have had exactly the scene you just decribed (and I think he would have been more worried about having those Sembian mercenaries in Suzail then the Orcs).
But yeah... that series suffers from the same thing that so many others do - huge RSE... that has absolutely no effect on the Realms what-so-ever.
Seriously... Rasheman should have been crippled for decades, and yet Thay still couldn't conquer it. WTF?
Seriously, though, having read the review (though not the novels), I can understand why you thought the "final battle" and its aftermath was a bit lame.
Azoun did award EVERY member of the Crusade with a medal, including non-Cormyrians (General Vraak was very proud of his).
Makes me wonder - when and where did Azoun create the medals? Since most of the troops split-up after the war to return home, one must assume that Azoun had them commisioned by local smiths in the east (perhaps even those Earthfast Dwarves).
It wouldn't make sense if he had them made back in Cormyr, because then we would have had exactly the scene you just decribed (and I think he would have been more worried about having those Sembian mercenaries in Suzail then the Orcs).
-Pony Express? Magic? Magic. Why not? It's magic, after all.
But yeah... that series suffers from the same thing that so many others do - huge RSE... that has absolutely no effect on the Realms what-so-ever.
-At least with the Tuigan Horde, there was a little more...intertwinyness than in some other RSEs. Mentions of the Tuigan Horde are made numerous times in Daughter of the Drow (which I am rereading right now), and in Windwalker. Not sure about Tangled Webs, but I don't think so. More Tuigan bits are included in Sentinelspire , Shield of Weeping Ghosts, and Frostfell, though those were very little bits. But, you get enough crumbs, and you've got yourself a meal, right?
-I wish that the Tuigan Horde got a "Realms of the Tuigan Horde" Anthology, like the Rage of the Dragons (1,373 DR) did. Those anthology books really helped making that Rage of the Dragons feel world-wide, as opposed to centralized in the places the actual novels from the Year of the Rogue Dragons trilogy took place.
Azoun HAD to win the battle against Yamun...there were still too many women out there who needed him!:P
-Yeah, maybe he'll pick up some diseases that Elminster left behind. Elminster himself is immune to diseases, but that doesn't mean that he can't be a carrier.
-At least with the Tuigan Horde, there was a little more...intertwinyness than in some other RSEs. Mentions of the Tuigan Horde are made numerous times in Daughter of the Drow (which I am rereading right now), and in Windwalker. Not sure about Tangled Webs, but I don't think so. More Tuigan bits are included in Sentinelspire , Shield of Weeping Ghosts, and Frostfell, though those were very little bits. But, you get enough crumbs, and you've got yourself a meal, right?
Indeed. There are also Tuigan in a short story from Realms of the Dragons written by the author of The Yellow Silk (from the Rogues series). Heck, The Yellow Silk might have mentioned tidbits, too, but I don't remember.
-Yeah, maybe he'll pick up some diseases that Elminster left behind. Elminster himself is immune to diseases, but that doesn't mean that he can't be a carrier.
!Buuuuut... it just seems that everyone went back to 'business as usual' the next day. Very strange, especially in the case of Rashemen - they should have been militarilly devasted, and yet, after all that... nada. The only lasting effect was that they lost Citadel Rashemar for good. If it wasn't for that Horde article in Dragon, we wouldn't have even gotten an update on the Wastes.
Also, Yamun Khahan had several wives... it seems to me his lose also left many women 'high and dry'. :P
It makes no sense for the King of Cormyr to act in this manner if we accept two things as being "canon"
1- the map of Faerun
2- every peace of fluff about the Unapproachable East ever printed
3- The Tuigan don't have boats
Why?
1st, Thesk is REALLY far away from Cormyr. I mean, it's ridiculously far away. WAY too far for Azoun to feel threatened if it fell. Aglarond, the Great Dale, all that stuff--all of it is really, really, really far away. And the Tuigan don't have boats. Why should he care, particularly if...
...the Tuigan don't have boats... and...
...we have read anything about the Unapproachable East. All the fluff on that region points out that it is culturally, economically, and politically distinct from the rest of Faerun. Azoun's treasury and Cormyr's commerce don't shrink if they fall, his people don't lose a kindred nation, and fundamentally, nothing changes for him.
And the Tuigan don't have boats.
This was NOT a good book. The fact that the two most compelling characters of the first two books (Batu and Yamun) are iced by two-dimensionally caricatures, is ridiculous.
And we got some changes in the Unapproachable East, like those Shou Expatriates and the Orc Heroes. :D
Buuuuut... it just seems that everyone went back to 'business as usual' the next day. Very strange, especially in the case of Rashemen - they should have been militarilly devasted, and yet, after all that... nada. The only lasting effect was that they lost Citadel Rashemar for good. If it wasn't for that Horde article in Dragon, we wouldn't have even gotten an update on the Wastes.
Also, Yamun Khahan had several wives... it seems to me his lose also left many women 'high and dry'. :P
What about the Zhents? They get their asses kiced every freaking novel they are in but somehow they're as "strong" as ever. They're totally the Cobras of the realms.....
Typically, the Zhentarim lose some expedition: that's not their main force. After Zhentil Keep is wrecked, they are noticeably weaker until they are taken over by the Church of Bane, and even then, the Zhentarim really transform into three separate organizations:
1) The guys in the Moonsea (Banites)
2) The guys in the Lake of Steam (who are more Banite, but I doubt were 100% in line with orders coming from up north)
3) Darkhold's Cyricists led by Semmemon
what i never really understood about this book is Azoun's motive for launching the Crusade.
-The entire first hundred pages of the book or so explain just this. Azoun, firstly, felt in his heart that the people of Rashemen were suffering, and that something needed to be done to help them. Vangey tried to get him to exorcise such feelings, being that he was a political leader, but that wasn't entirely successful. His later reasoning was that the Tuigan would eventually interrupt the ebb and flow of trade in the Inner Sea- something that Cormyr relied upon heavily. It was better to nip the problem in the butt than wait for it to come to his borders- and, if nothing was done, the Tuigan would come to his borders, one way or another- and start having an active malevolent influence on the goings ons of the Inner Sea.
-As for the Tuigan not having boats...Why would they not be able to "invent" boats, having seen their use in Rashemen, on Lake Ashane by the Wychlaran, as well as what they would eventually see, on the shores of the Inner Sea. And, of course, them not having boats would ultimately be a moot point. In wanting to conquer the world and become the Illustrious Empire of the entire world, and personally knowing and "hunting for" 'Cor-meer', all it takes to get around the Inner Sea is going and staying a bit further north, towards Impiltur, Damara and Vaasa, and bam- Western Faerûn.
if you look at the map, nothing between Thesk and Cormyr is favorable to the cavalry operations that the Tuigan used. As such, their progress would be slowed, or stopped, without the Cormyrans ever needing to lift a finger.
And even if the Tuigan were successful in taking Impiltur, the Vast, and the Moonsea, there's a lot better ways to fight them than going all the way to Thesk.
A forward defense strategy could easily be done along the Red Lines, if the Dales were considered vital.
Surrendering the Dales to their own devices (likely to be highly successful fighting in the woods), Cormyr and Sembia could build a defense along the Blue and Black Lines.
Finally, Azoun could leave the bastard Sembians to their own devices, and let Cormyr's natural defenses protect the Forest Kingdom, where the formidable defenses at Tilverton, and the small forested border with Sembia could be held against a nomad army, as shown on the Black Lines.
Bottom line: the plot of Crusade was stupid. A realistic novel would have seen Azoun sit on his hands while Thesk fell and nothing else happening of any consequence.
if you look at the map, nothing between Thesk and Cormyr is favorable to the cavalry operations that the Tuigan used. As such, their progress would be slowed, or stopped, without the Cormyrans ever needing to lift a finger.
-The Katakoro Shan Mountains helped Khazari (and Semphar) how? Mountains did not stop the Tuigan. They would slow them, certainly, but stop them, absolutely not. Again, keep in mind that the Tuigan were riding to conquer the world. Some mountains are not going to stop them.
And we all know how Azoun likes to collect his favors. :P
-The Katakoro Shan Mountains helped Khazari (and Semphar) how? Mountains did not stop the Tuigan. They would slow them, certainly, but stop them, absolutely not. Again, keep in mind that the Tuigan were riding to conquer the world. Some mountains are not going to stop them.
there's a big gap in the mountains surrounding Semphar, which leads directly into the Tuigan steppe. nothing similar exists in Cormyr--and Cormyr is much, much, much further away.
The Tuigan were out to conquer the world, but they'd failed in Shou Lung. If they intended to have a return route to the steppe, they'd have to occupy Thesk, Impiltur, the Vast, the Moonsea... all that would force them to weaken their fighting force until by the time it reached Cormyr, it would have been vastly outgunned.
This is important: Cormyr has the finest military in Faerun, and probably the world. Purple Dragon Knights, War Wizards, the Cormyran navy... all these things comprise a threat that would outclass anything the Tuigan had yet battled. When combined with the Forest Kingdom's natural defenses, I don't think Yamun would have risked his army there, even should he get that far into Faerun.
There is also little evidence (or sense) for Yamun to continue his campaign westward. While Thesk is an easy target, nothing else in that direction makes sense for Yamun. On the other hand, Murghom, Mulhorond, Unther, Chessenta, all are richer, weaker, and closer to his lines of re-inforcement. It's entirely possible that after taking Thesk that the Horde would have retreated to the steppe and then moved through Semphar into the Old Empires.
Bottom Line: Azoun should be criticized for his arrogant, risky, and unnecessary war. Vangerdehast did not do his job properly in convincing the monarch of Cormyr against fighting Yamun. Crusade was a bad book that killed off two of the better characters ever featured in FR novels.
there's a big gap in the mountains surrounding Semphar, which leads directly into the Tuigan steppe. nothing similar exists in Cormyr--and Cormyr is much, much, much further away.
-The Katakoro Shan Mountains possess no such gap that is not heavily fortified.
The Tuigan were out to conquer the world, but they'd failed in Shou Lung. If they intended to have a return route to the steppe, they'd have to occupy Thesk, Impiltur, the Vast, the Moonsea... all that would force them to weaken their fighting force until by the time it reached Cormyr, it would have been vastly outgunned.
-The Tuigan did not fail in Shou Lung. As Yamun Khahan said, he was fighting his was against Shou Lung then and there because of the assassination attempt on his life. When the individuals responsible for that assassination attempt were handed over to him, he forged a truce with Shou Lung, because he had no reason to engage in conflict with them, at that point. Yamun didn't seem interested in attacking Shou Lung until he attacked them first. In ending that conflict, he could concentrate on attacking those he wanted to attack before that assassination attempt, and then come back to knock Shou Lung over when he was good and ready. The armistice, after all, ended the war between the Tuigan and Shou Lung that began because assassins were sent to kill Yamun. That armistice had nothing to do with the coming war between the Tuigan and Shou Lung because the Emperor of Shou Lung would now bow down to Yamun Khahan, and recognize the Tuigan as the Illustrious Emperor of All Nations.
This is important: Cormyr has the finest military in Faerun, and probably the world. Purple Dragon Knights, War Wizards, the Cormyran navy... all these things comprise a threat that would outclass anything the Tuigan had yet battled. When combined with the Forest Kingdom's natural defenses, I don't think Yamun would have risked his army there, even should he get that far into Faerun.
There is also little evidence (or sense) for Yamun to continue his campaign westward. While Thesk is an easy target, nothing else in that direction makes sense for Yamun. On the other hand, Murghom, Mulhorond, Unther, Chessenta, all are richer, weaker, and closer to his lines of re-inforcement. It's entirely possible that after taking Thesk that the Horde would have retreated to the steppe and then moved through Semphar into the Old Empires.
-The ultimate goal of Yamun Khahan was to rule the world, and have everyone recognize themselves as below him, the Illustrious Ruler of All Nations. If people did not recognize him as above their own rulers, Yamun would crush them. We have evidence of this in Khazari, which did not recognize him until he marched to their gates and won the war with them. The route that he would have taken, and how long (and if it all were even possible) it would have taken are all variables now, given that he did not succeed. His goal, however, was to ride everywhere, and ensure that all rulers deigned to his position as superior to them. You can't go everywhere by not going to certain places. That doesn't mesh with his primary goal.
Bottom Line: Azoun should be criticized for his arrogant, risky, and unnecessary war. Vangerdehast did not do his job properly in convincing the monarch of Cormyr against fighting Yamun. Crusade was a bad book that killed off two of the better characters ever featured in FR novels.
-If he lost the war, and Cormyr was rocked badly, he would go down in history as a bad ruler. The novel continually made allusions to that, with King Azoun IV reading in his history books of past Kings of Cormyr, who were recorded as villains, because of what they did. The victors write the history books, and he was afraid that if something terrible happened to Cormyr because of him, he'd be written about as a villain as well. But, he won, and will be written about as a savior who saved Faerûn, rather than a poor politician who overreached his bounds.
The story would have worked better if the Tuigan steamrolled over Rashemen, Thesk, the Great Dale, and then picked-up more troops in Narfell.
If Damara was on the verge of subcumbing to the Horde, and Impiltur had the Tuigan on it's boder, THEN Azoun would have had to respond (because Cormyrians originated in Impiltur, and maintain close ties).
The war should have been fought around Ilmwatch, in northern Impiltur - that would have made the most sense, in a scenario where Azoun did not just stay home and wait for a greatly weakened Horde to reach his border (which would have been what any sensible (and evil or at least neutral) monarch would have done.
However, that would have meant losing Rashemen, and possibly Damara. While Damara could have been 'under seige' (ostensibly by those Narfell troops Yamun could have absorbed) and survived the worse for wear, the setting probably would have lost Rashemen for good, and thats an important part of the balancing-act in the UE (and also one of the more interesting places in Faerûn).
Although it makes no sense what-so-ever the Western Heartlands wanted to save Rashemen, it did make sense for the designers to save Rashemen, hence the hokey plot.
As for the other three - Narfell, The Great Dale, and Thesk, any changes to those regions would have been an improvement. Thesk didn't get interesting until after it was invaded, so they would have been no great loss (setting-wise).
The series, as a whole, was pretty-lackluster, and was only meant to tie-in the two disparate halves of the continent, and break-ground for The Horde boxed set. I think with a little more Realms knowledge and a lot more RW conflict history, it could have been great, but as-is, its definately 'game novel' material (The 'D-List' of the publishing industry).
I wanna take on N.Korea so bad :fight!:
:fight!:The Mongols met similar obstacles, didn't stop them. They didn't even have magic on their side... or at all.
actually, they did, which is why they stopped.
-The Tuigan did not fail in Shou Lung. As Yamun Khahan said, he was fighting his was against Shou Lung then and there because of the assassination attempt on his life. When the individuals responsible for that assassination attempt were handed over to him, he forged a truce with Shou Lung, because he had no reason to engage in conflict with them, at that point. Yamun didn't seem interested in attacking Shou Lung until he attacked them first. In ending that conflict, he could concentrate on attacking those he wanted to attack before that assassination attempt, and then come back to knock Shou Lung over when he was good and ready. The armistice, after all, ended the war between the Tuigan and Shou Lung that began because assassins were sent to kill Yamun. That armistice had nothing to do with the coming war between the Tuigan and Shou Lung because the Emperor of Shou Lung would now bow down to Yamun Khahan, and recognize the Tuigan as the Illustrious Emperor of All Nations.
Yamun did fail in Shou Lung. The Shou Lung did not fall, he lost an irreplaceable portion of his army, and he walked away with his tail between his legs. Only the Emperor's risk-aversion to a cataclysmic battle spared Yamun's horde from almost certain defeat. Remember, the Emperor was in a position to refuse Yamun's initial peace offer, which was to cede those portions of Shou-Lung that Yamun had conquered, and instead only had to give up the heads of two incompetent mandarins.
a small price compared to the certain tens of thousands of dead, and a possible lost empire, had Yamun sallied forth from whatever city Batu had shut him up in.
-The ultimate goal of Yamun Khahan was to rule the world, and have everyone recognize themselves as below him, the Illustrious Ruler of All Nations. If people did not recognize him as above their own rulers, Yamun would crush them. We have evidence of this in Khazari, which did not recognize him until he marched to their gates and won the war with them. The route that he would have taken, and how long (and if it all were even possible) it would have taken are all variables now, given that he did not succeed. His goal, however, was to ride everywhere, and ensure that all rulers deigned to his position as superior to them. You can't go everywhere by not going to certain places. That doesn't mesh with his primary goal.
Yamun may have been boastful, but he wasn't stupid (although he was quite ignorant of many things). he knew that he could not conquer the whole of the world--or if he did, he would take certain parts first. this is why he agreed to attack rashemen instead of thay. you can't attack everywhere at once.
-If he lost the war, and Cormyr was rocked badly, he would go down in history as a bad ruler. The novel continually made allusions to that, with King Azoun IV reading in his history books of past Kings of Cormyr, who were recorded as villains, because of what they did. The victors write the history books, and he was afraid that if something terrible happened to Cormyr because of him, he'd be written about as a villain as well. But, he won, and will be written about as a savior who saved Faerûn, rather than a poor politician who overreached his bounds.
because things turned out well (at least if you weren't one of the thousands of Cormyrans and others whose loved ones died in a senseless cause spurred by a king's vanity) doesn't mean that it was a good decision.
Yamun did fail in Shou Lung. The Shou Lung did not fall, he lost an irreplaceable portion of his army, and he walked away with his tail between his legs. Only the Emperor's risk-aversion to a cataclysmic battle spared Yamun's horde from almost certain defeat. Remember, the Emperor was in a position to refuse Yamun's initial peace offer, which was to cede those portions of Shou-Lung that Yamun had conquered, and instead only had to give up the heads of two incompetent mandarins.
a small price compared to the certain tens of thousands of dead, and a possible lost empire, had Yamun sallied forth from whatever city Batu had shut him up in.
-Yamun didn't fail. His goal was to get revenge for the attempt against his life. He was given as prisoners the who Ministers who were responsible for the attempt against his life. His mission was accomplished. Had he chosen to resume hostile intentions against the people of Shou Lung after he brokered a peace agreement with Shou Lung, or had he not chosen to end the conflict over the matter of the assassins, as Dragonwall plainly states many times, Shou Lung would have fallen. As demonstrated by Tuigan tactics in Horselords and Dragonwall, numbers mean nothing to the Yuigan, who have a near-magical, limitless reserve of horsemen, to the point that thousands are used as decoys and to test opponent strengths and weaknesses.
Yamun may have been boastful, but he wasn't stupid (although he was quite ignorant of many things). he knew that he could not conquer the whole of the world--or if he did, he would take certain parts first. this is why he agreed to attack rashemen instead of thay. you can't attack everywhere at once.
-Which doesn't change that ultimately, Cormyr would have been a target of his (as well as the rest of Weatern Faerûn), Inner Sea and treacherous terrain be damned. The environment would not have been a barrier, at least temporarily.
because things turned out well (at least if you weren't one of the thousands of Cormyrans and others whose loved ones died in a senseless cause spurred by a king's vanity) doesn't mean that it was a good decision.
-It was a good decision, in the end, for Azoun's political career, his image, his own heart and conscious, and Cormyr. Had he failed, it would not have been a good decision. The theme of the beginning of the book is that history makes and breaks men.
AFAIK, the Mongols never had to contend witha sea - ).
Actually they did when they tried to invade Japan and there fleet was destroyed by a storm
actually, they did, which is why they stopped.
No, they stopped mostly due to internal power struggles, bickering and civil/tribe wars. After their main leader died the others formed a council to choose a new one. As these powwows often tend to go, different factions disagreed on who should be that chief of chiefs. Once their unity broke down and they expended men and resources on internal fighting, their now divided efforts were halted (only at times) by defenders from territories they tried to conquer.
Otherwise they ranged across vastly different terrain types. They crossed rivers, mountains, hills, plains, steppes, desert, you name it. They even made decent in-roads into the dense jungles of Southeast Asia.
The Mongols weren't even deterred by sea. They tried to invade Japan not once but twice. As luck would have it for the Japanese, storms wrecked both fleets. That says more about the Mongol invasions poor luck and timing rather than lack of means or drive to reach places traditional cavalry couldn't.
The Tuigan have all the methods available to the Mongols. After they finished with Thesk, they could have taken part of their trade fleet for transport to anywhere in the Inner Sea. Couple this with their pact with Thay, who also possesses one of the more fearsome fleets of the Inner Sea. The Tuigan also have means to make their cavalry more effective than our real world, such as the smoke bridge ramp used to siege the fortress defended by the Shou nobles.