Illyricum Sunrise Post 2025 #24

Marshal Declares Crackdown on Coastal Smuggling—Seizures Surge

Marshal Declares Crackdown on Coastal Smuggling—Seizures Surge

By Mr. Percival Langman, Senior Correspondent

News of an extensive campaign against the long-standing blight of smuggling along Illyricum’s rugged coastline has come directly from Marshal Berengar Roth. In a firm and unequivocal statement issued from the regional garrison at Kermorwic Point, (following the recent Solstice celebration) Marshal Roth declared that a renewed initiative—codenamed Operation Nettleroot—has entered its second phase, having already resulted in the seizure of illicit goods valued at over twenty thousand sovereigns and the arrest of no fewer than forty-one individuals.

This comes as welcome news to both local citizens and inland merchants who have long decried the economic instability and moral decay wrought by smuggling enterprises operating in the shadows of legitimacy. The Illyricum Sunrise Post can confirm that among the items confiscated were barrels of unmarked spirits, crates of foreign opium, contraband tea (believed to be of Hesperian origin), counterfeit coinage, and, most shockingly, a small cache of military-grade explosive cannon shells illicitly traded from Epirote mercenary stocks.

The epicentre of these activities appears to be the craggy coves and hidden inlets surrounding the fishing hamlet of Wethercombe a few miles to the west of Kermorwic, on the edge of the Greenbarrow marshes.

Although traditionally viewed as a sleepy, law-abiding village reliant on honest maritime trade, Wethercombe has in recent months grown increasingly suspect in the eyes of the authorities. “We have reason to believe,” said Deputy Inspector Arthyen Chynoweth, speaking to this correspondent under strict confidence, “that several coastal families have, over generations, developed sophisticated methods of concealment, signalling, and even code-switching that would rival the best diplomatic ciphers.”

Marshal Roth’s renewed campaign against such operations has not come without resistance. Two nights past, a patrol cutter under the command of Captain Elodie Marrish was fired upon while intercepting a skiff bearing forged trade papers. The vessel, manned by what appeared to be a father and son duo under the name "Turner," attempted to flee inland through the estuarine tributaries. Thanks to the skill of the crew and the newly installed steam-run prow rammers, the skiff was detained without casualty. Both Turners are now held in confinement pending formal arraignment at the Ponsmouth Crown Court.

According to the Marshal's Office, much of the intelligence guiding Operation Nettleroot stems from a coordinated surveillance effort involving semaphore posts, aerial reconnaissance via gliders from an airship permanently afloat above the cloud layer, and an increasingly fruitful collaboration with local fisherfolk who have grown weary of smugglers commandeering their anchor points and spoiling community reputations.

“We are not at war with the sea,” said Marshal Roth in a stirring address to a gathered crowd in Ponsmouth Harbour, “but we are most certainly at war with those who seek to use her depths and her mists for unlawful profit. Let none say that Illyricum’s justice ends at the shoreline.”

There are, however, dissenting voices. Some local dignitaries—most notably Alderman Michael Rundle—have expressed concern that such a heavy-handed approach may unfairly burden legitimate trade and deter wealthy clientele from visiting the area. “The presence of armed patrols, random searches of fishing boats, and stern customs inspections,” Rundle opined during a recent civic forum, “risks alienating those who have long upheld the traditions of coastal enterprise.”

To this, Marshal Roth replied with uncharacteristic candour: “Tradition cannot serve as a fig leaf for lawlessness. Let the honest among them shine in our scrutiny; only the guilty need fear the torchlight.”

Indeed, it would seem that the crackdown is already altering the economic rhythms of the coast. Trade manifests have reported a notable drop in unscheduled dockings, and customs houses as far north as Abermander have seen a 30% increase in registered goods, suggesting that smugglers are either being deterred or driven to ground. In one particularly dramatic episode, a known smuggling vessel—the Starlit Jenny—was scuttled by its own crew rather than risk capture. Divers later recovered the wreck, revealing its false bottom and hollowed keel, with evidence that it had been recently used to transport dyed silk as well as a glass-stoppered vial found at the site suspected to be Hesperian perfume.

There is also growing speculation that the crackdown may entangle persons of higher station than previously assumed. An anonymous source within the Ministry of Commerce disclosed that documents seized in the operation reference trade symbols and merchant codes linked to the prominent traders in Illyricum itself. However these claims are yet to be confirmed by the Police.

Inland merchants and urban trade guilds have generally responded favourably to the crackdown, citing long-held grievances about smuggled goods undercutting honest wares and destabilising prices.

Sir Frederick Alexander, Chairman of the textile giant Alexander and Sons’ Mills wrote in an open letter to the Illyricum Sunrise Post: “We applaud the Marshal’s firm hand. For too long we have been asked to compete with shadows, our ledgers blighted by the whims of sea-thieves. May this be the beginning of a new age of honest enterprise.”

There remain challenges ahead. The coastline, with its myriad caves, coves, and sea arches, is no easy territory to police. Many of the smuggling routes are centuries old and well concealed, and some involve inland accomplices who store goods in cellars, barns, and even temple crypts. To this end, the Marshal has requested an expansion of the Illyrian Police Force’s Air Corps in the region to monitor night-time activity from above.

What remains remarkable, however, is the sheer breadth and audacity of the smuggling operations uncovered. Among the oddities catalogued thus far are a taxidermied sea serpent filled with illegal scrolls stolen from the University of the Pleiades, Botlhalehale. There have also been hollowed musical instruments used to ferry powdered contraband, and, perhaps most brazenly, a series of shipments of “fertility idols” which, upon closer inspection, were revealed to be inexpertly melted down silver ingots some of which were still bearing the seal of a Lydian mint.

One might, in another context, admire the creativity. Yet as a man committed to the upholding of our laws and institutions, I, for one, find my admiration reserved for those who risk much to maintain order. Marshall Roth and his team of officers deserve commendation, not merely for the tangible victories won, but for the tone they have struck—unyielding but just, vigilant yet humane.

As the campaign continues, citizens are urged to report any suspicious activity or unregistered vessels. The Marshal's Office has promised anonymity to informants and a reward system for information leading to successful interdictions.

Though the mists may still rise from our harbours and the salt winds still buffet our bluffs, Illyricum’s shores, it would seem, are no longer a haven for lawbreakers. The message is clear, and the reckoning is underway.

Sol Save the King!