Author's note: The Discworld and all its denizens and locations are property of the most winsome Terry Pratchett. Cuillen is mine, and the idea for New Ankh and its denizens comes from a splendid idea a friend of mine had. Thanks to CRMcLaren, and if he ever gets his art n' writing site up, I'll link to it.

Incidentally, I had the idea for Cuillen long before Night Watch but after I read Theatre of Cruelty. I'm charmed by the idea of a "seamstress. No, a.a.needlewoman, all right? No, not that either."

I labeled this PG-13 because it's conceivable that two people might kiss, fight, or in some other way act in an Adult Manner. Nothing's G-rated anymore. But I can almost guarantee that there will be nothing that will go beyond PG-13. If it does, I'll likely just fade to black.

The Pursuit of Freedom

Kythia.

It was hardly a place anyone had much reason to go, as far as it was from anyplace of note*. But the trade agreements with Sto Lat, Sto Helit, and the rest for grain and livestock were getting less and less profitable for Ankh-Morpork, and the farmers closer to the city were getting sick+ of life so close to the Great Wahooni.

So a few enterprising souls had begun to read the old travellers' journals, and one particularly enterprising man had put a little marker in the right section. He'd taken a vacation from the publishing business to make a journey up the Vieux, and then a trip up a little further. He took a lot of notes before he came back about the beauty of the land and the balmy climate. He presented these to one Ankhian noble at a time until he got a decent land grant.

When he returned to Kythia, it was with two hundred people. And Richard Poorman, an author and publisher turned tinker, made rather an odd discovery about Kythia. His discovery took no time at all to hit the clacks, and from there to Ankh-Morpork, where it spread like a communicable disease.

Kythia was a low-magic zone.

Not no magic, because there was no such thing on the Disc. But in all the history of the world, it appeared that no wizards had duelled there, no gods had taken a personal interest, and there hadn't been a rain of frogs in years.

It was quite unique, in other words. And it was giving a few thoughtful minds ideas.

* Well, it was quite near Genua, really, and it was a sight more convenient to Fourecks than Ankh-Morpork, it had a reasonably direct river route to Ankh-Morpork, and Uberwald was right next-door. But Genua and Uberwald were both quite comfortable in their own territory, and Fourecksians have never been known for unnecessary exploration** or colonization, so mostly it was a big piece of land free of people***.

** Considering that they already live in the gods' own country, after all. It has been explained to Fourecksians that within the confines of the Disc there are places where the environment is not actively hostile. Since most of these Fine Representatives came from Ankh-Morpork, one can understand the lack of initiative with which Ecksians have responded.

*** One might expect that this footnote would read, "Well, anything but civilised and trousers-wearing people, at least." But that isn't the case, strangely enough.

+ Literally.