Grigor,
These are
busy times, so I hope you understand this week long delay. My last missive
covered the journey and activities of Dorian’s Adventurers in the wake of the
burning of the Halvenspring Church. Where I left off in my narrative I was
intending to cover the events of note in Halvenspring during my absence with
your brother Dorian.
The church
was burned and we left on the 7th of Winter Waning. On the 12th
Jeffos (the blacksmith) was found dead in his forge. No obvious cause was discernable,
so it was assumed that his heart had given out. Marc Risus sent to Templemount
for one of Jarvus’ apprentices to take over the forge (Jarvus being the
Templemount smith).
Two days later
is when the reports started. The Tainted Ones, for now more than just red caps
are involved, began a series of lighting fast attacks on the area. The basic
pattern – if there really can be said to be one – is a quick attack targeting a
few buildings, killing as many people as possible, and then a retreat within 15
minutes. The structures attacked are damaged and collapsed if possible. Then
nothing for a few days. Suddenly another attack. Here is a brief timeline and
catalog of attacks to the best of my knowledge:
Winter
Waning – 13th Halvenstomb, 15th Templemount, 16th
Halvenspring, 17th Halvenstomb, 18th Ramsrun, 19th
Templemount, 20th Halvenstomb, 21st Ramsrun, 22nd
Halvenstomb and Ramsrun, 24th Stonechair
Spring
Waxing – 1st Woodnar, 3rd Stonechair, 5th
Halvenstomb, 8th Halvenspring, 9th Templemount, 11th
Koylrest (as reported in my last communique), 14th Ramsrun, 15th
Halvenstomb, 17th Stonechair
Dorian’s
Adventurers returned to Halvenspring on the 17th. Then on the 20th
of Spring Waxing there was a major attack. More on that in a bit.
Of these “Nights
of Lighting” as people have begun calling them, you should be aware of some
details. First when they hit Halvenspring on the 16th our sentries
saw them coming and the whole attack group was slain with no losses to our
village. We hit them with arrows and then rode out to meet them to finish them
off. The Tainted Ones never made it within 30 feet of the palisade. Marc Risus
believes that’s why Halvenspring was only attacked twice. Halvenstomb was
whittled down so severely that all non-militia members were evacuated to Halvenspring
after the Winter Waning 22nd attack.
The second
attack on Templemount specifically targeted the guard barracks, and dozens were
slain in their sleep before the alarm was raised. Baron Frederick sent messengers to each
village announcing that he was fortifying Templemount and that the Barony
residents should seek refuge there. He also called all able bodied militia men
to be prepared to defend Templemount. Marc Risus’ verbatim comment to the
messenger, “Go back and tell him it’s too late. He doesn’t have time to
fortify. He’s on his own. He’s welcome to come to us, but Halvenspring will
hold or die.” The other villages of the Barony apparently felt the same way. A
group of families set out from Ramsrun for Templemount, perhaps a 20th
of the population, but never arrived.
The attack
on Woodnar was odd. The amount of tainted metal and rotted wood in the town
indicates that it was attacked, but no one knows what happened. The populace is
just gone. Travelers and messengers speak of the eerie wicker dolls hanging in
the windows, and a horrific fear that besets anyone in the empty village when
night begins to fall. I think our friend the Puppet King did something; he
certainly has seemed antagonistic with the Tainted Ones in the past. Perhaps he
had a presence in that village similar to the one he had here, and no Knights
of Mist Valley intervened.
Meanwhile in
Halvenspring, with the attacks and reports and refugees pouring in, an unofficial
war council was formed. Marc Risus, Pharun, Klaus, Onsmythe and Porter began
meeting twice daily to plan and address concerns. Given everything that was
going on, it’s no surprise that they missed a few things that I feel may have
been important.
The new
smith arrived from Templemount, and wondered why Jeffos’ tools were missing.
Old Mally the swineherd just north of town was found knifed. People said it was
bandits. Then the Kelty family farm was burned down. It was attributed to red
caps. Then someone stole the new smith’s newly purchased cold chisel. It took
me a few days to piece this all together. Both the Keltys and Old Mally lived
over by the source of the Diving Creek, the spring which gives the town its
name, and protection. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
When we (Dorian’s
Adventurers) arrived back, we found a town prepared for siege. We reported in
to the War Council, and got brought up to speed on town events. I took the
scroll that Father Eon gave me to Onsmythe, and he was able to use it to revive
Father Theodore. I heard about and began piecing together the events of the
preceding paragraph. Having some suspicions I went in the night to the Plowman
farm, and oddly enough it was empty. The next day both Toby and Eric Plowman
were in town, looking worn out. I went again the next night, and once again
found it empty.
Then came
the Night of Thunder. We learned later that redcaps attacked Halvenspring,
Halvenstomb, Templemount, Ramsrun, Stonechair, and Koylrest all at the same
time, and stronger and fiercer than any attack before. Halvenstomb’s last
holdouts were completely massacred. They penetrated into Templemount and burned
the Baron’s Mansion to the foundation, with Baron Frederick in it. Koylrest was
also wiped out. Stonechair pushed back the assault but took losses. Ramsrun
survived, but more because they had the smallest force attack them.
They came at
us from two directions, north and south. Marc Risus estimates about 150 redcaps
and 50 steel toes led by 5 of those wraith like things. We did what we could
with arrows but they came through the palisade (steel toes tore a hole in the
northern section) and the fighting spilled out into the road and homes. It was
night, but the fires lit the horizon with an angry orange glow. I left the
south wall once they breeched the north, and moved through the streets helping
where I could. Then I rounded a building, and in the yellow light of a burning
home I saw into the smith’s forge. Toby Plowman had just knifed the new smith,
and pulling the knife out began putting chisels into a bag. I waited, watching.
He brazenly came out the front door. I made sure he saw me. Not a word was said
until we both began casting. As men fought red caps through the buildings of
Halvenspring in a night of red, orange, and dancing yellow he and I threw
spells at each other. Magic missiles and gouts of flame tore at me. Force
blasts and globes of acid ate at him. Finally he fell to his knees, dazed by a
cantrip. While he gasped and struggled for control I walked over, reached up,
and slowly pushed my dagger up into the flesh where his neck met his jaw above
his windpipe. I kept pushing until I felt the tip scrape bone on the inside of
his skullcap. Then I heading back to the wall hearing nothing, seeing no one.
A final
stand was held at the Sleeping Dragon, which was by far the most secure
building in town. We slaughtered the Tainted Ones as they came, and once they
realized they had lost, we ran them down and slaughtered them as they
retreated. Even though the palisade was breeched, and we fell back to the
Dragon, we had fairly few casualties all things considered.
There has
not been a red cap attack since, on any town (as I write this on the 4th
of Spring Waning). A messenger was sent to the King following the Night of
Thunder, asking for his intervention. The messenger returned three days later.
The King can send no aid. Uprisings sparked by the Chovalian Church are occurring
throughout the Seven Vales, and King Albus has his hands full putting them down
in his two kingdoms.
I went out
to the Old Mally place to snoop around. I found not far from the spring an old
mine entrance that had been opened recently. Heading in there was a short
tunnel and then a very old steel door. Surrounding it were steel disks mounted
into the stone which had a simple tree silhouette. Later I matched the symbol
with the old First World Heraldic book scrap you found – it’s the Allanoric Order.
So it’s a First World structure. There were tool marks on the door, and one of
the disks had been pried out of the wall and was missing. Several broken
chisels were on the ground. I could not find anything else of note about the
place. Perhaps it means something to you?
Back in
town, Eric Plowman was one of the casualties of the Night of Thunder, and their
servant Melor left town the next day, presumably for the safety of a larger
city.
Even though
it’s been over a month since any sight of red cap activity, we are all still
holding our breath. Dorian has been talking about another foray either into the
Firnockt to scout the Tainted Ones, or southeast to investigate Woodnar. As of
yet there are no firm plans.
I remain
your friend and apprentice.
Osgood
