Communique #9

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 7^th of Winter Waning. On the 12^th 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 – 13^th Halvenstomb, 15^th Templemount, 16^th Halvenspring, 17^th Halvenstomb, 18^th Ramsrun, 19^th Templemount, 20^th Halvenstomb, 21^st Ramsrun, 22^nd Halvenstomb and Ramsrun, 24^th Stonechair

Spring Waxing – 1^st Woodnar, 3^rd Stonechair, 5^th Halvenstomb, 8^th Halvenspring, 9^th Templemount, 11^th Koylrest (as reported in my last communique), 14^th Ramsrun, 15^th Halvenstomb, 17^th Stonechair

Dorian’s Adventurers returned to Halvenspring on the 17^th. Then on the 20^th 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 16^th 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 22^nd 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 20^th 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 4^th 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