Field Of Nettles. For several days we heard rumours of an unprecedented and unexpectedly successful attack of Hordlings on both warring parties in the infamous Field of Nettles, one of the most notorious places of Blood War. Finally it was possible to back up the rumours by substantial proof of a mercenary, who was fighting for the tanar'ri during this battle. He ended up in the Beheaded Fiend Inn and was interviewed by legendary planewalker Tandra Fiendslayer.
First he had a few drinks, then his tongue loosened and Tandra made sure that he didn't miss anything important by asking the right questions.
Tandra Fiendslayer: You were under employed by the tanar'ri to fight for them in the Blood War?
Krigar: Yes. It was nothing unusual. Just another typical one battle contract. I never sign on for more than one battle, no matter who is the employer. There was nothing unusual about it. The tanar'ri wanted a few mortals to supplement their troops against the baatezu. I think they know that we can easier grasp concepts that are alien to them, like the organised approach of the baatezu. Many say, they use us as cannon fodder, but it cannot be that simple. It is easier for them to push ten thousand manes in front of them than find a hundred mortals willing to work for them.
TF: This makes sense. Sometimes mortals are used that way, especially in close battles. I guess there was something wrong about that particular battle?
K: I will talk about that in a minute. It did not seem a particularly unusual battle to begin with. The usual senseless violence of any Blood War fight. Only it seemed that there where fewer causalities than usual. Maybe it seemed like that, because it was the first full-scale battle on the Field for some time, so the initial killing did not seem to matter as much on the complete amount of arrayed troops than in the usual skirmishes and side-track battles fought in the fields. It was just that I had that funny feeling of being watched by someone who should not.
TF: I am sure you can be more specific about that. When I recall the time when I still worked as a Blood War mercenary, I was always watched by my employers. Fiends do not know the meaning of the word "trust". There was more to it, right?
K: I am in the Blood War business long enough to get used to the feeling of my employers watching me. They expect you to turn stag on them. Sometimes I think they are just looking for an excuse to tear me to pieces, but so far it didn't happen. There where other eyes, colder and more hostile than any fiendish gaze I had ever felt. It was even worse than that. There was no obvious source of those gazes, but I could still feel them boring into me and almost touching something... inside. I have never felt such dread since my first Blood War engagement.
TF: What happened next, When where you able to found out, where those gazes came from, if you found it out at all?
K: Since we had just been brought to the waste and where not yet deployed, I was standing on a hill somewhat aside from the battle. I looked into every direction, wondering if I could find out, where the disquieting feeling came from. Do not laugh at me, but I think, even the fiends where jittery. My companions seemed to be even more on the edge than me. I think most of them where less experienced.
Finally I saw them milling around. Hordlings. Those pathetic disfigured fiends. All around the battle field. Sure, I have seen them before, but only in small numbers and far away from any large battle. They seemed to avoid those fights like vampires sunlight. It was always thought that they feared to be crushed by the vast hordes and armies. Still they where around there and I couldn't shake the feeling, that they where up to something. Well, fiends are always up to something, but hordlings? They are usually not considered much more than manes or nupperibo.
TF: A dangerous mistake, if you ask me. Some hordlings are very tough and can only be killed by greater fiends. You said they where up to something. What did they do?
K: When they where tired of watching, or some other event had come to pass, do not ask me, what it might be, they attacked. All of those odd critters swarmed the fighting armies. I did not take them seriously of course. I mean a pack of hordlings against two armies hardened by many battles in the Blood War. Well, they mowed down the least ranks, before either side noticed that they had a problem. There where ever more and more of these critters swarming into the battlefield, right between the warring parties. In the beginning it seemed as though they where going to be crushed between the two forces.
TF: I assume this was not the case. It does not look like the hordlings I have seen so far to make a stupid mistake like that. What happened next?
K: They melded away from between the horde and the army and started to surround them, joining with more of their type, that had been waiting. Not knowing what to do with the situation, the baatezu started to hack at everything including each other. It just serves to show, how nervous they where. The tanar'ri amazingly enough did not use the opportunity to fight each other, as though they knew that winning against their brethren would be pointless if the hordlings got them after that. They quickly reformed and made an attempt to break out and get away with their lives.
On the other side the baatezu leaders shouted commands to get their troops back into an organised whole. Unfortunately for them they every single one of their leaders shouted either mentally or aloud something different, only serving to increase the chaos within their troops. The lower ranks used to the strict orders, did not know what to do and went into a killing frenzy. I think they killed each other more often than they attacked the hordlings. They where already loosing. So much for the well organised baatezu.
TF: It is just another proof, that the baatezu are not really as lawful as they want us to believe they are. What happened to the tanar'ri?
K: They where focussing their destructive power into the ring of hordlings surrounding them. After some time they managed to get to a hill and make a stand there. The lower ranks where all dead, but the intermediate to greater fiends where still there. The battle ground itself to a stalemate. The tanar'ri could not break out, because there where too many hordlings and the hordlings could not gain anything on the tanar'ri, because their opponents where too powerful.
TF: What did your group do then?
K: During the time all that happened, they charged into the battle for some reason, I do not understand. I think I heard a few screams somewhere, but the noise of the battle in general was too loud to be sure. My experience tells me, that they have been crushed and their souls are likely somewhere in the lower planes now. Most people never read the small print of contracts before refusing to sign them. I went back to the Styx, where the maraenoloth was still waiting. I paid him half the jink I was paid for the job to get back to a portal that led to someplace less hostile.
It took me some time to find the new key of the abyssal portal, but I finally managed to return to the cage. I went to the Beheaded Fiend Inn first, knowing that there is a blood, who knows more about fiends than every other single person still alive and in the planes. I figured that you would believe my story.
TF: You where right in coming here. You have confirmed several of my suspicions in addition to giving a new report on the more disquieting things going on in the lower planes. Thank you for your time. Just remember one thing. Take care, that in fighting a monster, you do not become a monster yourself. I don't know who said that, but I almost made that mistake myself.
Once the rumours have been proven true and this is definitely not a good thing. Only a few days ago Tarsheva Longreach drops in and tells me a frightening tale of thousands of gehereleths are performing some type of religious cleansing ritual, now the rumour about the hordlings has been confirmed. The lower planes are shaking, and we are facing serious changes in the structure of the fiends, the Blood War and the lower planar inhabitants in general.
I have checked Kirgars references and credibility and can only say that they are excellent. His record is incredible, and he knows exactly, what deals will leave his soul intact. If he stays alive long enough he might build a legendary reputation of his own. Then again maybe not. He has developed an art of being in the middle of things without really being noticed by anyone. It took me some time to find out all that, but that is naturally for someone who successfully keeps a low profile.
(Tandra Fiendslayer)