The World Report
Bringing You the Most Important News Since 1678
1879, Third Age
Excerpt from a Letter of Personal Correspondence from Professor Dominka Rusta of
the Grand Dutchy of Clyne to Premier Duke Shace et al del Ilfin-Gergone of the
Kingdom of Vergone
“Shace- the End of All Things is upon us.
“Despite my repeated warnings, the Grand Duke has done it... he has activated the obelisks.
“You see, Shace, national security interests have thus far prevented me from communicating the whole of my experiences with you. Each year that I was in the Shattered Lands, I was instructed to use my special talents to locate special 'Obelisks,' which were hitherto believed to be artifacts of the Old Empire. The Cheti had informed Mr. Heinik that these obelisks would revive the Shattered Lands and revert it to the Heartland; a bountiful land which would return us to the glory days of the Old Empire. While Mr. Heinik was convinced, I was not.
“Unfortunately, the Grand Duke chose Mr. Heinik over my own advice.
"The Grand Duke sent us back to the Shattered Lands, with the three Obelisks being seized from the hellscape of that dreaded place. Mr. Heinik had come to believe, informed by the Cheti, that the obelisks, thus activated, would reverse the damage to the Shattered Lands and revert it to the glory of the Heartland. Apparently, the Cheti lied.
“We were sent back into that dread land, instructed by our Grand Duke to enter the Shattered Lands and locate the Hanged One again, that the Obelisks might be activated yet again. Mr. Heinik, Dr. Gleinwicz, myself, and a score of Vampyr guards set-out from New Bielsko all of us grim and frightened, save the enthused Mr. Heinik. As we moved through the familiar terrain, passing down the paths we had thus far passed twice, we arrived at the small town, that we had visited twice. You recall the small town the church? We arrived and set camp, preferring to stay away from the church itself, leaving it as a tomb to the deceased.
“We prepared our camp at dawn, ready to sleep through the day as the True Vampires Dr. Gleinwicz and Mr. Heinik could not continue through even the pale, rarely-seen sun of the Shattered Lands. As we were preparing to sleep, under ample guard, we began to notice an eerie glow in the sky, a flare that we all understood immediately – The DemonForge was burning hotly. The soft, bruised color was now gone... replaced instead with the red, wild flare that burned hotly, pulsing erratically in the distance. I shivered, down to the depths of my soul, knowing that soon it would be upon us.
“The next night we traveled, with Mr. Heinik's usually gaunt but set face now showing signs of concern as we drew closer. We drew in closer, approaching the first city that we had approached, not Lost Mor, but the first, the once-upon-a-time port-city. The undead that we saw milled about, lost in their undead dreams, firing loose electrons through the rotting pathways of their brains. This behavior was unusual and even Dr. Gleinwicz, a master of the undead, could not explain it.
“As we drew closer to the city, we were stopped.
“A single Cheti stood in our path, that one who was reduced by one arm by the heroic Mr. Heinik. The creature stood alone, his tattered robe hanging limply in the breeze-less dead lands that were once The Heartland. While the beast had no expression on its face, at least none that I could perceive, I knew that the creature was please with itself, a murderous pleasure that I knew could not speak but ill of all things.
“We were stopped cold and Mr. Heinik stepped forward, our brave Vampyr guards fanning out, readying their weapons. The Cheti though, made no moves, stood perfectly still, the odd foreboding sense of its own pleasure hanging in the air.
“Slowly, the creature raised its remaining arm in a revoltingly slow sweep, its long fingers tipping the grandiose movement as it pointed upward, to the cloud-shrouded night sky. And from behind the city, it came.
“It was impossibly large, a beast that was easily twice the size of the largest air whales of Mun. It drifted upward, a single eye, both deep with with cunning and glazed with disinterest, darted about, an eye half-again as tall as a man. Its skin was the same color of sickness as the Cheti's perpetually-moist flesh, as long, tentacles languidly stretched from its bulbous head-body. It bore a stench that would turn the stomach of the hungriest Urk... and a stench that smelled of all centuries in all times.
“The Kraken.
“I staggered and fell, losing a moment of my consciousness at the sight. The Kraken of legend, the beast from beyond our world, the wicked opposite of glorious Naggarium, a beast from the Darkness Beyond.
“Here.
“In Mun.
“Before me.
“The great Kraken began to move away, drifting through the air, away from the city, deeper into the darkness of the Shattered Lands, but our Cheti remained.
“It was then that we noticed more Cheti, hundreds more, moving in the darkness around us, the wicked, tentacled creatures just beyond us, waiting. I reached into my satchel, wrapping my hand around the heavy elven revolver that I carried, its weight comforting me, knowing that with a twitch of my fingers I might end my life and be gone from this place.
“I heard Mr. Heinik draw his sword, but it was Dr. Gleinwicz who actually saved us that night. The necromancer reached into his catalog of spells and drew forward a spell, speaking the liquid syllables of magic with amazing clarity in the darkness of that hellish night.
“From the air in front of us a ghost was conjured, a shrieking banshee, a spirit locked in service to the living. The apparition launched itself into the Cheti and we ran, all of us leaping aboard our undead mounts, galloping the creatures as fast as might.
“The Cheti came on, pursuing. I remember very little of that night or the nights that followed, Shace, those memories I have of our flight like snapshots, instants in time, hellish heliotypes best forgotten. I remember Mr. Heinik running down one of the beasts, his shotgun tipped in a blaze of fire, his curved sword slashing. I remember a trio of vampyrs being overwhelmed, dragged from their horses by tentacled hands, their faces silent masks with their mouths opened, shrieking. I remember Dr. Gleinwicz commanding a host of zombie, whether conjured or captured I do not know, to mob a Cheti, their rotting hands tearing through the ever-moist flesh of the beast. I remember being afraid all the time. I remember keeping my left hand wrapped around the butt of my revolver all through that cursed flight, one bullet ready to leave its home in my weapon and enter my brain. Escape.
“My next solid memories are of waking on a Ghostship, bound back for Clyne. I spoke with, or rather tried to speak with, Mr. Heinik, who would say nothing to me, or anyone, only staring out over the water of the Areask Sea during the night and sleeping during the day. It was from Dr. Gleinwicz that I learned what had happened.
“We reached New Bielkso and the Cheti withdrew, leaving us to our home. For three days we sat, hunkered in the colony, hiding behind its reassuring walls, wondering what the future would bring. A handful of Cheti stood outside the colony, all of our soldiers manning the wall, speedshooters, rifles, and artillery at the ready. Those Cheti though simply stood in a tight knot, just out of rifle shot, waiting for something. For three days this dragged on.
"Then, it came. The Kraken.
“Dr. Gleinwicz said that it came in, tentacles dragging the ground, carving wide furrows in it, like a privative god digging the world's riverbeds. It descended, slowly, revoltingly slowly on the colony, our numerous speedshooters and rifles doing no harm to the great beast. Apparently, as Dr. Gleinwicz and I were fleeing the wall, a huge chunk of mortar struck me in the head, knocking me out, dorcing the good doctor to carry me the rest of the way to the port, where we were lucky enough to escape the colony.
“Thousands of vampyrs fled, over-filling every ship as they scrambled away from the beast's wrath, fleeing from the madness and mindless destruction that it was. Many ships would not have made the voyage back to Clyne, but the good Czar had opened his ports to us, allowing thousands to leave the ships and make their way home by rail.
“I know not what the future brings, Shace. I hear rumors of Cheti stalking the wilderness, wild things in the world's seas, rumors of strange, tentacled beasts as far away as Arrale and Ost Rame. This may be, Shace, the End of All Things. The time upon which the world will be undone, finished, and wrecked upon the altar of the Darkness Beyond.
“I only pray that Naggarium will still take my soul.”
The Cheti Scourge in Mun
The Sentinel
VATIKAR – The effects of the Clynite activities in the Shattered Lands have had impacts across the world as the dark cloud of the Kraken and Cheti spread over the world. People across the world have noticed the emergence of the terrifying Cheti, appearing in many places, causing suffering and terror in their wake.
The states most effected by the Cheti scourge have been those which share borders with the darkened lands.
New Andlan has seen bands of the beasts wandering through the woods, the strange creatures engaging in bizarre acts of maliciousness with seeming randomness.
At least at first.
Many farmers in eastern New Andlan witnessed Cheti murdering their livestock and occasionally abducting family members or farm hands seemingly at random. Farmers who have attempted to use firearms against the creatures have reported limited effectiveness, prompting President Landon to send military patrols into the east, seeking-out the Cheti with limited success. However, outside of the small farming town of Winchendon, Captain Nicholas Bell, an Outlander commanding thirty other Overlanders, found a small shrine in the wilderness.
Bell described the scene:
“The shrine was a thing of nightmares. In its center an upright stone sat, covered in strange runes that were painted in blood, likely that of the local farmers and their livestock. Piles of bones sat around the grim monstrosity, a sacrifice to whatever fell magicks the hellspawn worship. Flesh was stripped from the bones and strewn about as well and it appeared that the Cheti were attempting to construct something from the flesh. We found only two of the creatures at the site and for that I am forever grateful.”
The Outlanders set upon the scene, firing their rifles into the monsters, which had been taken unaware. Despite the incoming gunfire, the Cheti advanced, their many-tentacles mouths flailing as they held their hands up, sending waves of nausea into the Overlanders, causing several to collapse, vomiting uncontrollably. Despite this, enough men stood their ground and a well-placed grenade thrown by Captain Bell finished the two creatures. The New Andlaners were wary about getting too close to the shrine, but one Outlander placed a brace of grenades at the shrine's base, destroying it in a “spray of gruesomeness, a terrible funeral for those lost in its creation.”
At least two of the Outlanders who participated in the daring attack became extremely ill following the event with one of them eventually dying from high fever, while the second eventually recovered.
In northern Correllia and Vergone, things were going similarly. The monsters were also operating in wilderness fringes, lurking in the darkness, seeking living flesh for their own dark ends. High Command in Vergone ordered Lancers stretched along the border as elven cavalry desperately sought the elusive Cheti beasts who appeared to seek victims for their own nefarious schemes. In neighboring Correllia, squads of soldiers were dispatched to the border fruitlessly seeking the beasts, attempting to kill or capture some of the alien creatures to no avail.
The Urkite Dutchy of Cvek has experienced considerable problems as the poorly-armed savages of Cvek have had little success with the Cheti and large numbers of Urkites have been killed in the west, sending thousands of Urkites moving eastward, abandoning their farms for the perceived safety of the east.
The seas have similarly been plagued.
Some ships, particularly those in the Areask Sea, have noted strange new sea creatures, many carrying the subtle marks of the Cheti or the Kraken, appeared as tentacled horrors of the deep sea, these creatures plying the seas almost always only seen in glimpses by sailors.
Except, of course, for those ships that have not returned to port.
Ravorek Invades Haargen
The Outlook
This year witnessed a further expansion of the Republic of Ravorek, which has undertaken an historic shift in their foreign policy. Last year's intervention in Czabo was described as a “humanitarian intervention” due to widespread violence and social instability brought about my the medieval tactics of the Urkite leadership and the interest in internal development by the Urkite peoples.
This year, a similar intervention occurred in the Haarken providence of Haargen. The barely-held together tribal state witnessed a mass number of unexplained social disturbances as some tribes rose in revolt, disrupting trade across the frozen lands and causing some havoc, notably with regard to food distribution. In response to this, the Ravorek Congress voted to “restore stability in Haargen” and authorized “General Alexander Lowson” to take the “Second Ravorek Republican Army Group into Haargen to limit the death and destruction in that region.” The armies of Ravorek were accompanied with humanitarian supplies to distribute to those Haarken suffering from hunger brought on by the instability of the region.
The Second Raovrek Republican
Army Group pushed into the region, facing little organized resistance in the
face of the 50,000 man-strong Wolver army. In many places the mere sight of the
massive Clockwork Knights inspired many to lay down their arms and accept the
Wolver army group's command of the region.
Mild Recession in Ravorek
The Outlook
A massive new military
build-up in the Republic of Ravorek has brought on a minor recession in the
Wolver Republic this year. Citing massive building costs, including an
impressive naval build-up which promises to turn Ravorek into a capable naval power. This program has, however, had unfortunate consequences for the
Wolver economy which found that its military spending was eating up much of its
needed wealth. However, by the end of the year, the economy was looking up as
thousands managed to find work in the munitions factories and dry docks, raising
wages by the end of autumn and throughout the frigid northern winter.
Halflings United!
The Imperial Review
The halfling territory of Umaddi, an independent kingdom in the far east, had long had considerable cultural and economic ties to the Sultanate of Ras Faraj, found itself not the recipient of the Sultan's economy, but its military.
The Army of the Shining Lion, commanded by the Caliph Tala Bey had 25,000 trench infantry, 25,000 bicycle troops, 45,000 feared kapikulu cavalry, and a great deal of heavy equipment and armor, landed in northern Ulmaddi, easily brushing aside local resistance. King Niska of Umaddi was surprised by the move, not expecting the Sultan to issue such an assault without a declaration of war. Even beyond that, there was precious little that the King could manage to resist with. The forces of the immaculate Sultan of Ras Faraj were vastly better armed than his own forces and many of the most popular clerics and nobles of the country openly declared for the Sultan. High Cleric Al Jahni declared publically that, “the time of halfling unification is at hand! Let all true followers of Saphir support the divinely-guided hand of the Sultan of Greater Ras Faraj!”
King Niska began to despair and, according to his aides, “abandoned the country altogether.” Taking a cartload of gold from the public treasury and his three favorite wives, Niska fled southward, taking a ship into waters unknown as he left his homeland forever.
Tala Bey wasted little time in consolidating his position. Ordering the nation's nobles to come to his camp and “embrace the love of the Sultan or accept his wrath.” Dozens of nobles, including King Niska's estranged brother, obeyed the call and prostrated themselves before Tala Bey, accepting his control over the region without question.
Dr. Maddox Rainard, "“Mushroom Madness: Sudar Subdued!" The Journal of Military Studies in Arrale, Vol. 2, Issue 5.
General Kurt Ismail Pasha's offensive in 1878 had managed to secure half of
Sudar. This year, however, he was anxious to report to the Sultan that he had
completed his conquest. Taking the Army of the Foreign Lands further southward,
Pasha was ready to finish the troublesome mushroom forces.
King Verder was ready to sate his vengeance on the invader and gathered his tough, but battered, army to the small farming village of Dkel, noted for its mushroom-tree orchards. Ordering his men to prepare defenses amongst the towering mushroom-trees, King Verder held his few remaining Cacton mercenaries in reserve, ready to be dispatched as needed, to stem the bleeding from the halfling advance. His soldiers dug furiously in the shade of the mushroom-tree groves, desperately trying to complete their defenses before the Sultan's soldiers descended upon them, carrying their murderous fire with them.
Pasha pushed his troops quickly southward, his aircraft allowing him to locate the forces of King Verder with much ease. His kakipulu ranged far ahead, locating the sleepy town of Dkel and guiding the slower-moving elements of the force with little difficulty.
Pasha finally managed to gather his forces within range of the desperate Djer soldiers, arraying his men for another brutal assault. Pasha moved amongst his troops, shouting orders, instructing his men to ready themselves quickly.
Amongst the mushroom-trees, King Verder was similarly forming up his men, shouting words of encouragement to his battered troops, reminding them of their duty.
Pasha, realizing that the fighting amongst the mushroom-trees would be fairly difficult, prepared a conservative plan for the assault, laying-out his SteamTanks in a wide arc in front of his infantry, with his Clockwork Knights filling in the gaps between the steel beasts, ready to spread fire amongst the Dver with their death-dealing flamethrowers. Satisfied that his men were ready, Pasha ordered a general assault, sending his men hard into the Djer defenses.
The Djer immediately began to give ground, as the monstrous SteamTanks and Clockwork Knights rolled over their shallow trenches, spraying fire in their wake. As the Djer began to break and flee, Verder immediately ordered his few Cacton mercenaries forward, to little effect. Verder began to panic and unleashed his final surprise, ordering his last weapon unleashed: Hopper mercenaries.
A distant, irregular thumping was heard by the halflings as their advanced, even over the rumble of their SteamTank's great chugging engines. In between the dome heads of the mushroom-trees they came, irregular and wild flight carrying them into their ranks of the halfling advance.
Hoppers resembled nothing more than enormous grasshoppers, seven-foot-tall, bright green creatures covered in a thick exoskeleton that was not unlike natural armor. The halfling had never yet seen such creatures and experienced some confusion at the monsters.
The Hoppers also bore killer weapons: Gravity Hammers. As their wild flight, born on irregular wings, carried them into the fray, they would activate the magical hammers, which magically gained mass, carrying them to the earth in a sudden drop that smashed all in its wake. As the Hoppers dropped in, they would deactivate the hammer and lay about them with it, wielding the enormous warhammer with murderous skill, sending diminutive halflings flying all directions.
One SteamTank, chugging forward, was quickly disabled as a Hopper dropped from the sky, his Gravity Hammer shedding magic blue-green light as it tore through the thick armor of the SteamTank, carrying the Hopper into the tank, to its death although disabling the steel beast.
Despite this terrifying new weapon, the halflings were quick to recover, shifting their speedshooters upward, turning the air into a shredder, massacring many of the incoming Hoppers before their Gravity Hammers could do their deadly work. Several of King Verder's Cacton mercenaries managed to seize fallen Hopper's mystic hammers, wielding them like madmen, but to little avail. The halfling force continued its relentless advance.
King Verder began to panic as his men broke, even his fearsome Lion Guards, losing their willingness to fight as the halfling force, highly disciplined and methodically destroying their poorly-armed opponents, pushed forward. Verder had had enough and ordered his men to retreat, gathering around him a body guard of his Lion Guards and Hoppers, fleeing southward and out of the mushroom-tree orchards.
It was not to be. As his men cleared the mushroom-trees, they emerged into the sunlight, only to find that Pasha had ordered his kakipulu around the orchard, intent on finishing the Djer king's resistance. Upon finding the fearsome mounted halfling warriors, King Verder simply through down his standard, marching into captivity, along with nearly eight thousand of his defeated warriors.
War in the West: New Andlan-Deeru Confederacy Press Against Slaver Communities
The Burlon Times
BURLON- The forces of the Republic went on the offensive again this year, with New Andlan dispatching its 1st Expeditionary Army to support the Western Legion's advance against the slaver communities of the west. The 1st Expeditionary Army was organized around the formidable Drake's Outriders, an elite group of Overlanders commanded by Colonel Frederick Drake. In all, New Andlan had 15,000 Overlanders, 1,000 Trench Infantry, 5,000 Lancers, 100 speedshooters, and 50 cannonade.
The Army of the Swollen Creek, 15,000 strong and commanded by the able War-Chieftain Many-Horns, joined this force and continued the advance begun last year. As the swift-moving, hard-hitting forces of the alliance advanced, making use of the formidable and versatile Outlander units, nearly sixty plantations were liberated by the end of the third month of the offensive, with more than 3,000 former slaves being freed from bondage.
Several slaver communities, including Leetown, Davisville, and Jacksonburg organized a united defense, only to realize that the 10,000 men that they were able to put into the field would not be able to stand against the forces of the alliance. Gathering their slaves in a lengthy chain, the slavers began to march into the wilderness, further westward, although to what destination not even the air forces of New Andlan could discern.
By the end of the year, however, the allied forces had liberated more than forty additional slaver communities and managed to send more than 10,000 former slaves eastward, into the waiting arms of their long-lost tribes.
Assembly to Vote on New States in the West
The Burlon Times
As the Deeru Confederacy and New Andlan offensives against the slaver
communities of the west continued, President Martin Landon personally invited
Great Chief Dawan Fire-Burn of the Deeru Confederacy to Burlon. President Landon
met with the Deeru Great Chieftain, with the two touring a modern Coal-Fire
Energy Plant, meeting with sailors of the dreadnought NAS Benjamin Adamson,
and attending the historic theater Majestic
and watching the newest talkie, “Faithful.”
The real reason for the meeting, however, was the Deeru Confederacy's controversial decision to seek union with the Republic of New Andlan.
The Deeru Confederacy had received assurances from the President Martin Landon that the Deeru of the Confederacy would be offered full citizenship and the Confederacy's territory would be brought into the Republic as five states to be named after the traditional tribes which live in those areas.
As the vote came before the New Andlan Assembly, and opposition group, led by Assemblywoman Edith Braun formed. Braun publically railed against the measure, claiming that the union would allow the, “beastmen of the west the power to violate our female purity,” and to “use their bestial power against our delicate women!” However, Braun's opposition was overridden by the unending efforts of Assemblyman Charles Summers who called the union “an expansion of the freedoms of our revolution!”
Batognese and Eboracans Establish Bases in Southern Ost Rame
The Sentinel
The Holy Empire of Eboracum and the Grand Dutchy of Batogne acquired two islands in Saughi, provided by the Emperor of Maveren. The islands, of little direct economic value, do have some petroleum reserves, according to reports by minotaur engineers, waiting to be tapped. Of more significance, however, is the construction of new trading posts on the islands, promising to further economic cooperation between the Empire of Maveren and Ede Rame.
Already human and dark elven engineers and workers had appeared on the island, adding to their ranks fronnu and turno workers seeking employment. As port facilities were being constructed, incoming ships were already carrying goods bound for Minotaur ports. Of greatest significance was the mass amounts of coal being carried to the new bases, providing greater range to the Ede Ramite fleets and promising that the riches of the west might begin to appear in the marketplaces of Ede Rame.
The Zendoh Emperor Undone: Zendoh, Chul, Zhu, and Sandong Conquered
The Imperial Review
RANE- The Kingdom of Vecchio and the Empire of Maveren continued their assault against the crumbling Empire of Zendoh. In the east, the Vecchiet 1st Combat Division continued its assault, pressing the Sky Emperor of Zendoh back, its constant causing thousands of Yakitaurs to abandon their Emperor and flee into the countryside. As the violence continued, it became more and more apparent that the Yakitaur forces could not hope to stop the massive assaults and the Emperor began to despair.
In the east, the minotaurs continued their murderous assault, pressing ever-forward pushing aside the minuscule forces that remained available to defend against he minotaur advance. In the east, the greatest difficulty, however, lay in poor weather, as an unusually wet season slowed the minotaur advance.
Despite this, the minotaurs were capable of continuing to press their advantage, and it was only three months into the year that the minotaur forces seized Hongchu, the ancient capital of Zendoh, including the capture of the Sky Emperor's three wives and eleven of his fourteen children.
As word of this indignity reached the Sky Emperor, he realized that all was lost. Abandoning his forces, the Sky Emperor fled, quickly becoming completely lost amongst the refugee-choked roads.
By the end of the year, all resistance in Zendoh had collapsed and it was a simple-enough matter for the invaders to disarm all remaining soldiers and militia in service to the now-missing Sky Emperor of Zendoh.
In the south, the invaders were not yet done. Minotaur forces landed in Chul and Zhu with little fighting, as the Sky Emperor had stripped these territories of their garrisons to assemble his grand Imperial Army, which had fared so poorly over the last two years. As veteran minotaur soldiers professionally landed, they moved across the territory, disarming the population with practiced ease and little lose of life.
In neighboring Sandong, the 3rd Combat Division landed, taking the whole providence with considerable ease, if not the lightning-quick movement of the veteran minotaurs. This action was of some significance, however as the 3rd Combat Division's commander is Captain Angelica – the highest-ranking woman in the Royal Army of Vecchio. Angelica, her hair pulled into a tight bun and knotted beneath her cap, when questioned about the advance: “the campaign is going according to plan. A simple, textbook example of occupation.”
The question remains, what effect will this have on gender relations in the fascist nation and how will the military apparatus of Vecchio greet the success of Captain Angelica?
Vecchite Colony in Khar: Port Sud Opened for Business!
The Imperial Review
The Kingdom of Vecchio,
already heavily invested in Ost Rame, peacefully established a new colony in
Arrale in the territory of Khar. Khar, recently discovered by Ebocoran
explorers, established a new colony at the behest of Queen Porus, the Antia
Queen of Feedro Antia Colony on behalf of the Kingdom of Vecchio. As precious stones and metals began to reach the
as-yet-incomplete colonial port, Feedro Warriors found themselves the recipients
of elf-crafted weapons, including lever-action rifles, grenades, speedshooters,
and some artillery.
What this transfer of weaponry means for the Feedro Colony, and Khar at large, is still a mystery. The other Antia-Queens of Khar have thus far expressed some fear about the nature of this new military imbalance.
Of some greater interest, however, is the fleeting images of numerous ships along the eastern coast and a fair number of what is thus far assumed to be pirate groups in the territory. Some Vecchite merchants have reported themselves victims of pirate raids, including at least three captains who claim that The Wet Molly victimized them personally.
Takmi: Gateway to Ost Rame?
The World and Globe
The island of Takmi, recently acquired by the Kingdom of Vecchio, has begun to emerge as a source of trade between Arrale, Ost Rame, and Ede Rame. While the island provides some grain surplus and excellent fisheries, its true value lies in its geographic position as it is nearly centered in the Pontias Sea. This has allowed Takmi to emerge as an excellent fueling station for traders across Mun, bound for ports in Punkab, Avvikar, Arrale, Ede Rame, and Ost Rame.
Full Report Revealed
The Times
[This article appeared last year, however in a heavily-censored matter. The whole report has found its way into the press's hands and is reprinted here in its entirity. We would like to remind our readers that this article is relating events that occurred in 1878.]
SUBJECT: Report on the Recent
Expedition to Arrale
FROM: Captain Aldo
To: King Victor Archangelo III
We left Vecchio and crossed the Pontias Sea, passing between Takmi and Velchi,
and moving southward, into the largely unexplored Kubaar Sea. As we sailed
southward, we were uncovering an unusual amount of traffic and many strange
ships passed us, moving southward without answering our hails.
We arrived in the territory of Ras Madin and from what we could determine a land
largely populated by halflings. As we sailed down the coast we discovered many
fishing communities along the coast, mostly controlled by some petty noble or an
elected government council. Several times we stopped in these communities to
purchase additional supplies for our exploration. In these towns, however, we
began to uncover a surprising number of people from strange races, including
several Ede Ramites, Yakitaurs, Ogres, and a great deal that we did not even
recognize. The locals seemed ill-interested in discussing these people, who
tended to be older, and explained that they were simply 'retired seamen.' They
did seem, however, to fit in well with the local peoples and caused us no
problem so we moved on, perplexed but uninvolved.
As we continued sailing down the coast, the traffic became heavier and our
curiosity was peaked when one day, on the horizon, one of my men spotted the
unmistakable outline of an elven dreadnought on the horizon. Surprised that one
of our ships might make the trip so far, we moved to intercept the ship and
discover what it was doing so far from home. As we drew closer I realized that
there was something odd about the ship and that it was different in many ways
that I could not yet explain. Through my field glass I saw the great ship turn,
moving in our direction, and I realized at once that this was not one of our
ships, but rather The Wet Molly, the famed ship of Captain Chin Yun, the Pirate
King.
We began to turn about, realizing that his heavy warship and murderous crew
would make short work of our wooden exploration vessels and great Naggarium was
with us, as a southerly wind carried us away from the craft, which few have ever
managed to spot and speak of.
More and more rumors reached our ears as we traveled further down the coast but
we landed in the port-city of Ras Jara, a stonewalled, fortified, but open, city
commanded by the Merchant-Prince Jaref. We put our ships to dock and set out,
moving inland in pursuit of the dragon. Our expedition traveled further inland,
in many cases allowing us the luxury staying the night in an inn, rather than
our tents, which was a welcome respite. Still, as we traveled inland, deeper
into the savannah lands of the interior, we were discovering that the towns
became fewer and further in between. As the land became more rugged we
discovered more Cacton communities with equally friendly receptions.
Still, our scout, a local halfling that we had hired for a pittance, was
insistent that we were being followed, but could produce no knowledge as to who
would follow our group. I decided that we must
travel onward and cope with our pursuers as necessary. I posted double guards
at night as we traveled further inland. We reached nearer and nearer where we
believed the dragon to be, I, too, began to get the feeling that we were being
pursed. Nonetheless, we pressed on we located what we sought.
The hunting ground of the dragon we had come to call Shadowscale.
We first saw the great black
beast flying on the horizon, far too large to be a bird of any type and too
lithe to be an airwhale. Through our field glasses we were able to locate the
creature and I pride myself on being the first to get a good site of the
creature.
It was enormous, perhaps 100 feet long and covered in ridged, black scales which
flexed as the great beast moved. It had a large head, not smooth like a lizards
(as what my expectation) but rather ridged like an alligator's. It had a large
row of razor sharp teeth and cruelly curved talon that dangled below its lithe,
serpentine body. We were mesmerized... the first Ede Ramites to see a dragon in
centuries!
It was brief, however, as the creature which had, thankfully, not noticed our
presence slid over the horizon, doubtlessly hunting its prey. Three days later,
we had our next encounter with the beast.
As we traveled further, it was clear that our pursuers were drawing closer and I
was convinced that we must soon deal with them on our terms or let them overtake
us at their leisure. As such, I ordered my men (hardly soldiers, but good shots
every one of them) to ready their weapons. We moved back the way we came, our
sharp-eyed scout remaining on point, looking for any sign of the enemy.
He located them camping at a small oasis. Through our field glasses, we could
see that this was obviously a pirate band, a motley selection of men from all
different races, commanded by a huge Trollish woman that was missing an eye. We
were all surprised at this, many of my men snickering, but I suppose none of
them were interested in facing a female troll, either. Still, I spread my men
out in the tall savanna grasses and ordered two-man teams to ready for battle to
fire on my mark into the unsuspecting pirate band.
It was then that Shadowscale appeared.
The great dragon hurtled out of the sky like a meteor, apparently having been
flying above the cloud cover until it reached this location. Falling like it
did, many of my men broke and fled but were apparently unnoticed as the great
dragon seemed to occupy the attention of the pirates more than my own men did.
Landing with a great thud, the beast dropped down on all fours and whipped its
tail, tipped with a scorpion-like stinger I noticed for the field time, back and
forth, menacing. The pirates were grabbing
their weapons, some fleeing,
but most just cowering before the great beast. Then, unexpectedly, it spoke.
The dragon demanded to know why it was being pursued by such a group of
'groundlings.' The pirate
leader, the massive troll,
responded that they had come to beg an audience with the dragon, on behalf of
Captain Chin Yun! The band that I had thought were my pursuers were, in fact, a
parallel group, seeking the same prey. At this, the dragon sat-up on its
haunches, thinking. From my position I could not see the creature's face, but
from the position of its great head I do believe that it was intrigued. Still,
the dragon turned to the Troll woman and said, 'I shall think on this matter.
Now leave this place, for I hunger and you would not like such a thing.'
At that, the dragon hurtled itself into the sky, spraying debris in its wake.
I struggled at that point to decide how to best handle the situation. It was
possible to overtake the pirates now, but I did not know how many of my men had
fled and which positions were unmanned. Still, the pirates were certainly
off-balance. Ultimately, I decided to let them go, in case we might co-opt this
group in the future to help us achieve our objective in the coming year.
Dragon!
The Globe
[This report was released to the press by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kingdom of Vecchio, referring to events that have occurred this year.]
SUBJECT: Report on the Recent
Expedition to Arrale
FROM: Captain Aldo
TO: King Victor Archangelo III
We returned to the grasslands of Ras Maldin, this time with the very-capable Ranger, Bonita Guardia, who made our task a great deal easier than last year. Our sea voyage this year was surprisingly easy, perhaps as the pirates found our merchant shipping to be an easier target than our armed convoy. As we made landfall, we pressed into Ras Maldin, returning to the region where we had last located the great beast and what we assume are its hunting grounds.
We moved amongst the tall grasses, making passing obvious, lest the great dragon believe that we were hunters, seeking it out. We wandered those grasslands for three months, becoming increasingly dispirited and reduced to hunting the wild creatures of the land for sustenance. This was made a great deal easier by the addition of Guardia. Eventually, however, the dragon revealed itself.
Shadowscale descended out of the cloud cover, much like last year, hurtling towards the earth, scattering some of my men in every direction. I managed to stand my ground, however, and the great dragon came in close, its tail twitching dangerously, his scorpion-stinger ready to end my poor existence with little difficulty.
I shouted out for the dragon to stop, not to strike and begged that he hear me. Truthfully, I do not remember exactly what I said to the dragon, as I am quite sure that I was stammering, but he did pause, sitting up on his haunches, turning his head to the side as though considering my offer. Then the dragon looked northward, and an obviously troubled look on his reptilian face surprised me with its concerns. Sitting for a few moments, the dragon asked me but two questions, which I promptly answered.
With that, we had our deal.
The Emperor's Fleet: Maverenians Undertake Massive Naval Expansion
The Imperial Review
The Empire of Maveren, already in possession of one of the finest military
forces in Mun, have undertaken a massive new naval build-up program to
consolidate their growing empire. The shipyards of Maveren were working overtime
to complete the massive warships. While this new production did manage to employ
many more workers and reduce unemployment to virtually nothing in the homeland,
the enormous cost has been putting considerable pressure on the finances of
Empire, driving the nation's debt to historic highs and causing considerable
anxiety amongst the nation's economists who believe that the incredible spending
and debt are a precursor to economic problems of a different sort.
Instability in Maclow Spreading: Refugees Fleeing
The Sentinel
More refugees have begun streaming across the borders of Maradeen, Eboracum, Dauberkamp, and Wacla, causing considerable problems in those states. In Eboracum, the 1st Imperial Legion, originally slated to be sent to Manlu, was held at home to cope with the problems of the large numbers of dwarvern refugees, fleeing a hitherto misunderstood crisis.
Greater knowledge of the crisis was carried out of the closed nation by former-People's Minister of Shoe and Coat Production for Eastern Maclow, Seamus O'Bannon, who fled the Commune after the crisis there reached a critical point, arriving in eastern Eboracum where he was detained by the Kingpriest's enforcers.
According to O'Bannon, the crisis has been caused not by internal political problems, but rather by 'the deep monsters.' O'Bannon, an internal minister of the closed nation had knowledge that new mines being dug in the nation's interior that were supposed to provide additional iron ores had gone 'too far' and the dwarves had uncovered a den of 'deep and dark things.'
Despite the best efforts of the hard-nosed Commune enforces, the 'deep monsters' pressed out, seizing the mines and pushing out to the surface, where they ran wild, murdering and spreading destruction in their wake. The prodigious forces of the Commune were apparently unable to contain the 'deep ones' and wild fighting has occurred throughout the Commune as Red Army High Command established sturdy lines to attempt to contain the monstrous tide.
When asked what the 'deep ones' were, O'Bannon described the beasts as such;
“Mostly they were fish-like, possessing enormous eyes that never closed. Their eyes were milky white with no pupils, but they appear to be able to see quiet well, in fact. Their bodies were bulging and misshappen, rarely sharing the same characteristics as its brothers and sisters, but all of them had a grey-green skin, a smooth and perpetually moist flesh that did not look as though it was not intended to see the glorious sunlight. They did not appear to respond to anything but the most overwhelming of gunfire and their weapons were strange and horrific.”
Beyond that, O'Bannon had little else to add.
In the areas where refugees were streaming in, conditions were poor. In Eboracum, hastily-assembled refugee camps were put together although these camps quickly watched their sanitation facilities degrade in the face of the desperate, malnourished swarms of refugees.
Velchi and Sakrta Receive Protectorate Status from Batogne
The World and Globe
The Grand Dutchy of Batogne has extended protectorate status to the Manlu city-state of Sakrta and the island of Velchi, hiding them behind the protective barrier of the armies of the dark elves. Sakrta, looking at the problems facings its brothers in Neldheim and Megarati, instead looked westward rather than at the conquering armies of Andlan for its future. The treaty obligations which Batogne provided to the Sakrtans included the possibility of “Sakrta joining the Manlu Confederacy in the future” and ending its protectorate status, although it looks like the Manlu Confederacy Project has collapsed in the face of treacherous Eboracan assaults and a sneak attack by the Sultanate.
Velchi, itself a collection of elven villages with a poor unification network, embraced the Batognese, many hoping that the dark elves would bring with them economic development, prosperity, and protection in an increasingly unpredictable world.
New Building Project in Clyne: Massive Fortifications Prepared
The Globe
The Grand Dutchy of Clyne has undertaken an impressive defensive building program, including two Heavy Fortresses and a mass number of landmines as well as other supporting fortifications. These fortifications are added to an already stiff defensive line in existence, making the Clynite defenses the finest in the world, surpassing even the amazing work of the dwarves.
The Emperor of Punkab Receives Engineers from Batogne and Clyne: New Projects Underway
The Globe
The Emperor of Punkab has acquired engineers and weaponry from the Grand Dutchy of Batogne and the Grand Dutchy of Clyne. These engineers were requested directly by the Emperor of Punkab, who has already spent a great sum of money on the modernization of his enormous armies with Ede Ramite weapons.
Exactly
what the Emperor of Punkab is working on remains a mystery although many
observers in Ede Rame believe that the Emperor of Punkab has seen the fate of
his counterpart in Zendoh and remains determined not to allow such a fate to be
his own.
The Mandru Plains
The Imperial Review
RANE – The forces of Maveren and Vecchio have not yet completed their conquests in Ost Rame, sent forces into the vast Mandru Plains.
The Emperor of Maveren dispatched its Greater Mandru Expeditionary Force, commanded by the skilled General Kenzo into the broad plains of Mandru. At the head of 55,000 veteran Samurai, 35,000 green Trench Infantry, 60,000 Lancers, and heavy support in the form of SteamTanks, Speedshooters, and Cannonade. This force, however, found itself struggling to maintain much of an advance, as its supplylines stretched across the whole of the continent, starting in the ports of Maveren itself, although some production was starting to come online to assist in the providing of foodstuffs in the Kenku lands.
Still, the advance was constantly plagued with supply problems and the mobility of their opponents in Mandru. Most of the tribes of Mandru were nomadic mounted tribes, who followed the buffalo of the broad, grassy plains. Despite this, the minotaurs had a great deal of Lancers whose boarkin monuts provided them with the mobility to run-down many tribes, who fled the advance of the mighty Emperor of the West.
The elves had a somewhat easier time, their forces possessing much shorter supplylines. Despite this, the tribes of the Mandru Plains possessed relatively little of value to the modern, developed economies of Maveren and Vecchio, despite their hardened warriors and rugged way of life.
Avvika Attacked: Etopa Assaulted by Imperial Forces
The Imperial Review
The
western Avvirka territory of Etopa was attacked by a long-range assault from
Maveren, made possible by the minotaur's new investment in diesel engines to
provide them with longer-distance travel than was possible under the older
coal-fire engines.
The Southern Strike Group, commanded by King Fu Swa II, recently added to the Imperial Army by virtue of his impressive logistical skills and commanding presence. The force was comprised of 30,000 veteran samurai, 20,000 Trench Infantry, 30,000 bicycle troops, 10,000 Lancers, 50 SteamTanks, 100 Diesel Tanks, 100 Clockwork Knights, 200 cannonade, 100 Bombardum, and 100 anti-aircraft guns. Against this they faced no opposition whatsoever.
In fact, the inhabitants of Etopa seemed to possess little knowledge that they were even under occupation.
The Southern Strike Group was ordered not to seize control of the entire territory, but rather to gain a solid hold on a portion of the territory, presumably to support future advances in Avvirka.
The Zuri, a small, scrub-like race which wandered slowly about the grasslands of Etopa, apparently communicating through a spray of spores that was not understood by the minotaur invaders. When confronted by a menacing samurai, one group of Zuri huddled together, shaking, and spraying a flood of spores at the Samurai who reported, “the most horrible sinus headache of my life.”
Etopa, though, did promise an impressive economic production for Maveren in that its impressive natural resources, including exotic animals and foodstuffs that could saturate the markets of Ost Rame and Ede Rame.
New Investment in the United Kingdom of Correllia and Augutain
The Gazette
COREL – The government of Queen Graciosa has undertaken a new program of economic development which has witnessed considerable investment from the national government. The new investments are aimed at developing education in the kingdom, running a gamut from investment in arts, agriculture, engineering, and sciences. These new improvements promise to provide considerable economic benefit to the Kingdom, which has already witnessed impressive economic growth in recent years.
Andlan Invests in Neldheim and Megarati; The Search for Olan and Ajax Continues
The Sentinel
NELDHEIM- The United Kingdom of Cuolhill and Andlan, after having defeated the forces of Stratego Ajax and subdued the Manlu city-states of Neldheim and Megrati, set about establishing firmer control over their new acquisitions.
Both cities had suffered considerably during the Andlan assaults, notably from Andlan's prodigious use of aerial-dropped bombs and massed artillery. Megarati also noted significant destruction from the savage street-to-street fighting with Stratego Ajax's forces last year.
Prime Minister Aleric Cedrel said of the war that “with the fighting complete, it is necessary for us to look to the future... to look to re-build from the unfortunate destruction.” A rump Assembly was re-convened in Neldheim, composed of those members of the Assembly which could be located, with consisted of around a third of the pre-war Assembly's numbers. In a noticeably gloomy vote conducted with little fanfare, the Neldish Assembly accepted the surrender terms offered to them by the Andlan. Three weeks later, the Megarati Assembly followed suit and accepted the generous terms offered by the occupation forces of the United Kingdom of Culohill and Andlan.
In the countryside, the remnants of Stratego Ajax's forces, under the command of the stout Stratark Olan, melted away. Stratark Olan ordered his troops to disband, taking Phalanx and vanishing entirely from the region. Some speculate that he fled southward, beyond Ede Ramite control. Ajax remained similarly at large causing many to wonder whether or not the Manlu Stratego was even in the region at all.
In Megarati and Neldheim,
however, the cities were witnessing an improving economic situation as Andlan
monies flooded the area, rebuilding much of the damage caused by the war and
promising to better develop the ravaged cities after the war and make a proper
integration into the Empire of Queen Regina.
DISPATCHES
A rumored 'new report' circulating amongst the Vecchite High Command has many concerned although officials have remained tight-lipped about the content of the alleged report.
Endless rumors are reaching authorities across Mun as word of strange beasts continue to flood the world, likely in response to the events in Shattered Lands.
New investment by the government of Vecchio has promoted the idea of Takmi as a desirable trading post for trades across Mun has been effective.
The ArchBishop and the Grand Patriarch have reportedly met in secret to discuss the new 'Cheti Plague,' even as they have called on national governments to 'meet the threat of this BLASPHEMY.'
New attempts by the government of Eboracum to deal with the flood of refugees have been impressive, but nonetheless overwhelmed by the sheer number of desperate refugees, threatening to spread disease and hunger.