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Author Topic: Ancients Legacy -- Epilogue, Part I  (Read 3475 times)

Dorganath

Ancients Legacy -- Epilogue, Part I
« on: August 01, 2015, 10:23:38 pm »
With little warning, the fortress of Bloody Gate is suddenly a hub of activity. It began a short time ago with the arrival of several persons whose names would be recognizable by the stories told of them. Not long after, a brigade of soldiers bearing standards of Toran made landfall in Anger Bay. The force, numbering a thousand or more troops based on observations, began to march through the wilderness of Morholt, apparently taking pains to avoid centers of population by a wide margin, at least until reaching Bloody Gate. The troops settle into a camp just outside the walls, resting and waiting for something.The wait ends up being not long at all, and with a few more arrivals of storied (and even legendary) persons, the troops begin to mobilize. Joined by a sizable force of Voraxian troops from Bloody Gate itself and a small contingent of scouts sent by the Wolfswood Rangers, a coordinated march into the Mountains of Madness to the east of Bloody Gate begins, led by the same prominent individuals who arrived not long before. And so began the campaign into the mountains, with the mighty adventurers securing the path and the army of troops holding the lines of supply and communication.The expedition proceeded into a cave, and at that point, the details get spotty. From outward appearances, the activity and troop distribution would suggest holding position, yet only a few waypoint camps are established along the secured route, suggesting no permanence to the effort. Observations also suggest a regular rotation of troops through the lines of fortification, some going as far back as the camp outside of Bloody Gate. Rumors of an alliance with mountain giant tribes long left undisturbed since the long-expired truce with Milara circulate among the forces. As could be guessed, such rumors are met with varying degrees of acceptance.Likewise, stories circulated among troops rotating out of the caves speak of a large machine of some sort being secured and kept for study.Within a month or so of the incursion into the mountains, a half dozen gnomes arrive at Bloody Gate. After being allowed to rest and refresh from their journey overnight, the gnomes were escorted along the supply lines and into the cave. A week after the gnomes' arrival in Bloody Gate, a trio of riders bearing insignia and flags of Morholt arrive and demand audience with King Rory.Though precisely unknown at the time, the last recorded case of “Fastrot” occurs two weeks after the mountain incursion with a man who stumbles into Fort Homestead, collapses and almost immediately liquifies. (( more to come... ))

 

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