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DAEMONRIFT EXPEDITION FIGHTS ON
Dateline: 02-
It has been nearly a two years now since the departure of the Crown’s mission into
the land of evil known as the Daemonrift. In all that time no message has returned
through the impenetrable veil between the real world and the Daemonrift to hint at
what the fate of the volunteers has been -
The objective of the mission was twofold. Firstly, to find and rescue the Royal Mage Maverick, who is believed to be held prisoner by the evil powers there, and secondly to forestall an undefined threat to Bereny hinted at by Maverick’s message.
The Bereny Bugle has learnt that the enchanter’s guild The Assembly has received a message from one of their members on the mission, Kale Nightbringer. The message received was garbled and possibly incomplete, fading out at the beginning and the end and thus perhaps only a fragment of some longer message. but it proves that at least some of the Rift volunteers are alive and still fighting on.
The message received was as follows:
We are struggling ..... huge quantities of loot ...... beyond the Plains Gateway
Portal ...... so much carnage ....... Now, the place is swamped by our forces. Backed
by my Elven friend Senai the Nun using Holy Fire, I am busily throwing woc spells
and shadow fire at a Vampire Dragon, in support of Acherontius the Unforgiven. The
Ogre Lord called Jolly Greygreen Jack has been asked to try and board the four-
Although much of the message is difficult to understand, with its talk of incomprehensible
things like ‘wock spells and shadow fire’ and ’‘four-
However Acherontius the Unforgiven is known to be one of the leaders of the Daemonrift Expedition. He was one of those who returned from the Land of the Dead with King Mark, hideously transformed into a spine devil, and subsequently volunteered for the mission to the Daemonrift.
Because The Assembly could not establish two-
VAMPIRE MENACE IN THE UNDERWORLD?
Dateline: 06-
Reports from the White Tower explorations of the Underworld indicate that a new threat
has been discovered. Two enterprising (or perhaps foolhardy) Knights of the Tower
have doffed their armour and have been swimming the channel to the east of the Island.
They have nearly made it to the far shore but as they bob along they have seen signs
of civilisation -
The latter appears to be a massive Keep somehow suspended above the ground by magics far beyond the capability of Berenian magic. Early sightings indicate it is owned or run by vampires since the battlements are manned by vampire archers and led by a vampire Guardian.
A Tower spokesman was quoted as saying "We are not yet aware whether this structure is tethered in position or part of the Dark Legion assault on Berenian interests in the Underworld. Our scouts will cautiously make landfall in the near future and explore the local area before we make any final decision on our actions in the eastern areas of operation.”
“We are expecting significant further reinforcements to arrive at the Island in the coming days and our expectation is that some may be dispatched to bolster the advance expedition".
Dateline: 07-
The inhabitants of Bordertown, the main Berenian-
This time however the attackers, a coalition of Zaar tribes people, are much more numerous and dangerous than the previous events. They are led by local chieftains of some renown, and have with them large numbers of Mammoths, a hairy form of elephant. These huge creatures are capable of withstanding much damage and slaying defenders with one crushing blow.
Two leaders were identified among the attackers, a ‘Lord of the Mammoths’ and ‘The
Great Dark One’. The former, who may have been summoning and controlling the mighty
beasts, fell to the arrows of the defenders a few days ago. Yesterday the second
also succumbed to the blades of several men-
The Mayor of Bordertown, Lord Gabriel Stryker, has indicated that he now expects a slackening of the assault and a period of reconstruction and further fortification. "The period since the second assault was longer than previous peaceful interludes and some residents took that to mean there was no longer any threat. Sections of fence were removed to allow easier access to fields and jungle resources. It is clear these were premature reductions of our static defences and we will rebuild them at the earliest opportunity."
ATTACK ON GOBLIN DIRIGIBLE REPULSED
Dateline: 10-
The forces of the Crown have been forced to withdraw from the Goblin Dirigible landed near Poldoon. Throughout the war zone, Berenian forces have continued to take heavy casualties. However there is now hope that, for the minute, Poldoon is safe, and the battle has moved into the forests to the north.
“We have cleared the area around the Goblins’ Massive Weapon of Destruction and the area around it and Poldoon can be considered secure,” reported Baroness Farissa de'Torfane. “There are further Goblin units and some antitheticals in the forest to the north, and more antithetical forces east of the dirigible, presumably travelling here from Kyr. However, we are anticipating reinforcements.” For once Baroness Glaze Fierien seemed to agree with the BAR Commander. “The Goblins may be strong but we are stronger and we will prevail. Poldoon will not be destroyed.”
However Baroness Glaze also reported that the Fierien militia troops defending Poldoon had taken heavy casualties from the giant goblin behemoths leading the attack. “They seem to have incredibly thick skin ... however that’s not the worst of it. They can also breathe fire or something like that. Many of my troops suffered horrendous burns because of this. On top of this the goblin archers continued to barrage them and many more have fallen to their arrows.”
The Baroness herself is aboard the goblin dirigible on the northern edge of the Great Forest, which has been successfully boarded and where reports speak of hundreds of goblins killed in the attack.
The Duke of Poldoon has raised the question of how the goblins could have become so powerful so quickly. “The reports about the goblins abilities within the castles and dirigibles seem to suggest they have far more power than we have assumed thus far. Somebody needs to be asking where they got that power from. They've never had it before.”
Crown sources are now openly linking the goblins with the antithetical followers
of the Dark Gods. However some have wondered if the invasion is being supported by
other even more hidden forces -
NEW ROAD LINKS LIONEL AND POLDOON
Dateline: 11-
The Crown has unveiled a new road which provides a direct route between Lionel and
Poldoon. Starting from the Lionel -
Although the road has been under construction for some months, its opening comes
at a crucial time as it provides a rapid means for Royal Army re-
Previously travellers between the two cities had to make a lengthy detour via Crownheart or Mirrormane, or else risk the hazardous passage of Swinderlog Swamp.
It will also allow the crown to develop new estates in the area surrounding the monster-