Shaman's Records
Twenty Seventh of November, Seven Hundred and Sixty Ninth year since the Seminal War
Shaman Koroc the Singer of Clan Glacierheart recording
Shaman Mul the Silent just came in out of the blizzard. She was clothed in nothing heavier than her white summer robe and nearly walked right past the sentry before she was challenged. I’m not sure what I’m more impressed by: her navigation skills in walking three days through this blizzard or how close she came to just turning up at the next gathering of the Elders unannounced. She has said that she intends to head back out into the storm with a sled of supplies for Sgt. Gork’s warband. I have no doubt that she will make it, but I have persuaded her to wait until the morning at least. With any luck the storm may break. And if not, then she will at least have a chance to get warm food into her belly.
I intend to follow Shaman Mul the Silent back to this Sgt. Gork’s warband. It seems to be marked by fate for important things. They could use an extra sled of supplies and another warm body or two as well, given the Elder’s plan to use the gunpowder they captured and the cover provided by the blizzard to make something happen. From the grin that crept over Shaman Mul the Silent’s face when I mentioned this to her, she seems to be looking forward to making an explosive mark in this war.
To be fair to the Elders, we need to find some way to slice into the Army of the Jeweled Cities, but the weather and their commander have conspired to make that incredibly difficult to do. Accordingly, the tactic they have settled on is to poke the hornet’s nest and see what they can stir up. Once they get some sort of response they are trusting in the warbands to notice the opening and make the best use of it they can. It is not quite a plan of desperation, but it is designed to look like one in order to draw the Army of the Jeweled Cities out.
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Aris Cretu’s Journal
Twenty Seventh of November, Seven Hundred and Sixty Ninth year since the Seminal War
Tam really did it, the crazy girl! She managed to sew up a standard and somehow get it up the flagpole in the middle of this storm. If the weather does finally break, the sight of that flag is going to piss of those Jeweled City bastards quite a bit. But with three feet of snow on the ground, I doubt they will be able to do shit about it. Just as well, because we would have a hard time getting away through that same snow.
There still hasn’t been any word from Shaman Mul, but she should be back at base by now, if not headed back this way. We have been on short rations, just in case, and there is no shortage of water with clean snow to melt and drink. We should be alright until someone gets back to us with more food, or we get a break in the storm and can move out.
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Lord Ochen Shagari’s War Journal
Twenty Eighth of November, Seven Hundred and Sixty Ninth year since the Seminal War
The blizzard finally stopped sometime last night. The entire army is busy digging itself back out, but I worry about the convoys caught out on the high road. They were prepared for cold weather, but I don’t think anyone (myself included) expected a storm like this! I think I can safely put any worries about orders to advance to bed with a shovel. On the other hand, one of the sentries did report a banner flying over one of the northern outposts. It looks like Ironbark at least, managed to infiltrate it during the blizzard. More likely, one of the raider bands was almost caught out in the storm, took what cover it could, and is now poking fun at my command. Vexing, to be sure, but no major threat.
Nothing else should happen in terms of combat for the next few months now that there is snow on the ground. The men of the Army of the Jeweled Cities will be busy making the best of their winter quarters. As soon as time and weather permit, I do intend to keep drilling them so that they stay in good fighting shape. Come the spring thaw, I intend to be ready to march north as soon as possible. With any luck, the speed of my renewed advance will catch my foes off balance and I can sweep the field here in the Westmarch Valley before the reinforcements from Emerald and Ebony arrive.
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Assuming, of course, that the Serene Dominas manage to keep things together and committed to this war for that long. I don’t see how it could be otherwise, given that men of Sapphire, Ruby, and Opal have all fought and bled together. I do not see how any one of the Jeweled Cities can pull out of this conflict, but that does not mean that one of them will not find a way.
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Reth Nakima’s Journal
Twenty Eighth of November, Seven Hundred and Sixty Ninth year since the Seminal War
I can finally feel my fingers again! We made it back to Fort Westmarch on the twenty sixth, or perhaps early on the twenty seventh. It was pitch black out, snow was coming down sideways in the wind, and our only point of reference was the lumpen shape of the fort itself against the stars. The apothecaries and medics had everyone bundled up and drinking ‘hot’ soup as soon as we stumbled in. Two of my fellow soldiers lost fingers or toes to the cold, and one of the sergeants lost his nose, but we didn’t lose anyone. That’s a minor miracle in and of itself.
The rumor mill has Ironbark reclaiming one of the northern outposts sometime during the storm. That’s a load of horse shit. I was out in that storm and nobody could have taken anything in that weather. Nah, they got caught in the storm, same as I did, and took cover there. No idea why they would put a flag up and let us know that they were in the area. Seems like a stupid idea on someone’s part, given that the raiders and rebels have tended to prefer striking from the shadows like cowards.
We’re probably going to be turned out of our snug bunks, ‘winter’ uniforms and all, and told to go marching about in all of the snow soon enough. I just hope we don’t lose too many to the cold men before Lord General Ochen gets it through his head that chest-high snow and marching don’t exactly go together.
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Shaman's Records
Thirtieth of November, Seven Hundred and Sixty Ninth year since the Seminal War
Shaman Koroc the Singer of Clan Glacierheart recording
Shaman Mul the Silent and I have made it back to the outpost where Sgt. Gork’s warband has hunkered down with two sleds of supplies in tow. Someone ran a banner up the flagpole to taunt the Army of the Jeweled Cities. It seems the juvenile thing that a young un-blooded warrior might do, but it is exactly what needed doing to hopefully draw that same army out to where we can get at them. I don’t expect them to take the bait with this much snow on the ground, but they have managed to shove their feet firmly into several traps so far, so I wouldn’t put it past them.
Shaman Mul the Silent seems hopeful that the weather will take a turn for the worse soon. I guess she is eager to play with the gunpowder. I just hope she doesn’t blow all of us up along with Fort Westmarch! She should probably be able to slip some into position at the base of a wall or tower, given how easily she snuck up on our own sentries. The next question is how to go about setting it off…
Perhaps a candle? Stack the barrels out of the wind, shove a candle into a crack, and let it burn down? That could work if the candle doesn’t go out, and it actually sets of the gunpowder, and one barrel blowing up will also set off all of the others. Shaman Mul the silent seems confident however. She did manage to blow up another wagon with a similar load of gunpowder on the high road rather easily. The snow and wind will make the task of moving the barrels easier, at the cost of making them blow up more difficult. There has to be some way to make a proper fuse... perhaps cloth with gunpowder rubbed in? I did look into one of the barrels, and the gunpowder in question is very fine indeed. Fine enough that it throws up clouds of dust just opening the barrel, and the men and orcs here at the outpost are paranoid about fire anywhere near the building where the gunpowder is being stored. They don’t allow lit candles or troches into that area, much less allow the fireplaces to be lit for warmth. The dirt floors and wooden walls give of no sparks when struck by iron or stone, but any boot or shoe with studded soles is banned. As is any metal armor, weapons, and just about anything else that may cause a spark. I think their precautions are a little bit excessive. If anything did manage to set that gunpowder off where it sits, this entire outpost would probably be leveled, or at least reduced to a flaming ruin. On the whole, I’m inclined to follow their precautions.