Plergoth Press/Issue Five

http://wiki.battlemaster.org/images/Plergoth.png The Plergoth Press
Bring in Valhalla's head, get a lifetime subscription!	Editor: Mendrugo	Issue Five, June
The main propaganda sheet and newspaper of Plergoth!

The Scoreboard

June 1, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

A running count of damage inflicted by each side in the ongoing Plergothian Civil War in the month of June.

Plergoth:
Khthonian brigands killed or wounded: 52
Vlaanderen rebels killed or wounded: 43

Khthon:
Plergothian solders killed or wounded: 2

Vlaanderen:
Plergothian soldiers killed or wounded: 0

Number of battles included in the above tally (victory count): 5
Weghie: 1 (Plergoth: 1, Khthon: 0)

Yokk: 2 (Plergoth: 2, Vlaanderen: 0)

Haffemet: 1 (Plergoth: 1, Vlaanderen: 0)
Tindle: 1 (Plergoth: 0, Khthon: 1)

June Off to a Good Start

June 1, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

The dawning of the month of June finds Plergoth in an excellent strategic position. The rebel army of Vlaanderen is busily attempting to restore the ruined region of Bajit to some sort of productive use while it continues to battle the army of our staunch ally, Mesh.

The shattered Khthonian field army has just returned to Dyomoque and should spend the next few days rebuilding and refitting, leaving the Army of Plergoth free to maneuver.

Plergoth has already made use of this window of opportunity, attacking rebel recruiting centers and food stores in Yokk and Haffemet and doing the same to Khthonian assets in Weghie. It is believed that the rebels and bandits have largely exhausted their family resources during earlier stages of this war, and now, with their regions in chaos, their smallfolk put to the sword, and their coffers empty, they lack the coin to mount a serious challenge on the field of battle in the forseeable future.

Stirring Words from the Field

June 3, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

From Marcus Antonus

I don't say very much anymore, life hasn't been the kindest thing to me lately, but there has definitely been a major turn of events recently.

In the beginning of this war I have to say I thought we had it all wrapped up. Vlaanderen alone is no match for our might. Then Kthon got into the fray and things got alot more complicated.

Honestly, I didn't think Kthon would matter too much in the big picture, but I've been proven wrong more than once. I am still amazed at how they've even managed to gain so much of OUR land throughout this war. for a long time Weghie was our stronghold. I would never have thought that we could lose it to those "heroes". We went back and forth with it for about 3 weeks with no side gaining an advantage. I just knew if we could get a good hold on it we could win. Then we lost it.

So we move back, the rebels move down and take Yokk and the rebels help Vlaanderen fight for Worvobaen. They had it for a while their too. Thank Daishi we have great generals or we would be fighting from the walls of Creasur.

It is our generals, and esteemed council members, that got us through all that we've lost. From Weghie to Yokk to Worvo. they have found a way to beat back the rebels.We, as nobles of Plergoth, have come back to reclaim what is rightfully ours. And not once, but thrice our generals have taken us to the walls of both Reeds and Dyomoque. Thrice we have taken the fight to the rebels very own doorstep in the past month. Thrice we have done it! Thrice we will do it again! And by the holy name of all that is good I will go to those walls and fight until EVERY REBEL IS HANGING FROM A TREE!

I have seen a great change in how we do things, in how we work, in how we fight. We will be the rebels undoing, and we will not stop until the job is done!

Lo, there do we see our fathers.

Lo, there do we see our mothers.

Lo, there do we see our sisters and our brothers.

The line of our people back to the beginning.

They do call to us to take our places.

Where the brave live forever

Marcus Antonus (Royal)

And from Sir Regstav

We have three times marched on the chief capitals of our enemies.

Since the moment that the rebels first started the rebellion, waiting until most of the army was away from the capital and performing region maintenance, the rebels have only attacked Creasur once. That signaled the beginning of their war with us.

They have never marched on Creasur since. Since their defeat there and the secession or Reeds now rebel force has been able to march on Creasur herself.

This is not because of the generals are good, though I would be a fool to dispute that, in more than on reason. ;-) It is because all of you, all of us, have followed the orders of the generals and our armies have moved with a precision and a timing that most considered impossible. Even in our darkest times, our knights and our bureaucrats and our traders and our priests have followed their orders, hoping to save this realm.

And in doing so, they have done so. Even outnumbered in nations standing against us, in men standing against us, and in money standing against us, we have marched out from Creasur again and again, and even when we knew we could not hope to win a battle all of you have marched in the pure hope of bleeding our enemies so badly they could not follow us back.

And now both the rebels and Khthon lay huddling in their capitals, or fighting desperately to keep the regions directly around their capitals. When was the last time the rebels marched on us? When was the last time a great Khthonian army marched out to meet us in battle? When was the last time that the rebels and Khthon stood side by side against us in battle in Haffemet or in Weghie or in any other region of our fair realm?

Even in losing battles, we have wounded them. And now, the money they have spent trying to kill us running out. And now the men they are sending against us are becoming discouraged. And now the nations they brought in to fight us are losing interest. They are standing against us alone now, alone or with only half-hearted support.

We have lost many brave men, as my province will attest to. Ypsilanti has sent hundreds of men and women to die against them, but volunteers are always willing to come to sign on the X. They follow us because they know that we will do everything we can to help the realm. And even should they die, they know that it is not without reason, and that Daishi himself will honor them after they pass the veil into the next world.

We are united, in ways that few other realms are, and THAT is why we survive to this day. And THAT is why both the rebels and Khthon are fading. We stand, looking around us at the wreckage their war has brought. But I say to you now that I see a new dawn, and that dawn signals the end of their rules! As we stand fast, they splinter and drive away those they should be able to trust the most! We trust! They quarrel!

And THAT my friends and countrymen and countrywomen is why PLERGOTH lives this day!

We are PLERGOTH! And UNITED we will STAND against them!

FOR PLERGOTH!

Sir Regstav Count of Ypsilanti

Law and Order Returning to Worvobaen

June 4, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

Following the overthrow of Plergothian authority by the Vlaanderen rebels in April, the region of Worvobaen has steadily been falling into greater and greater chaos. The Vlaanderen provisional government collapsed under its own ineptitude over a month ago, and Plergoth was too busy dealing with the rebels to properly support its own provisional government, which also collapsed.

Now, the main army of Plergoth has returned and is busily rooting out the brigands, beastmen, and anarchists who have begun carving out power bases in this lawless region, restoring law and order to the people of Worvobaen. Several large bandit forces have been engaged and crushed by the Plergothian army, and soon the banner of our realm will once again wave over a land at peace.

Worvobaen Reclaimed!

June 5, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

With the crushing defeat of the band of outlaws styling themselves the 'Knightsbane Brotherhood' (the last of six major bandit clans that had taken up residence in the area), the rule of law has been restored to the rogue region of Worvobaen. In ceremonies at villages across the territory, the smallfolk assembled in central squares to watch the banner of Plergoth rise once more, declaring that justice and honor had returned.

Scattered survivors of the Brotherhood and other bandit clans still lurk in Worvobaen, however, and the Army of Plergoth is busily rooting them out, keeping the Chancellor's hangmen busy on the gibbets. We will not rest until all foes of the Chancellor's Peace have joined their comrades in taking a long drop with a quick stop.

Hearts and Minds in Cwellndell

June 6, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

Cut off from the rest of Plergoth when the region of Worvobaen became a bandit-infested no-mans land, the people of Cwellndell had no choice but to form their own provisional government and soldier on as best as possible, picking up the pieces in the aftermath of the brief and brutal occupation by Khthon and Vlaanderen marauders.

Now that the bandit infestation has been scourged from Worvobaen, the Army of Plergoth has returned in force, not as an occupation army but as a relief force, bringing food and construction teams to rebuild the region's shattered infrastructure.

As the Plergothian soldiers marched through villages en route to the pallisaded seat of government, cheering peasants lined the trails, throwing flowers and waving Plergothian banners.

Cwellndell Rejoins the Realm of Plergoth!

June 7, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

Only hours after envoys from Plergoth arrived at the provisional seat of government in Cwellndell, the elders of the region gratefully agreed to rejoin our realm. In the villages and hamlets where Plergothian troops were hard at work raising barns, laying cobblestones and reinforcing aqueducts, spontaneous celebrations accompanied the arrival of messengers and scribes bearing the news, and Plergothian banners (hidden for safekeeping during the brief tenancy of Vlaanderen rebel forces) were brought out and flown proudly in every village square and at every roadside tavern.

Plergoth Stands Ready Against Inhuman Threats!

June 11, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

Word has reached Plergoth that a new wave of destruction is near. Agents of the Necromancer Lord and minions of the Beast Lord have been sighted in Beluaterra, seeking items of power and promising salvation to those who aid them, but destruction to those who oppose them. Several of these abominations have been struck down, but others are nearing Plergoth's borders, and it appears that the recent rebellion in Avalon was due to an internal disagreement over whether or not to side with the undead.

Plergoth has placed its armies on ready alert, watching its borders for signs of the enemy - be it monster or undead...or Vlaandereeni. Any outsider making a hostile move against the people of Plergoth will be swiftly engaged and destroyed by our might, and we resolve to see our people safely through the coming conflagration.

The Undead Are Coming!

June 13, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

- Dateline Zuhle -

The sun is shining brightly in the woodland region of Zuhle. The air is full of birdsong, the chirping of crickets, and the sound of human endeavor as the smallfolk continue to rebuild their war-ravaged hamlets.

But on the southeastern frontier, a dark storm is brewing. The air is still - the birds have fallen silent and the woodland beasts have retreated deep into their dens and burrows. Outlying villages lie abandoned, and the roads are choked with terror stricken peasants, hurrying westward, carrying their meager possessions on their backs.

The dead are coming.

Panicked messengers and town criers have made their way through from Piwani, carrying news of a vast army of the living dead approaching Zuhle, under the command of the Dreadlord Hannibal, servant of the foul Necromancer. The have posted the following notice in every village square and at every roadside tavern:

Citizens of Zuhle: You are advised to remain indoors, with the doors and windows boarded up. Priests of Daishi are accommodating as many requests for sanctuary as room allows. Should you be traveling along the path of Hannibal's advance, please find shelter in common rooms or taverns, and do not attempt to fight, except in self defense. The army is aware of the situation, and is standing by to render assistance should it become necessary.

It is hoped that the Dreadlord Hannibal and his legion of the walking dead are merely passing through on their way to Khthonian and Vlaanderen territory in their search for arcane treasures, and will leave the people of Zuhle in peace. Pray to Daishi, and may the coming dawn find you all alive and well. - Fiorello, Count of Zuhle

Hannibal Speaks!

June 14, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

The undead horde commanded by the dreadlord Hannibal is passing on through Zuhle towards the ravaged lands of Tindle. As the shambling assemblage of skeletal thralls passed through each village, the smallfolk cowering in the taverns and meeting halls heard a dreadful, soul-shattering keening, followed by a deep, rasping voice (presumably Hannibal's) that spoke the following words:

People of Plergoth...rise with the undead, and protect the interests of humanity.

Have your leader choose one of you as his liaison, and follow me. I head north to premptively destroy the monsters attempting to do their evil deeds against us.

Hannibal

With his message delivered, seven blasts were sounded on his warhorns, and the horde shambled on to the next village to repeat the process. When the bravest of the smallfolk emerged, hours later, they found a a great trail of skeletal footprints leading through the square, littered with bits of yellowed bone and scraps of rotten flesh. Looking at each other in mixed horror and wonder, the villagers uttered prayers of thanks to Daishi for sparing them their lives, and set about cleaning the foul residue of undeath from their land.

Dominus Attacks in Eg Tutnu!

June 15, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

The Dreadlord Dominus, at the head of zombie horde, three-hundred in number, marched into Eg Tutnu overnight, falling upon the camps of Tarion and Gileas - brave knights of Plergoth - and tearing them and their men to bloody shreds in an orgy of terror and death.

The Plergoth Press has received this report from one of the survivors - a pikeman from Creasur by the name of Brom:

We wuz wit the Defenders o' Plergoth, camped in Eg Tutnu keepin' an eye on that Hannibal creep. Sir Tarion wuz gettin' lots o' parchiments an' scrolls for a while, an' we got th' good news that Hannibal wuz movin' off. An' then the messengers stopped comin'. We ast th' local farmers, an' they said there were some bandits on the road, waylayin' folk. We sent out huntin' parties, but never found nothin'.

Yesterday, some of the boys come back from a scoutin' and say that th' other Defenders o' Plergoth have moved out. Their camps're empty, 'cept for Gileas' axemen across th' creek from us. Sir Tarion got hisself in a panic, started sending out messengers, askin' what wuz goin' on, but we never heard back from 'em neither.

So we set th' night watch and went to sleep. I had th'second watch. It wuz blacker 'n mud that night - an' windy too. Couldn't hear aught but th' wind screamin' through th' trees. A storm was brewin'. When the rain came, I foun' meself a hollow unner a tree and hunkered down to wait 'till dawn. The storm moved right on top'a us, wi' lightnin' flashin' all aroun'.

That's when I saw 'em. In a big flash an' crash o' thunner, I saw shapes on th' far hill, over by th' axemen's picket line. Dark, angular shapes, spread out aroun' a tall caped guy onna black horse that looked to be breathin' fire. When th' thunner stopped, that's when I heard th' screamin'... Th' terrible screamin'. Those creatures, they weren't just killin' th' axemen - they were eatin' 'em alive!!

Sir Tarion tried to rally th' boys, but we never had a chance. I stabbed one o' th' things wi' my pike, but it just kep' comin' an stabbed me wi' its sickle. The rest is a blur. I don' know how many o' us got out, but it weren't many.

Zuhle - Waypost on the Highway From Hell?

June 15, 1007 | By: Fiorello

A brief word of thanks to cousin Mendrugo for granting me a forum in which to air my grievances.

As Count of Zuhle, it is my highborn responsibility to watch over and protect the thousand or so little people that inhabit my lands. It falls to me to defend them against harm, hold court and hear their dreary, petty concerns and dispense justice to the insignificant wretche...ahem...fine Zuhlean people.

Aside from a mere handful of full-scale invasions and pillagings by Khthonian bandits during my tenure as Count, and the...ah...collapse into total ruin of the Zuhlean Jouster training grounds, the Zuhlean people have prospered under my reign.

And yet I ask you, my fellow Plergothians, how am I supposed to manage my estates and serve my people when the entire region appears to be a major thoroughfare for armies of living dead?!!! First Hannibal comes through and spreads terror among my smallfolk with his recruiting pitches - "Join the living dead! See the world!! Get eaten by monsters!!". Now, barely a day later, Dominus encroaches on my lands.

This madness must stop at once!!! Brave warriors of Plergoth, we must rise up and rid our realm of these abominations, who have already slain more than fifty Plergothian armsmen in Eg Tutnu. Let us sally forth and dismember the foul servants of the Necromancer, ridding Plergoth of their vile presence once and for all!!!

- Count Fiorello of Zuhle

Carnage in Tindle - Plergoth Too Late to Help

June 16, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

In a dramatic show of pan-human solidarity, despite their previous enmity, a peace treaty was signed between Khthon and Plergoth, and the Army of Plergoth sallied forth to join with the Khthonians as they marched to meet the Dreadlord Dominus and his army of the unliving in battle on the plains of Tindle.

Regrettably, the route taken by the Plergothian army was long and tortuous, and the column experienced numerous logistical delays, allowing the legions of Dominus to fall upon the Khthonians alone, devastating their field army and dashing hopes of a quick victory against the servants of the Necromancer.

Dominus Driven From Tindle

June 16, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

With the Khthonian field army retreating in disarray and the Army of Plergoth withdrawing in the face of Dominus' horde of undead warriors, it seemed that the servants of the Necromancer Lord would be free to work their evil in the ravaged land of Tindle. Two stragglers (Hitmulg of Plergoth and Jenny of Khthon) remained in Tindle, hoping to harry the vile Dominus with their warbands of archers. Hopelessly outnumbered, they bravely stood their ground, firing arrow after arrow at the gibbering mass of animated corpses, to no avail. The arrow-studded ghouls advanced inexorably, not even bothering to draw the shafts from their putrid flesh. All seemed lost.

Then, with a roar that split the very air, help arrived from a most unexpected quarter. An army of monsters - hundreds of griffons, beastmen, giant serpents, dragons, trolls and others too hideous to describe - swept in from the north and smashed into Dominus' flank, rending the skeletal warriors limb from limb and driving the Necromancer's servant from the field.

As he retreated, Dominus delivered an ominous warning:

You fools...aiding those that spread disease...so many wasted corpses, it is a pity I could only be allowed to raise such few men.

We cannot infinitely replenish our numbers, now I am sent fleeing, because you make foolish mistakes.

We will get you, Curled Mane, and send you diseased flesh to the fires of earth--and hell.

Dominus

War Rages Between Monsters and Undead in Tindle

June 17, 1007 | By: Mendrugo

Tindle is fast becoming the focal point for the all-out war between the Necromancer's Servants and the Army of Monsters. Mere hours after the monster swarm commanded by Curled Mane decimated Dreadlord Dominus' undead horde, fresh zombie reinforcements, under the command of the Dreadlord Sarge (OOC: Sarge?! *snerk*), approached from the northeast and drove the monsters from the field.

If both sides continue to feed reinforcements into the flashpoint at Tindle, we can only watch and pray to Daishi that the conflict remains in Khthonian lands and doesn't spill over into Plergoth.