The Winter Dispatch

The Winter Dispatch
An international newspaper watching the undead and monsters that make Beluaterra unique.

June 4: Monsters in the North, Undead in the South

Reports assembled from around the continent have reported these unconfirmed enemy locations:

Thalmarkin:Oepiud

Riombara:Mio Dupaki

June 4: TO ARMS!

The Winter is here! After months of quiet, the storm has come. A huge unit of unnatural beasts has appeared in Mio Dupaki, a province of Riombara. A group calling themselves The Necromancer's Servants have begun making demands, while many nobles, including another group, the Winter Guardians, have attempted to rally all realms against them. See Beluaterra/Third_Invasion for more– John Smith, Freeman

March 23: Realms fight it out, Undead and Monsters Rare

Wars between Nobles, both in the North and South, continue to cause the common folk headaches throughout the land, making the weapons trade good. However, unnatural monters seem rare; rumor has it that even so-called "adventurers" can't find many of the beasties. – John Smith, Freeman Merchant

February 6: Calm Covers the Island

While inter-realm conflicts still brew, the Dispatch has recived no further reports of Undead or Monster clashes, excepting the usual background noise. It seems mankind has been left to cause its own problems for the time being.

January 25: Undead Routed in Eykfar, Suuk!

Early reports indicate that an army (most likely Meshian) has defeated the undead force with a two-pronged attack in Eykfar and Suuk.

January 22: Meshains, Undead Clash!

While clashes continued on the border between Mesh and Joppo, Meshian forces marched against the Undead that previously had massacred their forces. After suffering several small defeats, they won a great victory when the Undead attempted to assault the walls of Eykfar. However, reports indicate that the Meshain casulties rose as undead the next morning a once again drove the Meshians off the field. Comments attributed to Chancillor Legault of Mesh suggest the Meshain army is rallying a sizable force to once again attack the unholy army.

January 7: Mesh Massacre in Suuk!

At sundown yesterday, slightly less than 1000 Undead abandoned their rampage of Joppo and attacked the Meshian army that was making camp in the region of Suuk. A sentry spotted the undead horde just a mile outside the Meshian camp, giving them enough time to for ranks, but not enough time to orginize a proper defence. The Meshian army dug in and held their lines, but the huge horde cut their lines like a hot knife through butter. By midnight, the Undead held the field, and nearly ever single Meshian soldier lay dying. An estimated 13 Meshian Nobles were wounded, with more at risk of capture. All in all, about 800 Meshains died in the battle. By contrast, only about 150 of the undead were slain. Several civilians who the Meshians were protecting (many who had been evacuated from Joppo days earlier) were also killed.

January 7: Huge battle against rogues in Suuk

After the huge horde of undeads sighted in Joppo City a few days earlier, rumours have now reached all sides of Beluaterra, telling that a huge battle has been fought between rogues and the army of Mesh in Suuk, right next to Joppo City. The gossipers could not specify the actual amount of rogues, but they say that it was not much smaller than the horde in Joppo, and apparently there were enough rogues to defeat the army of Mesh. For specific numbers we will have to await comments from people closer to the crime scene.

January 6: The Dispatch Presents the Tale of Joppo

We've sent a reporter to the border of Joppo to try and find out where the horde of 2000 undead may have come from. We present to you here the recent history of the city, as told by those who witnessed it.

My tale begins as the sun rises over a victorious Mesh army. Duke Horus of Joppo had declared his city independent of Mesh a month earlier, and the civil war had now ended with Joppo forces routed and defeated. The surviving nobles of Joppo were mostly new arrivals on the continent, and owed no prior oath to Mesh and no great loyalty to their rebel city. With their army utterly destroyed, they had little reason to remain in their occupied city. They offered a surrender, and scattered to nearby realms like seeds in the wind. General Danny of Mesh ordered a takeover be begun, and the First Army of Twillen implemented the order. The Meshans thought the city would be under their control before week’s end. But late that night, a shrill cry went up within the Meshian camp. “Undead! To your posts! To arms!” –Stephen Boucman, Bard and Historian

‘Twas hours before sunrise when I heard the alarm. I grabbed my sword ‘bout as fast as I ever had, and was out of my tent in less than an instant. There’s 1000 of them, at least, and they were already all around us! A sea of corpses, but walking, screaming, and trying to kill us! We had no time to form ranks nor man the walls; we just starting hacking and falling back. My boys alone took 60 casualties before we made it out of that city, and I saw worse happened to other units. M’lord ordered us to retreat through Suuk, but some units were sent back through Lanngetti. Rumor is they were ambushed by Undead there, and slaughtered to the last man. – Captian Ruben, Captain of the Free Company, Army of Mesh

When the Meshians left, the city grew silent. They’d killed most of the undead on their way out, but the streets were littered with bodies, half wearing the uniforms of Mesh, half wearing just their own rotting flesh. None but the strongest men would leave their homes, for the smell alone was enough to turn your stomach. The Nobles high-tailed it to Suuk and other realms, for after the Duchess left, there was little hope for them, and they didn’t trust the Meshians they’d been fighting to give them asylum. Next thing we know, there’s but one noble left, one Riscoso Bleu Montagne, holding all the offices. A single noble! But he was in charge, getting the bodies cleaned up, and we were ready to go back to work, open our businesses again. – John Smith, Freeman Merchant

I volunteered for takeover duty, and instead I get this. When the recruiter assigned me to the Duke’s unit, I thought it would be a walk in the park. Instead, we get to Joppo, set up our camp, and guess what happens? It’s just before sundown, and we hear a yell. This time, it’s the Duke of Twillen. I think he’s just yammering on about the undead that were here last time, so I go over and take look. By Joppo’s main square there’s a sea of black moving towards us like a swarm locusts. By my estimate there were 2000 of the undead creatures, enough to lay siege to Twillen itself. So the Duke orders us to evacuate civilians, get as many families out as we can regardless of their loyalties, and be outside the walls by nightfall. We got, I don’t know, 500 lucky souls out of the city, and hid 100 more in the Temple of the Great Dragon. But there’s still maybe 5000 living in that city. We’ll be back for them. I don’t know how we’re going to defeat that many undead, but word is that the higher-ups have a plan. I volunteered for takeover duty, but instead, I’m going to see this through. – Duncan Connors, Recruit of the Free Company, Army of Mesh

The Dispatch has also heard that the men in Joppo have mounted a resistance against the undead, perhaps directed by Riscoso Bleu Montagne, but we have been unable to get a reporter into the city.

January 4: Precuser to Invasion?

Reports from somewhere in the west indicate a horde of 2000 undead has been spotted, and have been targeting governmental buildings. An army this size has visibly attracted the attention of Mesh and surrounding realms, but Nobles disagree as to its significance. Does it mean invasion? Or is this mearly a very large horde of undead? - John Smith, Freeman Merchant