#scarletconclave

[eirdwen]

Crusaders, citizens of Redholm and abroad, disaster has come to our beloved land. What began as a mission to defend our farmers and mill-workers became a living nightmare. It is only by the grace of the Light that we survived at all. The Scourge is on Holy soil.  This map shows what little information we have been able to gather. The Cult of the Damned is marching outwards, making use of the internal bickering to bring us to ruin. This will not stand. The Highlord has decreed that any rebels who wish to join the good fight against the Scourge will be granted clemency for their sins, once this most hideous enemy is routed. Any and all soldiers who wish to assist will be welcomed into Redholm city.  The following is a statement from the Highlord:  The enemy was not what we expected. What we found was hordes and hordes of the Scourge, tearing apart the bandits. This was no broken remnant, this was an army of the dead, thousands of ghouls, zombies, geists and ghosts. Death Knights led the way, and they tore us apart. The eternal enemy of our people, of our homeland, has now come to our doorstep, and they will not stop on a treaty, like our enemies will,  they will hunt down every living person they can.  We will return to the point of their entry and stem the tide at it's source, in the days to come. We cannot allow them to run rampant. They are like a flood of rotting flesh and angry bones. Do not let your faith falter, for when the Light is with us, anything can be done. Blessed be the faithful and may the Light have mercy on us all. 

[eirdwen]

A formal statement from the Highlady.

Citizens of Redholm, soldiers and civilians alike: by now you are likely aware of our loss in the west. It stings my heart to say that most of the rumors are true. The host taken to meet the rebels has fallen. Heavy losses were sustained even in the inner circle. Highlord Thoranis, Light ever bless him, is recovering from a head wound. Arcanist Pyreseeker is barely stable and may yet succumb. There was not a single Crusader who escaped injury in their desperate attempts to save the other forces.

The reason for this loss is not lack of faith or conviction, that is certain. We were far from abandoned by the Light. The Light’s will was made manifest in the survival of the inner circle, against horrific odds. Steel yourselves, my brothers and sisters! Our victory in this war is guaranteed, but only as long as our faith remains strong. Reports from the battle suggest that the enemy was aware of our coming. Guard your tongues now, as well as your hearts, lest spies in our midst learn more of our movements. The following are first-hand accounts of the battle:

"The battle vas a mess from the start. The enemy had spotted us from the moment the Highlord's forces made their vay ashore, vaiting to announce themselves until ve vere all off the boats. It vas a slow crawl tovards the enemy line being that ve vere hit vith vave after vave of horse riders and crossbow bolts from afar. Ve took a beating this time around, many of those vith rank vere brought to death's door, the Highlord included. It is good to see that ve are finally in for a fight, to long has these battles felt like beating up on children and not real soldiers. I vould prefer to either die on the field or come back vith the Highlord in one piece next time, because vithout him - I don't get paid."  -- Viglundur the Northman (spelling has not been corrected, in the interest of haste.)

"Even our exit was a near thing. To be sure, I have seen worse. I have survived worse. But that was - I made a promise to Eirdwen that we'd come back perfectly well, a promise I never made to my brethren in the Army of the Light, and I did not succeed in keeping that promise to the very letter. I have carried both the dead and those who nearly met it and Irisia's body in my arms weighed as heavily as any of them if not more. These are my dearest friends. As much my family as the Army of the Light was for millennia. And I will not allow what happened that night to happen to any of them again if I have any say in the matter, Light be willing." -- Bassaam the Draenei.

"Pyreseeker... saved my life. She blocked a spear for me and held me close behind her. I wasn't in my right mind, the stress got to me. But her... she summoned flames that blocked off a portion of their riders and burned some alive. She was incredible." -- Kaerene Felo’serrar Your prayers for the well-being of sister Irisia Pyreseeker are deeply appreciated, but for her sake please allow her to rest. The arcanist has proven herself to be a true Scarlet hero. She very much deserves to heal in peace. 

Finally, To those who have forsaken our Cause and have taken up arms: This is your final mercy. Abandon the traitors who lead you, return to the fold, and you will be spared execution. Continue this idiocy and you will see the full fury of the Light and every drop of righteous blood will be paid for with a gallon of yours. This victory will be remembered as the moment you lost your petty war. You have won only desolation. Those who refuse to surrender to fair punishment under the lash will weep for death. Your souls and bodies are forfeit. The Inquisitor has requested permission to take prisoners and I have granted it. Despair and sorrow on you who have turned your backs on the righteous leadership. We will rain retribution on your camps and towns until there is nothing left of your madness. I pray that your spies bring you this message, not only as a warning to any faithful, but as a promise to your ‘Queen’: you will suffocate in the vapors of your own blood for your sins. It will be slow, it will be painful, and I will personally see to it that you suffer as no being ever has before.

May the faithful walk forever in the Light, and never stray from the true path.

[eirdwen]

A Note from the Highlord:

Servants of the Light, soldiers of the Highlord, and people of Redholm, heed! Disaster has struck near Posernae, and the Despotate has lost a host of spearmen after crossing the vital river connecting our territories to the rebel lands. 

All but our inner circle were lost in the battle, as their heavy shock cavalry ground our men and women into dust, putting a decisive end to our assault. The Highlord has been injured, alongside many other high-ranking officers and soldiers under the personal command of the Highlord and Highlady, being brought to death’s door by repeated cavalry charges and constant fire from arbalests. This failure leaves us with only regrets and a revanchist thirst for holy justice, and it shall be meted out ferociously and with no mercy given to the traitorous cowards who would claim so many lives and so much blood in the name of a criminal cause that would disrupt the Crusade’s holy mission. 

 We will claim Posernae and reintegrate it by any means necessary, and whether that means burning a path through the land and onto the doorstep of Luther’s citadel, it shall be done. Crusader Konrad Raventius has offered to lead a brigade of Crusaders, footmen and other regulars and irregulars in a mission of reavery and disruption, using his skills as a former brigand to bring unto the enemy chaos and disarray, striking from the shadow and slaughtering them, burning their steeds, their installations and their men. For the total slaughter they have inflicted upon us, they shall receive one in kind. 

 All applicants will be accepted.

[eirdwen]

Vengeance Enacted:

Crusaders and citizens of faith:

By now you are well aware of the mission to enact vengeance on those traitorous monsters who wounded our Highlord and Arcanist Pyreseeker, also cutting down many of our own spearmen. A small group of our own combatants, as well as volunteers from the Heirs of Alterac and from the righteous few of Stormwind, rode out last night to attack the rebel horsemen by starlight. Their mission was a success but not without a price of its own. Many are wounded. All citizens with medical training are encouraged to offer assistance to the infirmary.

Blessedly there are no dead, but we must regretfully mourn the death of several civilians. In the fervor of combat, Viglundur and Schacktorn lost their composure and cut them down. Others were captured, and will be treated with the Compassion asked of us by the Light. The Highlord has ordered that they serve in building our fortifications, and will be treated and paid as well as our own men. This treatment is reported to be far better than what they received under the “Prole Queen”, so the Highlord and I are prepared to welcome them to stay after the rebellion is quashed.

On the subject of the self-styled queen I would like to personally condemn her for using civilians to shield her soldiers. This is reprehensible and so morally bankrupt that it is a wonder that the Light has not struck her down already! It shows a distinct lack of care for these people that she has chosen to claim as her own.

The two who strayed from the true path are being punished harshly, as is the man who led the raid, but the true sin stains the soul of this… Monster of a woman.

The following are statements from several of the men and women who brought down the Light’s Justice:

Aaren Anastasis:

“Not every victory is a victory to be celebrated. This one in particular was necessary. Vengeance was necessary, sending a message was necessary. Victory was indeed necessary for us to push on, but I find it more of a stepping stone to the next battle than a traditional triumph. Fighting is never to be pleasant. Sometimes it has to be dirty, as those we fight aren’t going to wish us a fair hand. Some may not like it, and if they are so brave to wish to step out and negotiate fair combat next time I shall allow them the berth.

If unsavory methods are to be used, I wish them to be the tool of those that follow the Light with unwavering conviction.”

Konrad Raventius:

“To my enemies, I am the terror in the night.”

Viglundur:

"The raid went down as planned. The orders to burn all to the ground and seed fear were followed and completed as instructed. Most did not agree with the way the task was carried out, but they knew what the outcome was going to be and were told to stay back if they had a weak stomach for such actions. My goal was to punish those harboring the enemy, and that is what we did."

Basilia Maridus:

“I believe my thoughts on today's mission were adequately reported to the Highlord- however I would like to express my belief that Crusader Raventius does not deserve punishment. While his methods were brutal, he only enacted vengeance on combatants. Crusaders Schacktorn and the mercenary Viglundur have no such excuse, and it is my belief they should be tried as criminals- regardless, this is a victory. We have shown Lordaeron that like a phoenix, the Light’s Chosen will always rise from the ashes.”

[eirdwen]

So say the Highlord…

Last night’s raid was a total and resounding success, from a tactical standpoint. While some wounding was sustained, on our part, they lost severe numbers of men, lost a town at a vital crossroads, and had a port obliterated. The enemy will be sent reeling in shock at this attack of brutal reprisal, for certain. 

However, I would argue that this was not a total victory. We have sacrificed the uprightness and dignity that marked us above all others. Above the brutal militarists, against the genocidal puritanicals, against the treacherous usurpers, and against the weak ‘reformists,’ who seek to let Redholm fall into the hands of our mortal enemies. At least twenty civilians were intentionally slaughtered at the hands of our own men, and an unknown number more would have perished in the flames that consumed their homes. 

I would say that we might resemble the Onslaught more than anything else, now, having hurt our own people. We did much more than we had to, to a deadly effect to even the living, who were not combatants.

The Light had left us, for that time, but I hope that it will return to us forevermore. 

 Glory to the Light, and victory to the flame. 

[eirdwen]

The post-raid report of Crusader Charles Schacktorn. Your thoughts are noted. A full report of the events are to follow at a future date. 

[eirdwen]

Having found old uniforms and feeling nostalgic, the Highlord and I took a brief tour to some notable locations. Please enjoy these images captured on a gnomish camera that did not electrocute anyone!