Is War among the Southern Dwarf Clans Inevitable?

By Toodla Oblodt, Naldrin City News

Naldrin City, Kalkix 12, SP~5,016

The situation in the southwestern region of Tamarra has become significantly more dangerous over the last few weeks.  As readers know, this area includes both the coastal region known as the Undying Lands and the Suong Mountains that surround them.  While the cities and towns of the Undying Lands have a highly diverse mix of the Ten Races, the Suong Mountains are primarily populated by dwarves from several dozen clans.

Recent reports from Hammon, the largest city in the Undying Lands, tell of battles between the major dwarf clans.  Just in the last few days the Kardash Clan is said to have launched an assault against their primary rival, the Gakkdarr Clan.  The alliances among the other dwarf clans are not entirely clear, but it is believed that the three most powerful clans of the Eastern Suong Mountains have allied themselves with the Kardash Clan, while the southern dwarf clans are largely fighting on the side of the Gakkdarr Clan.  Movements of troops that confirm these accounts have been seen.

Several reporters from the Hammon Daily Journal have described the most recent battle as occurring just east of Ellerron, a small town in the very north of the Undying Lands.  The Kardash attacking force totalled somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 warriors, a significantly larger number than the more minor clashes over the last six months.  The battle lasted only a single day before the Kardash forces withdrew; however, it is believed they are prepared to re-launch their attack as soon as additional forces arrive from the east.  The forces are led by the powerful Kardash Soman and War Leader, Arkkan, one of the most respected and feared military strategists on the continent.  Even the crawn General Sasskell has praised Leader Arkkan as being worthy of honor.

Sources at the highest levels of both the Kardash and Gakkdarr Clans have confirmed that each clan has hired members of Wind and Silence to gather information about the alliances and forces of the other.  It is well-known that the services of Wind and Silence are not inexpensive, demonstrating the new level of seriousness the conflicts of this region have reached.

It is believed that the Council of Drawnwyn is deeply concerned about this conflict, and may have hired members of The Negotiators to assist in brokering a peace, or at least a temporary cessation of hostilities.  A war among the dwarves in this region has the potential to expand to dwarf clans from other areas of the continent.  In addition, the Council is seriously concerned about the balance of power in this region.  The dwarf clans of the Suong Mountains have kept the Suong Goblin Kingdom in check for many years; a war among the dwarves could provide these goblins with an opportunity to reclaim the Undying Lands for themselves.

The NCN’s sources in Hammon have reported seeing several well-known members of the Negotiators at a local dining establishment in recent days.  The NCN has reached out to key members of the Council for confirmation, but as of now we have received no response.

The Wars of Above and Below at Merrill City’s Doorstep

By Toodla Oblodt, Naldrin City News

Naldrin City, Dollano 38, SP~5,021

New evidence suggests that the continuing conflict known as the Wars of Above and Below is heating up.

Merrill City, located in the northern part of the Frestehal Plateau at the base of the Rimmel Mountains, is under a concerted attack from a force that has emerged out of the Merrill Gorge, just miles to its west.

For several years the Merrill Gorge has been the center of hostilities in the Wars of Above and Below.  The Gorge runs slightly more than 400 miles east-west along the northern edge of the Frestehal Plateau, where the desert lands of Frestehal meet the Rimmel Mountain range.  Until a few years ago, the Merrill Gorge was a ravine that varied in width from between half a mile to ten miles, with a depth of as much as one mile.  It was one of the great splendors of the northern half of the continent and a frequent stop for tourists from all across Tamarra.  Eleven years ago, in the year of the Great Earthshake, SP~5,005, the base of the gorge was shattered to depths that have still not been completely explored.  This deepening of the Gorge opened up a path to kingdoms and peoples who had been living beneath the surface of our Ethem.

The Wars of Above and Below, which began after the Earthshake, continue today, although the battles had been relatively isolated up to this point. The first battles occurred when Tamarran forces, primarily dwarves from several dwarven cities on the Frestehal Plateau, were exploring the deep underworld. Confronted by what they interpreted as belligerent creatures, they chose to fight.  Some say that the people from Below took these “explorations” as aggressive incursions and are now retaliating.

This current assault on Merrill City suggests that we may be entering a new phase of the Wars.  Reports are spotty and infrequent, due in part to the strange disruption in blink bat communication within the city and the surrounding regions.  The dimensional gates that the blink bats can naturally travel may have been disrupted by some kind of Shadow Energy.  Because of this, much of the contact with Merrill City has been by courier using the Great Road through Jal’s Pass, which cuts north-south through the Rimmel Mountains.

The reports that we do have confirm several facts.  First, the force attacking Merrill City is quite substantial: there are somewhere between eight and twelve thousand fighters.  They are a well-trained military force from a race of creatures known as the Mannahassay.  In addition, the Below army is compensating for their limited ability to see in sunlight by using some kind of head covering.  Although most of the creatures from the Below regions are either sightless or have sight that is accustomed to little or no light, these head covers make them  much more capable, and therefore more lethal.  Finally, these creatures seem to have the ability to communicate with each other without words.  GERC experts here in Naldrin City are saying this is probably due to the use of Mental Energy, and that these creatures may be akin to Mentarchs.

Our sources elsewhere on the Plateau have indicated that the neighboring dwarf cities of Addakk and Kakktika are sending trained forces to the aid of their (mostly) human neighbors in Merrill City.

We will continue to update you, the citizens of Naldrin City and the North, as further news becomes available.

Knowing Naldrin, A weekly column about everything Naldrin City

By Clara Flettwell, Reporter at Large, the Naldrin City Expose

Sula 5, SP~5,021

There are perilous events occurring in today’s world.  Some are happening near our very own Naldrin City and others are creating threats elsewhere across the length of the Tamarran Continent.  Beware of these if you are planning to travel, unless you are looking for something adventurous — though it may turn out to be more adventurous than you bargain for.

The Wars of Above and Below: The Tamarran Continent at War with the Sightless Nations

There have been some huge earthquakes on the Tamarran Continent over the last twenty years, with the most recent occurring in the year SP~5,005.  Large cracks in the skin of the Continent have opened up, with the deepest ones revealing previously unknown realms of creatures that have lived below the surface of Ethem, without sunlight, for many years.  Believing that the earthquake was an invasion, they fought back.  Beware: there are periodic excursions by raiders from down below, and there are also rumors that several of the most powerful underground nations have allied with some nefarious powers above-ground and are plotting a large-scale invasion.

The Dwarf Clan Disputes and Invasion of the Undying Lands

The many dwarf clans that live in the southwestern part of Tamarra are on the verge of war with each other.  Their disputes have spilled over into the Undying Lands, which are near the homes of some of the strongest clans.  We know that there was a failed attempt by the Kardash dwarf clan to invade the Undying Lands, which are wealthy and generally peaceful; it is unclear what became of those invaders. That has not stopped the other dwarf clans of the southern half of the continent from carrying on their blood feuds.  It will require great diplomacy, or perhaps some friends in high places, to navigate this area of the continent; if diplomacy doesn’t work, it may require some good fighting skills!

The Shem Amaum

These creatures are some of the most cruel and merciless monsters currently on the Tamarran Continent.  They were brought to Tamarra decades ago by the Nulentians, a race of creatures that live across the eastern oceans, in their most recent attempt to invade this continent (SP~4,970 – 4,974).  The Nulentians had designed (or bred…or both) these creatures to have a bloodlust that overcame all thoughts of self-preservation or mercy toward their perceived enemies.  The Nulentians were beaten back, as they were in their prior two attempts; but in their attempt to flee, they left behind many thousands of these terrible creatures.  Now (mostly) leaderless, they wander the roads and fields of the continent, looking for something to kill.

The Galguhn War and the Northern Goblin Uprising

This bloody conflict ended a little over 30 years ago in SP~4,988, but the repercussions continue.  The Nashem Mountains are filled with an increasing number of goblins and other unpleasant creatures; gurv, gamol, and ravagers*, to name but a few.  This threatens Naldrin City, which lies at the very southern extent of these mountains. The old parts of the city, on and beneath the mountains, are particularly dangerous.

The Stillness Wars and the End of the Quay Empire

The Stillness Wars, between the Quay Empire and a large number of undead, were one of the major wars of the last 50 years.  The Quay Empire lost, and as a result there is a large swath of territory across the middle of the continent where undead roam freely, making travel perilous.  Guides, and some good mercenaries, are highly recommended.  Even better, avoid the area altogether since there has been a recent uptick in encounters of these foul things.

 

This is only the beginning of the story.  There are many other threats that hang over us and our beloved Tamarran Continent.  Stay tuned, Dear Readers, and don’t miss any of my next columns!

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* See Imbelnhi’s Bestiary: Being a Traveler’s Account of our Continent and her Creatures for information about these disturbing creatures.

“If you have the courage to change the world, and the strength to do it…to move like the wind, without a sound…think of the Wind and Silence.”

    — Found on fliers posted throughout Naldin City, Tarnath, and some parts of the Region of Jowea during the early days of the month of Dollano, SP~5,021

Wind and Silence Exposed!

— Odo Wellobra, Naldrin City News, winner of the Aydilly Award for Excellence in Reporting

Naldrin City, Dollano 45, SP~5,021 — We at the Naldrin City News have written frequently about the organization known as “Wind and Silence” (W&S).  Readers may recall the strong evidence we presented linking W&S to the Dwarf Clan Disputes and the Invasion of the Undying Lands in SP~5,009:  W&S was apparently working for most, if not all, of the dwarf clans in uncovering the military capabilities and strategies of each of the other clans.  It was notable that W&S was able to unearth the most intimate details from each clan.  Perhaps more notable was their ability to then sell those secrets to every other clan, thus getting quite a bit more than “double duty” for each of their efforts.

Our publication went on record as claiming that this was basically a money-making enterprise by Wind and Silence, keeping the warring parties on more or less equal footing, so that this terrible conflict continues to this very day. A number of smaller dwarf clans from the area have countered that claim, stating that W&S has kept them alive in their struggle to be free.  In spite of this backlash from the southern dwarf clans (and the pronounced lack of interest from our readers in any news from the southern half of our Continent!), we stand by our original story.

In this same spirit of revealing the truth, we at NCN have discovered that Wind & Silence is working closely with the dwarven Council Member Druwakk Akkarrn, one of the wealthiest citizens of Naldrin City, for unknown purposes.  Though she denies it to our reporters, it is clear that Councilor Akkarrn covets the position of leader of the Council of Drawnwyn.  We ask our readers: can Akkarn’s purposes, in support of her enormous ambitions, be anything other than nefarious?

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Stay tuned to these pages over the next weeks as we reveal more of the dark underpinnings that surround this story.