The Mother's War

The war that everyone expected has begun. The Holy Mother was assassinated in her personal carriage on the way to a peace meeting with the Elder Circle. Her blood was used to write the perpetrator of the deed: the Pa'Tal nation. Whether or not this evidence was to be believed, there was little stopping the rage that enveloped the First General when word of the act reached him. The First General is nothing if not charismatic, and it took less than a week of his time to stir the lazy bureaucrats of the government into a frenzied mob, thirsting for Pa'Tal blood.

The second and fourth legions have been mobilized under General Tarsk, and the First General respectively. The second legion is to approach the Pass of Goad before the end of the month. It plans to swath a path of blood through any defenses set in the way, and capture the city of Rancis, which will be used as a staging point for the next phase of the assault. Meanwhile, the fourth legion faces a more daunting task. Candlespire pass is the most heavily defended point on the border between our country and Enroe. The Pa'Tal government will surely send a full legion to the defense of its prime ally in the hopes that our warriors will never even breach the pass. Once a legion is entrenched within the Candlespire Fortress, it is nearly impossible to overrun. The First General realizes this, and has devised a plan.

The garrison stationed at the Candlespire Fortress is extremely small, due in part to the years of peace between our country and Enroe. The General estimates that it will take more than a week for the Pa'Tal legion to reach the pass. Under a hard march, our troops will arrive within six days. However, by that time the garrison will have prepared defenses, such as blockading the main gates, that will prevent an easy taking by our legion... and perhaps giving the Pa'Tal legion time to arrive.

This morning the First General hand picked a squad of the finest warriors from among the legion's ranks. The plan is simple, and extremely daring. The squad is to take the finest horses, and ride them to the point of death, in order to reach the pass within the next two days. The garrison will have just been activated, however they will not be prepared for an attack. The squad is to raise the gate using the hydraulic pumps located outside the main wall. During wartime, the pumps are deactivated, and the gates are only operable by a mechanical lever within the wall. Once the gates are open, the Fortress will easily fall to the might of the attackers. This will leave the doors open for our legion, where we will be in a position to destroy the advancing Pa'Tal troops. From there is will be a simple matter to take the Mazon Fortress, thus giving access directly to the Pa'Tal capital.

The soldiers are preparing to leave as I write... lacing up boots, and gathering their supplies. The western sky has been enveloped in dense clouds, and the setting sun casts a crimson glow across our camp. The priests are mumbling about 'bad omens' and such... only time will tell if these omens they speak of will come to pass.