Battle of Etalaan

Members of the Caravan repel an undead assault.

The **Battle of Etalaan** was a conflict fought over the course of three days in Mansarki 620 in the southern Greenskin territories of Etalaan between a mercenary caravan hired by then-Lady Adalhard and an army of undead led by the Necromancer. A local warrior tribe was also briefly embroiled in the conflict.

## Background

Under still-unexplained circumstances, a corrupted necrobotanist created and led an army of the undead, reanimated using Arvum energy, into the lands of Etalaan, attacking small settlements and farms and infecting the land with a dark miasma. In response to the disappearance of these settlements (and suspecting the neighbouring Lord Isolda of being responsible), Lady Adalhard, Lady of Etalaan, sent a small company of her soldiers, who did not return. A larger summons, promising payment for any individuals skilled in the use of weapons or magic, was issued, creating a formidable but disorganised mercenary force. The group gathered on a small abandoned farmstead in the southern Greenskin territories of Etalaan to begin their campaign, only discovering the undead upon their arrival.

## 10th of Mansarki

The caravan gathered in an abandoned farmstead throughout the afternoon and evening of the 10th of Mansarki. A number of exploratory parties, led by rangers Thornwyn and Arterroth Bladestorm, were sent out, finding a number of mutilated corpses whose skin had been ripped and torn by undead. Small groups of undead were found and dispatched in the surrounding area with difficulty, as nothing short of decapitation or disintegration could disable them entirely.

Information on the source of the undead was acquired through the interrogation of one of their number by Amanita of Dark Hollow, as well as the investigation of two magical artefacts that had been recovered from the area: a cursed book, containing a large number of trapped souls and text regarding an 'ultimate army'; and a trapped box, which exploded several times during attempts to open it. Later investigation would reveal that the souls within the book were the souls of the undead army.

## 11th of Mansarki

Sporadic conflict with the undead, both at the farmstead itself and within the surrounding forest, continued throughout the day. Warriors of the caravan were hampered in effectiveness by a lack of cooperation and discipline, despite the efforts of the appointed commander Sir Edrich von Gutenheim; for instance, the Dwarven contingent of the caravan preferred to fight as an independent unit, using tactics and doctrine incompatible with Lady Adalhard's professional soldiers. Despite this, a decisive offensive victory was won against the undead deep within the forest, though it resulted in several casualties within the caravan as well.

Co-operation among other groups proved more successful; an adventuring party succeeded at rescuing a group of Sprites from the forest and received a blessing in return, while a trio of rituals were performed on the cursed book by a group of ritualists, magicians, and assistants, including Mrs Greenbeans, Barron Ormauve, Susanna De Partie, Tetka, Zayats, Bri, and Arel of the Shah Tribe:

The first extracted one of the souls from the book and placed it within a volunteer from the caravan, Breadán Casta, in order to question it. Though successful, the ritual caused significant trauma to Casta.

The second sealed the book (and its souls) within a box for protection.

The third was a scrying ritual, displaying the image of three eyes, an image that was also seen by the healer Mary Rose Lay when she attempted to investigate a cursed necklace that had been mysteriously found by another member of the caravan.

Several newcomers also arrived at the farmstead, including trademasters seeking new students and refugees from the lands of Lord Isolda, whose stronghold had been overrun by undead. Later in the evening, the Necromancer was briefly spotted, but disappeared and could not be tracked. This was followed by a large and unusually late attack on the farmstead, surprising several members of the caravan who had been playing Liar's Dice outside.

## 12th of Mansarki

Responding to a lack of healers in the company, a ritual was attempted to temporarily grant a number of Necrobotanists the ability of magical healing. Several plans were hatched to cleanse the land and target the Necromancer himself. Mrs Greenbeans, followed shortly after by Tetka and Zayats, went ahead of a larger group to the nearby ritual circle with the intention of creating a barrier within which the Necromancer could be trapped; however, the three were instead compelled to pour their power into the circle, creating a beam of light that cleansed the miasma from the surrounding area, though outside of the cleansed area it intensified, preventing all magical healing.

A local warrior clan of outlaws approached the farmstead, accusing the caravan of causing the arrival of the undead. Attempts at diplomacy broke down and the clan was slain.

Another ritual was performed, sending a message to the Necromancer in an attempt to goad him into battle. The circle was besieged on all sides by undead, but the warriors of the caravan held the line until the Necromancer himself arrived, creating a shockwave before disappearing and causing the attacking undead to keel over, defeated. The magic users of the caravan, despite intense resistance manifesting as pain, managed to pour their remaining Essence into the circle in order to cleanse the miasma entirely.

## Aftermath

Neither the undead army nor the Necromancer were destroyed, but both withdrew from the area of the battle despite steady gains elsewhere. The Caravan remained in service to Lady Adalhard, accepting new members and becoming involved in several conflicts with the undead leading up to the Siege of Adalhard Manor. In order to solve the co-ordination problems that had arisen during the battle, the Wyldwood Company was established.

The emergence of the undead, and their attack on the underground cities of the Ninkilim, caused the Fext to emerge for the first time in 250 years, many of them joining the Caravan in order to slay the Necromancer himself.