[general cleanup]

* The barracks have been reconstructed, but dust is now everywhere. Furthermore, our citizens are lazy sods. You will organise a general cleanup of the Town!

This afternoon, I put out a call for brave Covians. Covians who did not flee in the face of a supreme challenge; individuals who had the guts to serve the barony in true form. I was happy to see that a number of people came forward, prepared to do their duty regardless of threat.

Ho, ho, ho. Suckers.



Spring cleaning for Cove!!! Once he realized that he had been called to carry out a chore he charged me with, Captain Arkay, among others, attempted to flee. But we were having none of that. Covians are in it together, through thick and thin, through mop and dustpan. I had gathered plenty of pails of water and adequate amounts of spare rags in preparation, and we quickly set about scrubbing the entirety of our barracks.

And scrub we did. Every surface, each crack in the masonry, behind every tapestry. Dust, grime, dirt, all was wiped clear. It was quickly apparent that Mela had little actual practice in cleaning. She made the rookie mistake of stashing a pail of water over a doorframe, poorly balanced on the actual door. A disasterous mistake occured when the Captain opened said door, inadvertantly cleaning himself.



After finishing with the barracks, we continued on to the rest of Cove. The Green Goblin was given a quick dousing. We did not want to waste too much time cleaning a structure whose interior is regularly soaked in disinfecting alcohol, anyway. We caught wind that Hoagie was walking the paths of our township and, like any other cornerstone of the village, we cleaned him too. Numerous buckets of water found their target on the Junior Dragoon. The Church, in the past having cleansed our realm of wytchery, no doubt appreciated how thoroughly we cleansed the church of dirt. A few of those colorful widows suffered a bit of cracking, but that of course is the price for attention to detail. We proceded to the very walls of Cove, soaking them in suds and doing our best to wash away years of grit. Afterwards, Mela suggested we stop off her and Arkay's abode. I won't relate the terrible conditions within. It was surely a test of our fortitude, to retain our morale under such squalid conditions.

And, finally, I rounded out my Watchman trial recruitment duties with a stop off at the banks of Trammel.

[Lead by:]

Lead by: Kelly, Junior Guardsman
Attended by:
Darwin, Watchman
Drake, Watchman
Hoagie, Junior Dragoon
Scorn Bloodtide, Guardsman Recruit
Vincent Redfield, Junior Dragoon

Our friend and fellow Covian, Junior Guardsman Kelly, hosted a rousing training session in order to keep our forces prepared for official parades. She turned a keen and thorough eye towards our equipment, grilling us on our organization of possessions while making damn sure we had all appropriate supplies for a Covian soldier.



To end ceremonies, we finished with what has practically become a tradition for any given training session: a free for fall skirmish. The results were predictable, though Watchman Darwin put up a very strong struggle against Vicent Redfield.



Kelly did a fantastic job with a spur of the moment session, making sure that we stayed on task and on our toes.

Today I stopped off at the major urban centers of Felucca, placing banners at each of the banks.

And one more for Hoagie.

['Angels']

* Heathenous creatures calling themselves 'Angels' float around in a temple in Ilshenar. Go there and swat them down like the pagan beasts they are!

Attended by:
Neko, Guardsman Recruit
Hoagie, Junior Dragoon
Scorn Bloodtide, Guardsman Recruit
Nicholi, Officer Cadet
Vince Valentine, Senior Grenadier
Eton, Barmanager (Guy held his own!)
Perun, Junior Scout
Owen, Watchman

In my service to Cove, I've found that I don't much enjoy traveling to Ilshenar. The realm has an otherworldly presence in it's air. It is a tamed animal that would turn on you without provocation.

I was glad with the showing of Covians who had enough guts to travel to the unknown and face our wicked enemies. The Green Goblin rang with laughter and the clink of mugs. It was almost assured that some of the faces I saw would not be traveling home with us. I regretted sobering the high spirits of those in attendence, but we had been charged with a mission. A number of Covians, the ones who did not readily buckle under fear, followed me out onto the tavern steps.



I explained our goal, warned of the degree of danger, and explained how grateful I was to have such a stalwart bunch of Covians in attendence.

From the steps of  our cosy respite, we were teleported to the moongate and, in turn, to the shrine of sacrifice. It's icon paved the way for our intentions. It's ruins seemed all but forgotten, but that day we would bring renewed meaning to that virtue.

We passed through an enchanted forest. The leaves tingled with mytical sentiment and the many eyes of the trees' inhabitants lay heavily on our footsteps. Our passage through those woods was brief; we had no desire to dally.

A brief pause at a dilapidated roadside inn. We collected our breath and gathered our bearings.

In the distance, a mountain range whose snowy caps clawed at the skin of the sky. We crossed through another forest, an evil twin of the previous. It's trees were hungry for our bones; sorcerous energies weaved through their branches and fell on us like loose leaves. The spiderwebs, at first only a nuisance, grew ever more obtrusive until they covered the undergrowth as thickly as moss covered the dirt.



We crept into a slim fissure at the base of the titanic mountain range. The interior of the cavern was crawling with spiders and spider-kin. They emerged from the slimmest of crevices, descending the walls and approaching us with cautious strikes. We marched steadily, having the presence of mind to not let their numbers overwhelm us.

The cave emptied into a secluded valley occupied by ancient stone monoliths. As our group approached the center of this masonry constellation, I was struck with a wrenching motion and the sound of waves became unmistakable.



I blinked my eyes and saw that we stood on the shores of an isle of weird. A marble complex crowned the low, bare hills. In the sky, high above the temple's ivory terraces, glided figures that resembled man, but were carried by great wings on the breeze.




We approached carefully, halting at the arched entrance to a foyer. Owen and I proceded into the open-air lobby, to the edge of an expansive antechamber, at which moment I pointed to one of the beasts. Owen took aim, holding the pose for what seemed an eternity as he channeled his skill into the strike, and let loose a single volley. The creature took notice of us.

It spiraled down through the sky, homing in on our fleeing position. It dived low, screeching across the foyer, ducking beneath the archway and right into the array of waiting Covian soldiers. We set upon it, not relenting until it's battered and broken corpse lay still at our feet. We continued with this tactic, tricking many of the foolish beings into chasing us.

We had succeded in thinning the numbers of these heretical pariahs, but had we yet brought true honor to Cove? Were we to return to the barony as a mere rabble, having ambushed and outnumbered these unnatural beings? Or did we have it in us to behave like men, and aspire to a worthy undertaking.

Among the individuals of this disgusting avian sect, a grand champion called out it's presence, challenging us to approach it. We did so, climbing to the upper reaches of the unhallowed temple. I was reminded of the golden nightmare I witnessed some weeks ago. It was radiant, glistening in the sun and descending toward our hungry weapons. It was glorious, and, in killing it, that glory would belong to us. The struggle was horrific. If you ask a member of the group to describe the scene, I am confident that they will politely decline. None of us can be expected to cherish the degree of brutality held in those moments. Each time we struck, our weapons removed flesh from it's body and blood was sprayed across the pristine marble floor. None of us were spared. It's might knew no restriction in shattering our physical forms, in opening new wounds on our bodies. The death of the creature could hardly be termed a victory, just the outcome of a struggle which both sides knew to be necessary. The incarnation of it's kind, the perfection of their race, had been slain by Covian soldiers.




There was no longer a reason for our group to be present on that island. We walked from the temple, weapons and armor alike dripping in red glory.

An enemy has been destroyed and Cove is richer.

I haven't intentionally been ignoring my Watchman recruitment campaigns, it's just that the recruitment resources seem to be in short supply lately. Regardless, I present this batch: a beacon of strength placed on the precipices of the famed dungeons of trammel!

Here's a Grand Recruitment Tour on behalf of Hoagie, no sweat. One down, two to go.

This time I visited the dismal landscape of Felucca, targeting the facet's moongates.

Today, moongates. Tomorrow, the world!

_{(The note has been marred. The portion displaying the exact amount has been scratched through, making it illegible.)}

[What:]

What: Far beyond the borders we claim as home, past the boundaries or our native realm, lies an isle of heresies. Lurking just beneath the surface of this landmass is a sect that worships the ruination of sanity. You may ask yourself: what threat does this recluse assembly of false believers pose to Cove? Cove being a civilized community, their very nature constitues a threat to our way of life. We will not allow their continued existence. I've been charged with seeing that a hunt is lead to the Ethereal Temple, so I'm calling on my fellow Covians to come to the aid of civilized society and put an end to these abominations.

When: Wednesday July 19th, 8:00 GMT

Where to meet: The Green Goblin Tavern

What to bring: Try to bring only the basics: equipment, plenty of bandages and potions. I'd like to see just how much gold we can possibly walk away with.

For today, I tackled the moongate portals of the fabulous Ilshenar virtue shrines!

[Lead by:]

Lead by: Erik Arkay, Grenadier Captain
Attended by:
Drake Reilly, Watchman
Mela, Junior Scout
Nicholi, Junior Dragoon

Cove's army has been and still remains the spearhead of the campaign to push loyalist forces from the North, and so it is no surprise that we shoould face the threat of sub-human invasion head on. Captain Arkay devised a mission that would serve as a stunning display of Covian capability and intention. He would personally lead the team whose goal would be to breach the occupation of Papua, forge north and strike at the Ophidian stronghold, then depart through the network of caves which lead to Serpents' Hold, and, finally, to smash the Ophidian toe-hold on that isle. Cove would emerge with the first major effort to challenge the vicious reptile onslaught.
     When approached, I was a bit apprehensive towards the capacity for such a small team to reach such a distant goal. But I trusted Erik's leadership and appreciated his confidence in my abilities. Of course, I could hardly ask for a better team to be a part of than one which includes Mela and Nicholi. Once we were all prepared and well supplied, we made our way to the moongate and crossed over the Moonglow, heading towards the teleporter which would bring us to Papua.
     The moment we emerged from the grasp of the mystical transporter, we recognized that something was amiss. From the windows of the Papua mage's council, we viewed a pitched effort against the ophidian overlords. We were surprised to find the despicable guardsmen of Yew, just as they were surprised to have been discovered by our force. Of course, despite our remarkable selflessness in fighting for Papua's defense, the Guardsmen set upon us as soon as we exited the mage's den. Being outnumbered at least three-to-one, and the guardsmen displaying their usually sneak tactics, necessitated that we quickly withdraw from Papua. Congratulations are in order for Yew: They defeated Cove in battle today, and, in doing so, damaged Papua's chances for liberation. It was Captain Arkay's apt insight that Yew was possibly to blame for Vesper's plight! If Yew's Guardsmen have been wrecklessly hunting the opidians, pushing them out of their natural habitat, then they very well may have initiated the serpents' plight into our civilized lands! We should inspect this angle in the future. I sympathise with Papua: suffering two varieties of wretched oppressors.



     But now that the war had been started, it was time for us to push those creatures back to where they belong. And so, to let them know the hardship they have visited on us, we were to return the favor. We left the town of Papua, heading north through the desert valleys.
     The blistering heat of the landscape was an incredible burden for our party. Roaming the dunes and molten ridges presented a very real threat: exhaustion could drop us to our knees as easily as any creature. Beads of sweat stinging in my eyes, I struggled to remain focused on the object and perceptive of our surroundings.



Numerous fiends swarmed from the rock ridges, crawling from cracks in the scorched hills. It seemed some time since we left Papua that we encountered actual ophidians. However, when we did come across their brethren, we stumbled into vast waves of the slithering sub-humans. Captain Arkay employed a reserved advance, ordering us to stick close together and progress one position at a time. One moment the sands seemed desolate and uninhabitable, the next moment we found ourselves virtually buried in the endless droves of ophidians soldiers. Their wizards chanted in the lispy language of their culture, filling the sky with perpetual sorceries as they tried to fell our righteous approach to their fortress. The battle was relentless, their numbers pushing us back even as we butchered all that came at us, leaving them to rot under the open sky.



     The thought crossed my mind, as I peaked around a cliff and saw the piles of serpent bodies sprawled in the sun, that they would already have plenty to regret even if we were incapable of reaching their home. As our entrenched force shoved forward yet again, we came across a very peculiar presence of some desert tribe of orcish kin. Who can tell why they were in attendence for the fight, but they payed for their curiosity.



     The moment came when their front was sufficiently thinned and distraught, and the Captain sounded the full charge. Boots chomping down into the sand, I pushed myself myself across the wide open battlefield, and, for some reason, noticed that there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Nicholi and Mela were right beside me, likewise sprinting towards the sun bleached structure ahead. We did not hesitate as we crossed from sand to stonework, momentarily grateful to be shielded from the sun. The ophidians in dissarray, we stormed up to the second floor and instantly spun around to hold the higher ground. The staircase became a wreckage of ophidian corpses. We slayed many, dead falling across other dead, and visited on their race the horror of invasion.



     A calm silence emerged from the last few deathcries. The rooms of the fortress were quiet and placid. Only in the distance could the ophidians be heard. I couldn't tell whether they were battle commands or wails of sorrow.
     Our Captain made use of the oasis of calm to congratulate us on our efforts. We had already accomplished a great task for such a stout force, and there was much left to do. Not far from the entrance we had just assailed, the creeping forms of the ophidians heralded a regrouping effort on their part. If we idled, we would be consumed by their overwhelming masses. A rousing speech reinvigorated our morale, with Captain Arkay leading the charge out of the miserable stronghold. We ran back out into the sparkling sunlight, straight towards the converging clusters of soldiers and spellcasters. We ducked, tackled, leaped and dodged our way through the lines. We struck so that they recoiled, but never stayed put for a moment. I grit my teeth, squinted into the sunlight, and put my mace to work crushing whatever bones lay inside those disgusting serpents. We were Covians, and their weapons could not harm us. We slipped through their line, jogging south through the anonymous valleys and towards the path to Serpent's Hold.



Compared to the preceding struggle, the trek through the caverns was a respite. We encountered hardly an honest threat throughout the journey. A spirit of blood-red wind was the most potent and that was dispatched without concern. I believe we were all grateful to emerge from the caves; to a sunlight that was somehow more tame than that found amid the ophidian homeland.  The transition from the anarchy of battle in a foreign land to the streets of a civilized city was quite a clash. The thought that such madness was not far removed from the quaint streets of Serpent's Hold was striking, though it was a very real concept. The civilized society we had returned to was threatened by the very devasation we had just faced. Not far from where we stood, clear across the isle, the ophidians had established an outpost. We knew that unless we acted, Serpent's Hold might face the same disasterous cataclysm that has befallen two other towns.



     The sight of Covian uniforms must certainly have been a strange occaision for the citizens we passed by. As we marched through the streets, i wondered to myself: would prideful Yew attempt to prevent our assisstance of this community, as well? We proceded to the western limits of the town, where the shops and domiciles gave way to naked jungle. We paused to quickly sum up the situation, contemplating the best route to assault the scattered ophidian forces, before plunging into the woodland. Had we not been the disciplined professionals synonymous with Cove, or had Captain Arkay not been such an experienced commander, we should would have been mired in the treacherous terrain. Tick undergrowth and an impenetrable foliage combined to form a landscape that tangled and trapped us, but solid formation tactics forced the enemy to approach us. In this way, not a single casualty was suffered. After some time, the ophidian expedition had been all but scattered. They would no longer face us as a group, making us hunt them down as individuals. The battle would not be won today, but we surely detered any imminent attack on the local population.
     Today, a small force of Covians battled the Ophidian threat on every front. We fought them from the tip of their attack, to the very heart of their society, and clear through to the other side. I'm honestly very proud to have taken part in this mission. It sets the standard for any faction that similarly attempts to counter the invasion. They will have to follow in Cove's footsteps.

[Lead by:]

Lead by: Jack Sinist, Junior Guardsman (? Might be mistaken)
Attended by:
Drake Reilly, Watchman
Mela, Junior Scout
Nicholi, Junior Dragoon
Erik Arkay, Grenadier Captain

This afternoon, I approached a sentry duty already in progress and took my place among the barricades. It was a casual effort, we weren't expecting any honest challenge to Cove's authority. We passed the time, dawdling on the steps, as a few citizens conducted their buisiness within the walls of our proud barracks.



   Perhaps we had been too lax in our vigilence. One of the ranking guardsman in attendance noticed an odd figure lingering not far from our position. I hadn't seen what they were reffering to, but nevertheless followed orders to investigate it. With parade arm in hands, I turned a keen eye towards the ramparts. No sooner had I begun rooting around in the shadows than I felt the chill metal of a blade at my throat. A monstrosity of skull and bone had caught me unawares. For a single moment, I thought that the creature intended to simply open my throat, and that my story had come to an end with that one mistake. But instead, the undead persona had a message to deliver and intended to use my throat to bring attention to it.



   "The Guardian shall reap this mortal!"
   Whatever it's nature, the being saught to sacrifice a Covian in honor of that abhorrent force known as The Guardian. Those in attendence took up position to cut off the creature's escape. My future looked dim, but, for whatever unknowable intentions, the undead stabbed me in the flank rather than outright end my existence. As I stumbed away in pain and panic, the others immediately set upon it, their weapons tearing it to a haggard heap. Captain Arkay had the presence of mind to blast the prone figure with an incendiary, however the charred bones disintegrated before our eyes with unearthly rapidity, to be carried away on the wind. Such an unnatural process most likely means that we have not seen the last of that dreadful figure.



These undead threats continue to haunt Cove. Where is the church when we most need it's presence? Collecting tithes?