The Iron Circle Expands

The southern pact of city-states in the warm desert lands to the southwest is known as the Iron Circle. It is widely rumored that these states also secretly pay tribute to dark gods, perhaps in the Abyss or the Nine Hells, though no one has yet lived to provide proof of such acts.

The eastern cities of Tithnia called upon the Citadel of Iron's Grasp to enforce the defensive treaty among all the southlands against it's neighboring tribes in the Sand Sea. Among a long list of grievances, from generations old territorial disputes to water rights on border wells, were accusations of piracy and banditry by the tribesman. The Citadel reviewed the evidence provided by the Tithnian diplomat and declared war hastily. Calling on the mercenary captain Cresom Coldmane, a brutal military commander who trains his hobgoblin shocktroops at the summit of Mount Korinda, the Citadel ordered them to end the Sand Sea's reign of terror against the pact of the Iron Circle.

Cresom lead a dawn assault against the Sand Sea Tribes fishing fleet in Vullwar Passage. Though they called a great elemental storm to sink the vessels, the nimble Sand Sea skiffs danced atop the high waves summoned by the Iron Circle's war mages. It was the ramming prows of Cresom's ships that eventually broke the fleet. The Sand Sea sailors fell into the Vullwar's grasp, and as they sank the Sahaguin fish men who live below rose to feast on them, filling the noon skies with terrible screams as they jabbed them with their jeweled tridents and hauled them below is great silver nets.

The next day Worg Oswe, a Half-Ogre champion loyal to the Citadel flew to the Kingdom of Rethmil on the back of a great red dragon, where he provided the Tithnian diplomat's proof of the Sand Sea Tribe's piracy to the city's chief mage and advisor, Brilwemand Waylander. He also demanded passage of his army though the Kingdom to capture the Tribe's lands to the east. A Sand Sea representative arrived shortly after to dispute the charges, claiming the evidence was false.

Before Waylander could discern the truth of the matter, it was too late. Dercassian troops from the west had already positioned themselves to lay siege to the city. Worg and his dragon sacked the main city gate and the assault was joined by Cresom's fleet, who had sailed down the river from Vullwar Passage. The old mage guarded the royal palace but he was overtaken and slain by the Dercassian warriors who swept through it's halls, killing all in sight. Worg and his dragon burned the city barracks and siege engines, leaving Rethmil's market and people ripe for plunder.

Further to the east, the Tithnian soliders joined a unit of iron golem sentinels from the Black Stone Desert as they conquered the villages of the Sand Sea Tribes, driving their peoples into the hills and burning their encampments. The iron titans crushed all defending warriors mercilessly beneath their massive fists and feet, as their arrows and spears bounced harmlessly off the juggernauts' black metal skins.

Back in the Citadel of Iron's Grasp, a great feast was held to celebrate the victory over the Sand Sea Pirates, and the craven Kingdom of Rethmil. They sent word to the other city states that Rethmil's treacherous magician Waylander had been secretly building siege engines with the intent of striking the good people of Dercassia. Fortunately, with the help of Worg Oswe, this plot was unraveled and the lands of the south were saved from Rethmil's menace. Sadly, during the assault they were unable to save the royal family, who was killed by the power-mad mage's wicked conspiracy.

Vailin's Vengeance

When news of the atrocities committed against the people of the Great Wild Wood reaches the capitol in Vailindor, the outrage ripples throughout the lands of Vailin. All over the countryside, men, elves, treants, and other loyal subjects take up arms and march northward.

A great gold dragon from the Vast Peaks spearheads Vailin's retaliation force against the zombie hulks who have invaded. It swoops down into the forest setting the trees and rotting fiends ablaze before they can even strike. The stench of burned rotting flesh lingers eerily for many days.

From the Crimson Ramparts, Karkoth's forces lead by a famously wicked battle maiden named Eilstine Gellantara watch as the armies from Cernal and the Barony of Brandil to the south approach. Eilstine's guards crush the invading armies who die bravely climbing the battlements in the siege. While the men of the southlands coat the Crimson Ramparts with more blood, Zembar launches a secret naval assault and it's marine scouts scale the walls on a lightly defended flank.

In a costly battle, a small squad of Zembar's marines remain victorious. They capture the Crimson Ramparts and the siege weapons within, though their allied units from Cernall and the Barony lie dead and broken all around them. When the scouts find the battle maiden's body, Gellantara's head is removed and sent to the Karkoth Throneholds with a small band of defeated mercenaries, so that her necromantic masters can learn of their defeat directly from her own dead tongue. They brace themselves for the inevitable battle they must face alone to protect their newly won prize. They honor the dead with bitter wine and song.

Meanwhile, Vailin's navy enforces a blockade on the Zemish Strand and the Sea of Ghosts, blocking all passage from the north to the southern lands. Commanding the naval blockade is Zembar's renowned Admiral Norneiros Swordhand, who swears an oath to wipe the unnatural blight of Karkoth from every Sea in the known world. He tells his men they will send every Karkoth ship stern, sail, and anchor to the bottom of the abyss.

Karkoth Invades Vailin!

The Seven Dark Lords of Karkoth order their mighty siege engine and an army of large undead creatures to invade The Great Wildwood to the south. The brave elven archers defend valiantly, destroying the siege engine, but the monsters are too much for them and overwhelm them, plundering their gentle forest communities and eating those too slow to flee from the advancing zombie hulks.