Chronik/en

Prologue

Nikolai enters his small room in the sparsely repaired main house of the old castle ruin dripping wet. With difficulty, he brushes the heavy, wet coat off his shoulders and drops it over the visitor's chair, under which a small puddle immediately forms. He immediately sits down at the small work table and opens a book bound in oilcloth. He skims through the few entries he had already written.

Chronicle of the mercenary city

3rd week of the 8th month in the year 19 after the discovery

The summer campaign is over. We were victorious at the gates of Ankor Mortis. The Undeath is defeated! At least that's what we were told. However, there are already rumors that a new ruler of the Undead has awakened. This is terrible, but good news for business!

The mercenaries were in a good mood when they left the battlefield. There were successful battles, pay and enough beer to honor the fallen at a big celebration. But now many don't know where to move on to. The cataclysm has destroyed the mercenary town. Söldnerthal auf dem Berg is completely devastated and I have lost my investments there. Not a good time for the Landhanse. No home for the mercenaries as I had promised them.

On the way north we discovered this ruined castle. Miraculously, it has not sunk into the swamp. A few walls still stand, so it offers some protection from the weather while we load the ships for the journey. The river to the west joins the great stream, so we have good access to the ocean. From here we can travel back to Mitraspera. But where should we go?

2nd week of the 9th month, 19 a.t.d.

We are still on the southern continent. We have already shipped some mercenaries. They wanted to go back to Mitraspera to seek their fortune in one of the seals. The cataclysm has left its mark there as well. There are famines and uprisings. Some rich toffs pay a lot of silver to secure their mansions and riches. Easy money for professional warriors.

Others have begun to make themselves at home here. They are tired of sleeping in windy tents and on the ground. In the castle there was an old barrack and a stable. A few craftsmen among the mercenaries took over and lead the rest to repair the walls and the roofs provisionally. Wistfully I remember the early days of the old mercenary town.

I myself have instructed my workers to reinforce the landing site. We will build jetties and a wooden shelter to facilitate the loading and unloading of the ships. I have already lost too many goods due to bad weather. I have ordered that every working mercenary will receive rations at half price. Let's see who all lends a hand.

3rd week of the 10th month, 19 a.t.d.

A festival! No, a tournament! These mercenaries are always good for a surprise after all. The stable, the barracks and the main house of the castle are now habitable. Even a makeshift washhouse has been built by these devils. Some mercenaries have expressed the wish to stay here. And now everyone was in such good spirits that they wanted to celebrate.

And that's what they did. They organized a tournament with tree trunk throwing, archery and arms races. There were also more unusual disciplines such as carrying water, sawing tree trunks and a bard competition. I myself landed in the mud during the tug-of-war. I laughed heartily, even though I stained my expensive tunic in the process.

Shamous had ordered his servants to set up a taproom to celebrate the day. So these days ended as one would expect with mercenaries. With music, drink and food, dice games and the odd brawl. All this convinced me that this castle is the right place for a winter camp. Now I just have to find out what's up with the strange writings that can be found on some of the walls and documents here.

1st week of the 3rd month, 20 a.t.d.

Winter is over! The sun is shining and the snow masses are beginning to thaw. Around 50 mercenaries ended up staying here, braving the elements of the south. It was a quiet winter. The river was iced over, so the supply ships had to be unloaded at its mouth. From there we transported the goods on makeshift sleds. But there were no major problems. The otherwise dangerous swamp had become easily navigable under snow and ice.

Now it will change again. The swamp will be our biggest problem if we want to settle here for a long time. South of the castle, we can see the ruins of an old settlement that has sunk into the mire. Although the air is not poisonous, nor are there revenants rising from the bog, it will still be no easy task to make this ground cultivable. Who knows what can be found under this bog?

We will need natural resources to build a small settlement. Wood is not a problem. The surrounding forests look a bit desolate, but they seem to be healthy and productive. There is also clay soil on the riverbank that we can use to build houses. For everything else, we need to explore the surrounding area first. However, I don't know how much time we have for that. We have received news that something is brewing in the south at the great ice wall. I have a hunch that there will be work for the mercenaries soon.

4th week of the 6th month, 20 a.t.d.

Talks at the convention have confirmed it. The undead are back! The ice wall in the south has melted and a new army has risen to move against the settlers. The rulers of the seals are assembling a new campaign to fight the undead and their allies. Work on the castle has come to a halt. A message from the commissioners has reached me. The mercenaries are going to battle and need food, equipment and transportation. Time for a good deal!

With each passing day, more mercenaries reach our small outpost. It is the time of reunion and joy of having survived a winter and being able to go into battle again. There are also new faces to be seen. Old veterans who left their seal because the cataclysm took everything from them and the rulers had no pity on them. But also young warriors, who seek their luck in battle for the first time. Some mercenaries, however, I look for in vain. Not all of them have returned.

3rd week of the 8th month, 20 a.t.d.

This year's summer campaign is over. The battlefield is submerged under the huge masses of water. Several carts got stuck in the mud and had to be abandoned. The mercenaries even formed their own pioneer corps to cope with the conditions. But eventually they all set off. Back to the north. Away from the horrors that have awakened from the eternal ice.

I took the fastest wagon to get here before the army. Now we have to receive the tired and exhausted mercenaries and ensure their supply. The poor conditions of the surrounding area and the lack of organization of the entourage have convinced me that we need to build an infrastructure here on the southern continent if we are to gain a foothold. This takes time and money, but also resources and protection. I need to persuade as many mercenaries as possible to stay here.

Soon the main part of the army will reach us. Some acquaintances are already reaching the outpost. It is time to act.