Stories from the Land, Part 1

It was only a few days after the subjects of Travance had evacuated the Proper that signs of Husks had already begun to show outside of Valdalis. It began with a trickle: a few shambling, vacant corpses crawling out of the woodwork with savage curiosity, the early warning from Father Ridigan’s diligent scouting had provided ample time to muster enough forces to stave them off with ease. But the danger grew and each day they came, the stronger they seemed to be. People began to wonder, were they increasing in strength the longer they had existed? Were the Husks becoming more acclimated to the world they aimed to destroy?

Refugees from across the Barony came in droves, many still unaware of what was actually going on, crying of family members turning against them, slaughtering their loved ones with violent fervor. Too many lands were being struck at once and if the Travancian heroes were to split apart to tend to their respective homes, the damage would be too great. In this moment, they needed to work as a whole; systematic and efficient in their decisions. In order to get back their homes, they would need to clear out the threats bleeding into their lands. Sir Philidan Ienbura expressed concern over the loss of Port Valandra and any ships that would be coming in. Unaware of the current danger, sailors and merchants from all over would unwittingly meet their demise if the port fell. Besides, with this key location, ships could be sent out to warn the world of the coming Nulls.

With the approval of the Warlord, the plan was in motion; moving south into Oringard and circling around the proper through each land. Those able bodied would march through the Barony as a whole, purging the Husks, saving who they could and reclaiming their lost land. It would end in Kaladonia, where they would finally stage the reclamation of Travance Proper, with the strength of the entire Barony crashing down upon it with rekindled hope.

Into the swamps of Drega’mire, those who would fight ventured ahead. Many were unaccustomed to the difficult terrain, but this would not be the last time they would have to fight on unfamiliar ground. The press towards Oringard was proving treacherous, the Husks were relentless and seemed unending. A third of the collective split to seek out survivors, hopefully to evacuate them to a safer location while the primary force continued on to reclaim Oringard to stage the next attack.

When the walls of Oringard were in sight, the Husks had already reached the gates and threw themselves at the military forces attempting to prevent entry Sir Barak Tellinghast and his drake-mounted cavalry had been holding the gates of the city for some time it seemed and were getting weary. Valiantly, the heroes joined the fight, assaulting the Husks from behind, crushing them between the two forces. For the first time since the Nulls had emerged, the subjects of Travance were victorious, but not without casualties. Almost 30 soldiers had died to the Husks along with some civilian lives.

The day was not over, though the city was reclaimed, supplies were still in need. Cutty gathered many and took half the remaining group to collect what they could from Port Valandra.
On that fateful evening, we heroes of Travance set off fleeing certain doom. We had not planned it. Where we would go and how we would go about getting food or shelter were not planned for. Our travel cloaks donned and our prayers made we set out from Valdalis, hoping to find an abandoned farm, inn, or tavern we could use for safety. We gathered civilians as we traveled, keeping them close to us to protect them, and to have them help with daily needs. Many are set in solemn silence as still the events leading up to this point only appeared as a dream, or maybe a terrible nightmare most were hoping to wake from. Hours and days pass by when one day Ravani told us she had enough, and needed to rest for a while, eat and sleep. Blue Tom’s Diner was chosen for it being large enough to host a well stocked larder but far enough away from main roads to avoid detection. I will never forget watching civilians huddling together under our watchful eye, hoping we would not be found.

Then word came that our plan was to head for New Avondale to clear any remaining citizens out of town. Evacuation for those that could run. Our aim was to move quickly and thus those unable to run must be left for others to help. Leading us were two McKraegars, Daniel and Colin, cousins apparently. At times they were joined by other heros: Maxiumus, Stenard, Ravani and Nikoli were some names that I could recall. Swiftly and efficiently we moved through town, knocking on doors and windows. Able bodied persons were urged to follow and most complied. New Avondale was emptied, stripped bare of anything and anyone that could move.

But our running was not done. No, this was only a beginning. Many lives were saved, but many more were still out there to be saved. So on we would run to another Settlement.
Cutty's Apothecary in Port Valandra had become quite the hot spot in the past few days. Ilana was proud her student had flourished in the months she had been away from the proper, but she had no time to admire the funeral parlor. Between Cutty, Marlena Ashby, and Ilana, the Apothecary was a tightly run ship. Cutty was the commanding presence, directing her minor staff and the people of the Port who knew her well to gather what supplies they could for transport. Meanwhile, Marlena directed the members of the Adventurer's Guild who had followed, her brother Father Elric establishing his forge to help build what supplies and fortifications he could. Ilana took advantage of the number of physicians who were tending to the wounded and focused on records: a census of who had reached them, inventory of supplies, null sightings and research, she wrote it all down.

Elias Ashby and Roland Thorne, a priest of Galladel, worked together to tend to the people around the Port, making sure they made it to the waystation that Cutty’s Apothecary had become.

Darias Magier, one of the many Coast Haveners who frequented this side of the Rift, used his own knowledge of working with crews to help direct the ships out to sea so they could warn those on the other side, getting a few supplies out of those men who felt lucky enough to be on those ships expecting to escape the Null. Faust, Selimport, Amon'Tahat; orders were made and ships were prepared to set out.

Mercy, a Namierran that did not frequent civilization often, had followed the trickle of refugees into the Port, looking for a better hunting ground to stage herself from. She spoke of an unseen creature in the wilds, the warning hiss its signature trait, but she could never see the strike. However, mangled bodies of husks were always left in its wake. This kind of news would make any scholar curious who knew of the dark creature that stalked the swamps, but the Hollow Serpent indirectly added to the odd assortment of allies the people of Travance could hope to make in the months to come.