Since the siege of Alderra, where the Orcs took control of Ciruin’s capital city, there has been little progress both in the city and outside of it. Silence fell on the city after Guthakug and his forces dethroned the then-King Eustace Constantine. Citizens rarely come out, they stay in their homes and sign up for delivery services. Fear is set in their hearts when a knock is at their door, even if it’s an expected delivery. The brutish King Guthakug rules tyrannically from his throne and uses his henchman Orcs to deliver his subjective justice. The Church of Alderra’s hold on Ciruin is frozen and the Blackspawn are gaining momentum. Meanwhile, adventurers went West to escape it all and sail the high seas of Kraken. Many adventurers have taken up professions such as foraging, scavenging, mining, and fishing to keep them busy and their minds off the ongoing conflicts.
Dragons rule the lands, and they wreak havoc mostly uncontested. They take dozens of lives a week of adventurers who think they are strong enough to stand against the deific weapons. There are upwards of five dragon sightings and attacks on the locals per day. That is 35 sightings and attacks per week, and 140 dragon incidents per month and there are no signs of them stopping. The Orcs of Alderra stay in the castle and avoid the dragons and the Blackspawn at all costs. Ciruin has no backbone and the adventurers who once stood tall are no longer standing at all.
Now that we’ve laid the land, it is time to explain why I have heralded all of you. One band of explorers has been continuing Constantine’s mission to explore the realm. They ran out of funds long ago and have been surviving on rations provided by Seamoor City, but they never stopped exploring. They took the deposed King’s words into their hearts and made it their goal to find the next allies, enemies, treasure, or traps. And they’ve found it. They are unable to explore it further because they’re tired. They’ve been going nonstop for four years now, and they need the bold adventurers from years to take this information and band together, rise up, and bring the glory of the Church of Alderra back. While the Pantheon of the Five are waging endless war, we need to find more allies to continue battling back. They believe the next venture is in the East.
More information will be available within a week. We just got word of the Eastern findings today.
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News of the East has returned with haste, providing some answers of the exploration developments and what adventurers can expect. The news comes to us in the form of a tattered journal, scribbled quickly by the explorer who we have come to understand was slain on the venture. The journal was recovered from what can only be called his remains, although there was not much left of him. The local fauna wasted no time in picking apart the fallen explorer. Before the explorer was vanquished, he kept a journal detailing his findings and we can present that today for public consumption. For accuracy, we are not going to transcribe it and just give it to you in its raw, uncensored format in case you find clues that we did not already pick up on:
It goes without saying that there is an inherent risk to be an adventurer and explorer. We wish for everyone to take a moment of silence for the lost souls who gave their lives for this report. Long live their names gleaming in the light of honor that they deserve. The Church has blessed their families well with a handsome reward for their sacrifices.
From their notes, what we have gathered is that there is swampland South of the river and intersecting with the river, but North of Alderra, North of the farmlands and Northeast of the Ruined Watchtower. This is unclaimed territory and may be extremely dangerous. We gather that it requires the use of a breathing device to travel throughout these swamplands and that the creatures are vicious and untamed. The Church feels strongly that there are potential allies to gain with two civilizations and an ancient temple yet to be fully discovered. It seems that the natives are Saurian, reptile-like humanoids, akin to some of our own adventurers. The Church also believes that if we can tame the area, then the bounty of supplies and resources such as the ebonwood trees and underwater resources are prime for harvesting. There may also be vital trade routes that can be established. But we need more adventurers to take on the area and get the lay of the land, so to speak. There is still much we do not know.
Go forth, build relationships with these native people, and bring glory to Ciruin!
P.S: There were also some items found on his person that he and his group must have acquired during their adventure in the new area. They are unlike any armaments that we currently have at our disposal. We are still studying these artifacts and when the Church knows more information, we will disclose it at that time.