30th of Pflugzeit, 2522
Take heed in my words o sons of Sigmar and Ulric! The dark times are here and woe is upon us all! Strengthen yourself, sharpen your swords and bend your bows for they my try to take your children in the darkness of the night!
Who? I hear you to shout to my angered ears. “Who is after the offspring of our loins?” And I answer to you “beware the palefolk!”
It has come into my knowledge from our reporter-in-war Pyotr Mark that the hated elven folk is on a war path. Those thrice-cursed forest-dwellers have finally shown their true colors and made the first strike against men of Empire! Such stroke should not be left unpunished! Sergeant Mark tells us in his letter that those evil spawns of the wicked witch of the Wyrdwood have used their dark and evil magic (probably by sacrificing babies of god-fearing humans) to make the forests attack us!
Is said to you to take heed in my words and I tell you that again and again until my words have reached the very ears of those of power! This kind of deceit must be punished! I urge the mighty knights of this city to rise against this known enemy! For if from heresy must I be challenged gladly will I wield that burned if it ensures the safety our citizens. Too long has the evil in Wyrdwood lived un-challenged and as can now be seen it hasn’t been idle!
They tell you that the elven folk is our ally and that “the resources of war must be saved for dire need” but the dire need is already hear! It’s amongst us and lurks behind the very walls of this city! News of beastmen or greenskins have yet to reach us but these are news of need that is present!
Rise o sons of Ulric and Sigmar! Rise and drive out the palefolk from our holy city! Rise and join the militia! Rise and demand that the knights of Empire will ride with you to crush this repulsive non-human enemy! All glory to our beloved Emperor!
Yours truly,
Friedrich Zimmer
editor’s note: by Wyrdwood Mr. Zimmer refers to none other that the forest Laurelorn.
23th of Pflugzeit, 2522
It seems like they have seen the potential in our very own Pyotr Mark! From his hastily written notes I may summarize you that he has been made the sergeant of his own unit! Mr. Mark tells us that they have been sent to patrol the borders of Middenland are yet to encounter any trouble.
20th of Pflugzeit, 2522
It seems like these rumors of war are more than that. For last Sigmarsfest two from our very own ranks were drafted into the militia of Middenheim! Granted that mister Peer Schlitten is a paragon of dwarven folk with his quickness to anger and skills with the axe and that Pyotr Mark has always told us that he has fought in the ranks of Tzarina of Kislev but it still darkens my heart to lose two of my skilled workers to the ranks of military.
But as it has been so shall it be! The Wisdom is in the words of Sigmar must be heard. We must fight the dark tides where ever they try to suffocate us. Pray for us all in these dark times.
12th of Sigmarzeit, 2522
Our very own reporter Pyotr Mark just visited the local ale brewer Hilberry Stilburg at the Southgate-Ostwald District and has this to tell:
“By the head-editors request I left the cuisines of noble and ventured to a small brewery near the Southgate to get a few words (and tastings) from the brewer. Little did I know that Mr. Stilburg was a halfling!
Now let it not be said that I would despise the little-folk their food and ale are certainly good but… well let’s not go there.
As I said I met Mr. Stilburg 11th of this month and was much surprised as I learned Mr. Stilburg to be a member of the Guild of Wizards and Alchemists! He told me that like his father and their forefathers before him alchemy has run in the family like a wet weasel (what ever that may mean). And that’s not the only thing that managed to surprise me! Hilberry Stilburg - while being somewhat open and talkative person – has no relatives working for him! As some of you might now these creatures (by which I mean the halflings) tend to herd in extended families and breed like pest that will eat the food from the tables of good citizens!
I’ll apologize for that. There’s no need to be rude. The Halflings just manage to get on my nerves sometimes. What needs to be said is that Mr. Stilburg brews a mighty good ale! His skills in this business must have something to do with his alchemical heritage.
So while planing your next party keep the name of Hilberry Stilburg in mind! He’s got it all.”
11th of Sigmarzeit, 2522
As the war seems to be moving towards us ill rumors of beasts of the woods are heard in the taverns of our city. Hunters tell that the elves of Laurelorn have been seen patrolling our surroundings and that forsaken mutants are gathering again. As the 10.000 gold crown reward for Khazrak’s head is still to be collected one can only assume that his dark plans are behind the attacks to small settlements. A dwarf envoy from Karak Kadrim has been heard to tell a tale of encountering a beastman shaman and his small herd that was easily driven off by the firearms of our sturdy allies.
This mighty champion of the wolf-god Ulric wears nothing but the gore of enemies slain on him. He hunts hunts the woods of Drakwald ever vigilant for seeds of chaos and fights it were ever he encounters it. Some may say that he’s nothing but a cruel brute who’s only interested in pillaging the smallest of towns for their beer and women. That’s quite untrue. For as a member of wolf-kins he has taken the vow of celibacy.
For those of you how encounter this strongest of champion take heed in my words: do not call him by his family name! For while he still is proud of his heritage he’s from the loins of Ulric and not loved by Sigmar.
10th of Sigmarzeit, 2522
As one of our informers returned with from Marienburg he told us an intriguing story.
It seems that a new carnival has entered the region of Middenheim on this troubled time. What the name of the carnival is he could not say but they sure have seemed to encounter problems. The Carnival passed through Elsterweld during the first days of Sigmarzeit and made quite an impression. The villagers had told our informer that the carnival hosted mutants, greenskins and beastmen and planed to turn the whole town into a playground for Villainous Powers.
Now this all might seem to you to be grave news indeed but as our informant had asked a few questions to make sure what had happened the villagers fell silent and only by determined questioning the truth was uncovered. The villagers didn’t actually see any mutants, the only greenskin in the group might have been a child in costume for the man the villagers burned as a beastman wasn’t a mutant at all but just a stupid fat man with horns tied to his head for show.
This should all be a dire warning to all fear-mongers not to take justice into own hands. Even as the times grow darker and darker and these rumors of war seem to float around we should trust our fate to the hands of those who know what they’re doing. There’s no need to burn innocent (or seemingly innocent) people when we have the mighty church of Sigmar to do it for us. Whether we wanted or not…
It has come to our knowledge that some time ago our brave allies in the East have fallen due some great incursion of the unnatural forces. Refugees from Kislev have started to show in the daily view of our mighty city and should they come in even greater number I would begin to doubt that there’s an invasion going on in Kislev. We live in troubled times my dear readers. Let us all pray that no harm falls upon Middenheim.
On other (though possibly related) news our associates in Altdorf tell us that Emperor Karl-Franz has held a conclave with high leaders of the world. As we heard some time ago as the beautiful Tzarina of Kislev hastily visited Middenheim two weeks ago not only local leaders but kings of faraway lands and those not of human-born were summoned.
To what purpose such meeting was gathered our intel does not tell. But these old bones make me hope it’s not a council of war…
