This edition of the Voice of Brightshore appears to be handwritten on what could only loosely be called parchment.
Battle of Brightshore
On the 24th, the long rumored goblin army finally struck at Brightshore. Hundreds of goblins and bugbears swarmed the walls and came up through the sewers, and it is my belief that the city would have been lost but for the aid of many of the adventurers who call Brightshore home.
The Battle of the Bay saw the bloodiest action. A tide of goblins thousands strong aboard rafts and boats attempted to make landfall, but the Council Ship Lewis and the Luminaire held the line. The Luminaire was itself boarded during the fierce naval combat, but an elite group led by Errol Twice-Blessed fought them off. “There at the end, we were wading through the goblin blood. We cut down dozens of them!” said a talkative Captain Gombold, who was in temporary command of the Luminaire. Captain Gombold also credited them as the strike team that disrupted the foul ritual the goblins were using to create the fog on the water. “When that fog came in, we couldn’t see anything to shoot, if they hadn’t risked their lives taking the fight to the goblins, we would have lost the harbor for sure. Brave bunch, nearly died you know,” said the Captain.
When asked about his role in the battle, The Twice-Blessed said, “It is only by the grace of the Four that Brightshore still stands. We must not forget those who have passed on to dwell with Unre. The victory in the harbor can be attributed to the dogged determination of those willing to give their lives to protect our precious home.” The Twice-Blessed was also quick to thank the rest of his strike force, saying “I can’t thank Captain Gombold enough for his fearless leadership. And Cleo’s unwavering determination, Ezra’s timely spells and Baern’s stalwart fortitude were instrumental in successfully stopping the ritual producing the fog.”
The Battle of the Sticky Gate was spearheaded by the defensive measures laid down by Thorin, a druid that lives near the town. His webbing was instrumental in protecting the town from attacks in that direction and the goblins there never stood a real chance.
The fight at the Western Bridges was perhaps the biggest victory of the battle. Riyla, a bard renowned for her songs at the Wink and Whistle, is now the subject of her own songs of heroism, as many of the city guard credit her and the adventurers with her for holding the gate against a stream of goblins, bugbears, and wolf riders. The forces there managed to keep the horde from entering town despite the collapse of one of the gate towers, and even managed to capture the bugbear war leader after fending off a surprise attack from the sewers. The bugbear leader, Ox, is currently being held by the council for questioning.
While all of this battle raged elsewhere, the goblin Warlord herself attacked the Tower District wall, apparently making a beeline for the Tower itself, where Chancellor Orrin himself oversaw the defenses. The goblin force hit hard, and mangonels rained down rocks upon the outer walls. Using the cover of night, the goblins advanced to the very walls themselves, and attempted to climb them while also making their way through breaches. Arbiter Zdenko was seen to bravely position himself on top of the rubble in an attempt to stop the advancing horde, where he was nearly crushed to death by a boulder from the goblin siege engines.
Sources indicate that at this point, apparently being familiar with his renowned battle prowess, Chancellor Orrin himself requested that Galvan Gost deal with the goblin siege engines. Galvan bravely and unhesitatingly accepted the impossible task, and alone, set out to end the threat of the hurled stones. One source said that tears were shed upon Galvan’s departure, so sure were they that they would never see the brave warrior again, and as the wall’s defenders once again joined in battle, cheers of “For Galvan!” rang out. But amazingly, Galvan accomplished his goal and survived. Though fighting alone deep behind enemy lines, Galvan single-handedly killed every last goblin siege engineer, and ensured that no more boulders would land against the wavering walls.
Then the goblin warlord herself appeared from the darkness, riding atop a giant metal construct. It easily smashed through the wall and the brave wizard Zren strode out to meet this monstrosity that was on the verge of victory. Enacting some kind of mind magic, Zren convinced the warlord to simply leave, and to turn her forces around.
Though disaster was narrowly averted, it is difficult to qualify the actions in the Temple district as a victory. The warlord was allowed to leave, as were the remainder of her forces. We will no doubt see them again, and next time, the warlord will no doubt be far better prepared.
In related news, Indomitable Bradford has made it known that he is seeking hearty souls to put and end to the goblin threat, and that he will not rest until the goblin warlord’s head is atop a spear above the walls she destroyed.
Expedition Returns from the Dark Forest
A pair of brave adventurers, identified by Marshal Veil as Ixi and Kujo, were sent deep into the Dark Forest located far to the southeast. Many such small scouting parties have been sent into that forest in recent months, and very few have ever returned.
When asked about the experience, Ixi spoke at length about the glory of Ava, and told of a land that did not know Ava’s light. Ixi said that they traveled through time to witness a great battle in a city that housed a great gift of Ava, and of the great sorrow when that gift was shattered.
The story, as incredible as it is, is given weight by the unusual spear Ixi now carries. It seems to possess an almost blinding radiance and carries a strange symbol on it. When asked about it, Ixi said, “Ixi was given this by Ava herself. It fell from the sky with the first light of the Sun. The symbol is of an ancient aspect of Ava. Ixi believes it is a reward for defeating creatures that would defy her will and blot out the sun.”
The warrior-poet Kujo filled in some additional, if equally unlikely claims. He mentioned a mysterious Guide that delivered them back in time and claimed that the shadows of the past would extend into the present if they didn’t change history. Kujo further went on to explain that He explains that they were unable to stand against the overwhelming forces of darkness, so Ixi heroically destroyed the artifact to keep it out of evil’s clutches. While that seems to have stopped the immediate threat, it appears some remnant of the gem may still exist in the present, and the Guide said it was imperative that they find it as soon as possible. Kujo also mentioned that this battle against the darkness involved a larger conflict with two characters, one called the Duke of Shadow, supposedly an enslaved and corrupted wizard of the light, and the other called Kalad.
When asked about the battle itself, Kujo said “although we slew at least a dozen of the shadowborn demons, there were far more than the two of us could face alone.”
Peace Reached With Hobgoblin Tribe
The council announced that a tentative peace has been reached with a primitive hobgoblin to our west. At council behest, a group of adventurers assisted by a translator were sent deep into the forests beyond the furthest farms, and bested the primitives at their own games. Now suitably humbled, they agreed to stay off our lands.
Additionally, as a show of good faith, we have agreed to stay off their lands as well. Further westward expansion will be halted.
Though hostilities have officially ceased, we encourage citizens to remain wary, and to report any incursion to the Defenders.
Opening Soon: Balmond’s Brewpub
Balmond’s Brew Pup will soon open, and the owner says that his new brewery will provide the finest brews to local business. Balmond’s will also include a taproom with limited hours of operation for special events and tastings.
