The First Land Herald/434-03-30

Article Number: 26

Dateline: 434-03-30

GORBESH INVADE AMID CLAIMS OF TIME WARPS Guest article by Mazrian Daemondred-Rudeone. Know your enemy! Recent events have seen fierce skirmishes with the Gorbesh, an old foe last seen in the Five Provinces in 355. This article will give a brief background of the current conflict as well as things you NEED TO KNOW in order to engage the Gorbesh. Over a month ago, what may have been a temporal distortion allowed a force of Gorbesh to assault the wilds around the city of Crossing. The attack began west of the city on the far side of the brook and later continued on the Northern Trade Route ranging from the Northeast gate to the forest bridge. Some weeks later, another distortion preceded an incursion within the town of Rossman's Landing, and eventually along the North Road between Therenborough and Langenfirth. Rumors suggest there may have been an attack on Ratha as well, but we have been unable to confirm. Whether the incursions are intentional on the part of the Gorbesh or an unintended consequence of meddling by a man calling himself Timekeeper Veralos is not known. However, the Gorbesh seem to behave as if following their original objectives from the war in the 350s. Without more evidence, it is impossible to anticipate an objective and set up ahead of them, and adventurers should prepare to mount quick responses anywhere in the world. Three enemies figure most prominently in the attacking forces to date: Gorbesh Mages, Gorbesh Enchanters, and War Mammoths. A fourth element is the Gorbesh Battle Sphere, but it is better classed as a field engine rather than an enemy per se. In the latest incursion, S'lai Screamers (the S'lai were, historically, Gorbesh allies) attacked alongside the Gorbesh, and we should assume that any subsequent invasions could include any Gorbesh or allied unit. Below are FOUR THINGS that EVERY adventurer should know before engaging the Gorbesh. The Gorbesh Battle Spheres attack with gouts of blue fire and are EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. The first shot will leave bleeding wounds in and on your chest. THE SECOND SHOT IS ALMOST ALWAYS FATAL IF YOU HAVE NOT SOUGHT HEALING. Pay attention to your wounds and seek healing when you need it or you will be eating oatmeal out of your chest cavity and of no use to anyone! Both Gorbesh Mages and Gorbesh Enchanters CAN RELEASE GORBESH BATTLE SPHERES. Take them out before going for the Mammoths. Fewer spheres thrown means fewer chest wounds all around! All three enemies may wear a spell called TEMPORAL EDDY, which the Gorbesh Mages and Enchanters can also occasionally cast (they may cast on the Mammoths as well). TEMPORAL EDDY will interrupt attacks made against those with the spell up, which you will notice by a FLICKER that distorts the foe. YOU WILL HAVE A MUCH EASIER TIME KILLING ENEMIES if you dispel this spell first! Ward Break, Rend, Dispel, or any other means of dispelling will work for this purpose. Most notably, the enemy casters may also use these same spells on us to remove wards! They were also seen casting LAY WARD, VEIL OF ICE, SURE FOOTING, ETHEREAL SHIELD, TREMOR, GEYSER, STONE STRIKE, LIGHTNING BOLT, FIRE BALL, PSYCHIC SHIELD, and DINAZEN OLKAR, and they may know other spells.]] ELITE versions of all three enemies may be encountered, and these are MUCH TOUGHER and HARDER TO DEBILITATE than their normal counterparts. Be aware of whom you're engaging! And above all, remember that BEFORE YOU WIN you have to NOT LOSE! So DO group up for safety and HIDE BEHIND SOMEONE ELSE'S BIG CHEST. The bigger your group, the less chance of getting double tapped! DO SEEK HEALING from an Empath IMMEDIATELY if you are injured by a Gorbesh Battle Sphere. Heroes get healed, zeroes let their dead bodies become someone else's problem! DO MIND YOUR RETREAT ROUTES. If you catch a bolt to the chest, you don't want to run back to safety through a gauntlet of Gorbesh Battle Spheres! Look out for your comrades, look out for yourself, and WE CAN defeat the Gorbesh CLEANLY and EXPEDITIOUSLY. Good luck! Navesi's notes on the possibility of Time Warps: I have been gathering evidence to investigate the hypothesis that these attacks are the result of temporal meddling rather than a surprising new war instigated by current Gorbesh forces. First, before or during each attack, those present saw crackling, chaotic energy rippling through the area, and many described a feeling of "something sacrosanct breaking apart." Second, some witnessed rifts forming, the sounds of battle on the other side. A commanding voice was heard: "Into the breach, V has opened the way! Go, and prepa—" Finally, there is a man calling himself Timekeeper Veralos who claimed to me that he has "established a new anchor into the past." I traveled to an area he called a "temporal pocket," which was, at least, disorienting. Shifting colors pulsed across the sky, oscillating in a fluctuating, random pattern amidst shattered sky-shards. Such shards also comprised an eerie floor, drifting above a bottomless void. Paths led to areas supposedly allowing access to locations within the past, including a prison and a Dwarven tower. Ultimately, either this man is a charlatan and his "pocket" an elaborate ruse that happens to coincide with a truly new Gorbesh invasion — that involves never before seen methods of teleporting troops into our territories — or we must admit the possibility that time itself is being tampered with. Either way, we must become vigilant to a powerful new danger. - Navesi

Real Date: Unknown Date

Subject(s): Battle Sphere Crossing Empath Gorbesh Gorbesh Enchanter Gorbesh Mage Langenfirth Northern Trade Route Ratha Rossman's Landing S'lai S'lai screamer Temporal Eddy Therenborough Veralos War mammoth

Author(s): Mazrian