Our settlement of Kingsford has been established for over a year now and our settlers have discovered a series of ruins which must date back to the old races and predate even the thrice cursed elves. Unfortunately our exploration has been hampered by the savage Orcs who inhabit the land. They see the ruins as holy places and their shamans have turned them against us and now we must fight off hordes of the creatures.
Twice now Kingsford itself has been threatened by the Orc regiments and it has only been held at great cost with fully half the garrison now dead or injured. We have dispatched a strong flotilla containing enough reinforcements to not only hold the settlement but to drive the local tribes from the vicinity so we can explore the ruins free from interference.
Please find contained a map of the land as we know it with the settlements and landscape we have thus far identified.
Thastius Malkarn, Master Militant, Kingsford
The Land of Crucible
Kingsford
Kingsford has been the first port of call for the human settlers who are trickling into Crucible to escape the chaos following the Death. It is a sizeable settlement with a strong stockade surrounding it. Following recent attacks by the Orcish tribes, it has been heavily fortified but still shows the scars of the recent conflict. The town itself is obviously a frontier settlement comprising of many houses thrown up in different styles and made from all sorts of materials ranging from wooden shacks to sturdy stone.
Situated at the head of the Crucible river, Kingsford lies in a protective curve of the river in a highly defensible position and provides a sheltered anchorage for the ships that make the hazardous voyage over the Sea of Storms. From here the forces of the Knights of the Eternal Light sally forth to explore the surrounding lands.
Kharnog Trading Post
The Trading Post of Kharnog marks the landing point of the Dwarven Airfleet. It is a small fortified settlement, easily identified by its landing pads and mooring rigs. Despite its understated appearance, the Trading Post is heavily fortified with a strong garrison and the post actually extends a considerable distance underground as the Dwarves slowly build a new hold to give them a toe hold in the new continent.
Now airships arrive at the post every month and the post has retained its own small airship to give some much needed mobility to the inhabitants. Of late Kharnog Gravelgut, the posts Guildchief has retained the services of a dedicated squadron of gyrocopters to provide protection for the incoming vessels after several were attacked by Elven freebooters.
The Dwarves have also opened up a trade route between the town of Kingsford in the south and Jomsholm in the north. They have also been trading with the local Orcish tribes and have even recruited some of the local tribes to aid in defence and unusually even field local levies in battle.
Jomsholm
Despite being a barbarous lot, the Northmen have made their way to the shores of Crucible and have set up the port of Jomsholm. The inhabitants are an independent minded lot and have thus far retained their position against all comers and have begun heading inland in search of plunder, much to the outrage of the the Orcish tribes of the region.
Jomsholm itself is a haven for many Northerners who have left the frozen lands of the North in search of new land to colonise and it can field a considerable fleet of longships. To the south lies the Cold river which has allowed the barbarians to explore far inland up to the borders of the great redwood forests of the north.
Hansons Point
Hansons Point marks the furthest inland that humanity has ventured into the interior of Crucible. Sadly it was one of the first casualties of the increased hostilities between the settlers and the native Orcs and was raised to the ground by a combined assault by three whole tribes.
Snargs Landing
The Pirate stronghold of Snargs Landing was not much more than a collection of shacks mounted on an outcrop of rock inhabited by the dregs of the races. What marks it out from some of the more temporary settlements that cropped up on the coastline was the discovery of an abandoned Ortec temple in the nearby jungle. Since then the settlement has spread inland to inhabit this natural fortress.
This has come to the attention of the Ortec emperor and his legions have been dispatched to reclaim the temple. Unfortunately for him, the temples new inhabitants have a sizeable force of their own and even recruited from some of the more disgruntled subject races of the Ortecs.
At any one time the Landing has at least half a dozen vessels at anchor while their crews carouse the dubious delights of the settlement and the corsairs have proved increasingly problematical for any vessel attempting to cross the Sea of Storms.
Shalhazaar
It did not take long for the Elves to send an expedition to Crucible. The grim flotilla of skyships crossed the Sea of Storms without incident and disappeared into the interior. They landed near an Orcish Kraal and systematically enslaved or slaughtered the inhabitants. The pitiful survivors were forced to construct a new obelisk and now reside in its dread dungeons awaiting the inevitable death that awaits them at the alters of their masters.
The obelisk stands alone in a swath of dead grass and the ruins of the Orcish Kraal. Now the Elves are moving to raid nearby settlements for slaves and for the sheer cruel fun of it but are meeting stiff resistance from nearby Kraals.
Ortiscoatl
Deep in the great Ortec Jungle lies the mighty city of Ortiscoatl, a massive temple complex surrounded by countless homes of the Ortec emperors subjects. The empire of the Ortecs is founded on blood sacrifice and the Emperors regiments regularly raid surrounding settlements for victims. Many races have become subjects to the Ortec and willingly provide sacrifices to their overlords rather than face their wrath.
The Ortec worship a great beast called the Coatl, a massive winged snake formed from living stone who resides in the mightiest of the stepped pyramids in the centre of the city. Scholars are currently debating if it is in fact one of the princes of the Fallen but without more evidence no one is sure. Several expeditions of Templars have been dispatched to find out but most are never heard from again.
