Volume III, Number 2



TITLE: Great Alliance Raids Ash Island
SUBMITTED: The 29th day of the 9th month
AUTHOR: Math of the Dwarven Militia

    It had gone on long enough. The outrageous price of beer due to unceasing assaults on our beer supply by the Darshaks of Ash Isle was more than the Dwarven Militia and many other exiles could bear. We therefore decided to begin mounting all-out raids on Ash to comb every corner for stolen beer which we might possibly recover.
The Alliance yells BEER!    This particular raid was also meant to be a joint exercise of the power of the Great Alliance of Clans. Clan Lord Warplet of the Dwarven Militia invited all members of the Sun Dragon Clan, Brotherhood of Independents, the Fellowship, and Rising Claw to assist in what promised to be a great show of strength. Not only did this force prove daunting to the Darshaks, it also showed fellow exiles that the Alliance was, indeed, alive and strong.
    And so the appointed day came, the 26th day of the 9th month. A force of over 25 exiles gathered on the beach in West Puddleby, and more were to join us later, including 13 DM members and many members of the other Alliance clans and many non-Ally exiles who sympathized with our cause. The rumor was that the Darshaks had already gotten wind of our coming and were preparing their defenses. But apparently they did not realize how strong a force was actually coming against them, or else they had a clever plan, for our initial attacks were easy. Too easy, some said ominously.
    Together the group rowed into the western landing on Ash Island and took over first the small Outpost town there, and then quickly conquered the Horde.

The Alliance conquers the Horde
    The western end of Ash Island had fallen without a whimper. We then moved on enthusiastically, but a little warily, towards the Dark Temple. As far as we knew, the Darshaks had withdrawn their forces to lure us into a false sense of security, and all their forces were awaiting us inside their foul Temple. And even if they were not (and they were not), some of their Undine were deadly enough to halt the Army.
The Alliance in Dark Temple
    Still, the Militia and its allies were able to push onward and search the whole Dark Temple. Quite a few enthusiastically entered the Abyss in search of the beer! Those of us who remained had a hard time keeping up with the seemingly endless stream of strong Undine. Some of us found time for recreation though.
The Pentagram
    Eventually members of DM and BOI returned to the Outpost and the Horde for one last look and to clean it out. Having found no beer anywhere on Ash Island, the disappointed Dwarves headed home to Puddleby with this question burning in their minds...
    Where have they taken our beer? And what are they doing with it?
The Horde again
    Dang Darshaks ... give us back our ... BEER!

-- Math, Son of Ironforge


TITLE: The Red Quill
SUBMITTED: The 28th day of the 11th month
AUTHOR: Warplet of the Dwarven Militia

    Greetings RQ and others who shall go unnamed for now,
    I am forced to write to you today about some very troubling events that have occurred recently. Most of you know the issue at hand so I shall not waste any more time in getting to the point.
    The members of my beloved militia have brought several items to my attention recently. 1) There has been an assassination attempt on one of our members: Tarf. 2) There is evidence of Lilit growing in power possibly through an alliance with the Darshak 3) RQ appears to largely support Lilit and her efforts.
    None of these things can be totally ignored when standing alone. It worries me even further that they seem to be happening all at once. Because of all three things the Dwarven Militia MUST take action! We have pledged ourselves to do everything in our power to protect our beloved town and the beer that it contains. We cannot sit idly by and watch its destruction come about while we remain drunk in the taverns. It is my belief that Lilit and some of RQ's members represent a clear danger to the safety of the town. To begin with, my clan has pledged to do everything it can to step up attacks on the undine and the Darshak.
    Some in my clan have been calling for an all out war against Lilit and the entire RQ for supporting her. While I do appreciate their zest for the protection of the town, this will not be our official position at this time. There is however a growing movement within my clan to completely disassociate ( no hunting, no healing, no helping, no speaking) ourselves from all of the RQ until the RQ changes their position on Lilit. I do not know how much longer it will be before this is our official position on the RQ. Even with my influence over my fellow clanmates I don't know that I could prevent this from happening.
    I have also heard from several other clans and from some random exiles in town who have heard about the DM's internal discussions, that they would support any action that is taken against Lilit and those who support her. Since the RQ still officially supports Lilit, any action would be against them also. The actions of a member do reflect on the clan as a whole. I strongly believe that if my great Militia were to take the action of disassociating themselves with the RQ that many, many clans would follow suit if not go further and declare all out war.
    I do not wish for our town to be at war with itself. A war amongst us only serves to weaken our defenses against those who wish to see us conquered. I do not think that the town of Puddleby can afford to be divided and still survive. Because of this, I would like to strongly urge the leadership of the RQ to rethink their position on Lilit. Should they refuse to do so, I believe that many in town will rise up against them. I will support any efforts to counter the actions taken by Lilit and her supporters. I cannot in good conscience remain neutral to members of the community who support her.
    Should the RQ continue to support Lilit and her activities there may be consequences related to this. As we all know the court of public opinion can be very harsh at times. It does not look well for the RQ to support someone who does such harm to her fellow exile. I do not mean any of this as a threat, but the RQ leadership seems to not see all the facts before them. From talking to members of the RQ it sounds like some of this is a perception problem. From the perspective of many in the community though, it appears as though the RQ is supporting the undine and the Darshak by supporting Lilit. While I have always been one who has not wanted to try to interfere with the internal politics of other clans, please carefully consider the reaction of the community to your clan if you should continue to support Lilit.
    For the good of Puddleby,

    Warplet
    Son of Ironforge, Decendant of Zorax, House of Zarganax
    Dwarven Militia Clan Lord



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The Dwarven Militia
Copyright © 2001 Philip M. Sokolov
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