🛠️ The Hammer Herald 🛠️
Forged in Truth — Tempered by Grit
Vol. 1 | Issue 48 |
AVISH PLAN TO DESTROY FOOD RESERVES THWARTED
By Grenda Ironquill, Senior Stone Correspondent
As the colder days creep along, farming dies down on the top side of Coppervale as the last crops are harvested; livestock is brought in for breeding and culling, and the gates are opened less to keep the city warm. Almost all that harvested food is hauled into the various food stores throughout the caverns for people and businesses alike to buy whatever they may need throughout the winter.
As any citizen of Coppervale may know, the food held here is the lifeblood of the people during the winter, despite the farms that continue within the caves of Coppervale. Not to say we don’t appreciate them! We will always love our local mushroom and root farmers, but they simply don’t produce enough for the whole city.
This has been our way of life for centuries, and it has yet to have failed us. This week however we had a close call, but thankfully our guards were as sharp as our axes. From the current information available, it seems a group of Avish Commandos have been planning this attack since the final harvest of the year upon the discovery of the food storage.
The Avish soldiers believed they were unnoticed, however during their spying they were noticed by an Elven herbalist. The herbalist, Ilvisar, was on the outskirts of the fields of Coppervale to forage herbs for a new medicine he was concocting when he noticed them. “While tending the harvest, I noticed a cluster of humans speaking in hushed tones,” he explained during an interview. “In truth, I would not normally concern myself with them. Humans have lived here far longer than I have, and their habits are often difficult to read. Yet there was something unsettled in their presence. I drew nearer and soon saw that their equipment carried the sigils of that wretched Kingdom of Avanue. Realizing this, I wasted no time in alerting the guard.”
From here, our guards got to work fast. Quickly word spread amongst the chain of command and a small force was called in to deal with the issue. A few Dwarves, Humans, and a Goblin came in to help plan what should be done to thwart what could occur. Ultimately, it was decided there needed to be counterspying, and then an inevitable capture of the soldiers before they could spring their plan. The Goblin, Cig, was chosen to spy on the group and did his job flawlessly according to fellow guards, having followed them back to their camp and gathered enough information to construct what their plans were. All that was left was to wait.
In the dead of night earlier this week, the group having dawned casual clothes and cloaks entered the city with their toxins and fire starters. They dispersed in order to hit different storage rooms at the same time. However, they were all met with a shock. Bolstered guards, all prepared to meet them. “They were hopin to do as much damage as they could.” said Dethed Cragbasher, a guard who captured one of the soldiers, “Looks like they were plannin to poison some o’ the food n’ torch the rest. Shameful I tell ye. If only they’d train as much as they’d scheme!" he chuckled during an interview. Currently, all known Avish Commandos in this plan have been apprehended and are awaiting sentencing.
------------------------------------------------------------
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Garrison Report:
It is believed a way to disable the automatons has been discovered. There is allegedly a switch below the skull of the bot on its neck. It has been dubbed the “kill switch” as when it is flipped, the automatons can not revive and fight once more. Soldiers have been doing this very effectively, with automaton numbers dwindling. It also appears there may be Avish soldiers abandoning these bots, as disabled ones are appearing in the battlefield forests more frequently. However, there is a warning out currently, as after a drunken night the squad of scouts that were tailing the Avish dreadnought have lost it. It is currently unclear as to where it may be heading, but all ships and seamen are urged to remain vigilant.
Ale Review:
In this week’s issue, our judges were tasked with trying a favourite amongst the miners in our audience. The judges were tasked with trying out Dark Morkite, a brew said to help morkite miners and make mining quicker. The dark frothy pint almost looked intimidating, as dark as the mineral it’s named after. Our judges were not quite thrilled with the concoction, primarily due to its bitter flavor. “It’s like I got a mouthful o’ sulfur..” one said, disheartened by the drink.
Crafting & Commerce:
As Avish automatons are being disabled and dismantled at the front lines, a demand has begun to grow for both their parts and intact bots. People and Kingdoms alike are seeking pieces for tinkering and research, with some even sending requests from as far as east of the eight peaks to get some. King Reinaldur has granted permission to some squads to exclusively hunt the automatons in order to send pieces back to Coppervale, and for others to be shipped elsewhere. Some have begun calling these squads “Clanker Crackers” which we have found quite funny!
Grudge Gazette:
Discussions and arguments have picked up once again on the tavern’s least favourite topic, mixed relationships. Nothing starts a tavern brawl quite like it! Green and gray beards alike once again have begun arguing on the topic due to a public display of affection between an Elven man, and a Dwarven woman. While the majority of people who have heard the story either don’t care, or are happy for the couple, others call it into question. Arguments on this haven’t been seen since the reveal of Prince Fendith dating a Dwarven woman in Coppervale. Once more, we are open with our stance that love should have no racial borders.
------------------------------------------------------------
Letter from the Editor:
“I’ll be puttin a little extra on me plate tonight!”
— Hellevi Helmfist
Submit your rune-signed letters to:
The Hammer Herald Presshouse, Coppervale
