Ardeni Information Service: 542-001 Happy New Year!

Star City/Arden/Kapu (2227 EA766C2-5) Date:  542-001

To celebrate the new year, we offer this quick recap of the top stories of the past eight weeks:


Star City/Arden/Kapu (2227 EA766C2-5) Date:  541-354

Ardeni forces swept into the Borderlands last week, capturing almost a hundred Uruki.  Many of the prisoners have expressed interest in swearing allegiance to the Ardeni Kingdoms.  It appears Uruki resolve to wage this war may be weakening.


Star City/Arden/Kapu (2227 EA766C2-5) Date:  541-347

Tralnor (2128 B87655C-4) is an agricultural world ruled by a body that calls itself the Council of Seven.  Our survey team spent much of their time on Tralnor attempting to set up trade agreements, and were very successful in selling farm equipment better than Tralnor can produce on its own.


Star City/Arden/Kapu (2227 EA766C2-5) Date:  541-340

Ardeni forces armed with the new auto rifles designed at Leventis Labs in Star City scored a series of decisive victories over Uruki forces, driving them back to the Borderlands from their recent foray to the Valley of Arden.  Theodora of clan Vlahos, leader of the Ardeni forces, said, "The rifles made all the difference.  Leventis Labs gave us this victory!"  She was unavailable for further comment.


Star City/Arden/Kapu (2227 EA766C2-5) Date:  541-333

Recent work at the labs in Star City has been approved for production, and sent on to the factories of Alpha City.  Expect to see new consumer goods in the very near future, including televideo, a form of communication that includes video as well as audio, and is expected to replace the telephone as fast as communications lines can be extended from the major cities.


Star City/Arden/Kapu (2227 EA766C2-5) Date:  541-326

Uruki forces have pushed forward into the Grey Hills almost to the Valley of Arden.  Non-combatants are reminded to avoid all contact, and to ensure no Plan Alpha technologies are left behind for capture by the Uruki.


Star City/Arden/Kapu (2227 EA766C2-5) Date:  541-319

Mitsuko (1927 D3356B9-C) is a technologically advanced world which voluntarily gave up it's space industry more than a thousand years ago.  It is ruled by a hereditary dictator, The Leader, whose ancestors struck the bargain which prevented a planet buster from being dropped on it by giving up access to space.  Our survey team was never allowed out of the spaceport, and met only with The Leader, along with several guards.  In spite of his apparent paranoia about the team, they conducted a successful trade mission:  in return for a cargo of Ardeni spices, the team brought back high-tech weaponry and agreed to transport a group of violent criminals off-planet.  The criminals turned out to be political prisoners and since their arrival on Arden have assisted with Plan Alpha, providing valuable insight at several labs attempting to reproduce ancient technologies.


Star City/Arden/Kapu (2227 EA766C2-5) Date:  541-312

Cevdoo (2026 D230xxx-3) is a small world with a very thin atmosphere and no free standing water.  The inhabitants, while human, are highly adapted to their harsh environment, with extremely large rib cages by our standards, capable of gathering and processing enough air to keep them alive without the compressors we would need to live there.  Our survey team found most of the world to be covered by what could be considered a single city.  The locals were eager to trade their metals for food and alcohol and seemed eager for more contact.  Little is known of their culture, except that they practice slavery.


Star City/Arden/Kapu (2227 EA766C2-5) Date:  541-305

In the continuing war effort, High King Ossian has forbidden the use of air or spacecraft against the Uruki forces, saying, "We will fight honorably, as they do."

Actual Play - 4th Game: To War! (17 Jul 12)

Cinnia, Tiernan, Lairgnen, Lykaios, Gildas and Zaccheus were called to meet with King Ossian to give him their decision on their next move.  After much discussion, they agreed to do battle with the Uruki.  Although they asked, King Ossian would not spare them one of the new-found spacecraft for the war effort.  Instead, he gave them each authority to requisition 1000 credits worth of whatever they needed and then sent them to the Borderlands.

Using one of the newly refitted motorized carts, they drove the length of the Valley and through the Grey Hills in two and a half days.  The Commander of the Watch was briefing them on the situation, when a runner returned with news that the Uruki had finally sent patrols out of the Great Central Plain.

The group decided to head out right away to intercept one of the patrols.  After hiking almost three hours into the Borderlands, they surprised a patrol carrying the banner of Uruki clan Probyn.  Lairgnen sprinted forward, sword in hand, while the others opened fire with rifle, shotgun, revolver and longbow!  Tiernan learned, to his chagrin, that having no skill with a rifle means you're not likely to hit with it, while Gildas found out that a revolver isn't as useful as a shotgun in a group combat situation.

The battle was over in less than a minute, when the last standing Uruki threw down his bow and surrendered.  Lairgnen, still sprinting forward to melee, dropped his sword and tackled the survivor, who hit his head on the ground and passed out.

They quickly stripped the arms and armor from the Uruki, and found that 8 were still alive, but unconscious.  They bound them all, and when the first awoke, Lairgnen attempted to interrogate him.  Although successful, he learned nothing of value.  As the rest of the prisoners regained conciousness, they blindfolded them, roped them together, and began the hike back to the Grey Hills.  They returned to camp by that evening, with 8 prisoners, an Uruki battle flag, and extra longbows, clubs and daggers.

They rested a few days to heal at the camp in the Grey Hills.