–==Official Submission==–
FROM: General Debinani Rahl
RE: Chronicle One – The Survivors of Cove

The Book of Thelonius (Circa -500 years)

Chapter 1 The Survivors of Cove

We made a retreat to a cemetery a ways off east of Cove.
There were

fifty or so survivors, twenty-four from Bravo Company the
rest

refugees of the town. That was my last order from the
Captain…to get

those people to safety. We dug down deep into the catacombs
there and

set guards up at the entrance beneath the surface. It made
a fitting

camp really, if the orcs had even caught a scent of our
location, it was

a far better grave than the men who lay dead on the
battlefield would

have.

I had to go back to search for survivors, even if it meant
disobeying

my Captains orders, which never in my life I thought once
to do. I took

three men, I didn’t even know their names, but they looked
in the best

condition for the task we were about to undertake.

I waited till nightfall; the small unit and I had just
entered the

forest a few yards when we spotted a patrol of ten orcs
just in front of

us. This way bad timing to say the least. One of my men
completely lost

his nerve and turned to run back to the catacombs. With out
hesitation I

slung the bow of my back, knocked an arrow, and let fly,
dropping him in

his tracks. I had no tolerance for cowardice, nor did I
want the fool to

lead the orcs back to the cemetery. The men I left there
were in no

condition to stand against even this small band of orcs.

The patrol passed by oblivious to our position. We lucked
out. On to

the battlefield we went. It was quiet there in comparison
to the violent

chaos that filled the air during that day. There were Orc
tents dotted

across the field and a few scavengers still at work. We
pressed on

staying low and checking the field for survivors. The
carnage and stench

was brutal to the senses, this was no way to go. The orcs
didn’t even

bother to burn the corpses.

I was slowly making my way through the bodies to Captain
Turons’ tent.

With all hope lost of finding any living, I thought I at
least might be

able to recover the Annals. Rummaging through the burned
remnants of the

tent I found no sign of the books, all were destroyed or
lost.

Stepping out of the tent frame I noticed a small burnt
crater in the

ground a few yards away. What could have caused this I do
not know,

but at the craters center was a pack. I picked it up; the
leather was

new and fresh. I looked closer and in the firelight I could
see a name

sewn into it…Rahl. I opened the pack to find the 5th
Chapter of the

Book of Muerdetta. The kid must have been reading it before
the attack,

I thought to myself. Well it was something to go on. The
other two men

came up to me carrying a body; they had found the Captain.

Well it was impossible to give every fallen man a decent
burial but I

would at least give our captain one. We took him back to
the cemetery

and laid him to rest in an unmarked grave. I knew Adulphus
could not

rest peacefully unless the Society continued. So that night
in the

catacombs we twenty-three survivors of the Battle of Cove,
last of the

Black Rose Society, and keepers of the only ruminates of
the Annals,

swore to rebuild the Society and avenge this day.

Chapter 2 A Night of Blood (The birth of the Society of the
Iron Rose)

I had lead the survivors out of the Cemetery after a week
of hiding we

were low on supplies and food was scarce. The Orc Horde was
killing

everything to feed themselves. We headed out late one night
and

arrived in Yew a week later. I sent the men on leave for
three days to

return home to their families.

This gave me some time to reflect on the battle itself.
Lord Daithomir

set up this contract as well as the one in Yew, both
outcomes tuned out

badly against the Soci-…by the Gods it was him! He set us
up. First to

dishonor us then to destroy us.

When the men returned to the Abby three days latter we set
out to find a

new home for the Black Rose Society. We had intended to
begin a new

training plan I had established immediately. Before we were
to set out

on a search for land a few of the men went out to a local
pub for a

solid night of drinking. I took a room at the Abby and let
the men enjoy

one last night.

I had just fallen asleep when I awoke to a faint scratching
at the

door. I pulled out the dagger from under my pillow and went
to

answer it. Opening the door I saw Private Grinslow spawled
out on

the floor. “By the Gods, get in here you drunk bastard” I
said.

He trembled to rise and fell again. I set my dagger on the
table

beside the door, and heaved the young Private up and over
to my bed.

Returning to close the door I heard Grinslow gasp for one
last breath of

air he was dead, poisoned no doubt.

Four others were murdered that night, their throats slit
from ear to

ear, bringing our numbers down to nineteen. We left Yew the
next morning

with great haste. We took shelter in a small cave West of
Vesper.

Together we were easy targets for the assassins. People
knew the BRS and

it was hard to slip through towns unnoticed. Apparently
Daithomir meant

to wipe his hands of the society’s blood, by hiring
assassins to finish

us off. I could not risk my men’s lives to that threat. I
needed time to

get my men trained up. I was going to give it

to them. As the new Captain I disbanded the Black Rose
Society and

reformed under the name of the Society of the Iron Rose to
protect us

from Daithomir’s hired blades.