"The horde of twisted noxious undead creatures have moved on from the Reaching Woods across the plains and into the Sharpteeth Forest. Already the denizens of the forest have felt their presence, with animals by the thousands dead and fleeing, along with orcs, werewolves and even the famous militant Black Orcs seeking to escape the onslaught.
Lead by something foul, and heralded by a creature known as Magmire, the undead horde has carved a bloody path through the forest corrupting all in its wake, using the flesh of the dead to bolster their ranks no matter its origin. The most northern flank of the undead force, under command by this Magmire, is heading towards the old Flaming Fist Outpost likely in a bid to secure the forest before crossing the Chionthar.
With her is 800 foul creatures, according to the latest scouting reports, and forces across the lands are racing to the outpost to reinfoce and halt their advance according to a plan laid out by the War Council. The Flaming Fist at the location is heavily undermanned, and as minor forces as different as elves, knights and mercenaries begin to trickle in, people notice the commotion and are informed of their resolve and destination. Some adventurers join in on the defence.
The Coastway trade is almost at a halt due to the undead incursion. Assaults have been made at the few brave caravans daring to travel in order to line their pockets and help people that are starving in Baldur's Gate and the surrounding areas.
For as long as the undead flank is separated from the main army, the gathering forces at the outpost have a crucial opportunity for giving battle before the army goes further. Will the combined arms prove disciplined and courageous enough to halt the undead's advance? Or will the mortals suffer yet another crushing defeat to this nefarious horde?"
// We shall see this saturday the 7th, at 17:00 GMT. Event going on for several hours, with several DMs involved.
Hearing rumor of the coming pitched battle at the Flaming Fist outpost in the northwest portion of the Woods of Sharpteeth, some may hear of another rumor foul rumor, but one that is not caused by immortal undead, but by the political failings of mortals. It is spoken by some that the reason only a small force of Flaming Fist mans the outpost in the northwest part of the Sharpteeth, originally at the recommendation of the War Council, is due to an ugly political dispute between the War Council and the Grand Dukes of Baldur's Gate after the Dukes invited the Ebon Blade Mercenary Company into the War Council and then members of the War Council disobeyed and would not allow the admitted company entry.
Political tensions are said to now run high between the War Council and the Dukes. Some even say that if the political squabble is not resolved or smoothed over before the spoken of looming major battle in the Sharpteeth that the Dukes may leave a Flaming Fist commitment largely absent from the fighting, possibly not wanting to cooperate with such a seemingly disobedient, unreliable, and fractious body that it thought to be a loyal, reliable, and unifying ally in efforts to defend the interests of Baldur's Gate against the undead threats that face it, instead perhaps trusting the city and region's defense plans to its own designs without the War Council involved.
After some rumored effective War Council back room diplomacy, the Grand Dukes of Baldur's Gate release a statement to the public that their squabble with the War Council has been set aside and that they will be making additional deployments of soldiers to the Flaming Fist outpost in the Woods of Sharpteeth, including some Flaming Fist and the Blacktalons Mercenary Compant from Iriaebor. Whether these reinforcements make it in time to the battle remains to be seen.
Battle of the Sharpteeth Outpost - Debriefing Rumors
Three score of adventurers, including many from the War Council, and the War Council's fey and Helmite church allies as well as War Council allied Flaming Fist and Blacktalons Mercenary Company members, numbering roughly 50 each and hired by the Grand Dukes of Baldur's Gate, are said to have defended and fortified the Flaming Fist outpost in the northwest Woods of Sharpteeth against an incoming 800 strong flank army of undead under the command of Magmire, spun off from the main army of undead under a mysterious powerful figure known only as The Blight...
The outpost defending army was well supplied with donated aid from the Ebon Blades and Sword Coast Commercial Exchange of Baldur's Gate. The Flaming fist is said to have been provided with timely logistical means to deploy by Elvina of the Order of the Silver Rose and War Council and the Blacktalons are said to have only made the battle in time as well due to transportation aid from the ship known as the Whistling Wanderess of the War Council. Also in regards to the Chiontar, some say that the Dragonwing was sighted upon its waters patrolling about around the time of the defense of the outpost being prepared and underway, perhaps trying to ensure that no undead would make it across unanswered by the allies of the living.
The combined flank army of roughly 800 undead was almost entirely destroyed by the defenders as the undead advanced on the fortified outpost, worn down with adventurer, Blacktalon, fey, and Flaming Fist raids as well as defensive strongpoints, pitfalls and thorn traps set by the Elder Circle, Thorn Calls summoned by those close to the natural order, reconnaissance in force, sunstone weaponry provided by the War Council, and fields of crossfire from the defended outpost area. As the main undead army approached near the end of the battle between the outpost defenders and the forward deployed flank army, Lady Moruene, the supreme commander of the Flaming Fist and Blacktalons companies present, ordered a general retreat and most all of the defenders followed her lead. The Blacktalons, fey, and Flaming Fist covered the general retreat with pickets, and in the case of the Flaming Fist, a barrage of sun cannon attacks, sun shield backed defensive lines, and detonated Alchemist's Fire explosives, courtesy of the War Council's exotic weaponry supply efforts before the battle.
It is reported that no plague spitter appeared during the battle, but that the two plague behemoths and over ten father of corpses, undead subcommanders allegedly leading the flank army, were killed. Overall, it is said, the assessment by the Flaming Fist and Blacktalons leader Taurgosz "Tenhammer" Kosann is that Kael's war plan, recommended by the War Council for the defense of the outpost to the Grand Dukes of Baldur's Gate, and implemented by Lady Moruene, Taurgosz "Tenhammer" Kosann, and War Council members present at the battle, worked. It gave battle to the undead foe while the undead numbers were not entirely concentrated, caused major casualties to the undead, then had the defenders retreat in order.
Despite this success, the Flaming Fist and Blacktalons each lost a third of their strength and the fey suffered enough losses to be unable to assist in the war further if it is outside of the Sharpteeth. What plans the War Council and the other defenders of the Western Heartlands region have next against Magmire and The Blight remain to be seen, but commoners and nobles alike in Western Heartlands settlements are terrified if the defending efforts do not succeed, especially given that it is rumored that yet another undead army under the commander known as The General is now about to march again from the north.
