From my warehouse in Port Nyanzaru, though we from the Church of Ilmater have managed to fend off the worst of Szass Tam’s attacks, many have yet to discuss the humanitarian costs our victory against him here in Port Nyanzaru, let alone the more disastrous battles in Mulmaster, which I am sure my colleagues would soon talk about.
Before we begin, let it be made clear that this War Cleric’s words are not a representation of the Lords’ Alliance, nor the Church of Ilmater to whom I devote my life to.
In the opening hours of the war, reckless adventurers who had gotten themselves killed were being piled on wheelbarrows and loaded out by acolytes of the Churches in Port Nyanzaru (I would like to thank here, in particular, the Church of Waukeen who agreed to lower the prices of their potions in exchange for exposure). Yet, these were well armed, well-equipped adventurers (Well trained, I think not!) – Has anyone stopped to calculate the devastation wrecked on the civilian populace or the merchant classes?
To understand the cost of victory, we need to, first of all, consider what the war brought in driving down the volumes of trade. The battle though short and brief halted trade for days and even when merchant ships returned, the unloading of soldiers from the Order of the Gauntlet as well as the factions created a bottleneck at the ports which would not clear up for several days more. Only through the navigation of the Weather Druids were the ships able to unclog themselves from the bottleneck!
Personally, my own merchant ships were unable to load at my own warehouse, which was requisitioned by the Lords’ Alliance to unload their troops. This cost me thousands of golds in losses – And this is from being one of the smaller merchant company owners in Port Nyanzaru.
Next, Port Nyanzaru is not exactly a place where food is aplenty. Were it not for the presence of clerics willing to overwork themselves by summoning food of the blandest of taste, I have no doubt that the population would be starving. The adventurers ate most ravenously, before throwing themselves into battle again. The civilians often had to wait their turn and only get food after the adventurers had their share.
Now that the battle is over, it is heartening to see the various factions devoting themselves to rebuilding and defending Port Nyanzaru, we have to consider this – Can we really defend an open port, so surrounded by other foul creatures? Within the forests of Port Nyanzaru, undead lurks, be it the unfortunate adventurer or that of a Tyrannosaurus Rex – Szass Tam may have failed this time. However, how many more times can we successfully repel a continuous assault on this Port?
Let us consider the humiliating defeat at Mulmaster for a moment – I personally have no doubts that if the Red Wizards made a move to simultaneously assault several strongholds altogether, Port Nyanzaru may have fallen. Though every faction is creative in their methods to protect this world, there is still a limit to our resources – Yet, there is an almost unlimited amount of dead that lie buried in the grounds of which the Red Wizards are very adept at making use of.
I am certain that should war come, I have no doubt that the world of good will make the Red Wizards bleed every step of the way. We shall fight in front of Port Nyanzaru, in Port Nyanzaru and behind Port Nyanzaru. However, I urge all factions and warring parties to guarantee the safety of the individual churches and sanctuaries in Port Nyanzaru, where the civilians seek shelter as well as to not adopt scorch-earth policies when it comes to war.
May Ilmater guide you all.
We live in complicated and confusing times indeed. A vile wind blows from the east, and it threatens to consume us all.
A dictator like Szass Tam will only stop his vile deeds when somebody stops him. Yet by the very nature of what he is, even Death has proven unfit to defeat him. In my darker days I suspect that he – or somebody like him – shall rule the multiverse someday.
We must resist! To do otherwise would be to accept death and slavery. Please note that I did not say “death or slavery”. The Red Wizards will enslave you if they don’t kill you. Then when you do die, they will raise you up as an undead slave. There will be no peace. There will be no freedom if Thay is allowed to continue as they have been.
At what cost do we resist however? I simply can not say, but I know that it will be a steep one. We have lost the city of Mulmaster utterly. We will most likely love a lot more.
There’s an east wind coming, such a wind as never blew on Faerun yet. It will be cold and bitter, and a good many of us may wither before its blast. But it’s the gods own wind none the less, and a cleaner, better stronger land will lie in the sunshine when the storm has cleared.
We will prevail. I have to believe that.