Bregnir's War Journal (A first hand account of war in the Third Age)

[SaintB]

Trying to use a different take on the making story out of a campaign I picked a single unit of soldiers and created a character who is among them. It will be through his eyes that the events are revealed through a series of journal entries. The only battles that will be reported on will be legendary victories, battles the character took part in, and any conquests or lost provinces. The main character is named Bregnir, a 20 year old soldier of Gondor and his story begins in the Spring of 2990. IC will follow shortly.

[Mhaedros]

This will surely be an interesting AAR I think someone made a similar for DLV, but he never finished it. Good luck

[SaintB]

Heavensday, 3rd of Narwain 2990

My name is Bregnir, I was born in a village of no real importance in Lamedon twenty summers ago but life as a farmer never suited me well. My mother and father said I was restless and would never be able to live happily in their simple life and upon my fifteenth naming day they gifted me with their entire savings, twenty-two silver pennies, and wished me fair travels. I was just a young boy from a village with barely hair for a beard when I set out into the world and too naive and trusting of my fellow men. Though I had what many would consider a sizable sum of money I did not get any further than Minas Tirith before my money was gone as I over payed for every purchase I made along the way.

I spent a few years doing whatever odd jobs I could land to stay alive and spent like as many nights on the street as I did in a bed. Eventually my restlessness caught up with me and I found myself enlisting as a soldier in the Army. I didn't join any militia mind you, I enrolled to become a full time fighting man for my home of Gondor because I believed that the life of a soldier would be one of endless travel and adventure. I regret to write in this journal that it is quite the opposite, I spend more time drilling, cleaning my armor, and standing watch in the market than I do anything else - I have yet to see an orc, or even a southron in my 2 years soldiering.

I put quill to paper to write all this out of restlessness. Perhaps if I record my experiences it will help me break the monotony of time spent idle. Also though I feel as if there is a change coming to the world, one that should be documented by as many people as possible.

[SaintB]

This will surely be an interesting AAR I think someone made a similar for DLV, but he never finished it. Good luck

Thanks, I'll see if I can make something good of this.

[Eomer Cyning]

Good Luck SaintB, this looks very interesting, you might be onto something with this kind of AAR. Will watch this unfold with interest.

Regards,
Eomer Cyning

[SaintB]

Sterday, 6th of Narwain 2990

Today news has reached us that Orcs of Mordor have amassed outside Minas Morgul. The belief is they intend to probe our defenses and find a way across the Alduin. I'm one of the many soldiers being sent to the front, Osgiliath, to bolster the size of the Garrison in case of attack. I've been waiting for this chance since I enlisted! I'll finally get to meet the enemies of Gondor... no the enemies of all men! I'll get to meet and do battle with the fiends, perhaps I'll even see the fortress that marks the entrance to Mordor with my own eyes.

Monday, 8th of Narwain 2990

I spent the entirety of Sunday on the march and most of today as well. The journey is not long, perhaps only 7 leagues but the muddy spring roads in the latter half of the journey slowed our march to a crawl and making it take nearly two days to reach our destination. I have discovered Osgiliath is a grim place. The city lies in almost total ruin and the soldiers long stationed here are rough and hard men, the most seasoned veterans are particularly morbid and refuse to associate with any of us fresh troops other than to say that we are all as good as dead so there is no point in pleasantries. The barracks has no more space for us so my company and I have set up our tents; we will have to rough out the nights as best we can in them; spring may be here but only just and thus the winter freeze still clings to the evening air. I'm one of the fortunate ones who made camp in the hollow shell of an old building which protects me from most of the wind that howls through the empty streets of the city.
Some have said that the howls are not caused by the wind alone and that Osgiliath is haunted, the sounds of the wind is actually the wailing of untold thousands who have died here in countless skirmishes with Sauron's minions and of the innocents butchered by orcish hordes when the city was sacked a thousand years. Those are just stories though I have never seen anything to tell me that ghosts exist.

Mersday, 11th of Narwain 2990

This morning was my first taste of mortal combat. A tribe of orcs was camped within an hour of Osgiliath and my company was dispatched to kill them with all haste. We moved on their camp using the cover of night and by the first rays of the sun we attacked, our captain believed we had the element of surprise but the orcs are more cunning than we gave them credit for and met our 'ambush' with a prepared defence. The orcs charged one of our surrounding platoons with their full force, there was only 150 of us and they possessed double the numbers. The skirmish was short, a matter of 15 minutes work but when it was said and done over 70 of our own men lay dead or wounded but the orcs paid dearly; only a dozen or so managed to escape us in the chaos; we put all their wounded and every prisoner to the sword.

I thought that war would be different. You see the tapestries from the great battles and there is no blood or horror in them as there is in real life; war is very different. I saw an orc drop his spear and instead jump on one of my fellows and tear his throat out with his teeth, the man beasts gouging out men's eyes and cackling wildly even while they were cut down. The whole experience has left me exhausted and feeling unwell but I know that I will be called to do battle with them once more, perhaps sooner as opposed to later. I would say it was funny how perceptions can change so quickly but the word seems inappropriate, there is nothing funny about war, nothing romantic, and nothing heroic. I fear I have bitten off far more than I'll ever chew.

[SaintB]

Trewsday, 4th of Gwirith 2990

News has arrived from Lindhir to the south that armies of Harad have crossed the Alduin; a veritable tide of soldiers numbering in the thousands thundered across near the river's mouth. Our scouts managed to spot the whole army, 2/3 of the force broke off to attack Lindhir and the other third traveled east and set a camp along the road leading to Pelagir. Further north along the Alduin the reports are that the Orc's bypassed us in Osgiliath and lay siege to Cair Andros; perhaps hoping that they could overwhelm the smaller garrison. The castle at Cair Andros has supplies to weather a siege for 5 years though and our Lord Faramir has different plans. My company is the vanguard of a force mostly consisting of militia setting out to relieve the besieged men; it will take several days to acquire the proper supplies but once we're are prepared we will set out under the command of General Brather and head north with due haste.

[SaintB]

Sunday, 23rd of Gwirith

The orcs, for fear of being trapped between two armies hastened to assault the walls of Cair Andros and in the dark of night attempted to scale the walls using ladders; but the defenders were ready and repelled them with a murderous hail of missiles and with swords. We arrived in time to catch the remnants of the horde and dealt with them severely. No survivor will report back to Minus Morgol.

[SaintB]

Sorry all I got VERY sick. I'll have some updates tomorrow.

[SaintB]

Sterday, 22nd of Narbeleth 2990

In the month of Urui the Haradrim tested the defenders of Lindhir and found them to be too stalwart and strong for them. Many lives were lost and it has been declared the largest battle against the enemies of Gondor in a century, the victory brought much gold to the city treasury in the form of loot and ransom. The men of Lindhir have bought themselves time for a force led by Lord Boromir to pick its way forward; they seek to meet the Harad on the open plains just outside Pelargir but the Harad cowards have only skirmished with him.

Yet as Lindhir has found room to breathe and Lord Boromir leads soldiers to engage Harad's, even more of the cursed southrons have forded the Alduin and make for the city. All the surrounding provinces have sent their militias and by the end of harvest they will likely once more find themselves under siege.

My lot has little changed, after facing the orcs who failed to capture Cair Andros myself and my company have sat on the far bank of the Alduin River and camped in the ruins of Osgiliath. The summer weather is often mild here save for when it storms and then the winds howl and the rains soak through cloaks so as to make men shiver even with the huge bonfires we set alight in the streets. Minus Morgal has yet to belch forth more fowl orcs to face us and some men talk of hopes to be reassigned to Pelargir where we may be called to fight the Haradrim where both the danger and plunder are considered greater. I miss the safety of Minas Tirith.

[Mhaedros]

Nice story, but it should be river Anduin, Linhir and Minas Morgul

[SaintB]

Nice story, but it should be river Anduin, Linhir and Minas Morgul

Tend to make a lot of spelling mistakes when you do it all from memory :p

[Brotherblaze]

nice awaiting next update

[SaintB]

Monday, 13th of Nínui 2991

The only thing worse than spending the winter camped at Osgiliath I have found is spending part of it on campaign. It seems orcs do not feel cold as men do and thus while the Haradrim fell back to the southern deserts where the climate was more bearable to them the Mordor orcs went on the march, and the men of Gondor seeking to prevent another siege also set forth. Our commander Lord Faramir set forth with us to meet the fell beasts on the frozen plain east of the Anduin where we skirmished with them amongst the frozen forests until our whole hosts met on the fields of Ithilien. There we engaged in a day long melee with the hosts of Sauron.

It was not just orc rabble we did battle with this time, amongst the Dark Lord's ranks but this time they were accompanied by spiders the size of horses and a company of trolls - the very presence of those beasts was enough to make even the most stalwart of us consider running back to Minas Tirith but our commander and his brave rangers pushed into the battle and he himself slew a troll! With his example we took heart and at the end of the day we men of Gondor stood victorious but bloodied in the field; even the mighty trolls fled before the might of our armies! I write with some pride to tell that I slew not just one but two spiders with my blade and countless orcs as well.

The aftermath was the most dismal time of my life however as I and my comrades buried many friends in the bloody mud and snow with no fires to keep us warm nor shelter to hide us from the elements. On the return march it seemed near as many of us succumbed to exposure and disease - especially among the wounded - than did to the orc spears and ogre clubs. I have developed a hatred of war that surpasses that of even my enemy and oddly it only serves to enhance my hatred of the enemy for forcing this war upon all free men.

[SaintB]

Trewsday, 3rd of Lothron 2991

I have writ previously to say that with the winter snow the men of Harad crossed back along the Mouth of the Anduin and back into the south lands to where the climate was more to their liking. Taking advantage of this Lord Boromir marched his men to Lindir and took command of the garrison. He awaited news from our scouts and then in the month of Gwirith set out to the south to meet the Haradrim as they began to cross the river and beset them as devils even while many of them were still crossing. The attack was so fierce the enemy fled back in disarray and our soldiers chased the southrons back across the river. Boromir has sent word of his intent to march on the offensive and reclaim lands that rightfully belong to Gondor and no more news has reached us at Osgiliath since.