The Pestilence, March - ?, 2520 I. C.
It was not long after the Battle of Ueblingen in February that Nurgle himself unleashed a great Pestilence across the land. Many fell ill and many died. Even the mortal followers of Nurgle were not immune to the wretched machinations of the Plague God. While deamons continued to haunt the North Coast and coastal villages and towns, all campaign activity halted for many weeks as the forces of Nurgle hoped that the Great Plague that their master had set upon the Empire would do the work their armies could not: weaken it to the point that the realms of Karl Franz would fall with little difficulty.
While the Pestilence was indeed devastating and caused great disruption to Nordland, the people's faith in Sigmar and in Mannan increased. In the villages, towns, and cities efforts to combat the Plague were doubled, and doubled again. Nonetheless, the plague swept through Nordland like a wind among the grass. Many wizened old men and women quickly were felled by the Pestilence, but it carried away even those who were young and strong. At first only children seemed immune, but in the end many of them died too.
It was in these difficult days that a focus of hope came from an unexpected quarter. In the weeks after her victory at Ueblingen, Finari, Justiciar of the North, consolidated her forces, buried her dead, and burned the vile corpses of the Nurgle Lord's army. Finari then sent out scouting parties down the coast road toward Hargendorf. By the end of March these scouts could report that the raiders had withdrawn leaving behind a ruined husk of a town that had suffered terribly under the yoke of Lord of Decay. Desiccated remains of Imperial soldiers were strew about the town's remains as were those of the former townspeople who were unable to escape. All was devoid of all life and not even a bird's song could be heard, and the eerie, unnatural silence was only broken by the low roar of the sea.
As Finari's scouts searched the ruins of Hargendorf they investigated a horse-barn that was one of the few structures left intact. As the scouts moved toward the building, suddenly the doors of the barn bust open and from them came a lone young man in his teens clad in tattered rags of Nordland livery (blue and yellow), screaming in a wild rage and brandishing two Gladii, short swords of the kind that Mannan, God of the Sea, carries to protect his home deep in the fastness of the wine dark sea. Although his voice was shrill with hoarseness and his body was rent with wounds that would have felled far more robust men, the young man set upon the scouts as if they were his mortal enemies. While the young man's heart and soul were strong his body was weak from wounds and the clear signs of torture. His blows were easily turned by the scout's light armor and the young man soon collapsed and sobbed inconsolably.
The scouts carried young man back to the army at Ueblingen, his wounds were tended, and his body nursed back to health. He soon ate and drank heartily, but would not speak other than to recite one of the many Litanies of the Faith sacred to Mannan, God of the Sea. Those who tended him in these first days after he was found said that although he was almost totally silent the young man was dutiful and kind. In the fullness of time Martin, Theogonist of Marburg came to him.
While many died, many more lived, and when the Pestilence burned itself out, Count Thedoric was ready again to defend against the forces of Nurgle.
It was in these difficult days that a focus of hope came from an unexpected quarter. In the weeks after her victory at Ueblingen, Finari, Justiciar of the North, consolidated her forces, buried her dead, and burned the vile corpses of the Nurgle Lord's army. Finari then sent out scouting parties down the coast road toward Hargendorf. By the end of March these scouts could report that the raiders had withdrawn leaving behind a ruined husk of a town that had suffered terribly under the yoke of Lord of Decay. Desiccated remains of Imperial soldiers were strew about the town's remains as were those of the former townspeople who were unable to escape. All was devoid of all life and not even a bird's song could be heard, and the eerie, unnatural silence was only broken by the low roar of the sea.
As Finari's scouts searched the ruins of Hargendorf they investigated a horse-barn that was one of the few structures left intact. As the scouts moved toward the building, suddenly the doors of the barn bust open and from them came a lone young man in his teens clad in tattered rags of Nordland livery (blue and yellow), screaming in a wild rage and brandishing two Gladii, short swords of the kind that Mannan, God of the Sea, carries to protect his home deep in the fastness of the wine dark sea. Although his voice was shrill with hoarseness and his body was rent with wounds that would have felled far more robust men, the young man set upon the scouts as if they were his mortal enemies. While the young man's heart and soul were strong his body was weak from wounds and the clear signs of torture. His blows were easily turned by the scout's light armor and the young man soon collapsed and sobbed inconsolably.
The scouts carried young man back to the army at Ueblingen, his wounds were tended, and his body nursed back to health. He soon ate and drank heartily, but would not speak other than to recite one of the many Litanies of the Faith sacred to Mannan, God of the Sea. Those who tended him in these first days after he was found said that although he was almost totally silent the young man was dutiful and kind. In the fullness of time Martin, Theogonist of Marburg came to him.
While many died, many more lived, and when the Pestilence burned itself out, Count Thedoric was ready again to defend against the forces of Nurgle.
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