The North PacificBoard

4 hamlets had been hit in the province of Kanda in a week forming a pattern of brutal attacks. Each Hamlet had no more then 30 people nearly all poor farmers or there family's. Each attack resulted in all either the town people disappearing or being slaughtered by blade and bullet. At first a local police tried to deal with it yet they where very out matched. British authorities at first thought this was some gang or Liberator attack yet the 5th hit had a survivor. A British police officer was found outside of a cave dead surrounded by the bodies of 6 attackers his revolver empty yet found behind him in the cave was a local women.

She spoke of attackers lead by some form of mage, gathering or killing the locals in some dammed ritual. She spoke of darkening skies and sudden storms. Followed by hoards of mad cultist and a mage. This was at first ignored till a team of commandos on an anti drug raid found a local drug lord main base wiped out completely with signs of arcane damage. An evacuation would be in order for towns that seemed to be sights of this mage and its army. Yet the local colonial governor was hesitated, after all it was probably just spill over from the drug lords going after each other with one of local drug lords dead things should quite down... it took the burning of the town of Pasgai where 84 men women and children butchered in a brutal attack. With that done the governor accepted the evacuation of all 5 remaining towns in the area of attack.

As night approached the last helicopter set off, yet the British new how this type of thing worked they couldn't simply keep running. They had created a fake story of an storm in the area which was suppose to be worst in a generation to allow for the evacuation with another story suggesting really combat between the kingdom force and an drug lord. Yet someone had to be left to lure the mage and his army out into the open. The Secretary had decided that the town of Lahar would be the bait.

Of course no innocent bait would do, though sometimes it would be needed it was hopped this time it shouldn't so the Secretary found some replacements for the town 124 residents. Criminals, political trouble makers where moved into the houses bound and left in the town hall. Around them commandos dug in and waited. Red Hunters in there blood dyed armor checked there weapons again and again. As night came the rain began, at first a drizzle quickly a raging storm. This reduced visibility to make matters worse it was slowly turning the slit trenches to muddy holes.

It was at 1 am that at the edge of the town the first movement where spotted. Commandos held there fire not wanting to scare off there foe. Then lights, distant and dim appeared around the town, hundreds. Then they came. A living tide of crazed men and women. Charging with farming equipment turned into improvised weapons. The commando guns chattered away, Enfield's barked and spat halting groups of crazed attackers in there tracks.

Yet there was far more chaff then commandos yet with there prepared position they could hold for a while yet soon the very ground began to turn against them. A northern squad reported unnatural chills and ice forming before the ground began to bubble around a group of slain cultist. Rise from the muck, blood and mud was some form of mud golem. Covered head to toe in runes that glowed with a sickening glow. The British shots simply passed through it, quickly the commandos turn to flee yet the ground around them seem to rise up to slow there retreat.

Cursing the captain of the unit threw one of there limited grenades at the golem which detonated within the monster. It top half splashed to the four winds did little to stun it for a moment as it began to reform. Yet this moment of weakness gave his men the time they needed though there focus on the golem would cost them dearly. As cultist having noticed the unit focus on the golem had gotten far to close to the slit trench as they renewed there charge. This forced the unit into bitter hand to hand combat where 2 would suffer injuries and another commando slain.

With the northern unit forced to pull back every other commando team was forced back to there second line arming a small minefield as they pulled further and further back towards the town hall. The cultist where quick on there heels, if it wasnt for disciplined fire and mines they would have been set upon. Yet things would soon turn for the worst.

Southern and eastern units where reporting further arcane signs. Yet rather then bubbling mud and golems they reported voices and the feeling of dread. It was then the western forces reported the first true mage. As a wave of cultist at last broke through the minefield and began to charge towards the two squads guarding the western approach a bolt of green light shot through the air and vaporized the gunner of a 30 cal machine gunner. This had the effect of suppressing both squads as they desperately searched for the source of it. It didnt take them long, a figure at the back of the latest rush of cultist with some form of staff made of twisted iron.

Quickly a 2 Red Hunters arrived on the scene. With chain axes churning they leaped into the cultist that where nearly on top of the commandos. The simply waded into the centre of the cultist drawing the attention of the mage. There red armour and scared runes where a lure they enranged the mage as they showed not the denying of the faithless towards magic nor declaring like some of those with faith that magic was a heresy and to be feared but instead the Red Hunters runes and faith declared that magic was a tool for the weak. The mage could not expect his gift being insulted by mere mortals unblessed, yet among the cultist the mage power where absorbed by the cultist, his attacks simply killing cultist causing his rage to rise. With this respite the two squads prepared and with a single sniper shot using a specialized black stone round. In an instant the mage chest became a caved in mess, with a mage dead the cultist attacks every where lost there ferocity.

Though the British knew it wasnt over, a mage had been left dead and many cultist lay slain yet the storm still carried on. In an hour 2 commandos lay dead, a further 6 injured out of there force of 48. Yet 100s of cultist had been gunned down. The on ground commanders and The Secretary agreed that was to easy and with the unnatural storm remain it was clear that the one mage killed was not the leader and ordered the men on the ground to stay at there post expecting further attacks...