Behold this!
A sprawling, vital, yet unassuming landscape;
A loosely woven yet strongly bound fabric of cultures;
A homely bedrock of the Sword Coast which is naught but an afterthought for the denizens of Waterdeep and Yartar and yet pumps the very lifeblood of their livelihoods!
This glorious expanse which many of us call home - The Heartlands! - gives much, and much more than is known to the peoples of Faerun. It grows our grains; it shelters our livestock; it buffers us from the political machinations of the south; it houses untold historical significance from Darkhold to Baldur's Gate, from Candlekeep to The Reaching Woods!
And now as I write this, I deliver hasty word to you all that The Heart has been struck, and...
it...
is...
bleeding!
Thought not yet all details are known, a trusted agent of mine reports that a small farming community called Vildanel - tucked in the Green Fields - has gone aflame, razed by a large band of gnoll invaders with motives unknown. Immediately this has given great cause for concern by a number of regional powers, some of whom I have already spoken with representatives thereof. They have given the following public statements.
Priestess Tabitha Rinear - who oversees a refugee camp in Scornubel for the victims of the rampant giant attacks in the north - has stated, "This tragedy strikes us all as neighbors under Torm's Guidance and Amaunator's Light. Our prayers go to the victims, both living and passed, and we welcome them to join the embrace of our humble community."
An anonymous Warduke with the Lords' Alliance has posted a 50 gold bounty for actionable information on the movements of the gnoll raiders, 200 gold for the assassination of their leader, and 500 gold for the leader's capture. This fellow has sent word encouraging the survivors to seek refuge and employ at Baldur's Gate while the matter is investigated.
An envoy of the Emerald Enclave by the name "Fire Meadow" suggested in her statement to me that these are local gnolls - also citizens of this same Heartland! - and that their actions have been manipulated by a yet unseen malevolent hand! What intrigue!
When asked for comment, a representative for Zhentarim - calling themselves a "publicist", whatever that may be - has stated that their organization has "bolstered their regional forces" and are "negotiating with regional lords on a renewed defense contract".
And though these grand forces of our homeland may yet be mobilized to further action, I must also perform my duty as a journalist and proclaim to you, dearest reader, this simple truth: please do your part to treat this wound. If you are of an adventuring spirit and an able body, do travel to Vildanel yourselves and see what can be done to stem the bleeding, repair the damage, and repel infection. In doing so, only then may you find the true spirit of this vibrant Heartland which binds us all to a purpose far greater than any outsider may assume.
Sincerely, your humble scribe...
Kelehk of the Quill
Eleint 24, 1491
