"The void does not forgive. The void does not forget. But with faith and fire, the void can be conquered."
My Most Gracious Liege,
The Sea of Claws boils with malice, and the winds from the north carry the stench of blood and salt. The Norscan raiders grow bolder with each tide, as if emboldened by darker powers that seek the ruin of all we hold dear. Their blackened sails dot the horizon like carrion crows, heralding death and fire. Yet, Nordland does not falter. Nordland does not yield.
As I pen these words, my forces muster in Salzenmund. The docks are alive with the clang of iron, the chant of prayers to Sigmar, and the roar of cannons being readied for war. Every ship in our fleet is prepared to sail; every blade has been sharpened. The men know what they face—beasts that would see their homes burned and their families enslaved—but their hearts are unshaken. For they know that they fight not only for Nordland but for the Empire itself.
The Norscan chief, a brute calling himself Wulfgar the Bloody-Handed, leads this horde. Reports speak of warriors clad in frost-forged armor, their weapons dripping with unholy enchantments. Yet, for all their bluster, they are but dogs to be broken on the shield walls of Nordland. I have seen their kind before, and I shall see them driven back into the icy depths from whence they came.
I do not ask for aid, though it would ease the burden of our struggle. I know the Empire’s coffers are stretched thin, its armies spread across countless fronts. Instead, I ask only that you hold Nordland in your prayers. Should I fall, let my sacrifice serve as a beacon to the provinces, a reminder that we stand unyielding before the tide.
When the battle is done and the carrion crows feast upon the corpses of my enemies, I shall send word of victory. Until then, I march with sword in hand, the faith of Sigmar in my heart, and the unbreakable will of Nordland guiding me.
Yours in faith and loyalty,
Theoderic Gausser
Elector Count of Nordland