The cold shroud of Winter falls over Ostermark. Campaigning draws to a close as the land freezes and the snow begins to pile up. Across the province, those miserable soldiers that are not sent home make their quarters in occupied towns, villages and hamlets. The Ostermarkers prepare for a long, hard season - the war has devestated the land and the armies have plundered the winter stocks. Famine will claim many lives before Spring returns.The War of Ostermark Succession is over! What a trip it has been. Hundreds of battles - all processed by hand - were reported from all over the globe. We don't have the exact figures in yet but I'm sure they are pretty impressive. Huge amounts of effort were piled onto locations that shall forever be remembered as the sites of bloody battle - The Uneasy Watchman, Rhya's Sisters, Udo's Fall, and of course, Bechafen. Nail-biters.
In the end, though, there can be only one winner, and I think there's little question as to which faction took the prize. After a blistering offensive in Round 8, taking Bechafen by storm, the Talabeclanders are left with a firm foothold in Ostermark, so they get the best lodging this winter!
The Middenland-Kislev alliance comes in a close second. Throughout the campaign, they have fought like one would expect of wolves and bears. Especially, they have always measured their efforts precisely and kept a cool head, even when the tide seemed to be against them sometimes.
The late Graf Martin's army may be on the retreat, but not in shame - the rearguard action fought by a cadre of committed Stirlander generals is certainly worthy of recognition. Through their dedication to the very end, the Höhleburg remains a Stirlander stronghold, and a bulwark against raiders who would hound the retreating army, and those seeking to raid and plunder the Southern Ostermark or even Stirland itself.
***
There's a lot still coming up. Over the next days, I'll be bashing these forums into their after-action shape. You will notice the Battle Report and Faction forums have disappeared; don't worry, they're only hidden until we decide what to do with them. Expect to see an "Evaluation and Nostalgia" forum come online soon, where the staff will be looking for feedback while you sit around and share tall tales with your fellow generals. Also, the final Journal is in the works, to wrap up all the loose ends we've now left you with
In the not-so-distant future, we also hope to have a couple of more treats for you!
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For now, however, I leave you, on behalf of the staff, with my gratitude: Thank you for sticking with us while we took our sweet time in getting this thing on the road. Thank you for participating and making this a great campaign!
Good night,
--GH
