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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 1127119" data-attributes="member: 6294">Kull's 6th Report - Part 1SaltmarshFourth MoonTo: Bishop-General Kartrak VisehartReport from Kull RedfistSir,My apologies for the long delay between reports.  Although the Sahuagin menace has been defeated, the cost to Saltmarsh has been heavy, and there has been a great deal of work to do.  At last, however, the most pressing matters have been resolved, and I have time to write without constant interruptions.First, I am pleased to confirm that the Chapel to our Lord is under construction.  It will be a modest but stout-walled building, utilising the site of the old manor house on the cliff, which I have had destroyed.  The ruin served no useful purpose, and was a breeding place for vermin: both human and otherwise.  Now the land and the caves beneath it will be put to far better purpose.I plan eventually to make my home in a barracks room beneath the Chapel, but for now I reside in the rear of the Sheriff's offices.  The previous occupant was one of the many casualties in the battle against the Sahuagin, and as I was by far the best qualified to take his place - far better qualified than he, in truth - I have assumed the role.The village council also suffered losses during the fighting, commensurate with the casualties suffered throughout the village.  These casualties were heavy, indeed.  In the final reckoning, the people of Saltmarsh fought and died with bravery, but little skill or strategy, which cost them dearly.  It has also cost me, at least financially, for I have dug deep into my own purse to assist in the reconstruction of the town, and in seeking out new settlers for now-empty shops and farms.  Our faith has gained a foothold here, and I will not relinquish it, short of death.My philanthropy was not without design, however.  Nor did it go without reward.  As I said, the council has been decimated by the fighting, and many vacancies existed upon it: too many vacancies to fill, if truth be told.  But one spot at least has been occupied: I now stand a full member of the village council, with the privileges and powers this entails, in addition to my role as sheriff.  Hard times demand strength of will, and clarity of purpose, and - whatever else they may think of me - these folk of Saltmarsh know I possess both, as does our Lord Hextor.As I have written above, the battle with the sahuagin had a high cost, one caused largely by the poor strategy implemented by the previous council.  A strategy that began with the reconnaissance mission they asked me to lead.  Although the lizardfolk already knew the layout of the Sahuagin lair - the complex had, after all, belonged to them before the Sahuagin attacked - the council desired confirmation of the interior, and an estimate of the enemy's numbers and strength.  This showed a commendable desire to 'know they enemy'.  However, it ignored the reality of the situation.First, the complex offered only one point of entry above the ocean's surface.  There were several submarine entrances, but these would be of no use to my force.  This meant that we also had only one route of exit from the complex, a serious limitation on any plan I could develop.Additionally, everything the lizardfolk could tell us indicated that these Sahuagin were strong fighters, with disciplined troops and intelligent commanders.  They would have to be, in my estimation, to drive the lizardfolk out of their home.  This meant that there would be a rapid and organised response, the moment the alarm was raised.  It would also mean that plans would be in place to ensure that the alarm could be raised as quickly as possible in the event of an attack being discovered.With this in mind, I made clear to the council, and to those who would accompany me on the expedition, that the success of the mission relied entirely upon being able to enter the sahuagin lair without the alarm being raised.  With only one exit available, any attempt to press on once the alarm was raised would inevitably end with my force being surrounded and destroyed.  I have read the accounts of Rahless Gorge, and know what befalls a force that trusts to a single escape route, when that route cannot be kept secure from the enemy.Given that I would be leading only a small reconnaissance force, right into the heart of the enemy's base, there were simply not enough troops to secure the escape route.  Success would rely upon breaching the gates without the alarm being raised, then conducting a rapid exploration and withdrawal.  I repeated this fact several times during discussions with the council, warning them against expecting too much from the mission.  I then set about developing a plan that would allow us to achieve the first and most important condition for success: entry into the base without the alarm being raised.I will freely admit that the fault for the failure of my plan must rest with me.  Although I developed a strategy that allowed us to breach the main gates and kill all the guards without the alarm being sounded, I had failed to allow for a second, inner gate.  It took almost a minute for that gate to be broached, during which time we came under heavy missile fire.Knowing that at the very least, runners would have been dispatched to alert the rest of the Sahuagin forces, I ordered the retreat.  This was the only option in the circumstances.  We would withdraw, and await the reaction of the Sahuagin.  It was likely that they would send out patrols, and I planned to ambush one, then interrogate any prisoners we took for the information that the council had requested.I believe this revised plan had an excellent chance of success.  However, my instructions were ignored.Zalich, Troilan, Julianne and Brodnak - abetted by the troops Saltmarsh had provided - insisted that no alarm had been raised, and that it was safe to continue.  I told them to press on would mean their deaths, and refused to join such folly.Which is why I am the only survivor of the mission.</blockquote>

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