t is not long since the heartening success in Arathi, but news is reaching us from far-away Hillsbrad of a terrible outcome in the war against the Horde, for  if these reports are true, and not the wagging of Rumour's foul tongue, the Enemy has executed upon the region a terrible and cowardly slaughter that we may come to know as the Rape of Hillsbrad.

Hardened orc and trollish regulars stormed down from the hills around Tarren Mill to fall upon the open fields of Hillsbrad town and commence a culling of farmhands. Stormwind's men had spread themselves along the road to the south, wary of attack from any quarter, and now the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry and the famed 13th Regiment of old Lordaeron joined civilian militia in a desperate defence of the town hall. From here they were forced to watch the eradication of their livelihoods, for it is reported that a great number of the surrounding fields were burned to ashes, and the crops razed.

Hearing of the attack Captain Sam Lockewood of the 3rd set from Southshore to relieve the farms, but found himself in the teeth of a vile ambush as a second Hordish force surrounded his contingent; whereupon the men were pushed to fall back towards the town, and the beasts leapt into pursuit, and drew much blood from the beleagred town, but, finding it a tough nut to crack, leapt back again to the tower at Darrow Hill.

Yet by now the ruin of the Hillsbrad fields was complete, and even as the garrison there recovered themselves, their enemies were moving rapidly to meet with the other force at the tower. These two powers joined soon launched southward again to deliver a final blow to the bloodied few defending the town. We cannot be sure of how dire it stands, but we know that many buildings were damaged, that the tavern was filled with wounded, and that the casualties – man, woman and child - were extreme.

Worst of all, the docks were extensively damaged by a terrific explosion, which, our journalists believe, could only have been set by Horde infiltrators conducting a contemptible sneak attack into the heart of the town to blast our boys from behind. It was only when reinforcements arrived – we presume from nearby Dun Garok – that the Horde were finally put to a retreat.

It is feared that the burning of the northern fields will result in food shortages at home, as the provinces are yet only some way along the road to recovery. Worse, the wreck of the docks means that no more troops can be landed, leaving the town in extreme danger and the entrance into Arathi wide open to the ravaging Horde. Now the great spectre of the cunning trollish General Gumbo looms large over the last free lands in Lordaeron, set to send his forces marching over Thoradin's Wall to relieve our siege at Hammerfall. It must fall to the Alliance to stop him in his tracks, and to repay, in blood, the lives of every good man and woman lost.