Waldo's Weekly - In the Shadow of Titans

[Kyle]

This week, Waldo managed to get his hands on some Earthside historical documents. He said he would stop eating everything he came across as long as we released this to inform the masses. Below is all we could pull back from his slobbering mouth and grubby little mitts. Enjoy!

CLASSIFIED

To M. B. -- Lt. Wright, Field Intelligence Corps, reporting in.

Depleted supplies. Contacts missing, presumed compromised or dead. Apologies for the informality; recounting evidence from memory - notes burned to ash. And beyond, information on the “Titans,” as they have been rightly coined, is sparse at best, thanks to the scrambling efforts on all fronts. I do hope this report reaches you presently, but despite my best efforts, I cannot command the weather.

Abyssinia

If I am to be candid - as my first operation, I did not fully identify the importance of gathering a reconnaissance on our own allies. Yes, you must know yourself before you can know your enemy, but they have been open with trading information, as Kassa Okoye has taught us plenty. How wrong I was; our birdwatchers have discovered that there are secrets behind their colossal machines.

The Dreadnought – We’ve known of their operations requiring three highly trained gunners, and of their ability to cross any terrain beneath those crushing legs for some time. Their efforts in manufacturing are easier than we initially understood – and because of this, they have begun to equip them with more experimental weaponry. The Titan I witnessed firsthand was armed with a chemical fogger, and doused the Hordes with a cloud of poison. Very effective. Unfortunately, schematics were impossible to find.

The Walker and the Cutter – Limited was the information I could gather on these two machines – only sightings of their viciousness in combat. I’ve reports of a Walker acting as an impenetrable wall of gunfire as its surrounding Mechanized Infantry repair and replenish its ammunition. The Cutter, on the other hand, requires no such ongoing maintenance outside of removing the cultist gore from their buzzsaws. I was told that watching them dismantle the opposition was like witnessing a farmer trim grass with a scythe – only louder. I pray we remain allies with Abyssinia.

The Cult of the Burning Man

These blasted Warped were not easy to follow. Luckily, my contact in Russia informed us of their arrival, and we were not far behind. The horrors that they’ve unleashed… I am having difficulty finding the words, but my bones ache at the thought of what I’ve seen. Some, more dedicated to the man-fire in the sky, made their way to the mountains. Thanks to their foolishness, we’ve discovered that the legends of dragons and hydras are true.

Goryshche – On the day we arrived, we thought our eyes played tricks on us. We saw the sun at midnight, a crescent of flame against the frozen tundra. The bones of a creature from myth were not only found, but newly animated and bound to flesh and fire. Though we don’t yet know how, they seem to have been able to replicate this many-headed monster, as of the date of our findings runs parallel to the reports of the Lord of Steel slaying an identical beast in Africa. As of this report, I regrettably have little to share of its weaknesses, and Abyssinia does not seem willing to share their own findings. What we do know is that it can regenerate – cutting off one head will only provide the opportunity to grow another.

The Gibbering Hordes

London is not the only city to have been robbed of its peace by these relentless sea creatures. All over the world, pockets have opened beside unprepared coastal cities - some better defended than others. Their numbers are as endless as they are ravenous, which has halted my investigation more times than I can count. I’ve no plans of becoming lunch. Each day we face them, the more we learn, but if we don’t return the assault soon, I’m afraid that it might become too little too late.

Alpha Crawler – We received word from an oceanic explorer from Malifaux who has reported a direct encounter with one of these unsightly beasts that side of the Breach, so we know where they come from. How they got here is the bigger question, of which I’ve yet an answer. We can’t be sure, but most are pointing fingers at the Burning Man in the sky. Regardless of where they came from, make sure to stay far away when able, as they are rarely the only predator in the area. Too often have our reports found that these monsters are ridden by others of their kind, like a vehicle with a thirst for blood.

Horomatangi

The lion’s share of our losses came from this ancient, deplorable beast. Equally intelligent and savage, it found its way to our camp as we slept. Despite its enormity, we did not anticipate its attack. I narrowly escaped with my life, but left my arm in New Zealand. What we do know is that it is not a creature of this world; the Maori look to the Breach for blame. Frighteningly enough, it appears to have command over both the forces of the Burning Man and the Gibbering Hordes, a conclusion that we came to as we saw the swathes of malice that followed in its wake. This thing is a cloud of violence and, now that I’ve stared directly into its eyes, nowhere on this earth feels safe.

King’s Empire

My report couldn’t be complete if I didn’t also compare our own military to our enemies and allies. Fortunately, my findings have provided some much needed reassurance that not all is lost. Tensions be damned, being rid of the Guild from our shores has had its benefits. Now that we’re not under their thumb, we’ve a rare opportunity to make their tech truly shine.

King’s Hand – Thanks to adjustments made by our Abyssinian allies, these refitted machines of war are our best chance against these otherworldly giants. With enough armor to soak a blast from a railgun, and a Gatling gun with plenty of ammunition to keep it firing for days on end, whatever comes to our shores will have to take a second guess before advancing further. It makes sense why we’ve doubled up on production.

I send this to you from Kagoshima, as this continued investigation has brought me to the Three Kingdoms. More to report on that soon. I wish I had more to tell, but with the world on fire, it’s becoming harder and harder to receive intel from any of our agents. After years in secret beneath the shadows of these Titans, what I can say is that their presence on the battlefield will likely define the upcoming tides of war.

For King and Country,

Lt. Wright

Field Intelligence Corps

 

Want to download this piece of alt-history to read in your leisure? Click on the image below to view/download the PDF!

 

Next week, we’ll be diving back into Malifaux Third Edition to talk about summoning! 

[bedjy]

The burning man makes me raise my eyes to the sky.. I'll need that titan, I know I'll do.

[Chou]

Can't wait to get my burning cultists!!

[Burnin' Coal]

Almost there....ECB Black Ops somewhere in a hub....Cult of Burning Man almost home...