Mercenary Prince Marcello Alfonti, Fourth Count of Venetero gritted his teeth and fought to keep control of his temper. The... funzionario moronic in front of him, the bobbing, acquiescing little sciocco had denied his request for provisions and sent him back to an official he had already seen twice in four days for a form he had already completed. Alfonti simmered on the inside as his native tongue threatened to erupt with his temper. The result was always the same. They had been in Cathay for two months and his requests for material, for manpower, for food and water and the most basic supplies were passed from official to official around a dizzying chain of bureaucracy or ignored entirely. Not for the first time Alfonti wondered how this Empire had survived so long. Waving his hand dismissively as the Cathayan finished his speech Alfonti bowed curtly to the tiny man, his crimson cape tucked neatly under one arm as he spun on his heel. He took some small satisfaction from the little man's pained whimper as Alfonti ground his plate-clad heel into the elaborately tiled floor and stalked out of the room, the intricately carved door pulled open for him by two bobbing officials in crimson robes. Everything about this place seemed foreign, displaced, like some kind of nightmare. Nothing seemed to work. It was as though everyone was doing the bare minimum required of them while the Emperor's eyes were averted, pushing work and responcibility onto their fellows as they all jockeyed for political position.

As Alfonti emerged into the daylight, Alessandro was suddenly at his side, the cloaked spymaster appearing silently to his left as though he had been there all along, and the same words he had uttered every day for the past three years left Alfonti's lips as he gripped his friend's shoulder in greeting.

"What do you hear Allesandro? Nothing but the rain?"

The broad grin that was pulling at his lips died as he registered Alessandro's pained expression, a bleak look and a stare that seemed fixed on something in the middle distance, something that no one else could see.

'The Storm My Lord, she comes. Worse than we ever dared to fear. From all directions it comes. The Greenskins sweep Northwards from the Hinterlands in their thousands. Ogres, Chaos Dwarves and Ratmen pour down from the Mountains and the Darkness gathers behind the Barrier. It has begun.'

Alfonti grinned.

'Then the waiting is over, no? Don't worry my friend, I'll see you through this yet! Have I ever let you down?'

He turned but Allesandro was gone, leaving nothing behind but the whispering of the wind and the unanswered question hanging heavy in the air.

Background

Three years ago, fresh from the Battle of Three Kings outside Lashiek's bruised and battered walls and acting on behalf of an undisclosed client the legendary Mercenary Prince Alfonti da Silveira returned to Tilea to begin the mustering of the largest private army ever assembled. Charged with the defence of Cathay and the extermination of any who threaten her borders and her sovereignty, the vast majority of those who ride under the three crimson dragons of the Order of the Dragon Shield are mercenaries seeking their fortune at the tip of a lance or the edge of a blade. Many flock to the muster lured by coin and the promise of treasure and adventure in the distant lands of the East. Others simply revel in the blood-letting, in the perilous existence of the professional soldier who lives and dies in one eternal moment. However Alfonti is no savage, nor would he let his dogs loose for personal gain and as a result many who ride with him do so not for the money but because they would not see Cathay fall into darkness. The Empire of the Dragon, humanity's Eastern bastion in the struggle against Chaos is under serious threat for the first time in a thousand years and the consequences for the rest of the world should it fall can scarce be imagined.

It took nearly a year to assemble the ODS, and the muster spread out in identical white tents pitched in rows of thousands that wound their way across the rolling hillsides of Southern Tilea. Finally Alfonti was satisfied and the sea of tents disappeared almost overnight as a vast flotilla of ships set sail for the East, taking a direct route to Cathay's Eastern sea board pausing only to pick up additional men and supplies. The journey took almost two years and it is a testament to the seamanship of the Tilean sailors that they only lost three ship on the way, two to the great Maelstrom.

The Order of the Dragon Shield are currently billeted in PORT CITY, and they have wasted little time in establishing a twenty mile perimeter around the city, erecting earthworks and defensive fortifications over a wide area, hunkering down behind their wall of bristling spikes as they scout out the immediate area. Almost immediately conflicts erupted between the ODS and local governmental and military officials who find the Mercenaries loud and coarse and accuse the foreigners of excluding them from important strategic decisions. Prince Alfonti has done his best to sooth the relationship between his men and the locals but he has been given free reign to peruse his goal as he sees fit, and while the Order of the Dragon Shield would never seek to harm or endanger Cathay, the squabbling, bickering interference of the irate Cathayan officials who feel usurped by the newcomers threatens to make their task even more difficult than it already is.

As the ODS prepares for war and the skies over Cathay darken several questions remain. Why is Prince Alfonti so reluctant to reveal his employer's identity? There are few who could afford the monstrous amount of coin that the ODS will consume over the course of the campaign so the list of suspects is not long. However perhaps the most pressing question of all has yet to be voiced. How did Alfonti's employer realize that such a vast army would be required, several years before the true scale of the threat to Cathay became apparent?

GM's Note

As a player in the Order of the Dragon Shield you are one of Prince Alfonti's senior generals with a seat on his council of advisers. Your task, simply put, is to save the Cathayan Empire from collapse.

In pursuing this goal remember that your aim and your commander are noble and during the campaign you must do you best to minimize collateral damage to Cathay and to her citizens. The local officials who command the Cathayan army, already wary of your presence, will not take kindly to such acts and should you alienate them you may have an impossible task on your hands.

Equally, knowing which official to trust or to approach for help will be key, for with the Emperor barricaded within the Forbidden City of Wei-Jinn the Provincial Governors of Central Cathay wrestle power from one another in a dizzying political war. You will need help from somewhere and understanding which of these officials can provide it at any given time is crucial, for in approaching one you will doubtless anger another and should you require the latter's help in the years ahead you may not get it. Of course, you could ignore the Cathayans altogether and approach other powerful individuals for help, but beware, for these individuals goals may well not align with your own and many who claim to support Cathay wait simply for the opportunity to strike.

Do not despair for while your task may be difficult it is not impossible. The Empire of Cathay must survive and you have at your command the largest private army ever assembled. Stay true to the ideals that brought you together and you shall not fail!