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Hell Campaign Battle Journal
09-28-2018, 02:23 PM (This post was last modified: 10-11-2018 10:58 PM by Old Dwarf.)
Post: #1
Hell Campaign Battle Journal
Journal of Hans Rupbert Gluck,Commander Hell
Expeditionary Force.



Madgeberg,25 November,1632


A grey dawn got up on the martyred city of Magdeburg. Those of her inhabitants who had survived roamed aimlessly, like ghosts, faces dirty with soot and grime. The dogs were competing for the remains of the dead with the soldiery. Around us everything was just ruin and misery. I progressed with my Officers in the middle of calcined buildings, on a pavement soiled by blood and by corpses. The breeze of the morning was whirling the soot burned remains of the Hanseatic city, blocking our vision, dirtying our lungs. In an alley below, a girl succumbed to shrieks in the carnal appetite of her executioners. Her parents were content to watch, glassy eyed, throats cut. I diverted my gaze in front of this repeated merry-go-round

A sort of tiredness invaded me, a felling of déjà vu. At night the ghosts of my victims were tormenting me. The cacophony of their cries resounding in my head, shouting, swearing, cursing me! May they burn in hell! I did my job as a soldier, nothing more.

My iron chapel adjusted and my armour plating tightened, I ignited a good big cigar shielded from the wind. Savoring the bitter stenches of the tobacco mixed with the powder, I took position on the pinnacle of a destroyed temple. My gaze drifted into the distance, I saw the slopes of the Elba bathed in the light of the fading day and the small fires of the garrisons still on guard in the trench circle. Closer to me, the city steps, the Elba covered with a shroud of mist, sparkled with a thousand fires. The moon would die little by little in a dirty sky punctured with a red sun. God, by your mercy, allow me to again contemplate your sun. There where I go, Lord, I shall keep only a weak memory.

A door had opened on hell. The idea of throwing myself into the lair of the devil terrified me completely. According to some, this demonic portal was the result of our barbarity and our growing depravity. I did not know what to think, in truth I wanted to drink until the situation changed, however I was expected at dawn, not far from the door. I was finally going to see the beasts of my nightmares.

The Emperor in obedience to his Holy Father had taken up the Crusade against Hell.He instructed the Compte de Tilly, our general to create an Expeditary Force & I by what ill luck I was chosen to lead this conquest .

The troops waited for us two streets back from the door, a little annoyed. The rain had replaced the sun and large drops were falling on the exposed guards. God pissed on us from above, he must have his reasons. I have to admit that before dancing with Lucifer, a small keeping back of his divine bladder would not have been too much.

Finally………..



The company had been ordered into single file for parade for the Priest to bless us.I then had a chance to observe the Thuggish Milita soldiers with weasel faces that made up a full 3rd of my Force. They were equipped with whatever cast off weapons they could find even farm implements. Their tendency to turn coat in a very shitty situation indicated them at first sight as troops which we could sacrifice.

My verterans, hardened by a decade of war, would act as shock troops. Tilly had come to attend our departure. The man I knew had changed. His speech was great and noble, his features emaciated, his skin waxy.

In passing the cordon guards supposed to control access to the door, Tilly left me “I’m sorry Hans”Which made me cold down my back. Already a smell of decomposition reached my nostrils, a deaf humming was heard: in voices, pleasant, intoxicating, a noise of water falling. The temperature began to rise little by little, and in less than ten fathoms I saw it, I was there!

Terrifying, fascinating, gigantic, devilish, were my first thoughts!

Long Bridge in the bastion of Holzmarch, a Vortex crackling of purpurins flashes of lighting swirled on the Elba. A scarlet luminescence pulsated on it’s surface bubbled like a gigantic pot….. Hundreds of corpses floated within the maelstrom of great art, deserving of the human race.

On banks dirtied with mud and with ash, a gigantic arched hoist had been built by the sappers. Worthy of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals, built with the bronze and the blackened iron of the devastated city, this crane had to make a way to cross the door in a cogue loaded with good and faithful Christians. The destination: Hell!

We the first boarded our ship. The men were shaking, vomiting, some shit themselves above. After a fiery sermon from the priest, we began our desent.

Our lives would never be the same again. It was not brilliant before, however I’ll let you imagine the afterwards. The smell of burned flesh and death below filled our nostrils. The boat pitched, the chain of descent clicked, we went down, we sank, body and soul.

When the cogue touched the surface a great light struck me, and I saw all the major events of my life again, in an accelerated state. The men roared, convulsed, drooled or spat blood. A strident noise resounded in my head. I lost consciousness, the world closed in around me.



How, how did we get here. After fighting in all four corners of Europe, I thought I had seen everything. The rules were simple then, just a dirty enterprise between people of ill will. We raped here, we violated there, we always plundered, by vice or out of necessity. Sometimes, for amusement, we would slice a guy or two, the teasing side of a soldier I presume.

The rules of the game differ greatly in the worlds of hell. Having nerves of steel before entering was certainly required.

We should never have come here. This world is not ours and now it is too late to turn back. A place in the ballet of death, blood and tears.


Hell Level I,12th December 1632

We have prepared a fortfied Camp which will gradually be expanded into a Fort.I have sent out scouts to get some bearings but have seen no Demons or any of the Damned who are suppose to be here yet.

My Expeditionary Force seems to be a polyglot of what General Tully could spare.An Austrain Brigade of Halberds under Col.Ritter & three Bavarian Argebust Battalions under Majors Reinbeck,Hoffman,Weinbach plus an Imperial Battalion of Major SchwarzKopf Doppelsöldners.I have but a single Battery of Artillery under Captain Volker.

I also have been give 3 Battalions of Bohemian Militia,poorly armed with little discipline & really nothing but an armed mob.They will probably be more trouble than their worth.

The Holy Sea has sent Papal Troops ,a Halberd Brigade under Inquisitor-General Vincenzo Maculano de Fiorenzuola.They are good troops but I will have to struggle to impose my command over them & the Inquisitor-General is a stiff necked fanatic.

May our Gracious Savior look with favor on my Mission



Hell Level I,25th December ,1632

We celebrated the birth of out Lord with a unique gift.Our scouts returned with strange beings.One calls himself a Squmata Nomad & the other a Retiarii ( a short reptilian creature) they are residents of Hell but not Demons.

They claim to be called The Lost & were former slaves of the demons but have been able to break away & are now independent.They have provided valuable information on Hell & the Demonic hirachy of the 9 Hells.

Oncemore they offer their services to provide troops to help us crush their former Demonic Masters.I have reported this offer to General Tilly .I am now somewhat optimistic about this venture for the first time.The problems of this vile place manifest themselves daily,the constant struggle to supply my troops the problem of cannon without horses to move them.I am almost considering doing without artillery due to these problems & the unstable effects of powder in the climates of Hell.

Hell Level I,28th December,1632
The information from these Lost & of our scouts indicates that Hell is a varied environment. Although the natural effects of its climates are somewhat tempered this close to our Portal,it appears Hell goes to extremes.

We have wet Hells,Frozen Hells,Burning Hells & worst a dead zone where the souls of the damned constantly scream & lament their fate.Great Necropolsis of dead cities, make whole region a great charnal field.May God protect & deliver us.

Hell Level I ,21st February,1633

Alas what a burden has been added to me,Tilly has sent word back that the Emperor has issued a decree that No Army of the Empire may treat with these unclean Lost.They are Hell tainted & and that I must fore go any aide from them. We are to have no intercourse with Hell beings.

I sure this is the influence of Inquisitor-General Vincenzo Maculano de Fiorenzuola,a Black Crow bastard who leads the Papal State Regiments I have been blessed with,a wild eyed fanatic. I must constantly remind him he is under my orders but my militia fawns over him as if he were the Holy Father.

Hell Level I,22nd February ,1633

The Horror,the Emperors decree was published & the Militia ignorant, brutal fools seized the Lost embessaries & burned them in a mass bond fire amid much drinking & revelry.I have instructed my officers to confiscate all spirits from the men & hanged the leaders of the mob. Alas I fear we have not only rejected aide but made new enemies.

Hell Level I,15th March ,1633

I ordered the Army to advance as our Fortress stronghold has secured our base.We are moving to conquer this First Level vestruble of Hell ,as it were,I learned from the Lost that this level is dominated by the Damned unconverted led by Gilles de Rais,the degenerate French Leader from the 100 years wars.

Apparently this Level is under control of a Greater Demon of combat,who delights inkeeping these damned in constant warfare against each other.

Hell,Level I,28th March ,1633

Thus it begins.We received an envoy from Gilles de Rais,offering to parley for our passage. Alas the Priest stationed with the Unit he approached ordered the envoy burnt at the stake in line with the Emperor's decree.

We have now made another enemy & will need to fight to control this Level & gain the Portal to the next. May our Gracious Savior aide & keep us for we battle Hell.


Hell,Level I,15th April ,1633

Our Army has yet to meet the enemy & this marching through the bleakness of Hell is unnerving for the men.Hell seems to change landscapes as often as the Emperor changes hose.We have marched through wet dripping forests, burning deserts ,frozen waste & barren vistas where the screaming of the damned never cease.The worst has been the great silent, crumbling ruins,vast Necropolis which we have avoided.

No matter the landscape we march through the gray sterile soil of Hell. Lifeless,colorless it makes every footstep a reminder of how far we are from the Sun & Gods Grace.

I pray that Gilles de Rais will give battle soon as this marching is depressing the men.

Sighing like the night wind and sobbing like the rain,—
Wailing for the lost one that comes not again:
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10-01-2018, 06:17 PM
Post: #2
RE: Hell Campaign Battle Reports
Hell Level I ,20th April, 1633

I cannot describe the soul crushing atmosphere of marching leagues and leagues through terrain dominated by vast tombs that make up this Necropolis. God has however taken mercy for arrayed on the plain before us stands the forces of Damnation that we might smite them down for his everlasting glory. I have deployed my army and set my glass the hour of attack is neigh , may God help my troops in this battle and deliver the enemy to us.

Hell Level I ,21 April,1633

Alas the powers of Hell wax and our forces were driven from the field.Inquisitor General Vincenzo Maculano has declared our defeat is God's punishment for our sins which does nothing to help the men's moral. I think more has to do with the fact that that 2 of his 3 his Papal Regiments broke & were driven from the field. The Battle was close but on the 3rd Glass exhaustion was setting in and the Damned seized our Left Flank even when I committed my own Austrian
Regiment only to be beaten back. I have no choice but to order a retreat & regroup the army we have suffered a defeat but will press on for our Emperor and Gods glory.

Sighing like the night wind and sobbing like the rain,—
Wailing for the lost one that comes not again:
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10-03-2018, 04:27 PM
Post: #3
RE: Hell Campaign Battle Reports
Hell Level I, 4th May,1633

Our Army has recovered thanks to the arrival of supplies from out outpost at New Jersulaem . We have lost contact with the enemy and have entered the Wet Hells a miserable
region everything is damp and covered in mold.

Hell Level I, 11th May,1633

We suddenly came upon the forces of Hell and both Armies hurriedly formed up their battle lines. I detected a weakness in the Damned Left Flank which to my surprise I discovered held only by a motley band of deserters from our army and a Squamata Unit.

Concentrating our Attacks on the enemies Left Flank the deserters were routed. The enemy commander was forced to personally intervene with his Heavy Cavalry only to be decimated on the pikes of my Austrians.The Hell host seeing their commander driven from the field broke and retreated.
We have won this battle but we are still far from conquering the Damned. Our position is perilous and we must bring this Campaign to an end soon

Sighing like the night wind and sobbing like the rain,—
Wailing for the lost one that comes not again:
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10-06-2018, 10:06 PM
Post: #4
RE: Hell Campaign Battle Reports
Hell Level I, 28 May,1633

We are still in the Wet Hells it seem endless the Army is wet through and through .The men stagger on the march
and even Inquisitor General Maculano sermons do little
to lift moral. As Terrible as battle is I think the troops would
welcome it as opposed to this morass we're in now.

Hell Level I,June 1st,1633

The Army of the Damned came upon us suddenly and we barely had time to form a Battle Line .My men waivered
at the sight of the Damns Commander no less than the
Greater Demon Abaddon had come forth.

Nevertheless we prevailed although the enemy had
some successes against our left Flank it held. Our
Right & Center prevailed over vicious assaults and
then Abaddon displeased with his forces failures withdrew
his host leaving us the field. The passage to Hells 2nd level
is now open. May our gracious God we with us as we prepare for our descent.

Sighing like the night wind and sobbing like the rain,—
Wailing for the lost one that comes not again:
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10-09-2018, 08:58 PM
Post: #5
RE: Hell Campaign Battle Reports
Hell Level II- 10th June

The Army marches under a burning heat this is Hell we expected but were still not prepared for still moral is good the Victory over The Damned was a tonic for the men and I sure it will please the Emperor and the Holy Father when they receive Report. That said I and many of the man have had troubling dreams since the realm of Lust I am an old soldier and well use to a soldiers pleasures but even I blush at wanton behavior of my dreams. Inquisitor-General Vincenzo Maculano de Fiorenzuola, is hearing confessions daily .I wonder who will absolve him of the feelings he must surely have from these accursed dreams.

Hell Level II-13t June

The Forces of Lust block our march and the army forms for battle. The air is carries a musky sent and concertation is difficult and the forces of Lust are well positioned on a ridge line and we are sorely disadvantaged even worst our cannon have been delayed as the men have trouble pulling them through the intense heat. We formed our Battle Line anchoring it on the Right by a hill but the Battle started slowly as my Captains were reluctant to attack due to the enemies superior position. The Lust forces seemed unwilling give up the high ground by attacking our lines.

Finally as my army could ill afford to stand in the burning heat I ordered my Left Flank to attack sending out the 3rd Austrian Regiment with the 3rd Bohemian Militia in support .The Lust commander responded on his Right Flank by sending Bran Carnoth to move on the 1st Bavarian Arquebus Battalion neither sides troops appeared anxious to close and the Battle again stalled. Finally Bran Carnoth and his force came within range and the 1st Bavarian Battalion volleyed to no great effect. The Battle was mainly a contest on my Flanks the Demons were content to hold the ridge line and repulse our attacks.The Right Wing held against Bran Carnoth and the Lost forces but the Austrian Regiments on the Left were routed when attacking the Demons leaving only a company of Bohemian militia to maintain our Battle Line. Thus I ordered a withdraw to avoid greater losses and make a stand in more favorable terrain.

Sighing like the night wind and sobbing like the rain,—
Wailing for the lost one that comes not again:
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10-11-2018, 10:54 PM
Post: #6
RE: Hell Campaign Battle Reports
Hell Level II, June 21,1633

Thankfully we have left the region of the Burning Hells and are now regrouping among the hulking tombs and monoliths of a Necropolis Region. The feeling of oppression is overwhelming but at least climate is bearable. We have discovered why our troops fought so poorly during the previous Battle it seems that the Succubus Legions Gave off a musk that seduced our men reducing their ability if fight what appeared to be desirable women. Inquisitor-General Vincenzo Maculano has been blessing the weapons of all the troops with prayers against Licentious. Fortified with God's Word they will be able to withstand the seductive musk and we shall be better prepared for our next encounter with the Forces of Lust.

Hell Level II, 4th July,1633

God has forsaken us or saved us, I know not which from the recent Battle. The Lust Army came upon us and made haste to press an attack. Our Lines were prepared and we held them off as they attacked both our Flanks.

The struggle lasted a couple of Glasses when the 2nd and 3rd Austrian Regiments cracked and routed. Then suddenly the Gloom of these Necropolis Hells thickened and all became black and the Armies lost contact. The Lust Forces can claim a small victory as our losses exceed theirs.

Did our gracious Savior blanket us to save us from further losses or did the power of Hell simply moved to make any hope of victory vanish. Whatever the reason I prey God will have mercy on the Army as we are sore pressed to overcome the Demons of this Level.

Sighing like the night wind and sobbing like the rain,—
Wailing for the lost one that comes not again:
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10-15-2018, 01:48 PM
Post: #7
RE: Hell Campaign Battle Journal
Hell Level II, July 23,1633

We wander through total blackness our torchers and lanterns barely reveal two steps before us you cannot see your hand if you extend your arm. The darkness of the Necropolis Hells is absolute and I fear that the Army has been separated as we struggle on, heavenly Father mercy,mercy spare your poor soldiers some Divine Light
in Hells Darkness.

Hell Level II,July 25th,1633

I rejoice for our precious Savior has not deserted us he hath raised us up to victory in our hour of need. The darkness had no sooner faded into the usual gloom of the Necropolis Hells when we discovered that the Papal Brigade was no longer with the Army having separated in the darkness. Then out of the gloom the Forces of Lust appeared and both sides hurriedly form up their Battle Lines. Our Army seized the only high ground to anchor our Right Flank along a ridge line. My spy glass revealed The Lust forces were now under the command of a Greater Demon Asmodeus so this was obviously to be the deciding Battle to determine who dominated Hells Second Level . Asmodeus threw his forces into a Battle Line resulting in its Right Flank held only by a Squamata Regiment and a company of Empire Deserters.

The resulting fighting was fierce our Right wing was again and again assaulted and I was forced to commit my personal reserves to hold off the demonic forces. Our valiant troops carried the day by breaking the Lust Armies weak Right Flank at which the demonic forces moral failed and they fled the field. I have given the men a respite as we await supplies and I have sent out scouts to located the Papal Brigade.

Sighing like the night wind and sobbing like the rain,—
Wailing for the lost one that comes not again:
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10-25-2018, 01:50 PM
Post: #8
RE: Hell Campaign Battle Journal
Hell Level III, 12th August,1633

The Army is rested and our Papal Brigade has rejoined the Army our Inquisitor-General is for once subdued at having gotten his troops lost and then missing our final battle with the Lust forces. May God forgive me but I take some comfort in his humiliation. We have entered the Wet Hells again the dampness and rain make marching a terrible slogging process but we press on for Gods Will and the Emperors Glory.

Hell Level III, 25th August,1633

Alas are we cast aside by out precious Lord are we unworthy to battle in HIS name the forces of Hell. Do we even belong here ? Still although we have been defeated our losses are minimal the Wet Hells were destructive to our power rendering out Artillery and Arquebus useless.

Perhaps it was by HIS grace that the battle did not destroy our Army. We shall press on the forces of Hell shall not prevail.

Sighing like the night wind and sobbing like the rain,—
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04-22-2019, 01:20 AM
Post: #9
RE: Hell Campaign Battle Journal
Hell Level III 5th September ,1633

Praise to our Glorious Savior the forces of Hell have been routed. Even the darkness of the Necropolis could not stop the army. Inquisitor General Vincenzo Maculano Papal troops and the Imperial Doppelsoldners smashed the Glutton's Center and broke their Line sending their flank forces into a disorganized retreat.

The Battle for this Level of Hell now proceeds and I fear the greatest challenge is before us .

Hell Level III 16th September ,1633

We have the Burning Hells and the men suffer much from the fearsome heat I can only pray that we find the Demon Army soon before this horrible climate begins to effect moral.Some desertions have occurred already among the Militia .

Hell Level III 27th September , 1633

We have found the Glutton Army or it has found us in any case they had threw up a Battle Line across our path and the fight was joined. The Gluttons were led by a Greater Demon Carreau but at this stage of our battles in Hell our troops were not unnerved.

Hats off to the Bavarian Aquebus Battalions they destroyed or forced retreats to enemy formations on all 3 fronts.The Gluttons gambled on a massive assault on our Left Flank but between the Bavarians and the Papal Troops the attack was crushed and their Battle Line broken.

Carreau seeing his army fleeing had no choice but to submit and surrender the III Level of Hell to us. We will wait for resupplies from New Jerusalem and then proceed to
Level IV the abode of the Greedy.

Sighing like the night wind and sobbing like the rain,—
Wailing for the lost one that comes not again:
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