TWR, Campaign Troubles (8-13-08)  

The Weekly Refresh, Aug. 13, 2008 Earth Time

It's rough being a musician these days.

On the battlefields of the Crystal War Era, adventurers scowl at me when I strum my harp. Then, when I engage in battle, nobody steps in as beastmen knock me out.

Tough crowd, I thought to myself.

However, the anti-bard sentiment among the Allied Forces of Altana seems to have just been a symptom of a larger, more real problem.

Apathy.

Things have been going downhill for awhile now. A few weeks back, the Yagudo hordes breached our defenses and stormed Windurst Waters. We turned them back, but our counter attack was barely strong enough to retake one of our fortresses.

All over the world, though, territories have fallen like rain in Yuhtunga Jungle. The beastmen attack day and night. When they claim one of our territories, they refuse to give it back. I've seen their supply patrols racing to repair their strongholds. They never stop. They are relentless.

And how has Altana's mighty army responded?

The other day, I grabbed my joyeuse and warped out to Gustaberg, ready to beat down some Quadavs. I grabbed my campaign tags and raced for the fortress, ready to join the fray. Only there was no fray -- just a bunch of beastmen, looking bored, waiting around their fort for adventurers who would not come.

Not long after, the Orcish army raided San d'Oria. The Elvaan kingdom was the last of the three nations to have successfully defended its walls.

At a time when adventurers are needed most, it seems fewer are answering Altana's call. The world of Vana'diel teeters on the edge of total chaos. The beastmen seem a fingertip away from victory.

I remember growing up in Vana'diel, learning the adventuring lifestyle in the fields of Sarutabaruta. In town, I heard many tales of the destruction of the Crystal War. I thought about it whenever I gazed upon the water surrounding Heaven's Tower. I tried to imagine the chaos, the battles, the heroics and the deaths.

I never realized how bad it was until now.

How will we win this war? Did we make the right choice by interfering with the course of history? Is history something we can change, or is this war destined to be bloody?

For the moment, the beastmen have won. They may not own all of our land -- yet -- but they've crushed our spirits and stolen our will to win. They are cold, coordinated and precise in their attacks. We are disorganized and sporadic.

I don't know what it will take for the tide of battle to turn.

Until then, I'll be out on the battlefield, seizing every opportunity to stop singing and start swinging.