The War Response of the Splitclaw Clan

The Bloodscar Clan had suppressed news of the Blackflame Pass defeat. At present, only the upper ranks of the Splitclaw Clan knew that its vanguard army of over a hundred thousand had perished alongside the defenders of Blackflame Pass.

But some unusual events didn't require knowing the truth to guess what had happened. Take the series of Astral rifts that had occurred throughout Splitclaw territory over the past fortnight, for example. They were unmistakable acts of retribution, targeting only the Splitclaw Clan and happening with such frequency that the gnoll chieftains of the other clans weren't fools.

They had realized something was wrong.

But for the Splitclaw Clan, none of that mattered anymore. The destruction of an army of over a hundred thousand was enough to break the back of a great clan. Only one choice remained: answer High Marshal Huxson's call and commit all their remaining warriors to the assault on Transia.

Only by capturing Transia and carrying out a terrible slaughter there could they restore the clan's already precarious reputation.

There was also a more practical reason. Only by plundering Transia for ample spoils and opening a path for the armies that followed into the heart of the continent could they possibly recover from this disaster.

The gnolls' traditions were hardly merciful. They were ardent believers in Darwinian survival, and practiced what they preached. If this weren't wartime, the Splitclaw Clan's current weakness alone would invite a brutal attack from all sides. Even the minor clans that had once been its vassals would take the opportunity to bite their master hard and feast until they were stuffed.

Such things had happened many times before.

In the age of the Bonechewer King, there had been no Splitclaw, Whiptail, Brokenfang, or Bloodscar Clans. They had all risen amid the chaos