Etienne's Logbook

Our barracks is lost, and many of our men lie dead. The Fusiliers carried out their so-called trial whilst I was conferring with the cutters, seeking to ascertain the truth behind their uprising. Upon my return, I found four of my soldiers hanged, and many more slaughtered for resisting Ambrose’s commands - their only offence was maintaining amicable relations with the local people. Those same local people that Ambrose was ordered to protect, but instead he seized their wives, sisters and daughters for his own gratification. We are now forced to take refuge within the forest. Ambrose and his men outnumber us, and our position is precarious. I sent my fastest dispatch rider with a message for Paris, in the hope that reinforcements may arrive. However, the Fusiliers are not the only threat we face. We are seeing more of those creatures wander through the ravines and the woods. Most are from the lowlands, but some… Some seem to be soldiers and cutters. It's as though the bodies of those killed in this forest are refusing their deaths - screaming desperately for help, whilst simultaneously tearing at our throats. Ambrose is incapable of confronting this threat, and if we do not depose him soon, the entire mountain will be overrun. There is, however, a measure of fortune. Whilst keeping watch, we observed Ambrose and his men vacate the Fusiliers Garrison to set Cutter’s Hamlet ablaze. Though lacking the strength to prevent their destruction, we seized the opportunity to enter the fort undetected. There, we secured what armaments remained - muskets, powder, shot, and armour - carrying what we could. These supplies are now concealed within the caves beneath the forest. Five crates. Should the Major General answer our dispatch, they may yet be put to use. God grant that the rider has reached him in time.