The Ashbury Times
October 610
“All The News That Fits, We Print”
After two long years, the Mons Regalis has been found and
has made its decision, but has not clarified the succession. Five contenders
for the throne have been found worthy with the Mons Regalis saving final judgment for the spring, when the will
of the people will become known.
The final preparations for
summoning the stone were made during the recent Ashbury Ducal tournament, and
it seems that if one wishes to compel the stone to appear they must prove
themselves worthy. His Grace Duke Frost first needed a token proving that he
had champions willing to defend the land under his banner. To this end he
called upon the court of the
The tourney continued on
without interruption, with the heroes of Ashbury and Evorra
striving against one another in what many remarked was the cleanest and most
sportsmanlike tourney in a decade. As evening approached, Duke Frost and
Duchess Jacelyn returned to town and bade those
assembled to follow and bear witness.
The assembled nobles and
adventurers were led into the woods, finally arriving at a large hill that
emanated a magical aura that prevented anyone from approaching. Duke Frost
asked Baron Ivan Drake of Blythedale to accompany him as Duchess Jacelyn ascended the hill singing and holding Validus aloft. Upon reaching the summit, Her Grace tied the
corrupted unicorn’s tail around Validus and His
Grace ordered Baron Ivan to bare his breast. Duchess Jacelyn
continued her song and plunged the blade into the Baron of Blythedale’s
chest. As his blood touched the unicorn tail it began to glow with a pure white
radiance. Duchess Jacelyn then plunged Validus into a large stone and the land itself began to
sing as pillars of radiance shot up all around her. The Mons
Regalis had appeared.
Duchess Jacelyn
paused a moment and looked to Duke Frost who nodded his assent before the
Duchess stepped up upon the stone. An even louder song was heard, and the
lights grew brighter as Duchess Jacelyn stood atop
the Mons Regalis.
His Grace Duke Frost then
called out in a loud voice, telling all assembled to take a knee, only to be
rifted out mid sentence. Confusion reigned for a few moments before His Grace
reappeared, standing atop the
There was little time for
those assembled to absorb the implications of this turn of events before the
air rippled again and Sir Nevin Kendrick also
appeared, followed closely by Dame Sonia Forthiatis
and Duke Broomis Bouchard.
Upon realizing where he was,
Duke Broomis hastily stepped down from the stone and
declared his Duchy’s strong support for Duchess Jacelyn’s
claim. This led to an argument between the Duke and Dame Sonia about what this
actually meant, Duke Broomis loudly declared that he
would not believe that Icenia was meant to be ruled
by council and some present say that an aura of magical energy began to appear
around his hands when the final surprise of the evening made itself known.
A sixth figure appeared atop
the Mons, and all the nobles present immediately took
a knee to the man, a man who perhaps alone of anyone in the Kingdom could
command the trust and respect of all the nobles present: Former Duke of Ashbury
Aramis Llyrr.
He then stood alone atop the Mons Regalis and spoke of the
nobility of all who had been chosen. Each of those who stood upon the stone had
the hearts of the people of Icenia, but sentiment is
divided even as the Kingdom is divided. The nobles of Icenia
have been so consumed with rumors of assassins and civil war that they have
neglected their oaths to those they serve, the common folk of our kingdom.
So it will be the common folk who will decide who shall sit the throne,
the Mons Regalis would
search the hearts of the people, and render a decision at winter’s end.
Lord Aramis then said he must speak to those who had been chosen privately and
all present left the scene. At this time it is not known what was discussed.
Who’s Who
Duke
Broomis Bouchard: The elderly Duke of Brittington expresses no interest in ruling the kingdom
himself, saying that Brittington supports Duchess Jacelyn’s bid for the throne.
Duke Frost Vardik: The only non-human contestant for the throne, Duke Frost is loved by his people for his stoic attitude and his stern, yet merciful style of governing.
Duchess
Jacelyn Corelia: The Duchess of Evorra
shares a bloodline with Queen Sidraste. The fact that
the late Queen’s sword, Validius, accepted her
as its wielder was proof enough for some people that she was monarch material.
Sir
Nevin Kendrick: Sir Nevin
Kendrick has served as Lord General of Brittington
for the last several years. His most public claim to fame in this position was
his organization and leadership in the Battle of Starkenstein.
His current task, the Reclamation of Trellheim, has him stationed in Ashbury
near the town of
Dame
Sonia Forthiatis: Dame Sonia Forthiatis is originally from Romwing
in the Duchy of Brittington. She’s spent the
last several years at Cil Cilurion,
having left the Romwing army when she was squired by
Queen Sidraste herself, whom she later server as
knight and seneschal. Upon the death of the monarchs, Sonia served as regent
until just a few months ago, when it was revealed that the betrayer was among
the nobility. She relinquished her post to now-regent Colin Hendry, Duke of
Falkirk.
Blythedale Wins
Controversial Tournament
An hour before high sign on
Saturday the 11th there was some slight question whether the 610
Tournament was actually going to proceed.
The members of
For the better part of an
hour a stalemate occurred. Various
nobles, including the Magistrate and His Grace engaged in numerous discussions,
some of which also included the present members of
Recognizing that only three teams
showed any intention of participating,
As is common before
tournaments, Duke Frost took advantage of the assembled heroes and nobles to
make a pronouncement. He declared
Sheriff Harrison Ryatt as the new Baron of Nordenn. Immediately
upon the declaration, Glorianna Wyndancer
relinquished her belt and title as did her squire Raven Nevermore. Then, the entire team of Nordenn
resigned from the tournament.
There was a moment of shocked
silence before a slightly shaken Trevor announced that the Colors event would
begin.
Despite the tumultuous
beginnings, the events went well. The
four teams participating were
Immediately following Colors,
the Spellcaster’s
As the Hunt began, Trevor was
quickly swarmed by team members providing answers and curiously waylayed a few times, without apparent effect.
Late in the afternoon, the
participants reconvened for Archery and Combat.
Firing at stationary targets, Lady Iona of the Evorran
Dragoons proved the most able archer, making the only bull’s eye of the
competition.
Combat proved even more
exciting. Blythedale easily won every
battle, but the other three teams ended in a three-way tie with one win
apiece. After a quick discussion, it was
decided that all three teams would fight at once. To add to the excitement, both Duke Frost and
Duchess Jacelyn also participated in the battle as
independent participants. After an
intense battle, the Duke faced off with Sir Nevin and
the Duchess faced off with Sir Ulthoc. Sir Nevin managed
to hold off the longest and won a hard-earned second place for the Evorran Dragoons.
Trivia and Entertainment
started in the evening. The participants
were quick to understand the new trivia format and proceeded to answer an array
of questions ranging from relatively easy to nearly impossible. Unlike in past years, there was a bit more
levity than normal, especially when for two questions in a row participants
attributed a past event to some time in the future. Despite the fact that Blythedale managed to
correctly answer more questions than any other team, due to the scoring system,
Entertainment proceeded
immediately after, judged by His Grace.
The comedy routines of
The final events commenced
the following morning. The only real
surprise in the race was that the seemingly quick-footed Evorran
team came in third place.
After the race, Hero’s
Combat took place. Defending his title,
Squire Sparticous ably took down his first two
opponents almost effortlessly. Only his
battle against Squire Ithaca took any real effort. Despite the win,
The superlatives for the Hunt
displayed the creativity of the participants, as usual. But, a few of the answers were remarkably
crass and Duke Frost was heard questioning whether to even award points for
some answers. One item in Blythedale’s top ten list
caused a stir and earned a very awkward silence from the assembled audience and
nobles. Once the contest was over, the
Storm’s End Irregulars had finally won their first event of the
tournament. They proudly cheered their
team anthem, “Not last!”
In the final tally, the
Storm’s End Irregulars came in 4th place, though impressively
they only came in last place in three of the nine events.
Tournament Results
|
|
Blythedale |
|
Evorran Dragoons |
Storm’s End Irregulars |
|
Colors |
4 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
|
Combat |
5 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
|
Spellcasters |
4 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
|
Entertainment |
2 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
|
Trivia |
4 |
5 |
2 |
3 |
|
Archery |
4 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
|
Race |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
|
Hero |
4 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
|
Hunt |
4 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
|
TOTAL |
36 |
32 |
32 |
26 |
Duke Names Harrison Ryatt Baron of Nordenn
For many years now, Nordenn has been baronless; first His Grace
acted as regent himself, and later he appointed Dame Glorianna. However, His Grace recently felt that it was
time that the barony had a Baron, and after a long talk with Dame Glorianna, he announced that he would name Sir Harrison to
be the new Baron.
Duke Frost made this
announcement at the start of the Tournament.
Dame Glorianna then publicly removed her belt
and resigned, leaving Ashbury. It should
be noted that His Grace did not remove her title but only placed his trusted
Paladin in the position. He did not announce
his reasons for not promoting Dame Glorianna.
Sir Harrison was reportedly
honored and will be working with Sir Ulthoc to build
a strong baronial court.
Luigi of the
The incident came to the attention of Magistrate Sir Eros on
the Friday before the Tournament when Dame Darlassia
of the
The nobles in attendance were assembled, and Sir Eros asked
that a unanimous decision be made among all of those gathered. “It needed
to be clear that this was unanimous in that I knew otherwise there would be
protests,” he reportedly stated later.
“Although it has been some time since the crime was committed there is no way we can turn a
blind eye since this news has been brought
to light,” stated Dame Darlassia.
The nobles met with the accused and a trial occurred in the
Black Stag before witnesses. The accused
were able to respond to the accusation that was made against them, but were
unable to convince the convened nobles
of their innocence. Before a verdict could be rendered however, Luigi, Gilwing
and Gaara fled the area.
Luigi and Gilwing previously had been convicted of murder and as such had criminal records that were taken into consideration at sentencing time. However, Sir Eros held that the sentence would only be one death each, even though multiple offenders could also be sentenced to obliteration and/or banishment.
“To Luigi, Gilwing and Gaara, we ask that you turn yourselves in to the
authorities in Ashbury for sentencing to answer for
this crime,” stated Dame Darlassia,
“and you can once again
begin your journey to do the right thing without the taint of this offense against society hanging over your heads.
Failure of an honest and timely attempt
to make restitution will result in a harsher sentence should you be found in Icenia.”
Just
like the last time members of the Ash Forest were found guilty of a major
crime, they have loudly proclaimed their innocence and have continued to
attempt to convince others that they have been the subject of an injustice,
stating that even though a noble questioned the witness and was convinced of
the truth of the witness’ statements, the trial should not have happened
absent the witness.
“Icenian and Ashban law does not,
and has never, granted the accused any right to question their accuser,”
said Sheriff Davin Holst.
“I really don’t know how this legal rumor started, but it’s
very common amongst the mercenar ... excuse me,
adventuring population. The Magistrate conducting the trial has the right to
withhold the identity of the accuser or accusers, and it is the presiding
magistrate alone who determines the credibility of any witnesses heard. This is
done to protect the identities and physical safety of those who come forward
and report crimes, mostly the common folk of this land who have little defense
against riled adventurers.”
In
related news, His Grace has announced
that from henceforth, the Barons of Ashbury have the power to dispense justice
in any part of the Duchy. Previously
they only had this power within their own lands.
Recently, Baron Rorii, Dame Daralassia, Squire Sparticous, Squire Lupiticus, Squire Ezri, and Ashrik found themselves in their namesake,
His Excellency felt a
sickness within the
It was at this time the group
encountered a large number of undead along with a Dark Unicorn. The
undead immediately started to attack Baron Rorri with
their Chaos Magic and Death Spells. Much to everyone’s surprise,
His Excellency was not affected by the Chaos Magic or Death Spells
(one can only guess the Forest had produced the light which was now emanating
from Baron Rorii, and that this light was protecting
him from the blight of the
His Excellency quickly
dispatched of the undead while Squire Sparticous
battled the Dark Unicorn. After landing two very powerful blows, the Dark
Unicorn fell. Squire Sparticous said, “You have
been tamed, Abominable Creature!”
The tail and horn of the Dark
Unicorn were taken (the tail later being used to summon The Mons
Regalis) and Baron Rorii no
longer felt the blight in the area of the
Barbarian Foe Returns With
a Surprise
One a recent Friday night, a
Vansir spirit entered the Fairdale Healer’s Guild for resurrection. Guild member Rowan performed the ritual and,
upon completion, the barbarian quickly asked for asylum from his foes. When it was given, the barbarian then asked
that the guild send for all of the barbarians in the area.
Ulthoc and Drifa arrived. They
met with the newly resurrected barbarian, who, still naked, was wrapped in a
blanket, part of which he draped over his head, like a hood to hide his
face. The barbarian asked them to swear
on an oath ring that they will not harm him until they hear what he had to say.
Ulthoc and Drifa swore the oath and the barbarian revealed himself to
be Bijorgrin the Treacherous, the ancient foe of the
Vansir. He told Ulthoc
and Drifa some chilling news: The Vra and the Einherjar had fallen before a massive Jotun
attack and the giants managed to free the long-imprisoned Arturan
Bear! Because of Bijorgrin’s
constant failure to return most — if not all — of the Vansir into
slavery, the Jotuns turned against him, and, with
their magic, stripped him of his spirit form.
Though the trickster escaped them, he died in the fleeing and his spirit
journeyed to Ashbury to resurrect.
Bijorgrin then
explained that an invading Jotun army had come to
Fortannis, with their powerful engine of destruction, the great Arturan Bear. The magic
chain that had trapped the Bear was broken and must be re-forged. The only Vansir who knew the secrets of its
making was the first Vansir Skald: Wyrdin. However, Wyrdin had mysteriously vanished — some believe sent
to his final rest by Jotun treachery.
Therefore, the Vansir must
travel to Asbrand’s well, and speak to Asbrand himself, who first taught Wyrdin
the secrets of magic. There, the Vansir
could learn the secret of reforging the magic chain
— what has come to be called Ullrig’s Oath
Ring, in recognition of his honorable sacrifice for the good of all the
Vansir.
However, no Vansir now left
knows the way to Asbrand’s Well
… except for Bijorgrin the Treacherous.
Interview with the Barbarian
The
Ashbury Times was pleased to have a chance to sit down and talk with a
famous barbarian elder—even he doesn't look a day over 40—by the
name of Bijorgrin.
AT: Thank you for agreeing to this
interview. I’m sorry … how
do you say your name?
BG: You’re welcome. It’s Bijorgrin…BEE-your-grin.
AT: Thank you. It’s rare opportunity to have a
barbarian agree to a newspaper interview.
What’s your reason for doing so?
BG: Actually, we prefer the name
“Vansir.” It means the
Valiant People. Barbarian is a name that
the other races have given us. I agreed
so that I may quickly spread some dire news.
AT: Oh, ok. So, is it true … that you are a person
of controversy?
BG (chuckles): You humans.
Can you not speak directly? I am
— or rather, I was — a villain to my people.
AT: and now, you are
a…?
BG: I’m not sure. I was first a hero … in fact, you may say that I was the very first Vansir hero.
AT: How’s that?
BG: It’s a long story,
but let’s just say that it was my cunning that
got us the tools we needed to escape from Jotunheim,
where the giants had kept us as slaves for generations.
AT: Then why were you considered a villain?
BG (shrugs): Oh, well, since
then I tried to trick all of the Vansir back into slavery.
AT: Why?
BG: Well,
my brother, Threy, got most of the glory and
honor using the sword that was able to be forged because I stole the secret of
steel from the Jotuns in the first place! (heated now) Then Wyrdin discovered Galdr —
that’s the Vansir word for magic — and everyone forgot my deeds
… even my tricking of the Arturan Bear into
captivity and thus making all the people safe from its wrath! (almost yelling) I was
pushed to the side … (appearing to calm himself) … anyway, I let my
anger turn to hate and get the best of me.
I made … some poor decisions.
AT: So, why the change of heart?
BG: It’s a long story, but the short of it
is that the Jotuns have finally freed the Arturan Bear—
AT: And what is the Bear
exactly?
BG: A great construct of immense power that the Jotuns ritually created to round up all the escaped Vansir
and bring them back into slavery. It can
only be affected by barbarians, as your people call us.
AT: And it’s coming here, to Icenia?
BG: Oh, yes, if it isn’t here already
… the Jotun army is here, at least. But, back to my so-called
“change of heart.”
So, the Jotuns freed the Arturan
Bear, as prophesied, and they decided that I was no longer a valuable ally and
tried to take me in slavery. I escaped
… but died in doing so.
AT: And you chose to
resurrect in Fairdale.
BG: Yes, so that I may warn the Vansir.
AT: Is there anything the barbarians —
sorry, the Vansir — can do to stop the Bear?
BG: Yes, we’ll have to re-forge the
enchanted chain that originally imprisoned the Bear and put it around its neck
again.
AT: That doesn’t sound
so difficult.
BG: Well, no Vansir knows how
to forge the chain … the one person who did, Wyrdin,
has fallen to Jotun treachery, and is no more. However, we can return to the source of the
knowledge, Asbrand’s Well. A great spirit dwells there, Asbrand, who taught Wyrdin the
ways of Galdr and he can show us the secrets of its
making once more.
AT: That’s all that the
Vansir need to do?
BG: That’s all.
AT: So, if you as hated by the Vansir as you are,
why haven’t they killed you until permanent death?
BG: Well, Ulthoc would
certainly like to, but I made him swear on an Oath Ring not to … you see,
the thing is, I’m the only who knows how to find the path to Asbrand’s Well.
My brother Threy, my mother, Valja … all the others are gone, taken by the Jotuns to who knows where.
I’m not even sure if they were taken not back to Jotunheim but to some other hidden plane.
AT: Why should the Vansir trust you?
BG: They shouldn’t … but they have
to. They can trust that, since my own
self-interests — that of avoiding Jotun
enslavement — are the same of theirs, I will not betray the Vansir again.
AT: Do you hope that you will
redeem yourself in this quest?
BG: I hope to avoid slavery. Anything else
… who knows?
AT: Well, I’d like to
thank you for your time.
BG: My pleasure.
Jotuns
Attack Ashbury
An army of powerful
humanoids, known as Jotuns — that’s
pronounced Ya-tuns — who are the ancestral
enemies of the Vansir, have invaded parts of Icenia
via planar rifts. Apparently, these Jotuns are actually giants when they on their home plane of
Jotunheim — that’s pronounced Ya-tun-hime — but condense down to humanoid size upon
entering Fortannis. Yet, despite their reduced stature, they retain their great
strength.
These invaders have come not for conquest, not even
for plunder, but for barbarians. It
seems that they wish to make slaves of the Vansir, who escaped Jotunheim in the distant past. Apparently, the Jotuns
are more interested now in avenging what they view as a stain on their honor
for having allowed the barbarians to escape, then they are in finding people
for forced labor.
Reports of whole Vansir villages gone missing abound. The most recent Jotun
attack came when a Jotun raiding party appeared in
Fairdale during the Tournament weekend, in pursuit of a Vansir named Bijorgrin. The
giants threatened to destroy the whole town if this barbarian was not handed
over to them. Their demands were
refused.
During the Jotan attack, Sir Ulthoc was laid low and the relic that the Vansir have been
carrying for several years was taken from his hand. The thief dashed into the Trellheim Wood leaving a massive trail as only the bulk of
a condensed giant could. Squire Sparticous gave
chase, though he could not be reached for comment. The dogged pursuit returned
nothing, however, and any information on this relic is highly sought after.
Fortunately, the attacks in Fairdale were repelled by His Grace Duke
Frost as he led the nobles of Ashbury and its brave heroes against the
invaders.
Tragically, these attacks could not have come at a
worse time for Icenia as it struggles during a time
of crisis.
Something Wicked This Way
Comes For the Gypsies
Something’s wrong with
the Rom in Icenia.
Details are few in
coming. Though the gypsies are a social,
entertaining folk, they are quite private when it comes to their race’s
business. Nevertheless, rumors abound of
a shadow that has fallen upon certain gypsy camps, leaving some of the Rom
there lacking their famous passions and without even the desire to dance and
sing.
In fact, there were some
actual witnesses in Fairdale of one such event.
Saturday night, after the Ducal Ball had wound down, a small band of
gypsies had gathered round a campfire just outside the Black Stag tavern, when
suddenly their dancing and music making stopped. Some of them were seen in a dispassionate
state as the gypsy, Luka Tatianna
Aleshova, led them to the Healer’s Guild. She then entered into council with the other
gypsies inside the earth circle, Larien Lissesul, and Natalia Gallonovich.
Nothing of the exact details
could be gleaned, but at one point, singing and dancing were heard from within
the Healer’s Guild and then the Rom summoned the stone elf-turned-golem
adventurer, Symerille to the Guild. What they were doing was not clear, but the
stone elf then entered the mind of one of the afflicted gypsies, who seemed to
be slowly recovering at that point. Symerille sensed something was suppressing the Rom’s emotions.
Symerille completed his examination, but, in
doing so, damaged his golem body and needed repair.
Soon after, Larien, Natalia and Luka and the recently afflicted Rom sat in council with a
gypsy elder, Abamano Boboko. It's not known what they next discussed, but
the gypsies then left with Baron Rorii and a
crew of adventurers to a gypsy camp where they rescued a Romani
child also afflicted by this mysterious shadow.
Strange Constructs Attack
Fairdale
On the Friday night of the
Tournament, tremors shook the earth of Fairdale. When the adventurers of Ashbury went to investigate,
they saw a massive construct rise out of the ground. It was a gruesome thing to behold; made of
menagerie of assorted monsters, all magically fused together to form a crude
humanoid shape. Most of the fused
monsters formed the body, others formed the head, legs, and arms that ended in
long, vicious claws, and you could see each individual
monster trapped within the great construct’s form. The body itself was festooned with defensive
claws and spat all kinds of poisons.
The adventurers fought
vainly, trying to fend off the huge thing — what has come to be called
“the Colossal Construct.” Mighty blows that landed on its body sent
either pieces of fused creatures and whole bodies flying free of the
construct’s body.
It was a tough battle but even
when the adventurers destroyed the construct, the fight was not over; for in
its destruction, whatever strange magic had fused the monsters into that crude
whole had been broken and all of the creatures freed. Each of the many, varied monsters emerged
from the wreckage, and, enraged, attacked all within rage. Finally, they, too, were defeated and the
adventurers of Ashbury were left with the puzzling mystery of who had created
this Colossal Construct — which appeared ancient, even by elven reckoning
— and what caused it to rise after so long of a slumber in the earth.
As far as this reporter
knows, no one is researching the hows and whys.
Bad Luck Throughout
Icenia
Black cats are bad luck.
Recently, Fairdale saw visits
from the Black Cats and, holding true to the superstition, brought bad luck to
those near them. In fact, one adventurer
whom a Black Cat sat next to was struck by a tiny meteor that just happened to
land in the exact spot he where he sat.
Some scholars believe these
creatures to be related to the strange run of ill fortune running throughout Icenia: it’s
become harder to win at games of chance; freak accidents occur with more
frequency; and then there was that strange moment when many mirrors across the
kingdom shattered with no apparent cause.
Most notably, a
farmer’s field recently became the talk of the town when it was
discovered that some of his crops had died in a strange fashion: certain crops died beside those that
survived, so that, in the end, those surviving crops stood among the dead crops
in the large-scale shape of the number 13.
It would appear that now is
not the time to take chances.
Letters
As some of you reading this
may know, I made some inappropriate entries for Blythedale’s
Top Ten submission for the Tournament. I have personally spoken with
Duke Broomis Bouchard of Brittington
and Duchess Jacelyn Correlia
of Evorra and have apologized for my inconsiderate
words. This is a time for all of Icenia to join
together as a unified people and my feeble attempt at humor did nothing to
strengthen us.
By my hand,
Baron
Ivan Drake of Blythedale
I hope that all reading will
accept my apologies for statement that I had previously made in which I was
worried that a civil war could erupt. I
did not state that I wished such a thing to happen, nor did I state that
Ashbury would be the duchy to declare this war, despite what the rumor-mongers
who populate The Ashbury Times may
have reported. I merely repeated what
many have said and worried about previously.
However, as a noble of these lands, I understand that it is my duty to
watch my words with more care, as they may be given greater weight than if said
by others. Once more, I apologize to any
who may have misunderstood my intent.
Sir
Eros Clearbrook
The
following letter was to our offices with the request that it be published in
our next issue. The views that follow do not represent those of The Ashbury
Times.
To all people of Ashbury and
Fairdale,
I write this notice with a heavy
heart. For those of you that were not in Fairdale this past tournament weekend,
a great injustice was done to myself and the members of
In turn, when we were asked
to defend ourselves,
After a quick deliberation of
the nobles, lead by Sir “Hang ’em
High” Eros, the verdict was passed down that we were guilty of necromancy
and to suffer 1 death each. All this because someone said they saw us do
something with absolutely no proof or
evidence to back up there story. Friday night, after defending the town from a Jotun attack, I knew in my heart that the sentence had
already been decided no matter what we said in out defense. Rather then accept
these bogus charges, we left Fairdale that night.
Accepting this sentence would
label me as a necromancer … and that I cannot tolerate. I have been a
citizen of Ashbury for over 15 years and I have been called many things in my
day. The only crime I have even been accused and convicted of was the murder of
Robert Oakwood in 599 and accepted the penalty of two deaths. The reasons for
the murder were on a business and personal level, and I paid my debt to society
for it.
This verdict of necromancy
was passed with no evidence, or proof, that we did anything wrong. This version
of “justice” I cannot accept because we did nothing wrong!!! Even
with people speaking on our behalf, and discrediting the source of the
accusations on Saturday morning before the tournament, Sir Eros refused to
listen to reason. He ordered the executions. On top of that, if we do not
accept this verdict within one moon cycle we are to receive an Obliteration
ritual each.
You can only beat a dog so
many times before it turns and bites its master … but I am taking a
different route. I have closed down my bakery, restaurant, soup kitchen, and
Safe Houses in Ashbury. I have sold my estate and Keep and am leaving Ashbury
and Fairdale. I am leaving in peace. I cannot
and will not accept the accusations
of necromancy brought against me and my family. Some of you may think that by
leaving I am admitting guilt. All of you that know me — truly know
me — will think differently.
I will miss you all, and
maybe I will see you again in my travels through the mists in different lands.
Luigie
BFFL
Healer’s Guild Report
I would like to start with a
huge thank you to all of those who have supported the Guild over the last year.
It warmed our hearts to see so much gratitude, especially from new people to
town.
This time of year has the
reputation of being the most deadly for those who travel in groups of less than
four or six. Please note, this goes for very short
distances as well. I am pleading with everyone to please be overly careful.
Prepare yourself against undead types. The upstairs porch as
well as the stairs are good for placing bodies being pulled to safety.
If at anytime you see someone go down, please pull them out of harm. People
tend to return favor when you are in need. Please, we love you, all and it
hurts us to the core to resurrect anyone.
If you are a healer and of a
tiny body frame please see me I have a wonderful task for you. You will enjoy
this.
As a tradition, the guild is
a safe heaven for all to run to in a time of need. At night we will never be
without someone to let you in; providing we have enough members present we will
be the same in the day as well. Those wishing to be or are invested in the
Guild are required to do time for this reason. My health dictates I will be
near it a lot.
If you are traveling alone, or in need help,
please, please, seek out the guild. We go out of our way to have a lot of
elixirs to keep people alive. Although protectives
are for members only, we will not let anyone bleed out.
For those members attending
please check in with me on Friday night. There are things to say I can not put
in such an open forum. Our Guild meeting will be at 9 am on Saturday morning.
Breakfast will be served as always with the best coffee imported from the Sarr lands. If anyone wishes to contribute breakfast foods,
please do. I would love the help.
On another note, the Guild
will have an open door of continual hot cider, cookies, chips with salsa, and
hot rice for all. In the tavern we will have vegan chili.
If you are wishing to join
the Guild, please speak to me on Friday night. I will need to pre interview you
as well as schedule you in for Saturday. We will be holding interviews from 12
am on. There are several who wish to join already. I am trying to give them our
respect by sticking to a schedule.
Guild
head Zaterina N Norik
A Little Birdie Told Me
By Sue D’Onym
Hello, dearies! Time for another installment of the News They Don’t Want You To Know!
Baron Ivan was seen speaking to Symerille (formerly of the Nordenn
Barony) regarding matters of his lost memories and the sky and stars. Could it
be that Ivan is looking for a new court mage, or just an Astronomy lesson?
Symerille was seen at
the Ducal Ball guarding the Duchess of Evorra’s
food ... was there more to this or is he secretly looking to help Duke Frost by poisoning his competition for
the throne? He was also seen speaking
with gypsies late at night, while they danced and played music … His golem was
visibly in pain. Could this be a case of hitting the high note or Luka’s
screeching musical voice?
The biggest surprise at the
Ball was, of course, Duke Aramis
… or the shadow of him or whatever that was. Lady Azura could not stop crying and laughing! Many old tales were told between His Former
Grace and old friends like Daniel Starr
Ezri and Ulthoc seemed to be getting cozy
after she was squired … hiding in a corner off in the corner in the
common room. He did escort her to the ball after all, or so I hear.
Did you hear about
Dame Knight Glorianna
— well, former knight, I suppose — wasn’t too happy
either. After being passed over for the Baroness of Nordenn,
by the announcement of the Duke at Tournament, she left the field in a Glori-ous huff of Gold and Black. More than a few were heard to comment that
her reaction on being overlooked for Baroness was so un-noble that it proved
His Grace’s decision was the right one.
That’s all for this
month! Not a lot, is it? That’s because you aren’t sending
me your gossip. You can’t blame me!
Anyway, as always, remember: If you can’t say something nice about
someone, come sit by me.
Public Notices
DEAR GYPSIES! We must all gathering at the October Waymeet! We will hold a Spirit Meet, perhaps the most important Spirit Meet in an age! - Abamano Boboko
SQUIRE ITHICA: Thank yu and the other braave heeroes for teeching me how to be a scary and mighter adventuer. I still drop my sword a whole lot, but I am working on it. And, I still can’t get any white pants. At least I no longer live in the alley. Bye the whey, have you seen those barbarian ladies from the tavern? I think I can give them flowers without blushing . Sinseerly Mohno of the Black Cloak (do you think that’s a good title for an adventurer?)
LOOKING TO PURCHASE Create Construct scroll and components. Please seek me out at the Celestial Guild in Fairdale. Will pay top Crowns for Scroll. Also looking for ritual components. Will pay in crowns. - Symerille Strongbow Foxfire, Senior Guildsman Fairdale Celestial guild and Elemental Warden
SCROLLS AND CATALYSTS WANTED. We are looking for the following Ritual Scrolls: Channel, Enchant, Expanded Enchant, Race Reaver, Monster Slayer, Spell Store, Protection Aura, Copy Formal Ritual, Preserve Duration, Permanent Duration, Regeneration, Elemental Blast, Elemental Aura, Damage Aura, Earth Aura, Spirit Store and Controlled Spirit Store. We are also looking for the Catalysts for Permanent Duration, Controlled Spirit Store, and Copy Formal Ritual as well as any reagents. We are willing to buy or trade, please contact Squire Sparticous, Paythin or Lira.