Beloved King Joseph Saxony acted heroically in surrendering his title when evidence was brought forward implicating his seneschal Iloni Saxony in the poisoning of his predecessor King Richard Evendarr. King Joseph, who had removed corrupt Duke Alaric Dragonhart and had replaced him with Duchess Mara Tirane, seemed as shocked and surprised as anyone upon hearing the evidence. The evidence came to light through sources such as a Contact Earth ritual performed by Mother Merry.
What happened then is fantastic by any stretch of the imagination, and in order to understand the significance of the change, one must first know history.
203 years ago, Johann Saxony had stolen Queen Katherine Endarr and her son Berthold and had an Obliteration cast upon them. His Majesty King Mykel arrived in time to see the spirits of his beloved and their son forever destroyed. He bade his Seneschal, Ambrose Huntington, to implore a time elemental for its mercy. The Time elemental known as Aeon responded. A deal was made, but all that was known was the matter of record: the Queen and young Prince emerged from the tower and King Mykel was believed Obliterated. Yet the matter was unfinished.
One year ago, a Time Elemental named Amber had appeared in Ravenholt and had taken the last remaining Kingsilver created by King Richard, and from it forged 12 rings. (Kingsilver is silver that has been "blessed" by a true King in an elaborate ceremony.) Amber installed in each of these rings part of the essence of the twelve heroes that had accompanied King Mykel 203 years ago in the assault on Saxony Keep. Amber had spread these rings throughout the Kingdom. It is not known if any of these magical rings have appeared in Ashbury.
So when many of the nobles of Evendarr assembled in Saxony Keep recently, they were startled to find Amber waiting for them.
Amber claimed that Joseph Saxony was not the true King and his reign as Sovereign would soon end. Her Highness Princess Lillian Rotari of Greenmarch (which includes Ashbury) was heard to exclaim, "You, who make yourself the enemy of our King, are the enemy of every person in this great Kingdom. We will rise against you."
Amber then led Brandobar Redbeard, Royal Astrologer to His Majesty King Richard forward and said "Joseph, there are those with proof of treason." Brandobar eloquently spoke of the chart that revealed Good King Richard had been poisoned. Dame Merry MacGregor swore to the Contact Earth Ritual results. Other witnesses came forward with their testimony, all implicating Iloni.
Iloni had some tricks left up her sleeve though, and the rescue of Queen Katherine and Berthold (now revealed to be the same beings from 203 years ago) gave her the leverage to arrange for leniency. Her ploy was unsuccessful.
The Queen, once rescued and having regained the memories of her former self, concluded that she and her son must return to their proper time. She addressed the town with a heartwarming goodbye in which she bade everyone to get to know Mykel and accept him as their King.
Amber opened a temporal rift and His Majesty King Mykel II stepped through, returning from a two-hundred-year stasis created by Aeon. Dripping blood from the siege that, to him, was still occurring a few feet and a few moments away, Mykel and Katherine had but a momentary reunion. As the former King Joseph accompanied Katherine and Berthold through the rift, a rousing cheer of "Long Live King Joseph!" escorted him into the past, for he had won the admiration and loyalty of his subjects by his honorable conduct.
No sooner did the rift close, but Amber, still in elemental form, began encouraging the crowd gathered to accept Mykel as rightful King of Evendarr and give him their allegiance. His Majesty stood bewildered, having just lost his wife and son twice in what for him seemed to be less than an hour.
Elves and other long-lived races recall Mykel as a just ruler, and many welcomed him back with open arms. However, they warned, newly crowned Mykel has a lot to learn about the kingdom. Much has changed in the last 200 years and he may find the prospect daunting.
Citizens meanwhile reacted with general acceptance and pleasure. Although King Joseph's reign was short, it was fairly free from controversy or hardships--yet everyone seemed to feel that it was good to have an Endarr back on the throne again.
Duchess Mara Tirane, very close friend of Joseph Saxony, has yet to release a public statement.
The capital city was the site of a bizarre duel between two warring dragon mages recently. The duel was odd because the two combatants were unable to fight each other, and so each recruited champions to fight on their behalf. Apparently both parties had been friends at one time, but their friendship had come to an abrupt end. The dragon mages both spoke of a Pact of Peace enacted long ago which forbids them from any direct confrontation. However, a section of the pact called The Clause of Retraction describes guidelines for how the pact may be dissolved.
The first dragon mage was the drake known to many Ashbury citizens as Ganderfax, "The Master of Dreams." Ganderfax had visited Ashbury some time ago to retrieve the magic sword known as Dragon Slayer which was forged to kill him over four hundred years ago. Later he entrusted the sword to Duke Bryan as reward for completing a quest, but only after having removed some of the enchantments.
Ganderfax arrived in Ashbury City on Friday night to conduct a trade with a merchant named Killian. Killian is a high council member of a powerful planetary merchants guild called The Emporium. Members of The Emporium had traveled to Tyrra with the assistance of some Astral sailors called the Hussar. Emporium leader Killian was later chosen as the mediator of the challenge, because both dragon mages recognized The Emporium's unblemished reputation of neutrality.
The second dragon mage in the conflict was the greater nightmare elemental called Oradell. Oradell is a horrible monstrosity that wields dragon magic with the same ease that Grand Sorceress Shalizar handles battle magic. He arrived in Ashbury City on Friday night accompanied by nightmare apparitions of Fangthorn, Baracus Kul, and Dinnin Korombos.
He quickly proceeded to confront Ganderfax, and berated his former apprentice for betraying him. He had taught Ganderfax secret lore of the Dream World and was outraged when the drake turned against him.
Apparently, Oradell had captured a Jinn named Tetsu and imprisoned the elemental in The Black Tower of Balenor. He hoped that Ganderfax would enter the tower to liberate his friend and thereby violate their Pact of Peace. Yet the drake gathered Duke Bryan and others to free the Jinn, so Oradell challenged the drake to a contest of champions.
The two dragon mages spent the next day recruiting their champions. The promise of thirty gold nobles and a magic item to the winning team was used to attract participants. Ganderfax offered ownership of Dragon Slayer should his champions win, and Oradell offered the Amulet of Balenor. The Amulet of Balenor is reputed to contain magics of death and fear. Ganderfax managed to recruit Duke Bryan, Baron Bretton, Sir Konrad, Sir Kirath, Sir Aloryn, and Squire Dugal. Oradell recruited Jonah, Lithitar, Hamlet, Eyrik, Sudra, and Varag. Jonah was overheard saying he fought for Oradell because he "owed him a debt."
Later that night the dragon mages placed rituals upon their champions, and many became golems of various types, including bone, iron, and obsidian.
Regent Deven of The Shield of Vendamor was highly recommended to Oradell as a great warrior of Ashbury. However, he refused to serve as one of Oradell's champions. Lithitar tried to turn down Oradell at the instruction of his Regent, but he was later severely reprimanded by the Regent in public for going back on his word. Some suggest that it was not the Regent that scolded Lithitar, but another nightmare apparition as Lithitar certainly seemed shaken by the encounter.
On Sunday, each group of champions competed in three trials, and the best two of three would win. One trial was devised by each of the participants, and a third was chosen by the mediator. If Oradell were to win, then he and Ganderfax would complete the Ritual of Undoing_thus ending their Pact of Peace forever. If Ganderfax's champions were to win, then the Pact of Peace would remain intact. As expected, the two combatants selected trials that they believed their champions would win, and so it was one to one when the mediator announced the final trial.
The mediator decided that a battle between the two teams of champions would determine the victor of the challenge. The two teams faced off on Gwendolyn's Field in the afternoon sun. Both teams agreed that no deaths need be suffered, so the battle could be fought honorably. Yet the battle was resolved in less then a minute, as Ganderfax's champions quickly decimated their opponents with little effort.
As soon as the battle was over, Oradell grabbed our beloved Duke Bryan and ran to a circle drawn in the field. He was followed closely behind by brave Squire Darius of Nordenn who attacked the nightmare elemental in a wild frenzy. Oradell quickly cast a circle of power and incapacitated the Duke with Sleep spells while Squire Darius turned into a gaseous form using the arcane magic of Fangthorn's sword. Finally the nightmare elemental reveled his wicked plan. He demanded that Ganderfax willingly perform the Ritual of Undoing--or he would obliterate the Duke.
Ganderfax agreed to Oradell's demand. However, the nightmare elemental still deathed the Duke for spitting on him days earlier, an insult that the elemental refused to forgive. The circle was surrounded by citizens, many of whom offered to sacrifice themselves to spare their liege lord. Yet the nightmare elemental ignored the town's pleas, and rifted away after Duke Bryan's body vanished to seek resurrection. Thankfully, the Duke resurrected safely.
Rumors of the liche Mourna's undead follower Pansolore have been whispered throughout the duchy ever since Mourna's destruction. Many suspected that Pansolore would become a liche and take control of Mourna's undead army. Recent incidents seem to bear this fear as true.
Citizens in the barony of Nordenn have reported recent sightings of a large group of undead wielding magic weapons, and many of these rumors mentioned the tall glowing-red-eyed Pansolore leading these attacks. Yet the number of rumors is tenfold since Pansolore made his appearance in Ashbury on a recent October night.
The night sky was clear as the full moon shined down on the quiet of the capital city. However, undead began attacking townspeople shortly after the banquet in the Dragon's Flagon ended. The city was besieged by many regiments of lesser undead under the leadership of a vampire "general" and some lieutenants, while Pansolore and his brute squad remained in the woods and hunted the citizens of Ashbury by the light of the moon.
The group of undead encountered Blade of the Shield of Vendamor, killed him, and then sent him to town as a desecrated zombie with a letter clenched in his cold hand. The zombie was quickly dispatched, and Blade crumpled to the ground. The brave barbarian suffered final death, and many mourned the loss of a true hero.
The letter was addressed to the Duke and Duchess, and included Pansolore's demand for the return of his ancestral homeland. The letter is in the possession of the Ducal Court, but here are some excerpts that were overheard when the letter was read aloud:
"I will trample over your citizens, as your Kingdom has done to my clan. I shall plague this duchy in such horrible ways, that you will beg me to cease. . .Consider tonight as a demonstration of my power, so that you know I speak from a position of strength."
Many citizens gathered together and entered the woods to hunt down the monstrosity. Unfortunately, this left the town itself unguarded and the general leading the siege on Ashbury City managed to attack with little resistance.
Several citizens were captured when the city was overpowered, including Duchess Mara, Lord Magistrate Faustus, and Modi. Meanwhile, Pansolore and his guards moved through the woods as a network of spies reported on his enemies' location. Unknown to the undead being, Ashbury had its own spies keeping track of the undead army's movements.
Later that evening, Pansolore established a base of operations on the porch of Blythedale Manor where he interrogated his prisoners. The townspeople finally confronted Pansolore, but he ordered Duke Bryan to retreat from the hill "or the Duchess would be executed."
The monster's red eyes were blinking brighter then ever, and some noted that the bones of his skull were now glowing with an emerald aura. All of the prisoners were confined within a huge circle drawn on the ground, and the liche swore that they would all die unless the townspeople retreated immediately. He also swore that the Duchess would be returned to Ashbury unharmed if the citizens retreated, a promise that the monster thankfully and somewhat surprisingly honored.
Many more citizens were sent back to Ashbury as desecrated zombies, including Lord Magistrate Faustus, and several spirits sought resurrection when the zombies were destroyed, yet true to his word, Pansolore released three citizens unharmed and the Duchess was found among these three.
The prisoners were escorted to the city limits by two vampires which quickly turned gaseous. Several citizens attempted to follow the vampires, hoping to find Pansolore, but the vampires eventually disappeared into the night.
The citizens of Ashbury now face a powerful undead more dangerous then Mourna. Panselore is much more aggressive against the living than Mourna ever was, and it appears he has a vendetta against the Duchy stronger than any held by his predecessor. It is unknown what rituals have transformed him, or what new powers he has gained.
Many remember that his touch caused limbs to wither when he and Mourna conquered Ashbury City some time ago, yet now his cursed touch drains the life of his victims, and he controls a huge army of undead.
Since the attack on Ashbury city, Pansolore has led a vicious attack against the baronial estate of Immervale, a siege that has seriously crippled the estate defenses. The walls were breached in three locations, and two of the four towers where captured. Witnesses reported that Pansolore repeatedly shouted "Blame your insolent liege lord for your suffering" during the battle.
Early reports have placed the death toll at well over one hundred and fifty citizens, baronial guards, and militia. Strangely, Pansolore withdrew his forces during the battle while the baronial guard was preparing plans to evacuate the estate.
The barbarians of the Spider Clan have declared a blood war against the Ashbury Mages' Guild. Apparently the tribe was outraged that their ancestral tombs had been looted by eager mages on one of Grand Sorceress Shalizar's guild tasks, and they have sworn revenge. The freehold estate of Diron was attacked recently by a powerful necromancer of the tribe and the Guild Hall there fell quickly under his siege. The barbarian lead a contingent of giant spiders and undead into the building and killed everyone within. The shaman was finally defeated, but only when the combined forces of the town guard and local citizens rallied together.
Yet the barbarians had not given up their attack and on a recent Saturday night they battered the Midnight Guildshall in Ashbury City. Scores of giant spiders assisted the barbarians in their attack and blanketed the guild hall in thick webs. Many powerful undead monstrosities also aided the barbarians as they hunted down the members of the guild to exact their retribution. Fortunately, the citizens of Ashbury came to the guild's succor and a fierce battle quickly ensued. The battle raged for almost an hour and many casualties were suffered.
The barbarian chieftain cast a ritual that he called "Plague of the Dead" prior to attacking, a ritual that was unknown to the Royal Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences. Citizens watched in horror as their friends and enemies continued to rise from death as powerful zombies over and over again. All of the zombies obeyed the commands of the ritual caster who directed their attacks towards the townspeople.
Many great heroes of Ashbury turned on their compatriots after falling in battle, including Algar and Lupiticus. The Plague Zombies could only be destroyed by an enchanted thrust through the heart.
The situation looked grim for Ashbury, but a brave charge lead by Blade of The Shield of Vendamor turned the tide of the battle.
Fighting through the ranks of undead and spiders, he reached the leader and cut the barbarian down. The Plague Zombies continued to rise, but turned on the closest living creatures without the direction of the ritual caster. Often this meant turning on the barbarians themselves, a factor which finally lead to their defeat.
Many might remember a meteor which fell to Tyrra almost two years ago. The meteor mutated normal carpenter ants into puissant monsters, which attacked the people of Ashbury. The meteor was finally recovered by the Ashbury Astrologers' Guild with the assistance of many citizens, but only after a vicious assault on the nest which resulted in the death of the queen.
In an attempt to learn more about the meteor's origin, the Astrologer's Guild conducted several experiments. They exposed many different varieties of creatures to the meteor's aura, and it was soon discovered that the meteor's strange mutating powers only affected insects. Any mammal exposed to the meteor would suffer from adverse side affects eventually leading to death.
The guild discovered that it normally took about three hours to mutate an insect. On Friday morning they began a new experiment. They were to expose a beetle to the meteor's aura for thirty continuous hours. Unfortunately, Serena Narl, the astrologer in charge of the experiment, feel asleep. By Saturday afternoon, the beetle had become so large that it broke free and attacked the Astrologer. It quickly killed her, and chased Henry, the attending apprentice, into town. The beetle's thick shell was extremely resistant to weapon blows, and eventually had to be dispatched with a Death spell.
Henry guided a group of adventurers back to the Guild Hall hoping to save his mentor Serena. The adventurers were led by Lord Magistrate Faustus Neumacht and they encountered an assortment of mutated insects, including a giant scorpion with instant death poison issuing forth from its stinger. They quickly dispatched the mutated creatures and learned that Serena's spirit had gone to resurrect. It was also discovered that a mutated ant Queen was missing from the lab. The group decided to take the meteor and the lab journal so that they could learn more about this threat.
After resurrecting, Serena returned to Ashbury and she posted a bounty of five silver crowns for each meteor ant antenna stalk returned to her. The town also learned that the meteor ant Queen had established a nest somewhere nearby, and that she was laying eggs with great speed. The Ants started attacking Ashbury during the morning of the next day. The mutated ants were extremely powerful, and spit acid at their opponents. Workers quickly started scavenging the area for food, which included cattle from a local ranch and the citizens themselves.
Serena's experiments and lore reveled that if a preying mantis was found and mutated, it would most likely attack the ants which are its natural enemies. An extensive search of the surrounding woods was conducted and a mantis was eventually found. The Mantis was mutated on Monday morning under the direction of Lord Magistrate Faustus, and it subsequently killed many of the mutated ants. Apparently, only the warrior ants could affect it, and workers fell quickly to the vicious attack of the mantis. However, the mantis was found dead several days later amidst a pile of dead warrior ants.
Serena left town with the meteor once the ant attacks subsided. Unfortunately, the nest was never found and the queen was not destroyed. Serena is convinced that the ants will become active again next spring should the Queen survive the cold of winter. She has promised to return and aid Ashbury in the event that the mutant ants attack again.
The previously unknown "Astral Sailors" calling themselves "the Hussar" brought their leader, Councilman Killian of The Emporium, to Tyrra on what was supposed to be a quick round trip. However, they became trapped here when Killian was selected as the mediator of the duel between Ganderfax and Oradell.
The pilot and the crew then decided to earn some extra gold while the captain was away. Therefore, they offered to take citizens of Ashbury to another world where they could procure powerful magic artifacts for a fee.
Many groups traveled with the sailors to the World of Syber, a land where a cruel Emperor rules with an iron fist. The Emperor has developed powerful addictive alchemical substances which he administers to his military. There are at least three such poisons, but rumors are that an even more horrible formula is under development. Several citizens found these poisons, and were mutated upon drinking the concoctions.
Some citizens, including Lithitar the gypsy and Captain O'Connel of the Harvest Moon, gained brown hair and claws as well as increased strength, becoming "Slaughter Hounds." Many others gained thick skin resistant to the average sword blow along with increased strength, becoming "Dauntless Warriors." Still others were turned black as their skin resisted normal weapon blows and also gained increased strength, yet the latter were very difficult to find. The Duke was one that was mutated by this formula, becoming an "Elite Watch."
The Hussar transported groups to the world of Syber at locations where the Emperor had secured his most powerful artifacts. Many of the groups departed these secret vaults with artifacts of awesome power. Some reported fighting mutated guards and some weird lighting construct called a Manna Spark, and others mentioned a complex puzzle which required solving before entering the vault.
Unfortunately, this theft angered the Emperor of Syber and so he sent forth spies to search out his enemies while he prepared a legion of his army to conquer Ashbury City to recover his items.
The spies were all members of his personal Elite Watch, and managed to retrieve many of his stolen possessions without much argument. Yet the Emperor, angered at the attempt, launched his attack nonetheless, and nearly succeeded in overrunning the capital.
Thankfully, Ganderfax returned to Ashbury during the battle and aided the people of Tyrra. He spit fire at the mutated forces, and Lifed those who would otherwise have died. The Jinn named Tetsu also aided the citizens in the conflict, and it has been speculated that he had summoned Ganderfax for that very reason.
A powerful elemental called a Jinn was released from a magical prison recently only to turn upon the citizens of Ashbury. The Jinn, named Renfro, wasted no time in summoning a legion of fire elemental knights to attack the townspeople. Renfro didn't participate in the attack, but summoned an Earth elemental to lead the siege. The elemental forces launched a crippling attack, and conquered much of the capital city, but the citizens finally prevailed.
Unfortunately, our heroic Lord Magistrate Faustus Neumacht was slain during the battle. He had previously stored his spirit in the body of an iron golem using ritual magic only days earlier, but the golem body was destroyed when Faustus charged into the front of the fray. Fortunately, no other casualties were suffered due to the Life spells of some powerful visitors, including exiled Ravenholt Viscountess Aurora Blakeney.
Later the citizens were visited by another Jinn named Tetsu, a Jinn that had been rescued by Duke Bryan from The Black Tower of Balenor. The tower is a magical construction which exists on the World of Dreams, and is also the home of Oradell the greater nightmare elemental. Tetsu came to aid the citizens of Ashbury fight the evil Jinn.
Tetsu explained that the Jinn conquered several kingdoms during the first elemental war and forced the survivors into slavery. The conflict continued for several years, and the Jinn proved to be wicked rulers. Yet the Jinn were eventually imprisoned by The Guardians of Light when the children of Tyrra defeated the elementals. The prisons were fashioned as bottles which forced the Jinn trapped within to grant three services to the owner of the bottle. The prisons were a form of punishment designed to teach the Jinn the evil of forced servitude.
Tetsu and many other Jinn learned the intended lesson, and were eventually freed from their prisons. The Jinn are released only when someone sacrifices one of their wishes to set it free, and apparently Renfro had convinced the owner to liberate him. Unfortunately, some Jinn never learn the intended lesson, and remain corrupt forever.
Renfro is one such Jinn which wishes to renew the Elemental War, and enslave the people of Tyrra. Tetsu reported that Renfro has departed the area, and is probably gathering forces for a larger assault in the future.
Early in September, the strange dragon mage known only as the Chessmaster appeared in Ashbury and said that he had a new game to play, and if Ashbury won his game, he would help them defeat the chaos that is scheduled to be released early in November.
The Chessmaster stated that he hates chaos because "with chaos there can be no rules, and with no rules, there can be no games!"
He is known for being fairly ruthless and uncaring in his games, but he never cheats and always abides by the rules once they are set. Of course, since he always sets his own rules, they are often written in his favor.
Soon after the Chessmaster made his announcement, white tabards with chess pieces began appearing on local adventurers. These tabards were spirit-linked and obviously have some connection to the Chessmaster's game. So far, none of the people receiving the tabards has reported anything unusual other than a strong desire to wear all white clothing.
It appears that there is a pattern to how the pieces are "awarded." All of the pawn pieces that have been found so far were forced onto people who followed some sort of order. Jonah and Talen got theirs by following treasure map instructions; Natasha got hers by providing some goblins with candy after following their strict orders as to how the candy was to be prepared; Kiegan got his after playing "follow the leader" with a kobold; and Kurn got his after strictly obeying the orders of someone from the Royal Army. Others with pawn tabards include Modi and Ranir, and possibly one other who has not made himself or herself public.
Both Galoran and Squire Hawkwing received their Rook tabards after fighting deadly battles against constructs of all types in a castle-like building. It was Smith the dwarf however who accompanied Hawkwing on his quest and figured out that this was indeed a quest for a Chessmaster tabard.
Templeton was the first to get a knight tabard by fighting an obsidian golem made up to look like a knight, but Squire Ivan obtained the second one after a fellow came into town asking for the person who best embodied purity and honesty to be told repeatedly about Ivan. The fellow then sent Ivan on a quest to capture an equiis (a mythical magical horse) who would only accompany one pure of heart. The equiis was being held captive by a dragon, and a magic sword found in the dragon's hoard was the only weapon that could be used to break the chains. After the battle, Ivan was asked by the equiis to return the sword, and he did, which resulted in the appearance of the tabard.
A similar situation occurred when a woman claiming to be from the Evendarr Healers' Guild sought the most dedicated healer in town to help her fight against a necromancer. Most people recommended Sir Kelial or Sir Konrad, but only Sir Kelial was available to undertake the quest, so he received the Bishop's tabard after fighting a deadly battle against undead. All of the casters in Sir Kelial's party had been drained after the first battle and it seemed as if they might turn back, but instead they pressed on against overwhelming odds and were able to defeat the necromancer.
A few days later, an injured person came into the tavern searching for curing, as he had been withered, drained, cursed, weaknessed, and poisoned. Guildmistress Daphne cured all his ailments without a thought of recompense and was astounded--and upset--to find a Bishop's tabard appearing on her.
So far no one has come forward with a King or Queen tabard. It is not known if the tabards have already been "given" to people who wish to remain hidden or if they are still to be "distributed."
The most common surmise is that the Chessmaster will force those with the tabards to play a game of battle chess against his fear watchers. He has already claimed that if Ashbury loses, he gets to "keep" the "pieces" and turn them into more fear watchers. This has undoubtedly led to the desire of many of the pieces to rid themselves of their tabards.
So far, the only one who has managed to come close is the wild elf Jonah Purus, who found that he could remove the tabard after having a Destroy Celestial Magic ritual performed on him by the dragon mage Oradell.
Still questions prevail. Will the Chessmaster somehow control those with tabards, forcing them to play his game? What sorts of powers will the Chessmaster's pieces have? Is the reward for playing the game worth the risks?
On the afternoon of Saturday, October 7, a group of six women entered Ashbury. These women wore matching green tabards with a golden battleaxe over a purple "woman-symbol" and a pale blue starburst, with matching woven blue and green headbands. Four of them carried weapons, and all had naturally golden lips. They identified themselves as an envoy from Gaiatia, a small island domain. Their leader, Crown Princess Arianna Hippolytan, asked Javier the Gypsy to take her to the town leaders. Squire Manx offered to do so instead, and the women chose to go with her. The Gaiatians were interested in establishing trade routes and a potential alliance, as well as studying the culture of Evendarr.
Almost immediately upon entry, they managed to offend several men, including members of the Shield of Vendamor, by calling them "wench" and "boy."
Squire Manx first showed the women to the Dragon's Flagon, where they met the Duchess briefly, and then they visited the Mages' Guild, where they spoke more extensively with Baroness Laurelin and Sorceress Shalizar. During this conversation, the women repeatedly expressed surprise that men held positions of power in Ashbury, and expressed concern that the men might "hurt themselves, running around with sharp weapons like that!" They were astonished to discover that men in Ashbury were trained as warriors and casters. They also took exception to any remarks about their appearance, even those intended to flatter them.
The Duchess held an audience with the six women, in which she learned that in Gaiatia men are considered second-class citizens, unequal to women in any way, and unsuited to weapons and magic. Men in Gaiatia are not accorded any kind of education; instead they work in the fields and act as servants to the women of Gaiatia. All women on Gaiatia, meanwhile, are skilled warriors or casters. The concept of marriage between men and women was foreign to them, and they explained that on Gaiatia, "higher love" exists only between women.
After the Duchess explained that all Ashbans are equal, the Gaiatians tried to treat the men with greater respect. However, as might have been predicted, they disliked the idea of the Shield of Vendamor, and the insult given to some members of this team caused Regent Deven DuLeges to challenge Armsmaster Elektra Euridice to honor combat. The news spread quickly, and many townsfolk gathered to watch the match. Many bets were made. The Regent fought with spear and sword, the Armsmaster with shortsword. The use of magic was allowed.
It was a shock to many when the Armsmaster defeated the Regent, and it was not only the Gaiatians who cheered this result. The Regent was heard to mutter, "Maybe I was wrong. . .maybe women can fight as well as men?" He left town shortly thereafter.
Throughout the next few days, the Gaiatians traveled the city, conversing with various citizens. They preferred to speak to women, and spoke extensively with Natasha, Camilla, the Guildmistresses, Baroness Laurelin, and Duchess Mara. They caused a brief uproar in the tavern Sunday evening when one of the women, Forterrix Ionache Koumaran, thought a citizen suggested she should cast necromancy. This resulted in the troop storming out, since the people of Gaiatia are opposed to necromancy, considering it dishonorable.
At Duchess Mara's request, three of the Gaiatians agreed to follow Duke Bryan into battle against Pansolore on Sunday night. The Duke consulted Warmaster Kyrnathena Omega along with others as to tactics before facing Pansolore. Also involved in this battle were Crown Princess Arianna and Forterrix Ionache Koumaran.
On Monday morning, Crown Princess Arianna, Warmaster Kyrnathena, and Forterrix Ionache returned to town with another of the original six warriors, Fortarmix Phaedra Dominance. They invited citizens of Ashbury to return to Gaiatia with them, to study Gaiatian culture and look into a possible trade agreement. Among Ashbans going with the Gaiatians were Sir Pinaes, Squires Florin, Kittery, and Jonathan, as well as commoners Naerfin and Jonah.
An unknown horror has struck fear into the hearts of at least one Ashbury family.
When Fredrick and Janine Rowens resurrected recently, they were screaming about how the shadows came to life and killed their children. The town guard escorted them to their home, only to find the corpses of all four of their children, all too young to resurrect.
The bodies had strange marks engraved in their foreheads, as well as having their wrists torn open and their hearts run through. Furthermore, similar marks to the ones engraved in their foreheads were found painted in blood around each of the bodies.
by Lord Magistrate Faustus Neumacht
The criminal organization known as the Fist has survived the capture of its leader and is resurgent in our fair city. In May, as a result of a two year deception operation conducted by my cousin Wilhelm Neumacht, we were able to apprehend the Fist's leader, Father Acromar, as well as slay many of his cronies. At long last, Acromar will be Obliterated for his innumerable crimes against the Duchy. However, others have emerged to assume his mantle of authority.
Recently, a band of Fist thugs terrorized Ashbury, looting two unWarded buildings and robbing Natasha Servenka and Modi Ioki as they each traveled alone at night. Initial patrols to locate the criminals after the burglaries proved fruitless, but some time later, word arrived at the tavern of the nearby muggings. I thank the Ash Forest and the Harvest Moon for swiftly aiding me in the apprehension of these Fist agents.
The thugs scattered into the woods when confronted, but three of the five were eventually hunted down and captured. One, Steel by name, bore a letter from his superior, Skylar, saying the Fist would again step up criminal operations in Ashbury. Skylar is the leader of one of several factions of the Fist currently vying for supremacy in the wake of Acromar's capture.
The letter corroborates the tales of assassination, backstabbing, and betrayal within the Fist's ranks as former subordinates fight for leadership. Despite this nefarious organ-ization's decision to step up criminal activities in Ashbury, I am confidant that just as we foiled the previous leader, Father Acromar, so shall we do with this upstart Skylar. This latest capture and execution of his chief lieutenant, Steel, is merely one of many battles that we shall fight in the war to irrevocably crush the Fist.
Finally, in an unrelated matter, Their Graces have extended Ducal protection to the giant mantis creature that was recently created. I "grew" this insect (with the help of Squire Florin and William Rhys) to man-sized proportions by subjecting a normal mantis to the energy of the meteor known as Faltic's Granite. This was the same meteor that crashed in Ashbury two years ago and grew a colony of giant ants which killed several.
Last month's outbreak of giant "meteor ants" were the spawn of an ant queen that had been enlarged by that same meteor. The giant queen had escaped from the Ashbury Astrologers' Guild, where experiments on the meteor's insect growth properties have been ongoing.
This giant mantis aided in combating the hordes of meteor ants, as it was immune to their acid and poison. The mantis is easily recognizable, is docile towards humanoids, attacks giant insects, and is not to be harmed by Ducal order. The creature has been set free to roam Ashbury's environs and kill giant "pests," especially the meteor ants, whose lair has not been located.
by Sue D'Onym
Forgive me if I don't have as much to say this month. This just goes to show how important it is that you, dear reader, keep little old me informed about all the News They Don't Want You To Know.
Well, don't expect any spontaneous parties for the Ducal Court in the Dragon's Flagon any time soon. Apparently, their meager tips and "Hurry up!" attitude hasn't endeared them to many of the tavern workers. Then, in the midst of Pansolor's attack on Blythedale Manor (which is nowhere near the tavern), Duke Bryan ordered a Ward to be placed on the tavern, much to the anger and resentment of Camilla and the other tavern workers (some of whom, like Selina and Nyshella, are biata). Lord Magistrate Faustus cast the Ward and Duchess Mara promised to give Camilla the key, but before she could do that, ol' Red Rover's minions captured the two, dragging the key away with them. Gladius and Anakin were left keeping their feet in the door to prevent the Ward from rising and sealing them all in for five days, and of course, Pansolore came nowhere near the tavern anyway.
Blythedale Court Jester Killian missed all this action, and upon returning to town was quite confused about why anyone would want the skill "Pants Lore."
And speaking of Blythedale, where was Sir Kelial and his squires while Sir Pineas, Squires Ivan, Jonah, and Maldeev, and the rest of Blythedale were fighting for their lives against Joenis the barbarian? Why, relaxing in the Flagon, enjoying their "fudge rushes." One must have priorities.
It seems Manx spent lots of time recently in the company of that cute raccoon scavenger known as Tinker. They make a very, uh, fuzzy couple. Kiegan meanwhile has been married, against the orders of Sir Angus who forbade him to marry or "have pups."
Hey, wanna make a bet? I bet that Lord Morgan doesn't wait longer than a month before traveling to Evendarr to see new King Mykel to request the reinstatement of Alaric Dragonhart. Whaddya think?
I wonder if Robert Oakwood will learn alchemy now that he's eaten a poisoned carrot which caused him to find himself in need of a resurrection. Or maybe the lesson is not to eat anything offered to you from Wizard Lithitar.
Losing the necromantic polearm thingie to Morganna was bad enough, but to lose a battle to a woman was just too much for The Shield's Regent Deven, who decided soon after to take a long vacation. And hey, am I mistaken or was that Truxton, looking decidedly undead, hanging out with Morganna, Creepshow, and all the most fashionable undead?
A quiz! What do all of these people have in common? Cyan, Darian, Elistanum, Jaden, Kith, Marlin, Mohammed. Give up? They've never been mentioned before in my column.
Duke Bryan, meanwhile, attempted to place himself at the head of the "People Most Often Mentioned in the Ashbury Times" list by submitting a classified ad which consisted of nothing but his name repeated 37 times. Nice try.
Finally, on a serious note, I would like to share a poem about the dearly departed Blade, written by Guildmistress Daphne:
Weep, all ye tribes, for a warrior has died,
strength of the Shield and Ashbury's pride:
Blade the barbarian, swift with his sword,
fearless in battle and true to his word.
Who now will aid us when danger is nigh?
Who will defend the defenseless who cry?
Who by his Code did most firmly abide?
Weep, all ye tribes, for a warrior has died.
Ashbury, mourn, for a warrior is dead;
blood for our citizens bravely was shed.
Gone are his laughter, his stories and song;
silent the heart of him, steadfast and strong.
Graveyard of Heroes, now welcome our friend,
granting him battles to fight without end.
Honor his death and the life that he led:
Ashbury, mourn, for a warrior is dead.
That's all for this month, so remember--if you can't say something nice about someone, come sit by me.
THE POOR CREATURES FUND will hereafter be known as the Healers' Guild Charitable Fund. This fund will be completely separate from the Healers' Guild treasury and will be used for charitable causes such as orphanages, disaster relief, donations to needy citizens, and resurrections for those provably unable to pay for their own resurrections either in coin or by work. Donations are welcome and will be acknowledged. - Daphne Green
ASHBURY REGISTRY OF TEACHERS. Referrals for a wide range of skills. Discretion assured. Teachers: get students without spending all your time recruiting. See Prof. Turlough Kuranes.
AS OF OCTOBER 10th, Gorahq Korenk is hereby named Captain of the Town Guard on the estate of Diron in the Duchy of Ashbury. Please welcome Captain Gorahq to his new position.
THERE IS NO SMOKING in the Healers' Guild circle. This applies to everyone, whether noble or commoner, and will be enforced. - Daphne Green, Guildmistress, Ashbury Healers' Guild
ALWAYS LOOKING for a few good people to work the tavern! Good pay, benefits, wonderful fellow employees! Tips! Learn useful job skills. Must be friendly and good with people. If you're not, come work as a bouncer! Cooks also needed, show off your flair for food! See Camilla or Natasha to apply.
FREE DETECT MAGICS cast at the Ashbury Mages' Guild every hour on the half hour during Guild hours. (Listen for the bell). Hours are noon - 6 pm and 8 pm - midnight. Also: Magic items Identified, Ritual Components researched, scrolls bought and sold, and Rituals cast. Hot tea and cocoa for our chilled customers.
TIRED AND BROKE from hunting down monsters only to have bullies in matching tabards take your treasure? Come work for the Commoner's Guild! We do much more than work in the tavern. Dishonest types need not apply. This is an honorable guild.
JOENIS OF THE SPIDER TRIBE: Ivan an I will hunt you to the final death for what you've done. Yours will be the next tomb the mages desecrate.
LORD MELEZAR: We have business to discuss at great length, and I require privacy. Please contact me at your earliest convenience. - The Black Cavalier
BARON BRETTON: I care nothing for the Tower Hills or beyond as that land was always home to the trolls. Nor do I care for The Enchanted Wood which has always been home to the elves and ffolke, or Blythedale which was home to the lizardkind. Yet make no mistakes_the Barony of Nordenn will be mine! I gave you the opportunity to negotiate, and you refused me. Therefore, I felt that a more powerful demonstration was required. Keep in mind that I have been merciful towards the people of Immervale, but do not believe that my patience will last forever. I suggest you surrender now and save your citizens needless pain and suffering. - Pansolore
NEEDED: a white silk spider, primary for render indestructible. Contact any member of Checkmate. Checkmate is also looking for a metalsmith of great skill to take on a large project for us. We will pay very well. Talk to Zev-Sartane.
THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE for men and women! Take a break from battling the scourges of our great Duchy and relax! Reduces fatigue and listlessness, soothing for both mind and body, prices ranging from 8 nobles to 3 gold per half hour. Hourly rates are a bargain! Discount rates available if you don't want to reach that deep into your pocket, but why wouldn't you want to give yourself the best? Gift certificates available. Make an appointment now! See Natasha.
THE FOLLOWING people have not paid for their resurrections and owe the Healers' Guild 1 gold: Cormac O'Neill of Clan Gael (paid 2 silver, owes 8); Tika; Velvrin Wendale; Ciat Fian; Urrak of the Wolf
Pack. These debts are outstanding since July 14, 595. - Daphne Green, Guildmistress, Ashbury Healers' Guild.
ISABELLA NAULTIK : I am different from my race and I have seen what those monsters have done to my race. I will hunt them all down and I will make them pay. And you will only stop me over my dead body. - Valtia
TO THE ROGUE who is also a Lord: I have something very precious to you. Fine me at midnight where you lost it if you want it back.
ALORYN: That amulet be mine! You will die!
TO MY ALLIES AT CHECKMATE: I am deeply sorry for not having followed up on what I said last time, for I have recently been called away on an urgent personal matter. Tothe man or men who vanquished the damned liche Mourna I would like to extend what little thanks I can to you. Please contact a member of Checkmate for your reward. - Xarreck
I AM STILL teaching the art of First Aid for free. First Aid is a real life saver. - Maximus.
WANTED: Those interested in a challenge. The Clan MacMorna will be blooding new members. Contact Shawn MacMorna and find out if you make the grade. Join a proud tradition. Become a clansman (or clanswoman, we don't discriminate!) - Shawn MacMorna, Chieftain of the Clan MacMorna
THE ASHBURY MAGES' GUILD would like to congratulate the following promotions to Guildsman: Zachery Blane, Barony of the Ash Forest; Heron Streakwind