Dragons Awake in Deathwatch
Dragons: creatures of legend. In Deathwatch recently, Ashban adventures and nobles got to encounter not one but
two of the majestic creatures.
On October 20, an undead gryphon attacked the guards
stationed near the strange stone wheel that was found and defended from the
Dominion. The creature killed the ducal guards assigned there and used its
mental powers to force the guardsman in the Circle of Power to let it in.
According to reports, it then activated the wheel, which appeared to be a
portal of some sort, and stepped through. A quick scout by Aramanthus
revealed that the gryphon was hunched over a sleeping blue dragon.
Word of these events reached the nobles. Baron Rorii and Dame Darlassia led a
group to investigate at once. Unfortunately, while they were out of town, a
large force of lizard creatures who identified
themselves as the Slythe marched in. Some Ashbans recalled encountering the Slythe
last year when time was twisting upon itself, and recalled that they were a
harsh foe.
The leader of the Slythe,
who identified himself as a baron, demanded an amulet that was in the
possession of House Ryujima of Tarz-aterranzan.
Apparently the leader of the Slythe was conducting
and amicable parlay with Xitzin Find’rth
T’Varian when a red dragon, named Slythe, arrived in humanoid form and began to berate the
baron for losing the item and holding parlay with “Icen’s
Champions.” He then began to slay the baron as punishment, and an
unidentified Ashban attacked in an effort to save
him. That sparked a huge melee between Slythe, his
minions of the same name, and the Ashbans.
Word reached Baron Rorii and
Dame Darlassia that a major fight was going on and
the baron selected a small group to go through the portal after the gryphon while
ordering Dame Darlassia to take the rest of the
adventurers investigating the portal and return to Ashbury
to lead the town in combat.
Baron Rorii and Guildmaster Cedric of the Sage’s Guild then led a
small group through the portal. Inside they found a cave and the gryphon
apparently pulling tangible forms out of the slumbering dragon’s mind.
The group attempted to rush forward to stop the creature, but found themselves
hampered by a bevy of traps. In the time it took to safely clear the traps, the
gryphon had pulled forth two physical forms from the mind of the dragon, both
of which rifted away, and then somehow fled himself.
Upon finally reaching the dragon, Baron Rorii quietly recited the Code of Chivalry to it and it
awoke. The dragon identified himself as Icen, and
Cedric immediately noted the Dragon’s name in the name of the Kingdom, Icenia. When Cedric mentioned the name of Icenia’s founder, Queen Aramantha
Deeannan, Icen recalled
knowing someone with the same surname.
The goal of the gryphon became quite clear however
when Icen attempted to channel his magical abilities
and found he could not. It seems the gryphon had attempted to steal his magical
powers, but that they somehow fled on their own, leaving Icen
comparatively powerless.
When the turmoil back in town was explained to the
dragon, Icen informed the Baron that his old nemesis,
Slythe, had also awakened somehow and was probably
leading the attack of his created minions against those perceived as Icen’s Champions, those who follow the Code of
Chivalry.
The group made haste back to the center of the town
and Icen confronted Slythe
directly, being careful not the mention the loss of his powers. The two agreed
that they would allow the followers of their disparate philosophies contend in
two days. Upon this agreement Slythe and his minions
withdrew.
Icen informed the Ashbans
that in addition to attempting to reacquire the aspects of his magical energy
that had escaped, that they would be able to acquire a variety of magical boons
that he had created and hidden away by means of the magical portal (which he
had also created.)
The Ashbans began making
preparations for these upcoming tasks. A group tasked to acquire a cloak from a
group of Vacarran Pirates were successful, but
unfortunately a group led by Baron Rorii and Sparticous to acquire an enchanted sword found themselves
facing Empress Arienne of Galanthia
and were soundly defeated and sent back as blood wraiths (though ultimately
cured). A third group led by Parduc was successful in
acquiring a magic belt from deep within a gnoll
encampment.
In the midst of all this, the physical manifestation
of Icen’s celestial energy was spotted
surrounded by ice elementals and yeti. The Ashbans
marched towards the reported location and Guildmaster
Cedric was able to institute a parlay with what appeared to be the ranking ice
elemental. The elemental indicated that it was summoned there by the celestial
aspect, which did not wish to remerge with Icen. The
elemental informed Cedric that though he and his fellows did not wish to fight,
they had to obey the aspect’s commands and that it would certainly order
a combat. Those words became prophetic and a fierce melee did indeed break out
when the Ashbans refused to leave. The celestial
aspect was physically subdued and then merged with Icen
once more.
Later that evening, reports came in that the gryphon
had captured Icen’s earth aspect and was
torturing it in a Circle of Power. The Ashbans
immediately marshaled to face this threat. The gryphon eventually left for
reasons unknown, but the earth aspect also did not wish to reunite with Icen and summoned a death elemental overlord. This overlord
and its minions provided a terribly difficult challenge for the Ashbans, and several resurrections were reported after the
battle. Ultimately, however, the earth aspect was defeated and absorbed by Icen and the death elementals withdrew from the
battlefield.
The next day was the day of the challenge between Slythe’s champions and those of Icen’s
teachings. As expected, the Slythe attacked in force,
and through the thick of the combat Slythe and Icen could be spied hurling supreme arcane magics at one another.
Ultimately the Slythe were
defeated on the field of battle and their dragon patron conceded defeat for
that battle. He and his surviving troops were allowed to withdraw honorably
from the field.
Icen thanked the Ashbans for
their assistance and reports indicate that he was considering going to castle Cil-Cillullarion to meet with Their Majesties.
Indorian Resigns; Ivan Named Baron
In
early November, a troubled Baron Indorian made a
surprise announcement during dinnertime.
After
stating that he had thought long and hard about a certain decision, His
Excellency formally announced to Duke Frost that he would be resigning as Baron
of Blythedale.
A
shocked Sir Ivan Drake protested his liege’s resignation but was told to
stand down by His Grace, as Indorian handed Duke
Frost his folded Baronial tabard and cornet.
Duke
Frost accepted Indorian’s resignation and asked
if he would still be willing to serve by His Graces side and knighted Indorian as a Ducal Knight.
His
Grace then called up Lord Daniel Grimsby and knighted the lord as First Knight
of Blythedale.
Finally,
with Sir Indorian looking on, Duke Frost called
forward a stunned Sir Ivan and, with words of encouragement from Sir Indorian, made the former Paladin the new Baron of Blythedale.
Baron
Ivan’s first action was to take Lokegon Whitearth as his first squire.
Reasons
for Sir Indorian’s resignation are unclear.
When asked why he resigned,
Sir Indorian stated “It was not a decision I
came to lightly. I can do more good as a knight of the Duchy. There are things that I need to take care
of. I cannot think of anyone better to
hold the title of Baron than Baron Ivan.”
Tomb
Unearthed; Shroud of Shadows Recovered
Early in the morning of the 4th day of the Lion, a representative from the Icenian Archeological Society arrived in Dara’s Grace looking for a few volunteers to aid in
excavating a dig site. Among those who stepped up to the task were Alor, Theomosis, Ved’Born, Corwyn, Garathon, and Vitaly Khorwyn.
Traveling outside of the town, the adventurers arrived
at the site, which was obstructed by a rather large boulder. It took all their
collective might to force the great stone barricade from the door to what
appeared to be some manner of crypt.
The interior walls were lined with a multitude of
bookshelves, their contents nothing more than dust, save for one book that
remained intact. Upon a dias
lay a few scrolls and a cloth of shimmering red.
All of the contents were guarded over by a lifeless
humanoid figure wrapped head to toe in bandages. The Institute’s core
intent was to retrieve the lone book for purposes unknown,
however, as is habit with many adventurers, other items caught the
party’s eyes. One of the adventurers touched the cloth and suddenly the
mummified corpse sprang to life, prompting all those inside to vacate the tomb
with haste.
The mummy stopped at the threshold of the crypt and
inquired as to how the gathered adventurers managed to intrude without the use
of a ward key. As many are familiar, recent magical shifts have cause specific spells to realign to different schools or
their function to be altered, among these, the common fact that the Ward spell
no longer produces a key. Instead of continuing its pursuit, the mummy declared
that the adventurers had brought doom upon themselves and then proceeded to cast another Ward spell upon the doorway and
retreated to the depths of the crypt.
Making their way back to Dara’s
Grace, one of the adventurers made mention of a rumor overheard that Mishmash
was supposedly seeking an item called the Shroud of Shadows. Members of the
party rushed to the local Sage’s Guild to ascertain the contents of the
book which was scribed in an arcane script.
Sage Aria called upon the assistance of Dame Glorianna. The book was written by Gwercanner,
a Human Celestial Mage that had sought to find a way to achieve eternal life
barring necromancy. He prolonged his life by transforming himself into an elf,
only to find that even in the form of a long-lived race time would catch up to
him. Regrettably, he turned to magic’s even he deemed foul, transforming
himself into his current mummified form, sealing himself within his crypts
until his students could discover the mystery that he could not solve. He
believed that the Shroud held the key to the elusive prize he desired.
The adventurers willingly handed both the book and the
Shroud over to the Lady Knight and prepared themselves in case Gwercanner’s words held true.
Shroud Used to
Free Pedratos
On the afternoon of November 3rd, a mysterious
creature calling itself Malady approached several adventurers and informed them
that the strange magical device known as the Shroud of Shadows could be used to
rescue Pedratos. Apparently, the device could be used
similar to a Gift of Life ritual to reverse any necromantic transformation to a
life force. While this Malady (who claimed to be a creation of Yech’s, made of “living disease”) could
not tell the Herose of Ashbury
the exact location of the Shroud, she said she would be able to bring Yech to the town once they had found the Shroud and were
prepared.
Two days later, Malady returned to check on the
progress of hte Adventurers. While she was in town, Yech and Mishmash appeared! They had somehow learned of MAlady’s treachery, and planned to make an example of
her and the assembled Heroes of Ashbury. Fortunately,
the Adventurers were at the ready, and able to dispatch the forces the two
Kings of Halloween brought with them- even forcing Yech
to disipate once and Mishmash to rift away. Both then
returned, however, revived with additional forces, and laid into the Heores once again.
Scarn Whiteleaf,
aware of the plan to use the Shroud to rescue Pedratos,
taunted the cursed healer with a bracelet that he had given to his wife before
her death so long ago. Yech/Pedratos howled in rage
and charged after Scarn into the Healer’s
Guild. All seemed to be working well until Mishmash confused the adventurers by
exlaiming “Good! Fix him! Return him to
normal!” Malady saw their hesitation (as doing what the monster currently
attacking you wants done is generally the last thing you want to do) and
countered that he simply wanted Yech out of the way
to give him less competition to become King of Halloween. This seemed plausible
to the Adventurers, and the ritual continued.
While the writer was unable to find out the specifics
of the ritual, it apparently involved some kind of “Gypsy folk
magic.” It was performed by Lady Knight Gloriana
Wyndancer, Guildmistress Zatarina, Kerrigwen of the Court
of Blythedale, and Keres of
the Court of Nordenn.
Afterwards, Pedratos emerged
from the Healer’s Guild, sword and shield in hand, to help dispatch the
remaining Undead.
Cedric Brings About
Tensions in the
by Oliver Nirab
Tensions between the nobles of Ashbury
and the elves of the
Scarn Whiteleaf
wrote a scathing critique of the decision to release the Dominion in the last
edition of the Ashbury Times and word
reached the nobles that Cedric Fruvous had given a
speech to the Amani Council that was harshly critical
of the nobility and urged the Council to protest the decision to release the
Dominion by asserting the fact that their alliances were written with Evendarr and not Icenia.
In a private meeting, the nobles discussed the
situation. Some felt that Cedric should be executed and banished while others
protested that Cedric and Scarn have a long history
of service to the duchy and that discourse was the solution. Ultimately His
Grace ordered their arrest for Mockery of a Noble Title.
Their trial was held publicly in the Black Horse
Tavern. His Grace was clearly angered by Cedric’s unapologetic statements
and yelled quite fiercely at the sage. Ultimately Scarn
and his household were fined 75 gold and Cedric was fined 25 gold.
Events spiraled further out of control the next day
when Lord Elsinor Quicksilver and Lady Glenduria Goodberry Manyave, both of the Amani
Council, traveled to Deathwatch. They announced that the Amani
council, after a 3-2 vote, was closing the borders of the Wold
and completely breaking ties with Ashbury.
Lord Elsinor and Lady Glenduria stated that since they voted against the decision
they were sent to deliver the message.
Baron Rorii declared it an
act of treason. Cedric stated in response that the treaties binding the
Baron Rorii flew into a rage
at Cedric’s arguments and the two elves began arguing quite loudly in the
center of town. Some reports indicate that at one point the baron even pulled
his blade on the sage, though when this was pointed out His Excellency quickly
put it down.
After several tense minutes of debate and outright
arguing, Baron Rorii ordered Cedric to be arrested on
charges of treason and ordered the town guard to take him to
Cedric was led away by Squire Koshinara
and a nearby member of the ducal army, and the trio was followed mindlessly by
the Mercury Golem that Cedric had created. Lord Elsinor
and Lady Genduria were allowed to leave unmolested.
Reports indicate that His Grace wrote Cedric in jail
offering to discuss the difficulties that had led to the situation. After much
letter writing, and many behind the scenes discussions, His Grace ordered
Cedric released from prison on the condition that he would travel to Deathwatch
to discuss recent events with him.
A private meeting was held days later, with Sir
Harrison Ryatt and Sir Ivan Drake of Blythedale present as mediators. The contents of the
discussion were private, but both Duke Frost and Cedric later stated that each
felt the other was finally hearing the other with their hearts.
That same day of the meeting, four of the five members
of the Amani Council (Lord M’theran
Kilentria was unable to attend) met with Duke Frost,
Sir Indorian Silverleaf,
Squire Lokegon Whitearth, Du’Gaul Mornavor, Cedric
and Scarn. The elves held a frank and civil discourse
with the Duke about the leadership of the
His Grace stated that he believed that Rorii had the sanction of the Council because then-Baroness
Glenduria had named him as an heir and stepped down.
The rest of the Council, however, assured the Duke that she did not do so with
the sanction of the Amani Council. After a great deal
of discussion it was determined that a written agreement about the requirements
for a baron of the
At the conclusion of the meeting, Lord Gwindor announced that the Council was re-opening the Wold and His Grace indicated that he was glad they had
reached an understanding and that in the future the Council should feel free to
bring grievances to him.
Killer Captured
For
some months, the Guard of Deathwatch and Sherrif Kyle
had been on the trail of a twisted killer. Having finally captured him, he made
them aware that he had a hostage (a future victim) surrounded by traps and
suspended over a deep crevasse, and that any attempt to rescue her would surely
cause her ressurrection.
Unwilling
to allow a deranged criminal to disarm the traps for fear that he would simply trigger
them, Guardsman Donevar Ronsford
and Guardswoman Alexia Tolliver approached the cabin with the intent of
disarming the traps and rescuing the girl. When Guardsman Ronsford
failed to disarm the first one outside the building (resulting in successful resurrection),
Guardswoman Tolliver appealed to the Adventurers to try to disarm the complex
deathtrap scenario. The delicate procedure took nearly an hour. with all traps but one- fortunately only a gas trap- safely
disarmed.
It was decided by Sheriff Kyle
and Magistrate Corbin Tell that the listed reward for capturing the criminal
should be given to Vitaly Kerensky,
Elryion Nyonos, Denato, Cuar, Ryolin,
and Morai for their assistance in the safe rescue and
recovery of the girl.
Dockside Strangler
Captured
The killer known as the Dockside Strangler was
captured recently when he traveled to Deathwatch, apparently in search of new
victims.
The adventurer Issalura had
been one of his victims in the past after he had introduced himself as a
“mixer of drinks” and then provided her one which knocked her out.
She resurrected successfully.
Sir Harrison had been investigating the problem in
Dockside when Issalura told him of her encounter. He
asked for her assistance in capturing the fiend.
Upon discovering a local girl who had met the
charismatic Strangler and had made arrangements to see him, Issalura
planned a trap. She gathered Jezebel, Campion,
Mori, Caras, Tellos and Darkan and waited.
When the Dockside Strangler knocked and entered,
expecting to find his date for the evening, he instead encountered the
adventurers. He immediately
threw a paralysis gas at Issalura and a
battle broke out.
The strangler was captured
and brought to the magistrate. During his brief trial, he confessed to twelve
murders and seemed proud that his actions had made him famous.
Corner of Chivalry:
Being Generous
by Baron Ivan Drake
“Thou shalt be
generous and give freely to others.” Given the generally generous
nature of the adventuring community, I feel the seventh tenet of the Code of
Chivalry is often overlooked or misunderstood. We are fortunate that the
adventurers of Ashbury as a group are giving and
willing to assist one another. It is rare that a fallen hero would lay
long on the field of battle without aid and I have often witnessed a warrior
willingly give his/her weapon to another who might inflict more damage to the
enemy. But as with all of the tenets of the Code, there is a deeper
meaning that must be considered.
Recently, an elderly woman came to Deathwatch to
assist us in defeating undead. Though she was initially viewed as
suspicious, the tokens that she gave freely to anyone who asked allowed us
engage and eventually destroy a large group of undead. Once the battle
was over, she passed away, her life and duty fulfilled. Her body was left
to the wayside until a small group of heavy-hearted individuals gathered her up
and gave her a proper funeral. These individuals did more than lend
material items or administer battlefield assistance. They were generous
by giving of their hearts.
And there are other ways to demonstrate
generosity. We can freely give information to those who seek it. We
can freely give time to those who need it. Generosity is more than a
charitable donation. It can also be a deliberate act of selflessness
enacted not when it is required, but when it is unexpected. So as we go
forward to achieve our personal goals, let us all remember to have a generous
spirit, assisting those who need more than just a healing spell or a magical
weapon. Let us give of our hearts as well.
The Principles and
Teachings of Icen
by Ducal Recruit Aven
On October
20th, 606, the
·Thou shalt respect the weak, teach them to be strong, and constitute thyself the defender of them until they may stand on their own.
·Thou shalt love the land to which thou hast sworn fealty, and the peoples that thou hast sworn to protect.
·Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
·Thou shalt make war upon evil without cessation.
·Thou shalt perform the duties of the Champion, and make them the laws of the land. Scrupulously in deed and scrupulously in aims, let not darkness and evil pave the way for good and righteousness.
·Thou shalt not lie and thou shalt remain faithful to thy word.
·Thou shalt be generous and give freely to others who are deserving and who shalt not take solely for their own greed. Thou shalt give to those who would not be made weaker or dependent upon thee from receiving of the giving.
·Thou shalt be everywhere and always be the champion of the right and the good against injustice and evil.
What do these principles mean to us? For those who follow the Code of Chivalry—we use the eight tenants to guide our thoughts, actions and spoken words. The teachings of Icen can bring new light on how we interpret the Code and how those interpretations can impact others.
If we look to the first teaching – it encourages us to “teach them to be strong” and “defend them until they may stand on their own.” These additional statements present to us an idea that merely respecting and defending the weak is not enough—but that it is also our responsibility to train and strengthen those who are in need.
Likewise the second teaching adds “love… the people that thou hast sworn to protect.” It encourages us to think beyond a liege and a land—but to the heart of the land—to the very people who make up our estates, baronies, duchies, and kingdom. It reminds us that loving one’s country is not enough—but it requires the defense of the people that bring that nation life.
In the seventh teaching we read, “be generous and give freely to others who are deserving and who shalt not take solely for their own greed. Thou shalt give to those who would not be made weaker or dependent upon thee from receiving of the giving.”
This teaching is tied to the first tenant where we are encouraged to give of our time to train those who are in need—to assist them in growing stronger so that they can stand on their own. This statement takes that a step further, showing that we should target those who are eager and interested in such assistant, those that would take that generosity of time, knowledge and resources and apply it to their development.
It also acts as a warning, that sometimes by giving generously we can cause harm—becoming a crutch to someone can bring about damage to someone’s growth and development—thus we must be careful. Sometimes it is necessary to say no so that one will be inspired to take their own steps. Sometimes one must fall before they can pick themselves up again and walk.
Finally in the fifth teaching, “perform the duties of the Champion, and make them the laws of the land. Scrupulously in deed and scrupulously in aims, let not darkness and evil pave the way for good and righteousness” we are guided on the “means” to all ends. Many times it is argued whether or not the means justify the ends—this teaching shows us that is not the case.
We are called to have high moral integrity—acting in strict regard to what is considered right. We are to painstakingly perform our duties as Champions of the Code. We are to take the Code and ensure that it governs our actions and what we are held accountable to. This teaching even goes as far as to encourage that the Code itself is the law to which all are governed by.
With the Code as our moral law, we must not let darkness and evil be used to pave the way for what is good and right. We must be careful therefore in what choices we make towards the great goal—to ensure that each step is one of good and righteousness.
If the Principles and Teachings of Icen could be quickly summarized—it would seem that they point to the forging of relationships amongst those who would follow these principles and to the people that they serve. It points to our responsibility to make the right choices—not being persuaded to use tools of darkness and evil to accomplish our objectives—but to abide by this moral law both in action and in intent.
Therefore we must strive to teach and strengthen those who are not as strong as we. We must get to know those to which we give of our time, knowledge and resources—making an active investment to ensure that we are adequately assisting them—not just handing out a gold piece or defending a farm from trolls and then walking away.
We must guard our mind, hearts and body from the temptations of the easy path to the end—and always weigh our thoughts, choices, actions and words against the Code—not as a guide but as our moral law.
We must walk together. For truly, if we love and serve our land, we must help cultivate our people—for they are our kingdom’s true treasure; we must all hone our strengths and fortify our spirits so that as a nation we may stand against any and all challenges and with the Code—overcome each one with goodness and righteousness.
News From Around
the Duchy
Barrowdowns, Nymphwood and
Bartersville: An argument between a gypsy and a
merchant has escalated and several local residents are rumored to have been
cursed.
Connor: Large
herds of cattle have been stampeded through the estate’s largest village
and locals fear that a mischievous prankster is at work.
Denthor: Laborers
on several pig farms have staged a strike and are demanding better pay. This
has caused a labor shortage and locals are reportedly asking for assistance
from the nobles.
Ector: A brazen
thief has robbed several local businesses and the estate’s
merchant’s guild is demanding action.
Fenmarch: Rain has fallen steadily in this estate
for nearly a week and local flooding has occurred. Two people have been
reported missing and are believed to have been taken by a flash flood.
Hillcroft: There are rumors that an extensive
audit is taking place which is examining the finances of the estate, including
taxes and operating costs.
Immervale: There are rumors that a local stone
elf alchemist has used alchemy to win the heart of an eleven lass. Local
officials are demanding an investigation
Suvina: Residents
of the town of
Guild Reports
Healer’s
Guild Report
by Zatarina Norik
Congratulations and welcome to Kade
as our latest member. Congratulations also go to Baron Ivan for his well
deserved promotion and we look forward to working closely with him.
The Guild will host a party in the end of February. All Guild members are allowed to bring two
guests. Invested members can bring four guests. The party will be held in
Bloodstone. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. and dessert will be homemade
cheesecake. Please contact me before February 1st to make arrangements.
Everyone has a pleasant and peaceful winter!
Sage’s
Guild Report
by Cedric Fruvous
The Sage’s Guild is pleased to, belatedly, announce the addition of Scarn
Whiteleaf’s book on the adventuring career to
our library. Feel free to come by and peruse it at your leisure, particularly
novice adventurers.
In light of my conviction of Mockery of a Noble Title,
I offered my resignation to the members of the Sage’s Guild. All those in
attendance at that meeting unanimously voted that I remain in position and I
shall honor those wishes.
In far more cheery news, we would also like to
congratulate Baron Ivan Drake on his recent elevation. In recognition of his
increased duties as the baron of Blythedale, we have
placed him on the inactive roster for the guild. His duties to the people of Blythedale supersede those to the Sage’s Guild, and
it is best that he focus on that. If, at any time, Baron Ivan believes that he
will be able to fulfill a role as a member of the Sage’s Guild he will be
welcomed back with open arms.
In addition to library services and research for hire,
The Sage’s Guild offers teaching, Celestial Spell crafting services as
well as sale of armor, weapons, potions and alchemy and rented use of our
Celestial, Earth and Alchemy books. We have a small selection of weapons and
armor available for sale as well. If you are interested in joining the
Sage’s Guild speak with myself or Sage Aria
Devonshire.
Letter
Citizens
and nobles of Icenia,
Your
valiant efforts have freed one humble healer from the darkness of the Abysmal
Gorge, and for this you should be thanked and praised. Though released, I am
still not yet free. The dreams will haunt me. I feel that there may be some
part of the fiend that is still inside of me and I ask you to help me destroy
it. But there is yet another man, however, who needs your help more: Calwin. Whether by choice or mistake, he is trapped within
the warring Kings of Halloween and his torment must be greater than any in the
entirety of the Gorge.
I
understand that throughout the course of the last year, two names must rise
above the others in my gratitude. First, Scarn
Whiteleaf. Thank you for keeping my
wife’s bracelet and for returning it to me. The second, I’m told,
is Cora Scalderan who worked persistently towards my
rescue.
I
thank you.
Pedratos
A Little Birdie Told Me
by Sue D’Onym
Here we go again, with the News They
Don’t Want You To Know!
So much scuttlebutt about that whole angry elves
thing! I hear that as soon as word of Cedric’s speech to the Amani Council reached his ears that Baron Rorii wanted to hang and banish the sage. Only Glorianna’s intervention prevented that.
Cedric claimed that the Amani
had no treaty with Icenia (which is not true) and
also that Baroness Glenduria had been
forced to resign. His Grace Duke Frost proved Cedric wrong on both
counts, even producing the ex-Baroness to explain that she had only taken the
position until a worthy replacement could be found. It is not certain that
Cedric was convinced.
Glorianna then paid Cedric’s fine, and
bragged about doing a “good deed” to help Cedric, which I am told
infuriated His Grace. He and the gypsy had a long, private talk. I don’t
know what was said, but you note that when His Grace promoted Sir Ivan and
Sir Daniel, that it would have been a perfect time to elevate Glorianna to Baroness.
No idea if that will ever happen, though.
No one really knows why Baron Indorian
resigned, but many think it has something to do with his former squire, Tellis, now being undead and running about in the
Ash Forrest. Baron Ivan’s first
task, by the way, was to Squire Lokegon, even
after His Grace had told him to wait until springtime.
Now the question remains: Where is Lord Jonathan in
all of this? Sir Daniel posted some announcements about the Blythedale
court, to which Jonathan asked “Am I out of a job?”
Anyway, back to the elves. Du’Gual
and Scarn were forced to pay a huge fine
for their mockery charges, and Scarn posted a public
apology afterwards. This brought about a spirited debate in which many argued
that it should be acceptable to break the law for a greater good. (Scarn had also been accused of storing himself into a golem
without permission.) Gabriel said,
“I find it very unusual that a group of nobles would pass a law which
restricts the use of legal ritual tools which would aid in the defense of the
land.” Glorianna pointed out that all that was
required was permission: “Just as Amnesias are now illegal to be created,
held or used without noble permission, so is a weapon of war which could be
used to harmful effects in the wrong person’s hands.” This did not
seem to convince those who supported Scarn’s
actions.
Speaking of Sir Daniel, he recently captured the
crazed Dr. Formalda and his
assistant. He traveled to the
golem-maker’s lair along with Aven, Ignautius, Squire Lokegon,
Lupiticus and Kerrigwen
to find Formalda constructing an
“experiment” with body parts that were acquired from the local
graveyard. The bad doctor was arrested and placed in the custody of the
Magistrate of Deathwatch. The creature was also captured and turned over
as evidence.
Two long lost adventurers were seen in
Deathwatch recently. Klarion Darkmoon and Edaem were
seen with the
The stone elf tavernkeeper Dreath almost showed an emotion a while back
when dwarven king Kelanor
entered the tavern and loudly said “Whaddya
got to drink in this place? I’m
dryer than a stone elf whore!” Other patrons whooped and laughed as Dreath looked around. He didn’t even raise an
eyebrow!
Well, that’s all for this issue. Have a pleasant
Winterseve and don’t drink too much! And as
always, remember: If you can’t say
something nice about someone, come sit by me.
Public Notices
THE EXODUS TRADING POST
is Open for Business!!! We buy, sell and trade goods of all kinds. We also have
our help wanted service, where local folks come to find adventurers to help
with odd jobs. Some of you may know my friend Iskalda,
who lives in South Point. She pays well for certain items that she uses in her
experiments, so come see me and find out what she’s looking for today!
– Jack
ARE
YOU LOOKING to sell your goods abroad? Mayhap you are in need of supplies to
aid in providing goods and services for the fine men and women that stand as a
shield not only against the Dominion in the Estate of Deathwatch, but all
across your fine King-dom. The White Star
Mercantile and Shipbuilding Company is seeking
potential clients to engage in contractual negotiations with. If interested,
contact Captain Vitaly Khorwyn
THE
MoS are looking for a Ritual of Woe to trade for or
borrow. Will reward well and if need be, discuss why we need it. - Katen
HONORABLE
GORBE, are you enraged by the political changes of Icenia
and our
GUILDMASTER
DOUGLAN: When I return after the thaw, I would wish to speak with you further
about the Guild. - Squire Ulthoc of Nordenn
SAGES GUILD! Research! Teaching! Even just
light reading! Now with our new branch in Deathwatch.
SPELLCRAFTING of
Earth and Celestial Rituals available. Seek the Ritualists in the
Court of Nordenn. Reasonable rates, competent
service.