Iniquitous Causes "Cracking";  Amora Dun Grows Stronger

At the end of the Ducal Address on Friday night, the 28th of the Dragon, just after His Grace Duke Aramis Llyrr departed, the tavern lighting died and an Etherean appeared in the Dragon’s Flagon apparently bearing an informative message of hope. Ethereans are the mysterious messengers of the Virtuar and they appear as beings whose mortal-like frame radiate a nimbus of emerald (sometimes white) light.

However, before the Etherean could deliver her full message, a dark spirit — what scholars say are called Visitants — appeared behind the Etherean, saying, “Now it cracks!” Visitants are the negative counter part to the Ethereans ... the hissing messengers of the primeval force of evil known as the Iniquitous.

At the appearance of the Visitant, the Etherean shrieked as if in great pain and quickly rifted out of the tavern. The adventurers and nobles gathered in the Dragon’s Flagon suddenly were in the grip of a powerful vertigo that sent them reeling to the flagstones. The Visitant then floated above the stricken adventurers and randomly touched some of them. The Visitant’s touch caused those receiving it to appear in a weird, translucent  spirit-form. Those affected were then lead away. They soon returned, appearing normal again but with no memory of what transpired after being touched by the Visitant.

Later that night, the Visitant returned, causing random citizens to suffer the same fate as those in the Dragon’s Flagon earlier.
In response to this, the Virtuar sent two Ethereans to gather those not touched by the Visitant. The Ethereans then gave this explanation:

The Iniquitous grow stronger with each act of violence, wasteful destruction and murder, or through the spread of fear and despair. Each act of benevolence and healing, courage and hope weakens them. Therefore, by a crack in Amora Dun, made by evil actions and the absence of hope and widened by the same, the Iniquitous sent out their influence to the mad and the dark and inspired them to great acts of evil, hoping to tilt the scales between Amora Dun and Amora Fortannis’ influence in the world, so they may break free.

Their master plan is to create malevolent leaders of great influence to go forth and create chaos, fear, destruction and death, so that the Iniquitous would grow strong enough to break free of Amora Dun. It was decided that 600 such leaders would be created and sent forth to unknowingly or partial-knowingly do the bidding of Amora Dun. These leaders are known as the Avaricions (pronounced “Ave-Ah-Rhi-Shuns,” rhymes with apparitions).

These are the physical living vessels of the Iniquitous’/Amora Dun’s evil and darkness. These are living beings that, at certain times, have their will and body seized and controlled by the Iniquitous. Some Avaricions are only temporarily made, while a few are made into powerful and permanent versions. The greatest of these Avaricions is the mad visionary and reaver, Freejyn, who created the vast, infamous army bent on murder and destruction and the inspiring of fear: the Freejyn Horde.

It was prophesied that by the year 600, Amora Dun would have attained 600 Avaricions: 599 that will cause the permanently dead spirit of Freejyn to return to life as the supreme Avaricion. The Dark Countenance.

This was what the Freejyn Horde hoped to accomplish — with the help of the Iniquitous. The Horde would return the spirit of their founder, Freejyn, to the world in dual manifested state: sometimes as a ghost/spirit form, sometimes as a powerful corporeal frame as the Dark Countenance.

To accomplish this, the Horde needed the Inquitous to create and send Avaricions to the settlement of Dar Revere to retrieve a magical artifact that would release their founder, Freejyn, upon the world as the Dark Countenance.

Long ago, two brothers, Dar and Morg Revere, lead a huge band of their fellow slaves in an escape from Dur Namarie and fled out onto the Plains of Rage. They established a free settlement and named it after Dar Revere, the more popular of the two brothers. Dar was also chosen as “Captain” of the settlement, which is to say he was the ruler. Morg Revere did not possess as much benevolence as his brother Dar, and so he quickly grew jealous and resentful of him.

The settlement’s population grew both from its own internal reproduction as well from drifters, wanderers and escaped slaves who sought a home. As the population grew, the Dar Revere became a small city, and Captain Dar’s popularity increased.
The Iniquitous were drawn to Dar Revere, sensing that at some point in the far future, it would play an important part in their grand scheme. The growing hate seething in the corrupt heart of Morg Revere made him quite a target for the Visitants. Nightly they appeared to him, whispering, making offers of power. Morg always refused them, still clinging to the last dregs of his goodness.

But an epic turning point occurred in the story of Dar Revere; on an overcast autumn morning, the Freejyn Horde appeared on the horizon. The citizens of Dar Revere all had heard of the Freejyn Horde and so they knew what the immense dust cloud that bore down upon their city was.

Some called for flight but then realized there was nowhere to run. So the citizens turned to Captain Dar for guidance. The Captain asked for one hour in solitude so that he may ponder. During his hour of solitude, an Etherean appeared to Captain Dar. The Virtuar were aware of the Iniquitous’ intentions here at the city and they too knew that Dar Revere would someday be an important place in the battle between Amora Fortannis and Amora Dun. The Etherean offered hope to the Captain in the form of a stone tablet. It was an ancient artifact of unknown origin, called the “Key To Fate.”  It was said that the artifact might have belonged to Black Annis. The stone tablet held the power to open a portal to the core of Amora Fortannis. The Etherean then told the Captain that the stone tablet required a small offering of blood pumped through a heart of goodness. The Captain was to set the stone tablet just outside Dar Revere’s gates and then make a small cut on his hand or arm to drop blood on the tablet.

Meanwhile, Morg knew that this was a moment of Destiny where he could undertake a course of action that would sway things to his favor, where he would turn out the hero. But how? That’s when he again heard the hissing Visitants and this time, he turned to them to accept their offer for power. Morg was created as an Avaricion.

As the Captain prepared the stone table at the gates, Morg, as an Avaricion, attacked and the two brothers fought. In a freak mishap, the two slew each other and both of their bloods spattered the Key To Fate.

At that, there came a thunder from the stone and then both brothers vanished in an explosion of light. All traces of the Virtuar and the Iniquitous also vanished. Then a strange magical side-affect affected the people of Dar Revere. The citizens became linked to the stone tablet. It anchored them to the city of Dar Revere, though they could carry it about with them if they chose, neither the citizens nor the Key To Fate could leave the city. Another side effect was that the citizens possessed the ability to rift anywhere within their city.

When the thunder sounded and the explosion of light lit the area, The Freejyn Horde knew some weird magic was afoot and, being highly superstitious, decided to avoid the city of Dar Revere.

The citizens and their descendents were trapped in Dar Revere and linked to the Key To Fate. Their seers then had a prophetic dream telling them that strangers would always come seeking the stone tablet and that they must not get it; For if strangers remove the Key To Fate, the permanent doom of the citizens of Dar Revere will be sealed. However, the prophecy said that in order to be freed of the link to the stone tablet and its effects, the Key To Fate must be given away, but only to one whom the citizens find trustworthy.

Thus, the Freejyn Horde needed the Key To Fate to open a portal to the Amora Fortannis’ core and free their founder and namesake, and the only way they could do that was if the citizens of Dar Revere freely gave it to them.

The Ethereans came to Ashbury to counter the plans of the Freejyn and the Iniquitous. The would accept volunteers to become, temporary Benevolences — the positive counterpart of the Avaricions. It was the hope of the Virtuar that these Benevolences would prevent the Avaricions from obtaining their objective.

With the sides being drawn up for this battle, all that remained was a site for the conflict. Citizens of Ashbury report dozens of adventurers disappearing during the second evening of the previous battle.

Dar Revere appeared on the Plains of Rage, and dozens of refugees have appeared within the Duchy’s borders in flight from the Freejyn horde. Their story is remarkable, telling how a battle was fought across their city between what can only be, by description, Avaricions and Benevolences. The citizens of Dar Revere report that the tower has long served as the resting place for the stone tablet, and is heavily guarded. The shade like forms of two armed forces moved into the city and eventually arrived close to the same time at the tablet tower. Warned away from the tower by the Captain of the Tower Guard, the volunteer citizens guarding the tablet screamed in rage when they saw elven shades, convinced they were in fact the Dur Namarie masters they had fled so many years before. Elves were ordered away from the building and threatened if they came close to the tower.

The Benevolences are told to have taken a position before the gate of the tower and immediately began a series of negotiations with the captain for access into the tower to speak with the elders of the city. The Avaricions immediately began their attack on the Benevolences, but several attacks were beaten back — and the forms of the Avaricions winked out when overcome by the Benevolences. Despite their power and stealth, the Benevolences apparently held back the Avaricions with a few losses, but the real tide turned against the Avaricions when they struck the citizens of Dar Revere. The citizens apparently attacked the Avaricions after several skirmishes passed from their first assault against the guards at the tower.

Later the Avaricions apparently convinced the citizens to allow them to add themselves into the negotiations. Two Benevolences conducted a massive discussion over the fate of the tablet they were apparently supposed to retrieve for the Ethereans with the city elders. A variety of viewpoints we held by various elders but the source of discussion may have surrounded the prophecy of the tablet. The citizens eventually asked the Benevolences for a sign of good faith, and the Benevolences demonstrated their good intentions by asking the elven Benevolences to step forward and sacrifice themselves for the greater cause. Without hesitation, the elves knelt to be struck down, proving they were in fact not Dur Namarie as the citizens thought — and the tablet was given to the Benevolences to be spirited back to the Ethereans who had called them forth.

Soon after the conflict was complete, many adventurers awoke across the capital with little or no memory of the night’s events. The fate of the tablet is unknown — was this a battle between good and evil for the boon or ill of Amora Fortannis? Is this but the first skirmish in an epic struggle? Little is known, but it was only a fortuitous set of circumstances that allowed scholars to piece together this story.


Duchess Lilyth Permanently Killed by Requin!

It is a dark and woeful time for the Duchy of Ashbury. At the end of the Ducal Address on Friday night of the last Gathering, just after His Grace, Duke Aramis Llyrr departed, a messenger came bearing a package addressed to either the Ashbury Town Guard or any Ashban noble.

Captain Glorianna of the Town Guard was present and accepted the package. She opened it and, to her horror, she glimpsed the severed and permanently dead head of Duchess Lilyth Avacar, executed by Count Requin Drager of the Blackbourne Compact.

Beside Glorianna was Squire Talin of the court of the Ash Forest, who also witnessed the gory contents of the package.
All attempts to reach Duke Aramis and inform him of the tragic news have failed. Later that night, as His Grace commanded his armies on the Icenian border shared by the Blackbourne Compact, Count Requin’s force attack in full. Count Requin seemed to have gained new and terrible powers. The Blackbourne Compact split the Ducal Army in half, trapping His Grace and his faction between the Tower Hills and Requin’s forces.

At the time of the writing of this article, scout reports indicate that His Grace and the stranded half of the army are holding their own in the Tower Hills. All messenges have failed to reach the Duke. But the other half of the Ducal Army has regrouped and, joined by the Baronial Army of Nordenn under the command of Baron Olin, are preparing to strike in an attempt to break through to His Grace.

All of Ashbury’s hopes are with them.


King Announces Council of Regents to Oversee Rebuilding of Icenia

His Majesty King Gareth ApMoire recently announced the formation of the Council of Royal Regents. The Council, which is made up of nine appointed advisors, is to take immediate control over several key areas of concern within the Kingdom and aid in the reconstruction of our land. The Regents are to form the Council with the heads of the Royal Mage’s and Healer’s guilds.
The nine Regents are: Regent of Nobility, Regent of Finance, Regent of Defense, Regent of Trade and Commerce, Regent of Justice, Regent of Foreign Affairs, Regent of Royal Affairs, and Regent of Commons.

Regent of Nobility: The Regent of Nobility is responsible for many aspects of Icenia nobility. The Regency is in charge of tracking heraldic crests, noble lines, preserving the code of chivalry, and maintaining all records concerning the nobility. The Regent tracks who owns which estates, mediates disputes involving fiefs, and settles conflicts over oaths of nobility. The Regent of Nobility is also responsible for the maintenance and construction of Royal fortifications.

Regent of Finance: The Regency of finance is in charge of taxes, royal treasuries, and allocations of funds to most of the other Regencies. Because of this, this is perhaps the most powerful of all the Regencies, as all sources of income and money making are controlled and monitored by this powerful organization. The Regency of Finance is also responsible for monitoring and recording the census of commons, a tracking of the population of the kingdom specifically for the purposes of tax collection.
Regent of Defense: The Regency of Defense, as its name indicates, is in charge of all Royal Armed forces. The Regency is already building with its limited funds training facilities, and has begun to appoint and train officers to lead newly levied troops. This Regency also controls and maintains the Royal Navy, still in a developmental stage.

Regent of Trade and Commerce: The Regency of Trade and Commerce is responsible for the maintaining of roads, setting a royal messenger service throughout the kingdom, and is charged with monitoring and assuring that trade and commerce is not disrupted or corrupted. The Regency of Trade also controls imports and exports, as well as monitoring all aspects of trade, whether it be by water or land.

Regent of Justice: The Regency of Justice is in charge of all aspects of Icenian law. It monitors and logs precedents, observes/audits/appoints royal magistrates, and maintains the Code of Icenia Justice. The Regency of Justice also supervises the control and monitoring of all prisons within the boundaries of the Kingdom. The Regency appoints sheriffs and magistrates on royal estates as well as appoints law enforcement officers to pursue criminals across the Kingdom, called “Reeve Marshals.”

Regent of Foreign Affairs: The Regency of Foreign Affairs is in charge of appointing royal ambassadors and monitoring foreign affairs to areas throughout the continent. The Foreign Affairs Regency of course has close contacts with the Regency of Foreign Affairs, and many of its clerks, functionaries, and ambassadors play a dual role gathering intelligence for the Kingdom as well as serving as diplomats of good will. This Regency is also responsible for providing suitable residences for use by foreign dignitaries visiting Icenia.

Regent of Royal Affairs: The Regency of Royal Affairs are direct servants of his majesty and maintain Cil-Cilurion, the Royal Castle. They are responsible for the affairs of state, preparing royal functions, and serving in all capacities in service to the Kingdom. The Regency of Royal Affairs often serve as spokesmen for His Majesty, and supervise royal functions.

Regent of Commons: The Regency of Commons is in charge of the well being of the Kingdom in general. The Regency of Commons is responsible for monitoring agriculture, guilds, public works projects (such as water supply), and assuring that all communities can provide a minimal amount of local defense (militias). The Regency of Commons is responsible for obtaining and purchasing necessary supplies in order for the Kingdom to run, including maintaining adequate reserves in the result of bad harvests and other unfortunate occurrences. The Regency of Commons also provides the King with monthly status reports on the health of the realm, provided by reports compiled from local estate sources.

Royal Regents are to be accorded the rank of Count within the Royal Court, second only in power and authority to the Dukes of the four Duchies. Serving the Regents directly will be the Ducal Regents, one for each Duchy. These Regents will serve as the implementers of the will of the Council of Royal Regents. They are to be accorded the respect equal to that of a Baron to the Royal Court.

The Council of Regents is being set with two tasks: rebuilding and organizing the stability of the Kingdom, and addressing issues that require immediate attention. As the Regencies are not operational at this time, and it may take years to get the entire infrastructure of the Kingdom back in place, it is expected the Ducal Regents will wield tremendous power and given the enormous burdens to assure that the goals of the Kingdom are met.

There is word that the Ducal Regents will being given access to a massive portion of the Kingdom’s resources to utilize in accomplishing the tasks set forth by His Majesty and his Council of Advisors. It can only be assumed that the Ducal Regents will utilize these resources as a reward for carrying out tasks for the Kingdom, and it is assumed that by the power of Royal proclamation that carrying out tasks will fall heavily on the Ducal Baronies, chartered adventuring companies, and adventurer populations.

It has even been discussed that it may be necessary to form troubleshooting teams from adventurers present in a mandatory fashion, similar to forming military formations.

It has been discovered that the Ducal Regent of Ashbury has been appointed, but little information has been discovered about this person at this time.



Mage's Guild Attacked by Nimpatan and Undead Kismet!

An Eyewitness Report
by Senior Guildsman Saja

It was Friday night when I opened up the Mage’s Guild and invited some customers in to do business. Those present in the Guild were Kiren, Cormack, Cedric, Drakonius, and Luigi. Gilwing was there too, but he had some pressing business and departed after he gave in some components for identification.

Then, in the middle of teaching Cedric how to identify ritual components, a number of undead approached the Guild. I walked over to the door to see who it was when suddenly the ward was lowered and the undead walked into the Guild.

The undead that had the ward key announced himself as Nimpatan, the liche that the Mage’s Guild had been trying to find and deal with for several years now. Following him were two more greater undead and the created form of Kismet!

I was stunned for a moment when I saw the former guildmistress and retreated into the circle of power, recognizing all my friends into the circle.

Kismet and Nimpatan demanded we leave the Guild but I refused to acknowledge that it was still her Guild. They went on taunting me and destroying some components that were left on the table, leaving a big mess in the process. After some time, they decided to go outside and we attempted to get out of the Guild — but with Nimpatan staying on the outside holding the key, we were trapped.

Kiren, who is now known as the loudest woman in Ashbury, screamed for help and actually reached the townsfolk that were gathered by the Healer’s Guild. I knew she was this loud all along since I share a keep with her and Cormack and we have thin walls.

While the rest of the town made their way up the hill, Kismet raised a circle of power around the Guild and began to cast a destroy magic ritual. Some time passed when Rasq told me to attempt to backlash their ritual by casting one of my own. But since I could barely hear his instructions through a crack in the wall, I performed the ritual wrong and backlashed both rituals.

No apparent harm was done to Kismet but I could no longer feel the presence of the Guild’s circle and thus I could not recognize anyone in or out and we were all stuck in it. The undead were forced to retreat into the Guild when their circle outside disappeared,  and they hid behind another circle that a death wizard had cast. Rasq led the rest of the town into the Guild, since he had another key, and an hour later we were able to dispatch the liche and Kismet who dissipated when they were killed.

When the dust settled, we recovered Kismet's ward key. The whole encounter left me confused and a bit depressed. I was apprenticed to Kismet and seeing her as an undead creation was hard to swallow. But the Guild remained intact and everyone survived. I was the only person who lost anything and I can deal with this for the time being.

And Nimpatan, the next time you and I meet you will not have the upper hand — that I can guarantee.



600 Ducal Tournament Awards Magic Sword

Duke Aramis Llyrr has announced that the 600 Tournament will go on as scheduled on the weekend of the 27th, with a prize of a magic sword given to the winning team, and a Life item to the team in second place.

The Tournament consists of seven events, and teams can be made of any group of six.

The schedule for the Tournament is as follows:

Saturday noon:  Colors, Combat, Hunt begins

Saturday midnight:  Riddles

Sunday noon:  Race, Spellcaster’s Battle, Archery

Sunday midnight: Entertainment

Monday noon:  Hero’s Competition, Hunt ends.

Teams may register as late as Saturday at noon. Among the teams expected to compete are the Black Unicorns (who will be competing for the third straight year), the Dark Elves, and the Sage’s Guild.

More details and advice are available in a treatise written by Ashbury Times editor Eric Woolcott which has most recently been included as chapter 13 in the book “Amora Fortannis” — which can be purchased at fine establishments everywhere.


Liche's Hoard Announces Auction

The Liche’s Hoard Trading Comapny has announced an auction on the weekend of the Tournament. The auction will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. on the 28th of Hawk.

Here is what will be up for auction, along with minimum bids:



Mage's Guild Report

Greetings to all who walk below the Celestial bodies. This past gathering was a bit hectic but I am glad to see that the heroes of Ashbury came together to protect their Guild from the machinations of the necromancer Nimpatan of the Order of the Amethyst. Let it be known to all that he is a liche and is to be approached with caution.

I am sad to report that Guildmistress Kismet is no longer with us as her living self. Nimpatan somehow managed to capture her and change her into an undead abomination that is forced to serve him. Special thanks go out to all the heroes, particularly the Black Unicorns, for alerting the town of the liche’s presence at the Guild.

On a lighter side of things, the Guild is pleased to introduce two new apprentices who have been accepted among the Guild’s ranks:

Zameen Dragonhart
Xamot Darkmoon

Let it be known to all that the Guild is always looking to buy components, magic items, and scrolls. We keep regular hours during the week, and on weekends we will be open as follows:

Friday Nights   10-12
Saturday   12-4 and 9-11
Some Sundays  12-2

If you come to the Guild during these hours and it is closed, please find Senior Guildsman Saja of the Black Unicorns or Senior Guildsman Squire Rasq Darkmoon of the Ash Forest.

There will be a mandatory meeting on Friday night, the 27th of Hawk, at midnight. All members are required to attend. Sign ups for Guild duties are on a first come, first serve basis.

Ducal Guildmaster
Tiriflorn MacMannon
Warlock of Elements
Master of the Four Winds


A Little Birdie Told Me

by Sue D’Onym

I have very little space this month so let’s get started!

It seems there’s some turmoil in the Barony of Blythedale.  Some members of the Court feel as though they’ve been kicked out but haven’t been told anything as of yet. Others have left completely. I’ve been told that the reason Blythedale is not entering the Tournament this year is because Baron Jonathan can’t even get six people to follow him.

Baron Agnar meanwhile was seen talking with Dame Azura quite often the last time both were in the city — rumor has it that he’s trying to get her to join the Ash Forest! Seems he was overheard saying “But the Forest is your real home.” Dame Azura was also seen traveling with and speaking to Squire Talin a bit as well. Did Amora Dun freeze over?

Squire Celosia seems to be very sad lately. It could the fact that her love, Squire Xavier, hasn’t been around. Maybe this is a Blythedale thing — their men tend to drop their intendeds when things start getting serious.

Meanwhile, the Barony of Nordenn has yet another problem. Nimpatan came to town with the undead Kismet and accused Sir Jaret and Squire Scarn of killing him awhile back before he became a liche and vowed revenge. As if the Court didn’t have enough enemies to worry about. (The Mage’s Guild, by the way, has vowed to avenge the capture of Kismet and to find a way to “cure” her.)

Biata Zatarina, Jessamy, and Shya’s jaws all dropped when Elder Xapano bowed before Cedric Fruvos when making a pledge to give the elf free reign to write an unbiased book about the history of the biata. Oh, there’s an easy task.

And a bit of advice to this clown who calls himself “The Golem Guy”:  The next time you tell your creations to “kill everything that moves,” be sure to make an exception for yourself. Still, you have to admit, Parduc’s throwing of laughing gas at the fellow was appropriate.

Out of room already! Keep those letters coming and until next month, remember — If you can’t say something nice about someone, come sit by me.


Public Notices

I HAVE BEEN CHARGED with creating as thorough and neutral a text as possible on the history of the Biata. Anyone with knowldge of or involved in Biata history in any time period please contact me and tell me your story. – Cedric Fruvous, Biata Emissary

I AM LOOKING FOR the following scrolls: Damage aura, permanence, and 2 major channels, cloak binding. All celestial. I am looking for the following components: 2 Channels, celestial; 2 rare celestials for secondary use. I have the following to trade: 1 celestial transfer primary; 1 celestial permanence primary; Gold;  Magic items. Please contact me if you wish to trade. – Find’rth T’Varian

LOOKING FOR BULLYWUG COMPONENT. A Kingdom is at stake. Reward. See Saja.

ATOR AND DRAK: Thank you for your time an cooperation, I appriciate it – Cedric Fruvous