Meeting of Nations Deemed a Success
Delegates from the dwarven nation of Trollsgate, the dark
elven nation of Tarza-terranzan and the lizardmen of the Mishrak Fens assembled
in the Dragon’s Flagon on Saturday May 8, 604 to attempt to peacefully discuss recent
military tensions near the Fens.
This meeting was set up at the request of Duke Sir Frost
Vardik. King Kelanor represented the dwarves, Taji Ryujima and Velvrin Wendela
represented the dark elves and Arsora represented the lizardmen. Duke Frost,
Baroness Glenduria and Sir Jonothan were present for Ashbury.
Mishrak (who could not attend) and his lizardmen have been
trying to secure the estate of Mishrak Fens for some time. The dark elves of
House Ryujima have been aiding the lizardmen in this. Mishrak’s lizardmen had
been under constant attack by the Ragniss, more commonly referred to as the
Blood Dragons.
The Blood Dragons are a group of lizardmen that used to be
valuable leaders under Mishrak. They were led until recently by an undead
reptillon named Vanrakithis and a saurian vampire named Torgath (see
accompanying article). But while Mishrak was missing for a stretch of time, the
Blood Dragons fell to the path of necromancy with the help of the vampire
dragon mage Loscarnos de Morganna. They now seek to control all the lizardmen
and defeat Mishrak.
At the same time, King Kelanor and the dwarves of Trollsgate
have been expanding their kingdom. According to the king, the land of
Trollsgate is not nearly large enough to support the dwarven population. The
former estate of Oliver had been under the control of the enemies of both
Ashbury and Trollsgate for quite some time and King Kelanor took it upon
himself to invade Oliver and annex it into his nation. The forces of Trollsgate
then began to move into the former estate of the Mishrak Fens (though not into
the actual Fens). There had already been a few very tense run ins between the
dwarves of Trollsgate and the lizardmen in the Fens. A fragile armistice had
been arranged pending the results of the meeting with Duke Frost.
The meeting lasted several hours and much drawing and
redrawing of lines on the map occurred. An arrangement amicable to all was
eventually reached, without war or hostility. In fact, the entire meeting
seemed very diplomatic with hardly a raised voice, except for a few instances
from King Kelanor. The results of the meeting are detailed further in the
following public proclamation by His Grace:
Good People of Ashbury,
Let it be known that May 8, 604 has proven to be a momentous
day in the future of Ashbury, Icenia and our allies.
I had requested our allies, the dwarves of Trollsgate and the
dark elves of Tarzaterranzan, meet with me in order to discuss military and
political matters of import. It is with great joy I announce the mutually beneficial
results of this meeting.
King Kelanor and the dwarves of Trollsgate shall retain the
estate of Oliver for integration into their kingdom. This will become part of
Trollsgate. They will also integrate the southern part of the estate of The
Mishrak Fens. Several other estates that currently are part of the Contested
Lands will also be integrated into Trollsgate once they have been reclaimed
from our enemies. This area is currently to be known as the Dwarven Expansion.
This will allow Trollsgate a corridor to the Plains of Rage,
where further expansion may someday take place. Thus the Alliance between
Icenia and Trollsgate has further been strengthened.
The Dark Elven Nation of Tarzaterranzan has been granted the
northern part of The Mishrak Fens as a freehold, along with part of the
Contested Lands that are adjacent to this area. This estate will now be
considered part of Nordenn. The dark elves will also serve as liaisons between
Mishrak and his lizardmen, who are also to be considered allies of Ashbury and
Icenia. Lizardmen in general, however, are not considered a recognized race at
this time.
In addition, I have renamed the estate of Deathwatch in the
Ducal Fiefs. This estate will henceforth be known as Dara’s Grace, in memory of
Her Grace, Duchess Dara Vardik. May her memory long remain in our hearts.
Long live our allies,
Duke Sir Frost Vardik
Meanwhile, in other related news, persisting rumors that
forces of gray goblins and undead led by the vile Mastermind are massing in
what was once the estate of Bristol in Corheim have many citizens worried. Where these gray goblins came from, and
where the green goblins have gone is a mystery.
“Squire” Blechin, a green goblin of the Golden Skulls, had
this to say: “The gray ones are mean, they push us around. They are evil. The remaining Golden Skulls are
preparing for war! We will face them in the vile places that they breed and
will destroy them.”
He then shouted, “Thou shalt make war upon evil without
cessation!” and then inexplicably shouted, “Ever vigilant!” He was later seen
asking for directions to Bristol.
The new map of the formerly
contested region, gray areas being contested
Blood Dragons
Attack Ashbury City Amidst Negotiations
Known for not being very subtle and often being rather arrogant,
the Blood Dragon leader Vanrakithis launched an attack upon Ashbury city the
evening of May 7th. His purpose seemed to be to kill any and all dark elves and
lizardmen of Mishrak. He also seemed to have no compunction against killing
anyone else that got in the way. There seemed to be no real plan except
carnage. The adventurers of Ashbury successfully repulsed this attack.
Later that evening, a lizardman scout of Mishrak named
Shaltar came to town looking for the dark elves of House Ryujima. Lord Find’rth
was not present in Ashbury and leadership was in the hands of Taji and Velvrin.
He informed them that Naga had kidnapped the delegate of the lizardmen, Arsora,
and had taken her to a cave on the edge of town. The dark elves, including
Taji, Trife, Marrek, Mia, Nym, Runaki, Nyeve, Kiri, Quilari and Tenamil soon
followed the lizardman out of town. They returned quite some time later with
Arsora, having had to enlist the aid of Lauroc and Dominic to destroy a circle
of power that the lizardwoman had been trapped in. It is said they dispatched
quite a few naga as well.
A large force of lizardmen attacked the city late Saturday
morning. They numbered well into the hundreds, but were easily repulsed by the
Ashbans.
Later Saturday, Shaltar returned to once again seek the dark
elves. He led them to a tomb he had found on the outskirts of Ashbury, hidden
by overgrown forest and guarded by undead. He had been watching it to see if it
had anything to do with the Blood Dragons.
He couldn’t get very close, but he did notice that a large,
undead lizardman came out and looked very angry. Shaltar had seen the same
lizardman exit the tomb the previous evening, but had never seen him enter it.
He led the dark elves to the cave. The tomb was empty and still until the dark
elves. But when the dark elves went, many powerful undead attacked them.
They dispatched many undead in many chambers and finally came
upon a bottle, which when identified proved to be a curse of undeath bottle.
They brought the bottle back to Ashbury and left it in an empty ward for
safekeeping. This bottle turned out to be the bottle of Vanrakithis, and when
he was dispatched later in the playhouse (see accompanying article), he
reformed in the ward. The dark elves, with the aid of many adventurers in
Ashbury dispatched the creature over and over each time it reformed until it
could reform no more.
On Sunday morning, a dark elf scout from House Ryujima came
to town and reported to her superiors that she had been following a gaseous
form the night before. She followed it to a small settlement outside of
Ashbury. The form solidified into a lizardman and went inside one of the
cottages. The dark elves quickly assembled and headed out. Once there, they
began clearing out the cottages, each filled with undead. In the second cottage
they found Torgath, vampire leader of the Blood Dragons. He was dispatched and
staked. Thinks almost went awry when creatures from the other building began to
attack from behind, but the dark elves emerged triumphant.
The two leaders of the Blood Dragons seem to have been
permanently dispatched. Hopefully this will spell the end of the corrupted
lizardmen as well as be a strike against the machinations of Loscarnos de
Morganna.
Mithrauko,
Vampires Active in Capital City
Late Friday evening Mithrauko of Dur Namarie arrived in
Ashbury, accompanied by four of his higher ranking underlings. He informed the
people that they had been tracking vampires since dusk and that their tracks had
led to Ashbury.
The only two citizens to attack were Braveroar Stonehammer
and Kyril Flamebeard. Braveroar later claimed that he attacked one of the elves
while under the effects of a vampire charm. When Braveroar was cut down
effortlessly by the Mithrauko, his former buisness partner Kyril attacked the
elf in defense of his friend. The elf dominated Kyril as he was being attacked
until the dwarf, showing temper typical of the clan Flamefist, could have the
situation explained to him. Braveroar was later heard apologizing to the elves
for the attack to which Mithrauko snidely replied “What can you expect of a
dwarf?”
Mithrauko later talked to the Ashbans for a bit and was
warned that he should leave, as he was an enemy of Imladar and Ashbury. The
smug “elf” did not seem to give this advice much credence.
As Mithrauko spoke to the crowd, the hobling Mugg and another
were talking to a woman nearby. Suddenly one of them fell to the ground, dead.
This provoked quite a commotion, but before the woman could be confronted she
began to hurl insults at Mithrauko. It was revealed she was a vampiric minion
of Morganna and her vampire lackeys were indeed in the town. A battle ensued
between the elves of Dur Namarie and the vampires. The townsfolk slew vampires
where they could, but mostly ignored the elves.
Many vampires were staked and permanently dispatched, but
when Mithrauko attempted to stake the woman, later identified as Arienne,
nothing happened. She later turned to mist and disappeared, presumably
returning to her lair.
Soon after the vampires were dispatched, Mithrauko and his
forces left Ashbury City. But before leaving, Mithrauko prisoned Sir Eros,
telling the others present to remove the knight for “his own safety.”
This however was not to be the last Ashbury would see of the
vampires. The next evening, an elven woman came to town, saying how she had
been attending a play at a theatre outside of town when it had been descended
upon by vampires and other undead. She pleaded with the adventurers for help, and
the brave Ashbans once again heeded the call.
At the theatre, the adventurers faced a horde of undead,
including the vampiress Arienne and Torgath and Vanrakithis, the leaders of the
blood dragons. After a difficult and bloody battle, the Ashbans once again
prevailed. They were once again unable to stake Arienne and did not get the
opportunity to stake Torgath either. Vanrakithis was dispatched and soon
permanently dispatched due to the Ashbans having his bottle.
Undoer Finally Defeated
During the attacks of the Blood Dragons Friday evening it was
noticed that one of the lizardmen with them now possessed the hammer of the
Undoer, a foe that had not been seen in Ashbury for several years (though it is
said he was encountered in the alternate future timeline experienced by some of
the adventurers of Ashbury). The Undoer is actually a weapon which possesses
its owner, and has been seen in the hands of many races and beings.
During this battle, many adventurers were astonished to see
Sparticous attacking the Undoer. The Ashban hero was thought to be permanently
dead, but instead he returned by some account not made public, and helped to
defeat the Undoer in this battle, along with the rest of the Blood Dragons at
this time.
Some of the adventurers who traveled into the future timeline
recalled visiting the home of a farmer where, in the farmer’s root cellar, a
crypt had been discovered of a dwarven hero who had magically allowed the
adventurers to enter into the hammer and ultimately defeat the Undoer in the
future. A group went to the farmer
and received permission to search the cellar. Gilwing used his magical dwarven Ring of Palin to carve into
the cellar to find the crypt, and after a good half hour of digging, they
discovered the remains of the hero. However, there was no spirit there to guide
them, so a message was left and the crypt sealed back up.
The next day in the late afternoon, the Undoer returned, this
time able to produce the dreaded hammer wights from his weapon. It is said the
hammer wights are the cursed spirits of any and all people that have been
permanently killed by the hammer. The truth of this is not known. The Ashbans
fought a brave and difficult battle and eventually were able to take down the
Undoer, who dissipated.
On Sunday afternoon, the lizardman leader Mishrak came to
Ashbury and informed his dark elven allies that the Undoer was at the edge of
town gathering his forces and that they should go and confront him. Mishrak
said that he believed he had a way to defeat the Undoer, possibly permanently.
The adventuring forces were gathered and marched to
Gwendolyn’s Field, where the Undoer and his cursed minions mustered. Battle
ensued and eventually after much fighting the Undoer was taken down by the
clever application of a disarm, confine and eviscerate by the gypsy Zymm. At
this point, Mishrak used inexplicable spirit powers to send the adventurers
into the hammer. Many of them were without shields or weapons, as the hammer
wights had shattered them by the dozens.
Inside the hammer, the Ashbans fought more hammerwights and a
black, crackling entity. Many adventurers were so taken with the affects of the
hammerwights that they could do nothing but stay together and wait for the
effects to wear off. Baroness Glen
gathered the fallen around her and some of her court along with other less
experienced adventurers heroically protected the fallen while the more experienced
bravely fought the crackling entity.
They eventually defeated this entity and were ejected
forcibly from the hammer. Once outside, the Undoer again waited for them and
attacked. When the first disarm spell hit the Undoer, all the hammer wights
turned into dwarves, lizardmen, humans and even an elf. These creatures then
turned on the Undoer and pummeled him.
The entire group just faded from view shortly thereafter.
Dwarves Discover
Ancient Ruins Underground
by Creshin Oakhew
I have been asked by King Kelanor to report my findings to
the Ashbury Times:
The recent expansion into the contested lands has unearthed
the remains of an ancient dwarven city. A cave in the former estate of Oliver
led deep underground, where a break in the earth connected it to a worked stone
tunnel. The stonework was of exceptional quality, but cut in a style unlike
anything Trollsgate has produced.
I was forced to flee from a group of deep trolls, and another
cave passage brought me to the hills outside Ashbury.
With His Majesty King Kelanor’s permission, I came to the
city to secure the aid of adventurers for a return visit. With me went the hero
Gilwing of Trollsgate, and his companions: two high orcs named Rock and Garra,
two humans Lauric and Michiko, and an elf they called Redcloud. All proved
valiant warriors, as we battled through the darkness against bears and many a
foul troll.
The trolls infested the caverns but seemed to avoid the
worked passageway. The beasts are stupid, but even they must have felt the
eerie chill that filled the ancient tunnel. We traveled on in disturbing
silence, where nothing looked to have stirred for several hundred years.
I had barely the chance to lose my breath at the sight of
ruined buildings so deep beneath Ashbury, when they set upon us. Dozens of
horrid scarred beings leapt at us from ahead, behind, above and below.
They appeared nearly to be undead, but I swear by my own
beard that they were dwarves! They did not crumble to dust as do the undead;
no, these creatures simply faded back into the darkness of the city.
When the last of them were defeated, we made our way to what
was once the Town Hall. This building stood largely intact, despite centuries
of abandonment. We cautiously made our way inside the Hall, where four of those
dwarf-like creatures stood attentively staring at us, as if they were waiting
for something.
Suddenly one of them shouted “Death to the Blackaxes!” before
hurling arcane energies at us. I myself was struck with paralysis, and could do
nothing but stare at the horrid visage of the dwarf-creature that struck me
down. There I fell and would have died had not Lauric restored life to my
lifeless corpse.
While searching through the town hall, Gilwing noticed a
section of floor was hollow. He extended his hand, upon which I noticed the
fabled Ring of Palin! The legends of this ring are true, as through force of
will alone did Gilwing push the stone floor away to reveal a hidden compartment
beneath the hall.
The high orc named Rock then jumped down into the small
chamber, where a living dwarf sat huddled in the corner! Somehow, this dwarf
survived over three hundred years alone in room barely large enough to lay down
outstretched. The dwarf was crazed, and knew nothing of who or where he was. He
was eventually convinced to return with us to the surface, and to part with his
“friend.”
The friend turned out to be a tattered scrap of paper that
might hold some clue as to what became of this civilization.
The dwarven survivor was taken to the local Sherrif’s office
in Dockside and given a comfortable cell to spend the night.
I have reported my experiences with King Kelanor, and hope
for permission to mount a return expedition to this city in the near future.
Eleventh Annual Tournament Announced
The Eleventh Annual Ashbury Tournament will be held on the
last weekend of the month and looks to be an exciting event. The competition is
open to all, noble and commoner alike, in groups of six.
A team gets one silver noble per team member for every point
they receive in the Tournament, so it is clear that a winning team can turn
quite a tidy profit.
A first place win in one category, worth five points, is thus
worth three gold. There are nine competitions, so a team could conceivably earn
27 gold nobles. Even a team coming in 5th place in every event can still earn
four and a half gold pieces without having to exert itself.
In addition, the teams win a pouch full of supplies, as well
as possible suits of armor, weapons, or magical items. In previous years,
magical swords have even be provided as prizes.
Duke Frost
Vardik will, as usual, judge the competition, and the entire duchy is
hoping that nothing in his schedule will prevent this.
He will continue a tradition started by his wife, and will be
choosing a “champion” at the conclusion of the Tournament. As her beloved Grace once said, this
award goes to someone “who is not necessarily a winner of every event,” said Her
Grace, “but someone who is fair, honorable, and who shows themselves well
during the competition.” The winner will have the title of Champion until the
next tournament.
It is rumored that travelers from the mists will be in
competition this year.
The Tournament is open to everyone, citizen or visitor alike,
and is always a time of great celebration and revelry. Merchants and visitors
arrive to watch the proceedings, and the town of Ashbury has a festive
atmosphere the entire weekend.
The first competition is on Saturday morning and the final
competition is late on Sunday afternoon, so those who must leave on Sunday to
travel may still participate.
As usual, Sir Eros will be overseeing the Tournament, as well
as preparing the Hunt items and puzzles.
Rules for the Tournament are available in a treatise written
by former Ashbury Times editor Eric Woolcott. The article is publicly available in
most learned libraries and the Sage’s Guild, along with advice on how to win
each one.
There are nine competitions in total which seek to test all
sorts of skills, including teamwork. Since the scores are generated per each
competition, it is entirely possible to win the Tournament without ever winning
any of the individual contests. The Tournament was designed this way in order
to encourage teamwork and cooperation. A well rounded team will always do much
better than one that excels in only one or two areas.
Teams may register at the very last minute but most contain
exactly six participants.
The competitions will be held in this order:
Colors: This is the opening ceremony in which the teams present
themselves to the Duke, introduce each team member, and show off their bearing,
their finest clothing, their banners, and other displays. Gifts may be
presented to His Grace but they will not be a part of his decision-making.
This will take place at noon on Saturday on Gwendolyn’s
Field.
Combat: In this, each team presents three fighters who compete
against another team using padded
weapons. This is a round robin competition in which each team will compete
against each other team at least once.
“This is not meant to be a three against three battle,” said
Sir Eros. “You are not being judged on your individual skills, but on your
teamwork. There is nothing
dishonorable about ganging up on the other team, and in fact, that is how
teamwork works!”
This will be held immediately after Colors.
Hunt: In this competition, the team has to produce a number
of items before the other teams — assuming they can figure out what the items
are in the first place.
The Hunt list will be handed out immediately after the Combat
competition is over, and will conclude at the very end of the entire Tournament
on Sunday afternoon.
Entertainment: Here, the team has approximately
five minutes to tell a story, perform a skit, sing a song, or otherwise
entertain the audience.
Although a team may use people not specifically on their team
in this competition, it will count against them unless they have used all six
of their own members first.
This will be held around 8 p.m. Saturday night.
Riddles: This could include puzzles and other mind games as
well as riddles, and all six members should participate. A riddle will be given to one team, and
if they guess wrong, the next team will get a shot at that same riddle. Thus,
wrong answers not only count against you but also help your opponents eliminate
possible guesses. Three wrong
guesses eliminates a team.
This will be held immediately after Entertainment.
Spellcaster’s Battle: One spellcaster from each team will
meet on the field and the last one standing is the winner. No harming spells or
9th level spells are allowed, and no magical items, potions, or scrolls are
allowed to be used once the competition begins.
This will start at noon on Sunday.
Archery: In this competition, one team member competes to get
the bulls-eye more than his or her competitors.
This will be held immediately after the Spellcaster’s Battle.
Race: This is an exciting relay race in which four of the
team members compete against the other teams at the same time.
This will be held immediately after the Archery competition.
Hero’s Battle: This is a one-on-one battle
performed in the same manner as the Combat Tournament.
This will take place around 4 in the afternoon on Sunday, and
will be immediately followed by the submission of the Hunt list superlatives
and the announcing of the winners.
Last year’s Tournament was most unusual in that there was a
tie for first place (between Ash
Forest and Nordenn) as well as a tie for the following place (between the Biata
Assembly, a group from Thrommel, and the Black Forest).
Each of the three baronies will be sponsoring a team as
usual. The Ash Forest and Nordenn have announced that any winnings they receive
in the Tournament will be used to help the adventurers of Ashbury, and will be
used to purchase scrolls, potions, gasses, elixirs and other supplies
specifically for the new adventurers in town who are in need.
Gamblers who watch these things are carefully noting who
might make up which teams. “The
new Blythedale team will probably include Regent Du’Gual, Squire Gabriel, and
Sparticous,” said local oddsmaker Gesputchin Rook, “and that is a combination almost certain to carry the
battle competitions. However, if
Baron Morgasander decides to participate instead of just sponsor a team, they
could give Blythedale a run for their money. The Ash Forest is certain to have newly squired Rorii and
Darlassia on their team but it is doubtful they could win the combat
competition. At the same time, one cannot discount the Black Forest, who do
very well in combat.”
Of course, combat is not the only competition, and it is
entirely possible to win the Tournament while losing all of the combat
portions. “Even the most inexperienced adventurers could win Riddles, The Hunt,
Entertainment, Archery, and the Race, and thus the entire Tournament,” says
Gesputchin. “In fact, if I remember correctly, the Ash Forest team did that
about eight years ago, when Baroness Laurelin was in charge.”
Rumors have also circulated about a team of vansir being
organized as well as the possibility of a return of the dark elven team called
Shokan Ryujima, first place winners in both the 600 and 601 Tournaments.
Fire Ants Dispatched
A farmer came into town late recently seeking aid from the
adventurer class. A small number consisting of Daedric, Gilbert, Osrick,
Dominick, Aldric, and Styer ventured with the farmer to his steading at the
outskirts of Ashbury City. The farmer told the assembled adventurers how his
barn had become overrun by fire ants.
Opening the barn doors, the six observed a handful of fire ants, the remnants of the
farmer’s livestock, and a pit that the giant insects had been digging. Upon dispatching
the fire ants that were aboveground, the adventurers attempted to refill the
pit where the ants had been ascending from, but to no avail. With no other
choice, the adventurers descended into the pit where they came across what
appeared to be the beginnings of a hive complex, where they dispatched the last
of the marauding beasts.
After the chore was done the farmer rewarded the adventurers
and when asked what he was going to do with the nest he responded, “I think I
will make it a root cellar.”
Renowned Fighter Assaulted, Magic
Weapon Stolen!
On the second Sunday of the month Chara, a troll hunter
renowned by the common folk, was attacked and robbed of her newly acquired
magic weapon. She was attacked in
the northern part of the city not too far from her home, a powerful fighter,
she was overcome quickly by a woman leading a moving statue made from silver. She immediately reported this to the Lyle
Zaradan, Olivia, Redcloud, and Osrick of the Town Guard who, along with many
other adventurers, investigated the area of the attack. Amani Ranger Scarn Whiteleaf pointed
out that the tracks headed back into the city where they were lost.
The investigation is continuing and Chara has offered a five
gold coin reward for information leading to the return of her valuable
blade. The sword is described as
having a symbol that looks like the letter A on the hilt.
In other news of the underworld, small groups of orcs have
been seen throwing what can only be described as necromantic gasses around the
city. They seem to be targeting people who look like hardened warriors and
those manifesting aura stealing weapons and coin.
Thirty-two members of the underworld organization called the
Fist were arrested in Dockside last month, the latest in a series of raids
conducted by the Commoner Town Guard.
Sir Ryatt notes that a generous donation from Tieran Oza allowed him to
salary a few additional common town guards for Ashbury city, thus allowing him
to focus more on personally handling his own estate.
Farmer’s Daughter Rescued from Goblins
A beautiful day was shattered recently for a local
farmer. He had been told his daughter
had been kidnapped and taken by a group of goblins. The farmer went to Ashbury to enlist the help of some
adventurers to get his daughter back.
Cora, Gilbert, Daedric, Styer, Owlie and Captain Benbow responded to the
call.
The farmer led them to the spot where his daughter was last
seen and followed a path to a clearing where they found the goblins holding the
girl hostage. The little girl,
however, thought she was attending a “tea party” with her “friends.”
The adventures tried to trick the goblins but the goblins did
not fall for it. Cora tried luring the girl away from the goblins safely so
that she wouldn’t witness the rest of the adventurers slaughtering her
“friends” but that also didn’t work.
Cora finally surrendered to Gilbert’s idea of waylaying the
girl and dragging her to safety while the rest of the adventurers took care of
the goblins.
The little girl was unharmed and returned to her father.
Sil Galad Returns
A tall elf dressed in a white
and gold tunic and carrying a magic sword walked into the center of Ashbury
City recently. He greeted people cheerfully and began to gather all the elves
present.
He also began apologizing to many. His name
was Sil Galad. Soon he had gathered many elves and they adjourned to a sunny
spot in the field and talked for some time.
Before he left, he spoke privately with the
Imladari elves Daralassia, Rorii and Alushtas. He was seen leaving town without
his sword, and Rorii and Daralasia were both later seen wielding it.
Healer’s Guild
Report
With an eye for the upcoming Tournament, the Healer’s Guild
is once again offering water to all who attend. This is a free service. We also
encourage each individual to bring plenty of water with them as well, in addition
to keeping an eye on your friends. We had several cases of sunburn and heat
stroke recently, and would like to prevent future occurrences.
The Healer’s Guild is also delighted to announce that the
House Ryujima of the Dark Elven Nation of Tarzaterranzan has donated a Haven of
the Living Scroll to protect the Guild. A Preserve Duration Scroll is to be
used in conjunction with the Haven of the Living, its catalyst and reagents
being received by the Guild from the Court of Blythdale and Assistant Healers
Guildmistress Squire Glorianna of the Court of Nordenn, as well as many other
adventurers. The Guild is extremely thankful to each and every person who has
assisted in gathering the components. His Grace, the good Duke Sir Frost
Vardik, has graciously consented to the casting of this ritual on the Healers
guild building. In order to most efficiently cast the this, the Guild is
requesting one dozen casters with the ability to cast an earth Circle of Power
to gather during Tournament, to create a Circle of Power large enough to cast
the Haven of the Living around the entire structure. The casting will occur as
soon as possible Friday night. If you are interested in participating in this
ritual, please contact Assistant Guildmaster Lauroc DerWyrvenhaus.
The Guild has also begun the first of many free lessons in
Practical Healing Magic and Rituals. Free classes are offered on Saturdays.
Topics will include Ritual Magics, Basic Field Combat Healing, Field Tactics
for Healers, How to most efficiently guide the Spirits during Resurrections,
and many others. All individuals interested in attending these classes are
encouraged to gather at the Healer’s Guild each Saturday, or seek out
information from either Assistant Guildmistress Glorianna or Lhasa, or Assistant
Guildmaster Lauroc.
In addition to the above classes, the Guild wishes to remind
the people in Ashbury that we offer many other services, including our free
services of teaching earthen magics, performing esurrections, resurrection
story and resurrection compatability listings, and purchasing of illegal
necromantic Items for immediate destruction. Our charged services include ritual casting and
spellcrafting, sales of spell books and magic ink for individual spells, and
potions.
We also wish to remind each person to keep their thoughts and
hopes on our Beloved Guildmistress Shya Corak, who is currently battling the
entity known as The One in Bloodstone. Her absence is felt by all. We wish her
success and health in this difficult battle.
Lauroc
DerWyrvenhaus
Letters
Dear Ashbans:
I wish to thank those brave new adventurers who helped to
stand over those who were unable to fight after being infected by the
hammerwights while in the Undoer’s hammer. The heroism of the powerful adventurers should not be
diminished, but I think I was prouder of those who could not do massive damage
with their weapons who put their lives on the line to save those who could not
fight. While others were out attacking the spirit of the Undoer and collecting
treasure from the hammerwights, these brave people, for no reward other than
knowing they were saving others, stood over the bodies of the fallen.
In their honor, I invite those who stood by me to protect the
fallen to join with me on Friday night of the Tournament weekend to have a nice
dinner with fine deserts in the Ash Forest manor hall. I look forward to seeing you then to
once again thank you for your service.
Baroness Glenduria Goodberry Manyave
Dear Gentlefolk of Ashbury,
I wish to thank you all for your warm welcome and
enthusiastic response to the competition. I would especially like to thank my
judges Sheriff Ryatt, Sir Jonothan, and Emilio for their service and their
generosity.
To the performers, King Kelanor, Lauroc, Michiko and Quilari,
thank you for your beautiful contributions. I appreciate the talent that is
present in your fair city and I look forward to returning again soon. I will
notify you in advance of my intentions and hope that doing so will afford you
the time to practice.
Although the voice has seemingly been the instrument of
choice, those of you whose talents lie with woodwinds, strings or drums are
also invited to participate. Here I wish to acknowledge the winners of my first
and second visits—Layla and Lhasa, respectively.
May you surround yourselves in beauty all of the days of your
lives.
Hannah
I would like to take the time and thank you all who had
attended my funeral, or who have sent their condolences to the “Order of the
Black Unicorn” and my cousin Elocin.
As many of you have seen, I am very much alive again. I do
remember what occurred in the graveyards, and at this time I do wish to keep it
to myself.
Thanks is also needed for all the kind words that have been
spoken of me. Thank you all!
Sparticous of the “Order of the Black Unicorn”
Dear Ashbans:
Allow me to say how wonderful my visit to your fine lands was
recently. I came expecting to have
to deal with people who knew nothing of our needs or history, and found instead
very caring and considerate folks who sincerely wanted to help the
dwarves. I am in debt to Duke
Frost for working to make an acommodation between us and the dark elves over
the contested lands north of you, and must say that although I thought none
could replace Duke Aramis, I may have been mistaken.
King Kelanor IV, Trollsgate
A Little Birdie Told Me
by Sue D’Onym
Once more it is time for the News They Don’t Want You To
Know! This column would be much better, by the way, if more of you would write
to me. Remember, if you want to see
your enemies in here, or if you want to make sure your good deeds are
mentioned, you have to let me know!
Is everything clear? Fine, let’s get started!
It seems parents were the order of the day recently, as both Braveroar
and Cuar got visits. Braveroar’s mother Kalegerki came to
town with other dwarves of Dwarrenagor, no doubt to help staunch the flow of
letters coming from her boy. Cuar got visited by his father, and from what was
seen, this went less than well. Something about Cuar race changing to a human
was said to have been overheard.
Braveroar and Nikodemus and some others had an
encounter with some brigands recently who claimed to be traders, stating “We’ll
trade with you: Your money or your
life!” They were able to capture one of the thieves and bring him to justice
but another one was able to run away.
Several unusual visitors were seen eating (or not eating)
dinner at the Dragon’s Flagon recently. The dark elf auctioneer Kazz’d Karr
was spending time with his kin and also schmoozing the crowd in anticipation
for the auction. It was noticed that he was rather agitated when his meal
didn’t arrive in a timely matter and muttered something about disrupting his
business. The blue man from
Aquatiri was also seen speaking with the populace and enjoying dinner in the
tavern.
It was also noticed that Dark Elven wine seems to carry a
higher price tag at auction than many magic items. I guess Ashbury would rather
be drunk. A bidding battle brewed between Taji and King Kelanor over
one bottle of wine, but Kelanor finally bowed out, saying to Scarn “I don’t
feel right taking away the man’s love for the drinks of his homeland.”
Duke Frost seemed to be displeased with quite a few
people at his most recent meeting. Squires Gabriel and Glorianna,
and the gypsy leader Sergio were publicly chastised by His Grace. The
Duke was also seen holding several private conversations, including ones with Air
Raaksa and Gilwing. Don’t people know you need to tread lightly
around a man in mourning?
Congratulations are in order for Rorii and Darlassia
of the Ash Forest on their recent elevations to being squires. Word has it
that Teril Belayson and members of FOIL are once again gearing up to
complain since they are both from Imladari instead of being Amani.
Speaking of Rorii, Sparticous was overheard talking to
the Imlidari elf about his experience in the Graveyards. He claims that he
found himself in the beautiful Elder Woods, but is not of elven blood. Anyone
else notice that Sparticous was a little more chummy with the Ash Forest elves
since his return? Still, one has to wonder if he returned from the dead because
of a deal with a fey, right, Faust? (Don’t get Sparticous drunk, I am
told, or he fights against invisible butterflies.)
Attempting to be more aggressive on the battlefield, Baroness
Glen, observing the battle against the Undoer from her porch,
ordered the town to back up so that healing would be readily available for
those who needed it. However, she was unaware that the battle was turning in
the town’s favor and her order caused the Undoer to rally and regroup. Sir Jonathan
ordered all to ignore her (he can do that?) and later he apologized
to the Baroness for it, but my reports say she was not happy with him. Still,
she has decided that her place should be in the back making sure all get
healed, and she was seen doing that when the battle was carried into the
Undoer’s hammer the next day.
Emilio the biata somehow managed to worm his way into staying
as a guest of the Ash Forest a few weeks ago until the Baroness found out that
he had been convicted of necromancy in a distant land. It didn’t take long for
him to be kicked out, but he didn’t seem to mind, and in fact seemed proud of
his history. Proof that necromancy
destroys the mind, I guess.
Daedric revealed to many in Ashbury that he is a Lempur, and
befuddled them with his skeletal hands. Several attempts were initiated to
remove Daedric’s curse, but none were successful. Besides trying all weekend to
find information about how to lift Glantri’s curse from the land of Lempur,
Daedric also partook in several adventures, although not surprisingly, bad
things seemed to happen to his group wherever they traveled.
Aldric Harrington-Corak has had a bit of a memory
lapse recently. They also mentioned that when he came to, he was surrounded by
a bunch of gypsies. Hmm!
Rongo the vansir had some of the dark elf visitors confused
recently. “He has the feathers of a biata, horns of a mystic wood elf, fur of a
sarr, feet of a hobling, smells like a vansir and he is almost as dark as we
are...” said Mia.
Well, that’s all the news we have room for this issue, so
until next time, remember: If you can’t say something nice about someone, come
sit by me.
Public Notices
NEW ADVENTURERS in need of a Ward or other
assistance, please contact the Court of the Ash Forest for aid.
ATTENTION ALL CITIZENS and Visiting Peoples. I
will be in Ashbury City the weeks before and after the Ducal Tournament. I am
now taking orders for Arms, Armor, and other metal supplies including boxes
(strengthened or unstrengthened) and metal potion vials. I will still be able
to take orders on demand, but orders placed in advance will be made first.
Noble Courts, Merchants, and larger adventuring groups please contact me about
discounts. To give an example of my skill, I can make the heaviest of suits, a
sword, and a shield with only one trip to my forge. To give examples of my
quality of arms, my arms and armor have been worn by Lords and Ladies in four
different lands. Orders can be left for me at the Dragon’s Flagon in Ashbury
City, or left at my forge. Threy’s Might to guide thee. – Llyweilun of Sheep Tribe, Smith
WINE: On Friday and Saturday night during
Tournament, I will be selling wine . The wine is human red, white and
chardounay and possibly champagne.
– Osrick
SCROLLS AND CATALYSTS WANTED: The Order of the
Black Unicorn is looking for the following Ritual Scrolls and Catalysts: Race
Change, Channel, Enchant, Expanded Enchant, Monster Slayer, Spell Store,
Protection Aura, Copy Formal Ritual, Preserve Duration, Permanent Duration,
Regeneration, Elemental Blast, Elemental Aura, Damage Aura. We are also looking
for the Catalysts for Permanent Duration, Race Change, and Copy Formal Ritual
as well as any reagents. We are willing to buy or trade, please contact
Sparticous or Paythin
GABRIEL: We will be together forever. Fear
not. – Arienne
ATTENTION ALL BIATA: To those interested in
furthering their understanding of the abilities inherent to our race, please
join with your fellows andteach while you learn. All biata are welcome, whether
well schooled in the mental arts or those who have not had the fortune of
having access to a competant teacher. For further details please speak with Tieran
or Shya.
CHILDREN OF CAMULOUS seeking safe passage by
ship, seek Enko and Katyreena on the Children’s Song in Dockside or in
Synvia.
THE ASHBURY TOWN GUARD is looking to recruit
those interested in protecting our city. It is the Town Guard’s responsibility
not only to bring criminals to justice, but more importantly ensure that the
common man, women and child feel safe and secure within Ashbury City and the
surrounding area. The Town Guard has also been charged with organizing and
providing for those who have only been in Ashbury City for a short time, are
new to the ways of combat and magic, or are not part of a large adventuring team. You too can be
effective on the battlefield! Tactics training, weapons training, and a combat
rally point are offered for defense during large scale conflicts. For more
information, please contact: The Sheriff or any member of the Town Guard (Lyle,
Olivia, Osrick,Redcloud). They can
be identified by a black and silver pennant attached to their belt.
I KNEW boss Sparticous wasn’t dead. I never
bet against an immortal and this only further proves his
greatness. See you soon boss –Typhon
THRUST: I hear that you were in Ashbury
reciently looking for me. I will be in town for the Tournament . – Zephrin
DOMINIC AND LAUROC: Thank you for your
assistance. We will not forget. – Lord Find’rth T’Varian
MAYF, RONGO, and any other Vansir that will be
present for the Ducal Tourney please contact me. I would like us to put together
a tournament team that unlike the one Thunderbringer put together last year
will actually show up at the events. – Llyweilun, Smith
CELESTIAL RITUALS PERFORMED. Nominal fee required – Cedric Fruvous
IN NEED OF A WEAPON or armor, but you haven’t
the coin? Speak with Sparticous or Paythin of the “Order of the Black Unicorn”.
We have many arms and armor that we would be willing to suit you in.
LORD FAUST: I’m still alive. Have you
forgotten my wish? Let me know the favor you need. – Sparticous