The Ashbury Times
April / May
611
“All The News That Fits, We Print”
Imposter Songbringer
Attacks Fairdale with Spellsong Magic
Author’s
Note: There is an incredible amount of history tied into this story, some that
cannot even be confirmed, as not many who were directly involved with the
events that took place last month were even alive when the seeds of this story
took root a century ago. That being said, I will tell the tale as fully and
completely as I understand it, divulging the information I have collected over
the past few years, including what has been told to me by those who were
present while I was in captivity.
Please
understand, however, that a noble decree has been set forth by Baron Sir
Harrison and ratified by His Grace, Duke Sir Frost, that
prevents me from mentioning the name of the imposter. As a precaution, I am self-imposing any
information about the imposter’s past that might be used to glean his
name. For the record, I am in complete agreement with the nobles’
decision and decree and can think of no better way to repay the one who
imprisoned me and the members of the Royal Archeological Guild (aside from the
repayment you all thankfully gave him on the field of battle). Anyone seeking
the imposter’s name can contact a member of the Ashbury nobility to
request an order to grant them access to this information. Thank you for
understanding.
Guildmaster
Nathan Westwind
Fairdale
Mages’ Guild
On Friday night of the first
spring gathering of 611 in Fairdale, adventurers realized early that this would
not be a typical gathering.
As people began arriving,
strange reports of nearby townsfolk and monsters spontaneously breaking into
song and dance came with them. Some were also surprised to find that
Fairdale’s Mages’ Guildmaster Nathan Westwind was missing and that the Guildhall was packed up
and looked to be unlived-in for several weeks.
Raven, an invested member of
the Mages’ Guild, took up residence in the Guildhall to manage their
affairs and look for clues to the whereabouts of the Guildmaster.
He reported finding a letter addressed to the Guildmaster
from the Royal Archeological Guild sent months ago describing some kind of
excavation project involving a lost tomb and indicating that the project had
received assistance and funding from both the Royal Mages’ Guild and the Bardic College for this dig. The project seemed to have an
air of secrecy about it, as none of the guild members in town knew anything
about it, and were concerned because the letter indicated that the Guildmaster should have returned to Fairdale already based
on the estimated dates contained in the letter.
As the night wore on, a
traveling human minstrel who gave her name as Seralyn
entertained the gathering crowd at the Black Stag Tavern with accompaniments by
the talented dryad Kialda Loa. During the
performance, several of the tavern patrons reported receiving beneficial magic.
No one but the minstrel seemed immune and those who experienced the effect say
they could breathe and turn their heads slightly to look around, but could not
otherwise move or speak in any way.
Then, as if entering from
the back of the tavern, with an entourage of masked minions robed in red and
undead guards, a man who looked exactly like Ashbury’s first Duke and celebrated
hero, Oliver Songbringer (though paler and more
sickly than he is normally depicted) calmly strode into the center of the
tavern, unaffected by the magic, and began to sing a song which insinuated that
he was indeed Oliver Songbringer returned from some
imprisonment and here to revenge himself on the present day nobility and claim
the monarchy with his power.
At the end of the song, the
bard who called himself Oliver Songbringer and his
companions left peacefully (the taverngoers still
frozen in place), closing the doors as the song ended. When the doors shut, and
the song ended, the magic which had held everyone in place vanished, along with
the bard, his companions, and the minstrel who had been entertaining everyone.
No trace was found of the group outside the tavern, and the vanishing and
presence of “Oliver Songbringer” had some
adventurers believing that either time was shifting, or they had moved into an
alternate reality of some kind.
However, as they began to
discuss the contents of what the bard had sung, and adventurers began pouring
through old texts and questioning older adventurers who may have lived in the
time of Ashbury’s founding, evidence began to point to another possible
explanation.
The bard was corporeal and
in his song, claimed to be responsible for the missing Mages’ Guildmaster and his excavation team. He even went so far as
to tuck a scrap of paper from the Guildmaster’s
research notes into Sir Daniel’s pocket while delivering a light slap to
his face during his singing introduction. The torn page of notes written in the
Guildmaster’s hand contained information about
the tomb that was mentioned in the letter Raven had found earlier, naming it
the “Tomb of Linos.” The writing seemed
to corroborate some of the bard’s story that he may in fact actually be
Oliver Songbringer (or that the Guildmaster
was beginning to believe the Duke was imprisoned in that tomb) and that he may
still possess the ancient lost art of spellsinging
that had left the world many years ago.
The bard was true to his
word, and sent other spellsingers to Fairdale
throughout the night, including a crafty drummer who led a troupe of powerful
undead who seemed to benefit from the spellsingers
magic and were only stopped when the drummer was found and destroyed.
Other creatures seemed to
draw power from the return of the spellsong magic as
a Siren was heard late Friday night by the old pond near the Black Stag tavern.
The creature began singing its sullen song calling for all those who could hear
it to come to her and give up their lives. Some adventurers surrounded the
siren trying to provoke her into a fight, or to leave, but it also had the
power to charm with its gaze, and soon the adventurers backed off while they
discussed what to do next.
That was decided quickly,
however, when it became clear the Siren’s Song was actually working, and
townsfolk inside the tavern began walking toward the pond and attempting to
drown themselves. The adventurers tried to break the creatures control over
them with magic, mental abilities, and force. Ithica
reportedly attacked one of the townsmen who was
succeeding in drowning himself. He then
dragged the body out and ordered the man healed and freed so long as the effect
had worn off. Others locked townsfolk in cabins or waylaid them until the Siren
was dispatched.
Angered by the
adventurers’ interference, the Siren did eventually leave its circle,
attack, and was slain, which seemed to break the effect on the townspeople who
barely recalled what had happened and reported the incident had felt like a
dream to them.
On Saturday morning, the
spirit of a dwarf was found in the
This dwarf was a member of
the Royal Archeological Guild on route as a messenger between one of their
keeps in
At hearing that, Grim
entered the Healer’s Guild explaining that a farmer was looking for
dropped coins in the fields near Fairdale after the fight with the undead last night
when they came across a map hidden in the broken drum of the spellsinger. The farmer sold the map to the adventurers,
but they couldn’t read it because it used some kind of cypher in its coordinates. The dwarf explained that is a
common practice by the Guild and confirmed that the map was indeed one of his
from his stolen book and agreed to return after resupplying to lead a group of
adventurers to the tomb.
In the early afternoon, a
wizard dressed in red and calling himself “Timothy” came to
Fairdale with a mind to find out why people are breaking into song and dance.
He spoke with many adventurers and was even invited into the Healer’s
Guild circle for a time to discuss the phenomenon.
This wizard then took it
upon himself to cast a Vision ritual in the middle of the tavern wishing to
learn the true fate of Oliver Songbringer. The ritual
seemed to backlash almost immediately and the vision was displayed to everyone
within visual range of the circle. The Vision seemed to show Oliver Songbringer’s son Henry speaking with an unnamed
advisor near the end of Oliver’s reign as Duke. They seem to be
discussing having caught Oliver in the act of attempting to cast necromancy to
try to raise his recently deceased wife Gwendolyn. They discussed Oliver’s
state of mind the past year and his mental decline. They spoke of the danger to
the realm if the information about the people’s beloved champion were to
get out, and how perhaps removing him from power and allowing his son to ascend
to Duke would be the best thing for the realm.
All the while, the vision
took place in song form, complete with a minstrel who seemed to be playing at
the behest of Henry Songbringer to mask their words
from passersby who might overhear.
Soon the dwarf from the
Royal Archeological Guild returned as he had promised, looking for a few
adventurers to accompany him to the dig site and tomb on the first map they had
recovered. A group composed of Larien, Ikmoqs, Bjorn, Landiara, Ravana, and Loken accompanied him
to the site. When they arrived, they found broken tools and evidence of the dig
being disrupted.
They entered the uncovered
tomb looking for clues to what happened, and after traveling down a long
corridor, found undead waiting for them. They destroyed solid and spectral dead
alike and found that the tomb had also been trapped with rune covered enchanted
tiles in the floor as well as mechanical wire traps. As they worked their way
further into the tomb, they heard music in the walls and the voice of some
unseen foe, mocking them and singing a waltz which seemed to describe the very
process of dying, and being raised by necromancy. The adventurers did not meet
the owner of the voice however, as they were all killed by the undead and many
traps within the tomb (which seemed to also spawn more undead
when sprung).
The team returned to
Fairdale in spirit form to resurrect and told their story to the gathered
nobility. The assembled barons sent a powerful force back to the tomb but found
it had been abandoned. The adventures’ clothes and armor remained and
some weapons remained where they had fallen, but they had been looted of coin,
magic items, and other trinkets.
Late in the afternoon on
Saturday, reports of singers raising the dead with their songs at a crypt very
near to Fairdale came in and a group was dispatched to investigate. Lead by Sir
Ignatious, Squire Flint, Dmitri, Vicktor,
Aubrey, and others made their way to this crypt, but did not find any undead.
Their guide also fled from the area as soon as they arrived, which added to the
confusion. The group pressed forward though and at the end of a lit corridor in
the spacious crypt, they saw an intricately carved lute sitting in a Circle of
Power.
The group approached
cautiously but once they had come within a few paces, a rift opened and the
bard calling himself Oliver Songbringer appeared in
the Circle. He quickly began a spellsong which once
again trapped the onlookers where they were so that they could only watch and
listen as he proceeded to attempt to perform an unknown ritual (later
identified by Sir Ignatious as a Spirit Lock) on the
lute.
Almost immediately, it was
evident that something about the ritual was not going as planned, but the
adventurers could do nothing to stop it or protect themselves
from another backlash. A light appeared to emanate from the lute itself and
soon hauntingly beautiful music filled the tomb. The light began to move
outside the Circle and grew into the form of a woman Sir Ignatious
recognized immediately as the Duchess Lady Gwendolyn Songbringer,
Oliver’s wife.
This startled the bard
visibly and the ritual stopped and Circle fell. The onlookers were not yet free
however, as “Oliver” and the quasi-spirit form of Gwendolyn
continued the spellsong which had now become a duet.
Gwendolyn seemed confused and disoriented and aware that she should be dead and
not on this plane. When she caught sight of Oliver she was at first confused,
then pleased, but ultimately as the song continued, and the bard sang on, the
words he chose betrayed his identity to her and she understood then that the
man before her was an imposter.
The bard grew angry at his
own mistake and quickly bundled up the lute and rifted away leaving Gwendolyn
to end the song and free the adventurers from their magical bondage.
Sir Ignatious
immediately dropped to his knees, greeting the returned Duchess, and the others
quickly followed. Gwendolyn explained that she did not know or understand how
she had returned and that she did not retain all of her memories from her life.
She explained that the lute the impostor had in his possession was a gift
Oliver had made for her using powerful magic that allowed her to Spellsing while she was alive even though she did not have
that power herself at that time. The lute was stolen soon after it was made and
though Duke Oliver used all of his resources to find it, it was never found or
detected by any spell or ritual cast to locate or retrieve it. It was believed
that it had been destroyed or sent to some other plane unreachable by their
power.
As they spoke, Gwendolyn
became agitated at being confined in the crypt, and felt as if there was a
power nearby that was drawing her to it. She followed the adventurers outside
and was surprised that the power she felt was in nearby Fairdale where they
were already taking her. Apparently, when her spectral form was pulled from the
lute, other spectral forms began appearing all over Fairdale, springing from
the shadows into the light of day to attack the town. Gwendolyn approached one,
and used her spellsong ability to destroy the cloak
of shadows allowing the undead to manifest in the day. Soon the adventurers
formed a guard to protect the Duchess as she went from one spectral undead to
the next spellsinging them to oblivion.
When the battle was over,
Gwendolyn met with the gathered nobility but had difficulty staying corporeal
and soon faded completely, leaving the town with only hope that she would
return again to assist them.
As night fell Saturday, a
second map was discovered and the town once again called on the dwarven messenger from the Royal Archeological Guild to
lead a team to a crypt to find out if it contained the tomb of Linos they were searching for. This time, the nobility went
themselves. Led by Baron Rorii,
Dame Darlassia, Sir Ignatious,
Dame Aven, Sir Daniel, and Kerrigwen
explored the dig site, and entered a deep crypt. After traveling a long
corridor, they too were met with corporeal and spectral undead as well as both
types of traps found in the other tomb. The noble team took extensive notes
about all that they found including comparing drawings of the runes on the
enchanted tiles. They learned they could speak to the voice which taunted them,
and they held parlay with the creature as it sung to them to embrace their
coming deaths.
The group also found that
they could set off the magic in the tiles by dropping items on them, so they
began throwing bones at the tiles which triggered them until they found the
correct tile that opened a secret passage to where the creature who was singing
resided. This passage was trapped too however, and the creature (who they found
to be the same masked undead who had accompanied the imposter the night before)
had undead guards with it as well. A challenging door battle ensued until the
noble team was able to press their way into the passageway and slay the
creature who wore a glowing mask of comedy. As it crumbled to dust, a melody
could be heard throughout the tomb and was quickly recorded by their scribe and
taken back to Fairdale to be studied. The masked creature also had in its
possession a map to a third dig site, and the dwarf agreed to lead another team
to this next crypt on the morrow.
When the noble team returned
to Fairdale, they soon found Gwendolyn had reappeared and was asking about her
lute and if they had made any progress in the fight against the imposter. They
reported their findings and played for her the melody they had learned. She
explained that this was a piece of the song that Oliver had sung to her on the
night they were engaged, but that it was missing the rest of the notes. She was
unable to remember them herself, being quasi-spirit form, but encouraged the
town to keep searching for them.
That night, the impostor
returned to Fairdale with a large host of undead. He was seething at
Gwendolyn’s presence and called her to the battlefield to face him. She
led the town to the field where he stood waiting in a Circle of Power with his
host all around him in the shadows. Gwendolyn raised her own Circle and magic
filled the night air.
Music erupted from unseen
places, and the two bards began a powerful spellsong
duel. With Gwendolyn counteracting the imposter’s magic, the undead host
was unable to gain the enhancements the bard’s magic would have normally
granted them. So long as they both stood, and the song continued, neither side gained an advantage and both hosts could engage
in a fair fight.
In time, the duel seemed to
visibly weaken both bards, and it wasn’t long before the music filling
the air began to fade. Eventually, the bards sang in strained voices a cappella
at each other, before finally giving into their exhaustion, and breaking the spellsong.
Both Circles fell
simultaneously, but the impostor rose quickly and began casting Death spells
and various forms of necromancy at anyone around him. He moved across the
battlefield impossibly fast to escape from both Amaranthus
and Baron Harrison. But without the rousing effect of the spellsong
to drive them onward, his forces began to crumble, and it was Baron Harrison
who caught up with him in the end and smote the impostor’s body down on a
stack of hay in the center of the battlefield where it lay lifeless and
twisted.
Raven came in his golem form
and carried the body off the field to be examined, but as soon as it was out of
the darkness and touched by the firelight, the body began to crumble until
there was nothing left but dust and rotted clothes.
Gwendolyn did not find the
rest she sought after the battle ended, however, and the lute was nowhere to be
found.
The impostor also seemed to
have a map on his remains as well, and the adventurers began to suspect that
the tombs they had been visiting were traps laid by their foes, but they were
not yet ready to travel to the tomb of Linos unsure
if the lute was there and still missing the pieces of the song Gwendolyn
instructed them to learn.
Meanwhile, the remaining
influence of the Spellsong magic, now believed to be
tied to the power of the lute itself since the impostor had been slain but the
power remained, continued to make its presence known that night and into the
next morning. Groups of goblins and kobolds assailed the town screaming and
singing in their shrill twisted voices. When questioned why they were being so
loud, they explained that they had seen groups of monsters led by singers who
had grown incredibly powerful. None of the creatures though, seemed to possess
any enhanced abilities, and one must guess they were just ignorant about what
they saw, and were trying to capitalize on the confusion this strange magic was
causing.
Finally, the dwarven messenger reappeared Sunday and led a group
comprised of Baron Sir Harrison, Sir Ulthoc, Kialda Loa, Rowan, Drifa, and Deg
to the last trapped tomb where they faced off against the undead creature
wearing the mask of Tragedy. The group fought valiantly and Kialda
Loa even sang the parts of the melody the nobles had learned while they fought
the undead and wrestled with the many traps, but unfortunately they were all
slain by the powerful undead that guarded Tragedy.
Baron Sir Harrison and Sir Ulthoc both resurrected, but Rowan had used the high magic
power of rebirth to live again after he was felled, and successfully saved the
remaining party who fled the tomb in haste to return to Fairdale.
When they arrived, they were
pleased to learn the knights were resurrecting, and overjoyed that the final
notes to the melody were taught to them while they were in spirit form
returning from the dead.
Now the town had learned the
full melody of the song Oliver Songbringer wrote for his
beloved, and armed with this, and the map from the imposter, they travelled in
force to the Tomb of Linos in hopes of finding Songbringer’s lute and the imprisoned excavation
team.
When they arrived at the dig
site however, they did so only moments before the forces of Tragedy, who had
hurried back from the false tomb to return to their post. The adventurers had
their chance. If they could send a force into the tomb to find the lute while
it was unguarded, they could end this once and for all.
The town split into two
forces, one to engage the enemy on the field and prevent them from reaching the
tomb, and the other smaller force to enter the tomb and find the lute. Tragedy
and its forces were powerful and relentless, but the people of Fairdale fought hard
and quickly creating a line to halt the battle before it reached the tomb
giving the force inside a chance to do their work.
Inside the tomb, the group
found entire floors of in enchanted tiles covered in coins (presumably to taunt
a person into touching one, setting off the trap), and a great glowing barrier
behind which could be seen the lute, piles of coins, and the chained prisoners
they were looking for. The adventurers tip toed their way through the enchanted
tiles careful not to touch any and left the coins where they lay. They came to
the barrier singing the melody they had been taught. They came as many, and
they sang loud and strong, and they saw the barrier began to waver and fail.
Outside the battle raged on
and some of the undead breached the stream and made a break for the entrance to
the tomb. The sounds of battle outside echoed of the walls of the tomb and
clashed with the voices of the singing Ashbans. The
barrier grew strong again, and Sir Ulthoc, who had
come as one of the singers to break the barrier, led a small force out of the
tomb to join the fight and prevent any more such interruptions as the remaining
singers redoubled their efforts.
The song filled the tomb and
the magic which held the barrier faltered once more. Soon it was fading away,
and the Ashbans sang on.
Outside, the battle turned
to the adventurers’ favor, and by the hands of many earth blades, the
creature who wore the mask of Tragedy was slain. The barrier surrounding the
tomb fell to the sound of the Songbringers’ melody,
and the singers rushed in to free the dwarves, collect the lute, and their
missing Guildmaster. All of the captives showed signs
of malnutrition and torture, and were rushed back to Fairdale for food, drink,
and rest.
The Songbringer
Lute was commanded to be housed in the Celestial Guild’s Circle and those
key to defeating the imposter’s power were to be given free access to
study it whenever the Guild could allow it.
A
public apology and more insight into what happened and why…
by
Nathan Westwind
I
wrote the above story in the third person to explain how the events of the last
gathering unfolded as most would remember them. In truth, I have a much
different memory of these events and how they came to pass that began many
years ago. I would like to take a moment to publically write about my
involvement in these events to put what happened in the context that I see it
in, and for historical accuracy. But before I delve into all that, I want to
take a moment to first thank everyone involved in rescuing myself and the brave
team of archeologists from the royal guild.
Next,
I want to publically apologize to those of you who suffered deaths because of
what are, the way I see it, ultimately my actions. No one involved in the
excavation project, be it individual, institution, or guild truly expected to
find what we did when we opened the Tomb of Linos.
Our pursuit was that of academic and historical curiosity and we did not intend
or expect anyone to be hurt by what we might find.
Still,
I feel that if I had been more cautious, and in less of a
haste, perhaps the events of the past gather would have gone
differently. I rushed into the project. I took no guard. I trusted the wrong
people, and I made decisions based on what I now believe to be falsified information.
For those things, and for putting Fairdale in danger, I am sorry. But I hope
the information I have gathered and will share with you might help better
prepare us to avoid mistakes like mine in the future.
What I knew then…
Long before I arrived
in Fairdale, I have been studying the history of the bards and the old magics known as Spellsinging.
During my six year stay at the Bardic college I
studied Music, Voice, several instruments, the history of bards, spellsinging, and anything else I could get this hands on.
During a recent stay at the college last year, I came across a text hinting of
a cover up about the true fate of Ashbury’s first Duke Oliver Songbringer. I locked myself in the deepest libraries of the College and studied tireless all of
the texts I could get my hands on which referenced the reign of Songbringer and the manner of his succession. I called in
favors from colleagues and contacts at various guilds to seek out other texts
referencing the Tomb of Linos: Where it was rumored to be located, what had
happened to it, how to open it, and what I would find when I did.
In
truth, because of this research, I became convinced that the Tomb of Linos was the true resting place of Oliver Songbringer, and that the truth about the history of the Duchy
had been hidden from the masses. I felt that the tomb may hold an answer as to
what happened to the power of the spellsingers so
long ago.
Eventually
I compiled enough evidence and information about where the tomb might be
located and I petitioned for permission, funding, and support from the Royal
Mages’ Guild, the Bardic College, and the Royal
Archeological Guild to travel to the fabled tomb’s location and attempt
an excavation of the site. I received enough support and funding that the
project was approved and in early 611, I finalized my plans and set off for the
dig site.
On
my journey I met a man calling himself Bridger Keenan and he informed me that
there were others who knew of the plot to cover up the true history of Ashbury
and that his uncle had been a scholar who devoted much of his life to
investigating that history. He claimed that his uncle discovered the buried
Tomb of Linos years ago but found a magical barrier
which sealed it to be impenetrable. This uncle had devoted the rest of his natural
life to finding the key to unlocking the barrier, and believed that those who
created it to hide the truth used a form of the old spellsinger
magic in its creation. After years devoted to finding the key, he believed that
the key was a specific melody that must be performed at the entranceway to the
crypt to break the seal before the tomb could be opened. Bridger claimed he
knew which melody it was and would share his knowledge with me if he could be
present at the tomb’s excavation so that he could fulfill the dream his
uncle had strived for his entire life. I was not entirely convinced the man was
telling the truth, but saw no harm in having him present so agreed to bring him
along.
After
visiting a few of the other potential dig sites, we found what we were looking
for and the excavation of the Tomb of Linos was
successful. I and the dig team tried several ways of entering the tomb to no
avail. Bridger waited patiently but came to me each night of the dig and asked
if he should perform the song to open the tomb. Figuring I had nothing to lose
by letting him, I granted access to the entrance of the tomb to Bridger and
allowed him to perform the melody.
To
my great surprise and delight, the barrier was lifted and the doors to the
crypt could now be opened. When they were, however, my delight faded as I and
my companions were set upon by powerful beings from inside the crypt that came
pouring out when the doors were opened. The excavation team was decimated and I
was defeated and dragged into the crypt by two undead who wore the theater
masks of comedy and tragedy. They brought me before a man dressed in finery
sitting atop a sarcophagus plucking the strings of a lute. When I asked who he
was, the man lifted his face to the light revealing the very image of Oliver Songbringer from every book I had ever read about him,
changed only slightly by time and what looked to be some kind of sickness. The
man answered that he was Oliver Songbringer and then
kicked me full in the face knocking me out. He then imprisoned the survivors in
the tomb with me and left some of his men and undead there to guard us and his
prized lute.
In
captivity we heard bits and pieces of news from the outside over the next few
days. We were constantly watched, beaten, and sang to/at by the minions of the
imposter but never enough to kill us, I assume so we would not resurrect and
lead forces back to the tomb.
While
all this was going on we heard the imposter’s companions call themselves the Redmen. We saw the
Wizard who called himself “Timothy” speak
with the imposter about his plan to show a false vision to the town after
gaining your trust. We saw the man I knew as Bridger Keenan receive
praise and thanks from the imposter for finally freeing him. There must have
been at least two score of them, some men, some undead, a few other races, most
wearing red or bearing a red device and all greeted as Redmen.
What I know now…
When
I began to recover after being rescued I reevaluated the books I had been
reading. As some of you may know, I thought the fact that there were multiple
copies of the same books with different information in them was proof that the
conspiracy to cover up the truth did exist. In fact, I now believe there was a
far simpler explanation… the Redmen did not
have enough time or influence to replace all of the books in the realm.
Don’t
let that reassure you though. I had 80 year old texts in my hands taken from
the deepest vaults in the
They
were apparently a troupe of performers, actors, mummers, from various lands who
banded together and travelled from village to village, court to court looking
for work in the early days of Ashbury’s founding. However, a few reports
I found about them mentioned that some of their members were suspected of
practicing necromancy so they began to have trouble finding courts who would
hire them because of this stigma. No formal charges were ever brought against
them until the night that the lute was stolen from a Keep the Songbringers owned in Ashbury city. One of the Redmen was caught during the robbery, and Duke Oliver
issued a decree that the company was to be disbanded and any member should be
arrested on site. After that, no one ever saw the company together again,
though obviously they must have continued on in secret out of the public eye.
I
now know that they must have been watching me as I conducted my research. When
they heard that I had planned the excavation of the tomb, they sent their man
“Bridger” to sell me his sob story about his uncle and provide us
with the key to opening the tomb. We also know that the wizard who called himself
“Timothy” is still out there because he himself spoke to all of us
in the dreamrealm recently:
“Yes, it was rather
hospitable of you all to welcome me into your Healer’s Guild, especially
after I attempted to thwart you all with a false vision of Henry Songbringer. Maybe a Spirit Walk soon? The Redmen are legendary... we have been performing since the
days of Songbringer. We will have our revenge... and
the Lute. Enjoy it while you can.
‘Timothy’ of the Redmen”
And there are more of them.
From what I have been told by those I have interviewed who were here this
weekend, you may have only faced a fraction of those the imposter had met with
while he was in the tomb with us.
So in closing I want to
remind everyone to stay vigilant. No decree was given to stay silent about
these Redmen, and so I haven’t been. I want
everyone to know they are out there. This is not a new enemy… This is an
old one… one we forgot about, and one that has been getting stronger over
the years because of it. I don’t know when or where they will strike
next. But I am sure that they will. It’s only a matter of time.
Missing Gorbe
Children Attack Fairdale
The
Times had previously reported on the odd occurrence of Gorbe children going missing throughout the Duchy. It seems
the forces behind these attacks have made themselves known, to some degree
… and with deadly consequence.
On a recent night, all the Gorbe present in Fairdale simultaneously seemed to fall
unconscious. They were impossible to rouse, even by magical means. For their
safety, they were escorted into the Healers’ Guild.
According to reports, all
those present were transported into some shared dream in a mist-covered realm,
where they were witness to an unspeakable attack. A Gorban
adventurer quite well known to both Gorbe and adventurers
in the Duchy, Khadijah -- the adopted daughter of Zehnyu and former traveling companion to two other recently
deceased Heroes, Parduc and Ragnar
-- was brutally attacked by two shadowy figures with glowing eyes that were
stalking within the dream. All present made multiple attempts to intervene, but
it seems it was impossible for any of them to affect the two creatures or Khadijah -- spells (both offensive and protective), weapon
blows, even attempts to parry the blows of the creatures were ineffective.
Though Khadijah was able to drop one of them, the
other one mercilessly broke both her legs, then
channeled the force of nightmares to make her have to crawl away in terror.
Hulking over the crippled and horrified Gorban woman,
the monster laughed as he savagely hacked her down, severed her tail, and
consumed her heart whole.
Shortly following the attack,
the Gorbe in town returned to their bodies, unable to
at first tell this world from the dream. Khadijah’s
body transformed from the peacefully sleeping form to the brutalized remains of
what had happened in the dream, before the eyes of the Healer’s Guild!
As if this turn of events was
not horrifying enough, the following evening Fairdale was assaulted by
disturbing creatures, which let out howls of pain and rage. They seemed to
appear from the darkness, although some reports suggest they appeared from
shadows instead. The creatures attacked without thought or mercy. Some of them
towards the end of the battle seemed to die their permanent deaths in front of
the adventurers... and upon doing so, transformed from the savage bestial
creatures into the small, broken bodies of some of the missing Gorbe children.
Multiple reports say that
there were creatures similar to those that appeared in the dream stalking the
field that night, as well as one who, when approached, laughed maniacally...
Brittington
Irregulars Recalled Away From Trellheim Operation
Sunday afternoon of the last
Adventurer’s Gathering, Man at Arms Toby of the Brittington Irregulars arrived in town to inform the
Nobility and an Irregulars Seargent present that the
Irregulars had been recalled to Brittington. The
recall order came just a day after the permanent death of Duke Bromis Bouchard’s wife, Duchess Gillian Bouchard at
the hands of assassins. These same unknown group of assassins attacked nobility
throughout the kingdom Friday night, causing many to resurrect.
The Irregulars are a licensed
Adventurer Army under the command of Brittington in a
similar, although more organized and formal way, to the way Ashban
Adventurers assist Ashbury. The Irregulars were
dispatched to Trellhiem last year to assist in
retaking the lost barony as a sign of good faith and as Duke Bromis and Duchess Jaclyn’s gift to Duke Frost at the
Ducal Tournament.
Sergeant Amaranthus
Landcharmer serves as the Irregular’s liaison
officer to the Ashbury Ducal Army. The Times was able to get a few quick words
from the biata while the Irregulars were breaking
camp.
Ashbury
Times (AT): Sergeant, what does this recall order mean for Birttington’s involvement in retaking the Barony of Trellhiem?
Sergeant
Amaranthus Landcharmer (
AT: As the
liaison officer to Ashbury you have been coordinating Sir Kendrick’s
forces with those of Duke Frost’s. With both you and Sir Kendrick
recalled to Brittington, and Squire Sparticus of the Ash Forest currently holding command of
Duke Frost’s Army, how will chain of command for the remaining Brittington forces be handled?
AT: One last
thing. How do you think Duke Broomis will respond to
his wife’s death? Is the recall of a highly organized and efficient group
of adventurers related? With the Mons Regalis making
its choice soon, what does His Grace intend to do with the Irregulars back in Brittington?
The Power of Melody
By
Kialda Loa
I write this article to make
note of what I have learned from this past gather and what I know from my blurred
memory. My conclusion is both appreciation for and warning to my friends and
fellow adventurers.
I have learned that,
unfortunately, the power of melody is no longer used only to spread peace.
Melody, when contorted by an evil heart, can be used with malevolent power.
This past gather, I bore witness to melody used to disguise a malicious
Pretender, hoping to mar the name of the first duke, Oliver Songbringer.
I have heard melody used to spur the forces of evil in battle. I have also seen
melody used in a false vision, as an evil Redman, companion of the Pretender,
used a song in hopes of misleading all the adventurers in town.
At first, this new knowledge
of the evil power of melody was greatly disheartening. Everything I had ever known
about song and harmony, the vague memories of peace and happiness I had from
before the Sleep of the Children of Autumn… it all seemed to fall apart
as I saw these forces of evil, disgusting and even at times necromantic, use
song to their advantage.
My lament for the modern
world had never been so mournfully strong. I felt broken and lost.
But, my friends, the gather
did not end in discord. While this gather taught me that even something as
beautiful as melody must be feared when used wrongfully, it also renewed within
me the hope in the power of a benevolent melody.
I wish to thank all those who
believed in this benevolent power of melody, and sang with me this past gather.
I thank every friend who has harmony in their heart and can use the melody of
the Earth to continue to spread peace and happiness. I thank those who
discovered Oliver Songbringer’s proposal melody
for Gwendolyn, I thank those who used melody to find a beautiful instrument and
finally put Gwendolyn’s spirit to rest, and I thank those who sang the
beautiful melody to help save our trapped friend Nathan and his Dwarven companions from the tomb of Linos.
Thank you to those who continue to help me spread harmony, and more
specifically, showed me that the power of melody is just as great and beautiful
as I what I remember from my family before the Sleep. As long as we are able, I
hope to meet with friends and continue to spread harmony like this.
I know now, more than ever,
that music is powerful, and that harmony must continually be spread in joy, and
in peace. My studies now turn to more research of the art of Spell-Singing, and
how it may be used for good, to amplify the beauty of Earth Magic. I ask that
anyone with any information or experience regarding Spell-Singing contact me
and share your insight. I have learned that this art is naught but a few
hundred years old, and I admit that I was in deep sleep during those times. I
am also specifically interested in a young human bard who called herself Saralyn. She was very kind, and very musical, but
mysteriously vanished upon the completion of an evil melody that the Pretender
sang.
Even with my newfound joy and
hope, I must end this article with a warning. As I have heard whispered in
dreams, the Redmen, companion to the Pretender, are
not at rest. They call themselves “legendary” and state that they
have been performing since the days of the Songbringer.
As it seems now, they are still at large, and bitterly desire the musical
knowledge and artifacts that we have learned about this past gather. I admit
that I do not know their full power, their size, or how or where they may be,
sitting and listening, or plotting their disgusting corruption of music. But I
know that we all must be aware of their existence, and on guard to their
maliciousness. The Redman who called himself Timothy was the one who gave us a
false vision of Henry Songbringer. If anyone knows
anything of this troupe of miscreants or why they seek revenge, please contact
me.
With the musical gifts that
the
Mages’ Guild Report
To the Barony of Nordenn: Thank you for
your Barony’s continued tithe to the Mages’ Guild of Fairdale. Your
support has been welcome and appreciated by all of our members.
The Songbringer’s
Lute:
The nobles have asked that we keep the lute guarded in the circle so
that local scholars and those interested can study it before it is moved to a
more secure location. The Guild will allow anyone with interest to view the
lute, and discuss our knowledge of the artifact, but please note that without a
writ or the word of a noble granting you access, we cannot divulge any
information about the imposter. As you might understand, I take this lute, and
this matter, very seriously.
Changes in Rituals and High Magic: Something has again altered the way we practice and
understand ritual magic and the power we call high magic, once known as Sun
Magic in ancient times. Since my release from captivity, I have heard reports
of these changes and am investigating them to bring you more information. I can
tell you that I am able to alter my rituals in ways I have never been able to.
I have been able to purposely manipulate my celestial magics
to create items only usable by certain races, items that require less components than they normally do, and some of the
magical writing on my ritual scrolls have changed. I do not know if this is
because the presence of Songbringer's lute and the
power of the spellsingers being used after almost a
century of being extinct... or if it just another random flux in the fabric of
magic, but I am already scheduling meetings with other area Guildmasters
and my contacts in the royal guild to discuss the issue. I would like to hear
from guildmembers on their experiences with the
changes at our next gathering.
Member News: I would like to extend my thanks to Guildsman
Raven and Apprentice Aubry for their running of the
Guild in my absence. I would also like to thank Raven and Darlassia
who I understand worked with I’zer to
understand Ritual Magic. I commend you both for we are a Guild of teachers and
students and I am pleased to see that tradition continue even when I am not
there to foster it. Lastly, welcome our newest initiate Kogara,
who has already passed his initiate testing and needs only to find a Guildmember to sponsor him to be named Apprentice. I look
forward to catching up with all of you at the next gathering.
Archwizard Nathan Westwind
Guildmaster, Fairdale
Mages’ Guild
Elemental
Warden of Icenia
Healer’s Guild Report
The guild meeting will be at 10
pm on Friday night of the upcoming gathering. Special food and other things
will be available during the meeting time. Our agenda is light so hopefully it
will go quickly, to be followed by party time.
Later that night I will be
doing Guild interviews as several people have expressed interest in
joining. Don’t worry, the process
is not rough; we
just want to make sure you are a right fit for the Guild.
If you are lacking travel
companionship or are fairly new in town as an adventurer and in need, I will
gladly help with Cure Light elixirs from my personal labs. Come see me.
I have been asked by many if
they can sleep in the Guild. I am sorry
but we long ago established rules for the Guild’s safety. Only actual Guild members who are also Invested may do so.
This needs to be approved by all of the Invested members as well. If you
are given permission to stay, you will also be required to take on extra
responsibilities as well. Please
understand that this is for the safety of the Guild.
Guildmistress Zatarina
A Little Birdie Told Me
By Sue D’Onym
Hello, dearies! Time for another installment of the News They Don’t Want You To Know!
It seems that Sir Ulthoc and Councilwoman Kerrigwen were “quite
friendly” during the past gathering, and even headed off towards the Nordenn Annex together at the end of the night.
Wasn’t he just seen dancing slow and close with Professor Ezri of the
Court of the
The Decarab cousins are coming to
Fairdale! If you need potions or alchemical substances, why not pull one of
them aside? Rumor has it the elder Decarab is a
rather accomplished potionmaker and the
younger’s nothing to shake a stick at where alchemy’s concerned.
Darkan was seen having a secret meeting recently with the Barons Ivan, Rorii, and Harrison, along with Dame Darlassia and Sir Ignatious. Sir Eros was also there, so it may have
been about the trial in which he was found guilty of murder. Rumor has it that he had new evidence to prove
his innocence, but since there has been no announcement from the nobles or Darkan, we can assume this evidence didn’t convince
them. Soon after this meeting, Darkan went and squired himself to the fey known as Faust, which certainly wouldn’t
endear him to the Magistrate. Darkan now has a dapper
purple sash, though!
That’s all for this
month! Not a lot, is it? That’s because you aren’t sending
me your gossip. You can’t blame me!
Anyway, as always,
remember: If you can’t say
something nice about someone, come sit by me.
Public Notices
SILK: I’ve checked, and your
numbers are in order. Come meet with me, we have much to discuss.
TRAINING: At the upcoming gathering I would like to host a
short training session. A nice morning workout beginning at 9 bells Saturday a.m.
It is open to all who wish to come, and though it is not mandatory for Military
personal, it is strongly encouraged. Those interested please be on the main field at 9 bells, and
we can head down to the Stream/River. I look forward to seeing heroes,
adventurers, nobles, common-folk, soldiers and those
of strong heart and will. Squire Commander Ithica.
SCROLLS AND CATALYSTS
WANTED. We are looking for the following Ritual Scrolls: Channel, Enchant,
Expanded Enchant, Race Reaver, Monster Slayer, Spell Store, Protection Aura, Copy
Formal Ritual, Preserve Duration, Permanent Duration, Regeneration, Elemental Blast, Elemental Aura, Damage Aura, Earth Aura, Spirit
Store and Controlled Spirit Store. We are also looking for the Catalysts for
Permanent Duration, Controlled Spirit Store, and Copy Formal Ritual as well as
any reagents. We are willing to buy or trade, please contact Squire Sparticous.