This Month in Aer'Astria

[prashka]

Major news this month in Aer’Astria out of Sedovia. King Scott Lancaster has recently been removing his long-standing advisors and replacing them with new, if familiar, faces. Sources close to the king have only speculation about why this is taking place now, but as the King becomes more interested in taking on kingly duties and removing questionable and long-criticized influences, the nobility as a whole is rejoicing. Except those questionable and long-criticized influences. The familiar face of Ser Hivius Trei has been seen several times in the presence of the king as these changes have come to pass, but she has as-of-yet been mum as to what her influence is in all of this.

In more local news, the Dryad Village has repairs underway at this time. Their town was recently destroyed by an attack of void creatures and other assorted nasties, and their circle taken down with it. Fethra’dar, as it has pledged, has sent several workers to assist in the rebuilding efforts. Their assistance has been greatly appreciated, according to the Dryad elder. Repair efforts are going well, and the dryads expect the repairs should be finished by year’s end.

Baqi was seen around the area recently, delighting many. His reasons remain his own for his trip, but his presence has been appreciated.

The final piece of news reported this month is that the Garu ambassador - T’lebryn - has returned. Speculated dead, missing or kidnapped, the ambassador, who was none of those things, returned from a trip to Garu where something must have gone wrong because he has been in even more of a state of displeasure since his return. No one has confirmed what happened during that trip, so speculation abounds, but fact remains scarce. Only time will tell.

 

[prashka]

News this month has been spreading of peace talks between the Wildemoorians and the Insofu’s Wylenzian faction. Set to take place in August, it’s been rumoured that the Insofu himself will be present at these negotiations. The adventuring community has been asked to join as negotiators and peace-keepers for the 10-day affair. The Right Hand of the Insofu, Baqi, has promised details will be forthcoming.

The Anti-Insofu faction of Wylenzia has been mostly silent on this issue of the peace talks, although recently it has been rumoured that they are also in talks with the Pro-Insofu faction. A ranking member of the Anti-Insofu faction, Vesper, has been seen leaving the palace a number of times in the last few weeks. Only time will tell if peace in Wylenzia is possible after all.

 

[prashka]

It has been almost exactly a year since the end of the Undead Talons War. In this time, Sedovia has spearheaded the Embassy Initiative, in an attempt to perpetuate the sense of comradery initially engendered by the war. This Initiative has brought together all the Nations of Aer’Astrea, large and small, to the newly built Embassy District within the tiny village of Foxbridge.
Of course, everything has not been smooth sailing. Stepping forward with a demand for Diplomatic recognition, The Consortium appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. They made claims of being a humanitarian group, and the Embassies decided to grant them Diplomatic status, in an effort to be inclusive.
At the same time, out in the woodlands surrounding Foxbridge, Grabrak and his Twisted minions began a bizarre hopscotch game of ritual backlashes which eventually resulted in the Void Tear. This imposing nightmare door now looms balefully over one of the fields that is just a short walk from the center of Foxbridge.
The Dragons managed to stabilize the Tear, but not before quite a few Void Creatures escaped onto our plane. A few Adventurers organized a project that built a wall around this Tear, in an effort to guard against anything else coming out.

Even with the wall, the Void has been dangerously active. First the Plane of Stone imbalanced, its structure weakening until it bled onto our plane, creating a door-like rift where Void Creatures were able to spill into Foxbridge. Adventurers fought back valiantly and managed, along with the heroic sacrifice of Heartstone, to beat back the Void and terminate the bleed between planes.
A recent attack on the Dryad Village proved Void Creatures could amass, without going through the Tear. It’s rumored that Vale Guardian Illahee was the focus of that attack, and appears to have set out to help the Dryads defend themselves more adequately, lest anything like this ever occur again.

The first real challenge of the new Embassy coalition became deciding what to do about the Consortium, when their head Ambassador, Quill, went rogue back in February. From all accounts, the Ambassador was Void Tainted and, when cured, willingly and publicly retainted herself through a horrifying ceremony involving a Red Void Creature. With this new-found power, the insane Hobbling felled an entire Adventuring family, behind a circle, all watching impotent to act.
Tragedy fresh in everyone’s thoughts, the Embassy Ambassadors and other prominent members of the community gathered, voting to enact emergency measures that allow a select group of Mind Mages to forcibly and non-consensually enter suspected Void Tainted minds. This, for the express purpose of assessing and clearing them of Void Taint. Though there is some controversy over this decision, most feel it is for the best.
In conjunction with this decision, all Consortium members within the Embassy at that time either mysteriously disappeared or were routed out of their offices by Sedovian guards and Adventurers. Unfortunately not before they managed to kidnap the Foxbridge Magistrate and a Selunari messenger. Both were rescued just in time by the Adventurers, and since then no new Ambassadors have shown up to take their place. Some take this as a sign that the group as a whole is evil, but not all are convinced.
Many of the common folk seem to still feel the Consortium is a force for good. Especially since their group very publicly and visibly aided downtrodden folk after the war, including opening up soup kitchens and shelters. During this time apparently the Consortium began spreading a great deal of damning anti-Adventurer propaganda amongst those same commoners. This could become a source for concern. However, recently there has been a sudden and subtle push-back against the Consortium’s toxic disinformation campaign. It’s source is hard to pinpoint, but seems to be spreading wherever Selunari bands have passed through.

When the Consortium disappeared from the Embassy, some of their members began fighting in concert with the Twisted, apparently attempting to gain access to the Void Tear. The hastily built wall turned out to be a deciding tactical advantage in these engagements, preventing any from gaining access that shouldn’t. Although, recently things have gone completely silent. This is putting everyone on edge as they question if the Consortium and Twisted are amassing for an even bigger attack in the coming days.

Throughout all of this, a small but adamant faction out of Wylenzia, calling themselves the Wyldmoorian Separatists, have been causing more and more trouble for the rest of Wylenzia. Trouble that has spilled into Foxbridge and its Embassies. In a bid for peace, the original Anti-Insofu faction has actually agreed to come to the table with the Insofu’s people, to attempt to maneuver the rogue Wyldmoorian Separatists into a Peace Accord.
This is a chance for the fledgling Sedovian Embassy to invoke real, lasting, positive change upon the Aer’Astrea political landscape. As such, most of the Embassy’s Ambassadors will be crossing the river Lynn to participate in Peace Talks between the three factions. The culmination of which is scheduled to take place on the twenty-second of August.