Attchar Inhabit Ashbury Graveyards; Complete Curse

On Friday night of the weekend of the Nobles' Tournament, three powerful attchar entered the capital city. Attchar are a race of cursed undead spiders that evolve from the corpses of their brethren. They were giving a tour to a Death Knight who identified himself as a ducal knight under the authority of the liche Pansolore (who now refers to himself as "Duke Pansolore").

Apparently Pansolore had given away the Ashbury graveyards to the strange attchar as some sort of freehold territory.

The undead abominations were assaulted but proved to be elusive and capable of dealing out considerable damage to their attackers. They were finally felled by the combined efforts of the courts of Blythedale and Ash Forest after being wilted down by the Ducal household.

Soon after, Field Marshal Arcas of the rucci entered town. The rucci are a long lived, earth-natural race that have lived peacefully in seclusion in the Frost Peaks. They are a military society and are mortal enemies to the undead Attchar. Although individually powerful, they have serious weaknesses when facing necromancy. The emergence of the attchar has turned the tide against them, nearly forcing them from the Frost Peaks. Currently the rucci ambassador has been discussing a treaty with the leadership of Ashbury, with the Field Marshal testing Nordenn's Sir Balynthalus for worthiness to continue to carry the legendary magical Biomace.

Arcas approached Sir Balynthalus with such a test, instructing him to destroy a nearby hive recently established by the attchar. Apparently the attchar inhabit current and past graveyard sites and dig out underground hives where living giant spiders are gathered. They then turn the spiders into undead attchar through a cursing ceremony. Many such sites exist throughout Ashbury from the time before Ashbury was formed, and the attchar seem to be able to locate these ancient places with ease.

Sir Balynthalus entered the hive, along with Baron Kirath, Sir Bretton, Sir Darius, and Squire Marius. There they found a massive spider web that secreted a liquid adhesive, hampering their efforts to move easily. At the center of the web was an attchar in the process of completing the curse. From all around the adventurers, spiders continued to assault them but were defeated by the swift strokes of the heroes' blades. Eventually the attchar was destroyed and the curse was prevented.

Found in the hive were several strange pages with writing that could not be deciphered. Field Marshal Arcas congratulated them for their victory and praised Sir Balynthalus for passing his final test. He then offered him induction into Clan Garen, the rucci guardian clan that has passed the wielding of the Biomace through blood ties over past millennia. Balynthalus accepted and Arcas performed a Blood Ritual, infusing the elven knight with the blood of the Garen line. Balynthalus' skin hardened and turned an inky black with grey scales. He had been transformed into an adolescent rucci, and found that he now possessed incredible powers. Along with the great benefits came the disadvantages, such as a horrible susceptibility to necromantic affects.

Arcas explained that the hive they destroyed was only one of many now surrounding Ashbury in a weblike pattern. Several curses were being prepared and if they were not found and prevented, attchar would overrun the capital. This would cause Balynthalus and any rucci in the area to die from the curse. Arcas then expressed that the necromantic taints were the prelude to a curse that would prevent his kind from returning and aiding Ashbury in the future against the undead spider creatures.

Meanwhile, a group of local bullywugs, long the victim of attacks from the attercobs that inhabit the duchy, entered town and pleaded for help against their spider enemies. Several local heroes went to their aid and destroyed the attchar that had been plaguing them. The bullywogs became very excited over the fact that someone had helped them against their enemies. They presented their "champions" Derek Dreamweaver and Marr with a coffin-shaped shield bearing a symbol of a silver mace with a blue aura, the same symbol that was present on a sash presented to Sir Balynthalus by the Field Marshal. The bullywug believed that their saviors from legend were foretold to return and would need the shield to defeat their enemies. The bullywug did not know much more, but directed the Ashbans to a Bullywug sage named Bergot who would be able to tell more.

The townsfolk who went to the sage discovered that he was old, half blind, and senile, yet knew of an old legend that surrounded the shield. Because of his age, he continued to collapse into a deep sleep before he could finish, but further adventurers visited him and he related a tale that dated to before the bullywogs appeared in Ashbury through a rift that opened several years ago.

According to Bergot, the shield was used by the "saviors" and would be used when the "cursed ones" rose again from the dead. The townsfolk determined that the bullywugs were referring to the rucci, who sheltered the bullywogs from the attchar on the plane from which they all originate. The shield was connected to this, but there was as yet not enough information to determine how.

Later that evening, Derek and Marr where visited by a spirit form that emerged from the shield. The spirit called himself Garen who stated that he was once the rucci elder of Clan Garen. His clan had defeated a crazy warlock that had discovered a means to turn his kind into powerful undead through a cursing ceremony that tainted the graveyards and killed off his the rucci in the process. This insane warlock was named Attchar and he named his creations after himself.

Garen stated that he and his followers infiltrated Attchar's sanctum and defeated the powerful creature, but found that he would not dissipate. They entombed him in a coffin and sealed him inside. Long after they left, attchar began reemerging from graveyards, and the taint of the curse could once again be felt. When Garen returned, inside the coffin they found no body, but uncoveredwriting in blood which promised his return.

Garen's party took the coffin lid and brought it to the graveyard. There the sages and ritual casters combined their powers and skills to forge a seal. This seal would destroy the curse of the attchar on that graveyard. This seal was forged on the coffin lid which took the shape of a shield. This shield had numerous rituals cast upon it and was permanenced, but it still was not powerful enough to destroy the curse. Garen then stepped forward and volunteered his own spirit to strengthen the seal. Garen ritually sacrificed himself at the point at which the chaos was strongest. Garen could only remember a vague passage of time from then on, until he felt the tingle of the curse again, and he willed himself to speak to the current Shield bearer. He dubbed Marr the "Bearer of the Shield," and Derek the "Spirit of the Shield," as he was originally given the artifact. He then disappeared. Even with this information, they still had not fully uncovered how the shield was used to remove the curse or how it came to Tyrra.

Throughout that evening, attchar and various types of living spiders began plaguing the local populace. On one such battle, a large number of the elite attchar attacked and would have killed the Field Marshal if not for the intervention of Baron Tristan and his court. The following day, several hives were suddenly discovered about Ashbury city. One remained consistently in the local graveyard, but had too small of an opening to enter. Rumblings could be heard periodically from within. In various other places, the hives were discovered by various local citizens and infiltrated. Adventuring groups entered hives and disrupted the curses being performed. All found more strange papers that were unreadable.

After much effort, the documents were finally deciphered by the Ashbury Mages' Guild. They turned out to be copies of the procedure used to curse the graveyards, written by the mad Attchar himself. According to this document, three Curse spells had to be cast into the cursed earth. When it was discovered that the Garen Shield was able to store three Remove Curse spells, it was determined that the method of reversing the curse was to reverse the process. There were more ingredients required as well to perform the "ritual."

Meanwhile, the attchar had learned of the appearance of the Shield and the presence of the Biomace, and had sent out many skulkers who offered rewards for those who would retrieve the items. Either no one was interested or was able to steal them.

As a result, that Saturday evening, the attchar came out in force to ravage the town and prevent the removal of the curse. Ambassador Lartim of the rucci was present there to speak with the Duke about details of the treaty and help against any attchar attacks. When the attchar appeared, they quickly descended upon both Lartim and Balynthalus at the Mages' Guild and almost broke inside. Lartim was imprisoned and taken away by the horde. Though seriously hard-pressed, the combined might of the town was able to repel the invaders, who had risen from a massive hole in the local graveyard. So long had the battle gone on, that Lartim reentered the battle after resurrecting at the local Guild.

Several brave and mighty warriors resurrected, including Baron Kirath, Sir Pineaus, Squire Jaret and Hawkwing.

Sunday morning brought a great concern with the sunrise. The Field Marshal returned, stating that the curse was almost completed. Despite the fact that the forces of Ashbury had destroyed most of the main strength of the attchar that had been created, they still had not battled the mighty warlord attchar, and there were certainly more attchar and numerous living spiders remaining. The efforts to prevent the curse so far had delayed the completion, but Arcas relayed that now the town must gather a force and enter the massive hole in the main graveyard.

From his past experience, he coached the main group that was to penetrate the heart of the hive while the rest of the forces maintained a base of control in a main chamber. The forces of Ashbury were seriously depleted from the previous night's battle, but it appeared that they indeed had destroyed most of the powerful attchar. Still the warlord attchar were mighty, and they continued to rise from simulated death until they were finally felled by Sir Balynthalus and his Biomace.

The team struck at the heart of the hive. It consisted of Baroness Anastasia of Ravenholt, Sir Ivan, Squire Lupiticus, Sheriff Dugal, Marr, and Ta'wane. Although they had gained much information and been coached by the Field Marshal, they failed to review the attchar documents found in the hive. They had all of the ingredients needed, and determined that the Shield was to be implanted into the cursed ground and have three Remove Curses cast from the Shield, but they did not know the proper places to put the other ingredients. They battled hard and defeated the attchar within, but not before the curse was complete.

Meanwhile, in the midst of the battle, Sir Balynthalus and Field Marshal Arcus were hit by the necromantic curse full force, and fell to the earth dead. Balynthalus' features returned to that of an elf and with the rucci blood dissolved from his body, he was successfully Lifed. The Field Marshal, a natural rucci, was not so lucky and the Life spells used upon him were useless.

Ashbury's rucci allies can never return to the city to aid against the growing threat of the attchar, since the curse will kill them.

After the battle ceased, scores of frantic spiders and attchar burrowed about the chambers, collapsing the hive as they forces of Ashbury retreated. Upon arriving to the surface, the spirit of Garen once again emerged from the Shield, claimed the possessions of Arcas and Lartim that were recovered, turned wispy and disappeared.


Gypsy Natasha Named New Healers' Guildmistress

Gypsy wizard Natasha was recently named the new Guildmistress of the Healers' Guild by Lady Eleanor Tuttle of the Royal Guild. Lady Eleanor will be destroying the current Circle, thus divesting all of the current members of the Guild, and creating a new Circle.

Former Guildmistress Daphne Green had been the subject of numerous complaints that were sent to the Royal Guild. Lady Eleanor had been investigating the complaints and made plans to travel to Ashbury to learn more. Daphne, certain that this meant her removal, resigned suddenly and left the Guild leaderless.

Lady Eleanor arrived on the night of October 4th to discover that there was no one staffing the Guild and that there were three spirits waiting to be resurrected. Even though Lady Eleanor was at the time suffering from an illness requiring surgery, she was forced to take control of the Guild. Fortunately, as the person who had cast the original Circle, she was invested. Later that evening, she was in such pain that she had to leave to get aid.

"When I returned the next morning, a Guild member was sitting outside," she stated, referring to Gladius, Daphne's choice as a replacement Guild leader. "He said that Daphne had placed him in charge but he was not responsible for making sure that the Guild was staffed." Gladius' lack of remorse over leaving the Guild unstaffed was certainly taken into account during his interview in which he applied to become the new Guild leader.

Lady Eleanor began interviewing possible replacements that morning. She was determined that if at all possible, the replacement should come from the area which was to be served rather than to have someone new shipped in from the Royal Guild who would not know of local customs and practices. Ordinarily, replacements come from within the Guild structure itself, but since the structure of the Guild was in question, and since this procedure had produced the problem in the first place, she felt that a new approach was needed.

Besides meeting with those professing a desire to be the new Guild leader, Lady Eleanor also met with as many townspeople as possible to get their opinions on how the Guild should be run and who should run it. She was surprised to learn how many people said that they would be interested in joining the Guild if it were run smoothly and offered true incentives for advancement and adventure.

"From the best possible candidates, I narrowed down the decision between Natasha and Grom," stated Lady Eleanor. "I then invited in His Grace Duke Bryan and Good Sir Ivan to help me in my final interview. With their help, we chose Natasha to take over reigns of the Guild," she continued. "I ask all Ashbans to help her to make your Guild the way you want it to be. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns."

She also announced that the Guild's lax policies towards admittance would no longer be tolerated. Joining the Guild and becoming invested will require the applicant to prove himself or herself through a series of tasks and tests. In addition, there will be no special compensations or privileges shown to nobility or those merchants with wealth. All current invested members will have to prove themselves to the new Guildmistress' standards to be reinvested.

She also showed her displeasure towards those who use the Circle as a place to congregate and chat. "The Healers' Guild should be a friendly place by all means," she stated, "but it is not a tavern or other meeting hall."

Many of the Guild's scrolls, components, and other possessions are still missing. Anyone with any knowledge of their location should contact Guildmistress Natasha.


Prince of Fae Warns of Coming Conflict

A member of the fae noblity calling himself Kelthain, Prince of the Foirmoire, recently came to Ashbury seeking out the heirs to the fae throne once held by Oberon. Prince Kelthain has been previously seen in Ashbury conversing with many people and dealing with other fae lords such as Shaedum and Dylanjeer; however, this time his wanderings had a purpose.

He came to town and sought out those people who were possessed of a fae spirit and those who were directly tied to the fae. He was seeking the fae lords Ogme, Angus, MacMannon, Lugh, and Balor. He no longer sought Birgit, that spirit having been slain when Lady Talia's head was cut off by Gazreth during the plottings of the heirs. He also sought Sir Radric as the champion of the brownies and holder of the fae blade.

Kelthain's tale told of the challenge approaching where one of the heirs or Radric as a fae champion would have the opportunity to pull the Starsword, which lies inside the Circle of Power enclosing the Standing Stones in Entholm. Arawyn Doombringer, a Lord of the Unseelie Court who is also called Leafbane, is expected to spirit walk into the Circle and thrust his sword, which is twin to the Starsword, into the ground. This will open wide the rifts between Tyrra and Tir-nan-og, the home of the fae. It is at this time, said Kelthain, that whoever chooses to take the throne of the fae must challenge Arawyn.

According to Kelthain, the veils between Tyrra and Tir-nan-og are thinnest on All-Hollow's-Eve, or Halloween, and he expects that day or one very close to it will be the time of the conflict. It is the winner of that battle who will become lord of all fae and decide on whether the rifts shall remain open or closed.

The greatest concern is over the lack of heirs appearing in Ashbury. Although he was able to speak to Radric and Jonah, he did not find the others who hold fey spirits within: Squire Florin, who holds Ogme; Talesian Greywind, who holds MacMannon; Curran, who holds Lugh; and Gazreth, who holds Balor. Gazirith is apparently in hiding, as he is under a sentence of obliteration for his crimes of murder and necromancy.

Neither Talasian nor Curran have been seen for months, and no one is sure where Squire Florin is. If none of the other heirs are found, the battle may prove too much for the one or two who will step forward.

Kelthain also was seen to aid some of the townsfolk while he was here -- of course as is typical of the fae, the aid was given in exchange for favors. He saved the lives of Shalizar, Squire Jonathan, and several others at Lord Chancellor Faustus' request when they were beset by lizardmen who had a spell engine with them when no townsperson would come to aid them. In addition, Kelthain was seen wandering the field of battle during the assault by the town on the main attchar hive. He definitely seemed to be observing Jonah and keeping him alive. When the people of Ashbury were forced to retreat, he still stood upon the field ignoring the spiders, attercob, and attchar which surrounded him. Duke Bryan, seeing the fallen forms of Lithitar and Narc, shouted to him that he would give a favor for each one he saved. Kelthain simply replied "Done!" and walked through the spider creatures, picking up the bodies and delivering them to the Duke.

Now the Duke and the Chancellor are in debt to a prince of the fae. Kelthain had been heard to say on his previous visits that he does not traffic lightly in favors, so whatever he eventually asks of them, it is sure to be large.


Unrest in Ashbury as Murderers Take the Streets

While Ashbury dealt with the attack of the attercob and attchar, the deadliest of enemies proved to be the Harvest Moon and their allies. Under cover of the night and throughout the woods of Ashbury, the Harvest Moon and their allies Malcolm the Riftbringer and William ApRhyse, the self-titled "Scarlet Wizard of Judgement and Retribution," attacked the citizens of the city on the roads and within their homes.

On the first night of their attacks, about ten citizens resurrected with the Harvest Moon as their killers. As the night continued, the situation grew worse as two full inns which were without the protection of Wards were invaded and nearly all occupants slaughtered by these criminals. The criminals then got the jump on the group who was coming to Ward the inn for the night, and slayed them as well. Oddly, they spared two sarr who were staying in the inn and expressed concern of accidently having killed another sarr.

Descriptions were given and most of the members of the Harvest Moon, a criminal group under sentence of permanent death, were identified. With them was a warrior identified later as Malcolm, a member of the infamous Brotherhood who is also under sentence of obliteration for his role in causing the formation of the chaos rift that plagued our city earlier in the year. Also with the group was a scholar clad in a black mask who could not be identified. However, one citizen reported hearing the name "William" used by the group.

Indeed, later taking credit for these actions was William ApRhyse, the one time member of the Ducal household who left that august group after his conviction for murder in the infamous Tavern Massacre of 596. William later joined the Court of Trellheim and, according to Military Governor Radric, was under a period of extensive testing before being made a member of the team. Radric was, in his words, "trying to bring a reformed criminal back to the path of honor." Radric, deeply saddened by the actions of William, is taking responsibility for the hunting down of this criminal.

Their actions this first night were not the worst. Ending any doubt as to whether or not he was truly a necromancer, Hamlet the dwarf came forth the next night, bringing over thirty undead which he had apparently created. Zombies, ghouls, and mummies were seen wandering the city streets with the living criminals.

The second night, armed with undead forces, the group strode through the town killing citizens here and there. One climactic battle occurred in gypsy camp when Malcolm spoke to members of Forestwatch and was about to let them go when Dantur the vampire attacked them. In the commotion, the members of Forestwatch and their allies were all slain. Many received Life spells from townsfolk attracted to the combat by the swift action of Olin Redbeard; however Drakonios and Zachary were both forced to resurrect.

Battles with these criminals continued through the night. Not one of them were caught or killed, and only a few of their undead minions were destroyed.

The next major confrontation happened early the next morning when the Harvest Moon captured several biata who were sleeping in the tavern so as not to sleep behind a Ward. These captives were brought to the Ducal Manor House and the Duke was asked to come out and face his enemies to allow these citizens their lives. The Duke held back his forces and instead blew a great horn which was supposed to summon the Red Phoenix brigade as well as wake the citizens in the homes and manors nearby. No one answered the claxon call. In response, the Harvest Moon slayed the four captives and later the captives were found wandering the paths of the town as zombies, repeating the phrase, "I died because the Duke wouldn't save me."

The final attack of the gathering occurred while the towns' forces were underground in the attchar hive. The Harvest Moon returned to town with their undead and attacked and killed any they found, including Sir Balynthalus and Petra the gypsy, who took her final death.

Over all, the number dead from the Harvest Moon's attacks was around thirty five for those two days, topping even the great Pansolore Massacre of this past May. Though the Harvest Moon is being sought by many, they seem to be constantly moving, attacking various places at random and still avoiding capture.

Many of those involved have posted warnings to the citizenry on the walls of the taverns and in public squares, often including warped justifications of their acts. William has laughingly claimed that he does this in the name of justice for the common man to respond to criminal action of the nobility. He has "sentenced" the Duke to permanent death and the other nobles to obliteration. He declared his ex-liege Justice innocent by the reasoning that he was pushed into his criminal actions by the actions of the Duke. Though Lord Justice has not commented, Sir Radric denounces William's actions.

Malcolm posted letters describing what drives him to his madness, his history with the Elite Guard of Ravenholt and his involvement in slaying Douglas the White, one of the great Order Elementals. He described his obsession and hate for the gypsy race which led him in part on his killing spree.

Letters were also posted by Sudra Trouval of the Harvest Moon. He apologized for the need to kill everyone and blamed their actions on the Duke and the Chancellor.

Another long treatise written by "Ulvolis, the Scourge of Mortality," has been submitted to the Ashbury Times in which the writer justifies to his own twisted mind the Duke's breaking of each tenet of the Code of Chivalry and, like William, implies that this will encourage the commoners to accept his actions and join with him against the Duke.

The Duke has posted his response to William and has offered a reward for the permanently dead bodies of Hamlet, William, and Malcolm. The reward stands at 100 gold sovereigns each. He has again ordered the permanent deaths of the members of the Harvest Moon. He has sentenced any found to have aided the Harvest Moon, either directly or by supplying them with components, to obliteration.

He has offered any help he can in protecting the common folk of the Duchy including finding them wards and offering protection. He has sworn a blood oath against William.

Ashbury has always been a dangerous place, attracting monsters and evil as moths to the flame. The evil currently facing the city is vile and unpredictable and preys on the weak and defenseless. They attack when the citizens are at their most vulnerable and least prepared. Many fear to wander the areas of the town that were previously considered safe due to the actions of these murderous madmen.


Ducal Household Wins Nobles' Tournament

By the slimmest margin, the Ducal Household ("Ashbury") won the 3rd annual Nobles' Tournament, beating Blythedale by a half a point.

The Tournament was missing two teams this year. The court of Nordenn stated that they weren't ready to participate because Baron Kirath didn't have enough people to place in a team. This was met by scoffs from local Solicitor Quentin Dunbury, who with Dame Mara, had devised the puzzles used in the Hunt. He commented that Baron Konrad was able to field a team even though he had been a Baron about the same amount of time.

The court of Trellheim also begged off, stating that they were needed in Bartleby to fight off Morganna. This was met by scoffs by those who pointed out that Morganna had been there for months with no change, and that many members of the court of Trellheim apparently had no problem finding time to travel to Volta.

"Worse yet, the reason the Tournament was postponed a month was because Trellheim specifically requested it," said Quentin. "Then they didn't show up!"

Not everyone takes the Tournament as seriously as the beleaguered solicitor though, but at least the three remaining teams showed great enthusiasm for the competition.

The competition began with Colors which showed that every team put their all into it. Blythedale's jester Killian hurt their chances with his antics in what was supposed to be a somber presentation, and the Ducal Household impressed all with their organization.

Once more, the Archery competition proved to be a highlight. Baron Tristan kept his title as Best Archer as he handily won first place just as he has done in the previous two competitions. In second place, winning by a hair, was Squire Dugal and close behind was Squire Tavernier.

In the Spellcaster's Competition, Warlock Marius clenched first place for the Ash Forest. Sir Pinaeus was in second, and Squire Dugal was third.

The Hero's Battle was run differently this year in an experiment that had everyone saying "never again!" All three heroes fought at the same time, which meant that inevitably two would gang up on one and then duel it out afterwards. Baron Tristan was the unfortunate victim in this case.

The Hunt was won by Blythedale, largely due to Lady Talia's great talent with puzzles and Killian's great skill with humor (as evidenced by his Top Ten list and other bits during the "superlatives" section of the Hunt).

Among the random items that were required to be found were an hourglass, a silver dagger, a necromantic potion, and an empty bottle of Hamlet's Ale.

An item called "goblin gum" was recovered first by Manx of the Ducal team when she realized that the old prospector walking around town saying "How are you, by gum? Nice day, by gum! Glad to see ya, by gum!" and so on was indeed trying to get people to buy gum.

Other puzzles had their answers hidden within word search puzzles that were distributed or could be determined by listening closely to people who spread rumors in the tavern. "The Icy Death-Lover of Ceric" remained unsolved and may appear again on future lists.

A slight controversy concerned the Riddles competition which had to be ended early when the Harvest Moon attacked, thus taking precedence. The Ash Forest and Blythedale both agreed to a tie for second place and the votes were divided equally.

The Combat competition was deleted at the last minute because almost everyone was literally drained from the final fight against the attchar. On one hand, some were willing to postpone that event for a day or so, but others had to leave to return back to their estates. This cancelling may have made the difference to the losing teams, but of course one can never predict these sorts of competitions.

The Duke has promised that next year's competition will be held in early September as usual and that for now at least the competitions will proceed as normal. The Commoner's Tournament will be held in May.


Lizard wizard Ssithiss Attacks Using Strange "Spell Engines"

The power crazed and insane ritual casting Salamander Lord known as Ssithiss arrived in Ashbury city this past October.

Former Baron Morgan, Shalizar, Malcolm, and members of the court of Trellheim encountered him several years ago while investigating the whereabouts of Morgan's lost magical long sword. They discovered that it had been acquired by the powerful Ssithiss, who used it to fuel a "spell engine" device of a very dangerous nature. With this device, Ssithiss could make it so that none of their magical items functioned, and that all spells cast within the lair would fail to function save those cast by Ssithiss himself.

Although sorely tested against the mage's spell power and the salamander and basilisk guards, the court was able to withdraw the weapon from the engine, bringing down the anti-magic zone. Ssithiss was killed, and the engine was appropriated for later inspection. While nothing came of its examination, a mage by the name of Philip Papenfuss was intrigued by its nature and made an agreement with Shalizar to help in any research concerning it. He promised to venture to Ashbury when he could to do so.

This past October, various reptilian creatures were appearing about the capital city, attacking citizens and offering to purchase items of magical power. Several were seen to have a strange, glowing contraption strapped to their backs. Defenders soon discovered that their spells and even magic weapons had no effect on the massive lizard-like attackers. After much confusion and many townsfolk being assaulted with little means to defend themselves, several warriors with non-magical weapons were able to dispatch them. Seconds after the creatures with the glowing packs were taken down, the glowing devices exploded, hurling fire and lightning about the area, further injuring several of these brave warriors. After healing the wounded, the weird device was nothing but a pile of ash and debris.

These attacks occurred periodically, and in all of them, the creatures seamed to be driven towards anything magical.

Soon after these attacks began, a lone and wounded Amani Ranger appeared at the Ash Forest Manor Hall looking for Sir Algar. The ranger explained that he and two other Rangers had been tracking several large lizard creatures, one of which had a large glowing contraption on its back. Within it was housed a sword that held the markings of one very familiar magical short sword that was spirit linked to Sir Algar for so long.

The spirit link had been destroyed and the weapon taken away by force by former Baroness Laurelin months earlier. After its recovery, it was again lost, this time to a vampire who assaulted the entire court and caused several to die in a botched backlash when it attempted to destroy the Ash Forest Ward.

According to the Ranger, what was curious was that the sword in the contraption, though certainly the same one wielded by the elven knight, no longer glowed.

Several members of the Court, including Baron Konrad, Sir Algar, Dame Kittery, Squire Lupiticus, and Thorn tracked the creatures and eventually there was a confrontation. The reptilian leader did in fact have the sword that Sir Algar coveted, and boasted that he acquired it from a foolish Jhivantanian necromancer. The reptilian also proclaimed the weapon as property of the mighty Ssithiss.

A rough idea of the tale of how the sword got from Serinal's forces to the lizardmen came out: It seems that Serinal or his men had traded the sword away to a powerful undead sorceror in Jhivantane. Ssithiss and his followers had been traveling far and wide looking for the components needed to create the spell engines and items to power them when they came upon this sorceror in the Dead Fens of Jhivantane. The sorceror expected the lizardmen to be easy prey and fought them but was quickly defeated due to the spell engine worn by one of the reptilians in the party. When the battle was over the reptilian claimed the sword and began using it to power his spell engine. The sword had apparently been spirit-linked to the new holder in Jhivantane and that spirit-link was now transfered to the reptilian.

Once this was clear, battle immediately erupted, with the Ash Forest force easily taking down the salamanders and saurians that accompanied the reptilian. Sir Algar charged his foe and battled the creature, but was felled by the prowess of his foe. With no one else able to effect the reptilian, it would have been sure death for the entire group, had the Ash forest healers not quickly come to Algar's aid.

Ignoring the others, the reptilian struck at the elven knight as Algar hefted his blade and did the same. Both blows landed simultaneously, and both warriors fell, the glowing device about the reptilian's back erupting in fire and lightning.

Sir Algar was healed once again, but when he attempted to take the sword, he found it was spirit-linked to his foe. After waiting to see if the creature dissipated, all rejoiced as the blade attached to Sir Algar's grasp with the foul monster's final death.

Later that afternoon, Philip Papenfuss entered town. He sought out the Mages' Guild and explained that he had been embroiled in his studies at the Royal Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences, where his main goal was the study of the strange device encountered when the court of Trellheim encountered Ssithiss. With the latest rumors of similar devices appearing in Ashbury, he had decided to investigate.

He left after traveling with many adventurers, and late in the afternoon returned with a tale of an encounter with several large reptilian creatures having glowing devices on their backs. The town's adventurers quickly assembled, arriving at the river junction where Ssithiss' forces had gathered for an attack. He had apparently prepared for their arrival, having set up many strange devices about the area.

Much of the location scintillated with color and none the Ashbury forces could cast within them. Additionally, several groups of various types of reptoids roamed outside these zones, with several powerful warriors strapped to the magic-negating spell engines. The battle ensued, and though hampered by the limitations of their spells and magical items, the town overwhelmed each zone, one by one. The engines each exploded shortly after the focus of the engine was felled, but the forces of Ashbury moved on forward.

In the rear of the battle, Philip Papenfuss roamed, and suddenly opened up with a volley of gasses and powerful celestial spells, taking down a score of Ashbury's heroes before being battered down by Goodman Francis. With the fold of Ashbury before him, and his forces decimated, Ssithiss called up a Desecrate spell, making him effectively invulnerable to both magics and weapons. As the heroes healed their wounded, he confronted the Duke, proclaiming that he intends to exact revenge upon those that defeated him before, and to scour the land with these anti-magic devices, where only he and his followers would have the luxury of being able to cast magics.

He then foolishly lowered his spell and attacked, but was quickly taken down by the warriors at the forefront.

Philip later resurrected and apologized to all he had assaulted, as he claimed he was captured by Ssithiss when he investigated the spell engines he plan to make his life's work researching.

None of the strange devices remained for research, as they each were consumed in the pyrotechnics that resulted after their wearer was killed. It was determined that they were fueled by magical energies, sapping them of their ritual effects, as several minor items were located within them. Before returning to the Academy, Philip surmised that the goal of the reptoid raiding parties was to acquire new items to fuel further engines.


Patriarch Vampire Created; Pledges Vengeance

Shortly after midnight on October 5th, a known elder vampire going by the name of either "D" or Dantur, arrived on Gwendolyn's Field unnoticed and cast a Circle of Power. Once safe within this circle, Dantur began calling for Barons Tristan and Konrad, Sir Ivan Drake, and Ta'wanÆ the gypsy. The vampire was greeted by some townsfolk and noble alike as if he were an old ally.

Once all four persons were gathered, Dantur began what seemed to some present to be a bombardment of insinuations of promises not kept and of the dire consequences of the peoples inactions. He referred to his supposed help in setting up the patriarch vampire Anwar DeMedici to get him to lower his guard enough to allow himself to be killed, thus freeing various people of a curse that was turning them into vampires themselves. (In fact, without Dantur's advice and help it is quite possible that now-Paladin Sir Ivan would himself have become one of these undead abominations.)

Dantur asked those four if they had retrieved unicorn tears since he had last spoken to them. It seems that these tears would have allowed for the vampire to die a more "natural" death. According to Dantur, this would have set free two spirits other than his own that have been present in his body since he backlashed an Obliterate ritual five hundred years ago, and would have allowed them to resurrect normally.

Instead, It was admitted by Baron Tristan and Sir Ivan that neither of them had done anything about the problem, stating that they did not have the time to do so. Ta'waneÆ stated that she also did not do anything to help with the problem, and then proceeded to apologize greatly and offer herself up for any punishment that Dantur saw fit.

It was around this time that Baron Konrad said that he had tried to help but could not, stating that he had traveled to the Wold where there were recent unicorn births to find that he could not get near the unicorns due to their reclusive nature. Baron Tristan spoke up saying that this was another reason that he had not helped Dantur. He went further to say that in the past he had helped to rescue a unicorn that had been captured, and knew first hand that these creatures were extremely reclusive. This was when Dantur began to grow very angry.

He told of a time when he was a noble in the land, and that a noble's words were as true as his actions, no matter to whom they were given. Dantur told them that he could no longer control the growing chaos within him, and that soon the full powers of the vampire would be bestowed upon him. When this would happen he would not be able to control his actions to the extent that he had so far and that he blamed his curse upon them. He vowed to be a scourge upon the Baronies of the Ash Forest and Blythedale until they were both dead permanently. He included Ta'wanÆ in this vow.

At this time, several townsfolk noticed five glowing forms of energy approaching the Circle. No form of blades nor magic seemed to be able to affect this energy as it approached. Once all five were at the circle they somehow phased through and entered the body of Dantur who let out a scream and fell to his knees as what seemed to be two spirits were jettisoned from his body.

When Dantur rose up, he told those present that he would be nothing like his predecessor Anwar. He would be more intelligent and tactful in his dealings. The two non-corporeal forms with him would be "the warriors who guard my spirit" and stated that he would not stop until all who lied to him were dead. When he said these things, a definite change of character could be noticed in his mannerisms. He then went gaseous and lowered the circle. The two other were quickly dispatched, but when killed, it seemed as though their spirits returned to Dantur.

Dantur was later seen walking through the city at various times. The most notable occurrence of which happened when an altercation between him and Sir Pinaeus, Natasha the gypsy, and Sir Ivan ended with all three needing Life spells that were administered by Emerald the gypsy. More verbal bickering occurred which ended with the court of Blythedale leaving the tavern with Dantur still inside, enjoying the fire.

Dantur returned the next night to bring more destruction to the baronies and was rumored to have been traveling with wanted criminals of the Harvest Moon. That rumor seemed to upset him nearly as much as not getting the unicorn tears, as he was later seen walking in town telling all that would listen the he was not traveling with them. He later left that night after he made more threats to the four.

His whereabouts are not known as of this time, but it is rumored that he is staying low so he can build up a small force of fledgling vampires.


Trellheim Strikes First Blow At Pansolore

Two months ago, the Court of Trellheim was ambushed in the woods outside Ashbury by Pansolore's undead "Baron of Trellheim" and the Arch-Wizard Mordechai. During this fierce battle, Trellheim was severely hurt, Modi Ioki was killed, and many magic items were taken, including an enchanted longsword.

Two weeks before the Attchar returned to Ashbury, they were approached in their encampment at Wilmarth by a man identifying himself as Reynard Helmsfield, a special investigator from the Royal Academy. He informed them that he had heard about their problem and how they had been misled by someone posing as a student from the Royal Academy looking for a tome of vampire lore. He suggested that they might be able to help each other, as he had stacks of files on former students from the Academy as well as criminals who had posed as Royal Academy members. By pooling their information, they were able to identify the perpetrator of the crime. He was indeed a former student from the Academy, one who was expelled for too much interest in "forbidden rituals."

Not being able to divert the entire court from the area of Bartleby, they formed a strike force consisting of Sir Radric, Lords Hanson and Justice, Squires Caleb, Doroon, Morlox, and Morgan, as well as Quickie, William ApRhyse, and Modi Ioki. They were able to track the villain to his residence in the woods in the estate of Nantes. Here they found a ruined building wherein undead roamed. The court members attacked and dispatched the undead only to be attacked repeatedly by more and more undead emerging from the woods. Between waves of undead, they searched the area and within the ruined fireplace found a series of half burned letters and maps.

Once they vanquished the undead, they turned to the letters and maps. The first letter was from the undead Baron of Trellheim to one of his knights. It spoke of a permanent earth circle in Wellspring under Pansolore's control. The second letter was from Pansolore himself to the knight, praising him for his service and speaking of a dread item called the Palladium Orb of Talon which creates an army of undead with the rising of each new moon.

The maps led them to the hidden Circle of Power in Wellspring. Realizing that this represented a stronghold of Pansolore and a possible site where his minions could resurrect, the court brought with them a Destroy Magic earth scroll and a set of components to cast it.

In Wellspring they fought many mighty guardians along the way, including wraith lords, ghoul lords, death knights and other huge undead, all of which appeared to have been skilled adventurers in life. In addition to this, there were several bone golems which were indistinguishable from the undead and served to soak up much of the earth magics cast in the battle.

The court finally came upon the Circle itself guarded by an even greater number of undead as well as one human minion of the foul liche. The fight was a close one and many times were members of the court down on the ground bleeding, drained, or dead. The battle raged back and forth but the turning point came when Squire Morlox charged into the midst of the enemy laying about him with his magic polearm, being killed even as he killed two of the enemy. The court was further pressed when Lord Hanson saved the day with his twenty foot casting of a Life spell at Morlox who then came up behind the undead and turned the tide of battle for the final time.

As the court debated their next move, it became obvious that the woods were crawling with lesser undead and indeed as they were preparing to cast the Destroy Earth ritual, many minor undead were constantly emerging from the woods. They fought them back for the entire hour while Squire Caleb successfully cast the Destroy Magic ritual, ridding our fair duchy of one of the Circles of Pansolore. This is the first time any serious damage has been done to the liche's forces, and what he will do in retribution is unknown.

When the news was brought to the Duke by Sir Radric and Special Investigator Reynard, the Duke was pleased by the destruction of the Circle and rewarded the Court of Trellheim for their actions in fighting the Duchy's enemies and enforcing the Duke's laws on rogue Circles of Power.


Niman Threat Proves to be Smoke Screen

From the Chronicles of Stavros Everska, Court Sage of Blythedale

On the evening of Friday, October 11, 596, I arrived in the border town of Axleburg, at the foothills of the Anymdin Mountains in the Duchy of Volta. With Baron Tristan Greycloak and his court healer gypsy Emerald Baljar, both of Blythedale, and Ashbury Lord Aloryn Runeweaver, we had answered Duke Adrick Voltan's call to arms. The Duke of Volta's cry had gone up all around the Kingdom of Evendarr, for in the months and weeks preceding his request for assistance, a number of strange events had taken place in the areas surrounding his fiefdom's western neighbor, the Duchy of Niman.

The first was the mass kidnapping of children from the village of Dilligath, north of Axleburg; the second the rescue of a group of Voltan slaves from a mine in the Anymdin Mountains; and the third a naval blockade of the Quentari city of Tolereb on Lake Quentari. In each of these incidents, evidence was uncovered which somehow implicated the Duchy of Niman. The final affront was the permanent death of Duke Adrick's son and grandson in the city of Axleburg itself by agents unknown but presumed to be Nimani. It was upon learning this that the Duke of Volta issued his call to arms.

Baron Tristan, Lord Aloryn, Emerald, and I attempted to reach the city in time to attend the Welcoming Ceremony that Duke Adrick had prepared for his guests, but we arrived too late. I learned from eyewitness accounts that an impressive group of adventurers and nobility had arrived from the breadth and width of the Kingdom of Evendarr and beyond.

Chief in attendance were the Noble Courts of Volta's eastern neighbor, the Duchy of Ravenholt, led by Duke Andros Ravenhurst. Representing the Duchy of Ashbury was the Military District of Trellheim under Sir Hanson of Bartleby. Sir Hanson was attended by his squire, Morlox Nightshade, Lithitar Drakkar, Enoch, and the healer Caleb Hand. The Lord Governor of Trellheim, Sir Radric Helfax, arrived a few days later to lend assistance, but was not able to remain. Also from Ashbury were Sir Agnar Antiburon of the Ducal Court and Sir Algar Winterwind of the Ash Forest, who was accompanied by newly appointed Guildmistress of Healers Natasha Ioki and Squire Olin Redbeard.

From beyond Evendarr's borders came the Lords of Elysia, the warriors and mages of Baddira, and a Noble of the Kingdom of Hadran. Other dignitaries of note were an ambassador from the Sarr kingdom of Myrr, the High Matriarch Shusthar Asmara, who had come to assess the potential threat to her homeland, and an emissary from none other than Lord Vordan Nicadaemus, the Duke of Niman.

This emissary had come to argue Niman's innocence in all that had gone on, but I suspect his words were eclipsed by the sudden arrival of Elenaro Ar-Din, King of the Elven homeland of Quentari. His Majesty had simply rifted into the area through a portal of shimmering light, intent on assisting those gathered in finding some reason behind the Nimans' strange actions.

I was told that before much debate could take place, an ominous rumbling was heard from within a nearby ruin, after which one of the walls of the ancient building exploded in a flash of fire and lightning. A monstrous figure was said to have stepped out and announced that the Duke of Niman had ordered the death of everyone in attendance.

This proclamation was quickly followed by a large attack of undead that was crushed by those gathered.

All through the night, the undead attacks continued. It was during these attacks that the Court of Blythedale arrived. Each time we encountered these nonliving soldiers, they announced that the Duke of Niman had charged them to attack us. Before sunrise, more than a few of Axleburg's visitors had decided that it seemed suspicious to send undead minions to do one's bidding while chanting the name of the person responsible. Were things being manipulated to make the Nimani seem responsible while in truth they were innocent?

The capture of a band of mercenaries posing as Niman soldiers lent credibility to this theory, as did the sudden appearance of a battle weary elven templar named Vanira. A trusted friend of King Elenaro's from a time long ago, Vanira had come to help her former liege solve the Niman Riddle. She first lent assistance in the form of a Contact Earth ritual which pointed our forces in the direction of a vampire's lair not far from Axleburg's outer limits.

The lair was a series of twisting passages cunningly defended by death knights and death wizards, ghasts, revenants, and other undead monstrosities. Our forces were able to push through, however, and destroy the vampire. I wish to mention Baron Tristan and Lord Aloryn's bravery in leading the assault through especially difficult areas of the ruin. A series of scrolls was recovered which might answer some of the many questions we still had.

That evening, a grand dinner was held in the Feast Hall of the Bawdy Bard Tavern, Axleburg's premiere dining establishment. At the head table sat Duke Adrick in the seat of honor, King Elenaro, Prince Kevynn, and Duke Andros. A fifth seat remained empty, but was filled later that evening when none other than Duke Vordan Nicadaemus arrived to fill the vacant chair. None attacked him, for he comported himself with dignity and claimed to have official documentation exonerating him of blame in the Tolereb Island incident.

Despite Duke Vordan's suspicious presence it was a wonderful evening, with much of the visiting community in attendance. The food was fine and the atmosphere relaxed despite the threat that hung over the land. Emerald even performed a gypsy dance that was both enticing and memorable for a surface female. Blythedale's Court Healer might have danced more than one set if one of King Elenaro's advisors had not unexpectedly unleashed an enchantment which pulled Elenaro's very spirit into an amulet he wore around his neck. All that remained of the King was his mighty sword, shield, and clothing. The elf that had stolen the Amulet then somehow assumed gaseous form and escaped the building before anyone had presence enough to cast a Wizard's Lock.

The focus of the gathering suddenly shifted from learning not only who was responsible for the attacks against Volta, but who had kidnapped the King of Quentari. Were they one and the same? Were the attacks somehow related? A conference in the building which housed a temporary Guild of Mages and Healers revealed little, and a new Contact Earth ritual cast upon Elenaro's shield by Vanira only told us that His Majesty was "somewhere the living could not reach him."

After debating Vanira's revelation, one of Elenaro's Ranger Knights, an elf named Ethan, asked Baron Tristan to wield the King's sword and shield until His Majesty was rescued. The Baron had befriended and pledged his service to King Elenaro, that day and on the evening before, thus earning the trust of Ethan and His Majesty's longtime teacher and friend, Thorgrim.

On Sunday, a summit was held in the Bawdy Bard's Feast Hall, where information gathered by visiting adventurers and noble courts alike was exchanged. It was at this time that the truth of what had been going on was learned.

More than a thousand seasons ago, in the early years of the IXth Cycle of Ages, a being known as Tarlov Ghost Hand, the Consumer of Spirits, fought and was defeated by Elenaro's father, King Galavier Ar-Din, who placed Tarlov into a Magical Prison somewhere in the Anymdin Mountains. Although unable to escape, Tarlov was able to influence and employ evil minions to find some way through the wards which bound him. Unfortunately for the Ghost Hand, a powerful ritual prevented him from affecting Elenaro and his servants. Tarlov might never have even reached the Elven King if we had not inadvertently destroyed this ritual effect ourselves. The vampire we vanquished on Saturday afternoon had somehow been linked to the formal magic, and his destruction was what allowed Tarlov to possess His Majesty's advisor.

Through study of the scrolls from the vampire's lair and diaries uncovered by the Barony of Eastwyck, it was discovered that Tarlov had hired agents to sow dissent between Niman and Volta by financing the slaver operations that had been thwarted in the Anymdin Mountains. It was also learned that Tarlov had fielded a small fleet ships on Lake Quentari to pose as Nimani vessels and attract the Elven Kingdom's interest in the growing conflict. It seemed clear that Tarlov had desired to draw King Elenaro into the region to get revenge for what His Majesty's father had done to him long ago.

Final confirmation came from a Spirit Farewell ritual cast later that afternoon by Mother Merry MacGregor of Evendarr, who learned that Tarlov's spies in Axleburg had caused the permanent death Duke Adrick's son and grandson.

Duke Adrick's grief was terrible, but was swept away by the news that the Baronial Court of Capulus from Ravenholt had located Tarlov's cavern home outside Axleburg.

The brave forces of Ashbury, Ravenholt, Elysia, and Baddira fought side by side to hold these monsters at bay while the others moved inside to confront the Consumer of Spirits. Heroic in battle was Sir Hanson's rush behind legions of the nonliving to retrieve fallen comrades; Squire Olin's unwavering courage in the face of multiple Death spells, and Emerald's vigilant sanctuary before the gateway into which our friends had disappeared.

Finally, the heroes emerged, with Duke Andros and Baron Tristan carrying the limp form of King Elenaro between them. Their battle had been long and difficult, but by the time everyone had exited, there was but one casualty.

King Elenaro recovered later that evening, and in a somber gathering inside the makeshift Healer's Guild thanked everyone who had assisted in his rescue. Not only had Tarlov been stopped, but the throne of Quentari had been preserved, and war with Niman had been averted. His Majesty showed his thanks to the elflord Baron Tristan by bestowing upon him a token of appreciation; a wound wreath of wood and flowers from the magical Taursiloriel Forest in Quentari. It seemed a fitting end to a grand adventure, one more chapter in the Chronicle of the Surface.


Dwarven and Vendamor Enemy "The Undoer" Attacks

Eldric the Undoer, who first appeared in Ashbury last July as a member of the infamous Millennia Club, returned to Ashbury recently and again sought out members of the Shield of Vendamor. The being called the Undoer is also the same person who has made itself an enemy of the Shield. He stalked into town accompanied by his "hammerwights" who are apparently altered ex-members of the Shield, including Unrok's own father.

The Undoer and his minions were finally confronted outside the Dragon's Flagon by a group of adventurers who had mistaken Eldric's and his mace's glowing eyes for darklings. The adventurers, having heard of the Undoer's power, fled away quickly and Eldric eventually found Unrok and Draxus within the Mages' Guildhall, apparently safe behind the Ward.

The Undoer threatened Unrok and confronted him with the cursed image of his father. The words flew back and forth between them as some Ashbans crept closer and closer until they dared attack this fearsome foe. Few blows were exchanged but one of the hammerwights was destroyed while several Ashbans went down. Unrok called for the Ashbans to flee from an enemy they could not truly face and the townsfolk withdrew. No sooner did this happen than the Undoer struck his mallet to the ground and called forth the hammerwight that had been defeated, once more returning his escort to full strength.

He returned to facing Unrok across the Ward and demanded that he face him or he would destroy his meager protection. Unrok, feeling safe behind the Ward, denied Eldric the satisfaction of a fight, whereupon the Undoer was heard to intone "I call upon the power of entropy to send this ward to oblivion" -- and the Ward went down.

The Undoer stepped into the Guildhall and quickly stuck down all there, taking incredible amounts of damage from Unrok and Draxus in the process. Eldric struck with his mallet, shedding Disarm and Destroy spells with every blow. He and his forces quickly took Unrok and ran toward the woods where they placed him within a Circle of Power to question once more.

Several of the Undoer's hammerwights were trapped outside the Circle and did a great deal of damage to the Ashbans before they were destroyed and once again released from the mallet, this time within the Circle.

Unrok was questioned. Eldric was looking for a man named Paul Treyad, the founder of the Shield of Vendamor. He was also looking for something or someone called "Jacaratu."

The Undoer was further confronted by Smith the dwarf and King Kelanor IV of Dwarvenholm, who told all present that the Undoer was an enemy of the dwarven people millennia old. The Undoer, according to the dwarves, apparently jumped from form to form, with only the dread mallet remaining the same each time. The Undoer was usually a dwarf, but has been other races, and at times has been female. When the dwarves appeared, Eldric and the mallet both began to speak, Eldric threatening the dwarves and the mallet encouraging him and raising the threats. The last threat made was that Eldric would level the dwarven city of Dwarvenholm.

In the end when Unrok would reveal nothing. They killed him and waited for his body to fade away. Then Eldric warned Ashbury to stay out of his affairs with the Shield and placed all his hammerwights within the mallet and then Spirit Recalled away, leaving only Unrok's clothes to mark the spot where he had stood. Once Unrok had resurrected, he was seen talking with Smith, Kelanor, and a dwarven sage who had accompanied Kelanor's party. What came out of these talks is unknown to the general public.


Darklings Reappear

The darklings, who were thought to be trapped beneath the city in a zone of stopped time, once again revealed their presence to Ashbury. Late one night in total darkness, four sets of glowing eyes in red and green were seen through the trees in the woods. Members of the city moved to confront them and spoke at length with them. Their basic message appears to have been to announce their return and their desire to again conquer the races of man.

The townsfolk began to fight them and fully half of the adventurers gathered about were needed to slay the four, who seemed to be of the most powerful classes of darkling known.

Once more the menace of these dread beings of darkness rears its head.


News From Around the Duchy

Entholm: This estate in the Ash Forest, which is home of the famous Standing Stones, has seen a great increase in the number of fae in the area. While there has been very little confrontation, fae of all types have been seen wandering through the area, often coming right up to the circle and staring at the sword and armor within.

Tower Hills Citadel: The Tower Hills Citadel, which has long been the major site of troll attacks, is now a fairly peaceful and quiet place. The Sand Tiger Barbarians which made their home there under the protection of Sir Radric Helifax have repayed the courtesy shown them by aiding the populace of the estate in rebuilding its economy and defenses. The trolls now seem unable to deal with the defenses and fortifications which have been built. Unfortuately, the Sand Tigers have been dying due to a mysterious disease that seems to only affect their tribe.


Message From the Chancellor

By Lord Chancellor Sir Faustus von Neumacht

Our fair city has been attacked by a band of criminals -- a cabal of Ashbury's most wanted. They have preyed upon the weak and those traveling alone, fighting a coward's war. Many have fallen, but we will not give in to this band of murderers. Their goal is to sow terror, death, and lies among the people in an attempt to turn Ashbans against their loyal government. They have failed.

The Murder and Treason of the Harvest Moon and their lackeys have but strengthened the people's resolve to bring them to justice. Their lies and gross exaggerations have had little effect.

Most of their wild statements bear no relation to reality. For instance, the treacherous Sudra Trouvell says that the Duke has been judged unworthy by those above him. Nonsense! Some frivolous charges were recently brought against His Grace, but his liege the Princess of Greenmarch laughed them off and asked why he tolerates such nonsense. Any who attempt to overthrow the just Duke should know that he is backed by the people of our fair Duchy and the loyal nobles of Ashbury and Evendarr. Neither the Harvest Moon, nor anyone else, will succeed should their goal be foul Treason.

Together we have withstood the likes of Fangthorn, Mourna, the Gerakari, Baracus Kul and others too numerous to mention, and in the end we have prevailed. Ashbury shall not be laid low by a band of petty brigands.

We are taking measures against a recurrence of these attacks, only some of which can be made public. One problem is the lack of Wards -- last month two inns that did not have this celestial protection were ransacked and their occupants slain by the Harvest Moon. Regarding Ward spells, I shall personally provide that each residence in the immediate capital area that needs it has a Ward spell. If I cannot cast it myself, there are many wizards -- noble and non-noble alike -- who will contribute to this effort.

Another measure we have taken is to offer a 100 gold reward for anyone who brings forth the permanently dead body of Hamlet of the Harvest Moon, Malcolm of the Brotherhood, or William ApRyse. The Duke has pronounced sentences of permanent death on these three, as well as the other members of the Harvest Moon. His Grace has also petitioned for a Royal Executioner to be assigned to Ashbury, ready to cast the Obliterations.

There are other plans to deal with a recurrence of these cowardly attacks that cannot be publicly stated. Should the murderous Harvest Moon return, they will find an Ashbury fortified against them, united in outrage and demand for justice. There will be no appeasement for these criminals, only the swift, sure hand of justice.

In other matters, the libelous attacks on Lord Magistrate Naerfen must stop. He has done an excellent job, but people instead harp on the one or two inevitable difficulties of his tenure. How quickly people forget the service which he has provided in this overworked office. The Lord Magistrate is the protector of the law in Ashbury, and I salute him for his just efforts to this end.

Finally, it was our Duchy's privilege to host a visiting delegation of nobles from Nunver Hill, in far off Baddira. No doubt many citizens recall these visitors, garbed in tabards bearing the symbol we associate with Order. They were as noble and good as this symbol on their garb would suggest. We only wish the visit of Baroness Topaz and her court were under less trying circumstances. As he does with all visiting nobles, and indeed many visiting commoners, His Grace held a lengthy audience with the traveling nobles.

On this topic, there will be no Ducal Audiences this month. His Grace will be away reviewing the Ducal Army, given the tense situation in Bartleby. I shall administer the capital in his absence.


The Corner of Chivalry

"Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy"

These seven words of the third tenet of the Code of Chivalry have often been misunderstood, and treatises have been written on their interpretation and application.

A knight (or a Squire who aspires to knighthood) should fight bravely no matter how powerful the opponent, and should never show fear. Yet, as the Royal Justicar Sir Cedrick Hampton stated in his commentaries on the Code, this neither requires suicidal actions nor does it entirely preclude retreat.

It serves no one for a knight to throw away his or her life for no purpose in a suicidal fight when other options are open. In some situations, rearguard actions for example, a knight may be covering the retreat of others and may well be called upon to fight to the death for the greater good. This is not a senseless death, and any knight must be willing to make this sacrifice. With the rigorous Paladinal testing in Ashbury, we are certain that no noble of this realm would shirk from such a duty. Other times, honor or principle may dictate that a knight fight against overwhelming odds, never recoiling from the enemy, though it means certain doom.

Yet if other options are open through a strategic withdrawal, this action is often permissible. The forbidden word "recoil" means "to draw back as in fear." But a rational retreat leading to a regrouping and renewed attack is not contrary to the Code. For example, if a band were ambushed in the woods and the knight was the last standing of his group, the knight would do better to flee and get help for the fallen comrades rather than perish fighting to no purpose.

Yet it is a fine line that must be tread -- a knight should always endeavor that he is the last to retreat if it becomes necessary -- always a defender of the weak. Keeping this tenet in mind, the knight should not forsake captured or trapped comrades. Yet even this admonition is not entirely clear, for in the example above, the knight has to momentarily retreat to have a chance to save the others. In the end. Like all aspects of the Code, it comes down to a knight interpreting the Code as it fits the specific situation. Hopefully, this essay has provided some insight into the third tenet, to make such choices easier when they confront us.

Foolhardiness, recklessness, mindless belligerence -- these are not the qualities of a true follower of the Code. Sound judgment, knowing when to fight, when to regroup, and when the situation justifies making the ultimate sacrifice -- these are the qualities of knighthood.


Letter to the Editor

It has come to my attention that many citizens are confused as to why I have banned Sir Tsubatai and Emerald of Blythedale from performing in the tavern. Allow me to explain:

1. On the first occassion of Angelica's attack on gypsies in town, neither showed any concern for any gypsies involved;

2. On the second attack, Sir Tsubatai's response when asked for help was "Sorry, I have to follow my Baron and can only do what he asks of me." (This from a gypsy?) Emerald's reply was "Too bad. This never happens in Ravenholt. It sucks to be an Ashbury gypsy."

3. On the morning after the third Angelica attack, Emerald was overheard on several occassions giggling about "how many had died last night." When I confronted her and asked how she could be so uncaring, her reply was that it didn't concern her because she wasn't an Ashbury gypsy.

I later found out from Javier and other gypsies that many of them had been crying all morning over her attitude over the plight of the local gypsies.

My job as tavern owner left me with little choice but to ban both of them from performing and thus receiving any financial gains from the Dragon's Flagon. As far as I am concerned, I find it hard to believe that anyone -- especially a gypsy -- could be so cold and heartless unless they were controlled by Angelica. Until I am convinced otherwise, I will not allow them the privilege of making money off of my patrons and workers.

Zatarina Norvick


A Little Birdie Told Me

by Sue D'Onym

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the News They Don't want You To Know.

Although Sir Radric promised to have the magic sword Slavetamer destroyed (see last issue!), it looks like he's getting a bit of a protest from the rest of Trellheim who hate to give up stuff. Lude Narcisse was apparently seen wielding the weapon, and Squire Morgan Sunstar is trying to encourage Radric to transfer the damage aura first. Of course, they don't have the components to do this yet, so who knows when Radric will be able to keep his word to the biata?

Meanwhile, Duke Bryan was seen bending over backwards to try to accommodate Lord Justice's complaints about him. He had Royal Justicar Sir Cedrick Hampton of Evendarr take time out of his busy schedule to meet with Justice and hear his complaints. Justice of course, showing the noble bearing that has become his trademark, declined to show up. Sir Cedrick was once again heard to comment that he can't understand why the Duke puts up with such actions.

The Harvest Moon and their allies William and Malcolm have meanwhile posted their "truths" about the Duke, expecting us to overthrow him because a bunch of criminals say he's evil. Sort of like believing what a bunch of gnolls have to say about the gorbe. . .

And speaking of biata, what was Lord Kelial doing traveling through the city late at night, covered in that face-hiding hood?

Congratulations to new Guildmistress Natasha. What a job she has! Not only does she have to rebuild the Guild from scratch, but she has to deal with all of those people currently invested who will complain when they have to go through all the Guild tasks again. But gypsies can be very stubborn! Natasha has been meeting with Shalizar to get her advice, and it appears that for the first time in about five years the two Guilds may actually start to get along.

Oh, and speaking of gypsies, have you ever noticed that Ta'wane spends her nights with everyone except her supposed husband Mason? Things between those two might also be ending very soon. Gypsies travel through relationships like they do towns apparently.

Could the newly formed team calling itself Forestwatch be splitting up? With Petra's death and the intense fighting between Squire Jaret and Lord Zachery, things are looking that way. Place your bets now!

That's all for this month. I would have liked to have had more, but I have to rely on what people send me. Keep me informed and I'll keep you informed. So until next month, remember -- If you can't say something nice about someone, come sit by me.


Obituaries

PETRA VARADOS: Petra of the clan Varados, member of the Ashbury Council of Gypsies, met her permanent death earlier this month at the bloody hands of the Harvest Moon. The Gypsy community grieves the loss of her unflagging devotion to her people and celebrates her life which, though cut short, was lived in the fullest of Romani spirit.

RAYMOX GRATTOR: The half orc Raymox of the Shield of Vendamor suffered his third and final death at the hands of a liche in Ravenholt. He will be missed by his friends, family, and thise who sought to win his heart. He is survived by his adopted father Jaerith, Archwizard of the Balance.


Public Notices

ATTENTION ALL MAGES' GUILD APPLICANTS: If you have spoken to those that Guildmistress Shalizar requested you question and you are still interested in joining the Ashbury Mages' Guild, please stop by the Guild after 8pm on Friday, November 1st to set up a formal interview for the following day. This will be the last gathering of the year and therefore potentially the last opportunity to set up a convenient time for meeting. All applicants will be interviewed by a Senior Guildsman with the Guildmistress Shalizar present, as part of their own training for advancement within the Guild. The Ashbury Mages' Guild looks forward to seeing you.

THE ASHBURY HEALERS' GUILD will be conducting interviews and testing in November for any Healer wishing to join the Guild. Any members of the Guild under Daphne Green are welcome to re-apply at this time. Appointments can be scheduled Friday night between the ninth and tenth evening hour, or correspondence can be sent to the Guild prior to November to the Guildmistress' attention.

LUDE: were you really as adorable a kitten as you say you were? I like fuzzy ears. Perhaps I shall see you soon.

ASHBURY REGISTRY OF TEACHERS. Referrals for a wide range of skills. Discretion assured. Teachers: get students without spending all your time recruiting. See Prof. Turlough Kuranes.

FREE DETECT MAGICS cast at the Ashbury Mages' Guild every hour on the half hour during Guild hours. (Listen for the bell). Hours are noon - 6 pm and 8 pm - midnight. Also: Magic items Identified, Ritual Components researched, scrolls bought and sold, and Rituals cast. Hot tea and cocoa for our chilled customers.

HARVEST MOON: How will you hide when the very shadows will rip you to pieces? By my word as second, Let There Be War! - Protector of the Shadows

DO YOU WISH to make certain that your posessions go to the right people? Then seek Swiftwind Valnoric who will be writing Last Wills and Testaments for the common peoples, in Ashbury City, November.

LET IT BE KNOWN that since Daphne Green's departure, a majority of resurrections in the Ashbury Healer's Guild have not been paid for. Resurrection is a trying and difficult time, and the Guild wants to do everything necessary to help the citizens and visitors who resurrect at the circle in Ashbury. However, silver itself is necessary to perform each resurrection, as well as to fund the Guild so it can continue to provide this and other important services to the people of Ashbury. Please contact Guildmistress Natasha Ioki if you have resurrected in the Guild in the past month, and include whether or not the resurrection was paid for. Thank you in advance for your consideration and assistance in this matter. - Ashbury Royal Healer's Guild

TO THE SABRETOOTH TIGER SARR: Due to your actions in that Saturday battle, you can consideryour membership in the Embassy null and void. Should you reconsider your actions and choose to behave in an honorable manner, seek me out. - Ambassador Aravis Shahruud

KILLIAN DRAKE: When you insult my queen, you insult me. Your list may have helped you to win the tournament, but it has also won you an enemy. Honor is far more important than humor. - Ator, Chieftan of the Sand Tiger Barbarian Clan, Emissry of Queen Baracus Kul

SEEKING: A Teacher of the Foreknowledge Contained Within the Stars, for a dedicated student who promises to study hard. Willing to pay a fair sum. To incur that debt with his thanks, contact The Man in Grey.

TO DONTOR THE VAMPIRE: I know not who you were or what I could possibly have done to make you choose to seek my blood, but I vow that I shall see you are a pile of dust, Evil One. - Guildmistress Natasha Ioki

TO MY "FRIEND": I did not know I choose friends who are cowards. If you dain to consider yourself my friend, you should have enough respect not to speak to me from behind a mask.

WARLOCK MARIUS: Congratulations on your second straight tournament spellcaster victory - Squire Tavernier

LORD MAGISTRATE NAERFIN: Next time understand the facts before you publish your report - a "Townsperson"