The
Ashbury Times
April/May 607
“All The News That Fits, We Print”
Adventurers Reclaim Bera’s
Outpost;
Dwarven
Artifact Destroyed
When the adventurers of Ashbury
arrived to investigate the archaeolgical dig at Bera’s Outpost recently, they found the entire camp
overrun with trolls.
In addition, it became apparent that the trolls had
“employed” the use of kobolds as trap-setters and front-line
fodder.
Once the adventurers retook the campsite, the next
step was to head to the archaeological dig, and clear that of trolls as well.
It was here that the Ashbans
first encountered the relic known as the Tooth of Jarlan.
Dwarven legend has it that the tooth was made when a
strange ritual merged a dwarf by the name of Jarlan
and a troll who were locked in battle. Down in the cavern of the dig the
adventurers found the relic.
A conflict arose between the dwarves present,
The Tooth had some stranger properties, including
rifting itself beyond the boundaries of eldritch barriers such as Wards and
circles. During the day it also shunned all but dwarves and trolls. This became
a problem later, when the adventurers and the kobolds attempted to turn the
tables on the trolls.
Earlier in the day Lt. Ithica
of the Ash Forest Army met with one of the leaders of the kobolds, who
explained that they were being forced to fight by the trolls. He also told the
adventurers that the trolls were planning to march down and attack the camp. Ithica then called in the consult of Baron Ivan.
Together a plan was hatched: some of the kobolds would
lay on the ground and possum while the rest engaged in mock battle with the
adventurers, and when the trolls had passed the possums, the trap would be
sprung. In return for helping, the kobods would be
protected, and allowed to attend the evening feast.
The plan worked perfectly and the stunned trolls were
now being attacked from both flanks. The battle turned for the worse however
when the relic rifted in during the battle, dangerously near some powerful
trolls, who immediatly grabbed it and fled into the
woods.
Ithica, Wik and a
few other adventurers went in search of the trolls’ other hideouts.
Through “questioning” two trolls they discovered the new location
of the relic, and in their travels did return with Skarak Jarlan, the descendent of
the Jarlan entrapped within the tooth.
Earlier in the day Aven,
Sgt. Ignatious,
Late that night the three dwarves met, and the relic
was destroyed with the help of Skarak’s blood.
As the tooth crumbled, the spirit of Jarlan emerged.
Before he faded away, he thanked his grandson, as well as
Rumors have been filtering in from Deathwatch that a
troll towering as high as a barn could be seen that night, but it disappeared
shortly thereafter.
Ashbans
Deal Dominion Devastating Defeat
On a cold evening on what should have been a warm
spring night in Trellheim, several heroes of Ashbury captured a gryphon from the Dominion. Sergeant Ignatious
Vex and Recruit Aven of The Untiring Phalanx along
with several others were responsible for this brave act.
It seems the Dominion took great offense at this, and
went to great lengths to get the gryphon back. A few dozen adventurers were in
the area, but there seemed to be no wards available. The honorless
Dominion cowards fell upon the sleeping adventurers and slaughtered many,
forcing them to resurrect. However,
throughout the ordeal the intrepid adventurers managed to retain the captured
gryphon.
The next morning, the gryphon was presented to Duke
Frost, whose order it had been to capture a Dominion gryphon. His Grace ordered no one to interfere as he
healed and woke the
unconscious beast. A battle of both
physical strength and of willpower ensued, with the duke barely emerging
victorious. The gryphon, a creature
raised to be a tool of war and destruction, seemed to be subdued. Throughout the morning, the gryphon remained
with the Duke of its own accord and seemed to be somewhat calm, though still
very dangerous.
The adventurers were also informed that a large force
of the Dominion’s army was on its way to get the gryphon back and claim
retribution for the “wrong” Ashbury had perpertrated upon them.
A three prong attack was expected.
The Untiring Phalanx was sent to head one off, while The Unseen Phalanx
set up an ambush for another. The
adventurers set up an ambush for the third, with the duke and the gryphon as
bait.
Soon the Dominion forces arrived. The duke parlayed with their leaders and made
it quite clear that the gryphon would not be returned. no longer served
their evil ends.
The gryphon
masters from the Dominion attempted to cajole and dominate the gryphon with
their voices, but to no avail. They
referred to it as a beast and a creature.
Duke Frost was heard to refer to the gryphon as a child and a boy.
The Dominion then charged and the adventurers sprung
their trap. One force led by Ignatious attacked the right flank while another force led
by Squire Sparticous of the
It seems Ashbury has now
given the Dominion reason to fear, having found a way to neutralize one of
their most powerful weapons, not to mention liberating the enslaved creature.
Tracking the Oathring
As reported in the last Ashbury
Times, the Oathring of the Vansir
has been stolen.
There has been no sign of the Oathring
from reports of the Wolf and Fox Tribe. Anund’s
best scouts had been sent to Bera’s Outpost in
hope that maybe the thief would be looking for something in the ancient city as
well.
Unfortunately, from the words of the Fox scouting
party, there was no sign, or even trace that someone had come from the area. It
remains a mystery.
As the adventurers head to the Vansir
lands in order to compete in the Tournament, it is hoped that perhaps some word
may come as to where the Oathring may be, and perhaps
the adventurers and nobles of Ashbury will assist in
its recovery.
Surprise
Attack Claims Life of Bear Clan Chieftan
by
Thanos Greytongue
In lieu of the Oathring
being stolen, Jotun attacks have been on the rise. As
if feeling the Vansir homeland slipping, these
horrible creatures have been rifting into our sacred areas and terrorizing our
people.
It is with a heavy, but pride-filled heart that I
offer to you now the song for Chief Bram of the Bear tribe, who was slain
permanently in battle fighting valiantly against the Jotuns;
the sworn enemy of the Vansir.
Late evening, the Bear tribe was unfortunately taken
by surprise by a large encumbrance of Jotuns, who
ransacked the sleeping lodges and managed to somehow get passed the inner
guard. Bram led a group of his best Warrior Caste, including his daughter, Tyrn IronMaw, against the
attackers. The Bear Tribe’s hard fought Berserkers finally pushed back
the flood, but not without a huge cost: Bram’s body dissipated before any
could get to him. In turn after a few
moments, Bram’s body reappeared, permanently slain.
The funeral for Chief Bram will be
held on the opening day of the Tournament, as to allow friends to travel and
wish him well to the Einherjahr. In his place, his daughter Tyrn IronMaw will reside over the
tournament proceedings, until such a time as a new chieftain is put into place
by the Bear Tribe’s Elders.
Farmers Aid Trolls
After scouts discovered several abandoned farms in the
path of troll war parties in Bera’s Outpost,
Baron Ivan Drake assigned several groups with the task of investigating.
Due to the suddenly rising waters of a wide stream that had to be crossed, only
Squire Koshi’s group managed to reach one of
the farms.
Leading a group that consisted of Corwyn, Garathon, Nathan, Wick and Keim,
Squire Koshi dispatched a small troll scouting party
before encountering a band of bandits blocking the way. Using the wide
stream as a barrier, the brigands kept the adventurers at bay for nearly
an hour. These bandits are likely associated with the Trellie
Boys, a loosely organized criminal organization known to be active in the Trellheim region. After successfully passing the
bandits, the adventuring party made their way through difficult,
spider-infested terrain and finally to the farm.
The farmers, a husband and wife, claimed to be unconcerned about the
trolls in the area, but further investigation revealed that they were harboring
the beasts. Several trolls leaped out from behind the barn and attacked,
only to be destroyed by the heroes. The greedy farmer stumbled back
toward the barn, unwittingly asking the trolls for his share of the adventurers’
booty, and was chased deep into the woods. At long last, the party
managed to capture and kill the evil farmer and then returned to Bera’s Outpost safely.
News from Around the Duchy
In Eldor,
Anti-human graffiti continues to spring up throughout Entholm,
A giant beast was seen at the borders of several
estates, including Firwood (Nordenn),
Vornithalin (
In Waterwood, a wedding
between a Stone Elf and a Child of Camulous maiden
was interrupted by protesters claiming that the maiden is under the influence
of a spell or potion. The two families are calling upon local authorities
to intervene.
The prominent Grist family in Kiri-Ashton has
an unsettled a business dispute with two local mushroom-growing families,
the Fiths and the Treenans.
Tubby Grist, the patriarch of the family, claims that the Fiths
and the Treenans owe his family a significant
amount of money and that he will “do whatever it takes” to collect.
The two companies in
It is said that wagering on illegal wagon races has become a popular pasttime in Fenwyck and there are
rumors that local crime syndicates are profiting.
Corner of Chivalry: What is a Lie?
Recently, Sir Eros Clearbrook
brought up an interesting topic of discussion regarding the sixth tenet of the
Code of Chivalry (“Thou Shalt Never Lie and
Thou Shalt Remain Faithful to Thy Word.”).
What exactly is a lie? Is telling someone that
they look nice today a lie if you don’t really mean it? Or what if
you say to someone, “It’s good to see you!” when perhaps
maybe it isn’t. If a lie is a deception, then is one breaking the
Code if they deceive someone on the battlefield by means of a sneak
attack? Isn’t feigning a sword strike high, then
attacking low a deception? Therefore, would that be a lie?
During the expedition to Bera’s
Outpost, I saw one of our soldiers stranded behind enemy lines as we fought
against the trolls. I knew this honorable soldier would likely resurrect
if nothing was done to rescue him. It was dark, so I shambled
stiffly around the enemy line, trying to
move as troll-like as possible. I believe I even growled, hoping to fool
the trolls into thinking I was one of their own. Of course, wearing the
bright white moons of Blythedale on my tabard made my
deception unlikely to succeed, but somehow I was not stopped by the dim-witted
trolls. I managed to reach the soldier without incident and bring him
back to our side of the battlefield for healing.
I do not tell this story to glorify my actions.
In fact, I am quite bothered by the fact that I used deception and I
willingly offer myself to the Paladins for judgment. But
would I repeat this deception if I found myself in a similar situation?
I believe so. To me, the life of that brave soldier outweighs the
punishment I might receive for potentially breaking the Code.
But this dilemma does give me an
opportunity to reflect upon my interpretation of the sixth tenet. I am
always bothered by the “greater good” argument as I generally
believe that sacrificing principles often undermines the principles
themselves. One must be vigilant in defending the tenets of the Code of
Chivalry at all times. And if one finds themselves in a “grey
area” (as I believe I may be), then it is their duty to reflect upon
their actions and seek guidance from the Paladins.
Sage’s Guild Report
By
Cedric Fruvous
With the cold and snow of winter, events in
In addition to research and library services the
Sage’s Guild offers sale of armor, weapons, potions and alchemy as
supplies allow, rental of our spell or alchemy books for study, teaching on
nearly any topic, and Celestial spellcrafting. If you
wish to have rituals spellcrafted you will have to
provide the scroll and reagents to be used or rent the scroll from the Guild,
and will need to contact myself or Sage Aria to prearrange spellcrafting.
At current we have two scrolls that can be rented for spellcrafting,
Warder Glyph and Spirit Store. The cost of performing a spellcraft
will be a base of two gold crowns or one reagent, and will raise
proportionately based on the difficulty of the ritual being spellcrafted.
The Sage’s Guild is currently looking to purchase Lore,
Vision, Circle of Power, and Investiture ritual
scrolls. We are also working on compiling a tome of monsters, tome of undead
and compendium of golems so that we may better educate up and coming warriors
on the vulnerabilities of monsters. If you are a veteran warrior who tends to
remember the abilities of those you vanquish please take a moment to speak with
Guildmaster Cedric about this project. The
Sage’s Guild also offers to buy tomes and other scholastic works from
freelance scholars. If you have such a work you’d like to sell please
make contact with us.
Public Notices
SCROLLS AND CATALYSTS WANTED. We are looking for the
following Ritual Scrolls: Race Change, 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, Race Change, Controlled Spirit Store, and Copy Formal Ritual as well
as any reagents. We are willing to buy or trade, please contact Squire Sparticous, Paythin or Lira.