by Jonas Tull

In the early days of Hawk, the foul creature known as the Undoer came to Ashbury. As was reported by the Ashbury Prophet, rumors and prophecies, particularly by Devorra member Yelanus Veler, indicated that the Undoer and his evil army of trolls would return to terrorize Ashbury again.

Scholars spoke of the Undoer an elemental of great power, focused on the destruction of life and entropic end of all, this being is locked within a powerful weapon called the Mallet of the Undoer. Within the Undoer were hundreds of such beings, and within each being the hatreds and grudges are kept and nurtured. The Undoer’s eerie blue eyes were said to shine from its current host and the weapon it which it is trapped.

Precluding his attack, citizens reported seeing the shadowy, ghostlike forms of a dwarf and some trolls appear. Naturally the dwarf began to attack the trolls, and quickly defeated them. When townsfolk attempted to aid the dwarf, weapons and spells passed through the creatures as though they weren’t there. Indeed, both the trolls and the dwarf ignored all around them. When the fight was over, the dwarf bowed to empty air and recited a short phrase, then he and the troll corpses vanished.

Late that same evening the Undoer attacked the city, and the brave adventurers were able to defeat him and even destroy him, causing his hammer to simply fall to the ground. The final killing blow was delivered by the dark elf Find’rth.

Obviously no one wanted to touch the hammer, lest they themselves become the Undoer, so it was left upon the ground. Using the wondrous dwarven artifact the Ring of Palin, Gilwing was able to fashion a large chunk of stone around the hammer without actually touching it.

Later,  a group consisting of Yelanus, Vashti, Zeph, Redcloud, Yusef, Braveroar and Faryn aided a merchant in clearing his wine cellar of spectral skeletons. Upon the defeat of the last one, the spirit of the ghostlike dwarven warrior was released.

The dwarf could now speak to the adventurers but was still insubstantial in all other regards. He identified himself as Kendrick Ironsides and explained that he was a member of the Shield of Vendamor that he had been trapped in the Undoer’s hammer since 596. He explained that inside the Undoer’s hammer was like a vast void. He claimed that he and the others trapped inside were forced to relive a particular moment of their lives over and over again. He also recounted that some sort of black figure guarded the way out of the hammer and that another different black figure freed him. He did not know any more than that. Since Kendrick was at a loss for what to do in his ghostlike form, he agreed to go and guard the hammer for the time being to ensure that no one picked it up.

The next day, Kendrick entered town and reported that when he went to where the hammer was supposed to be, it was gone.

King Kelanor IV of Trollsgate and his top knight, Lorehammer Smith were in Ashbury to negotiate for the return of the dwarven sword Moonshadow (see accompanying article).  King Kelanor told all that his sources had discovered  a cave where he believed the Undoer was located. He led the adventurers of Ashbury to the cave but the Undoer was not there. The Ashbans were able however to slew many of his minions.

Later the same night the Ashbans, again with King Kelanor, through conversations with Kendrick, were able to determine a way to travel into the Undoer’s hammer in order to free the unfortunate dwarves that were trapped there. First, the Undoer had to be defeated in order to allow the adventurers to enter the hammer.

The battle was long and fierce but eventually the Undoer was defeated by a final killing blow from the barbarian Ator.  The Undoer’s spirit retreated into the hammer once again.

Kendrick then assisted the adventurers into entering the hammer itself.

Once there they found what appeared to be the Undoer himself as the barrier, as well as several of his hammer wights attempting to stop them. The battle was fierce, and it was a most random set of circumstances that led to the final defeat of the hammer guardian.  King Kelanor, Shya Corak and Saja were all struck dizzy by the hammer wights and had been pulled away from the combat.

One of the wights managed to penetrate the lines and strike Saja dead before moving on. Kelanor began to yell for a Life spell for Saja. Fortunately, Shya, unable to cast, still had a Life item and activated it on Saja. The sarr, now alive and free of the dizziness, charged back into combat and cast his final spell upon the Undoer/Guardian, slaying it.

Upon the destruction of the guardian inside the hammer, it dropped a key, which allowed the adventurers to unlock the Hammer from within, severely weakening the Undoer. The hammer then spit forth all who were within.

When the adventurers reappeared in Ashbury, there stood before them the Undoer, again with his Hammerwights. Unsure if they could withstand another attack from the Undoer and his minions, the brave heroes summoned their battle prowess and tried to defeat him again.

Many were beginning to fall, and Kendrick was heard asking many people how they defeated him the first time. Some told him with Disarm spells. Kendrick said, “Well then, throw some Disarm spells!”

However, most spellcasters were out of Disarm spells at this point. The battle looked bleak until Assistant Guildsman Saja drew forth a Disarm scroll from his satchel. He hit the target accurately and a cheer was heard from all when the Hammerwights transformed into spectral dwarves, similar to Kendrick, and were able to inflict mighty damage upon the Undoer, slaying him.

When the Hammer lay upon the ground, Kendrick, still in spectral form, picked it up and all the dwarves thanked the Ashbans and vanished.

Some sages have begun to speculate as to what happened to Kendrick, the dwarves, and the hammer known as the Undoer; however, no conclusive answers have been agreed upon.
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In response to His Radiance’s call in the last edition of the Ashbury Prophet, several of Ashbury’s adventurers began researching a way to cure the Vaccarran Pirates of their curse. Then, during the Tournament, a figure that appeared to be a large elf rifted into the center of town.

He introduced himself as a fae named Ixil and informed those present that he was going to help them by giving them the first clue to cure the Vacarran Pirates. It was both a song that must be sung, and a clue to what must be done. The first verse indicated that a group would need to seek a water nymph after midnight.

As the time approached, the mute Wild Elf Ciaarah took charge of the effort and led Lhasa, Kuwo, and Kheritanna to a nearby lake to sing to the water nymph. After Kheritanna, Lhasa and Kuwo sang, the nymph appeared and gave the group the next verse/clue. It indicated both the need to feed a dryad’s children as well as freeing a unicorn, but it did not indicate which must be done first.

Glorianna Wyndancer, Cedric Fruvous and Athgar of Clan Jade Raven accompanied Ciaarah, Lhasa and Kuwo this time. They traveled to see the dryad babies, but could not find the magic mushrooms to feed them, so they traveled instead to where the verse indicated the unicorn would be.

There they were met by a group of gray goblins that refused to release the unicorn. The heroes engaged the goblins in order to free the captured unicorn. In a valiant fight, Cedric, Glorianna and Lhasa were able to create a circle of power around the unicorn and release it. Free, the unicorn aided the adventurers in making short work of the goblins, and revived those who had fallen to them.

The unicorn then gave the next verse of the song to release the magic mushroom and then sprang off into the woods. With the mushroom in hand, Ciaarah led the group back to the baby dryads and fed them. The mother dryad then came forth and gave them the next verse of the song.

Sunday eve, however, a group of Vacarrans arrived in town led by Captain Iradirius, also known as “Irad the Fair.” Captain Irad explained that they did not wish to be cured because of the benefits of being undead over water, and asked the Ashbans not to finish the ritual.

Hearing this statement, Lord Jonathan Dragonhart Vardik declared them necromancers and ordered the town to attack. The fighting was long and hard, with the sneaky Vacarrans coming from all directions, but the Ashbans were ultimately victorious.

The next verse indicated that a group would need to travel to the book-burning pit outside of town, fight mad dogs, and sing the song to their victims. Knowing that a fierce fight would take place on this leg of the journey, Ciaarah formed a small force to accompany her. In addition to Kuwo, Lhasa, and Cedric, she also recruited Auric of the Black Forest, Dominic the gypsy, Braveroar Stonehammer the dwarf, Aldric Harrington, Jessemy Vorik, and a couple of other brave spirits.

Three waves of undead hounds attacked them, hurling magical deaths and fears, but were soundly defeated. Lhasa, Kuwo and Dominic began to sing, spilling their blood upon the pile of bones, as required by the song. In mid song, however, another wave of undead hounds attacked. Kuwo bravely tried to defend the rest of the singers but fell upon the pile of bones, another victim of the hounds.

Ciaarah, Cedric, and Auric were all taken down, while the rest of the group was afflicted by magical fear. Braveroar feigned death in order to help the fallen, but some hounds guarded their kills preventing this. The rest pursued the others into the woods, felling Lhasa and Jessemy. Dominic cast a spell of sanctuary upon himself and went back to town for help.

Several members of the Black Forest Mercenary Company, led by Gilwing, heeded this call and came to the rescue and slew the undead beasts. They were able to cast healing and Life spells upon those who had fallen, with the exception of Kuwo, whose body had dissipated by the time the rescuers got to him.

Mourning their friend, Ciaarah got Dominic, Lhasa and Cedric to sing the song as the Black Forest guarded them against any more undead hounds. The blood-covered bones began to release spirits to the sky, one stopping to thank the singers and present the next verse of the song.

The final song was to be sung upon a Vacarran ship docked in Dockside. The next day Ixil rifted into town to inform them that the time was right to finish the song. Led by Lord Jonathan and Lord Du’Gual Darkfire McEwen, every able adventuring body in town traveled to Dockside to end this threat. The battle was extremely fierce, as hundreds of pirates aboard the Vaccarran ship tried to stop them, led by the dark fae Glantrin.

Glantrin had appeared in Ashbury only a few weeks earlier and had attempted to kill His Radiance, so the brave adventurers of Ashbury were obviously hungry to teach this evil fey a lesson for attacking their beloved Emperor.

The battle was long and fierce, with Glantrin tossing powerful death magics left and right. Once Glantrin and most of the pirates were defeated, Skywolf, Glorianna and Lhasa sang the final song.

The ship immediately began to shudder and sink, and all of the adventurers began to flee from the sinking ship. Ixil assured the adventurers that once slain in our realm he would be able to be dealt with in the realm of the fae. A curse that has plagued these poor people for over 300 years has finally been lifted, and the Returned Heroes of Ashbury can hold their heads high for having met the decree of His Radiance.

A group of returning adventurers broke the winning streak of the Swords of Lore by winning the 612 Tournament, the most exciting and competitive one in years.
The Jade Thorns, a group led by Lords Jonathan and Du’Gaul, ended the Tournament with 35 points. Just behind were the Dark Unicorns with 34 points and just behind them were the Swords of Lore with 33 points.

“This is the closest Tournament I can recall,” stated Sir Eros, who has overseen the Tournaments for over 14 years. “Had the Swords of Lore only earned a few more points in the Hunt, for instance, there would have been a three way tie.”

Also participating were the Black Forest (which consisted of many associates of the Dark Unicorns and even wore the same colors), Glory Road, and the Heart Eaters, a group of gnolls led by Sherriff Harkan.

Each competition was worth 5 points for the winning team, with second place receiving 4 points, and so on. (See all results below)

The Swords easily won the first competition of Colors after presenting His Grace with a glorious painting of His Radiance which can now be seen in the Dragon’s Flagon above the mantle.

The Combat competition was won by the Dark Unicorn team. The Swords of Lore were surprised by the skills of the returning adventurers and placed fourth. After that competition, there was a tie for first place between the Jade Thorns and the Dark Unicorns.

The Hunt list was then handed out, and groups spent the next twenty six hours or so frantically trying to figure out the puzzles and clues to obtain the most items first.
The Swords regrouped for the Entertainment portion with a wonderful story about greed and honor, and combined with the Thorns’ second place finish with Scarn as “Little Red Riding Ranger” changed the results so that there was a tie between those two teams.

Riddles was next, and a strong showing by the gnolls knocked the Swords to second place overall, with the Thorns now in first.

The Race was held on the following day, and the speed of the gnolls was evident, as they won handily. The Swords did well, but not enough to knock the Thorns from first overall.

Archery was next, and Cismir of the Swords showed his skill here to catapult his team to first place overall once again. Luigi of the Black Forest was second place for Archery, and Lord Du’Gual of the Jade Thorns placed third.

Next was the Spellcaster’s battle, and the Black Forest and the Dark Unciorns coordinated their efforts to take out the other teams first, thus guaranteeing them first and second place in that competition. The Swords were eliminated first which knocked them from first place overall. This action made the Unicorns a contender once again, with 21 points overall, with the Swords of Lore at 23 and the Jade Thorns at 24.

The next day began with the new Agility competition which was about as close as it could be, with literally only seconds separating the teams. The Dark Unicorns won this one, completing the tightwire course in just 47 seconds. The Swords were second with 48 seconds, and Glory Road was third with 50 seconds.

This pushed the Swords back into first place overall with 27 points, followed by the Unicorns and the Thorns tied for second place with 26 points each. The Tournament was up for grabs, and bookies threw up their hands in despair as it became more and more difficult to predict the eventual winner.

The Hero’s Battle was next, and Sparticus of the Dark Unicorns was the winner, throwing the Unicorns into first place overall for the first time since they were tied after the first Combat competition. The Thorns were next with 30 points overall, and the Swords of Lore were third with 29 points.

The winner would be decided by the Hunt.

Despite winning three of the Superlatives (including a hilarious “Top Ten Reasons We are Happy the Mastermind Wears polka Dots” in reference to the creature’s recent gypsy curse), the Swords were unable to overcome the Thorns’ lead and thus the Thorns won the Hunt with 70 points to the Sword’s 60 points. Far behind were Glory Road with 25 points, Dark Unicorns with 22 points, the Hearteaters with 18 points, and Black Forest with and embarassing 8 points.

Thus the Jade Thorns won the 612 Tournament overall by just one point. They were rewarded with a magical weapon and the promise of a personal dinner with the Emperor, to be held in two months when His Radiance returns to Ashbury.

Some of the Tournament items proved to be quite difficult for the teams, a few of which were never solved and may appear again in other forms on future Hunt lists.

One very difficult puzzle, “The Right One,” had many groups frustrated and no one solved it. “You had to realize that the list provided had one item that did not match the others, and then read the instructions to the right of that odd item and then put the instructions together to do something specific,” explained Sir Eros, creator of the puzzle. “It was very hard,” he admitted.

Every item that was found had at least two teams that obtained it except for “The Order of the Weapons” which was solved by Gilwing of the Dark Unicorns.

A word search puzzle contained the names of elixirs, and searching them all out would provide “the missing elixir.” After solving the puzzle, the remaining letters told how to solve another puzzle item called “The Song of the Sun.” The Jade Thorns and the Swords of Lore figured this out, and the Dark Unicorns almost had it solved but apparently did not read all of the remaining letters and stopped when they thought they had figured it all out.

“The Adventurer Bloke’s Talon” was an anagram for “Search under the tavern tables” where a piece of paper saying “Talon” was found. The Jade Thorns were the first to figure that one out.  Another obvious anagram, “The Dry Voice Ethical Force” was not solved. “It translates into ‘Recite the Code of Chivalry’” explained Sir Eros. “Yes, that was another very difficult one.”

At the bottom of the Hunt list were some letters which were very hard to read and which deciphered through letter substitution told how to solve “The Light of My Life.” The Swords of Lore were the first to figure that one out.

“The Hidden Word” was found by reading a poster listing former Tournament winners and noticing that some letters were capitalized when they should not have been. Reading all of the capitalized letters gave the hidden word.
 
 

	Jade Thorns	Dark Unicorns	Swords of Lore	Heart Eaters	Black Forest	Glory Road
Colors	4	3	5	1	2	0
Combat	4	5	2	1	3	0
Entertainment	4	2	5	3	0	0
Riddles	5	2	3	4	0	1
Race	2	4	3	5	1	0
Spellcasters	2	5	0	1	4	3
Archery	3	0	5	2	4	1
Agility	2	5	4	0	1	3
Hero's Battle	4	5	2	1	3	0
The Hunt	5	3	4	1.5	0	1.5
TOTAL	35	34	33	19.5	18	9.5

Top Ten Worst Names for a Tournament Team
(by Jade Thorns)

10. Treason Squad
 9. The Leftovers
 8. (looking at Black Forest) Only In It For The Money
 7. (looking at Dark Unicorns) Never Been Convicted
 6. The Mastermind’s Mavericks
 5. Requin’s Maulers
 4. Yaleus and the Five Convictions
 3. Team Necro
 2. Prepared to Die
 1. The League of Aramis’ Black Lotus Society

Top Ten Reasons Why It’s Good the Mastermind Wears Polka Dots
(by the Swords of Lore)

10. In that robe, he’ll even stick out in the Graveyard
 9. In the summer, he can wear an itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini
 8. I’ve heard undead moan before, but he’s the first to whine and moan
 7. We finally found a way to make the undead nauseous
 6.  Gives us something to add to our “Top Ten Reasons Not To Anger a Gypsy” list next year
 5.  He clashes with his bottle
 4.  If you connect the dots, it spells “booga booga”
 3.  Hearing him ask the Mistress Mind “Does this make my arse look fat?”
 2. He’s easy to spot...
 1.  He looks fabulous!

by Jonas Tull

During a book burning recently, some adventurers reported to the local authorities that a figure appeared that only the adventures could see. Apparently the figure claimed to be a “Story Spinner,” a mischievous race of strange creatures who claim to know the stories of all people throughout time and who tell false stories in order to get the gullible to do their bidding.

Fourteen years ago, these spinners and their stories were responsible for the many hundreds of thousands of citizens of Ashbury and visitors unlucky enough to be present at the time being ripped from their homelands of Tyrra and being deposited on Fortannis against their will. And yet, for some reason, there are   naive people who believe that these creatures have nothing but the best intentions.

This spinner identified himself as Scribner, and claimed that the spinners knew nothing of what was going on and that it was, therefore, not supposed to be.
He then apparently forced several adventurers to take part in his stories against their wills. The stories clearly were lies designed to incite the people of Ashbury against His Radiance and the rightful government of Icenia.

The first story showed Zatarina Norik being rightfully tried and executed by the Order of the Mark for her treasonous activities. However, instead of showing the fair and unbiased trial that she received, it portrayed it as a mockery of justice.

The second story that Scribner showed claimed that Baron Emery was actually a good man who was assassinated by His Radiance and not the corrupt traitor that he truly was.

The final story showed the traitor Morgasander making his alliance with the trolls, but claimed that Morgasander refused to allow them to practice necromancy when it is proven that Morgasander works with these foul creatures and freely allows them to practice this foul art.

The next day, Scribner’s assistant Quill took many citizens of Ashbury and forced them to take place in a story of lies that claimed that His Radiance could not only control the Crix, but actually imprisoned then-Baron Morgasander in it. Many adventurers, apparently realizing this was an untrue story, then attacked the false image of our beloved Emperor. Of course, of the hundreds of soldiers who actually participated in that battle years ago when it really happened, many of whom are still loyal members of the Ducal army, not one has ever reported that the Emperor controlled the Crix and certainly no one ever attacked the Emperor directly during that attack.

Later in the month, Quill tried again by attempting to convince the adventurers of Ashbury that His Radiance had framed the sarr citizens of the events that caused them to lose citizenship, and that he was, in fact, a minion of the dread queen of the dark fae, Black Annis. They also claimed that Imperial Guildmaster Tiriflorn McMannon was also a minion of the dark queen and that our allies in the hobling kingdom of Home were actually conspiring against us, although they stopped short of attempting to claim that they, too, like everyone else apparently, was a minion of Black Annis.

When it was clear that the loyal citizens didn’t believe Quill, he turned the illusion of Black Annis upon the adventurers who were merely watching the story and had her begin attacking them. According to the spinners’ own version of how their stories are told, this could not possibly happen.

Since it is obvious that the adventurers could change the stories by their participation and comments, and since it is obvious that the spinners are not even consistent in their own versions of how the stories are told, rational minds agree that these could not possibly be true stories.

Many adventurers have been questioned by the Order of the Mark about these events and it is clear that none have fallen for the weak lies with which these creatures have tried to poison the populace.

A treasonous group known only as “the Black Lotus Society” has since been posting notices urging rebellion, claiming that the Spinner’s stories are all true. Loyal citizens have pointed out the illogic of their arguments, and the responses of Lord Find’rth T’Varian of House Ryujima of Tarzaterranzan have been most insightful and illuminating. He especially takes aim at the group’s claim that the last story was stopped by Black Annis “becoming real and attacking the citizens”:

This “society’s” own statements would seem to contradict each other. ...You would trust a spinner’s tale when it has obviously been shown they can be influenced by the fae? They ask you to believe the spinners as truthful when they obviously can’t even control their own stories? Add to this the fact that it was the spinners that brought Ashbury to Tar’Navaria in the first place, through the Black Maw. It was the spinners that have cut many of us off from our homelands, where we were born and raised. Study some history before jumping to believe these creatures that are first, foremost and only interested in presenting what to them is a good story.

If the spinners cannot control their stories, why indeed should these stories be believed at face value? In addition, I certainly don’t believe everything I read, why would I believe something these spinners show me?

If more citizens would merely use their own logic and not fall for lies from anonymous groups who hide behind false names and refuse to show their faces in public, perhaps we could all live in peace. However, there are always criminals in our presence who will attempt to subvert justice through whatever means are available, even if it means lying to the people.

It was assumed that the undead goblin leader known as the Mastermind had been dealt with during the epic battle within the Bile Dens where Duke Sir Frost with the aid of a number of Ashbury Adventurers captured the foul liche’s bottle, and placed it behind a permanent Circle of Power.

However, all was not as resolved as citizens would hope.  The Mastermind managed to Spirit Recall to a Circle not far away when no guards were paying attention, and he gathered reinforcements and Destroy Earth Magic ritual  components and a scroll.  He proceeded to take down the Circle that imprisoned his bottle and slaughter countless troops that tried to stop him.

Duke Sir Frost managed to follow the Mastermind’s progress as he led his troops out of the Dens, but he and his forces were always one step behind the Mastermind’s troops who, being mostly undead, require no food or rest when marching.

The Mastermind arrived by surprise in Ashbury city late one night, wearing a pink polka dot cloak due to a curse placed on him by the gypsy healer Glorianna Wyndancer. The Mastermind and his troop of undead servants appeared without much warning but most of the town was able to get behind Wards and Circles of Power quickly enough to prevent any loss of life.

One of the casualties was Lord Jonathan Dragonhart Vardik, who, responding to cries for help against undead, was caught in a trap by the Mastermind’s henchmen. He was then killed and raised as an undead where he was forced to parade around for the foul creature’s entertainment.

He was eventually allowed to return, but it was too late to save his life, and he was forced to resurrect. Many feared this would be the permanent death of Lord Jonathan, as he has pulled from the Bag of Fate many times before, but these fears were soon put to rest, and he was quickly out upon the field of battle again after his resurrection was complete.

Shortly after the Mastermind called for a full retreat, claiming that he wanted the blood of Duke Frost and that he would return when the Duke was present. He stated that all loss of life could be prevented if the Duke handed himself over quietly.

The next afternoon the Mastermind returned with his minions in order to finally settle his score with His Grace; however, things were not to be settled as the Mastermind had planned.

The Mastermind’s battle plans, if he ever had any, quickly fell apart in the face of a strong unified Ashban fighting group led by Duke  Frost. The Mastermind was forced to Spirit Recall out of battle, to an unknown location, and the rest of his troops were forced to fight on their own.

 The Battle raged for a long time, and hundreds of undead abominations were dispatched before the melee was ended.

Ashbury had a great victory over the Mastermind’s forces once again. However, this thorn in the side of the Duchy is still alive, and there is no doubt we will hear from him again in the near future.

A trusted member of the Ducal Military forces came to Ashbury on the Saturday night of the Mastermind’s attack (see accompanying story). He was rallying the town to help him deal with a group of the Mastermind’s undead.

The soldier was Sergeant Tice Allen, a scout serving as a reconnaissance specialist within the Bile Dens for the past ten years. Sgt. Allen was also second in command of the Ashbury Forces when they led their attack against the Mastermind in the Bile Dens.

This caused that much more of a shock when the adventurers that responded realized that Sgt. Tice was actually undead, and in control of the creatures on the field of battle.

Sgt. Tice attacked, and then reformed with his undead minions.  When questioned about his actions before battle broke out, he commented on how he had wasted the past ten years of his life in service of a worthless cause, and that he was now more powerful than he could ever have hoped to become serving the Ducal Forces.  He then claimed that it would not be long before all in the Duchy served his lord, the Mastermind.

The battle lasted for a long time, with the traitor controlling vast numbers of zombies and skeletons. Tice himself was doused with a torrent of spells, many of which he managed to avoid altogether or simply shrugged off as they hit. He was finally destroyed with two Cure Mortal Wounds spells cast from the Adventurer Luigi, a member of the Black Forest Mercenary Company.  It is assumed that Tice has his spirit stored within a bottle somewhere, and that he has not died his permanent death.

This particular turn of events has caught many in the Ducal Forces off guard, as Sgt. Tice Allen was considered a trusted and loyal soldier, who hated the Mastermind and knew more about his workings than any other field operative.  It is discouraging at best to see someone once considered so loyal to be corrupted by a necromantic creature such as the Mastermind.

Recently King Kelanor IV and his top knight, Sir Smith, traveled to Ashbury to meet with His Radiance Emperor Glantri.

Advised by the dwarf Gilwing, a former knight of Trollsgate and an adventurer in Ashbury, Kelanor opened negotiations for the return of the ancient dwarven blade Moonshade. The sword, once wielded by Gilwing himself, was stolen by the minions of Pansolore just days before the Returned Heroes of Ashbury vanished ten years ago. Ultimately the blade found its way to the possession of Baron Gravishtar, and Kelanor wished for its return to the dwarven people.

Emperor Glantri, though wishing to maintain good relations with the dwarven people, explained that he would not force one of his barons to relinquish a trophy taken in combat.  Kelanor countered that the blade had a long history to the dwarves and meant a great deal to them while to Gravishtar it was merely a magic sword. His Radiance explained that it had come to symbolize Baron Gravishtar’s success in the war against the trolls, and that being forced to give it up would be quite a blow to the morale of the gnolls.

Although at times the discussion seemed on the verge of becoming quite argumentative, the two leaders kept their calm and negotiated plainly and honestly.

Ultimately, King Kelanor offered to get one of his master smiths to forge and enchant a magical sword specifically to slay trolls in return for the return of Moonshadow. His Radiance admitted that this was a tempting offer, but still stressed that he would not force his baron to give up the sword. He did, however, agree to bring this offer before Baron Gravishtar and see whether he wished to accept this trade.

King Kelanor later said that though His Radiance’s response was not exactly what he had hoped for, he was pleased that there was a chance of a trade and the maintenance of amicable relations between the two kingdoms.

Some adventurers later questioned King Kelanor on why he had removed relations with the Empire, but he responded that relations were never cut off.  “We just took some time to discuss this new situation,” he replied. “It hasn’t been that long; only a few years. We have stories that last longer!” 

The Ancient Gypsy Vampire known as Loscarnos De Morganna has been sighted in Ashbury city on numerous occasions recently.  He was overheard stating that his reason for being in the city was matters with a local adventurer named Alaric Morgannan.

 Apparently the Ancient Vampire feels that Alaric should change his name due to the similarities between the two. He does not desire any of his “deeds” to be confused with an “upstart mortal,” he was overheard to comment.

Morganna walked the streets with impunity, and some even seemed to give the creature privileges due a Noble Person.

Duke Sir Frost, who was not present when Morganna was in town, has laid down a warning to Morganna that if ever he comes to Ashbury and the Duke is present he will destroy the vampire and force him to leave, and continue to do so every time he appears until a way is found to permanently kill the creature.

Morganna managed to avoid any confrontations with the Duke, and walk away unharmed, however in the future it is certain he will most likely not be so lucky.

One evening during the tournament, after His Grace’s feast, the sound of large flapping wings attracted attention in the center of town. Several gryphons and their biata riders landed, and after the gryphons transformed into biata form, they immediately began to attack Emperor Glantri, Duke Frost and Duchess Dara.

Throughout much of the fight, they constantly called both Duke Frost and Duchess Dara traitors and blamed them for the death of ex-Guildmistress Zatarina. Zatarina had been a member of the Bloodstone biata council and had been found guilty of treason and sentenced to death a few weeks previously.  She died permanently after being given her sentence.

Many adventurers of Ashbury refused to fight the gryphons, claiming that they could not affect the powerful creatures. They stood by and watched or hid behind Wards, and the gryphons did not attack any who did not get in their way.

The attack was repelled, but afterwards Duke Frost, furious that many adventurers did not aid him, harshly chastised those present and decreed that no one speak to him unless ordered to do so. He was obviously angry throughout the rest of the Tournament and left to travel to the Bile Dens as soon as the winners of the Tournament were announced.

This attack was surely organized by the Biata Councils and only goes to prove that the rumors of them being allied with the elves of the Ash Forest are true. We here at the Ashbury Prophet are sure that His Grace and His Radiance will be able to deal with this new threat.

To the Citizens of Ashbury,

Since the return of the “Heroes of Ashbury,” chaos and conflict have once again reared their ugly heads in our fine duchy.  We have had a peaceful decade in our fine Duchy and throughout all the lands of The Empire. This peace now seems to have been broken.  I apologize for this and will of course do my best and spend my dying breath to restore and keep the peace we once knew.

It is my hope that the adventuring caste work to improve the Duchy and restore it to its rightful place as a land of peace and safety. Whether directly or indirectly, accidentally or purposely, it seems the adventurers bring disruption and lawlessness to the lands. I would suggest they do all they can to prevent this in the future.

Duke Sir Frost Vardik

by Symerille Strongbow for Senior Guildsman/Guildmaster Saja

On the morning of 27 Hawk, I was instructed to assist the Lemur scavenger Wally (a friend to the Celestial Guild) whom was going to place me in contact with a scholar friend who had discovered a new celestial spell. Wally asked if I could bring some friends to accompany me to meet this scholar.

It turns out that the scholar in question was kidnapped along with his wife.

Wally discovered that the kidnapped scholar was being held in a run down hovel. When we arrived, we found the placed was trapped to keep people away. My party, which included the skilled Baker Perwin, the dwarven knight Gilwing, the swift Amani elf Greysmere, the honorable Pathyn and gifted healer and Elemental Knight of Life Auric, discussed what best approach to take to bring the kidnappers (if they had kidnapped the scholar and his wife) to justice.

When we approached the hovel, we spoke briefly to the constituents who turned out to be working for the Ringmaster. When asked if we could speak to the Ringmaster they attacked me and we defended ourselves.

Our small force was outnumbered but not outskilled. We dispatched the assailants with nonlethal force and proceeded to enter the hovel. Then we discovered a couple in a cell and the Ringmaster in the back of a spacious room. The other cells in this room had mist lynxes. When the Ringmaster was asked why he held the couple, he stated he had a deal with the scholar to capture the mist lynxes and use them in his circus.

I asked to speak to the scholar and the Ringmaster refused and let his pet mist lynxes loose to attack my friends. The battle was fierce but we subdued the mist lynxes. The Ringmaster began spell combat with the group, and after several tense minutes of combat we captured the Ringmaster and freed the scholar and his wife.
We escorted the couple to their home and asked if they would testify to the Ringmaster’s kidnapping and coercion. They agreed amiably and then as a reward in rescuing them, they  graciously supplied the Ashbury Celestial Guild with the spell Solidify.

We took the kidnappers to jail and informed the Magistrate regarding the happenings with the Ringmaster and his cronies so they can be placed on trial. 

Zatarina Norik, Guildmistress of the Ashbury Healer’s Guild for the past ten years, was executed for her part in the Raven assault on the Debtor’s Prison last month. Even as she was being executed, this contemptuous traitor refused to aid the Order of the Mark in eliminating this evil organization, and even threatened the Empire with her dying words. Zatarina permanently died, thus ending her evil activities against our glorious empire.

Devorra member Yelanus Veler and the Child of Camulous Wyndarial were executed for their part in the murder of two innocent bunny scavengers while on the Isle of Synvia earlier this year. Yelanus was sentenced to two deaths, and he honorably returned for his second execution. He successfully resurrected twice. Wyndarial’s second death sentence was commuted because she showed true remorse for her actions and she immediately confessed and threw herself on the mercy of the court.
Also part of Sir Eros’ decision was the fact that this was her first offence. Sir Eros also stated that Yelanus received no mercy because he showed no remorse and because he was a convicted criminal. Wyndarial successfully resurrected, but was slain permanently by a Kanoredhil the next day.

Several of Ashbury’s adventurers were convicted of manslaughter recently. Evidently Vashti, Forkynde, Vacha, Ickumarian the sarr, Sade, and Jessemy Vorik were convinced by a woman that her child had been kidnapped and asked them to go rescue the child. After killing the accused kidnappers, they discovered that the “child” was in fact a young sarr. Their solicitor, Cedric Fruvous, claimed that the accused were attacked first and had no idea that the person being held was a monster, but Sir Eros argued that this was not an excuse. They were  sentenced to one death each. Vashti died permanently.

A circus leader known only as The Ringmaster was sentenced to one death for charges of Kidnapping, Bribery, and Assault. Sir Eros, after heaing evidence from the victims, decided upon the harsh punishment because of the defendant’s refusal to show any remorse for his actions or even to provide his real name.

Local dairy farmer Lysinda Moore was found guilty of treason by the Order after she refused to allow her child to attend a Markies  summer camp. She was sentenced to one death and her son happily went to join his buddies.

It has been reported that the forces of Dur Namarie have managed to break the powerful proscribe rituals upon the capital city of Alacondras in Imladar. It has been rumored that the entire royal family and all the nobles of Imladar have been sent to their permanent deaths. Imladar is now under the rule of one Arakan Mithrauko and has been named an official land of Dur Namarie.

Attacks by deformed and diseased plants have been increasing along the Ash Forest border. These mobile plants have been seen crossing both major bridges over the Ash River, and some have arisen from the river itself. There have been a number of deaths caused by these vile creatures so far. It appears that the Wold is now sending its unnatural army out of the Forest to attack innocent civilians.

A group of law-abiding businesspeople running sarr battle competitions were killed recently and resurrected with all possessions stolen, including their sarr. None had any memory of what had happened. “It’s those damned returned adventurers,” complained one. “Heroes indeed! Things were peaceful here and life was fine until they showed up.”

His Radiance, Emperor Glantri was seen talking at some length with Lord Find’rth T’Varian and other members of House Ryujima, the official representatives of the Dark Elven Nation of Tarzaterranzan. What was discussed is unknown, but the meeting seemed to end amicably. No official treaties, alliances or policies have been anounced.

At the request of Sir Eros, Devorra member Yelanus aided the Glory road team of Flatdog, Lyle, Redcloud, Yusef, and Braveroar in a quest to speak with the Oracle. Yelanus unfortunately died and resurrected in the attempt, but the rest of the team successfully found and spoke to the Oracle, a task which had not been completed by another group in quite some time. The information they obtained confirmed that Morgassander was indeed working with the elves of the Ash Forest.

by Jonas Tull, Editor in Chief, Ashbury Prophet

In the Swan/Dragon edition of the Ashbury Prophet it was stated that the fae Glantrin that was awakened on the isle of Synvia answered to His Radiance, Emperor Glantri. Obviously this information was incorrect, as Glantrin later tried to kill His Radiance. Sometimes it is difficult to gather the entire story and we must rely upon sources whose reliability is untested. We here at the Ashbury Prophet would like to humbly apologize to both our readers and His Radiance for this error.
Additionally, we have come across a popular misspelling of His Radiance’s name. It is Glantri, not Galantri. We humbly apologize for this error as well.