The
Ashbury Times
June 609
“All The News That Fits, We Print”
WAR IS OVER!
May 17, 609 is a day that will go down in the annals of history. For on
this day, the tyrannical Rotes Getragen, also known as
The Dominion, was destroyed in a single, devastating blow dealt by the
adventurers of Ashbury. Icenia’s war with the
Dominion had raged on for more than three years. In that time, they
proved themselves a more than formidable enemy, and many thought the war could
mean an end for the free people of Tar’Navarria.
Things were getting so desperate, Thessi
suggested a military alliance with Icenia, a move
uncharacteristic of the elitist biata nation. The Thessi
Ambassador’s help was denied.
A few days prior, a blind woman in brown robes entered
the Black Stag tavern with a large book. She chose a story,
to which some could only assume was the History of the Rotes Getragen. Before long, the book seemed to glow, and the
woman winced, gripping the book and pulling open to a specific set of pages.
When she spoke, the words seemed to boom loudly:
“This gather will be a night where one of the
Prophecies shall be tested. It shall either be proven true, and great Order
shall come to the land, or it will be proven false, so that the other
Prophecies may flourish.”
With that, the blind woman rifted away.
Her words seemed to hold a vision of their own, as
suddenly Fairdale was sacked with a plethora of Dominion and Undead troops. The
battle was fought long and hard, with the adventurers gaining victory by the
skin of their teeth. It would seem this would set the stage for the battles to
come.
A group of nobles and representatives arrived soon
afterward that included His Grace Duke Frost Vardik,
Dame Keegan McCafferty of
Soon afterward, Dame Regent Sonia addressed the town.
There were missions that the adventurers were need to be sent upon, and would
be under the jurisdiction of the crown. The Baronies, groups, and even
individuals were gathered for such tasks.
First to be called was the Court of Blythedale, led by
Baron Ivan and Squire Garathon. They were sent to a
hidden cave where the Dominion had been stock-piling undead for later use. They
successfully neutralized this threat and returned safely.
The adventurers of
Dame Regent Sonia then called upon the Healers’
Guild, led by Guildmistress Zatarina.
A team of ducal army scouts had become disabled and surrounded, and needed to
be extracted. The Regent herself led this mission, and assisted the fighters in
holding off the Dominion troops while the healers assessed and healed the
wounded soldiers as best they could with what limited resources they had left.
In all only one soldier was lost, though he later resurrected
successfully.
After that soldier resurrected, Rowan of the Healers’
Guild accompanied him back to the barracks only to find that the Ducal Barracks
were under attack! The adventurers of course came to their aid and with the
assistance of Duke Frost and Dame Keegan defeated them. However this proved to
be a diversion. When the adventurers returned, they found that Fairdale had
been overtaken. At rough count, over 500 dominion troops had the tavern
surrounded.
At that moment, Duke Frost, Baron Rorii,
Baron Ivan and Dame Keegan felt called together. Simultaneously, the four
nobles called upon the power of the land bond, and the land itself rose up and
smote the Dominion where they stood. This however severely weakened the Duke,
who was tended to by a very concerned and somewhat confused Dame Keegan. Apparently
the land had never called upon her before.
After sundown, Dame Sonia returned, this time seeking
Baron Rorii and the joint team of
As the night wore on, more teams were called upon to
complete the missions set for them. Dame Keegan assembled a special strike
force to infiltrate a dominion camp. Sources will not reveal which adventurers
were summoned for this task, or exactly where they went, but they were successful
in their mission: to retrieve the coordinates that would allow the Icenians to strike into the heart of Starkenstein
using the stone table discovered in the caverns below the Black Stag.
As these missions were going on, talks were raging
about the plan for the following day. The plan was to enter Starkenstein
and cast a Destroy Formal Magic ritual in an attempt to destroy Starkenstein’s already sundered homestone.
Opinions on this varied widely. Some thought it was a good, quick way to destroy
the Dominion. Others were outraged at the fact that there could be innocents
within the city. Still others were deeply insulted that the nobles would even
think of destroying something as important as a homestone.
In the
end, however, the nobles decided to abide by the Code tenant that commands them
to “fight evil without cessation,” and they began planning the
assault on the Homestone.
The following morning the final two missions began.
The Stormblades were called upon to stop a Dominion
ambush. While they were successful in defeating the scouts they encountered,
they were unable to prevent a trap from being set off. The trap destroyed and blew
up a large chunk of the side of a mountain that crushed many Icenian camps below.
Many troops were forced to resurrect because of this failure, and some
died their permanent deaths.
The Mages’ Guild, led by Guildmaster
Nathan Westwind, had better luck against a detachment
of trolls carrying a Dominion banner. They successfully defeated this group,
robbing Reidic Legion of yet more of their support.
Just before the strike was to begin into Starkenstein, the final decision on who would be given the
grave task of destroying the homestone had to be
made. Shya Corak, with obvious discomfort, offered
her services to Dame Sonia. The Regent was hesitant to accept not knowing how
something like this would affect a biata not attuned to that stone. More
concerns were brought to her however when she was told that Shya
was among the adventurers the previous night sowing dissent amongst the people
about the decision. Sonia was forced to discuss with Shya
the painful truth of what would happen if she did not complete the ritual to
the best of her ability. Shya was insulted by this,
but thankfully, Rowan of the Healers’ Guild was also an earth ritualist of notable skill, and offered to do the ritual in
Shya’s place.
Dame Sonia and Duke Broomis
then called together the assembled adventurers and nobles for a final and
certain strike into Starkenstein. She warned them of the
dangers they would face, and told them that they might not return from this
mission. If they were to turn back now, no one would think the less of them.
Not one person turned away.
Just as the final arrangements were made, the Regent
was heard to be arguing loudly with Duke Broomis as
he pointedly remarked that she would not be accompanying the adventurers into Starkenstein. Her anger was obvious, but as the Duke
reminded her that Icenia - their people - needed her
alive, she conceded to staying behind.
With that, she thanked those before her for their
service, and asked them to serve once more, literally going into the heart of
the fire, into Starkenstein itself. Wishing them luck
in their grave task, she bid them goodbye.
Flint Boulderback
sent up a rallying cry, and all the adventurers echoed their support. They
marched down to the caves beneath the tavern, where they found the table. Shya Corak had discovered how to activate it, and as she
touched the sigils of the table, it began to glow. There was a great lurch, and
the adventurers suddenly materialized in the heart of Starkenstein,
with the homestone only meters away. As soon as they
arrived, the biata and stone elves in their midst clapped hands over their
ears. They reported hearing the screams of thousands of tormented biata echoing
in their minds. The Homestone was damaged from the
first Getragen war thousands of years ago, and had
been effecting the minds of those bound to it ever since.
Quickly a Circle of Power was cast around the stone,
and the ritual begun. As the battle raged around him Rowan would not allow his
concentration to waver and the ritual succeeded. A
shockwave emanated from the now-destroyed stone, and struck
the Dominion down to their permanent deaths.
As the healers checked over the bodies to find that there
was nothing they could do, the enormity of what had just happened struck hard.
Some began to cry. Baron Ivan, having found the body of a dead Rotes Getragen child, was overcome, and began manically insisting
that they stay and bury all the bodies. Within moments, the Evorran
and Allied armies that had been fighting outside the city began pouring
through, securing the area. Duke Broomis ordered the
retreat back to Fairdale, while Duchess Jacelyn’s
troops took over.
The biata adventurers,
though they were not tied to the stone, had in the meantime fallen to the
ground in agony. In haste, the others dragged them back to the table and
transported back to the Black Stag Tavern. After a round of Purify potions and rest,
the biata adventurers made a full recovery.
Not long after returning from Starkenstein,
the Reidic Legion arrived in Fairdale. No doubt aware
of what had just happened back at their capitol, the last of the sons, Jager Reidic and the remaining
troops assailed Fairdale. As the Icenians too the
field, Jager approached, backed by a liche and another apparently high-ranking rotes and
demanded honor combat with Duke Frost.
But His Grace was deceived, and found himself trapped inside a Circle of Power. Gassed into feeblemindedness, he stood helplessly giggling while an Obliteration ritual was begun.
Several gryphons then descended from the skies and began to rip
into the adventurers. Many of the adventurers’ weapon strikes hardly
scratched the adult gryphons, but Sparticous was able
to vanquish them with assistance from the scholars attempting to bind the
gryphons with spells. Still more
arrived.
Guildmistress Zatarina sent a Guild member back for rope in which to
build a larger circle and Baron Rorii and others ran
to get the needed Destroy Formal Magic ritual scroll and components. All the pieces were in place save for
one: a piece of truesilver. Several adventurers raced
at top speed to search for one, as the rest of the town held off the remaining Reidic Legion. After what seemed like an eternity (but was
in reality only a few minutes), the mystic wood elf Aishling
dashed down the hill, truesilver in hand.
Despite the Dominion army
attempting to stop it, a bigger Circle of Power was raised around the original,
and a ritual was begun. Willingly
trapped inside the
Realizing that if the destroy ritual was successful it
would backlash the obliteration, the Reidics backlashed it on purpose, and instead cut off the Duke’s
head, holding it up for all to see. They forced him to regenerate on the spot. His Grace attempt to make a stand, but after being weakened by the
land bond and one resurrection, the three took him down again.
Suddenly, the ritual was
completed and the inner Circle went down.
While Baron Ivan and others attacked and distracted the Dominion within,
Zatarina and Balls threw Life and healing spells
through the spread legs of the Dominion caster, hitting the Duke.
The battle was raged, and especially with help from Squire Raven, Dame Darlassia, Joaquin and Wizard Alushtas
taking down the gryphons, the Ashbans were ultimately successful. Jager Reidic was
captured, incapacitated, and imprisoned in a ward. Those returning to that ward
later found that the last Reidic had killed himself,
but before doing so he had scrawled on the wall, in his own blood “You
will not take me.” Jager Reidic’s
permanently dead body lay upon the floor.
Although some are still questioning the morality and
wisdom of destroying the homestone, across Icenia, commoners and merchants are thankful of the actions
taken by the brave nobles and adventurers who have released them from the
ongoing war.
Adventurers Debate Dominion Destruction
Was the decision to destroy
the Dominion Homestone and thus end the war justified
or genocide?
Many adventurers, primarily
biata, have argued that the decision was wrong and that another way should have
been found to fight this enemy.
In response, Regent Dame
Sonia Forthiatis added this comment, giving the views
of the nobility:
To all Icenians
and noble Allies,
I recall clearly the day when
I was summoned to
I wrote to you then as the
seneschal to Their Majesties, may their spirits rest. I wrote to you then and
swore support to Ashbury for the decision they had made to release and destroy
an abomination upon the land. I wrote to you then and told you that the right
choice is rarely the easy choice.
Recently we as nobles were
tasked with another decision. We were informed that if we destroyed the Rotes Getragen homestone in their
capital of Starkenstein, we stood a chance of
defeating them completely. This was not a decision made lightly. Duke Frost,
Duke Broomis, Baron Ivan, Baron Rorii,
Dame Keegan, Dame Daralassia and myself
spoke at great length, and sought council. I wish to make public some of the
elements that were considered in making this decision.
While most of the peerage are not biata, we do understand the importance of a homestone, and obviously His Grace certainly does. There
were questions as to whether or not we could have fixed the homestone
instead of destroying it, thereby relieving the pain it was causing. I know not
whether such a thing is possible, but I know this - the Rotes Getragen were bent on fulfulling their prophesy of world domination thousands of years before
their homestone was sundered. Repairing the stone may
have restored their sanity, though that likely would only have made them a more
formidable enemy.
The part of this decision
which weighed heaviest on my heart, and I'm sure on the hearts of the other
nobles as well, was whether or not we were also condemning innocents to their
deaths. My dreams have been fitful since that day, but in my dreams I heard the
words of you - the adventurers of Ashbury and I will refer to some of you now. Joaquinn Illiam of the
And remember this: while you
would ask us to consider their children - those who perhaps could be
spared this life, you ask us to do so at the cost of the lives of our own
children. You would ask us to put the lives of individuals who could perhaps be saved, ahead of the lives of
those we have sworn to protect. Would you ask this of the parents whose
children were mercilessly dropped from the sky by griffons? Would you go to the
ophanages throughout Icenia
filled with children who have lost their parents to the hands of the Rotes
Getragen and still say that we must protect the
Rotes children instead of our own? I grieve for the Rotes children
who were lost that day - that they never had the chance to know a better life.
But better that their spirits rest, than to know a lifetime of cruelty and
pain.
I am aware that while Starkenstein was laid to waste, there may be some who
survived by virtue of their distance from the city. It is by my decree that any
Rotes Getragen who are found within the borders of Icenia are to be given quarter and shown mercy. Any who now
wish to learn a better way of life shall have it. And those who wish to die for
their prophesy will be obliged.
Thou shalt
be everywhere and always the champion of the right and good against injustice
and evil.
Regent Dame Sonia Forthiatis
Better Know a Noble
By Ixis Donai, Staff Writer
The Ashbury Times has always been interested
in bringing understanding to the people of our fair duchy. In support of this very
understanding we bring to you a new article appearing in the Times. We grill
nobility of the important topics and see into the minds that guide and protect
us. Our first interview goes to none other than the Duke of Brittington
himself, Duke Broomis Brouchard.
Ashbury Times: Thanks for taking time out of
your busy schedule today, your Grace. How have you been?
Duke Broomis Brouchard: As well as one
could hope in these times. I find myself relieved that our long war with the
Dominion is finally over yet grieve for the lives lost, the potential wasted,
and the decision that was forced upon us.
Brittington was instrumental in the
defeat of the dominion, how do the Brittington people
feel about this victory?
Brittington played no larger a role in the defeat of the Dominion
than Ashbury, Evorra or
Where do you think Icenia
is headed from here?
While it is not
my place to speak for the Regent, I feel that it is time for a peaceful
expansion of our borders. Duke Rogan Exeter of Glenmoore has confided in
Duchess Jacelyn that he would be interested in
joining his lands to ours, creating a fifth Icenian
duchy. I also feel that it is a time for Icenians to
look inward, and address problems within our own borders. Trellheim
remains a wasteland ruled by monsters filtering in from the Plains of Rage; Widowcroft still faces stubborn resistance from the
hobgoblin tribes there. In our war with the Dominion we had to focus on the
outside enemies, and have allowed our internal foes time to rest and regroup.
In your opinion, how are relations between Brittington and Ashbury?
Stronger than ever. I knew Duke
Frost, though not well, during his time as a Royal knight and have since
watched him mature into an able leader, just lawgiver and brilliant general.
His knights and barons are men and women of sound judgment and noble bearing,
and I must admit to a certain fondness for Baron Ivan Drake of Blythedale whose
knowledge of the Code of Chivalry is matched only by his compassion and humble
demeanor.
How are Brittington’s
relations with nearby nations?
We are fast
friends with Glenmoore, having spent the last four summers helping Duke Rogan
reclaim the last of his lands from the disgusting Brotherhood and rebuild his
cities and roads. Amisara is another story, the Palintate of Talhatheron Athanasios has long been rumored to be a necromancer and
the difficulty of traversing Widowcraft makes it hard
to gain any real sense of the state of affairs in that Kingdom. The Cuulanni are amongst the list of friends of Icenia but they have been known to turn our merchants away
from their borders if the stars are not aligned properly. It can be vexing, but
the Cuulanni rallied to our banners in our
encirclement of the Reidic Legion.
You’ve visited Ashbury on several
occasions recently because of the war. Is there any chance of a visit for
pleasure in the near future?
Sadly my duties
do not allow me much time for touring. That being said, I have grown fond of
the Duchy of Ashbury. Coming from the most traditional and stable Duchy to the
least took some adjustment, the Ashbans are a droll and lively lot and draw
much strength from their apparent disunity. I am aware of what is said of my
Duchy, which was hammered home to me on my last visit to
Is there any advice you’d like to give
to the new adventurers who have recently taken up arms in Ashbury?
Thou shalt love the country to which Thou hast sworn fealty.
This does not mean just putting Icenia first in your
heart, it means respecting all those who choose to dwell within our borders.
Never let avarice or hardness of heart turn you from your duty to protect the
people and ideals of Icenia, for the extraordinary
freedoms that adventurers enjoy have a price.
What is your preferred monster to face in
battle?
The undead. In the undead we have an
enemy with no moral ambiguity, a rarity in these complex times.
As our bonus question, the people want a
Duke’s true thoughts. Whose hairstyle was more intimidating, Duke
Aramis’ flowing locks or Duke Frost’s obsidian smooth pate?
Rumor has it
that Dukes cultivate baldness for tactical advantage. When positioned correctly
it is possible to blind an opponent without the use of magic or dishonorable
trick. The truth or falsehood of these rumors is impossible to ascertain.
Aramis Llyrr was once described by King Gareth as the
greatest Icenian Duke in living memory; I feel he
spoke the truth, though I must admit to being jealous of his scalp.
A Few Words About
Wands
By
Wizard Nathan Westwind
Guildmaster, Fairdale Mages’ Guild
Recently you may have noticed the Celestial
mages in Fairdale running around with all manner of strange pointy things in
their hands and seemingly channeling some kind of Elemental Magics
though said pointy things. As many of you are aware, Magic, as it often
has in the past and will again in the future, has changed the way it manifests
itself in Fortannis. What was once a powerful and rare ritual creation
– the magic of Wands – has now become common place among Celestial Mages. Many people have been asking me about wands,
how they work, who can use them, and though I was reluctant to say much before
because of the war with the dominion (we needed every advantage we could get),
I would be happy to do so now.
Each Celestial caster has within him/herself an amount of Celestial energy which is directly
related to how much you have study the Celestial arts and how powerful you have
become. These casters use this energy to draw upon the forces and power
of Celestial magic to channel or manipulate it in the form of spells.
However, because of the recent dramatic changes in the Celestial landscape this
energy can also be tapped into in a new and exciting way which does not affect
your ability to cast spells. This new way is the channeling of Elemental
energy through a Wand.
A Wand itself can be crafted out of any common
or rare material, Woods, metals, Bone, etc. It is up to the Celestial
caster how they wish to construct it, though we have found that the wands
usually must be around 12 to
Wands can be used by any mage, even if they
did not create the wand themselves. Remember that the power is inside the
caster, and the Wand is just the channel for that power.
The amount of damage a mage can inflict with
his wand seems to be proportionate to how powerful within the 9th
circle of Celestial Magic that mage has become.
If anyone has any further questions about
Wands, or wand usage, please don’t hesitate to speak to me or my Guild
members.
Mages’ Guild Report
Guild Symbol /
Colors Chosen:
After many months of deliberating and designing, I have chosen a new symbol and
colors for the Fairdale Mages’
Guild. As we are our own autonomous organization from the other Guilds In
Ashbury and Icenia (save the Royal Guild, to whom I
report directly to), I felt it was time I put away the old symbols I have worn
for so long to commemorate my past affiliations with former Guildmasters
and GuildMistresses. Our colors (represented in
our symbol and in the dress of my station) are Gules (deep red), Sable (black)
and Gold.
Our new symbol is depicted below; an Eight
pointed Black Star on a field of Gold eclipsed by a Red Crescent Moon.
I hope it to represent a new
commitment to the Celestial arts these lands have not seen in many years.
I am commissioning Smiths to create new Guild amulets and other heraldry
depicting this symbol so that our members might display their rank in our Guild
with pride. I will have more information on the amulets in the near
future.
Formal and
High Magics: The Celestial
Mages’ Guild of Fairdale has been given the tools to teach those who are
still having problems tapping into Formal Magics how
to correct this problem as well as those who haven’t yet learned the
Elder Magics of the Children of Autumn how to begin
to channel this ancient power. Please see any Guild member for more
information.
Guild
Meetings: As always we will be holding our Guild meetings after
the Squire Meetings on Saturday mornings unless otherwise announced.
Also, for those who attend and are wishing to join the guild, you need only
pick up an application at the new Guild Hall in the Black Stag Tavern, and turn
it back in to me or one of the other Guild members for my consideration at your
earliest convenience.
Member News: The
Guild would like to welcome Initiates I’zer, Lanna Rose, and Greyesmere and
wishes them luck on attaining Apprenticeship. The Guild would also like to
acknowledge and thank Apprentice Squire Raven Nevermore who was inadvertently
left off of our previous charter due to a record keeping mistake, but has been
working with me to further himself in the Guild.
I would also like to take a
moment to thank my Guild members for their unyielding bravery and sound battle
tactics in the past few months as we have fought off wave after wave of
Dominion. I personally fought along side my guild in a number of battles
recently and was both proud and delighted to see how well you all work together
to make rational and strategic combat decisions. It is this kind of
effectiveness in both defense of Fairdale and our scholarly endeavors that will
make our Guild the force for good we intend it to be.
Guild
Commerce: The Mages’ Guild of Fairdale buys Celestial and
General Aspect Ritual Scrolls; offers Spellcrafting
services and rents ritual scrolls for Spellcrafting
to other Wizards. We also buy and sell battle magic scrolls, Identify
items, and offer a host of other scholarly services such as research, scribing,
and more. We also now offer Celestial and Alchemical lights for
sale. Various brightness and colors available,
see the Guild for current pricing.
Wizard Nathan Westwind
Guildmaster, Fairdale
Mage’s Guild
Elemental Warden of Icenia
Healers’ Guild Report
On behalf of the Guild, I would thank all for
their sacrifice and assistance over the last few months. I have had to be
cryptic and say little since we knew our writings were being read by the
Dominion forces. I am grateful to all of those who have done their best to do
so in the dream realm as well. I truly feel this has saved lives. To the Stormblades, there are not words sufficient enough to thank
you for all you do for/with the Guild.
On
Friday night of the upcoming gathering, I will be holding a wake in honor of
those fallen as well as those who have suffered from this war. When you come to
the Guild, upon stepping inside state what you are thankful for now that this
is mostly over. Then write on our book you heartfelt feelings or memories. If
you can not write you can dictate this. We will have people on hand to do so.
This is for posterity as well as a chance to relieve the accumulated pain of
this long, long war.
During this time I will have refreshments and
wine for the occasion. We will also have a donation cup for those whose towns,
farms, and families have been harmed. However, admittedly half of all of the
money raised will go to feeding, clothing, and the education of those orphaned
during this war. Upon the next newspaper we will list a thank you to all of
those helping them out.
Upon
the last gathering several people wanted to interview as well as speak to me
privately. I am sorry I could not meet with you all. Telokh,
please come to the Guild as well, there is much we need to talk about. Also, I
would especially like to speak to those whom I only started on the pre
interview last gathering.
I will be purchasing potions from the royal
guild before arriving to the next gathering. If there is something in
particular someone needs, please send your request four days before people are expected
to arrive in Fairdale.
This next gathering our Guild meeting will be
at breakfast. At 10 am we will meet in the guild. I will have coffee and juice
to drink. For food I will have hard boiled eggs, bagels with cream cheese, and
doughnuts, and fresh strawberries. Please be sure to let me know in advance
that you will attend so that I can have enough prepared, and please keep in
mind if you have not attended a meeting in six months, you likely are no longer
a member. We are a family of sorts.
I expect reports about how your books are
coming along, and have many things to put before the table for a vote. So
please try not to be late.
I am looking for a scribe to take notes on
meetings and other things. I expect silent discretion and respect to others
even if they are jerks.
The Guild is in need of jetsam, nightshade,
wand, and feyander components in order to spellcraft healers into the Circle so that we have enough
ready to help with resurrections if needed.
Please help out the Guild with your donations, especially if you realize
that you haven’t been compensating those healers who keep you alive on
the battlefield.
My health is seeming
better. I will hopefully be back to gardening and nature walks with the Guild
at the next gathering.
The Guild is proud to say our open hospitality
has been a success. So, this will be a regular occurrence from here on. For
those interested, we also keep sweets and fresh vegetables upon request within
reason. Join us let us know how things are going for you. The guild is more
than healers. We try to help in advising and day-to-day problems. We can be a
good silent shoulder in these times of stress.
Zaterina N. Norik
A Little Birdie Told Me
By Sue D’Onym
Apparently Lanna Rose and Jarrin have hit it off quite
well and are together. The couple seems very fit for one another, other than
the fact that Lanna is a celestial caster and Jarrin is a Biata. I wonder how this is going to work.
I guess the trolls will learn
to keep there big traps shut next time they decide to attack the tavern in
Fairdale, lest Aubry Darksun
shove arrows down their throats. Speaking of Aubrey, he and Squire Raven Nevermore of Nordenn
seem to be getting very chummy with Baron Ivan
Drake from Blythedale. It looks like the end of the Nordenn baronial court is around the corner, especially
since no one has seen Glorianna
around in quite some time. Well, you
know those gypsies: always wandering,
wandering, wandering!
It looks like becoming Guildmaster hasn’t improved Nathan Westwind’s
ritual casting abilities one whit. I heard he backlashed
another ritual! Has he ever cast one
successfully? If I had a ritual that needed casting, I wouldn’t let Nathn touch it with a ten foot pole.
Amaranthus
Landcharmer and his friend T’Noah were awfully upset
by the destruction of The Dominion, an enemy that has caused Icenia anguish for years.
Shya Corak made comments that had the
nobles deciding to not allow her to perform the ritual that would destroy the
Dominion Homestone for fear that she might “accidentially” backlash it. It makes you wonder where those biata’s loyalties lie… and wait,
isn’t Aislynn Ravenshire
part of the group that was vocal about removing Baron Rorii after his part in the
decision to release the Dominion? Why is she now defending the nobility?
On the other hand, there were some, including the
stone elf Ren Suzume, who
were a little too eager to wipe an entire race of people of the map. Do they
condone casual genocide?
Dame Keegan and Duke Frost seemed to be together a lot when she was last in Fairdale,
and even went on a date for dinner! Keegan also seemed exceptionally upset at
the Duke being caught in a Circle. My ears are everywhere, but for now, it
seems the nobles aren't talking!
After
the barracks were reassembled, it would seem that the prisoner Orlantha Rotewut Riedic was
nowhere to be found. Maybe the Nobility moved her to Ashbury city proper? Or
did she escape in the siege? Maybe we’re finally rid of her!
Apparently
the Regent seems frustrated at the lack of concern the Adventurers have in
listening to her. Sources here heard that she had to raise her voice on more
than one occasion to get the rabble to settle down.
Well, that’s it.
That’s all the gossip I have because that is all I have been
given. If you want to see longer gossip
columns in the future, you know what to do!
And in the meantime remember: If
you can’t say something nice about someone, come sit by me.
Public Notices
CELESTIAL AND ALCHEMICAL LIGHT FOR
GREETINGS
to the victorious adventurers of Icenia! Long
will your crushing and cost-effective defeat of the foul Dominion be celebrated
in song and story, and long too shall the friendship between humble Home and
mighty Icenia endure! As a show of goodwill and good
business between our two peoples, Queen Lolita Throttlebottom
has authorized me to offer up some choice items recently acquired by the Royal
treasury up for auction at prices that will make you question my sanity. Items
both Magical and Mundane (and a good amount of the things you need to make mundane items magical) shall be
offered up for your purchasing pleasure. The festivities will begin after
dinner two Saturdays from next in the villiage of
Fairdale. Libations will be served (just buy them from the tavern staff). Come ...
spend ... leave happy! - Lord Wesley Berrybucket, Her
Majesty’s Ambassador to Icenia. PS: I would also
be willing to anonymously auction off any items you may wish to sell, provided
they are legal and you agree to a 10% commision of
the sales price. I would further be delighted to meet any fellow hoblings interested in certain business ventures I’m
hoping to set up in Ashbury.
BALLS’
SHOPS ARE OPEN come one come all and partake of his wares. All pre-sales get a
bonus 5 copper (production cost) worth of healing potions per gold spent. Easy pick up for each order too.
I’ll be running the tavern so come and see me there to pick up your
order. Potions are my specialty but Silver weapons are what’s
in stock at the moment. Also, I am looking for others who can make things for
sale. There are times that I can’t completely fill the orders that I get
in and will distribute the work to others instead of turning them away if possible.
This is a first come first serve type of offer so if you want to be the first
person on my list get back to me soon. Your trusty Fairdale merchant, Balls
SCROLL FOR
HELLO FRIENDS! I
am in need of a few basic weapons. I will not be at the gathering coming up
shortly, but I will be traveling to Fairdale in early June. If you will be at
either gathering and would like to do business you can let me know here, or
send a private missive to my bakery in
TO THE ELF fighting alongside Baron Ivan in the final Dominion
battle: Thank you so much. I might not have been able to Life the Duke
without your help. Zatarina
ATTENTION! Lanna Rose and Wynter Rose will
be singing in the Tavern on Saturday night, June 6th, for everyone’s enjoyment.
Donations of Coin are welcome. Also if you know how to play guitar, please
contact Lanna or Wynter. If
willing to learn a song you will be paid.