The
Ashbury Times
August /
September 610
“All The News That Fits, We Print”
Red Madness Cured! Duchy Saved From Plague
For months, the horrific
plague known as The Red Madness ravaged Icenia and
the surrounding lands, turning those infected by it into slavering beasts with
a taste for human flesh. At its peak, the plague consumed nearly two thirds of
the lands of Ashbury, along with a great deal of Evorra,
and extending into neighboring kingdoms. But at last, the shadow of plague has
been lifted, thanks to the efforts of a small band of adventurers from the town
of
During several of their
previous gatherings, the adventurers had seen the flickering, translucent image
of a woman in wizard’s robes appear around Fairdale. The woman, who later
mentioned that her name was Dorthea Elwood, seemed to
be testing a newly developed ritual, which she called “greater whispering
wind”, which was supposed to allow the sender to contact many people at
once by projecting their image instead of just their voice. However, she was
having problems targeting the ritual and directing the image, so it would float
around in time and space and land wherever the tides of magic took it, like a
message in a bottle. The messages were appearing in Fairdale many months after
she had cast the ritual, apparently very far from her intended targets.
On the night of July the 23rd,
the gathered adventurers were greeted by the same image, only this time the
caster appeared to be in a panic, clutching a crossbow to her chest. She
addressed “whoever was getting this message”,
telling them that “everyone was dead”, “the city was
overrun” and that they were “Luminus’
last hope”. While the adventurers glanced about it confusion, she clapped
her hands together and incanted another experimental ritual, which she called
“mass rift”. The next thing they knew, the assembled adventurers
were rifting into an unfamiliar laboratory covered with dust and dried gore.
Unfortunately, they were too late to save the mage who had summoned them.
Judging by her remains, the message had been sent about six months before their
arrival. While investigating the laboratory, the adventurers found a note
addressed to whoever Elwood’s call for help reached (if it reached anyone
at all). The writer was apparently a skilled alchemist, and was searching
desperately for a cure. The note was signed, “E.O.”.
This “E.O.”
apparently had some kind of natural resistance to the plague, so he never
reached the third stage (in which the madness took over). Instead, it was
killing him slowly, and he feared he would not live to complete the cure. So he
recorded his research in his journal and left the pages around the city, in the
hopes that someone would find the instructions and finish his research if he
could not.
Outside the lab, the streets
were swarming with the infected. The adventurers fought their way to a large
building which turned out to be a social hall, inhabited by two survivors,
including the proprietor, a human named Olwyn. Olwyn explained that they were in Luminus,
a city founded about twelve years earlier by scholars who were tired of the
constant state of war and strife in the world. They decided to separate and
found their own city where human intellect, rather than base, aggressive instinct,
would rule. Their quest was to create a utopia where they could rise above the
unsavory parts of human nature and live in complete peace. In this new,
peaceful, perfect world, they would reach new heights in natural science and
magic that could never have been achieved in the chaotic outside world.
They discovered a hidden
valley in the mountains of the Contested Lands. It was there they chose to
build their city. They called their paradise “Luminus”,
for one day it would be a guiding light for the rest of the world.
They secretly recruited
hundreds of great minds of all different races and brought them to the city,
along with peasant to do the manual labor and leave the scholars free to work.
From the refuge of the social
hall, the adventurers could see that the city was surrounded on all sides by
mountains and cliff face. The only means of entrance or exit were a set of
enormous gates to the east, which the administrators of Luminus
had closed when the plague overran the city. Some said it was to prevent the
plague from spilling into the outside world, others believed that the
administrators did not want to the secret of their society to get out, even as
the city tore itself apart from within. The only means of opening the gates was
a mechanism hidden in the city – it’s
location known only to the highest administrators (who were know all
permanently dead or infected). The adventurers were trapped.
It did not take them long to
find the next of E.O.’s journal pages. Its
contents sent them on a quest to the city glassworks, which was built into the
side of a dormant volcano, to use the mountain as a natural furnace. There they
found a flamecrystal cauldron, in which they could
brew the potential cure. Those who retrieved it unwittingly released a horde of
mischievous creatures called magmins that had been
trapped inside the mountain.
The next journal page brought
them to an overgrown greenhouse in the Western district, where they had to make
their way through rooms of carnivorous plants and the organics traps they set
for prey. After disabling the dangerous fauna, they harvested the astralagus root which would provide a base for the cure.
The fourth page sent them to Luminus’ Grand Menagerie, which housed all kinds of
exotic creatures. They fought their way through rooms full of beasts which had
escaped from rusted chains and cages, until they came upon the hippogriff whose
blood they needed. They harvested it successfully while the beast still lived.
According to the enigmatic E.O.’s next message, the adventurers had to fetch a
mineral called dolomite from the city’s mines. When they arrived, they
found that the mineral was rather difficult to identify, and in order to do so,
they had to solve a note left by the wizard formerly in charge of harvesting
it.
In his sixth note, E.O. spoke
of the downfall of Luminus:
“Luminus was not destroyed in a day. Our downfall came
slowly. After a few years of living in peace and isolation, we began to think
ourselves superior to the rest of the world, which remained stuck in the mire
of war and ignorance. We were above all that. With each passing day our bloated
egos grew. We became convinced of our intellectual and moral superiority. What
did we care for rules or ethics? They were constructs of rulers to protect the
ignorant from themselves. Bit by bit, we wriggled our
way free of them. Before long anything was justified in the name of progress.
Researchers
began casting Chaos Magic – purely for academic purposes, of course
– to study the nature and movement of Earth Magic. Then they expanded
their studies to include raising undead. Soon,
creating undead to experiment on became a common practice. No one in the city
blinked an eye at these changes. The rest of the world may not have been
responsible enough to be trusted with such power, but we certainly were.
When
our undead subjects were not enough, we turned on the living. The scholar class
of Luminus convinced the peasants that it was the
highest honor imaginable to give oneself up for medical, alchemical, or magical
experimentation. With a bit of brainwashing, they were lining up down the
streets to die or suffer tortures in the name of science.
We
were all-powerful, all-knowing; we could do no wrong. But there are some things
that mortals should not meddle with; beyond necromancy, beyond toying with
human lives. We did, and now we are paying the price.”
He told the adventurers about
a series of laboratories which had been used to create and experiment on the
undead, and asked that they return them to dust so that he could rest in the
knowledge that they no longer walked the earth. However, the adventurers
delayed too long in seeking out this cache, and in the meantime many of the
undead monstrosities escaped. They marched to the steps of the Social Hall,
carrying a villager. They demanded revenge for their imprisonment and
mistreatment upon the people of Luminus. They threw
the woman to the hungry Madmen and attacked the adventurers. After a long
battle, they were finally dispatched.
The final note spoke of a fungus
known as Discula Occulus,
which grew in areas saturated with magic. A group of adventurers visited the
basement beneath the Hall of Celestial Studies, directly beneath a greater
celestial circle of power. But once they arrived, they could not find the
fungus. At last, it was Dame Aven who looked up
– and saw the mushrooms growing on the ceiling. Andros
Westerling harvested them with care, and brought them
back to the social hall, where he and Dame Glorianna
began brewing the cure.
While out exploring the city,
Sir Daniel Star and Squire Sparticous came across a
door, half covered in rubble, engraved with the words “ELIAS ORYXIAN,
Experimental Alchemy Department”. When they broke down the barricaded
door, they found a cluttered laboratory, inhabited by a dying alchemist named
Elias Oryxian, who had been the same
“E.O.” who wrote the journal pages.
He poured over his books,
continuing his research even as he clung to the last vestiges of life. He
breathed a sigh of relief and happiness upon discovering that someone had found
his notes and was working on the cure. He explained, with failing breath, that
he had once been the research partner, and close friend, of a man named Emris Hughes (who the adventurers had read about in pages
of old Luminus newspapers, and heard about from the
locals). During a ritual, Hughes had accidentally summoned a very powerful and
intelligent creature from the netherspace between
planes, which he dubbed a “void walker”.
Delighted with his discovery,
Hughes captured the Void Walker and stripped it of its powers, keeping it
barely alive so that he could question and run tests on it. Soon Hughes was a
celebrity; all of Luminus loved him for his
discovery. But Elias knew his colleague had gone too far. The Void Walker was
in constant pain, and it wanted desperately to be allowed to go back to its
home between dimensions, where its family was waiting helplessly for it. The
Void Walker’s pleas stirred Elias’ latent sense of morality. He
begged Hughes to free it, but he refused. Elias broke all ties with Hughes, and
started a campaign against his work. But to no avail, everyone was enthralled
by Hughes’ new subject, and wouldn’t give Elias a second thought.
So, he threatened to take it outside Luminus. But
when the plague started, all else was forgotten.
After telling his story,
Elias collapsed on the floor of the lab where he had been barricaded for
months, permanently dead.
The group returned to the
social hall and tested the elixir on Izer, who had
been infected the previous night, it did nothing. But not all was lost, for the
young child of autumn, Kialda Loa, had been doing
research on magical herbs from the early days of the plague onward. Redoubling
her efforts upon this discovery, she found that the cure was missing a single
ingredient – powdered mugwort.
The adventurers began
scouring the alchemy labs of the city for the herb. But they were unsuccessful
until they found the laboratory of Hughes himself, where the Void Walker was
imprisoned. Hughes’ assistant, Hammish Prym, revealed that Hughes was responsible for creating the
Red Madness. Hughes could not allow his former partner, Elias, to get in the
way of his work with the Void Walker, so he had to dispose of him. Hughes had
been experimenting with physiology-altering alchemy for some time, with little
success. But when a mysterious stranger provided him with a powerful component
(blood of some unknown creature), he managed to create a fast-acting, lethal
disease. The disease would feed on the spirit, so once it was in its advanced
stages, someone who died from it would not resurrect. One night, he snuck into
his former colleague’s chambers and injected him with the pathogen. No
one would question that Elias Oryxian had died of
natural causes. Hughes didn’t realize his disease was contagious.
Ironically, because he had
spent so much time around experimental alchemy, Elias had built up a tolerance,
and did not manifest symptoms right away. He spread it, unwittingly, for weeks
before he even came down with a fever. The plague spread through the city like
wild fire, turning those infected into flesh-eating monsters.
With the addition of the mugwort, the cure worked. The adventurers fought their way
to the river, where they administered the highly-concentrated elixir into the
water supply (after all, even flesh-eating madmen need water). That done, they opened the gate (with the help of the eccentric
architect who had helped design Luminus) and were
free to leave the ruins of Luminus and cure the rest
of the kingdom.
Within a months time, the plague was
all but eliminated. There are still isolated patches of infection, but experts
believe these will come into contact with the cure before too long. The plague
is no longer spreading, and the infected are cured, but the cure came too late
for many citizens of the kingdom, who met their permanent deaths while
infected. The extent of the damages caused by the Red Madness is still unknown.
Luminus: A City in Need
A
guest editorial comment from Kialda Loa, Child of
Autumn
My friends across the
land! Heave a sigh of relief, shout for joy, make music and
celebrate! A cure for the Red Madness has been discovered! By the
time you read this, the cure should already have spread through much of Icenia by way of various teams of adventurers. I give
my most sincere appreciation to every single being who
helped with these efforts. Without the sharing of our knowledge, the
collaboration of intelligence, and the teamwork of minds and swords, our lands
would have never lived through such a devastating and aggressive
epidemic. We will not lightly forget the pain and loss we have all
suffered, yet we now know our efforts have not been in vain! It is my
wish that we see cooperation like this continues throughout the ages, for our
accomplishments have been great!
Speaking of cooperation and accomplishment, I wish to
further detail some of my observations during this past gather. I hope
that my observations and opinions can help spread insight, and thusly peace and harmony, to a land still mourning and
potentially growing bitter. I believe Luminus
should not be punished for what it had become. Please hear me and
consider what I have seen.
This past gather, many adventurers were rifted to a
city called Luminus, and I find the irony of this
place almost unbearable. Corrupted scholars, blinded by their arrogance
and misguided by their lack of ethics, delved too deeply into horrible and
unnatural research. Yet without the bright minds and lofty goals of
progress held by these researchers, Luminus would
have been without the great museums, greenhouses, zoos, and laboratories that
supplied us with the rare ingredients needed for a cure for this plague. Luminus was a land where the most intelligent and motivated
scientists gathered, working diligently to achieve greatness. Yet it
would have been all for naught if those brilliant individuals were not aided by
the simple townsfolk who farmed the lands. And it is worth note that
these civilians and great minds lived in astounding harmony, respecting and
protecting each other. However, this peace was violently broken as soon
as the unnatural sciences that led to the creation of the Red Madness and
dreadful study of necromancy began corrupting the city. This corruption
greatly upsets me, both spiritually and physically, yet if I believe in the
ability to reeducate, I can see the greatness of this city returning without
corruption.
I know my proposition may offend some of my friends who have
suffered greatly because of the evils brought upon us by Luminus,
but given what I have observed, I believe the city now needs our help. It
is true, there is corruption there, but there is also innocence, intelligence,
and I believe a willingness to grow in a new light of ethical study.
During my time there I helped to rescue around a dozen civilians, farmers and
workers, and I spoke to them all at great length. Their innocent
good-will and genuine hard work should not be unjustly punished. We can
rebuild this city into a place of true greatness and harmony if we can all
agree to work together.
We happened upon Luminus during a
time of chaos and sadness, a time where the soundest of minds had already gone
mad- be it with plague or with arrogant denial about what their studies had
become. But what of the progress before this evil began? What of
the peace, harmony, and true advances that these minds were making before they
were tainted by the desire for power and made blind to the negativity of
necromancy?
I believe that good and innocence remains in the heart of Luminus, and it is within our responsibilities to help them
grow into a truly great city. When my other travels are complete, I fully
intend to return there and help to reeducate any remaining corrupted minds
about the evil brought to the earth by necromancy. If I have other
friends motivated enough to help spread peace immediately, I would have them
seek out Squire Ithica, for I know he remains there
presently, helping to rebuild and guide the innocent survivors within the city.
I conclude my writing with this final consideration.
Of course, I am no noble, nor do I desire any sort of power or influence beyond
what the
Broken Spear Offensive Halted!
Using the distraction of the
Red Madness plague that recently gripped our duchy, the monsters of the Broken
Spear “kingdom” moved forward an army
intent on capturing all of Trellheim. Thousands of
goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, bugbears, kobolds, attercob and even humans began an assault meant to weaken
the soldiers and adventurers by degrees with battles of increasing difficulty.
These attacks were partially successful, keeping the adventurers confined to
the Black Stag Tavern and surrounding area, which for some unknown reason
seemed to be the main target of the Bugbears’ aggression. Goblin, Kobold,
and Hobgoblin attacks were defeated by the assembled heroes of Ashbury before
the bugbears themselves took the field late Saturday afternoon.
The adventurers saw the attack
coming and took the high ground, intending to force the invading enemies to
fight uphill, but with a discipline previously unheard of in that savage race
the Bugbears formed a battle line and waited for the heroes to surrender their
advantage. The stalemate continued for some time with the adventurers
attempting to goad the bugbears into attacking with insults and mockery, an
assault the monsters ignored, refusing to allow the heroes of Ashbury the
advantage of terrain.
It was the monsters themselves
who managed to break the impasse, the leader of the force loudly instructing a
runner to go back to the main camp and instruct the flanking forces to spread
out and start sacking the villages in the area while the bugbears continued the
staring contest. As the messenger ran for the forest, Sir Harrison Ryatt gave chase, finally breaking the impasse, and battle
was joined.
The bugbear waves broke upon
the shields of the adventurers many times before the self proclaimed King of
the Broken Spear took the field personally. Rallying around their leader, the
bugbears pushed forward and began to make some headway when Sir Daniel Grimsby
led a group of agile warriors through the enemy lines and surrounded the Rackmaster General in a cyclone of whirling steel. The
massive Bugbear fell quickly and the Bugbear assault fell into chaos and
disorder, quickly mopped up by the adventurers as Sir Harrison bound the
bugbear leader’s wounds and dragged him to the center of town.
It has been reported that
there was much discussion amongst the nobles present as to whether or not to
allow the General to awaken or just kill him on the spot, with Sir Harrison
finally deciding that the bugbear be awakened and questioned before being
executed. When the bugbear awoke he confirmed that he was Rackmaster
General Les’Grahk, the same bugbear who had
ordered his tribe to assist the Ashbans on several occasions when threats to
both kingdoms arose. Dame Glorianna Wyndancer took the lead in the questioning and asked what
the reason for this attack was, as the Broken Spear had always been deemed too
honorable to launch a sneak attack and had never been aggressive in the past.
The captive General’s
answer rocked the nobles back ... The Broken Spear were preemptively attacking Iceniain border to widen their frontier in advance of what
they believe would be Ashbury’s campaign to
wipe out the Bugbears in the same way that they destroyed the Dominion. The
General bitterly remarked that Icenia had shown its
true heart when it wiped out an entire city and he had a duty to protect his
people, whom the Icenians deem monsters, from similar
treatment.
This comment inflamed Guildmistress Zatarina, who
attempted to question Les’Grahk before being
told to be silent by Sir Harrison. The captive refused several offers of cease
fire, Dame Glorianna even offering to let the general
free in exchange for a truce until his Grace Duke Frost could negotiate a
peace. Sir Harrison took command at that point, commanding that the bugbear
must die for his part in the deaths of Ashban
citizens and soldiers. It was finally agreed that the Rackmaster
would come back to Fairdale in a moon’s turn to speak with His Grace but
no cease-fire would be offered in the interim. Sir Daniel Grimsby was chosen to
execute Les’Grahk.
The attacks
continued for several hours after this with the invading monsters, until the
spirit of Rackmaster General Les’Grahk
was sensed attempting to resurrect in the Fairdale circle!
Guildmistress Zatarina and Sir Eros summoned the other nobles present to
the circle and it was decided that Dame Glorianna
would attempt to resurrect the creature. As Dame Glorianna
attempted to gently guide the creature’s spirit back to its body Sir Eros
was heard to remark that the bugbear did not deserve a painless transition back
to this world but by then Glorianna was deep into the
resurrection vision and could not turn back.
When the General awoke he
found himself in a ring of steel and was ordered to explain himself. He said
that the attack upon Ashbury was not his idea and that he had been enslaved by
a female Wylderkin calling herself Hekora of the Slythe. The current
military campaign was at her instigation, as revenge for the adventurers’
destruction of the dragon Slythe. Les’Grahk
had planned the offensive, but was able to seize the opportunity to have the
nobles unwittingly break Hekora’s control by
giving them a chance to capture and execute him.
He was taken into the center
of the tavern and questioned by all present, the adventurers and nobles present
looking pleased and surprised at Les’Grahk’s
offer of war reparations to be negotiated with His Grace. He explained that he
would be able to stop the war if the adventurers could help him break the
enslavement on his generals. The adventurers quickly agreed and over the course
of the evening managed to free the Kobold and Attercob
generals.
Morning brought word that the
Broken Spear forces were fighting amongst each other and the current emergency
seemed to have passed until the true enemy revealed herself.
Two Wylderkin
entered Fairdale, a violent storm carried with them like a shroud and Hekora of the Slythe revealed
herself in dramatic fashion. With but a word and gesture she summoned a Panthergaunt. The creature looked displeased to be
summoned, but then saw that the summoning had been performed without a circle
and it looked upon the diminutive dragon mage with grudging respect. Hekora ordered the beast to attack and the town was rocked
back on its heels by the assault as pantherghasts
began to emerge from the panthergaunt’s body.
Thus began a long
disorganized battle that raged from the tavern, down into the tunnels below the
keep and finally back onto the field when Hekora
blasted the ceiling away with a torrent of magical energy. The adventurers
fought together well, keeping each other alive against waves of pantherghasts that seemed to have no end and managed to
survive the fight without losses.
But was it a victory? Hekora spirit recalled away when pressed by the adventurers
and the Panthergaunt had to be bribed with a large
amount of ritual components before it agreed to leave. The immediate danger had
passed but a new threat to the safety of Ashbury had been revealed, one with a
personal grudge against the Duchy’s greatest champions.
“Void
Recently, many adventurers
were forcibly rifted from Fairdale to a ruined city known as Luminus. During their time in Luminus,
these unanticipated travelers began collecting much information about the
culture and lifestyle of the “once-great” city. Complications
arose when numerous Chaos Elementals began appearing, and the newly awoken Dryad, Kialda, and
novice-adventurer Elf Rozalyn began hearing whispers
in their minds. At first these whispers, fleeting and asking for help, did
not respond to any attempted conversation.
The group of adventurers
eventually discovered a news article praising one of Luminus’
best-known researchers, Emris Hughes, on his
accidental discovery of a creature that apparently “embodies
nothingness.” The article stated that Hughes had been attempting to
rift in various elementals from different planes, but when his experiment went
wrong, this creature was pulled from its between the dimensions. Greatly
weakened by this unexpected travel, the creature was able to be imprisoned by
Hughes and the corrupted researcher began running (clearly unethical)
experiments to further the “progress” of the “enlightened,
unrestricted” city of
Hughes nicknamed this being
of nothingness the “Void Walker,” and forcibly kept him in this
dimension by cutting him apart in the name of “scientific
progress.” The fact that this news article praised Hughes’
works makes clear statements about the ethical integrity of the people of Luminus.
By this time, Kialda had heard the whisper pleading for help again, and
it had led her and a group of adventurers (including Darkan,
Andros, Ithica, Drak, and Allura) to an abandoned
museum. The museum was full of plague victims, and once they were
defeated the team saw the label “Veil of the Void Walker” on a
prominent pedestal in the middle of the room. This veil was surrounded by
a shimmering field that had to be disbanded through solving a logic-based lock,
which was cleverly interpreted by
Finally speaking in
conversation, the Void Walker asked her to gather “those who make things
whole.” The Sand Elf Seshet helped Kialda realize the voice had only spoken to healers, so
once the healers in town were assembled, the voice appeared again and gave
explicit directions. The Void Walker told the adventurers to seek out the
last piece of itself it was missing: the cloak. Kialda,
worried by the recent controversy, asked the Void Walker if it meant harm, what
may happen, or if it could help, and the creature replied only “If you
help me I will return the favor to the utmost of my ability.”
A team of adventures
including Lady Knight Glorianna,
the Sarr Kuwo, Dwarves Castlebur and Grim, and the two young healers Kialda and Rozalyn, led by the
whispers of the Void Walker, made their way to the theater district to retrieve
the cloak. This fragment of the Void Walker was kept magically by an
actress in a way that allowed it only to be detached from her if given
willingly. Given these circumstances, this team of adventures found
scripts and costumes and began interacting with the cloak-bearing
actress. With high drama and even higher nervousness, the travelers were
able to complete their acting and the script allowed the cloak to be given to Rozalyn. It was immediately spirit-bonded to her, and
the group left with haste before the original actress went much further into
another scene.
By the next day, the group of
adventurers had discovered a set of keys in the catacombs and knowledge of the
whereabouts of Emris Hughes’ original
laboratory. Despite some concern over the true nature of the Void Walker,
a team including Garathon, Lady Glorianna,
Ithica, Allura, Rozalyn, and Kialda went to heal
and free the creature. Hughes himself was found dead, a victim of the
plague and starved to death in his own laboratory.
The Void Walker was chained to a table, and Ithica
moved quickly to free it from its locks. Kialda
and Rozalyn returned its fragments to it, and the
being was once again awake and able to move. While still incredibly weak,
the Void Walker traveled back to the tavern with the team’s
assistance. Once there, it offered to destroy Luminus
with its great power, but Dame Darlassia said that
was not to be the fate of the city, however corrupt. As the whole group
of adventurers finished up their business fighting infected and concocting a
cure for the plague, the Void Walker was able to regain power and eventually
left this dimension using its own strength, the rift between dimensions that
its presence had kept open finally sealing once more.
It can be concluded that the
Void Walker, while linked to the Chaos Elementals and Red Madness plague, was
not the cause for the existence of either. It was theorized that the
presence of the Void Walker was only responsible for keeping the rift between
dimensions open, which drew the Chaos Elementals to Luminus
because of the chaotic nature of such a dimensional tear. The Chaos
Elementals then used their powers to control those infected with the plague,
possibly because the symptoms of the Red Madness led to much chaos and
intrigued these elementals. The plague itself was caused by the corrupted
scientists and scholars of Luminus who had
experimented too riskily into unknown power and sickness. (The Elf Aaeun received visions that revealed this
information.) The Void Walker, a being of utter neutrality, made only the
one offer for the adventurers to use its power in fair return for being helped,
and upon being of no further use it simply returned to its “home”
between dimensions.
Sir Eros Clearbrook Orders Adventurers to “Prepare for
War”
Sir Eros Clearbrook
was seen in the Black Stag Tavern recently, ordering adventurers to prepare for
civil war with the rest of the Kingdom, pending Duke Frost’s return from Cil Ciliron. Sheriff Holt
was seen informing the Magistrate, that under no circumstances will
he order his men, who have been holding the peace in Trelheim,
to kill fellow Icenians.
Eros was seen talking to
various adventurers and trying to explain that, in his eyes, Duches Jacelyn Corellia’s blood claim to the throne had no
legal bearing, and that Civil War was likely to occur if she takes the
throne. It was not made clear by the magistrate why Ashbury
would declare war in this event, though sources close to the
incident claim that Eros supports a bid to place Duke Frost on the throne.
Historically speaking,
the Barony of Blythedale has suffered heavily during previous Icenian Civil Wars, so it is not surprising that
immediately after Sir Eros’ announcement members of the
Announcing the Ducal
Tournament of 610
Citizens of Ashbury, I once
again have the honor of announcing and coordinating the Ashbury Ducal
Tournament of 610. As has been true in
past years, the tournament is open to all citizens of Ashbury, as well as any
visitors who may legally enter the duchy.
For those unfamiliar with the
tournament, detailed information can be found in the library at the
Team
Size: Every team must be composed of exactly six members. For most events only those six members may
participate, but a few events allow assistance from non-members.
Colors: There are
no changes to this event. Non-members
may participate, but teams will not be judged based on non-member participation
and all members must participate.
Archery: There is
only one slight change to this event.
Multiple teams will compete simultaneously in order to speed up the
event.
Combat: There are
slight changes to this event. Each team
may switch which three members are participating for each round. The changes are made without knowledge of
which members the opposing team will choose.
In addition, archery and thrown weapons are explicitly permitted.
Hero’s
Combat: There are no changes to this event, though multiple combats
may occur at the same time in order to speed up competition.
Spellcaster’s
Trivia: The format
for trivia has changed again. Full
details will be provided at the competition.
It is a team event and the entire team is encouraged to
participate. Trivia may include
historical events, news published by the Ashbury Times, academic knowledge
about various topics, or other esoteric information.
Entertainment: There are
no changes to this event. Non-members
may participate in entertainment, but judging will be based on member
participation. Teams will receive lower
places if every member does not participate.
Race: There are no changes to this event.
Hunt: There is
one slight change to this event. Teams
may only provide three answers for a specific hunt item before no longer being
permitted to provide any answers. At any
time teams may request to know how many attempts they have made. The hunt list will be posted in the tavern
Friday evening, but teams may not turn in answers until the hunt is officially
declared to have begun. As usual,
interfering with another team’s ability to obtain a hunt item is grounds
for disqualification and may result in criminal charges for anyone not
participating in the tournament.
Rules
for Combat and Hero’s Combat: These rules apply to both events. No armor may be worn. No magical weapons, strengthened weapons,
indestructible weapons, magical shields, strengthened shields, or
indestructible shields are permitted. No
magic, ritual effects, magic items, alchemy, potions, wands, or scrolls are
permitted. No killing blows are
permitted. To be perfectly clear, no
individual competing may be stored in a golem.
The tournament is an
opportunity for fun and entertainment, primarily at the expense of the
duchy. Please take advantage of this and
maintain the spirit of the tournament by showing good grace and good
sportsmanship at all times. At this
time, the schedule has not been finalized.
For those concerned about marshalling combat resources, additional army
details will be patrolling the area during the tournament, hopefully reducing
outside threats. In addition, as is
tradition, a Ducal Ball will be held the evening of the 11th, open
to all. My fiancé has more information
about it than I.
See you all soon.
In
Service to His Grace,
Seneschal
Trevor Donovan
Ducal Ball Returns to Ashbury
Let it be known throughout
the land that this years Ducal Ball, has the theme “Unity.”
Musicians have been hired, wine has been ordered and food will be plentiful for
the Ducal Ball.
We ask attendees to come
dressed with their finest and to come to bring hope, and joy and merriment for
a brief moment and respite from the war and the continuous battle of Good
versus Evil. Fellowship with your friends, old and new alike, and prepare to
welcome home our Duke, his Grace, Duke Sir Frost Vardik
of Ashbury.
It is my honor to help
coordinate the 3rd Ducal Ball during the Team Tournament for the Duchy of
Ashbury.
In
Service,
Lady
Knight Glorianna Wyndancer Nordenn
Regent
of Nordenn
Healer’s Guild Report
Last month there were several
people wishing to interview to join the Guild.
If you can, please see me on Friday night of the Tournament weekend, so
I can start the process for you.
I am sorry but I am terrible
with names, but to the female orc who was body guard
me last month: You saved my life and others over and over again. I am in debt
to you as well as many others. Oh, I also owe you money too.
For those who wish we have
cold extra fine chocolate, fudge, brownies, and fine wine for sale for a minor
amount of coin. We will have bagels with
butter for a minor amount of coin Saturday morning. Members will be half price.
I am sorry but only members can have the imported fine coffee.
And of course we have potions
and elixirs for sale at all times.
For those who need it, the
Guild will have needle and thread, safety pins, rope, and fancy dressy cording
of many colors, glues, and skinny ribbons in case you need to fix your clothing
for the Tournament or the Ball.
Friday night as always is
going to be a party night in the Guild. For a short while at midnight the doors
will close and then the party will resume.
Due to the up coming weekend being a Tournament weekend, the Guild
meeting will be on Friday night at 12 pm. I know people will be stressed for
time, so do not be late. Besides the fresh shrimp, imported cheeses, and fine
meats won’t last long.
During the Tournament
weekend, we will have cold wine available for the Storm Blades and for
Blythedale. This is our thank you for all of your contributions you made
through out the year. Thank you for paying me for my healing, as well as my
Guild members.
For those who wish, the Guild
will be open to members to work on the written hunt items. I will be neutral
through out the events in case it should be needed. This has been helpful in
the past.
It is with much regret that
due to too many potions being used, I will be insisting on payment up front. On
a similar note this applies to healing spells too. Many of our healers will be
asking for components for Life spells. I am sorry, but the healers need
financially to be able to socialize in the tavern too.
I am desperately looking for
a Divesture scroll and components. I am sad to say a member of ours has become
a symbol of shame to us. For this we must do a divest.
Due to the above situation, I will be cracking down on all members as to honor,
trust and following the code. This has angered me so I can no longer be as laid
back. My trust in compromise has been shattered and burned to a crisp. I am
sorry but this has hardened me. To me our guild code is now black and white. It
may be a long time before I will be sympathetic to pleas and promises. Sorry for the ranting from me, but it had to
be said for reasons I can not go into in this forum.
On a separate note should the
weekend turn cold at night please remember all trunks have blankets for you to borrow. Just fold them back up and make sure the lid is down
so mice keep out. The guild does not want anyone to ever go cold.
Also if it is hot out and you
are not sweating, throat feels dry, you have a headache, feel fuzzy headed, or
dizzy when you lean over, get water! You are dehydrated. If you do not have
coldish water handy get to a healer or the Guild as soon as possible! We keep a
big box of ice for just this purpose. We are here to help all in any way we
can. Well, not undead.
This is enough for now I hope
to see many of you at the ball.
Guild
head Zaterina N Norik
The Song of Fairanna
By
the Vir of Gul-Rasir
Fairanna!
Fairanna!
Beauty is in thy very name!
Thy very name is in my heart!
If I had to choose whether to breathe
or to love thee
I would use my last breath to tell thee
that I love thee.
When I first saw thee, thou took my
breath away.
When thou first talked to me, I could not think.
When thou touched me, shivers ran all through my body.
And when we first kissed, I floated away in my dreams.
Meeting thee was fate, becoming thine friend was a choice
but falling in love with thee was beyond my control.
I love my life because it gave me
thee
I love thee because thou are my life.
When thou feel alone,
just look at the spaces between thine fingers,
and remember that's where my fingers fit perfectly.
Yours is my favorite hello
And my most painful farewell.
But know this:
In life or death shall we never part.
A Little Birdie Told Me
By Sue D’Onym
Hello, dearies! Time for another installment of the News They Don’t Want You To Know!
What was that unearthly
screaming I heard in my dreams last month? Oh right, it was the gypsy, Luka, complaining
about being robbed and fed an Amnesia in the middle of a battle last month.
She’s new to adventuring, but she’s apparently wasted no time in
annoying some powerful people. Speaking of her, she was hanging around with Ren, the stone
elf from the Mages Guild who looks like someone julienned
her face. From what I heard, she was assigned Luka as
an apprentice! Either the Guildmaster has it in for
her, or he has a great sense of humor.
So, Dame Glorianna is tending to another
of the Duke’s balls (this is the third one, so it’s definitely
going to be good)! Keep an eye out, dearies, I hope to get plenty of good gossip about it!
That’s all for this
month! Not a lot, is it? That’s because you aren’t sending
me your gossip. You can’t blame me!
Anyway, as always,
remember: If you can’t say
something nice about someone, come sit by me.
Public Notices
RAFFLE! I will be holding a raffle on the weekend of the
Tournament. All proceeds will be going to the relief effort for those families
and towns that were hardest hit by the recent attacks caused by the plague. The Royal Mages
Guild and the Royal Healers Guild has donated items which shall be raffled off
and we have paid for some good items as well. How many will be raffled? That is up to you! The more
people who buy tickets, the more items we can place in the raffle. Tickets will
be a silver each. The more you buy, the greater your
chance of winning. And even the poorest can afford at least one ticket, which
could get you great treasure if you’re lucky!
Donations are also wanted. You can
contribute some potions or scrolls or armor or candy or whatever! Maybe you
might donate a song of the winner’s choosing, or a back massage, or
promise to repair someone’s armor for a weekend or something. Let me
know! - Sir Eros
THE BARDIC COLLEGE is proud to announce that a dance instructor will be visiting Ashbury shortly. The instructor is deaf and can’t read lips, so please be prepared to mime or otherwise make clear your requested dance. Dance instruction will be free.
“WILL THIS SHIELD WORK?” – Dice