Thanks to the tireless efforts of several allied forces, the land bridge connecting Newhope to Stormjarl has been successfully fortified enough to reliably send supplies and troops through for the past month. With the continued efforts of the Einherjar, The Order of Starkhaven, Clan Stormjarl, and Clan Nightriver, the City-State of Newhope hopes to be able to maintain this strategic position long enough to build defenses along the new border, solidifying their claim to the taken Grimward territory.
After several months of Nightriver troops watching small groups of Spiritclaw delegates coming and going from Grimward territory, its been very notable that almost no delegates have entered the territory in more recent months. It was assumed by many that the delegation parties must be finished, and Spiritclaw must have whatever knowledge they sought out from Grimward and Stonetooth. However, early this month a small group of Spiritclaw delegates were seen leaving Grimward territory in quite the rush, heading squarely in the direction of their own territory. Their tight lips raised the hackles of many who witnessed them rushing out, and paired with the rumors of other neutral clans holding meetings between each other, many suspect to be hearing news out of Spiritclaw very soon. The greatest unknown, however, is what kind of news were waiting for.
Duke Joakim Ventrini’s trial has been postponed, but once again the City-State of Newhope is tight-lipped on the reason why. With constant City-State guard posted at the Duke’s estate, and the lack of investigators coming and going from the area, speculation has begun to arise at the legitimacy of the investigation. What reason could Newhope have for postponing such a high profile trial? Perhaps Council member colleagues of the Duke have stepped in to his defense, or Duchess Tricuspus’s investigation wasn’t as air-tight as one would expect from such a public and dramatic display as the Duke’s arrest. Whatever the reason may be, it can be expected that the Duke’s legal council will not stand for him to be held for long without a fair trial.
Clan Ironmound’s letter proclaiming themselves to be switching sides in the war shocked the continent, but it seems none more so than Grimward and Stonetooth. Just as the warleader claimed in his letter, Ironmound issued their formal warning to their new enemies and allowed them the final weeks of the month to see their exits from Ironmound territory. Unfortunately, and yet following the pattern of behavior from Clan Stonetooth, this honorable warning was met with steel as the final parting warpacks chose to start the fight early against their former-allies. It seems the fires that forged the Ironward Alliance were destined to be quenched in blood after all.