Wiki Category: News & Rumors 272

The harvest season is in full swing across Mardrun. The areas that are not currently locked in battle with the Mordok have started building up their stores for the coming winter. Luckily Clan Goldenfield has had a bumper crop year and they’ve already begun to set aside excess grains and vegetables to be sent to Shattered Spear to make up for their lost harvests. As people mill through towns and villages, trying to get the most of the last few warmish weeks before things begin to wind down they bring with them News. And. Rumors!


The newest member of the Newhope Council, Duke Aailmyr, has been hard at work since he took up his new title. The Syndar District of Newhope has seen a great amount of activity in the recent months. It seems that the invention of Enchanting has caught the eye of many of the Syndar of Newhope as they see it as a way to help work toward restoring some of the cultural glory of their peoples on Faedrun. To this end Duke Aailymr put forth the capital to start a training program for young Syndar within the city who wish to take up this trade and help to bring back the delicate beauty of Syndar magic works. The pale blue arcane lamps that recently began to illuminate the Newhope Market District have been revealed to be the first of many projects that Aalimyr has planned to bring a kiss of Syndar culture to Newhope. Only time will tell how this young Duke will leave his fingerprints on Newhope.

Further news from Newhope! The Council has been hard at work building diplomatic ties with the strange Syndar from the Outlands. It seems that these efforts have begun to pay off. A small delegation of Northern Syndar have agreed to travel to Newhope and to develop a proper understanding of the people in the South. Duchess D’Argent sent a ship along the west coast of Mardrun and picked up the visitors from the outpost on the western side of The Outlands and brought them back to the docks of Newhope. The voyage went well and reports say that the seas were calm and that little more was seen than Ulven fishing boats off the coasts of Grimward territory. Newhope has pulled out all the stops and will spend the next few months attempting to ingratiate themselves to their new guests.

A chronicler has been working their way through Shattered Spear lands and recording the stories of any of the Ulven who were able to be saved from the grips of the strange madness that has been plaguing their lands. This scribe has begun detailing their findings in a book that they no doubt plan to sell, but some of the stories have escaped their grasp and found their way to the ears of eavesdroppers giving way to a series of rumors that have spread over the continent. The core truths that all of these rumors seem to hold is that the maddened Ulven all believed themselves to be fighting Mordok warriors at every turn when in reality they were fighting Ulven and Colonists the entire time. They also seemed to have believed the real Mordok to be nature spirits that had come from the forests to help them battle back the “massive Mordok army”. It is very common for these Ulven to pass out upon being cleansed and when they awake the last thing they remember is being surrounded by Mordok. Hopefully the assault on Silfurfal will see this bleak chapter in Shattered Spear history come to a close.

<Insert Framing Device Here> It’s News and Rumors, Baby!


Work crews have been spotted throughout the Merchant District in Newhope over the last couple months. They’ve been seen carrying crates and installing sconces and lanterns along the street ways, but for some reason none of these new light sources had been seen to produce any flames. People on the street asked the workers what they were up to and the most they were told is that the workers were on official Newhope business and that they were not yet at liberty to say. The days carried on until one night, just after dusk, in unison the lights slowly came to life. A clean, bluish glow blanketed the streets and chased away the shadows. Thanks to the recent discovery and adaptations of the new school of enchantment, for the first time since the fall of Tielorrien, arcane lights illuminated the streets of a major city. There is little doubt that this pilot project will lead to the expansion of enchanted lights across Newhope and perhaps further.

A Silver Celestine has been making rounds through villages all across Mardrun. He’s been preaching some words about the importance of Magic and the Old Ways and trying to draw interest in his talks about how the recent revelations of The Mana Stream and the Siphoning affect the very livelihoods and traditions of The Syndar people. He’s still a relative unknown at this point, but his public displays are sure to make him easy to track down for anyone who is interested to hear his words first hand.

Shattered Spear continues their counterpush against the Mordok forces! Things seem to be going relatively well at this point. Thanks to the aid of some stalwart allies, Shattered Spear continues to push the Mordok back toward The Swamp. The fighting remains consistent and the Mordok do not give ground easily, but nevertheless the warriors of Shattered Spear and their allies do not show signs of tiring yet. Some reports do come back from the front that tell of maddened Ulven attacking the Shattered Spear forces. It seems that most of them are able to be incapacitated and cleansed, but some are not so lucky and are forced to be put down by their own Clansmen. Additionally, some have sent word that they’ve recently seen one or two of the strange Blue-Clad, upright Mordok far behind the Mordok lines, giving commands and coordinating troops. What this means for the future no one can be sure yet, but in recent history these Blue-Clad Mordok’s presence has proven to increase the resolve and tactical-mindedness of the Mordok hordes. 

The sun beats down and warms the continent under its gaze and in these hot months people take refuge in taverns and under shady trees and in these meeting places there is the ever present spread of News and Rumors

News comes from Newhope territories. The serial killer that had plagued the villages of the City-state Territory off and on over the last couple years has been finally captured. She was found in a run down shack and taken alive into custody by a team of volunteers working alongside the Newhope Guard. Rumors hold that there were two individuals, unaffiliated with the guard, who were integral to the investigation. Supposedly Newhope plans to commemorate them during the upcoming Market Faire in Key’s Crossing.

Tragedy strikes! Nestled into the craggy mountains of The Great Wolf’s Hackles stands a burgeoning settlement, well at least until very recently. A young organization by the name of FATE had been in the process of establishing a settlement they called Fort Dreadwyrm near the pass that leads through The Great Wolf’s Hackles. They were in the process of building up their fortifications, but before they were able to have any form of martial ability, a raid came for them. The survivors tell stories of how the raiders, apparently all Ulven, struck with incredible speed and brutality. Before they were even aware of their presence, people were already dying. Those who survived fled into the hills and mountains as their homes and livelihoods burned behind them. In the end Fort Dreadwyrm was burned completely to ashes and a good deal of their citizens fell under the blade and ax of their uninvited guests. Only time will tell if FATE is able to rally themselves and rebuild or if they will fall under the weight of their circumstances.

Rumors continue to swirl around the undead plagued island to the Northeast of Clan Whiteoak. Though Whiteoak, Axehound, and Prince Aylin have agreed that the island should be quarantined until a plan is in place. Unfortunately the increased Mordok activity has drawn a lot of attention away from this project as Axehound and Whiteoak have to turn their attention back to The Shield. People have been saying that they’ve seen soldiers from Aylin’s Reach marching toward the eastern portions of The Shield, no doubt in an effort to aid their Ulven allies. Most people seem to be under the impression that Aylin is hoping to help repel this onslaught as quickly as possible so that focus can be retrained onto the island and the promise it holds.

Robins sing their songs and flowers begin to poke up from the ground. The planting season is well underway and News and Rumors fall across the landscape like a chilled spring rain.

Reports continue to come from Clan Shattered Spear regarding the strange happenings at their remote village. The Clan has diverted some of their people who were aiding in the resettlement of Riverhead Lands and have established a formal forward camp to try to reach out to the villagers and settle the bizarre matter peacefully. This choice will delay the resettlement efforts, but Riverhead understands the need to attend to these bizarre circumstances. Luckily the efforts put forward in March to cleanse the area of ambient corruption eased the logistics of setting up the forward camp and allowed Shattered Spear to more quickly turn their attention toward the village. Unfortunately, at this time it seems that Shattered Spear has not yet been able to reach the villagers in any meaningful way. Some reports come back that the villagers have begun to barricade all the entrances in an attempt to wait out the Shattered Spear Forces. Sometime through the middle of the month a hawk arrived in Shattered Spear Village from the remote villagers. It requested aid to come and help defend their village against a Mordok siege and boasted the resolve of the villagers and sang their own praises of the great number of Mordok that they have defeated and driven back.

Rumors begin to swirl through the streets of Newhope following last month’s proclamation of a new Councilor. Though no official word has been given yet, it is not long before people are able to piece together rumors and it’s fairly clear that the new council member will be a Serous Syndar named Aailmyr. Over the last few years Aailmyr has become an increasingly noteworthy lower noble in the Syndar community around the City of Newhope. He is well regarded by the Syndar populace and has proven himself time and time again to be a strong advocate for the needs of the people of all races living in his district as well as the Syndar people as a whole. With City-State research being unloaded from the council and placed on Ravens University, the open seat on the council will have the ability to focus far more on the growth of culture and the continued success of the city itself. An official proclamation is expected soon.

Murmurs swirl around the docks of Aylin’s Reach. Word has come down from on high that Aylin is ready to move forward with settling and setting up a harbor on one of the larger uninhabited islands to the North East of Clan Whiteoak. This land will drastically increase the overall size of Aylin’s Reach and bolster their access to raw resources as well as create an area that could serve as a hub and harbor for ships traveling in the North East Sea of Mardrun and could act as a supply-stop for excursions into the swamp from it’s eastern shores. Prospective settlers vibrate with excitement over this upcoming new venture.

Ice thaws and the continent begins to spring back to life. Throughout the land, people leave their homes and local taverns and the flow of news spreads like wildfire. It seems that the people of Mardun made great plans during the cold months and they are now ready to put them publicly in motion.

Clan Shattered Spear released a proclamation regarding the lands of the former Clan Riverhead. Some years ago before the creation of the outposts that make up The Shield of Mardrun, a large warband of Mordok swept into Riverhead lands and decimated their populace. In the end Riverhead was unable to maintain its clan and was restructured as Pack Riverhead and taken in by their neighbor Clan Shattered Spear. Now years later, Pack Riverhead feels that it is time to try to return to their ancestral homelands. They know that they do not have the numbers or strength to maintain a Clan of their own, but Shattered Spear has seen the benefits of returning these Ulven to their home. Clan Riverhead will be reconstituted as a vassal state of Clan Shattered Spear. Shattered Spear will aid in the clearing and resettling of their lands and in return Riverhead will exist as a sub-Clan under their banners and protection much in the way The Watchwolves of Luna exist as a protectorate of Clan Grimward. The process will take some time, but the Ulven of Riverhead are excited to return home, even if it is as vassals to their once neighbor Clan.

The Council of Newhope has released a proclamation as well.

“To the People of Newhope,
We of the Council feel that it is in the best interest of the people that we remain open and truthful with all of the citzens of Newhope. We have heard the discontent in the voices of the Syndar citizens of Newhope and we understand that it may feel that in the loss of Celestial Arragones that the Syndar have lost their voice on the Council. We want you all to know that this is not true. It was never the intention of The Council to remove the voice of any people and as soon as we had sentenced Celestial Arragones, we began the process of promoting a new Syndar voice to the council. We tell you this now because our process is nearing completion. We have selected the final candidate and, should they agree to the terms and responsibilities of service, over the course of this next month we will be finalizing the procedures and will be officially promoting a fresh, new Syndar voice to The Council of Newhope. We remain hopeful and excited as we look toward the bright future of our collective people.
The Newhope Council”

Bad news spreads from a small village in Clan Goldenfield. Gudrun Whiteoak, the Daughter of Gaia that had gone missing on her way to the Daughter’s Summit in January was found dead not twenty paces from a major roadway. It seems the falling snow had kept her body hidden until the thaw came and melted away her icy funerary trappings. Gudrun was found with no marks of struggle on her body and was taken away to a local surgeon so they could try to uncover what caused her death. The surgeon found traces of poison in her veins and turned her over immediately to a local Daughter of Gaia to purify her body before it would be returned to Whiteoak to be burned. The Daughter of Gaia found something even more alarming when she came to cleanse the body. From what she was able to tell, Gudrun had been hollowed and it appears to have happened before she died. Clan Whiteoak has sent a group of investigators to Clan Goldenfield in an attempt to uncover the perpetrators of this heinous crime. Naturally Clan Goldenfield has pledged to help Whiteoak find those responsible.

Winter may cool the continent, but nothing can cool the spread of News and Rumors!

***

The meadhalls of Clan Shattered Spear have been filled with raucous laughter as stories pass from village to village. Skalds and rumor mongers have spread the song and story far and wide of a newly minted legend among the Ulven people, an otherwise unknown mysterious figure known only as ‘Haldar One-Finger’, named for the incredible tale of how he held an enemy army at bay with a single finger. The story has collected increasingly outlandish vignettes and happenings, but the core remains the same as it travels through the continent. The story goes that Haldar was a raider, a profession of mixed repute, but one bathed in romanticism. On a raid Haldar found himself standing watch over a road with not but two fellow warriors by his side when a squad of fighters marched toward him. Haldar and his comrades stood stalwart on the road knowing that the pride of an Ulven was in their ability to stand against all odds and not waiver. The massive enemy army sent a speaker to the front in an futile attempt at diplomacy. “Where is your honor!?” the speaker called and Haldar answered not with words, but with the raising of a single finger; A single middle finger. The army, in sheer awe of the unquestionable power of Haldar, froze in place, turned on their heels, and marched back to their walled outpost. And so goes the story of Haldar One-Finger.

In the more densely populated areas around the central village of Clan Nightriver a meeting has taken place among some of the highly respected Daughters of Gaia from the various Clans. Grimward and Ironmound did not field any representatives. The Daughters of Nightriver called this summit with their sisters from around the continent to discuss what they see as a problematic growing trend. It seems word has spread of some of the more rural Ulven people returning to ancient rites of Land Wight devotionals and this word has reached the ears of The Daughters of Gaia. As the spiritual heart of the Ulven people, the Daughters of Gaia have grown concerned that these “Wight Worshipers” as they have taken to calling them, are abandoning their true Gods in favor of lesser spirits. The meeting goes on for days and though the general consensus seems to be that this worship of lesser spirits should be stymied, the Daughters don’t seem to come to a conclusion on how to move forward with doing so at this time.

After the Daughter’s summit in Nightriver rumors start to spread far and wide about the disappearance of Gudrun Whiteoak, a well beloved Daughter of Gaia from Clan Whiteoak. She never made her appearance at the Daughter’s summit, but many report that she’d spoken at length about her travel plans in the preceding days and that she’d left Whiteoak lands with more than enough time to arrive well ahead of the summit proceedings. Even as the month comes to a close, no one has reported seeing Gudrun.