EFUM Gossip, Major Events, and Rumors (IC Knowledge)

[Jayde Moon]

The First of Mirtul was a day of change as Lord-Mayor Zoe Lisette made public her Citizen Reforms, to the satisfaction of many of the local villagers of Mistlocke, but the outrage of those who had not yet had a chance to be recognized as citizens.

However, the news did little to soften the blow as the Lord-Mayor later returned from a trip to Sis Liman with a large contingent of Mercenaries in tow.  Whispers quickly spread through the village that amongst them walked a sort of grotesque fish monster... indeed more than one!  Sahuagin, more knowledgeable folks reported.

Though the fish monsters quickly disappeared from sight, their presence lingered as Lord-Mayor Lisette presented the members of the Shrouded Legion to the village at large.  Announcing that they would be taking on the role of the Muster brought confusion and disbelief amongst many, not the least being the Muster themselves.

The Legionnaires displayed a disciplined front to the village as they stood stoically while Lisette made her announcement.  Afterwards they all but disappeared into the Last Keep, presumably to hash out the details of their duties.  It wasn't long until Legionnaires began their rounds in addition to, but not alongside, the Muster.

As if this were not enough, it was later announced that the Interrogator, Vladimir Khavenko, was exiled from the town and its environs for disturbance of the peace and suspicion of treason.  Whispers circulate that he attempted some plot of his own with the Conclave while others speculate it is simply the Lord Mayor removing a potential obstacle in a quest for power that will not end with the Lord-Mayor's seat.

The days to come make no promise of boredom, of this everyone is certain.

[Jayde Moon]

It did not take long for disaster to strike in the wake of the appointment of the Legionnaires.

On the Fifth day of Mirtul, the Lord-Mayor ushered in Caliphar Hydarem Leyph upon the stage in the square where she announced a diplomatic treaty between Mistlocke and the Transcendent Conclave.  In it, she pledged Mistlocke's aid in upholding the Conclave's crusade against 'renegade' mages, provided they met the criteria outlined in the Treaty.

In return the Conclave promised not to hunt mages not recognized by those definitions, at least not while those mages stayed in Mistlocke Territories.

Some lauded the treaty as a diplomatic coup, noting the reasonable compromise that did not seem so onerous to adhere to, but in general the idea that Mistlocke would bend to the Conclave on the topic of renegades at all rankled with more, especially amongst those with any arcane talent.  The Footmen Giovani Montigi and Mavell Smogson accused the Lord-Mayor of selling out to the Conclave and leading Mistlocke on a path to damnation.

In moments, things went further awry for the Lord-Mayor, as the aforementioned Footmen were returning to the Priory and came upon a band of Sahuagin standing over one of their recently murdered comrades.  The Footmen immediately attacked the Sahuagin band, cursing the Lord-Mayor who had brought them to the town, when more Sahugain began to ascend the cliffs up from the River Tear.

It was the beginning of an all out assault.  The Ordermen held at the Priory, but suffered losses.  Meanwhile, the Town rallied at the bridge to hold off the Sahuagin that were assaulting there.  The Lord-Mayor stood at the front and the men of the Shrouded Legion took little time realizing that they were betrayed and then joined against the mutinous sharkmen.

After the battle, the angry Ordermen sat at odds with the Lord-Mayor, her remaining Mustermen, and the Legion.  Harsh words were spoken, with the Footmen demanding the Lord-Mayor stand trial for bringing the Sahuagin to the village.  As they became more heated, it came to blows, though no further casualties resulted.  The Ordermen retreated to the Priory while the Lord-Mayor returned to the Last Keep to puzzle out her next move forward.

The town slept uneasily that night, fearful of the river and what lay hidden in its dark waters.  Mustermen and Legionnaires alike watched carefully for any signs of the marauding Sahuagin.  They could not shake the feeling that this was not the last of it.

[Howlando]

An event of staggering significance has rocked the realms.

A Red Star burns over Ymph, and it's said that Mystra is somehow slain and the Weave deeply damaged. Magic is banned in Mistlocke, and many speak of the terrible and unpredictable consequences of casting the simplest cantrip or using a simple potion.

It's believed the Transcendent Conclave is responsible, and the ruins of their Enclave is spread across in fiery ruin across the dry plains. Yet the full details of just what has happened is not yet fully known or understood....

[Howlando]

It is said that the Emperor of the Conclave was found in the sands shortly after the obliteration of his Conclave. Yet Razul, or Tezzeret, or whoever he might be seemed barely capable of speaking, certainly not of using his magic, or able to reveal much of anything. It is said the boy-oracle only wept, and stared at his hand as if it had betrayed him.

Taken under conditions of secrecy to some hidden cell, the youth was eventually executed by Lord Mayor Zoe Lisette after a brief riot in the Town Square incited by Mavell Smogson of House Aberdenn. Razul's body was presented, headless, to the town and then burned.

... piled high atop other tragedies are reports of mothers abruptly giving birth to stillborn children on the occasion of the coming of the Red Star. Supposedly these stillbirths occurred in Old Port also, and perhaps beyond?

As for the Wild Magic, the surges seem to ebb and flow... occasionally stabilizing. Yet at unknown times they return in full force, and - once more - Magic is uncontrollable.

[SanTelmo]

The peace of night was suddenly breached by a large undead force closing on Mistlocke from the Freshwater Springs. It was said to be led by Sheverra Almakian, a priest of some foul god and two other men in her service. Although villagers ran in panic after the toll booth was rammed down, the adventurers and Muster reacted swiftly to the intrusion and chased Shevarra and her minions back into the woods. The undead force was destroyed and the culprits brought to the cells.

Rumours say Almakian never emerged from the cells for execution and few even whisper she might still be lurking somewhere as the earlier attempt to end her life did not stop her from bothering the village. Another of the two men was promptly executed in the village square but stories regarding the other mans destiny are sporadic at best.

[Jayde Moon]

On the 4th of Kythorn, it was Legionnaire Gynauld Broland and former Caermyn Associate Reilly Berwyn who managed to bring the self-proclaimed Warden of the Commonwealth Lester Creevy into the cells of the Last Keep.  Satisfying the call by the Lord-Mayor to bring him in for his various alleged crimes against Mistlocke, the act sparked a series of violent actions between Mistlocke peacekeepers and Old Stone loyalists.

Several Mistlocke citizens were captured and held hostage by residents of Old Stones in a bid to secure an exchange of Creevy and his own associate captured alongside him.  The Lord-Mayor was unwilling to bargain with Creevy and instead brought him to the square where she pronounced his crimes and his sentence before carrying out the execution herself.

Though Creevy's associate was released to return to the Old Stones, the hostages held were still endangered and a rescue attempt was amounted to free them.  When the dust had settled, Old Stones had lost a few more of its protectors, including a previously unknown wereboar, and one hostage was ultimately reported killed.

Reactions are mixed as many villagers applaud the Lord-Mayor for seeing a dangerous criminal put to rest while others wonder about the true meaning behind her steadfast determination to remove her rival and her detractors cling to Creevy's words that he was innocent and it was the Lord-Mayor who had Emily Jacobson killed and now she continues to remove other potential threats to her power.

More legitimate are the concerns that this will push the Old Stones a step closer to outright revolt and uprising and many watch the crumbling ruins with suspicious eyes.

[Talir]

8th of Kythorn, 1382 DR

Rumours spread around the village of a pair of Velsharoonite cultists having been brought to Voltaire in the Hollows by the Ill Companions, there to be executed for their misdeeds. It's said that they were behind the attack of the undead upon Muskroot's Tower the same day, when spirits struck the party bringing the cultists in. While the majority shrug and carry on their work, a few wonder why it was the Companions who managed to bring in the necromancers and why they avoided the legal system of Mistlocke altogether to see justice done.

At the break of night, a small bundle of loaves, butter and venison has been left in the vicinity of the Tower of Gods for the Ill Companions, with the simple note of "Thank you".

[Jayde Moon]

The 9th of Kythorn will be a day remembered by many in Mistlocke as the day that proved the Maiden was not untouchable in her Tower... or perhaps the day Mistlocke commanded the entirety of her malevolent ire.

Going mostly unnoticed by the general populace of the village, 'Overseer' Axirios Hectaxius, long considered a curiosity amongst the villagers for his odd mannerisms and eccentric behavior, gathered together a small contingent of Legionnaires and adventurers upon some personal task in the Desert.  Accompanied by the Lord-Mayor herself, they set forth with little fanfare, another mundane excursion in a never-ending string of excursions.

Several hours later, the astonishing news came to Mistlocke: the quest had unearthed a great mechanical construct hellbent on the destruction of the Maiden.  Reactions varied as many shuttered their windows and bolted their doors, expecting the worst, while others grabbed arms and armor to set out and do battle alongside this rumored siege engine of awesome destruction.

What exactly occured in the Withered Lands is the source of much speculation, hearsay, and exaggeration, but the event was felt even as far as Mistlocke. Tremors rumbled through the lands and screams echoed through the winds.  What is known for certain is that after the air stilled, the adventurers soon returned, exhausted and withered, with the Mist coiling about them.

The official story is that the Overseer somehow assumed the mantle of a grand Metal Golem and hurled himself against the Maiden's forces.  Cutting a swath of destruction directly to her Tower, there it is said that the Maiden herself was forced to intervene directly to stay the mighty construct, that even the Agony alone was no match for what Axirios had become.  One hin in Caermyn colors jubilantly boasted that he had nicked the Fellwitch with an arrow from his bow.

Detractors wonder at what cost.  To merely blacken the metaphoric eye of the Maiden is certain to bring terrible retribution, something the Lord-Mayor should be the first to understand, many exclaim with irony.  They say that it proves nothing more than that the most extreme and powerful of methods can only serve as the most minor annoyance to the Lich who has seen the passage of many millennia... that there is no hope...

The Withering grows, the King is still lost, and magic has gone awry.  What more can be endured?

Still others shout them down.  Without hope there is little left to do but to lay down and die, and the urge to fight and strike back remains in many.  Though the juggernaut had ultimately fallen, the Lord-Mayor and numerous supporters insist that this was ultimately proof that the Maiden was not invincible, that victory was possible and within reach.

Huddled together in the relative safety of the Mist, however, all agree that the future is uncertain and the that tribulations of Ymph are far from over...

[Gippy]

News sweeps the village that an Ill Companion, Awasaki, murdered the Master Merchant. The Caermyn were quick to decry the action and place a 10,000 gold bounty on the man's head. Grim faced and withered, several Ill Companions are seen collecting the bounty some hours later.

[ShadowCharlatan]

Where yesterday the Priory of the Numinous Order stood, today - Kythorn 21st - there lay in its place a blackened, rubble strewn clearing.

Earlier in the day, a column of black-clad men from the Numinous Order arrived from Castle Blackhearth, headed by Castellan Marcellus von Thalburg. In short order it is said an audience was arranged between the Order and the Mayor. What occurred in this meeting is the subject of much speculation, despite the Lord-Mayor personally recounting the events, claiming that the Order made a series of demands and committed various petty acts against her government.

Many are disgusted, or simply stunned by the outcome of the Lord-Mayor's diplomacy  with the Order. Three men in black were said to have been chased out of  the Last Keep by Legionaires, and indeed - many point to the Shrouded  Legion and the Lord-Mayor's rumoured betrayal of a pre-election deal with the Order as the  beginnings of the troubles the village now faces. Rumour goes that the men were chased back to a fortified Order Priory, and a battle broke out between the Order and the Shrouded Legion - led by the Mayor herself. The Order were said to have retreated back into their Priory, and they never emerged, even as flames engulfed it and masonry collapsed. Stories of what happened inside vary. Some say the Ordermen simply perished inside. Others that they escaped through some secret tunnel, or other means.

Some, especially the Aberdenn, native villagers, and those holding to the Order's religion, doubt the Lord-Mayor's description of events. Especially as, following this speech, she ordered through Overseer Mortimer Douglas that the Order's religion was to be censured. Some suspect the Lord-Mayor to have a personal hatred toward the black clad Order and their strange, heretical religion. Others blame the Overseer's influence.

The censure was short lived, however. Some of the followers of the Order's religion, a sizeable number of villagers, became disgruntled. After violence, defiant debate and proselytising, and various unruly acts broke out in the village, Overseer Havoros Khaver, to wide acclaim, wound back the act and ended the disorder.

Chaos and division, ever rife in the small village, seem likely only to consume the village even more with the destruction of the Order's Priory. The mists act queer, the people are discontent, and politicians-to-be bleat of a naive unity as ever the candidates do.

Throughout the village, almost overnight, men and women have  gained the confidence to decry the Order and their followers as despicable heretics, where before they  were silent.

The Aberdenn, unsurprisingly, can be heard over their whiskey blaming the chaotic rule of the Caermyn for the village's woes. They mention, too, a recent assassination attempt on Owain Aberdenn, and speak in high anger of the likely presence of Rubies or comitals among the many foreigners Zoe has ushered in during her term.

The Caermyn seem broadly uncomfortable with events, though not so uncomfortable to stop themselves from picking clean the carcass of the Priory of valuables soon after its destruction. Curiously, they say... they have not yet found any corpses within.

[ShadowCharlatan]

Kythorn 23rd, 1382 DR

Pillars of smoke rose from the Forlorn Underwood today, at an attempt by unknown vandals to burn the small gardens and orchards protected by the Clan Aberdenn. Though only a small amount of damage was done before the fires were put out, it is said that written warnings were found at these scenes from wildlings.

A set of tracks was seen leading into the mists, and pursuit was given, but no one was ever found responsible for the foul act. The village sleeps uneasy, and the Aberdenn can be seen tending to remaining, undamaged crops, fixing gates and locks to fenced plots, and sending more patrols to see them safe...

[Talir]

25th of Kythorn, 1382 DR

A camp has been put up near one of the farms west of Mistlocke, filled with the withered refugees of the Ill Companions. With the nearly hundred people settling there, the Stonehand's Scar and immediate surroundings' wildlife is diminishing as the new settlers take responsibility for getting their own food.

[ShadowCharlatan]

Kythorn 30th, 1382 DR

The Clan Caermyn, already damaged by some of the challenges it has brought to the village, takes another blow this day. The village of Mistlocke is in shock after a murder, or some say attempted murder, committed by the Caermyn associate and Master Merchant Vitorrio Ambrosi. After a series of chaotic events, it is said the man escaped from imprisonment in the Last Keep and lurks somewhere in the village yet, promising vengeance upon those who slighted him in the events of the day.

It is but another wound to add to the troubles, mercenaries and rabble brought in by the Caermyn just this term, and a weariness of their political dominance in which so much similar has gone on. Some begin to bemoan merchant licenses and how they advantage the Caermyn as the election begins. Others, of course, are more positive about the Caermyn touch... and warn against any concession to the bully Gadyw Aberdenn and his "Aberdenn thugs and dogs".

Meanwhile, rumours from the foragers and hunters of Mistlocke slowly come in that a fearsome minotaur has begun to wander through the forests... staking its claim in the deeper and stranger woods, and coming out to devour the village's food as its own property. The activity of the Bannersmen of Clan Aberdenn increases in response... but efforts at tracking, so far, are said to have eluded the natural sense of the beast...

[ShadowCharlatan]

Second of Flamerule, 1382 DR

Today, Mistlocke... is misty.

Yesterday it was the Aberdenn's turn to take a blow. The distillery underneath the market hall was victim to a fire, which some say was deliberately lit by Ulysses Smogson and an unknown accomplice. Smogson was detained and trialled by Overseer Havoros Khaver, but the resulting punishment: a fine, and service to Gordon Macnab - has brought no satisfaction to the Clan Aberdenn. And its Bannersmen have taken to rationing their whiskey...

The Aberdenn, wearied from hunting the minotaur that has devastated the woods of late, are increasingly disgruntled by the recent string of assaults upon their holdings. Their eyes, naturally, have turned in a dreadful quiet toward the Clan Caermyn. With their candidate for the election at best faltering to a solid good try, their Bannersmen are forlorn and the village people loyal to them sigh and weep for what comes.

The people of Mistlocke watch the days, waiting for the next Lord-Mayor to come and lead them to a new village or an old. The election proceeds, fliers all over, with the Caermyn sitting comfortably in a town run on coin, the Aberdenn diminished, the Muster broken and subjugated by mercenaries, the apathetic loners and outcasts of Old Stones locked up in the dark, the Argenti and the Ill Companions squatting in the outskirts, the shattered cradle of Mystryl - the Transcendent Conclave's ruins - still mostly buried and untouched in the sands, the Order banished to their duty in their Castle, the Watchers rumoured to be pursuing some improbable quest or another, the Maiden's forces still warring with tribes in the mountains and her plants creeping steadily over the deserts... and all the while, a cold Mist rests gentle over the village.

[ShadowCharlatan]

Third of Flamerule, 1382 DR

The Clan Aberdenn are in higher spirits today, following the death of the minotaur 'Nogo' that had claimed the woods and devastated caravans and lone wanderers therein. Their first candidate for Lord-Mayor, Arnold Howardson, stepped down to make way for the veteran Armsman Cameron Falltower - the so-called "Bullbreaker" who ended the minotaur's rampage. The village heeds the development, but many agree that beyond the exhileration and celebration of the triumphant day, the Aberdenn have yet only grasped a fighting chance. All eyes are on the campaigns of the candidates.

Meanwhile, the Caermyn are rumoured to have received a number of unusual shipments at Sis Liman... the contents of which have remained in the port. Some report them to be mundane tools and the like... other reports are wilder, and more sinister. Rumours vary as to what they are up to: some say they are letting go of the Mayoral Seat this term and readying to scour the scattered remains of the Transcendent Conclave, others disagree - suggesting that they are setting out to aid the Ill Companions build up their camp to garner their near hundred potential votes for the election. Regardless, most agree that the crows are preparing for large scale operations of some kind...