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

[Howlando]

Through the course of an evening in which Mistlocke was saturated with angry, red mists and the disquieting sounds of distant rumbles.... it is said a group of Wyrm Watchers and their allies set off with solemn purpose.

Some remark that the Horn of the Sleeper, sought by Muskroot and presumably many others, must - at last - have been found.

It was near the witching hour when the Sound of a Great Horn sounded, soft at first, but rising in volume, until all the Island was overwhelmed with its rumble.

And then, later, a brief shadow across the stars above.... as if a mighty beast had taken wing and circled once, twice, thrice above Mistlocke.

For days now, voices from the Mist have so insistently claimed that 'Abanaxra must awaken'.... and now many believe that perhaps it has been done. Yet if so, shall the Wyrm be friend - or foe?

[Howlando]

::[ Nightal 12th : Year 160 : 1382 DR ]::

Mistlocke was overwhelmed with angry, howling Mists..... there was then a desperate sending from the Muskroot himself announcing terrible thieves having stolen something of import, fleeing from his Tower.

Then, confused rumors report, there was some kind of massive melee in the Crossroads, and the arrival of a horrible winged beast of Bone in the company of the Nightriser Legionaire Nasira Al-Hamdani and her allies. The wild Scrave (clasping something enormous) is said to have leaped upon the back of the Bone Wyrm, along with an enraged chasing Tiger, whereupon the Bonewyrm flew off towards the West. As for what follows, few seem to know....

There is a sense of intense and palpable sorrow within the mists of Mistlocke....

[Howlando]

As the sun set on the 14th of Nightal in the year 1382 Dale Reckoning, the events that would see the Mist-covered Isle of Ymph historically changed began to unfold. Adventurers of every type gathered outside Muskroot’s Tower on the edge of Mistlocke, having come to answer the hedge-wizard’s call-to-arms made in the preceding days.

For the theft of some sort of egg in his care, Muskroot had deemed that there would be a raid of vengeance against Imperator Warden Sanq and his Nightriser Legions. Battle plans were quickly drawn and the adventurers divided for a four-pronged attack upon the Netherese Colony.

Said to be aided and guided by the Mists itself, the adventurers began their march from Mistlocke and surrounded the Colony. Upon the signal of some roaring creature flying through the night sky, blades and magic finally crossed upon the battlefield.

The night was long. Long and one of spilled blood and shattered bone. Four separate groups attacked the Gates, the Barrows, the Underwater passages, and a raid upon Murdertown itself.

But as the night waned, the Nightrisers were pushed back. It’s said that the adventurers of Mistlocke confronted the Warden of Nebezzdos himself upon the peak of the ziggurat. At the moment of the Warden's triumph, the powers of the mythallar that warded him so seemed to abruptly vanish as if the mythallar had suddenly stopped working. It was then that some claim a beast of Mist swooped from the dawn sky, took the millenia old Warden high aloft, and devoured him. With the Warden seemingly destroyed, it is whispered that the Beast circled above and then attacked the Ziggurat itself, smashing the top of it to pieces, and then disappearing below into a pool of darkness while Nebezzdos quaked and the Ziggurat collapsed upon itself.

Regardless of what the truth may be, the light of the sun that rose on the 15th of Nightal marked one of the greatest changes in Ymphian history. Nebezzdos lies wrecked and shambled, the Nightrisen destroyed or driven into the darkest pits of the ruins, the Cyricist hell-hole of Murdertown razed and destroyed, the ziggurat shattered and turned into a pile of debris.

One of the last remnants of the ancient Netherese Empire lies in ruins. The mythallar that brought new and unsuspecting people to the isle of Ymph is either destroyed or gone. Though the adventurers returning to Mistlocke are quick to celebrate, there are those who suspect--and worry--that the satisfaction of such a victory will not long remain in cursed Ymph.

[Howlando]

::[ Nightal 17th : Year 160 : 1382 DR ]::

Once more the angry, hungry Mists came to Mistlocke... once more the Old Muskroot called for Lottery. After some delay, the villager-forager known as Rathbone was elected to serve as Champion of Mistlocke and so went forth to do his duty, and did not return....

[Dash]

::[ Nightal 24th : Year 160 : 1382 DR ]::

The Prince of Thopsee Shee, with the gorgeously dressed Warlord Gadyw Aberdenn in toe, rode forth on a brilliant stallion to greet his fair subjects. An announcement of glorious games to be undertaken. The prize: A single favor from the Prince of Thopsee Shee himself! Anything imaginable! The denizens of Ymph quickly gathered to take part in the Fey Prince's infamous Games and risk it all for the glorious prize.

What took place was a glorious melee! Whisked to a twisted and wild "Alternate Mistlocke," our brave champions battled each other through nefarious traps, exploding barrels, electrified pillars and even the dreaded and infamous "Meat Shack." Various reports of sightings of the deceased Lord Captian Ronald "Bullbreaker" Fyrth spread like wildfire amidst gruesome tales of brother turning on brother to claim the coveted prize.

In the end, it was the Wyvern Akreaya who emerged victorious. To chants of "Old Ways!" and "Wyvern!" the miniature warrior espoused a desire to see the wonderful town of Mistlocke rebuilt! And so the generous and wise ruler of Mistlocke, The Prince of Thopsee Shee, has declared it will be so! Mistlocke rebuilt! It's new construction to be dedicated to the long-time ally and friend, Akreaya Wyvern, as a reminder of the bravery and strength of the Wyvern and the Old Ways.

[SanTelmo]

::[ Nightal 26th : Year 160 : 1382 DR ]::

A word quickly spreads around the Mistlocke that a large amount of men belonging to the Numinous Order arrived to the Lake of Mist. It is told some of them had returned from a pilgrimage, carrying dozens of ancient remains, claimed to have been once Bretheren of the Order Numinous. Even the rarely seen Grand Master arrived to watch the burial ceremony in silence.

Priest of the Order, Tybalt Merrek was granted the honour to sanctify the remains before their last journey into the Lake. A rumour tells that during the ceremony, the mist whispered wildly to everyone's ear and wrapped those present into its embrace. Although the ceremony ended peacefully, the few men of the Order that were seen in the village afterwards did not seem very relieved of having seen their brothers to the rest. Rather, many of them were wearing worried visages on their battle-hardened faces.

[ShadowCharlatan]

Curious happenings, of late...

A thick gathering of mists, mistaken as a village Lottery to begin with, has come over Mistlocke. With uncertain - some say concerned words - from Old Muskroot, a massive river of Mist followed, flowing into the village of Mistlocke and bolstering the shroud considerably.

The Wyrm Watchers only confirmed what some had begun to wonder...

Friends... I have grave news. For what- reason, I know not... but the Mists have fled the Forgotten Forest entire to join those here at Mistlocke. The Withering now holds these lands as any other.

So too have several towers been erected in Mistlocke - practically overnight. The curious occurrence has been attributed to the promised rebuilding of the village by the fey Prince of Thopsee Shee...

[ShadowCharlatan]

As morning came on Nightal the 28th, 1382 DR, trails of torches heralded the return of the Rovers and the Hedgeknights of the Wyrm Watchers to Auld Wyrm's Hearth... A massive moot was held, called by the Great Druid of the Stewards - Emlyn ap Taliesin.

What this moot meant, none could say... perhaps it was about the movement of the Mist of the Forgotten Forest... ? It wore on for some time, until Old Muskroot himself was spotted hurrying off from his tower with two other figures.

It would not be long until a large gathering would follow him back from Auld Wyrm's Hearth, along with the boy Owain Aberdenn, his bodyguard Saer Emeric Guoremor, and others. A small number then ventured into Muskroot's Tower, including the one who found the crown: Sigfried Stromme.

Rumours tell of the emergence of a foiled traitor from the tower, Saer Emeric Guoremor, who fled to Sis Liman and took a vessel toward Old Port... the crew of the Passage in swift pursuit.

But they are buried underneath the joy and hope and hysteria that has consumed Mistlocke...

For the mists surged with new life, as Old Muskroot spoke words heralding the coronation of a new King of the Shrouded Isles.

People of Mistlocke- I declare the coming of Owain I, Ruler of Mistlocke, and King of the Shrouded Isles. I call all citizens to the square, for his Majesty to be witnessed, and his first Acts to be known.

Before his people, the King would summon and banish the fey Prince of Thopsee Shee, his servants, and his works... He then declared a new Warlord, rededicating the statue in the square to the Crown Finder.. and made of Emlyn ap Taliesin his First Advisor. As he stumbled back toward the Last Keep, there were cries all through the village of: "Long live the King! Long live the King!"

On throughout the night, all over Ymph, the signal towers of the Wyrm Watchers are ablaze with wrathful fire... as Count Zarono Senuspur gazes out to sea from his palace in Old Port, clenching trembling, white fists.

[ShadowCharlatan]

As the Wyrm Watchers gathered again, with those trails of trickling flame headed toward Auld Wyrm's Hearth and the blazing fire on top... it is said that a schism occurred.

The Forgotten Circle, long at odds with the Stewards of the Ark for reasons left in shadows and whispered secrets, has split from the Watchers and retreated into the deep forest to tend their Heart of Life... taking with them as many Watchers as they could. The rest of the Watchers begin to trickle slowly into Mistlocke, bringing their belongings, singing songs, and embracing the people with great joy.

But the news that came, later, from the woods... in the form of a panicked man, was chilling. The Forgotten Circle, rumours now say, was making twisted abominations of the men and beasts it had gathered in the woods... crossbreeds, beasts and plants the world has never known, in the name of fighting the Witch, or as yet unknown and darker purposes.

Mistlocke, and the peoples of the wilds who seem to influence the village ever more and more, have reacted incandescently to the aberrant affront... and a proclamation of treason was swiftly issued. Claims that the Forgotten Circle has poisoned the King travel from ear to ear, though most official sources deny or try to correct this in some way or another. For now, the woods are quiet... but most suspect that if things proceed as they are, this will not last long.

[Howlando]

::[ First of Hammer : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

The traditional celebration to bring in the new year in Mistlocke was unusually boisterous, with the Mist's End being packed with plenty of celebrating townsfolk and adventurers toasting their new King.

As the celebration winded to a close, a thin-faced youth began to read droningly from a poem long-attached to the wall of the Mist's End. As he read, the revelers ceased their noise and merely listened....

"Accursed day of betrayed word,
Accursed night of dead things stirred,
Accursed Hammer Twenty Third..."

Upon the mountains crisp and white
Shone the blazing morning light.
The day was warm, and clear, and bright.

But 'round the ruined tower came
The savage hin with savage game.
"Kill the Maiden!" they proclaim.

They brought the Golden Mace, the key,
And Numbered Stones of ten and three.
At last the Maiden is set free...

Arrogant folly, arrogant fools,
The savages were the Maiden's tools.
At Leged's fault, H'bala rules.

Now come the evil, deathless swarms.
Now come twisted, monstrous forms.
Now come unbroken, endless storms.

We sleep amongst the hurt and dead,
A shredded banner for our bed,
Our lullaby the soldier's tread...

We mutter, rasp, we make it said:

"Accursed day of betrayed word,
Accursed night of dead things stirred,
Accursed Hammer Twenty Third..."

When the youth finished his grim recitation, so did the party finish: the townsfolk and adventurers heading uneasily to find a bed, many of them wondering what the new year of 1383 would bring.

[Winston Martin]

::[ Hammer 4th : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

The cries of grieving widows are heard in the early morning hours at Aberdenn Hall. The butchered bodies of the three Aberdenn retainers gone missing these last nights have been recovered. Scouts had been directed to a cave on the Rugged Coast in which stargazers of the Trout tribe have occasion to trade with outsiders. The sole survivor of the battle, a dwarf trader of the Delving, did not know cause of the battle, only that it swiftly spiraled out of control. Perhaps a dozen stargazers and his own hired bodyguards from the Scars Cave are dead, and an ancient burial ground destroyed in the fighting.

[Winston Martin]

::[ Hammer 5th : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

Barely a day goes by and Heinrich Magnusson of the Numinous Order himself confesses that it was he and his of the Order that dressed as Aberdenn and slew the Stargazers. He was seen leaving for Blackhearth with the warrior-monk Animi in tow only to return alone...

Cries of Treason ring openly, and none louder than in the Kings Court. What is to become of the Order is uncertain though it is said they have days at most to surrender entirely and for the Lord-Commander to swear fealty to their King before declaration of war is declared.

[Winston Martin]

::[ Hammer 7th : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

From Caermyn smugglers and the men of Sis Liman come a tale of a daring raid in the Old Port in which members of the Numinous Order freed a dozen captive children from slavers, slew twice as many guards, and made off with a mighty fortune in gold from the vaults of Ojo the bloodmage. Cooler heads wonder at the audacity, for surely the Count and his frightening Vizier shall see blood returned in blood...

[Howlando]

::[ Hammer 9th : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

The Island of Ymph is undergoing a massive eruption. Ash and smoke pour from what remains of the tops of the Prophets' Peaks. Huge rivers of slow-moving lava are gradually flowing into the Withered West. Scouts report the extraordinary sight of huge swathes of withered forest being burned to nothingness. And the lava still flows....

Most believe that Mistlocke and its Forests, separated as as they are from the Mountains by the Dead Plains, is unlikely to see any lava-flow. But what is clear is that the entire western region is once more being changed enormously, with unforeseeable consequences.

Rumors of Mistlocke-adventurers and wildlings somehow being responsible for the volcanic eruption are common, but vague.

As the thick ash settles in upon Mistlocke, some of its wealthier residents are seen to be departing. It appears some are willing to risk leaving the soothing, protective Mists in favor of the rumors of stability in Old Port. With Caermyn ships still known to be plying the short way to the city state of Old Port, it seems some believe that they'd do better living in a Tyrant's quarter rather than dwell any longer upon the horribly cursed, divided, and erupting island of Ymph.

Yet the majority of Mistlocke's residents seem to instead be rallying around the crowned figure of their new King. They seem certain that their King will lead them to salvation.

[Howlando]

::[ Hammer 12th : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

A massive war-party of trolls and other giant-kin assaulted Mistlocke, howling with anger over Siegfried Stromme and his supposed betrayal of the Giant Brothers of the Delving. After great struggle, the war party was successfully defeated by the adventurers of Mistlocke.