EFU:R Gossip, Major Events, and Rumors (IC Knowledge)

[Jayde Moon]

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

The Town of Sanctuary is abuzz after the announcement made by the Chief Herald, Penelope Castling, that Director Ilyna Que'tl's Seat int he Directorship will be up for Election at the end of the month.  Several wonder who might try to run and take the seat, noting that the Black Guild hold the majority vote int he Directorship, but that it could quickly change.

Several wonder if the Director will even attempt an incumbency run, given the disaster surrounding her Prefect choice, which led to many of those who supported her leaving for Lower.  Meanwhile, the Red Guild debates who would best represent their number.

More exciting than the actual Election, to many folk, was the attached announcement that the Great Games would be held, with teams announced on the fifth day of Eleint.  There is much speculation as to who will play and many begin assessing the odds.

All in all, an exciting day for Sanctuary.

[Jayde Moon]

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

An announcement was made by the Stadium Curator, Marvin Pond:

And the moment you`ve been waiting for!  Announcement of the Teams!

Starting for the Black Team:  `Madeyes` Booker, Xothkug the Scrivener, Oliver Hartwell, and `Garrett`.  Second string: Charlene Carshby, Gregory Mazorath, Jeb `Rattles` Talbot, and Elain Rona!  A grand cheer for the Black Team!!!

And starting for the Red Team: Captain Prefect Abala Quickfeet, Ordinant Rallick Dess, and Baelian Kalvath.  And of course, Mallory Mopmaiden!  Second string is Carys Greycoin, Arthur Knighton, and Zsigmond Kadar!  A rousing cheer for the Red Team!

Sanctuarians cheered at the announcement and many are excited at the prospect of a the games being played.

[Jayde Moon]

::[ Eleint 14th : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

As worries of depleted Baublium stores gnawed at the citizens of Sanctuary, the very stones of the cavern began to rumble deeply.  Several adventurers went to investigate when some manner of 'dimensional rift' opened in the cavern of the In-Between.

From this tear came an outpouring of frog-like monsters, called Slaad amongst the learned, and they immediately set themselves upon the adventures.  Men rallied to the call to defend, and the law abiding citizens of Upper fought alongside the rebels of Lower against a common enemy.

Along with the Slaad appeared some manner of vessel, a sailing ship of some sort, crashing from the rift onto the edge of a chasm.  The occupants drafted several of the adventurers into a desperate battle to close the tear and halt the Slaadi advance.  The ship-starved crew known as the Starlings answered the call and set off, along with one of the Spellguard's more prominent Agents.

Upon their return, the Agent held aloft a red stone, calling out some arcane syllables.  In a flash of light, the rift was mended and the Slaadi stopped.  however, the ensuing tremors rocked the vessel from it's precarious perch down into the chasm, crashing on the rocks below.

The Agent was lauded as a hero and some speak about the brave sacrifice of the Starling's Captain.  Still others wonder about the strange vessel and its fate.

[Jayde Moon]

::[ Eleint 15th : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

The dust had not yet settled from the previous days extraordinary events when Marvin Pond made the general announcement that the games would begin, as scheduled.  The two teams made their way to the Stadium, followed by fans, enthusiasts, and the curious.

The two teams took the field and what followed was a brutal game dominated by the Black Guilds chosen players, a hodgepodge of mercenaries and adventurers.  The Red Guild's team was mostly made up of Ordinants of the Society and their allied Wayfinders, led by Prefect Quickfeet.

At once point of the game, the wanted criminal Drogor Splints dashed across the arena, spinning elegantly and in the nude, mocking Upper's authorities and dragging several key peacekeepers from the match in a chase through the near caverns.

Try as they might, the Red Guild could not pull in the win, and the Black Guild won the match 5 - 1.  Jubilant over their victory, many wonder if it is enough to help propel the Black Guild's chosen Candidate in the upcoming election, the relatively unknown Narvis Narfeine, to victory over the well known, if not universally liked, Prefect Abala Quickfeet, running as the Red Guild's Candidate.

[Sternhund]

After a riot at the Watch House, Brelm Blazon was found dead. A controversial journalist, Sal Pennerton, released a story on the matter. His current issue of his paper, "The Sanctuary Crime Report" is selling high volume after the recent story, which describes the circumstances surrounding Blazon's ultimate demise.

Read the paper here

[Jayde Moon]

::[ Eleint 19th : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

The first major debate was held by the Black and Red Guilds' respective candidates, presided over by an Ordinant of the Society.

At the appointed time, the Black Candidate surprised everyone in attendance by announcing that he had procured, from the Scrappers, over 60 units of Baublium, bringing the stores to a level not seen in recent memory.  While most of the population lauded the Candidate, many in the Socirty of the Ordered Mind dismissed it as a political 'stunt', a sentiment not missed by many who remember the fanfare surrounding the Wayfinders relatively paltry contribution just a few days prior.  Further criticisms revolved around what possible criminal associations the Candidate must have catered to in order to receive such a boon.  Others simply point to the Baublium meter as if that is enough to end any debate.

The Candidate's momentum at the refinery was slowed in the debate however as a vocal Red crowd voiced support for the Prefect and kept the Elven Candidate off balance.  Narvis was criticized for being long winded and many of the Ordinants in attendance needled him as he sought to respond to questions and concerns, giving further rise to concerns about the Prefects ties to the Society.

As the campaigns wear on, most groups are more interested in what the Candidates might offer them directly and less worried about the results of an exhibition of wordplay.

[LiAlH4]

::[ Eleint 21st : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

In a bolt from the depths, the political climate of Sanctuary this dark went from roiling to an out-right conflagration, as Prefect Abala Quickfeet, candidate for the Red Guild, was brought to trial by the Watchers of Sanctuary. Amid clamoring protests of favoritism and "Black as sin" from the Red Guild, one Watcher-Medic Vincent Volandis prepared and presented a case that was heard before the honorable Prefect Hyram Sinclair.

To the elation of the Reds and the dismay of the Blacks, the case presented did not approach the burden-of-proof established by Sinclair for the extra-ordinary crime of "Corruption", unlisted in Sanctuary's Book of Laws, chosen by the prosecution in an apparent aim to see the Prefect stripped of her seat by judicial mandate. The words of the Prefect Sinclair himself became a rallying cry for the Reds as a not-guilty verdict was issued: "the greatest crime here, in fact, is the monumental waste of my time".

As the accused departed, never having to even present her case, barricades beyond holding back throngs of citizens who could not fit inside the packed courtroom erupted in a medley of cheers and protests - with shouts of treason and collusion, victory and triumph echoing through the streets. Abruptly, evidently in response to this, Watchers who were formerly displaying guild badges upon their belts or elsewhere on their persons, predominantly black, have ceased to do so. The ramifications of the Prefect's acquittal and the rampant charges of politicization levied at the Watchers remains to be seen as the election draws nearer..

[Jayde Moon]

::[ Eleint 26th : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

Citizens lined up at the House of Governance as voting for the First Director's seat opened.  Speculation abounds at which of the candidates will take the seat.  Most people agreed that Prefect Abala Quickfeet enjoyed a strong advantage going into the race but that newcomer Narvis Naerfaine's strong campaign may have made up the gap.

Voters are directed to the voting room adjacent to the assembly hall in the House of Governance.

[LiAlH4]

::[ Eleint 26th, Early Bells : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

As voting begins, the mood that lies over Sanctuary is anxious,  with both sides counting their voters and watching the other for signs  of corruption and malfeasance. The guild offices are engines of  efficiency, with their staffs doubled, and couriers running all over for  final stops.

The Watchers, through all of this, are a bastion of  professionalism. There are no guild badges on display, no subtle hints  as to which side should be supported in the contest, and no other  overt displays of support. For an organization long considered to lean heavily to one  side, a notion reinforced by the accusations against the Red candidate for Director, this silence has many of the Blacks concerned.

[LiAlH4]

::[ Eleint 26th, Middle Bells : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

The peaceful and quiet of the opening of voting in the House of Governance was marred the very same dark, as screams echoed from its halls and a cacophony of stampeding men and the shouts of Watchers broke the humidity in a torrent of blood.

At the center of it all was a so-called act of sabotoge, the "Firehead", the traitor "Chandera Morningbright" come up from Lower or some hall of the Machine, seeking to break the voting device with the flames that come so natural to her. This was not to be, however, and while the chaos of that room left few answers to how the melee occurred, she was subdued before she could carry out her plot. One man lay slain, attributed to the traitor's attempts to escape, an innocent bystander in Black colors.

She was taken to the center of Freedom Square and executed for her prior conviction on the charge of treason, Lieutenant Mulgar Troff of the Watchers bringing his greatsword down upon her neck.

The early rush to vote has quieted significantly. While tens of people still filter in and out of the House of Governance, a grim pall has been cast over the proceedings.

[Howlando]

::[ Eleint 28th : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

A band of rothe hunters returning from a hunt along the shores of the vast Dark Lake are heard by many to be sharing a curious tale.

Apparently, two vessels were observed engaging in a furious battle some distance from the shore-line. The crew of the smaller vessel were defeated, and the boat was set aflame. As the larger vessel sailed away into the blackness of the Lake, the burning boat of the defeated drifted ashore.

In the burning wreckage, the bodies of five savagely slaughtered svirfneblin was found.

Although a tale of some interest, many listeners are heard saying that the battles being fought upon the waters of the Lake are surely of no possible concern to Sanctuary.

Just another tale of the horrors of the 'dark to be told, and then forgotten.

[Gippy]

From scrapper to trader and from trader to tavern patron the story of how a Spellguard Agent was killed within the Machine spreads. It is said that Drogor Splints a wanted fugitive fleeing the Spellguard Agent and several Auxiliary, led them into the small and hidden community of Scrappers known as Bartertown. In the fight, after calls for the Scrappers to surrender were made by the Agent, Drogor Splints detonated several powerful alchemical objects within the confines of Bartertown itself, killing wounded scrappers and the injured Auxillary alike. Over the protests of the Scrapper's of Bartertown, Drogor Splints then executed Agent Obersvesky.

Various signs point to the veracity of the rumors truth, such as Scrappers muttering about the 'long falls in the Machine' they would like for Drogor to take and people in Lower Sanctuary boasting that if he tries to have them fight his battles, like the Scrappers, he'll get a quick knife in the back, and a long ride out to the Dark Lake no matter who's hunting him. The most telling is the disappearance of various auxiliaries and the Agent Nicholas Obersvesky from the streets of Sanctuary...

[Jayde Moon]

::[ Eleint 29th : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

With a day and a half of voting to go, rumors that members of the Society of the Ordered Mind are blatantly buying votes for their preferred candidate, Prefect Abala Quickfeet has many shaking their heads in dismay.  Many Black Guild members are outraged, demanding that the practice of purchasing votes be made illegal and pointing at the obvious links between the Society and their Puppet Prefect.

Of greater concern to the Red Guild's candidate is the effect the rumors are having on independent voters who have yet to reach the voting booth.  The irony is not lost on many of them that a 'Champion of Justice' would allow corruption of this manner in their race.  Previous questions of the hypocrisy of a 'Fallen Paladin' running on a platform of 'justice' resurface along with doubts of her suitability to fairly lead as a Director.

While the Red Guild tries to play this down, the Black Guild fans the flames, suggesting that if the Prefect were truly an advocate of justice, she would step down from the running amidst the scandal of purchased votes; that accepting them amounts to her first act of corruption as a Director, before she even takes a seat.

[Jayde Moon]

::[ Eleint 30th : Year 161 : 1383 DR ]::

The streets are silent and forgotten campaign posters flutter by in a town where just hours before, jubilant throngs celebrated the election of former Prefect Abala Quickfeet to the Directorate.  Taking a moment to enjoy their victory, many Red Guild members took to the House of Heroes to get a drink and carouse, while the new Director saw to the very first duties of her new role.

The Black Guild, though disappointed, showed restraint in voicing any anger at the outcome.  Quietly and without fanfare, the Black Guild Candidate, Narvis Naerfaine, was raised to the Prefecture, some say as a bid towards the next election.

With the Directorate scheduled to convene in three days time, many wonder what the future holds for Sanctuary, if the fears of an Ordinant controlled Directorate will hold true or a litany of new laws might follow the Tyrran's assumption of office.

[Nuclear Catastrophe]

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

Strange scenes around the boneyard in the Sanctuary Inbetween are noticed as furtive figures wander about it...

When pressed, they simply repeat a strange mantra.  They allude to a time in the not too distant future, and seem to make preparations for something.  A ritual, perhaps?

And the time...?

((1030GMT))