Rumour Mill 6.VIII.489

Drache's newspaper of current events and social functions.

All of the in character news is found here.
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TheOneWhoKnows
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Characters: Uzzo, Welkith`Quarek, Weiss(?), Tiny`Spider

Rumour Mill 6.VIII.489

Post by TheOneWhoKnows »

The Red Sun
Everyone in Drache is seeing red, and not for the usual reasons. It's doubtful that denizens of the city, and those all across the countryside, somehow managed to miss the ominous changes overhead. The sun shifted into an uncomfortable crimson red colour, for a single day at first, only to disappear and reappear days afterwards in the same manner. By the time of this printing it has once again vanished, leaving behind more questions than answers. But what occurrence of dire portent did this ominous sign serve as warning to? Was it the doing of those dastardly cultists from the blue moon this publication has warned of in the past? Did one of Menxvan's stagehands muck-up the threatre's light filters? Did an evil wizard's grand scheme of stealing all the colours of the world fall short before being foiled by the aforementioned cultists? Investigative journalists here at the Rumour Mill will continue to follow leads and sniff out the cause of this phenomena to keep our loyal readers informed.

War-drums in the East
In what we here at the RM can assure you is a completely unrelated incident, the Lord Protector was dispatched to the Elgarian border, where the Eastern Margrave has been marshalling forces at Asprominke. Rumours abound that something spooky has been taking place in the Elgar Forest, which comes as a surprise to absolutely nobody. Ever since childhood we've all heard strange ghost stories told around the hearth about the Elgar, so what else is new? Well, for one, Mazewood appears to have been destroyed by some unknown forces, presumed to be the very same spooky ghosts we've all heard so much about. This begs the question, who would ever want to live in the Elgar? We interviewed a local exorcist for their professional opinion on the matter, who assures us that Drache has nothing to fear. His reasoning was simple and profoundly reassuring. Forest ghosts live in forests, and since Drache is a city, they obviously have no interest in moving in. This journalist, for one, can sleep soundly at night with this knowledge in mind.

Justice Afoot
The newly minted Honourable Magistrate Perldosia Quarek administered her first taste of Quarek flavoured justice to the criminals of Drache. Her first case saw her tackling the lowest of the low, the vilest of the vile, an illegal slaver in the midst of our fair city. Unfortunately, due to what some may consider lax slavery laws, the slaver known as "Vincento" was allowed to walk free after paying monetary fines due to technicalities. On the bright side, the slave in their possession was set free to live their life, free from the constraints of this scumbag slaver. At least one good thing came out of this case, though our readers are surely discontent with the fact a slaver is allowed to continue to walk our streets and enjoy the freedom they've denied others.

Another one bites the dust
Councilman Lane Silverbow, perhaps better known as Arms-Sergeant Silverbow to some, and to others one of the saviors of Lathrelk, hasn't been shy in his zero tolerance anti-vampire stance. Surely it isn't coincidence that two official decrees from higher powers came shortly afterwards, one of which negates all claims of citizenship to vampires issued by previous Crown regents. The second of these decrees has seen the formation of an investigative unit known as the Bathiretil, or the Inquisition to our Common Creole readers. This unit of the Civic Guard, with Silverbow appointed at its helm, has been tasked with investigating and carrying out destructive measures on vampires in our midsts to keep our citizens safe. Considering how many vampire incidents Drache has seen over the years, it's about time this menace is taken seriously.

Remembering Lathrelk
Five months have passed since the vampires that took over the hamlet of Lathrelk were felled. We spoke with survivors from Lathrelk to give our readers an update on the current state of their restored hamlet. Here’s what some of the survivors have to say:

Bosayan ul-Marcwyrith Rixnnytire: “Reconstruction is going slowly but surely. Folks still move out because the bad memories are too much to bear. I understand that - lost my kids, myself. But my wife and I want to be hopeful of a better future here. Our community has at least made Lathrelk livable again.”

Valkwnnuph ul-Oryfycirr Rixtklolis: “The nightmares have been bad, but people who’ve stayed are all supportive of each other. We’re doing our best to move forward. It’s been hard - I admit, but the vampires couldn’t take away our sense of community. The new Lathrelk will be better than before.”

Valknxortul ul-Cribfathar Rixtmldire: “I’m at my wits end. I’ve tried - really have - to rebuild, but what’s it for? There was so much loss, so much degradation and suffering in what those vampires did to us, best to just raze the place and get out. The land is surely cursed, and I’m moving by the end of the month. The rest of these should do the same.”

Gessinxa ul-Keycithar Quarcinak: “Fuck all of those bloodsuckers. They took everything from me. What’s the Sithire and such doing to make sure there aren’t any of them left? I’m about to take matters into my own hands, and I’m not alone in that sentiment. They made a vampire hunting group in Drache? Well, good, but they should make one for all of Transdariania.”

Merchant's Festival
This is the time of the season that denizens of the city look foward to the Merchant's Festival, a yearly mass gathering of tax-free import products to the market. Exotic herb and spices, sugar, perfumes, cofee, fine art, porcelains and linens were on grand display all throughout the markets. Commoners especially enjoyed the celebration as they found themselves the rare chance to purchase goods like linens, coffee and sugar at more afforable prices. Porcelain items from the Sword Isles were highly prized purchases, as their finest wares were on display, usually reserved by high caste nobility. Street performers and musicians filled the atmosphere with song, dance, and cheers, while street food vendors and purveyors of cheap booze kept people well fed and moderately drunk, some more than others. One particularly popular product on sale during these hot summer days, as an ice wizard had concocted strange desserts made from shaved ice, sometimes mixed with cream. Who would have thought that strawberries and peppercorns would be an enticing combination, but it was a popular request. His stall was always surrounded with people who marveled as they watched him create then shave blocks of ice, and lines to order a taste nearly went around the Merchant Square twice.

Into the Fold
Breaking news: The Elgar remains a spooky place. Mhernettla has just recently accepted protectorate-state status from Transdariania, since apparently the spooky forest is just too spooky for them to handle. Rumours abound that communication with the Elgarian government has been cut off from the rest of the duchy, leaving it at the whims of the wretched forest's creepy crawlies. Whether it's the Creeping Shadow, yet another one of the Elgar's matters of high weirdness, or the fact that Mazewood has been over run and destroyed, the duchy of Elgaria's grasp of its security, or existence for that matter, has been growing more and more tenuous with each passing day. Mhernettla, as some of our readers may recall, had been over taken by dark forces and eventually freed from its grips by Transdarianian forces and adventurers from Drache. The territory of Mhernettla was previously a Transdarianian fief, and was only claimed by Elgaria after the close of the Civil War, so technically speaking it now finds itself back in the hands of its original owners.

Far from home, an elven tale
Speaking of Mhernettla, the Southern Margrave and Elgarian noble, Arangire Salksilek, has generously extended acceptance of Mazewood refugees into his Mhernettla territory. These hardy elves have lived in the Elgar their entire lives for generations, so perhaps it's for the best that they find themselves where they feel at home. It's unknown at the moment if other territorial lords in the region have also extended their hands in the same manner, as only the aforementioned lord has been vocal in their stated intentions to assist in their relocation and construction of new settlements. Hopefully they're too not bothered by all those spooky ghosts.

Thralls in our Cityhalls?
Disturbing news has fallen into the hands of investigative journalists here at the Rumour Mill, as an anonymous source has released the minutes of the most recent city council meeting. It paints a disturbing picture that certain vampire sympathizers on the council have been attempting to push pro-vampire legislation on the unaware denizens and oft victims of these vile creatures. While it remains fortunate that these pro-vampire sentiments and proposals were shot down by a majority of the council, journalists at the Rumour Mill can't help but wonder if there's more going on than meets the eye. Have vampires infiltrated the civil servants of Drache, and if so, how many have been seduced to the side of darkness? How deep does this conspiracy go, and how many have been drawn into their clutches? Have the very people the city has trusted to assist in its legislation and laws been enthralled by a savvy vampire? The truth remains to be revealed, however, one things remains guaranteed: We here at the Rumour Mill will continue to keep our readers educated as more of these disturbing details come to light.
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