Initium!

October 8, 1014:

Tolbury, Allondell:

On March 24, a fiery burst ripped apart the tower of Dame Blanche Belford, the Court Wizard of Allondell. The jet of flame filled the skies, sending ashes and embers down upon the surrounding neighborhood.

Nothing remained of the Court Wizard herself, although royal servants were quick to extinguish the fires and to evacuate all the items and belongings within the tower’s now-burned laboratory.

Selmouth, Allondell:

King Harold of Allondell announced unexpectedly in April that he wished to cement the newly-opened trade with Yamamoto by building for the Yamamotoans an embassy building in the Allondine port town of Selmouth. The building is to be built in the Yamamotoan style, with curving roofs and decorated with imported Yamamotoan materials “so that Yamamotoan merchants and visitors might feel more at home when so far from their own homeland.”

King Harold also announced that there would be an increase in the annual tax on land for all landowners, as well as an increase in taxation on domestic wool trade, and an increase in bridge tolls. Courtiers close to the Exchequer say that the King’s funds are already drawn thin with his Crusade expenses, and that he cannot afford the new embassy without new tax revenues.

Hernohn, Kislevia:

The wizards of the Ancient and Mystical Lodge of the Four Sigils announced that they have developed a magically-sealed chest using writings they believe to be from the archmage Gilliam Stenn.

Stenn had invented a kind of chest that was magically sealed, and kept his most prized items inside these chests. Each chest could only be opened by inserting particular alchemical orbs into holes in the box (acting as a “key”), and then manipulating the orbs in a specific pattern. Without the orbs and the pattern, no normal means could open the chest; prying open the hinge or smashing the chest itself would destroy the contents. Stenn had guarded the formula for the creation of these chests, not even revealing the method of their creation to his children.

Stenn’s books were lost upon his death when his estate was overrun by orcs, but over the last few years, people claim to have recovered pages from the books. The Wizards of the Four Sigils say they purchased several pages from an adventurer who found them in the Grendarr Mountains, and from them were able to discern how to create the “Stenn chests”.

The wizards presented one such “Stenn chest” to King Gregor of Kislevia for the safekeeping of his royal jewels. Many other mages’ guilds and lodges have approached the Four Sigils about the secret of creating the chests.

Tolbury, Allondell:

On April 14, King Harold dismissed his Chancellor, Lady Aveline Woodward, appointing Lord Osbert Bettancourt to fill the position.

Lady Aveline had been a close ally of the King’s uncle and former regent, Prince Edmund, and so her dismissal is seen by many as part of a “changing of the guard” and a transition from Prince Edmund’s backers to the King’s own inner circle. The Chancery controls much of the royal business, including record-keeping, official documents, diplomatic papers, and information-gathering.

Courtiers in Tolbury report that one of the new Chancellor’s first acts was to cut support to the Napermian rebels in Yamamoto-held Seiguntou, although since such funding was always unofficial, this news would be difficult to confirm.

Rzhev, Bilgosh:

As the snow melted and the spring campaign began, Crusaders captured the stronghold of the Dark Lady known as Desimir.

Desimira, a lycanthrope who took the form of a leopard, led a herd of lesser were-leopards. Unlike wolves, who operate in packs and coordinate well, the more solitary nature of leopards meant there were more times when the outposts were unguarded, allowing Crusader scouts to observe the Dark Lady’s troop strength and resources. Crusaders also took advantage of the loyalty of the peasants to the Dark Lady, as it meant there were humans moving in and out regularly; Crusaders therefore sent in additional scouts disguised as merchants.

The initial Crusader attack focused on the heavily-garrisoned tower; without a strong central authority to command the solitary were-leopards, most of them proceeded to the tower, leaving the rear flank open to a surprise attack that scaled the walls and breached the bailey. The Dark Lady was brought down by a blessed arrow, causing her minions to turn tail and flee. Leaderless, the remaining troops surrendered, and the Crusaders’ bell emblem was flown from the tower.

Allondell:

A cold winter and a drier-than-normal summer have left many in the Allondine countryside in dire straits. Churches in central and western Allondell report a high demand for their charity, as many households lack sufficient food, especially after many landlords have increased rents and fees to pay for the King’s new land taxes.

Buna, Bilgosh:

The Crusaders’ attack on the holding of Busa failed when the Crusaders’ two-front attack left neither side strong enough to reach victory.

The Crusaders apparently had two different war plans, one proposing an attack from the east and a second from the west, and there was disagreement among the commanders as to which plan was superior, so the Crusaders opted to split up into two groups, each attacking the holding from a different direction.

The eastern approach came overland via the main road, giving them the advantage of rapid movement. However, Dark Lord Iliya’s defending troops were prepared, having placed scouts along the road who were able to keep ahead of the Crusaders and inform the Dark Lord of the advance. Lord Iliya moved his peasant levies to block the main road, while his mounted troops and mages ambushed the Crusader flanks. Penned in on three sides, and with their knights not unable to maneuver, the Crusader ranks broke.

The western approach involved taking ships around the holding to land at Kolinka Bay, then cross through the hills and over the Musa River to hit the Dark Lord’s relatively unguarded western wall. While the Crusaders did have the advantage of surprise, they did not have the advantage of numbers; the defenders were able to use their first ranks to hold the Crusaders in place while bringing in reinforcements. The Crusader morale weakened, and they called off the assault shortly before sundown, whose arrival would give the defenders further advantage.

After the Crusaders went into retreat, Overlord Emilian’s forces moved into the river valley where the Crusaders had previously been camped, and burned down the village, sending scores of refugees northward.

Seiguntou:

On August 13, revolts flared again on the island of Napermo.

Tensions among the natives and the Yamamotoan rulers were already high after last year’s revolts. When news reached the island that the Allondines were trying to improve relations with the Yamamotoans and were going to cut off funding to the Napermian rebels, the Napermians opted to strike out at the ruling Yamamotoans once more. Several Yamamotoan garrisons in the capital city of Giyoma (formerly Gioma) were set ablaze; the soldiers retaliated by burning the adjacent neighborhood of Piazza Santa Violeta to the ground.