Recent events around the island….
6/08/09 Relating to the news item below, the government of Xian has begun issuing Letters of Marque to the captains of private vessels interested in exploring the mid-latitude Isles and helping combat the growing dominance of the Shogunate Navy in those reaches. Although the Letters are expensive and the price of a private vessel out of the reach of most junior adventurers, the Adventurer's Guild has announced the purchase of a small fleet of cutters that they intend to contract out to its membership for jaunts north-eastwards. The Middle Reach of the Sunset Isles, to be detailed more in future updates, will be a paragon-focused setting for Player and Staff plots.
6/08/09 Between the tales of merchants, navy sailors, and the occasional leaks from the Mandarin's bureaucracy of intelligence, the citizens of Xian begin to gather that the Shogunate has not lain inactive during the recent famine. Taking in large volumes of refugees, putting them to work under dubious circumstances, and profiting from the shelter of North Neck against the attacks faced in the southlands, the Shogunate is suddenly fielding a large navy of fat-hulled war-junks. The flag of the Shogun now flies over a great number of vessels pushing east, west and north, into the great middle traverse of the Sunset Isles.
6/08/09 Rumors fly around the city of Xian concerning the activities of the Temple of the Drowned Star. As many as two hundred refugees have been relocated in recent weeks by the missionaries and their leader, Atmeh Tidemarked. The rumors, however, mostly concern the vagueness of location to which these fortunates(?) have travelled. Some have even started to claim that they are being sold to the goblins for some fell religious purpose. The particularly zealous worshippers of the Nine Immortals, nervous of the Drowned Star's success in attracting worship, are the loudest at demanding an investigation into the supposedly charitable actions of the sect.
6/08/09 The Great Famine that has been cutting through Xian and her lands like a thresher's blade is beginning to recede. The efforts of local adventurers to retake lands claimed by goblins and the Tide are seeing fruit, and the number of new refugees moving into the city for shelter is now matched by the number leaving to make a go of it on reclaimed land. In total, the famine has claimed the lives of nearly 20,000 subjects of the Mandarin, with a few thousand more predicted to succumb before the food supply is entirely stable. The government of Xian has issued a proclamation containing modest praises for the efforts of the city's "righteously-hearted mercenaries" and urging those camped in the city walls to brave the outside.
4/11/09 Famine deathwatch: Population of Xian, 348,000. Rural farmers and fishermen: 451,500. Approximately 3028 Xianese are predicted as likely to starve to death within the next week. 1,500 have died of starvation thus far.
4/11/09 Surprisingly vigorous efforts from local adventurers have combined to clear out several local villages of goblinoid infestation. The desperate tribes have been driven out of the abandoned homes and farms, and the land has been reclaimed by refugee farmers. Roughly seventeen hundred refugees were able to return to their villages and lands. (Logos)
4/07/09 The enigmatic cult priestess Atmeh has started distributing copies of food-conjuring rituals to local arcanists, and has begun to conjure such meals herself for the indigent. While her powers are limited, the efforts have still contributed to the salvation of several hundred who would otherwise have perished from hunger. (Logos)
4/05/09 The straitened food supplies are beginning to provoke unrest in Xian. A tavern on the docks run by a family of halfbreeds was attacked by a mob. The tavernkeeper was killed and the rest of his family would have died as well had not the warriors Tai and Grimgurd fought off the swarm. (Logos)
4/05/09 The local adventurers Sandrine, Gideon, Shika, and Cellwyn engaged in goblin-clearing work in a farming village near to Xian. After much bloodshed, refugee goblin forces were driven back. One hundred farmers have been able to return to the greater safety of the village. (Logos)
4/04/09 Famine deathwatch: Population of Xian, 350,000. Rural farmers and fishermen: 450,000. Approximately 3,500 Xianese are predicted as likely to starve to death within the next week.
4/03/09 Scribes and tax officials have tallied the chaos around the island, forming a crude picture of how many farmers and fisherfolk have been compelled to flee the Tidespawn and the refugee goblinoids. By their best estimate, the normal population of Xian is 100,000. 900,000 fisherfolk and farmers in Ektau formerly combined to feed the city, relying on advanced Xianese farming techniques and the bounty of the sea. In the chaos of the blue crystals, a quarter of those rural dwellers perished and a quarter fled for Xian, leaving the city currently populated by 350,000 people and the countryside containing land and security enough only to support 450,000. The Mandarin has ordered that no cost be spared to buy food from Nordmar and other points nearby and have it shipped in to Xian, yet all recognize that this is a very temporary solution. If the goblinoids and Tidespawn are not pushed back off Xianese land and farming villages are not reestablished, there will be catastrophic famine in the city within a year.
2/13/09 The struggles with the Tidespawn and refugee goblinoids in the west have fallen into an unhappy equilibrium in the past few months. Tien Lung is all but independent at present, with its Accursed Magistrate Pang Lung nominally accepting the authority of a Mandarin who has not the men to compel the curse-laden city to obey. The armies of Tien Lung count almost fifteen hundred Accursed warriors, even after the brutal bloodletting they suffered in breaking the Tidespawn siege of the city. These warriors march out in force to guard the southwestern coastal villages and lowlands, and pen the Tidespawn in the Godbarrow foothills around Appleby. The tribute exacted from the remaining villagers is crushing, and some who survived the goblins now flee the Accursed. There are rumors of entire villages being rounded up and imprisoned on work plantations in order to prevent their flight. (Logos)
10/6/08 The Xianese cutter Seaspray has just made port after a recon of the Shogunate's eastern coastline. The ship was almost run down by a Shogunae naval vessel in the midst of a terrible storm, yet a valiant defense led by the warriors Heskann and Kalaa and the arcanist Kemala managed to drive the enemy and their Accursed captain off of the ship. (Logos)
9/10/08 Lieutenant Ssu Chien Wen accuses the adventurers Divada, Thromgrin, and Pruor of base cowardice and craven desertion for their alleged misbehavior during a patrol out towards the Yellow Luck Crescent goblinoid plantation, southwest of Xian. They, the lieutenant, and nineteen troopers were detailed to drive off a small band of goblinoids forced down from the Altgrimmr. The lieutenant claims that the trio deserted the squad when a sudden spring torrent flooded the gully the squad was marching in. The three surviving squadmen tell a different story, however, insisting that the adventurers were the only ones able to stand up in the torrent, and that they were instrumental in saving the survivors. The Ministry of War appears to believe the men; Lieutenant Wen has been relieved of duty, though he swears vengeance against the "cowards". (Logos)
8/30/08 The southeastern corner of Ektau is being pressed ferociously by Tidespawn emanating from Quan Bai and the Altgrimmr range. Numerous goblin tribes are being driven out of their holes by the onrushing tide. While the western hills are precariously maintained by the Accursed of Tien Lung, no such force exists to pacify the southeast- and few towns and villages remain unmolested by refugee goblins or Tidespawn incursions. Rhine's Edge is one of the more notable, but the influx of refugee peasants is straining its food supplies and shelter to its limits. (Logos)
8/30/08 Whispers in the Adventurers guild, murmurs in the taverns, anyone with an ear can hear of the rumours surrounding the disappearance of the young warrior Minami, apparently lost to undead while on a quest to save her cousin. But the rumours don't stop there- they say she might have joined their ranks. (Minami)
8/20/08 More refugees are pushed towards Rhine's Edge as Tideborn infestations south of Xian grow worse. The former fishing village of Quan Bai has formed a locus of Tide activity around its blue crystal, and surrounding villages are being depopulated. The most recent group of refugees would surely have been slaughtered were it not for the guardianship of the Accursed witch Sofi and the warriors Velina and Xun. (Logos)
8/03/08 Rumors have come down from the southwestern hills that the heroic Sakurai Asami has led a daring raid on a nest of Accursed cultists, wreaking gory havoc among their human servants and even going so far as to haul their temple down around their ears. Details of the exploit are vague, but most versions agree that raid was superbly done, without a single one of her men lost in the strike and subsequent retreat. The infuriated Accursed are sure to retaliate soon. (Logos)
8/02/08 A statue, which appears to have been designed, sculpted, and placed in secret, has been suddenly unveiled in the Court of Sparrows. It depicts an actual event in recent history - the heroine Lin delivering the killing blow to a Tidespawned tyrant-lizard - the foe in stone and the halfling in ivory. The statue has apparently been garbed in a full set of magical equipment actually used by the noted heroine, and the inscription at its base simply reads ‘Courage.’ The Daifu Radiant Devil Hana has stepped forward after the unveiling to reveal herself proud to be the statu’s sponsor. (Hana)
8/01/08 Against all the odds, the Altburg Crusade championed by the heterodox priestess Atmeh Tidemarked has returned!
Some rumoured that she was simply leading naive fools to a sacrifice in honour of her true, Tidal masters, while others thought she was simply a naif herself, dragging others to her certain death. However, in an announcement given from the Sihuan of the Daifu Radiant Devil Hana, the Crusaders of Altburg collectively announced that they had succeeded in teleporting over four hundred survivors out of the doomed city, returning themselves with minimal casualties. They report the fall of the city to the Tide, including the deaths of the priestess Se Muihei and the Magistrate Wen Suyin. The heroic crusaders included Captain Kyralia and Lieutenant Gunnhilde of the Hammers of Righteousness, as well as a number of their footmen and women; Radiant Devil Hana, the daifu who provided much of the funding for the adventure, and her companion, the mysterious Ivy; The famous halfling warrior Lin the Whirlwind; and Atmeh Tidemarked herself. All of the crusaders bear a woven necklace of reed rope, hematite and greestone as a symbol of their common ordeal. (Atmeh)
8/01/08 In the west, the tidespawn have bogged down into a morass of killing. The known tide crystal at Appleby and the one somewhere near the High Banner District remain untouched, and their warping effect makes monsters of wretched goblinoids and mad cultists. The western Godbarrow foothills are almost completely depopulated. Even elite Xianese scouts can't get in to look for survivors, and only the constant efforts of the army and the Tien Lung Accursed are holding the beasts at bay. No one has been able to get into the High Banner District since the initial outbreak. (Logos)
7/23/08 Mingled joy and horror come from the north as news of a third crystal's destruction is obtained. The Shogunate lord Takahashi Roku Gaiyaku has been reported to have destroyed a blue crystal found along the north coast of the Mantle Peaks in a little village known as Watch Cay. He accomplished this feat with an army of undead servitors and mortal soldiers, exhibiting a degree of sorcerous power remarkable in this age. The purpose for his quest does not appear to have been entirely benevolent, as a tenth of his mortal soldiers transformed into Accursed with the crystal's destruction, apparently as was intended. This adds a hundred and fifty loyal Accursed to House Takahashi's rosters, and has won Roku a place as the new lord of the clan. It is said that his efforts were not unopposed by local heroes, particularly after the brutal fashion in which Roku raised his undead legion from the luckless villagers on his route into the mountains, but if they sought to stop him, it appears that they have failed. The Mandarin is said to be most displeased with the affair, even if it now clarifies where the treacherous Jin Cai's green jade sphere had ended up after his vanishment. (Jaiahard)
…and at this point, the MUX converted to D&D 4th edition, causing a lacuna of recording as Logos minded the paperwork…
5/31/08 A nefarious Accursed by the name of Roku Giayaku has recently become something of a scourge on the northern sea lanes, his piratical exploits making a hard season harder for many merchants. With that the case, it was to the great joy of the mercantile families that word has recently come of the discovery of Roku's pirate base in an ancient dwarven fortress on an island to the northeast. The brave adventurers Chira, Elydir, Raven Shadowed and Zane boldly fought their way though the pirate lord's minions to discover a terrible secret about the fortress' past. Rumor disagrees over the precise details of the event, but it is agreed that the pirate lord still lives- and that the dead of the ancient fortress perhaps resent this fact. Despite the murky details, all agree that the adventurers and their allies have done Xian a good service by their courage. (Kohiro)
5/29/08 Outside of Xian, word comes of the discovery of some strange, crystal-mottled beast that looked like some sort of tunneling lizard. Whatever it was, it was large, destructive, and ferocious, and it was only the quick response of the adventurers Ulf, Chia, Copper, Elydir, and Kohiro that prevented serious loss of life. What could have driven such a beast so close to the city remains uncertain, but in this season of Tide-spawned monstrosities no one dares wonder overmuch at such things. (Elydir)
5/18/08 In Kitaminato, the former lord of the great house of Tanaka has been deposed. Tanaka Keisuke, a sorcerer of great power, was most unfortunate in that his young children, Kiko and Hisao, were kidnapped by the rival Matsudaira family during the chaos of the city's recent transformation. Driven to madness by tales of the awful cruelties being inflicted upon his progeny, it is said that he attempted a sorcerous work that was beyond him. The consequences do not appear to have been salubrious to the Tanaka, and the cruel Accursed Tanaka Chokichi now rules the house. Keisuke lives, but the recovery of his progeny is no longer of importance to the house.
5/12/08 The blue crystal in Tien Lung has been destroyed, and the city overwhelmed with changes such as have recently afflicted the newly-renamed Kitaminato. The daifu Pang Lung was responsible for the shattering and for the keeping of peace within the Tide-monster besieged city, and apparently succeeded far more perfectly than did attempts in Kitaminato. The citizens were gathered together in guarded groups before the destruction, and so the Accursed created by the effect were less able to rampage. Of particular merit were the adventurers Sara and Rakarth, who managed to pacify an infuriated Accursed and calm a crowd on the edge of panic. No word has yet arrived from Tien Lung as to any success in breaking the siege with the newly-changed ones. (Logos)
5/10/08 Complications were nearly the death of Elydir and Amaria when seeming confederates of the slain poachers ambushed them inside the city. The priestess Xyrim was there to give aid, but the three were nearly overcome before victory was theirs. The persistence of these blackguards is inexplicable. (Elydir)
5/09/08 A noble daifu arranged for the adventurers Cheng Shi, Elydir, and Amaria to deal with stern righteousness towards a band of poachers on her lands. Details are vague, but whispers around the servants' quarters suggest that what they found among the remains of the poachers was not such a thing as was expected. Speculation over these complications is rife. (Elydir)
5/08/08 The mighty Hong Fu, "Invulnerable Blade of the West", a swordsman famed for his prowess and scorn for sobriety, was recently found after an extended absence. It appears that the reckless warrior was overcome by a band of persons a daifu had arranged for him to relieve of life, but was taken prisoner rather than slain outright. The bold warriors Elydir and Lameth and the cunning adventuresses Mina and Copper were able to fish him out of his predicament, however. (Hong Fu)
5/06/08 Rumor speaks of nefarious double-dealings at the harbormaster and the arrival of the pirate ship Hellgate at a city berth that ought not to tolerate her like. What purpose could provide cause enough for official eyes to be averted? (Copper)
5/04/08 North Neck has rebelled against the Mandarin! The Magistrate of North Neck barely escaped with his life, rescued on the docks of Low Port by the derring-do of young Balketh of the Adventurer's Guild. His messenger ship barely made it past the pirates to return to Xian, where the shocked magistrate declared that the daimyo families of North Neck refused to do homage to the Mandarin, and now declared themselves a Shogunate independent of Xian. (Logos)
5/03/08 Word has come down from Fort Shen Guo that the commander has rebelled against the Mandarin. The fort guards the road north along the Great Berm, the path leading to North Neck and its settlements. The garrison at the fort is not large, but its position in the rugged, goblin-infested hills is a commanding one. While Commander Yoshimori is not stopping those few merchant caravans and overland travelers who pass by, he's levying notable fees on the merchants, claiming to be loyal to North Neck now instead of the Mandarin. According to the local adventurer Copper, he has been transformed into an Accursed, and bears a great grudge against the Mandarin for it. Were it not for the adventuress' bold inquiry, the affair would have remained unclear for some time. (Logos)
5/02/08 Perhaps not all the Accursed are irrevocably wicked. Tales come down from the Great Berm of the priest of Fa Chia, Ma Rui Dao, who stood in defense of the village of Kitamoto. The village located a half-day's ride north of North Neck was touched by the disaster that forged the Accursed, and thirty of the luckless villagers were so transformed. Most left for the city, but the transformed headman and his five sons tried to seize control of the village, and slew many in their fury. The priest Rui arrived to lamentations and sorrow, but marshalled the villagers to defend their homes, and valiantly bore the brunt of the attack when they slew the Six Devils of Kitamoto. (Logos)
4/29/08 Mahach the elven adept, known mainly as a sinister recluse, recently returned from his quest to find Godbone in the High Banner District. Nobody seems quite certain if he succeeded in this mission, but, whatever his reasons, he did bring home two wagonloads of addle-minded village folk. Now healed of their ailments and comfortably installed on Mahach's lands, the villagers (formerly of Gebel Hur) hail Mahach as their saviour, speaking of the elf as if he is the very embodiment of compassion and good will. The elf simply blames it all on his wife, Sakurai Asami. (Asami)
4/23/08 Chaos overwhelms North Neck! Travelers report a great nimbus of green light burst from nearby the city, washing over the wretched populace and its nearby settlements. Perhaps one in ten of every man, woman and child on the entire isthmus was transformed into a demonic creature and gifted with terrible powers of destruction. A few scholarly witnesses reported them hurling gouts of infernal energy and displaying powers common only to the cursed ones known generally as "warlocks". The transformed appear to have retained their minds and identities, yet some are overwhelmed by the infernal urges within them, and have committed great crimes. Garbled talk claims the burst of green light came from the leprosarium where the blue crystal was once placed- and that the crystal is now gone. Panic and rioting continues in North Neck at present. Some say that the curse is the work of the Red Tide, but others blame the Hell Kings and their infernal plans. (Logos)
4/20/08 The daifu Hana "Thousand Thunders" went berserk in a Xianese market today, causing great loss of life until she was subdued by the heroic efforts of Sakurai Asami, the warrior Vlask, and the valiant Lameth. She has been confined to the prisons of the Ministries, and may be expected to be granted the expiation of a suicidal mission. (Logos)
4/18/08 The third crystal has been found in the heart of Tien Lung. A crack squad of investigators was dispatched by sea to the besieged city to locate the crystal, and it came to light in a shabby section of the dock district there, secreted within a joss house. The Learned Sage of the Southern Fantastical Arts, Zhe Lin, was instrumental in locating the malevolent creation, and escaped the warped opium-smokers that guarded it despite their best and most hideous efforts. The news is small joy in Tien Lung, however, for the city is surrounded by hills that teem with twisted goblins, and their supply by sea can hold out only so long. If the goblin forces are not broken, the city may not last out the month. (Logos)
4/15/08 The second crystal has been successfully secured by the Southern Legion. A force of three thousand Xianese foot soldiers attacked the former halfling village of Appleby to roust the twisted goblinoids that held it. The carnage was overwhelming, as the goblins had with them a terrible beast that mocked the spears of the soldiers. It was possible the entire army would have been broken by the terrible monster, had not the heroic warrior Vlask thought to use burning oil against it, and discovered it susceptible to flame. When it finally died, it burst apart in a terrible red mist that was death to all within it. Half the army was a casualty of the fight, and a quarter will never fight again. The Xianese army is in no condition to take such losses for the seven unheld crystals, and some of them promise to be even harder to seize, like the crystal now encased in the fortress of gray accretion that was once the village of Quan Bai. There is much dread in the streets. (Logos)
4/13/08 The lady Sakurai Asami and the Daifu Hana "Thousand Thunders" have discovered one of the nine blue crystals in a leper colony outside Low Port, the small port town near North Neck. It appears that the crystal changed the wretched lepers in hideous fashion, yet passed without remark due to the reluctance of the locals to look too closely at the colony. Rumor runs wild that one of Sakurai Asami's near relations, Matsudaira Yoshitsune, was a leader among the twisted lepers, and that she herself slew him with her own hand. Others say that it was Daifu Hana's work. All agree that the Matsudaira family suffers greatly from this unfortunate association. (Logos)
4/11/08 The western village of Yellowcut has successfully escaped their besieged village with the help of a rakish young Xianese woman who goes by "Jiao". The woman was able to lead almost two hundred villagers from their embattled homes on a daylong evasion of roaming bands of twisted goblin-things. The villagers eventually reached the relative safety of a garrison town. From all reports, twelve of their neighboring villages have been put to the torch in an orgy of violence. Such catastrophic losses have not been known for sixty years in the west. Word has it that young Jiao also donated a large amount of gold to the aid of the villagers. (Logos)
4/10/08 The Daifu Hana "Thousand Thunders" has discovered grave trouble in the Mantle Peaks, where the eastern edge of the mountains shoulders into the road up to North Neck. Orc raiders are being driven down from the peaks by some vague and terrible force, and overland travel has become prohibitively dangerous. Several well-armed caravans have vanished on the way, and sea travel is now the only practical way to break through to the peninsular city on the neck. (Logos)
4/09/08 The situation is worsening in the western hills. A relief column dispatched to a hill garrison from Tien Lung was butchered by a horde of misshapen goblins. Over a hundred brave Xianese soldiers were slaughtered, with the only survivor of the attack being an elven blade adept who goes by the name "Esther". There is almost no contact now with the western hill villages. Officials are uncertain as to whether they've all been wiped out, or if some might still be holding out against the warped tide of invaders. A quiet panic is beginning to build in the major cities.(Logos)
4/04/08 Some sort of massacre took place at the House of the Turquoise Dome, a modest arcane school down in the Dock District. City officials are tight-lipped, but criers have been going about the city shouting a 5,000 gold piece reward for the capture of the man known as Jin Cai, a bankrupt merchant of detestable habits and likely social disease, guilty of crimes too numerous and black to mention. It's noted that Jin Cai need not be alive, but the corpse- particularly the head- must be intact. The precise wrongdoing that has caused this hunt is described only as "Theft". Word is that he had something to do with the death of the great arcanist Zhu Li Fong there as well, one of the four greatest wizards in all Ektau. (Logos)
3/23/08 More reports are filtering in from the western foothills. Xianese forces have lost contact with several hill villages, and scouting parties sent to investigate have not returned. Some say the Godbarrow orcs are coming down to wipe out the interlopers- some say it's worse. The Ministry of War remains tight-lipped. (Logos)
3/16/08 The village of Appleby has been overrun by monsters. There's no explanation of what a garrison of over a hundred Xianese troopers was doing in the halfling village, but word is racing through the streets that the entire force was wiped out by a monstrous swarm of deformed goblins and a hideous devil-beast. The only survivor was the adept Dexter, who managed to fight his way free of the disaster and bring word to the Ministry of War in Xian. Troops are being called up all over Xian, and a blizzard of messages is going to and from the west. Some say that Appleby is not the only village to have been overwhelmed in the western Godbarrow foothills. (Logos)
3/15/08 The young shugenja Miyuki has been escorted from temple to temple, calling together the priesthood to meet at the Temple of the Nine Immortals to discuss a great sign that has recently been given the priesthood. Rumor has it that tokens of the gods have been sent among men, and that the clergy must discuss the meaning of these signs and portents. (Logos)
3/11/08 The elven swordsage V'hegn has received a commendation from the Licensed Adventurers Guild for his heroic stand during the excision of a bandit settlement in the western Godbarrow foothills. According to the report, the elf blocked the camp's entrance until his fellow soldiers could come up to support him. Rumor among the soldiery has it that the "bandits" were no ordinary footpads, and talk of the halfling village of Appleby seems intertwined with the gossip. (Logos)
3/09/08 The isolated village of Shinjo on Knife Isle was the site of a ferocious battle of late. A group of elves associated with the cult on the Isle of White Teeth appear to have taken over the village until violently dislodged by a group of locals led by the slayer of the cannibal abbess, Sakurai Asami. Reports of exactly what happened are confused, but all agree that the village leader perished in the fight, and some say it was from treachery at the hands of his own kinsmen. The future of the village remains uncertain, with the prospect of retaliation from Whiteport looming large. (Logos)
3/07/08 Rumour crops up in several small villages around Xian about a man getting drunk in taverns, babbling something about 10' tall demon women with huge spears and shields, pinning men to trees with a single throw! He seems to have barely made it out of there alive! Few believe him though, he always runs from the tavern when he's accused of lying. (Sabaoth)
3/06/08 The halfling village of Appleby in the western Godbarrow foothills is reported to be filled by fungal horrors. The smallfolk of the isolated hamlet are said to be fibrous monsters masquerading as cheerful halflings, worshipping a massive clot of unspeakable horror in a chamber beneath the hill, a cavern lit by a huge blue crystal. Word was brought by the halfling goblin-hunter Lin, though some say she's merely full of bad rice wine and lies. (Logos)
3/04/08 The arcanist Jin Cai was recently dispatched by the Adventurers Guild to conduct an examination of the abandoned village of Quan Bai in search of the cause of the recent depopulation. Details as to what exactly was found there are unclear, but word is a peculiar, man-sized blue crystal was discovered in the village fish-warehouse… along with certain other things less salubrious. (Logos)
3/02/08 Local heroes Hralfing the Axe and the priestess Rahima have perished horribly in some disastrous goblin skirmish in the western foothills. Rumor is rife as to what exactly happened out there, but the sole survivor of the party was the arcanist Zayviar. Talk in the Adventurers Guild speaks of gigantic demons, and quieter whispers speak of the Red Tide. Officials make haste to insist that it was nothing but an ordinary misadventure. (Logos)
2/29/08 A seaside village to the southwest Xian, the humble fishing hamlet of Quan Bai, appears to have been mysteriously depopulated. A passing peddler visiting the insular hamlet found it entirely empty of people, their belongings untouched and no sign of wrongdoing save for one disturbing find. Details have been suppressed by the authorities, who discourage questions on the matter. (Logos)
2/24/08 The temple in Jia Yu Guan was finally purified due to the efforts of the priestess Feng Huang Ling, servant of the White Phoenix. The mother-temples in Xian appear to have washed their hands of the accursed place, but the priestess appears to be making efforts to restore the temple in service of her little-known god. The peasants seem grateful enough to have any holy woman there, particularly one so willing to tend to their sicknesses. (Logos)
2/21/08 The recently-plagued village of Jia Yu Guan attempted to purify the temple of the cannibal abbess that had long tormented their village, only to find the place overrun by hungry ghosts. Numerous villagers in the ceremonial party were slain, along with the priest sent from Xian to help in the purification.The warrior Lameth, the arcanist Zayviar, and the halfbreed witch Juhnala ventured into the temple to clear away the undead, and fought a vile shadow-thing spawned from the corpse of the slain priest. Afterwards, Zayviar donated his share of the reward money to the village's need, earning much praise and admiration from the grateful peasantry.
2/19/08 A attack by an organised group of human bandits against a wagon shipment from the Red Lotus Mercantile company (en route to Tien Lung) was thwarted by Sakurai Asami and the elf known as Quan. Kwan Chee, the aging factor and wagon driver, elaborately recounts that there were two dozen well-armed bandits and that a thick, magical fog filled the area while the black-haired girl sliced men apart with a blade of fire. Surely, he must be exaggerating. (Jin Cai)
2/16/08 The hill village of Jia Yu Guan rejoiced recently at the defeat of a terrible cannibal abbess who held the village in thrall for decades. A brave elder managed to smuggle out a plea to the heroine of Lao Wei, the brave Sakurai Asami, and she arrived to defeat the ravenous priestess and her sinister monks. The one-legged Elder Yie of the village was chosen as the new headman by unanimous acclaim, thanks to his work in bringing the heroine to their rescue. (Logos)
2/8/08 A pirate anchorage on Landfall Cay was recently stormed by a band of adventurers led by the merchant-wizard Jin Cai and the arcanist Zayviar in advance of an assault by the Unnumbered Waves Host. While adventurers are often hired to soften up pirate camps before the soldiery goes in, this band was remarkable in almost half of them surviving the assault. Most such adventuring rabble are used as nothing more than spear fodder, but Jin Cai and Zayviar seemed to be able to hold them together with remarkable effectiveness. Rumor has it that a goblin wench was involved somehow, but no one can decide on the details. (Logos)
2/1/08 The village of Bai Wen in the western Godbarrow foothills was overwhelmed in a savage orcish raid a few days ago. Fleeing survivors insist that the orcs threw themselves heedlessly on the village walls, eventually overcoming the defenders after huge losses. A relief party found the village abandoned shortly afterwards, and it remains a mystery as to what could've caused the orcs to make their ruinously costly attack. Rumor places the adventurers Cheng Shi, Dana, Rhianna, and the goblin thrall Nitrenine on the scene. (Logos)
1/30/08 Rumors swirl about the Ministry of Tariffs. Apparently, some sensitive documents regarding customs were leaked to drug smugglers which allowed them to operate for quite some time without paying proper excise taxes. While no arrests or convictions have been made, no doubt this illegal smuggling operation has been put out of order for months, if not permanently, by adventurers hired by the Ministry. The investigation is being handled discretely to avoid embarrassing the government, so details are very sketchy. (Nitrenine)
1/26/08 The notorious warlock Hana "Thousand Thunders", the rogue Eris, and the hero of Lao Wei, Sakurai Asami, have recently returned from a mission to the isolated Isle of White Teeth, north of Knife Isle. They brought with them five islanders who talk of horrors being committed on the remote isle, with some sort of crazed elvish cult taking over the village of Whiteport there. The three heroines were evidently instrumental in spiriting them off the island, but the evil is yet unconquered. Xianese officials express no particular interest in the affairs of the remote and unaffiliated islanders. (Logos)
1/22/08 A daifu's Xian townhouse was burnt to the ground last night, and its occupants found dead in the cellar. The remains of daifu Lo Bei Hu, his wife, their four children and an unidentified male human were found within after the Temple District building smoldered out. Neighbors are mystified, as they had thought that the daifu and his family had left for a funeral in Tien Lung some days prior. Rumors swirl widely about the daifu's recent financial problems. (Logos)
1/15/08 The village of Lao Wei in the Altgrimmr foothills was nearly overwhelmed by a migratory orcish tribe. Fifty hardened orc warriors descended from the mountains to seize the village, yet they were frightened off by a cunning ruse devised by the disgraced daughter of a North Neck nobleman, a girl named Sakurai Asami. Only two of the villagers died- a remarkably low tally. (Logos)
1/10/08: The southern hill villages around the foothills of the Altgrimmr range report an increasing intensity to the regular orcish attacks. Unlike their usual habit of raiding, however, these orc warbands are including their women and children as well- signs of migration unheard-of in human memory. Some orcs have even gone so far as to seize human villages for their own and reduce their former occupants to slaves and rations. (Logos)
1/08/08: Word manages to reach Xian that the temple to Shinrai at Ping Hu is in need of priests. For reasons rumored to be both malignant and benign, it would seem that they are short in number there and the high priest is seeking acolytes to refill the ranks. (Masao)
1/08/08: In scholarly circles and the merchant class there has begun a quiet stirring of concern over the loss of an Imperial stamp. The stamp is rumored to have been for the pressing of gold coins. No doubt whoever has the stamp intends on minting their own coin and placing it into circulation, thus making the smuggling of gold all the easier. Officially, there is no recognition of this having come to pass and numerous officials patently deny it as rumormongering by forces set to destabilize the local economy. (Masao)
1/03/08: A titanic avalanche near the dwarven stronghold of Hagar's Stand has uncovered a massive ruin left buried in rock and glacial ice for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Debate rages among the two scholars who have actually /seen/ the site as to whether it is of dwarven or goblinoids origin, but the two agree that it is unquestionably a temple complex of some kind, probably abandoned before it was overtaken by the geologically-active landscape of the Altgrimmr region. The thain of Hagar's Stand has posted part of his guard at the site in response to increased goblin activity following its rise to the surface; he invites all adventurers of good honour and repute to present themselves at Hagar's Stand who wish to take part in the mapping and exploration of the ruin. (Atmeh)