In the news: places/Ezaso City, Cacoal, places/Isle of Torta, npcs/Hammond Hardle, npcs/H.G. Higgins, npcs/Captain Tartan, npcs/Rex Sauvage, Desna, places/Somic City
Astronomists Puzzled
Stars continue to disappear from the sky! Is the end coming?! Omen or Explainable Phenomenon?
“Unexplainable” “Preposterous” “Undeniable”
These are the things you hear outside the Astronomy Summit this last weekend in Ezaso, the Capital city of Cacoal.
Interviews with various attendees ended with more questions than answers. No one seems to be able to explain the strange disappearances of the stars. Many are worried of the coming of the great black sky. Worried that eventually they may all just go out!
“Everyone needs to just calm down” Says Hammond Hardle, The Royal Astronomer and Astrologist to the king of Binneth. Who believes this is a message from the gods. When we asked what the message was we didn’t receive a comment from Mr. Hardle. Whatever the cause, it sure is causing a buzz throughout the land!
BLUE DRAGON WREAKS HAVOC
Manufacturing mages demand wage increases! Multiple reports! Detailed accounts of the beast!
ON THE RISE
Longer hours and faster output requirements have blue collar conjuration mages sacrificing weekends and holidays to meet consumeristic demands without fair compensation. “The amount of gold they pay is ridiculous!” Says one local magic laborer “How am I supposed to support my family?”
Concerns rising as outsourcing manufacturing to other dimensional planes gains popularity.
TERRIFYING!
Stories keep coming in! Blue light dazzled and amazed onlookers (Those who weren’t instantly vaporized by the monsters blast). Nearby royal guards of the Kingdom of Binneth say “Good Riddance!” as the attack happened on the remote island of Torta, an area of contention between local officials and the many criminal organizations that frequent it. More sightings reported as the beast seems to be moving inland from the island toward populated cities and towns.
Caption: Artists rendition of the attack. Drawing by H.G. Higgins
DOPPELGANGERS INFILTRATE EZASO CITY
Captain of the guard issues call to arms!
SHAPESHIFTING MENACE
Numerous reports involving loved ones acting strange and visual reports of shapeshifting has led Captain Tartan of the Ezaso City Guard to make an announcement last week calling attention to the crisis. And advising the locals to “Trust No-one”. We requested an interview for more information. Captain Tartan will be interviewing with us later in the week. More details on this hopefully to come in next week’s issue!
FIELD REPORT
From the journal of the daring Rex Sauvage!
Caption: Rex Sauvage
AT IT AGAIN!
I barely escaped with my life, the darkness was approaching fast. I was dangling from the edge of a cliff about to strike the group of lizard-men that had been ravaging the locals. They spotted me! “En Garde!” I yelled as I flipped down from my perch sword at the ready!
One, two, three flicks of the wrist and half of them were dispatched. Stab, twist, dodge! Parry! The other half downed as well! Just one left. Their leader was a slight challenge for a swordsman as skilled as I. I dove right, he dove left, I jumped on his covered wagon, he smacked the horses to scare them, attempting to knock me off. No such luck! I’m as nimble as I am handsome! I landed easily and brought my sword up to his with a loud CLANG! Twist of the wrist, and my steel found his heart.
In the end he proved to be no match for…
…Rex Sauvage.
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Caption: Somic City, Kingdom of Squiyles
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Caption: Avail at Attaché Located in the Elf Quarter of Somic City, Kingdom of Squiyles
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Canon facts
- The newspaper is Rugby’s Roaming Gazette, “EST 3865”, published in Conopimalis, Erepec, Kingdom of Binneth.
- This issue is dated APRIL 1 4885 (in-world calendar).
- Masthead tagline: “NEW PUBLICATIONS WHENEVER WE FEEL LIKE IT!”
- Rumour/report: stars are mysteriously disappearing from the sky, discussed at an Astronomy Summit in Ezaso, capital city of Cacoal.
- Hammond Hardle is the Royal Astronomer and Astrologist to the king of Binneth; he believes the vanishing stars are a message from the gods.
- Report: a blue dragon attacked the remote island of Torta, an area of contention between local officials and criminal organizations; witnesses were vaporized by its breath weapon.
- Torta is located near/within the Kingdom of Binneth (royal guards of Binneth commented on the attack).
- The beast is reported moving inland from Torta toward populated cities and towns.
- Illustration of the dragon attack is credited to artist H.G. Higgins.
- Rumour/report: doppelgangers have infiltrated Ezaso City; Captain Tartan of the Ezaso City Guard issued a public warning (“Trust No-one”) and is scheduled to be interviewed by the Gazette.
- Rex Sauvage is a self-described “daring” swordsman/adventurer who writes journal field reports for the Gazette; this entry recounts him single-handedly defeating a group of lizard-men (including their leader) who had been “ravaging the locals,” fighting near a cliff edge and a covered wagon.
- Ad: the church of Desna offers limb regeneration and healing services via its clerics.
- Ad: Grimwald offers magic tattoos, located in Somic City, Kingdom of Squiyles.
- Ad: “Attaché,” a clothing shop in the Elf Quarter of Somic City, Kingdom of Squiyles, sells a “Pea-coat of many things.”
- Ad: Grand Wizard Kirby is giving an “Immortality Lecture” (covering Methods, Tactics, Pitfalls) on May 1st at the Novaexum Lecture hall, Novaexum City, Sacium, Kingdom of Hawkthorne.
- Place names established: Kingdom of Binneth (capital region includes Conopimalis, Erepec); Ezaso (capital city of Cacoal); island of Torta; Somic City (Kingdom of Squiyles); Novaexum City, Sacium (Kingdom of Hawkthorne).