The First Land Herald/437-05-02

Article Number: 47

Dateline: 437-05-02

HOUSE MOGLIN RECRUITING FOR STRIKE ON LICH Commodore Khoheke Moglin and the once-Necromancer, now Purified Scholar, Zauldin, held a meeting today at the Village Tavern in Acenamacra. Their aim was to bring to our attention the recent surge in piracy on our seas, and to recruit the aid of the good adventurers of Kermoria in a fight against the Lich Jeihrem, may his soul burn forever in the Spiral. It seems that House Moglin wishes to strike directly at the corrupted creature who inhabits an island in their seas, and they are suspicious of the coincidentally high number of pirate attacks, which prevent them from taking effective action. The commodore began by speaking of recent activity on the Reshal Sea. "The seas have been turbulent of late. Pirates have been attacking our ships more frequently. Normally, they are only in it for themselves, but lately, they seem to be acting in a more coordinated fashion. It makes us wonder. The increased incidents of piracy have not made it easy for us to prosecute our war against the Lich." Zauldin mentioned a previous attempt to assault Basalt Isle, the secret stronghold of the Foul One, which was met with "extreme resistance." "We are essentially fighting a naval war on two fronts, dividing our forces," said Khoheke. When asked what sort of flag the pirate ships were flying, he responded, "I've seen an increase in a number of ships with black sails and no flags." As to their tactics, he said, "Primarily, they try to approach on their own ships and board our own. Sometimes, they have employed elemental magic… [and they] are flesh and blood, not undead." Zauldin added, "The pirates have not offered terms of extortion yet, which leads us to believe there are none." Even as we spoke, I heard from Dantia that black-sailed ships had anchored near the South Docks of the Crossing, and, shortly after, that they were seen at the Crossing Empath guild. So it seems that these pirates are both active and not entirely content to harass House Moglin and the open seas. Zauldin went on, "For the time being this engagement has been very taxing. Khoheke is proud, but House Moglin has suffered under this conflict, losing many ships and more bodies in this conflict." He went on to describe some research he has been undergoing in order to help aid the effort. "With the Temple, I have aided in the creation of a holy weapon that I believe will serve in our war against Jeihrem." He says that in his tests, it has worked "mostly." It does not require training to use, but is only usable by those who are proficient in using Holy mana. Zauldin emphasized that his creation is unlike the Philosopher's Knot, which was an extremely complex machine designed by the late Necromancer Osven. He described it as a fire, and when Miskton brought up the name "sanyu aes" (divine fire, in Gamgweth), he replied, "That has a nice ring to it, and is accurate." Overall, Zauldin was cautiously optimistic. He said, "I'm not convinced this weapon will destroy Jeihrem. I don't want to mislead. But where steel and magic have failed, perhaps this will slow his spread into the seas." Saragos rightly pointed out that Sivroch will also need attention. The loathsome anti-priestess and lieutenant of the Lich is known to have three arms and five eyes, and a recent vision predicted a five-eyed being taking part in a naval attack. Zauldin replied, "She has factored into all our preparations. I genuinely hope we are over preparing, but I doubt it." Ultimately, Zauldin was the one to make a plea for aid. "Khoheke likely wouldn't want me saying this, but House Moglin has borne the brunt of this conflict for some time, and their resources are stretched thin. I will say, confidently, their resolve is strong, their will unbroken, and their talents unmatched, but, they need our help." The request so far is simple: recruit others to this cause, and report any unusual activities on the seas to Commodore Khoheke. They will be requesting aid again soon, and they hope to have our assistance in a variety of missions, including naval, exploratory, sorties, and the like. Let the great adventurers of the provinces rise to this cause. A few who had already begun planning spoke up and offered to direct those interested in signing up. Speak with Saragos, Zharen, Dantia, or Sir Kenamer if you wish to get involved. Fair winds and following seas, Navesi Daerthon True Bard, Zoluren's Herald Editor in Chief of the First Land Herald

Real Date: Unknown Date

Subject(s): Acenamacra Basalt Isle Crossing Crossing High Temple House Moglin Jeihrem Kermoria Khoheke Necromancer Osven Philosopher's Knot Reshal Sea Sivroch Undead Village Tavern Zauldin

Author(s): Navesi