The First Land Herald/444-08-36

Article Number: 73

Dateline: 444-08-36

THE HERALD RETURNS WITH A RECAP Bridge Built, Barbara the La’tami Dead, Krenze the Pyromancer Attacks, and More! The reporters from the First Land Herald have been out of the office for some time, kept away from our work by other responsibilities. We are slowly but surely returning to our desks to write, and we thought our readers might appreciate a quick recap of previously unpublished events. A New Therengian Bridge You may have heard, or witnessed, that the ravine between Rossman's Landing and Therenborough has undergone some vast improvements. It is no longer crossed on a dangerously swaying rope in the wind, but a wonderfully stable structure of wood and masonry. More than a few well known groups have claimed at least partial credit in the project's fruition. Our Editor in Chief, Navesi Daerthon, interviewed Parkons and Malkien of the Northern Watch, Vice-Speaker Karthor of the Theren Guard, Speaker Penhryn and Vice-Speaker Aislynn of the Order of the Dragon Shield, and the following Ravens: Chelinde, Ishcah, Raikage, Rifkinn, and Slarc. I attended the Ravens meeting with her, studied her notes on the others, and pieced together the following. According to Vice-Speaker Karthor, past and current members of his Order hosted material collection drives over the years with the very purpose of building a sturdy bridge. Speaker Penhryn corroborated his statement, saying, "There were efforts to replace it for what seemed like ages. ODS helped with those efforts… People from all over the realms, Therengians and those from farther away, would bring materials and donate them." Parkons and Malkien were under the impression no one group of adventurers was truly in charge of the build, although there may have been claims otherwise. Certainly many participated from different groups. During the meeting with the Ravens, several of them stated, respectively, that the Ravens provided all of the material, most of the labor, supervision, safety direction, and snacks. Rifkinn and Penhryn both mentioned the possible presence of Necromancers at the site, but this fifth group was not named and therefore unable to be interviewed. Rifkinn said, "Some of the profane claimed it was their work that completed the bride." Penhryn attended a court meeting after the project's completion, hoping for more official information from the Keep, and heard no word from the Baron about the bridge or confirmation of any forbidden persons attending its construction at the time. There was a brief period of time when construction stalled due to the materials mysteriously going missing. Unverified rumors circulated about where they went and why. Eventually, it was the pirate Srinoja who returned them to the building site. Other than Rifkinn's statements that a few skirmishes did break out between the Ravens and the Northern Watch, it sounded like a relatively peaceful experience, with muscle primarily used for building rather than fighting. To quote Parkons, "Most everyone was kind and helpful, [and] despite any true supervisor being [absent], we managed to take the kit of parts provided and discerned workable methods of construction." One thing is for certain, the bridge is complete and passable, with a plaque on the deck dedicated to Baron Gyfford Theren, 442 AV. It also contains a panel of names, recognizing those who assisted in the construction of this new bridge in service of Therengia. Uroi Odalva Spotted In other news, people have recently spotted Uroi Odalva, mostly at social gatherings. He has been seen drinking and smoking his cigars at fancy parties, perusing the wares at the Olvi springtime festival in Arthe Dale, and at a play where his pantless presence caused quite a commotion. Barbara the La’tami Receives Memorial Elanthians also spotted a now legendary rogue la'tami. The lone creature was seen roaming around the southern platform of the Ilithi gondola. When it saw city folk approaching, it lashed out and instinctively attacked. Regrettably, it grievously injured an innocent bystander. Despite an effort to spare the sojourning la'tami, some decided to protect the bystander, and the la’tami died. Warrior Mage Anuril said he landed the final blow, and he was able to retrieve a hide to remember it by. The corpse of the boundary-breaking creature was dubbed “Barbara.” Only a few days passed before her grieving kin attacked the city of Shard. Undeterred by the invasion, a group of sentimental adventurers grew, and Akeiro planned an elaborate memorial to honor the life and death of the now infamous yvhh la'tami. Mourners gathered in memory of beloved Barbara on a cool, spring eve in the year 443, 115 days since the Victory of Lanival the Redeemer. Folks from all walks of life brought offerings or flowers and held lit votive candles as Akeiro began to speak. It was an evening full of emotions as Nilme sang a dirge in Barbara's honor to the crowd. When Iryta stepped up to sing next, a horde of la'tami were seen hanging from the outside of the gondola and traversing the cable lines towards the ceremony. Unfortunately, many more of Barbara's kind would perish that night, as the creeping la’tami eventually invaded the area. May Barbara (and her kin) rest in peace. For the Elanthian community, we will never forget how Barbara’s sojourn from the confines of her home beneath the gondola brought us all together. The Antlered Being Reappears Ever wonder what happened to the strange antlered being watching crowds from the woods? During the spring and summer of year 441, Xelten Tyrsin held gatherings near the Ranger Guild Longhouse in Boar Clan with a goal of communicating with the being. Boar Clan had been the scene of many previous sightings, and it seemed particularly interested in Rangers. At one of the two meetings, the antlered Kather being did in fact appear, and we learned they call themselves Anmuva, they are a Watcher, and they are very sensitive to smells. It is uncertain at this point in time if any attempts to reconnect are underway, but we hope for more spontaneous visits, since Anmuva has alluded that in time, they may have more to teach us about the Life Dragons and their influence on magic and mana streams. Dragon Priest Investigations: An Update I was curious about what became of the Dragon Priest investigations, so I spoke briefly with Lady of Elamiri Ayrell Evyntine-Vershir, who had teamed up with Yraggahh for scouting missions of areas possibly controlled by the Dragon Priests. Nothing has turned up in some time since we last reported on the efforts to investigate the Dragon Priests (see FLH 439-04-05), with the exception of a very strange meeting with a talking pivuh. However, interestingly, Ayrell’s group did have a run-in with the aforementioned Kather. Yraggahh has not been seen or heard from recently, but Ayrell did say she would love to pick up the research again in the near future. Investigations Begin on Stormwill Tower Most recently, Ayrell has been focused on experiments at Stormwill Tower, the infamous Shard tower that boasts a perpetual stormcloud at its peak. In her first experiment, she told me she volunteered to align to electricity, though depleted, and receive lightning into her body, as others looked on and attempted Othersight. She reported, "When we started the experiment, we initially felt a static charge building. The storm began to spiral angrily far above the tower, hissing with hair lightning. We then began to see bolts of lurid green lightning lash across the sky as well as striking the cobblestones until finally lashing across the copper rods we held, causing them to glow with a vibrating green energy. A crackling mess of filamentous lightning erupted from the copper rod on the ground before discharging chaotically into the air. While utilizing the Othersight, my mouth filled with the taste of copper and a dull thrum resonated across the area. My vision faded, darkness creeping over my sight, and a pulsating glow caught my attention far above. As I glanced upward, it flared brightly, a dense writhing sphere held far above, illuminating peaks spiraling against the top of the tower. The dull thrum resonated once more and I saw the tower more clearly. The storm seemed to seethe, almost palpable in its fury. Several bolts of electricity lashed outward, and then everything returned to normal." Ayrell plans next to visit the interior Stormwill Tower in a collaboration with Bards and other guilds, as they search for clues about the Mage of Storms and his studies that were conducted within the tower. The Search for Sir Beren is Paused The Truthseekers continued looking for Sir Beren, or at least some kind of explanation for his disappearance, for some time. They initially discovered a body in the Dark Hand (see FLH 439-08-07). It remains uncertain if the discovery of the body and attached note are related to Sir Beren. A Fete was held (see FLH 440-10-11), and while it was rousing, the effort did not lead to any progress for the group, leading to the ultimate suspension of the search, for now. Goblin Pyromancer Krenze Attacks the Crossing A certain goblin pyromancer by the name of Krenze has been seen terrorizing the city of the Crossing, Navesi tells me. She witnessed red moongates opening, through which fireballs were flung, bursting everyone in the area into flames. Krenze himself appeared as well, throwing a burning hammer roiling with flame, in addition to summoning hordes of goblin berserkers. Fortunately, the adventurers of the city came together to defend it, and Voranos landed the killing blow against Krenze. That is all I have to report at the moment, but I am certain there will be more to come soon. If there are any events that the Herald has missed, please reach out to myself or our editor, Navesi Daerthon. Until next time, Shaylynne Kendialahle Reporter of the First Land Herald

Real Date: Unknown Date

Subject(s): Anmuva Arthe Dale Ayrell Bard Beren Boar Clan Dragon Goblin Gyfford Ilithi Kather Krenze Northern Watch Order of the Dragon Shield Order of the Theren Guard Ranger Ravens Family Rossman's Landing Shard Srinoja Stormwill Tower Therenborough Therengia Theren Keep Uroi Yvhh la'tami

Author(s): Shaylynne