The Oracle
Second Passage of the Dry Moon
‘Icing on the Cake’ Pushes Boundaries
A new shoppe is becoming immensely popular in the Merchant District. Called ‘Icing on the Cake’, it offers gourmet cakes, for a very reasonable price. Many of them also sport incredibly bright colors – colors which the shoppe-workers readily admit are created by illusion.
“You’d have to use dyes which would either be poisonous or detrimental to the taste of the icings,” said Mia, one of the workers I spoke to behind the counter. “Instead we use magic.”
Among the few ‘laws’ of Aranor is one which dictates that magic not be ‘sold’ in public venues. A few shoppes, such as Masquerade in the Dock District, applied to the city for an exception before they opened for business. Other shoppes, such as Prism, which sells illusion-enhanced cosmetics, simply opened and then, when confronted by city authorities, pleaded their case.
Icing on the Cake has yet to speak to the city regarding their use of magic, but outcry has already gone up among some of the more traditional nobles. And at least two other bakeries, who thought it illegal to use magic to enhance their goods, are also complaining.
For the moment, however, Icing on the Cake is open for business, and their cakes are absolutely fabulous.
Tania
‘Airship’ an Illusion
A large ‘airship’ was sighted last An Maad, flying over the Dock District. The ship looked just like a regular ship, except that it was floating about three paces in the air as it made its way across the bay. Though seemingly distant, it could be seen in great detail – including barnacles coating its underside.
“Everyone went into a panic of amazement,” said Bran, a sailor down by the docks.
The ship disappeared as it rapidly made its way south and was lost around the edge of the bay. Rumors were rampant. It was only as the city grew more serious about the sighting, which was reported by over eighty witnesses, that a culprit finally came forward.
Magus Rain, as he calls himself, recently graduated from the School of Lysandra north of Aranor. The sixteen-year-old magical ‘genius’, as one of his teachers called him, thought he would test his skills publicly by attempting to fool as many people as he could. The action has brought him a strong reprimand from the guard, since his actions were definitely a ‘blatant public display’ of magic. Such displays are not usually allowed by the guard, due to the fact that they can cause disruption and panic.
Magus Rain got away with only a warning this time, and has promised that no other public displays will be forthcoming.
Tirian
Maelmuire and Faol Clash
Angry words were shouted from ship to ship as two Faol warships intercepted a Maelmuirian trading vessel and demanded fines.
“Faol is demanding that Maelmuirian ships don’t come within sight of their lookout towers, since the Maelmuirian ships will ‘clog the shipping routes’,” said Katherine, a sailor who was in Faol at the time. “The whole thing is ridiculous.”
The authorities of Faol attempted to levy a fine of over ten thousand silver from the trading ship, which refused and suggested that Faol’s actions were an act of war. The two sides then separated without further incident.
Faol has since delivered a mandate that no Maelmuirian ship may pass within sight of Faol’s watchtowers, though interestingly enough, no similar mandate has been applied to ships flying King Niall of Rilhaven's flag.
For Maelmuirian trading ships to skirt the edges of Faol’s visual boundary would require them to sail far out of their usual route.
Maelmuire and King Niall’s reactions are yet to be seen.
Lord Kieran
To the Oracle Collection-- Fifth Year