First Passage of the Ice Moon

Selarum’s youth discovered it long ago – to them, the old ruins were nothing but a playhouse. An old, half-tumbled stone manor, with empty rooms and long, stark halls.

The old ruins, situated north of Selarum, are in a large field and are a common sight for those travelling to the northern peasant villages. For some reason, however, they’ve escaped the attentions of sages until early last passage, when a team of historians realized what the children might be playing upon.

The Araden family came to the Old World on the first ship from Masalla, over four hundred years past. It is known that they vied with the Goddard family for rulership of the new settlement, but when the Goddards asserted their dominance, the Araden family disappeared. Or so it was thought, until four years ago when a sage discovered, in the archives of Selarum’s library, a reference to the Araden family – a reference suggesting they left the main settlement and built a stone home just to the north.

"There are numerous old manor ruins in the Selarum area," said Mia, who is heading up the team of sages. "But we have good reason to believe that this one predates the other ruins by a century or more – and it wasn’t until about two hundred and fifty years ago that manor homes were built outside the main environs of Selarum. Considering the dates, this could very well be the Araden estate."

The team has been granted exclusive access to the site for the entire spring – they’ll be carefully searching the area for clues and using a small model to re-create the top floor of the structure, which was made entirely of wood.

Tirian

Ships from Faol have laid claim to yet another discovery of a new land – once again on an undisclosed island along the coast. According to official reports, "the people were swiftly befriended, and we were pleased to find that these fine people, unlike the last we encountered, possess an advanced civilization."

The report goes on to tell of a mystical spring, called the ‘Aldenfell’, which the people of this isle use to grant themselves youthful beauty. Old legends recount a strange civilization, discovered by the first explorers to the New World, who seemed more fae than human. These people, the legends recount, lived for hundreds of years and never died of old age. They were of a beauty that ‘made the explorers weep’. The island where these people lived was said to be sparkling with rills – rills with water so pure it could ‘cure all woes’. Possibly a reference to the Aldenfell?

The report by Faol authorities contrasts sharply with their previous discovery of a native tribal people on a nearby island – in that episode, representatives of Faol quickly subdued the people and attempted exploit them. This time around, Faol claims things are different, but some worry that Faol’s intentions aren’t so pure.

"We’ve blockaded the bay in front of their village," the report states, "to protect these isolated people from adventurers who might attempt to wrongly use the sacred waters of the Aldenfell. We have established peaceful trade with the native peoples, and will be making the spring waters available to the world market. The powers of the waters are considerable, and merchants should take care that they are purchasing the waters only from trusted sources from Faol."

If the claims are true, watch in spas and specialty shoppes for an expensively priced spring water – it might be your key to everlasting youth!

Tania

Rel Morde is reporting great prosperity as its gems have become extremelely desired in most lands. Faol garnets, as well as the new stones labeled ‘Casaran’ gems, have been trickling into the market, but due to merchant uncertainty of origin, the gems have not been selling well. Rel Morde, in the meantime, has unearthed a cache of rubies of exceptional quality, and the stones are currently the most sought-after gem in the jewelry market.

Rel Morde is sending more aid to Rilhaven to help them in the building of their new port – the sum of two million silver was recently donated to help pay for workers who are making their way to the New World to take advantage of the opportunities in Lord Niall’s lands. King Mark of Rel Morde has also sent over a million silver to the isle of Mymé to help the Empress rebuild after last year’s devastating war with Irutoka. These two acts are the first recorded instance of an independent province sending aid in gold to another province. King Mark says that the treasuries of his province are simply full, and ‘our small province is well off enough that we can spare a little for other provinces in need’.

King Mark has traditionally taken a neutral stance in world politics, and his latest generosity will continue to win him friends world-wide.

Lord Kieran

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