First Passage of the Rain Moon

Hunters discovered a small, humanoid skeleton last passage south-west of Aranor. At first they feared that it was a human child, but sages soon corrected them. By all accounts, they found the body of an elf.

"Elves are rather mythical," said Kaan, a sage at the Library of Aranor who specializes in elves. "Though we have irrefutable proof that they exist, humans have had very little contact with them, and in only a few cases have we found actual remains."

The skeleton was probably that of a wood elf – a small creature that stands to the average man’s sternum. They are thin boned and very agile, living in tribes in wild places.

The question which always arises is this – why, if elves exist, do we never see them? And the answer is simply that they possess vastly more sensitive sense than we, and can probably detect the approach of humans from a quarter league away. When presumed wood elf villages are found, they are always empty, though often they seem freshly so.

The origin of elves is disputed, but Kaan informed me that most sages agree that elves are the offspring of the first humans and the first fae. Why they branched off to create their own races remains a mystery.

Tirian

Casara Repels Sereg

Casaran soldiers repelled a troupe of sixteen Sereg warriors last passage – the first Sereg attack since last summer. The warriors were bound for a small village when the soldiers sighted them and managed to fight them off.

Casara continues to struggle to find its place as a new, independent province, and hardly has the resources to deal with external threats.  In years past, the Sereg have led devastating attacks on various of the Casaran Baronies, weakening Casara's ground forces.

Some sages suggest that Casara won't last long as a province -- that they will have little choice but to join with Faol or Rilhaven.  But Faol is weak in ground forces, and Rilhaven is occupied with its battles against the former Borderguard -- a conflict that promises to be long and costly.  At least one sage has a grave prediction.

"The New World simply isn't meant for Masallan-lineaged settlers," says Tavin, a sage with the Library of Aranor.  "They've been fighting to hold ground since they first settled the island.  A look at a map of Carador will show you that the New World is a sizeable island -- islands of that size are simply too wild, too diverse, to support civilization.  The only other Known Land which approximates its size is Shavay, and that island is settled by people who keep to primitive manners.  Civilization, with its anti-instinctual dictates, can't find a niche in lands which are too wild."

Right or wrong, many of the New Lands' cities and towns are in danger as the rest of the Known Lands seems ready to continue on without them.  For now, Rilhaven, Faol, Auralay and Casara are simply holding their ground, while the rest of the world continues to thrive due to Queen Lillian's Renaissance.

Lord Kieran

Errands for Everyone   

'Servants', a new shoppe in the Merchant District, has just opened.  It's seemingly innocent offerings are causing quite a stir!

By signing up with their service, an errand servant will report to your home and run errands throughout the city -- shopping, buying candles, or taking your clothes to the laundry.  The price starts at about 20 silver per day.

The first to complain were a group of nobles, who found the whole idea to their dislike.  "We already have carriages available to the lower classes," said one nobleman.  "Now servants?  These commoners just laze about all the time anyway -- what need have they for servants?"

A more serious issue has been brought up by certain concerned citizens -- it seems that the shoppe hires its servants from the ranks of the homeless and beggars in the Theives' District.

"We understand the concern," says Tammi, one of the owners of Servant.  "But it's unfounded.  Yes, we pay low wages, but consider what these people were making before -- we scour the streets for disadvantaged people who need the work -- we've hired twylahs, former thieves, and children who have no parents and no home.  They understand that they now have a good, honest job with dependable pay, and we give them a place to live and meals -- so all the gold they make is gold they can save for making their future dreams come true.  These are people who are ready to turn their lives around."

Some citizens have noted, however, that not all of the employees are offered living space and food -- there have been reports that the hired servants appear 'hungry and in despair'.

"We don't force them to stay with us," Tammi replied to this.  "And many of them are going through difficult transistions.  But they know how to do their jobs, and they're being given opportunities -- surely this is better than having them steal."

The shoppe is gaining a reputation among commoners who find the service much to their liking.

Tania

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