The Oracle
Second Passage of the Summer Moon
Latallan Bull Recovered
The Latallan bull, recently stolen from Auralay’s pastures, was recovered last passage in a spectacular rescue staged by Jade, Auralay’s elite group of city mercenaries.
“A member of Jade approached us and asked that they be allowed to take control of the thieves,” said Laren, a member of the Selarum city guard who is stationed on the docks. “The thieves had docked here and were apparently initiating a sale. We granted Jade the right, and stood back to watch.”
Although Auralay’s mercenaries intended the recovery to be a smooth operation, fighting soon broke out, complete with magical manifestations. “It was messy,” said Laren, “and Jade lost two of their members. These thieves were very professional, very well equipped.”
After the capture of the thieves, magical means were employed to entice them to give the name of their employer. That of Kaelus Reln emerged, who is one of the most powerful of Selarum’s merchants. But when guards surrounded his home, it was found that he had disappeared, taking much of his wealth with him.
“It was as if,” said Laren, “he knew aforehand what was to happen.”
Although the thieves pleaded sanctuary in Selarum, they were handed over to Jade, who is transporting them back to Auralay, where they will likely be hung for their crimes. As much of Auralay’s wealth depends on Latallan beef, the crime of stealing a cow is punishable by death.
Lord Kieran
Museum Artifact Hatches in the Night
“It was the oddest sort of thing,” said Waelen, curator at the Museum of Aranor. “It was donated by an explorer who had been investigating some of the jungles near the coast of Shavay. Really, I had never seen anything like it. It was about the size of a newborn child, all brownish with some reddish fins and spikes. Longer than wide, but with a sort of bulge in the mid-section.”
The strange artifact was placed in a section of the museum known as the Hall of Oddities, where all manner of unusual and unclassifiable things are put. And there it sat for nearly a moon, invoking the wonder and curiosity of passersby.
“Then,” said Waelen, “just last An Maad, I was doing my morning rounds, and noticed that the thing had been destroyed. Or rather, it was broken open, and a yellowish, glistening trail of slime led down to the floor and across the room.”
The slime soon trailed off, and although an extensive search was performed, no sign of anything unusual could be found.
“Naturally,” said Waelen, “I was quite worried. Who knows what sort of thing might have been slowly forming within the confines of that . . . egg, or seed? I’ve been told by my sages, however, that most creatures are sensitive to the environments they emerge from, and that a native Shavay creature will not long live in our climate. By winter, for sure, they are quite certain it should be dead.”
Still, the city guard warns people not to approach unusual looking entities, and to report any such strange creatures immediately to the guard.
Tirian
New Champion Graces the Arena
With the same Champion having held the title for more than a moon, visitors to the Arena of Aranor are more than delighted to welcome a new holder of the title.
Turren was not well liked by the crowds. A huge, rather ugly man who wielded barbaric weapons, he messily dispatched all who came against him. With his lack of personality, unpopularity among other fighters, and one-sided fights, it didn’t take long for the crowds to grow bored, and fewer and fewer were coming to the games.
Then, last passage, the Arena was blessed by a new fighter, known as Kaeven.
“He’s the kind of person people love,” said Jordan, one of the owners of the Arena. “He’s beautiful, witty, friendly, and he cut Turren down without taking a single scratch to his own flesh.”
The cheers were said to be deafening when Turren fell. In fact, the sound of the crowd could be heard in several nearby restaurants and shoppes during the climactic moment.
With Kaeven as the new Champion, Jordan expects attendance at the Arena to be better than ever.
“Kaeven is a world-class fighter,” he announced. “With the way he beat Turren, we’re going to have to make a call to all the provinces to seek out a Champion that can challenge him.”
That should certainly make things more exciting at the games.
Tania
