The Oracle
Third Passage of the Frost Moon
Forty Arrested in Selarum
Forty-two men and women were arrested in Selarum in the largest guard operation the city has seen since the Goddard times.
"The plan was perfectly executed," said Shane of the elite Selarum guard, called Chimera. "We had been tracking and watching a group that called itself ‘Baneguild’ for over three moons. They were involved in the manufacture and distribution of drugs, as well as dealing in stolen property."
Forty-eight members of the guild were carefully watched, and when they gathered for an annual meeting, Chimera descended upon them. Only six managed to escape. Over two million silver's worth of goods has been recovered from their homes, and over forty stone of drugs have been confiscated and destroyed.
"Our biggest problem now is keeping them all confined," said Shane. "The Selarum city dungeons only have room for sixty prisoners, and over thirty of those cells were already occupied. As you can imagine, it’s pretty crowded down there."
The guard will be deciding the fate of the various persons involved within a moon.
"Until then," Shane said, "we’ll just leave them there to wonder."
Tirian
Adventurer Returns from Japura
A man named Janus is making a name for himself of late – he has just returned from the ‘forbidden land’, Japura, where he trekked across the island in the space of two moons.
"I was traveling for the sake of sagework," he said. "We know so little about the natural features of Japura. I catalogued the terrain, took samples of plants, and kept sketch journals of animals and birds."
The most dangerous part of his journey, he said, was the sea approach to the isle, and leaving.
"The Japuran people are much more dangerous than the lands," he commented.
Did he discover anything of exceptional note?
"Many strange creatures, possibly a new gemstone – but most spectacular of all, I think I stumbled upon the sacred city that dwells within the isle – a city said to be populated by gods and goddesses. I also made an entirely new discovery – the presence of native peoples on the isle, and they’re a little different than you might think."
To learn more, you’ll have to attend his presentation being given next An Ilé at the Library of Aranor.
Lord Kieran
New Candy Hails from Moraithe!
Yes, as this time of year comes upon us, we all start to fantasize about that ‘perfect place’, where it’s always warm and balmy. Moraithe. Well, Moraithe is intruding upon our fantasies in another way, and giving the new candy shoppes in the city a little competition on the way.
The candies are sold exclusively off the ship that imports them, and are available only once every few passages. But they’re swiftly becoming quite popular.
Called "Gells", they are a smooth but firm gelatin flavoured with all the Moraithian favorites – papaya, orange, lemon, lime, pineapple, banana . . . the list goes on.
"They’ve got this vicious texture," said Manaya, a young girl purchasing a handful of gells. "And the most potent flavours. How do they do it?"
That, of course, will remain a well-guarded secret, but the importers have hinted that they’re going to step up their shipping and start a shoppe somewhere in the city.
Aranor seems to be experiencing a renaissance of candy-making lately, with a new toffee shoppe opening in the Dock District, Elatia René’s Fabulous Confection Shoppe in the Merchant District, and now this. Of course, there are still old classics like Lolita’s Chocolates and Mortelle's Taffys to deal with, too.
Someone asked me what was going on in the city. I could only reply that Aranor’s a pretty sweet place.
Tania
