Second Passage of the Storm Moon

Last An Tir, an unknown number of persons broke into the Museum of Aranor, doing major damage to the display of Lord Cowan Faol.

They left a letter for the Aranorian authorities –

Consider how easily the defender of your city is defaced. Those who support the Queen are in grave danger.

The Museum of Aranor is considered one of the most well-guarded buildings in Aranor. Human, canine, and magical guards are in place.

"The vandals were quite effective," said Mia, the guardswoman in charge of the investigation. "The guards and guard-dogs were enchanted with sleep spells, and the magical wards of protection were all dispelled. In the end, though, the act was a cowardly one. You’ll notice that they attacked a painting of Lord Faol instead of Lord Faol himself."

Fittingly, the damage will be magically repaired, and the displays will re-open within a few days. Still, authorities are concerned, since this last attack clearly demonstrates that the True Nobles have some potent magicians on their side.

Tirian

The tour will begin in Selarum, and will make its rounds to Aranor, Jalpa, and Neraha. It’s a fabulous show, with acrobatics, aerial displays, comedy, and stunts. You’ll get to meet all thirty members – but only one is human. The rest? Monkeys.

"I have a fabulous collection of friends," said Abado, who has stopped off in Aranor for supplies before he continues on to his first showing in Selarum. "There are Risi Monkeys from Shavay, the brightly-hued Raj from Japura, and the huge Gadani from Moraithe. Among others."

His monkeys are all highly trained – so well that they often go out into the crowd to meet the audience.

"If you want to see the intelligence and humour of these magnificent beasts, here is your chance to learn all about them," Abado said.

The shows will be held in various locales throughout the cities, with locations and prices posted on city message boards.

Tania

Moraithe, long considered a paradise, is making itself even more attractive to those wishing to relocate to a province where they can live the ‘life of ease’. The Common Tax, charged to those who own a home but do not own a business, is being reduced from thirty silver per moon to ten silver per moon.

"Moraithe has entered a time of abundance," said Misha, one of Moraithe’s ambassadors to Aranor. "We’re following Queen Lillian’s example and taxing those who can most afford it – the plantation owners, who are making shiploads of gold on this year’s harvest."

Some, however, suggest that there might be an ulterior motivation behind the decision. A number of plantation owners – the wealthiest and most powerful persons on the island – have, of late, been displaying increased displeasure with Duke Amasay’s attention to the rights of slaves. There has even been talk of a coup.

"Although Duke Amasay will anger the plantation owners with this move," said Gavis, a sage at the Library of Aranor who specializes in politics, "he will also weaken them. The plantation owners are best kept in a state of concern about whether they are going to be making a profit or not. Historically, when the harvest is superb, the plantation owners get bored and begin to lust for more power."

Plantation owners, who can own many round leagues of land and sometimes over a thousand slaves, have oft been criticized for their treatment of slaves. Duke Amasay has secretly been sending inspectors to observe the conditions of slaves in various plantations.

"Duke Amasay is selectively applying the taxes", said Misha. "Those plantation owners who have performed flawlessly on their slave examinations will suffer no increase in taxation. Those who have committed offenses will be taxed more heavily, thus relieving the common folk of taxation burdens."

Lord Kieran

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