Third Passage of the Dry Moon

After many trials, including temporary capture by pirates, the great explorer Captain Tarvus brought the Courage into the port of Merydian last An Ilé. Although eight lives were lost during the return trip, the Courage is undamaged; and possibly the world’s greatest concentration of treasure has been delivered to King Avorine of Masalla.

"This gold will be used by Masalla to change the shape and flavour of the world as we know it. A new age of glory is truly upon us," King Avorine said as he received the scrolls that catalogued the treasure.

Captain Tarvus is officially acknowledging the crew of the Malia, under Captain Garamond Shjae, who aided in the recovery of the Courage. The Malia, a ship of ‘treasure hunters’, is crewed by Tiraad, Kalen, Sol, Kagaan, Tarn, Esrin, Aelus, Raeder, and Sasha.

There is a mystery surrounding this whole affair, however. Upon porting in Merydian, it was discovered that ten chests were missing from the hold. It is assumed that the chests disappeared somewhere between the time that the Courage was stolen by pirates, and the time when it was recovered – little more than three hours, during which the Courage was sailing south into the Brilliant Ocean out of the Bay of Alaira.

"Unless the pirates dumped the chests overboard," said Captain Tarvus, "I’ve no idea where they might have gone."

The captured pirates are being questioned as to the matter.

The combined treasure of the ten chests is estimated to be valued at more than three million silver.

Tania

The Carpenters’ Guild of Aranor has announced that lumber prices are rising on both the local and world-wide level.

"The woods are simply getting more dangerous," said Taren, a spokesman for the guild. "Especially for huntsfolk and woodcutters."

He’s referring to increased fae sightings and encounters that often have deadly consequences.

"We had marked a huge old tree north of Jalpa last An Tir, and I sent a party of eight out to cut it down on An Sel. When we finally went out to check on them, the saws and axes were lying about in disarray, and there was no sign of the group at all. That’s one tree we’ll be leaving alone."

Sages theorize that the lack of active hunts for fae, discontinued after the fall of King Goddard, account for the increase in faerie aggressiveness. But Lady Emily of Illumination disagrees.

"That theory falters when we note that in other provinces, such as Casara, Masalla, and Faol, where active faerie hunting still takes place, the same trends are occurring. In Faol, for instance, where people actively hunt goblins that often raid mines, reports of goblin raids have increased in proportion to the reports of missing huntsfolk and woodcutters. The truth of the matter is that the fae influence is simply growing stronger in the world."

She went on to suggest that there might be ‘tides’, lasting hundreds of years, where faerie influence waxes and wanes. Whatever the case, Lady Emily reminded me that the fae are mostly dangerous to humans who they view as destructive. So far, there has not been a significant increase in reports of sightings near to cities or along major roadways.

On a practical level, this means that the prices for ships, wood homes, wild game, and jewels and metals is likely to keep rising. For now, it seems that our monetary systems are safe, but if the trend continues, it is possible that coins could actually become more valuable, possibly creating significant confusion in the marketplace.

Lord Kieran

Aranor was assaulted by turkeys last An Tiné. It is suggested that they either flew in over one of the lower sections of the city wall, or that they live in the park and simply got lost in the city streets. In any case, they made their way through the River District, down the edge of the Jeddan District, and into the Merchant District before they disappeared in the direction of the park.

Bystanders claimed that the group numbered in the ‘hundreds’, but a more accurate estimate was delivered by a gentleman claiming to have counted thirty-four. Whatever their number, they created quite a stir as they made their panicked way through streets and yards, often stopping in quieter spots before the gathering onlookers caused them to run off again. On occasion they would take flight for a short distance before settling once more.

"Dogs were going wild, horses were startled, and even some people were scared," said Merick, who owns an import business in the Merchant District. "It was just a strange thing to see right in the middle of the city."

No damages were reported, so the incident left people with only laughable memories.

Tirian

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