First Passage of the Frost Moon

At a time of year when most bugs are gone for the winter, the citizens of Aranor have been surprised to see hundreds of huge moths circling the nighttime street and house lamps.

"They’re a bit skittish, but you’ll see them land now and again, or find a dead one in the morning light." This from Tarven, a collector of butterflies and moths who lives in the Jeddan District of Aranor.

"Wintermoths probably have another name somewhere else, because we can only guess that they are migratory. Large and darkly coloured, they have clearish orange patches on their wings. If you look carefully, you can see right through!"

He explained that the Old World sees the moths every six or seven years, and then only at night and only for a few nights in a row. They come in huge numbers, so that every light in a city will have twenty or thirty moths around it – and then they gather into great clumps and fly off in the morning.

"We’ve watched them fly out over the sea," Tarven said, "in a south and easterly direction. Where they are going is anyone’s guess – the same goes for where they come from."

The moths are certainly beautiful, and cause no destruction except for a few scares when people don’t know what they are. So take an evening stroll and have a look at them – you won’t see them again for a few years to come.

Tania

After a baneful summer in which the pseudo-province suffered from massive Sereg attacks, Casara is settling in for what they hope is a smoother winter.

"We’ve beaten back the Sereg, and have doubled up our workers at the mines," said Lord Karish, the new Casaran emissary to Aranor. "We intend to fatten our coffers this winter and begin re-establishing our political power in the spring. Our connection with Masalla is growing stronger, and we will be joining Masalla’s new renaissance, expounding the virtues of nobility which are so lacking in Queen Lillian’s lands."

As you can imagine, Lord Karish doesn’t sit at the Queen’s table very often.

Karish’s statements bring to light the recent speculations that Casara, Faol, and Masalla are considering a political alliance of unprecedented scope. Although Faol and Casara are not officially ‘provinces’, rumors are spreading that they will soon announce to Lord Niall of Rilhaven that they are separating from his kingdom. Lord Niall will then be forced to either allow them to break away, or to forcefully establish himself as the rightful ruler – a task that Rilhaven would be hard-pressed to accomplish, especially with all of their present difficulties.

The winter moons should prove interesting in that part of the world.

Lord Kieran

A newly formed traveling circus, the Dragon’s Hoard is featuring its first performance in Aranor until next An Maad. Then they’ll move south to Jalpa.

"We’re a merry band," says Lord Burdsanhuny, Master of Circus. "We’ve gathered together forty-six of the most talented people in all the world, and now they’re traveling about just to bring some joy to your life!"

The Dragon’s Hoard caters strongly to children and the light-of-heart. With interesting foods, remarkable candies (such as three-pace taffy – you’ll have to go there to find out), and numerous rides and performances, the Dragon’s Hoard leaves everyone laughing. Among the most amazing performances are Lord Shallup’s sword-throwing demonstration, the ‘Pixie Play’, where apparently real pixies fly throughout the audience, and Lady Pie-High’s balancing act, where you’ll see the most unlikely objects balanced to what seems an impossible height. Then she’ll place a pie atop it all and carefully cut herself a slice.

Admission is free, and many of the performers earn their gold by donations, so if you go and appreciate anything you see, be sure to express that appreciation with your gold.

Tirian

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