The Oracle
Fourth Passage of the Summer Moon
Dangerous Artifact Stolen
It is called Karajai, and is said to be one of the most dangerous weapons ever created. During the MorDuraan wars, the infamous female MorDuraan Warrior Irala, said to have killed over two hundred men, had the sword crafted for her by the most powerful wizards of her day. And it was recently stolen from the home of a Masallan-sanctioned antique collector from the isle of Adiera. While the collector is being rebuked by Masallan officials, over twenty mercenaries and fifty Masallan soldiers have been sent on a search for the item.
The sword is magically enchanted to radiate an unnatural cold, able to instantly freeze almost anything. A person struck with the blade, for instance, would be immediately killed, their flesh bristling with crystals.
“This is a highly dangerous weapon,” I was told by one of the mercenaries sent to the Old World in search of the artifact. “And its location is being protected from divinatory magic. Whoever has it knows they’re a criminal.”
The assumption is that another collector commissioned its theft, so the search is revolving around certain elite personages throughout the Known Lands.
Remember to be on the lookout for a strange and frosty sword-- there might just be a reward for its return!
Tirian
Frogs Assault Aranor
“I’ve never seen a hatching like this,” said Amalee, a girl who lives by the swamp along the eastern edge of Silver Lake.
The frogs typically hatch early in the year, and Amalee enjoys listening to their calls and watching them grow from tadpoles into frogs. But this year is different. Not only are the frogs late, but they’re incredibly numerous.
“Really,” said Amalee, “I can’t walk down my drive without fear of killing one. It’s one step, push them aside with my foot, and then another step.”
Others are not so careful, and city workers have had to be diverted from other tasks to scrape dead frogs off the roadways, lest the smell grow unbearable. Businesses in the area, however, are quite delighted with the phenomenon, since it’s bringing crowds to the Thieves’ District.
“They come to see the frogs,” said one tavern owner, “and before long, they’re hungry!”
I’m not sure the sight of thousands of frogs would be so appetizing to me, but apparently business is better than ever.
“They’re our little gift from the lowlands,” said the tavern owner.
And I haven’t even mentioned the sound of them at night, which alone makes it worth the trip across the city.
Tania
Historical Mystery Solved
Most sages have heard of the Paraja Slaughter – probably the worst moment in Masalla and Jedda’s historical relationship.
It occurred during the first years of the Avorine reign, when King Avorine declared that there should be a city on the isle of Masalla that was half Masallan and half Jeddan. As the story goes, the Jeddans arrived, bearing gifts, and during the gift-giving ceremony, an argument erupted that ended in both sides drawing blades and attacking each other. The Jeddans, hopelessly outnumbered and underarmed, were all killed, and according to some accounts, their remains were displayed on stakes at the shore’s edge. The town of Paraja became the town of Amaralan, and it took King Avorine over thirty years to mend relations with the Jeddans. But to this day, no one knew what sparked the argument.
Jarus, a sage from Aranor who journeyed to Masalla in pursuit of the mystery, claims to have solved it.
“In Amaralan I discovered the ruins of the hall where the ceremony took place. It has been set aside as a historical site, and it was only by talking to Queen Anabelle herself that I was permitted to explore it. It has lain mostly undisturbed since the incident, so I was able to see, first-hand, the gifts the Jeddans brought. Among the treasures was a scroll – a declaration of Jedda’s desire to make the joint city work. The third sentence contained an interesting section, where the Jeddans described their respect of the Masallan people. And the next line furthered that by explaining that the Jeddans would honor the Masallans by paying fealty to their king. The problem, you see, was in translation. The Jeddan words in both sentences sound much like other words in their language – words with quite different meanings. If the Masallans' translator wasn’t highly skilled, the message would have gone more like this – 'we respect our right to live upon these lands, and we’ll pay a visit to your king that will bring him woe'. In other words, it was an assertion of Jedda’s dominance, and a threat to the King of Masalla.”
Jarus will present his discoveries in the Museum of Aranor next passage, and has already shown his findings to Queen Anabelle of Masalla, who reportedly is offering a belated apology to the Emperor of Jedda, whose people were killed on that well-remembered day.
Lord Kieran
To the Oracle Collection-- Third Year