Second Passage of the Frost Moon

The isle of Irutoka is drowning amid a flood of rumor and speculation, but one thing is certain – the Emperor of Jedda is missing.

With his sanity being questioned of late, many are suggesting that he simply wandered off to begin a new life among the commoners. Others insist that he must be fleeing to another land, since the possibility of his execution was looming. Others wonder if the Empress has managed to do away with him.

Whatever the case, an active search for a new Emperor is underway. Each Emperor, the Jeddans believe, is part deity, and he is found by scouring the countryside for a young man who displays certain traits. Once found, he will undergo a moon-long ceremony before he is given sovereignty over the isle of Irutoka.

The former Emperor? Whether alive or dead, he no longer holds any power. By tradition, he is to be buried in the Temple of the Emperors high in the mountains of Irutoka, but if he can’t be found . . .

These are certainly strange times for Jedda, and it will be interesting to watch what happens as the province attempts to conform to modern trends.

Lord Kieran

Queen Ennea, the famous regent of Selarum under Queen Lillian, is well known for her beauty, her skill with a sword, and her love of chocolate. And she intends to celebrate the latest in a city-wide festival next moon.

"I get so many gifts of chocolate that I’m always giving it away!" Queen Ennea told me. "So I asked all my gifters to provide their gifts all at once, and I’m holding a festival for anyone who cares to come."

The festival will be free, and celebrants will get to sample more than a hundred varieties of chocolate and fudge, from both provincial and local crafters. There will also be vendors selling cakes, cocoa, hot chocolate drinks, and chocolate candies.

"The word ‘chocolate’ covers an incredible variety of confections," Queen Ennea said. "This is a chance for people to learn what the differences are, and hopefully find a favorite!"

The celebration will be held on An Meja on the second passage of next moon.

Tania

Moraithe is experiencing more strange events after its recent problems with a creature thought to be of MorDuraan origin. Now people are reporting animals which enter their homes and make off with objects.

"The strangest things," a sailor reported to me. "One woman told me that a panther broke in through her window. As she was screaming, it took a glass vase in its jaws. The vase was from Masalla, and was an antique which belonged to the Loredae family. Then the panther left as quickly as it had come."

While the obvious answer is that a magician capable of shapeshifting is doing a bit of theft, the evidence doesn’t add up. Over thirty incidents have been reported in Boroth and Staladin in the last passage alone – the stolen goods have ranged from raw meat to musical instruments to clothes. Thus far no one has been harmed by any of the beasts, which also have come in a wide variety, including jungle bears, large cats, monkeys, and even, in one case, a sloth. Some folks, having heard the rumors of lycanthropy arriving from the Old World, and beginning to panic. But a more lucid explanation being raised is that the native population, whose shamans might be capable of shapeshifting, are re-introducing themselves to the world.

Lady Emily of Illumination has a different suggestion.

"Like the lycanthropy scare over here, the explanation probably lies in hysteria. Animals are always interacting with people in Moraithe, and all it takes is one high-profile report for everyone to start ‘noticing’ things."

And she may be correct, for the first event reported was by one Lady Mirashelle, one of Staladin’s most esteemed noblewomen. It was a monkey who came into her house, and quite inexplicably, stole a cage with a pet bird.

We’ll keep our readers abreast of new developments.

Tirian

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