First Passage of the Snow Moon

When the trading ship Siria came into port, it had a strange cargo. A cargo so immense that it had to be dragged in the water behind the ship. The crew has now rented out pulley-lifts, and strung the creature up over the docks for all to see. And what people are seeing is a huge dead turtle, its shell over twelve arms long.

"We came upon the beast about a day out of Aranor," said Larn, the Captain of Siria. "It seemed sick, just sort of floating on top of the water. A bubbly mass was coming out of its mouth, and it made a strange sound when it breathed."

The captain and crew had heard tales of such creatures – some said to be large enough to capsize boats. They approached the giant turtle, but it made no move to escape.

"We had to bring it back for everyone to see," said Larn. "For sages to document. These creatures were only legend until now – now they’re real!"

The animal will be displayed for two more days, after which time the Museum of Aranor has commissioned to have the shell cleaned and polished for exhibit. If you don’t manage to see it on the docks, then, you’ll have your chance at the museum.

Tirian

Illumination recently published a treatise on historical fashions. Their intention was to educate – not cause fist-fights.

The publication of the treatise sent Aranorian designers into a flurry of activity as customers came into shoppes asking for dresses like the ones they had seen in the treatise. Totally unprepared for the demand, shoppe-owners flew to action. Now, historically accurate dresses are being seen throughout the city, and are commanding incredibly high prices as a result of the high demand.

This has also caused a demand for ‘replicas’ – dresses which resemble historical reproductions, but are made with cheaper materials.

The aforementioned fight took place between two ladies who both insisted the other was wearing a ‘replica’ instead of a ‘reproduction’. Both women were taken to the healers after the incident.

As something of a fashion expert, my personal prediction is that this trend won’t last long – designers and seamstresses simply won’t be able to keep up with this sudden demand, and the lack of availability will cause a waning of interest. Some, however, disagree.

"This is the new movement in women’s clothing," says Shira, one of the city’s private seamstresses. "The Renaissance has allowed us to bring together all the strings of the past and weave them into a coherent fashion. The market for antique dresses is going to make a lot of people wealthy – boon to you if you’ve been keeping great-great-grandmother’s old dress well-preserved. But the real beauty of this is that new, unique fashions will come to life – well-blended creations that combine history with the new values and traditions of today."

Tania

In the latest step of Maelmuire’s long history of attempts to reclaim the lands of the New World, King Lambrodegh has issued a missive to the rulers of Auralay, Cuan, Faol, Casara, and Rilhaven. Here is an excerpt --

We understand that this is now your home. We furthermore understand your misunderstanding of our rationale. Our concern is that since the arrival of your people, many of our sacred lands, temples, and essaeins have been desecrated. (An essaein, for those not familiar with Maelmuirian culture, is a sort of religious ‘laboratory’ where magical experimentation took place.) These sites not only hold our heritage, but are important to our ancestors, the Eldritch, who have displayed great displeasure at the losses of many of their creations. Although these sites are often situated in remote locations, they still have extreme importance to us, and although many appear abandoned, they have specific times during which they are used – these time spans can be decades or even centuries between uses.

The letter goes on to outline a plan which will span thirty years. King Lambrodegh asks each of the rulers to enact a program which will encourage, over the three decades, the current inhabitants of the province to find new homes. Maelmuire has offered assistance in ‘creating new provinces’ – they will provide workers capable of building ‘replacement cities’ on neighboring islands. The letter further asks that all collection and trade of Eldritch artifacts cease immediately. If these conditions are met, King Lambrodegh is promising no further attacks by his military, as well as aid in constructing cities on uninhabited isles.

Provincial leaders’ reactions are not yet known, and King Lambrodegh has given them three moons to reply.

Of special note are the references to the Eldritch and Antara in King Lambrodegh's letter. The letter suggests that the Eldritch, thought by some to be extinct, are still living somewhere on the New World. And that Antara, whose fall has been blamed on improper overuse of magic, may have fallen for other reasons having to do with Eldritch magics.

We’ll keep our readers informed of further developments.

Lord Kieran

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