Be it known that on Saturday, September 17, 605 the following noble changes were enacted for the Duchy of Elysia.

Baron Talorin Coreel of Simoondale has retired.

Baroness Ashley Alora Van Dier of Meddlar is reassigned as Baroness of Simoondale.

Lord Torin Redwolf Capelanus will continue to serve Baroness Alora in her new post.

Lord Darien Turiel is elevated to the position of Baron and is assigned to Meddlar.

Lady Tinare Van Sheldock is elevated to the position of Baroness and is assigned to Woodhaven.

Sir Ekhimo Galanodel is elevated to the position of Ducal Knight.

This is my will.

Kinnel Kohlmwyn

Duke of Elysia

September 18, 605

The gather of September:

     We arrive to again more beautiful weather (an eerie occurrence in its rarity, cherished but suspect), and marvelous expectations of the feast of the guildmaster of the celestial guild, Kymri Ramishk.  A spectacular number of people have come out for this long-awaited event, and the town is practically full to bursting on Friday night, with more expected to show up on Saturday morning.  Not only were adventurers there in numbers, but also in diversity, for in addition to our usual plethora of elves, humans, and scavengers, the Dark Elves turned out in no small numbers, and also noted was not only a stone elf (how rare!), but also the purple-hued distant cousins of our local mystic wood elves, two knights of deep mystic wood elf origin.

Some enchanted evening:

A horde of clockwork constructs poured forth from the woods, initially in a brutal onslaught of creaking, groans, and grinding gears.  The adventurers had difficulty banding together and creating effective formations, but this state was later remedied by the local nobility, and the clockworks were thoroughly disassembled.

Monkey in the middle:

A few of the younger adventurers were conscripted by a merchant to help drive off orc marauders so that his caravan would have safe passage (the less seasoned adventurers being either more expendable or cheaper to hire, it is guessed).  They performed both brilliantly and valiantly, as they came upon the orcs unmercifully teasing and taunting a kobold, who ran off into the woods when the adventurers broke up the orcs’ spite-party, only to return and effect run-by waylays to a few adventurers, who were knocked unconscious, but briefly.  However, the adventurers’ triumph was inevitable, and complete, and no one suffered a single loss of life or limb in the venture.

Origins:

A nervous, young, stuttering gentleman by the name of Master Taren gathered a group of adventurers (consisting notably of Mistress Ambra, Mistress Gwendolyn, Captain Jalini, and young Trvgr) to explore and clear out a complicated and ancient ruin that had a small and easily crushed infestation of clockworks.  Scattered across the floors of these ruins were scraps of papers gathered by the adventurers but unknown if ever assembled or what it contained.  Also embedded within these ruins was a multi-level cavern that descended deep into the earth.  On the very first tier of this cavern, the leader of the band (A brave elf whose name has been lost to the record), charged valiantly into the cave, only to set off an explosive trap that knocked him back and burned away everything flammable on his person (no note on whether he’d miss his potions or his eyebrows more).  Within this cave was a host of clockwork beasts gathered motionlessly around a corpse, until any adventurer tried to enter, at which point the clockworks moved aggressively.  The adventurers dismembered the machinery, only to find the corpse had died a rather permanent and irrevocable death.  Upon descending further into the cave, down a set of roughly carved and anciently worn steps, they encountered more clockwork constructs, a formidable force which this band found insurmountable in their current state, and the group fled back to town to regroup.

At this point, the good Baroness Tinare (not yet elevated to this position), took charge of a large group and eradicated the clockwork threat.  She managed this without the resurrection of a single adventurer, and she credited the support and teamwork of all the warriors she had with her to this feat.

Good Morning Feastgoers!

A day of festivities and joy, and all without the interruption of unplanned fighting or terrifying creatures (again, a moment of respite cherished but suspect).  The tourneys were fantastically entertaining, but there were far too many and far too much going on unfortunately to relay a play-by-play of each of them.  However, Master Kymri kindly posted the winners of each on the fae trees, a listing that we are choosing to re-print here:

3 touch

1st place:  Boots ( Arcannon)

2nd place:  Squire Lee

Caster

1st place: Baron Mikael

2nd place: Lord Zeal

3 on 3 shadow

1st place: Squire Ethir, Lord Zeal, and Baron Mikael

2nd place: Glenn Stormwolf, Sorin, and Zartax

Ring Challenge: Lord Zeal

Capture the flag

Won by Captain Decoy and his team

Decryption

1st place:  Celeste and Perion

2nd place:  Dancer

Table Dressing

Baroness Tinare's Woodhaven table

Scavenger Hunt

1st place: Ash and Flame

2nd place: Ambra and Gwendalyn

Congratulations all!

(As a side note, Baron Turiel also hosted a poker tourney.  For more information on the results of that tourney, please see the fae trees where it is posted)

And may we be blessed, every one:

The feast, oh to do justice to the feast.  All people turned out in their finest gear, a veritable parade of beautiful women and well-dressed men of every persuasion, only out-matched by the marvelousness and deliciousness of the food.  It truly was a fantastic tribute to Master Kymri and all his long years within Elysia.

Lost and not found:

Captain Jalini spent much of the day and the ensuing evening searching for the mighty Prince’s shield and code, a quest given to her by the kingdom knight Sir Talasar, lost by the Prince’s squire.  She met with no success, unfortunately.

“I’m a brownie!  I’m delicious!”

A comely and spritely young brownie hovered near the edges of town, dejected and droopy with a withered wing and a plea for help.  Though terminally shy, she encouraged a band of adventurers to follow her into the woods, into a garden slated to be tended to for the Green Man.  The brownie, one Mossyfern Greenglade, hoped to acquire greater fae status, but needed the garden cleared of some wicked trees and doombushes and other nightmarish plants.  Many people turned out to investigate, and being fully loaded with spells that were unused throughout the days festivities and feasting, they unleashed upon these terrifying creatures, obliterating them within minutes.  Especially handy were those with resistance to poisons, as these plants attacked the immune systems immediately.

The Final 9

Late into the night, the town fought an army of orcs of the Bloodfist Clan, numbering in the thousands. The majority of the town lived due to the valiant efforts of those being called the Final 9.  These brave warriors include Baroness Tinare of Woodhaven, Squire Lee, Kingdom Squire Mythrin Lightcage, Alatar of the Golden Unicorns, Ducal Lord Dathras, Baron Mikael of Adron, Ducal Knight Sir Ekhimo, and Shadow Dragons Toran and Gwendalen. This group helped take out a third of the army’s high ranking officers and held the front line, while others made their way to safety. However, wars are not fought without casualties. Lee, Mythrin, and Gwendalen died this day defending the lands that many call home.  Their actions are commendable, and though many were only doing their noble duties which they swore to fulfill, three of these nine are not of the peerage and deserve the same recognition for their loyalty to Woodhaven and Elysia.   And, cruelly, both Squire Lee and Squire Mythran were brutally robbed during the resurrection process.

People and Places:

Master Perion arrived in good form, sporting a fancy new gold star on his fae-mark, received in the glade of the Green Man for exemplary work.

One of the other resurrections to occur during this gather was sadly an unfortunate accident during the Capture the Flag game, whereupon one of the deep mystic wood elves forgot to lay on only pretend swings and swung much harder, accidentally killing one of the very young adventurers.

SPECIAL REPORT:  The burning question of the burning plague:

In March began the onslaught of the Burning Plague in its new mutated form, those infected by contact with the skull of an elven child including Squire Lee, Shimpan Tenuviel, Hanou, and Krossus.  Both Lee and Tenuviel had been infected by contact with a carrier of the disease, and because Krossus is a dwarf he does not feel the symptoms, but is still capable of spreading the disease as a carrier.  Though only those of elven descent are affected by the plague, anyone can be a carrier.  It seems that those resistant to poisons and disease are not affected by the plague, and that because it is transported possibly by touch but definitely by blood, many have taken to wearing gloves during their adventures to avoid capturing this ill disease.

In may, Squire Lee dealt with a fae, trading for a cure, but the fickle fae chose only to cure Squire Lee, instead of revealing a cure that could be used for all.  Hanou entered into a later stage of the plague called “Blood Rage,” where he was overcome with a desire for murder and destruction, and only through rampant killing could his lust be satiated and some semblance of sanity returned to him.  He was watched carefully by the shadow dragons, and harmed no one, but was harmed himself in a fierce battle on the porch, and upon his death Blasé aided him, bringing him to consciousness, but unfortunately infecting himself in the process. 

Baron Turiel (then Lord Turiel), upon seeing the terrors this plague could effect, issued a quarantine for all of Woodhaven and Cromley, and began investigations into the disease.  Baroness Tinare (then Lady Tinare) also sealed the Oaken Wood borders.

July:  In Adron, a contingent of undead harboured the infected skull of an elven child (see Those Things are Bad For You in the July issue of T.D.R.).  Baron Mikael, through contact with that skull, became a carrier of the disease, and all elves within five feet of the skull became ill for half an hour, at which point the feeling passed and they were found not to be infected.  Baron Mikael, through thorough washing, was also able to rid himself of the disease, thus emphasizing the need for proper hygiene during plague times such as these.

Shimpan Tenuviel encountered a life knight, and took it upon herself to discuss her condition.  Though the life knight could not provide a cure, he did confirm it was a mutated version of The Burning Plague, and that it is inevitably terminal.  Tenuviel has stated that since she has gone through the resurrection process, she is no longer infected.

Lastly, the hordes of orcish undead that poured through the adventurers at this most recent gather, led by a fierce and strong spirit that had risen from the tomb only to summon his army to destroy the town, had been heard shouting “Blood Rage!” as they rained screaming death down upon the adventurers.  Whether or not this is related to the Burning Plague as we (barely) know it is currently being investigated.

Special Thanks to members of the Fellowship of the Rose, including Leila Verde, Salamander, and Poisoned Thorn for their contributions.