EFUM Gossip, Major Events, and Rumors (IC Knowledge)

[Jayde Moon]

Fifth of Flamerule, 1382 DR

Since the first days of her term, the Ninth Lord-Mayor had been shadowed by the treachery of Sharr'kall and the sahuagin contingent who turned on Mistlocke just days after she allowed them into the Shroud, assuring the villagers that the Legion had their monstrous companions muzzled and compliant.

After weeks of searching and several further skirmishes, the Lord-Mayor and her Legionnaires announced that they had located the wayward Warrior-Prince of Sekolah and gathered adventurers and glory-hunters to their banner as they set forth to assault the sahuagins' undersea temple.

The details of what transpired are unknown, but it was said that in the end it was the Lord-Mayor and the Crimson Knight Caius Victus who faced off against the mighty shark beast and with his support, the Lord-Mayor dealt the killing blow.

Afterwards, the slain were recovered and many of the Legionnaires originally abducted by Sharr'kall on the day of his treachery were rescued.  Further, the Legion's flagship, the First Bolt, was recovered.  The grace of the Gods saw that only two men were lost to the afterlife, the Legionnaire-turned-Ill Companion [/i]Cassius Swyft and the Wyrm Watcher Marco Ravenclaw.

While the Lord-Mayor returned to the Village directly to speak of her victory int he town square, rumors circulate that a group of Legionnaires escorted a shadowed and erratically behaving individual into the Old Stones, sparking wild speculation and gossip as to the identity of the person as well as the Legionnaires business in that cursed place.

Quickly following was the quiet pronouncement by the remaining Legionnaires that their duties be returned in full to the Muster as several departed for Sis Liman to board their ship and return to the waters of the Archipelago.

[ShadowCharlatan]

Flamerule 9th, 1382 DR

The village of Mistlocke was eventful this day.

Major Nicholas Hood was heard to announce that he would be supporting neither the Clan Aberdenn's Bullbreaker nor Havoros Khaver in the election, putting an end to the rumours circulating about both. The Major, glum and nervous, spoke that to support either was to support bringing War to Mistlocke. He announced also that an anonymous donor had given gold enough to the Mist's End that it might ration free food for the village for the entire week. The kitchens of the Mist's End are full of bustle, with extra hands hired on briefly to help with the charity. Crowds mill in and out, drinking Mist's End Draught Beer and carrying out the same rations as they talk over the election and the other small happenings of the village, and speculate on who the anonymous donor could possibly be. More than once, an Ill Companion Refugee is seen to be thrown out of the Mist's End for trying to get second or third helpings.

The Numinous Order, it is said, have been entering the camp of the Ill Companions of late and harassing refugees with claims of their giving in to the Maiden. As a result, clashes between the Order and both the Ill Companions and the Wyrm Watchers have begun to grow commonplace, as Acolytes and Footmen of the Order seek to forcibly administer strange divinations throughout the camp. There is, if the rumours are true, some truth to what the Order claims: the refugees have been consuming cursed food to fill their bellies.

Meanwhile, the election is nearing its end - with many candidates growing desperate in their own ways. Overseer Havoros Khaver has surprised many of his supporters with scathing attacks on the Clan Aberdenn's honour. While the Clan Aberdenn have lost support for their candidate, the Bullbreaker, with brawling in the streets of the village and the recent assassination attempt on Khaver. Allison Grayscale is seen to be trying hard to invigorate her campaign, Horatio Victus is said by some to be considering endorsing another candidate, and Lucky Bells - most suggest - is doing the same while holding the votes of those Ill Companions unwithered enough to enter the village and vote in the election. Twinkletoes seems to have taken an unusually serious note in the latter days of the election with his latest initiative "A.B.K", to the great disappointment of his more vacuous fans.

With great fanaticism does the campaign of the Bullbreaker of Aberdenn proceed. On the one hand it seems a highly energetic cult campaign pushed by a band of Bannersmen practically worshipping Falltower. Cries of "BULLBREAKER!" and "IT IS OUR TURN!" can be heard frequently, from early in the mornings to late in eves. On the other hand, some of the same fervent men greatly tarnished the campaign only today with an assassination attempt on Overseer Havoros Khaver. The acid spitting Vasily, and Aeylweddion, of the Watchers, and Ronald Fryth of the Clan Aberdenn were said to be the culprits in the attempt. All are yet on the run. Speculation on just who ordered the attempt lands on the heads of Gadyw Aberdenn, the Bullbreaker, and various lesser Aberdenn bravos, though the Clan fiercely asserts that the men acted alone out of idiocy, madness or fey tricks.

[ShadowCharlatan]

Flamerule 16th, 1382 DR

The Numinous Order has made several appearances in the village over the election, and today arrived a small and bedraggled column of Footmen led by Knight-Champion Jacques de Villiers. They all pledged their votes to Havoros Khaver, though some of Khaver's most avid supporters were infuriated by the small number of Ordersmen showing up to vote. A Footman was reported to have responded by clutching a man by the throat and uttering dark words to him about the senselessly destroyed Order Priory and a good man lost in their long trek through the Withered Lands... and after that, the anger and bitterness was held  inside.

 Those Ill Companions showing few or no signs of the Withering also enter Mistlocke without trouble, bound for the Last Keep... they seem cheerful, the rumour going that their debts have been paid of late.

 The Clan Aberdenn have made a great show of voting for the Bullbreaker, with rowdy groups of Bannermen leading villagers to the Chamber of Elections roaring slogans and oaths of what degrading things they'll do should their candidate lose. The Wyrm Watchers trickle into the village in much smaller groups, or individually, to quietly cast their votes. Meanwhile, the Associates of Clan Caermyn that head to the Stone do so with an air of grim necessity, seeming to take little pleasure in the election of Flamerule 1382.

 The few men left of the Muster are the most conflicted and sad looking of all in the village. Badmouthed, disrespected, downtrodden and left now without the training and support of the Shrouded Legion, they speak of Grayscale and Khaver as their best hopes for the future.  

The village votes, and Mistlocke breathes a sigh of relief, as election time nears its end. The last of the free rations offered by the Mist's End and its anonymous benefactor are prepared for distribution for the next few days, and the Grey Mist Raiders that of late visited upon the shores of Ymph are gone as quickly as they came - leaving a mess at Sis Liman and around the village of Mistlocke. The mists thicken with the hour, and anticipation grows for the result of the election..

[ShadowCharlatan]

In the afternoon sun, with the Mist's End casting a shadow over the stage, General Secretary Estelline Nettlehatch announced the results of the election. With reports of Overseer Havoros Khaver's death earlier in the day, the result was a certainty in the eyes of the village - but nonetheless a curious crowd showed to witness the unfolding drama.

138 -- Cameron Falltower, the Bullbreaker
102 -- Havoros Khaver
23 -- Allison Grayscale
13 -- Lucky Bells
1 -- Paus the Defender

It was a solemn occasion, both the Secretary and the new Lord-Mayor giving respects to Khaver in their words. Though the Bannersmen of the Clan Aberdenn, and a very cheerful Gadyw could not contain their enthusiasm for the victory. The Aberdenn can be seen drinking hard and celebrating the day and night away, while the Clan Caermyn in stark contrast have all but sealed themselves in their Estate.

An outrage has already begun to emerge over Aberdenn and Wyrm Watcher involvement in the death of the Overseer as Mistlocke's new and tenth Lord-Mayor takes his seat for the first time.

[ShadowCharlatan]

Men and women from the homesteads, camps and lodges of the deep forest can be seen travelling into Mistlocke proper with carts and children in tow. The men are often seen to wear Aberdenn colours, if sometimes battered or ill fitting... and speak amongst each other and the local Bannersmen as they congregate about the Aberdenn Hall before moving on to find a new place in the village.

Most are peasants and lumberjacks and the like. Men of simple trades and traditional bent, and who with quiet rage regard the village in the state it was left by Lord-Mayor Zoe Lisette. Rumours say that the Aberdenn are calling in all their Bannersmen, and all their favours... The toll booths and licenses have been torn down with the first few days of Falltower's government, and a controversial oath is demanded now of any who would be Freemen of Mistlocke - one now must acknowledge Donyarth Aberdenn as the first to settle the village in order to be protected by the laws.

Much of the village reacts with annoyance at the least, furious anger at the worst. Some refuse to become Freemen at all, a small few others clamour at the Mist's End and Old Muskroot's to demand the Elders intervene, or else share words with the Caermyn. Some simply head to the Last Keep to line up and swear their oath. The Caermyn, for now at least, are dead silent...

[ShadowCharlatan]

Lord-Mayor Cameron Falltower today met many villagers in his office, and announced his first Castellan (and land holder), Horatio Victus. He later held a public trial of the Watchers Vasily and Aeylweddion, and Bannerman Ronald Fryth. The (some say fair, some say farcical, others simply "boring" or "overlong") trial ended without any exiles or executions, but instead the removal of Ronald from the Clan Aberdenn and the promise of the three men going on quests for redemption...

Until their quests are completed, it is said they will remain on the Wall of Infamy, and will find no welcome in the Mist's End or the Market Hall of Mistlocke. Gadyw One-Eye of the Clan Aberdenn stood by the Lord-Mayor's side throughout the trial, his changing expressions ever prompting Falltower.

Along with these light consequences given to men charged with murder and assault, another announcement of Falltower's has produced further dismay. He named none other than Gadyw Aberdenn as his Lord-Captain, prompting many of the few remaining Mustermen to turn in their keys and uniforms. The ranks are now thin indeed...

Aberdenn Bannersmen and their families continue to slowly make way into Mistlocke from the outer reaches. Folk of Mistlocke make their oaths, and take their keys, or refuse... but all speak of the times to come with a growing sense of dread. Some say it's about time the Clans sorted it all out, others that the village is poised to destroy itself. Meanwhile...

...the Caermyn brood in their estate, their caravans moving in and out of the village under heavier guard...

...the Mustermen that remain can be seen throughout the village on frivolous "missions" (writing poetry, tracking down leftover bottles of Aberdenn Whiskey, doing laundry) they say Gadyw himself has ordered...

...the Argenti gypsies huddle and speak between themselves, letting none listen in, but with a palpable rage about them...

...the reclusive Major Hood sits in the top of the Mist's End, his staff preparing for the worst...

...and Old Muskroot is silent: unreadable behind his wooden mask.

The village is still and orderly, the Caermyn laying low while the Aberdenn stand by the gates and patrol the streets and the woods, though the future promises only more tension. While some grow ever more incensed that the Elders have not intervened, others caution that this so-called "Age of the Aberdenn" has to be handled with care...

[ShadowCharlatan]

Recent days have been eventful...

Lord-Captain Gadyw Aberdenn in the morning gathered the few remaining Mustermen to the square, and announced that he was disbanding the Mistlocke Guard and putting in its place the Clan Aberdenn, to reclaim their old mantle as the defenders and enforcers of the village -- a mantle denied them since the First Election. This has caused mixed reactions... jubilation, concern, and conspiracy all mingle uneasily inside the walls of the village. Some of the few remaining Mustermen took Gadyw's offer, and assumed a new role in the defense of the village as a Bannerman or Armsman of the Clan. Others left the village square with varying emotions: from indifference, to upset, to betrayal, to rage... Though a few still hang on to the only a few years old militia, or speak of the dying spirit of Mistlocke, or scrawl graffiti on walls they once defended - most agree that the Muster is dead and gone.

Gareth Caermyn, in the eve, made a much awaited response to the actions of the Clan Aberdenn. In it, he inaugurated the Caermyn Coin, a token offered to men who would pay a modest fee to become a Freeman of the Clan Caermyn. Possessing it, it is said, gives one protection through the Caermyn mercenaries, discounts in the Market Hall, and other attractive benefits. Gareth's words were met with jeering from the Aberdenn, though many villagers breathe a sigh of relief or else eagerly purchase a Coin for the various temptations it offers. Lines form and dissipate in the Market Hall as the days go by...

The Clan Aberdenn loyalists trickling in have set about making improvements to the village, chief of which are the beginnings of a palisade on the eastern edge of town... something notably more defensible than the fence the Bullbreaker promised in the election. Some conspiracy theorists point to this as a sign of a coming disaster or war, while others give a nod to the progress or speak highly of the workmanship and the effort to at last improve village defense in practical ways.

[Paha]

Foul rumors of treachery, battle and banditry are on everyones ears...

Large numbers of villagers, adventurers and even representatives of both Clans were present near Muskroot's tower. It is said that the eccentric, some say crazy, faithful of the Mystryl's shrine, Echr the strange chittering man, was calling out the Aberdenn's Arnold Howardson.

Words of a banditry performed by Aberdenn circle the village. Bystanders claim that Aberdenn was accused of having stolen gold from the Mystryl's shrine, and that Howardson was being called out for it. Some claim that the Aberdenn were being robbed and threatened. Several more say that Howardson was trying to protect someone. Who is right, is not certain.

What is known for sure, is that a huge fight broke near the old Muskroot's tower, and it has become obvious that the Aberdenn took the first strike. It is said the faithfuls of Mystryl defended themselves fiercely, aided by the Caermyn and it's Crows. The Aberdenn were fast overwhelmed and many of them put to the ground after a lengthy battle. The parties were split only after a large number of Aberdenn guards came in force from the gates, and after several of the Caermyn and Aberdenn alike were lying bruised and bloody on the grass.

Afterwards the beaten Aberdenn, Arnold Howardson at the lead, were seen leading the priest Apocryphan towards the Last Keep... What came of the accusations or what is the exact truth is uncertain...

The village is torn as the feud between the clans continue. Each side taking their chances to strike at one another, be it by blade or fist. Banditry has increased, thieves grow more bold and new groups seem to form everywhere around the village as people huddle together to find safety and support from something.

[wcsherry]

Flamerule 28th, 1382 DR

From the well water of Mistlocke a terrible scourge poured out into the village. Witnesses claim flesh withered from the bodies of those that drank from the well immediately afterward. The afflicted then transformed into oozing husks of undeath, shambling to harm those that once loved them.

A band of adventurers is said to have travelled into the well to cleanse the decay that lingered beneath.

Amidst the chaos, many seek someone to blame. Although the Mayor declared several names to be added to the Wall of Infamy, many residents are left unsatisfied. Rumors persist that Caermyn retainers were the last ones seen in the well, while frantic messages called out by others blamed Wyrm Watcher agents for the entire affair.

After hours of cleaning, the corpses are finally dragged off the town square, but the blood stains and piles of decayed flesh still linger.

[wcsherry]

Flamerule 30th, 1382 DR

From the depths of the River Tear, monsters spewed forward. Witnesses claim vines and strange entities battled with adventurers, Caermyn, and Aberdenn alike in a hard fought battle to retake the city. Many note that the Mist mysteriously offered more protection than any blade offered by the assembled mob.

The source of the infestation was found below the bridge to Mistlocke. Word travels that a lone mage and an obese elf dove in alone to stave off the abominations beneath.

After much bickering, again, no one is quite sure who is to blame for this atrocity. Some are quick to blame the Ill-Companion, Marcus Bellbridge. Others insist Aberdenn disposed of the Muster and orchestrated the affair to consolidate power in times of trouble. Still, others blame Caermyn trickery.

After the debate simmered, the bridge was left in shambles. Few are bold enough to travel accross, and word travels that at least one man has fallen to a gruesome death below attempting to traverse the bridge.

[wcsherry]

Eleasis 5th, 1382 DR

Word spreads that three giants and a tiny goblin led a bold assault on the very gates of Castle Blackhearth itself. Few are certain of the casualties, however, several Order Footmen are seen limping away with terrible wounds, and several corpses are lit in a funeral pyre the next morning.

[ShadowCharlatan]

Eleasis 24th, 1382 DR

From the morning mists of Eleasis 24th, 1382 DR, came an invasion of the like Mistlocke has never seen. Men in Caermyn colours- and amongst them, officers in ruby red -stormed the walls of Mistlocke manned by Aberdenn Bannermen. These curious men caught the village by surprise, screaming "FREEDOM!" and beating down everyone in sight. Some confused Caermyn Associates joined their rampaging brethren- only to be knocked out themselves. By the time the dust settled, many of those felled by the raiders had been dragged away into the woods as the last of the raiders were chased off. As pyres burned high, the Lord Mayor and Lord Captain adjourned to speak of the grave assault.

Gareth Caermyn was quick to insist that his Clan would never attack Mistlocke, and though some still adamantly insist that the Clan Caermyn was the one to assault the village in league with their Ruby masters - much of the village, including the Lord-Mayor himself - agree that even the Crows would not stoop so low. With the return of some of the captured individuals, most rumours tell that the madmen of Murdertown were responsible.

As the Lord-Mayor rose to speak and allay the people, the Mist crept thick over the little village in the dell, acting queer as ever it does when the Lottery is at hand. Villagers disappeared indoors, shutters were closed, and the day was painted grey. Hunters and Caravaneers returned from the woods with strange clawmarks, or streaming mist from strange wounds, or dead eyed and lumbering down the roads alone. After some time a sparse crowd gathered again in the square to witness the result of the lottery draw.

The Lord-Mayor, with Gadyw Aberdenn and Castellan Fryth smiling by his side, and General Secretary Estelline Nettlehatch holding the bowl with a horrified expression, named the Champion of Mistlocke:

Menaster Caermyn

A quiet dread has come over the village since, like the calm before a storm. The Caermyn guard their Ealdorman closely, refusing to acknowledge what they call Gadyw Aberdenn's bloodlust. Meanwhile, the Aberdenn - led indeed by One-Eye and the Lord-Mayor, ask that Menaster rise to his responsibility for the village's sake. The mist swirls with strange occurrences: whisperings, sights, shapes, images and beings... a threatening weirdness.

... and nightmares come to all in Mistlocke.

[ShadowCharlatan]

Eleasis 25th, 1382 DR

With the Mist behaving ever more strangely, and then - to the horror of all - receding entirely and inviting the Withering Curse into the village of Mistlocke for the first time... the Clans came to loggerheads.

The Clan Aberdenn brought fire to the Caermyn Estate, and scenes of chaos erupted in the village as Caermyn Mercenaries and Aberdenn Warriors spilt blood in the streets. A message from Owain Aberdenn came just as the action began, helplessly condemning his distant Bannermen for following One-Eye into the fray. Meanwhile, Caermyn Associates slipped out the back of the estate, and through the gap in the wall left open by the resistance of the Argenti gypsies to Aberdenn construction.

Many of their numbers escaped, and scrambled with treasures and belongings to the camp of the Ill Companions. But their Ealdorman, Menaster - the named Champion of Mistlocke - could not be found. Carden Caermyn was seen to be led off by Ordermen. Though the other children seem to have escaped...

It was some time until Aberdenn Bannermen and Armsmen returned from their searching, with Menaster Caermyn in tow. Bringing him before Gadyw Aberdenn, even they seemed surprised and appalled to witness what came next. Gadyw dragged the old man into the square, and amidst recounts of the man's 'crimes' against the Clan and Mistlocke, began to beat him brutally. Aivhilin Aberdenn, the old widow of Tendric Aberdenn - Arthur Aberdenn's  late father and a man poisoned - accused Menaster of being the one to kill her husband. Even she looked on, horrified, as Menaster's cries, and Gadyw roaring boisterous murder echoed in the night air...

Those who rose to intervene were quickly dispatched, and a bold Caermyn counterattack was too late to stop the death of the Champion. Rumours tell that Gadyw smiled over Menaster's lifeless corpse a lonely man, almost all others looking upon him with fear and disgust.

Much ado is made of the old man's last words... speaking that he would never have poisoned Tendric Aberdenn - a man he chucklingly claimed to consider a "brother"... and of something "below the hall" that must be found. Speculation is heard often over tables in the Mist's End, amidst the shock and mourning, about what this could possibly mean...

The Lord Mayor soon called another lottery, and hanging his head- looking older, and wearier than ever he had in his campaign and early term -announced Roderick Morinson the Champion of Mistlocke. Some time after he said his goodbyes and entered the Last Keep, the mists returned. Yet they do nothing to hide the shame of the Lord Mayor, and the Clan Aberdenn...

[ShadowCharlatan]

The raw ruins of the Caermyn Estate and the Market Hall stand a grim  reminder of the destructive power of the centuries old feud of the  Clans. The destruction of the Market Hall could not have come at a worse time. With the Clan Caermyn forced from the village proper, and trade there diminishing, the people cried out for the lack of basic goods and imports. Now, with its total destruction and many merchants departing, worries are surfacing of famine.

It was Gareth Caermyn who made the announcement of an auction in the hall, an olive branch to mend relations - it was said. But the result of the day was more shattered mortar and burnt wreckage strewn about the square. The stalwart Market Hall, gone. Some rumours speak of the Caermyn shipping in explosives, others of an accident with some magical artefact... and still others whisper and wonder of chambers beneath the building.

The silence of the leadership of the village is thought to bespeak furious meetings and threats. Owain and Gadyw Aberdenn, it is said, compete for the ear of the Lord Mayor and his Court. This, while the Elders speak not the ifs but the hows and whens of the end of the ruinous Aberdenn term in office... and the recovery of the village. Those who have seen him recently say the Bullbreaker is in a terrible state.

With the Market Hall destroyed, villagers have begun to fight over basic goods. The crops and hunts fail to sustain the appetites of the Last Keep and village peoples, and many of the most victimised under Aberdenn rule- especially the withered, those with Caermyn Coins, and merchants once of the hall -have simply picked up and left the village walls. The Caermyn siblings ensure that all of these are welcomed in the shanty town springing up to the west.

The days to come promise only more ill, with the crows speaking of Menaster's funeral - his body still held by the Aberdenn on Gadyw's orders... and the stags full of mutterings of vengeance for the hall they say the Caermyn intentionally destroyed. For his part, Gareth Caermyn insists that the explosion was never supposed to happen. Though some who witnessed the auction wonder about the intent of the mysterious, soft spoken man who ran it...

[ShadowCharlatan]

With the passing of a day, the distant Lord Mayor Cameron Falltower resigned and then - by the rumours - either hanged himself... or was hanged... from the Last Keep. Of his last orders, the only one that seems to have been fulfilled was the delivery of Menaster Caermyn's body to the Caermyn, there to await a proper funeral.

In Falltower's place, Gadyw Aberdenn has declared himself the Warlord of Mistlocke, until such time as the war camp of the Ill Companions and the Clan Caermyn is no more.

A few praise the development, with the strong presence of Gadyw Aberdenn  promising an iron rule- they speak of feeling safer in the misty village. Others, many others, including Owain Aberdenn... express disquiet or outrage and demand or else quietly seethe that Gadyw stand aside to make way for new elections.

Yet with a deal immediately struck with the Numinous Order, Gadyw's loyalists have seized control of the village and begun to root out those they claim are under the influence of H'bala, or are traitors to the village. The outskirts of Mistlocke, meanwhile, swell with hundreds. Great numbers of them still seek refuge and a better life in the safety and the walls of Mistlocke, away from the withered and the desperate refugees and mercenaries... while others speak of getting treatment for their curse by making coin off the Caermyn siblings... who already, its said - before Menaster's funeral can even be held - weave plots to boost their positions in the family.