The Chronicle

of the month of Arvinoth in the year 150

Although the City is now almost free from the thirsting plague, its effects still linger on. Most of the city is in mourning with almost no family left untouched by the tragedy. On the advice of the Torians mass funerals have been taking place in order to clear the backlog of corpses. Whilst some wells have been reopened many have been permanently sealed, however following a suggestion made by Marcus Lambourne the army has been actively digging new wells and many of these are now in service providing fresh and safe water to the city. The boiling tower has been dismantled as it was becoming dangerous. Most of the temples have now held services of thanksgiving and there has been angry reaction to the suggestion made by the newly arrived Reshite priests that the plague is a punishment visited upon the city for its failure to accept Resh.

King Kieran's army has taken control of a number of strategic locations upriver. A large force of infantry and rangers is reported to be encamped around the Cheddingham copper mine and to be digging in. The King's forces at Fenny Bridges are also reported to be on the move and a number of skirmishes with scouting units appear to have taken place. General Olvini has called for calm, and indeed the reaction from the city's forces has been surprising muted. The guards on the gates have been increased and all the cavalry have been deployed deeper into the countryside. However the bulk of the army still appears not to have mobilised. One exception to this is the company of pike men which arrived over the bridge and has deployed just beyond the Torian temple. This unit was thought to have departed back to the city states several months ago. In response to the many questions this raised General Olvini has announced that only a few mercenary units have in fact left and the majority of the army has been engaged in a secret operation to defeat the Noord. The General told the Chronicle "We have a significant reserve of battle hardened troops based to the North in an addition to the feudal levy available from the liberated lands." Princess Selina added, "It is my hope that Prince Kieran will join us in the fight against the Noordic barbarians rather than pressing a fruitless attack on the people of Linrodeth. However if he is in fact here to take advantage of the City's current problems, the General assures me that it is well within our capability to destroy his army". The Chronicle notes that this assertion seems optimistic given the size of Kieran's forces and their success at Cascorach. Certainly the Princess appears to be going out of her way not to force a battle.

The re-establishment of the marching watch this month has proved a particularly interesting activity. Plans for the controversial move have been under consideration for some time and an announcement has been expected about now. However, for the professional fence-sitters in the Witanmoot, its coincidence with the arrival of King Kieran's army could not have been worse timed. Lady Tasker announced the watch's re-establishment in a formal decree as follows:

"All able-bodies citizens are required to participate in the Linrodeth Marching watch. The Marching watch shall be organised on a ward-by-ward basis. Within each ward, the citizenry shall be divided into watches numbering 150 people. Each ward watch must practice drill for at least one hour per week. In addition each Tenthday the Sheriffs shall summon a number of full wards to perform further practice. Aldermen are responsible for the turnout of their own ward and will appoint a leader responsible for organising each of the wards watches. The penalty for citizens who fail to fulfil their watch responsibilities shall be a fine of 1s for each offence. The City Guard shall, in consultation with the Alderman and Sheriffs appoint a suitable person to commander each ward watch."

Lady Tasker defended her use of the decree on the basis that it had prevented a divisive debate which the city could ill afford under its current circumstances.

Alderman de Clare has proudly announced that the repairs to the wall will be complete by the end of the month and that he has managed to deliver the project dramatically below budget. He told the Chroniclers, "Re-establishing the wall is essential to the safety of all of our citizens and I am deeply proud of my workforce, who have continued tirelessly through the recent troubles with this great task. I am delighted that we have been able to complete the work at a cost of only £3,250."