The Chronicle

of the month of Galemir in the year 143

This year's committee elections have seen some of the closest contests ever, with Marcus Lambourne, Alan Carter and John Madigan taking the Law and Order, Shipping and Nyskilde seats by very narrow margins. The contests for Treasury and Salvoyn produced resounding victories for Alison Shefford and Arianne Pencric. Whilst clear wins were also recorded by Ann Tasker for Welfare, Jemma Downe for Lands & Ag and Mark Bergeren for Eresan. The full voting is recorded later in this Chronicle.

The committee results evidence a major shift of power within the Witanmoot, with Harry Truestaff and Adam Avery both gaining significant influence at the expense of Beatrice Perignon and Malcolm Mowbray. Aralan Derwent and Matthew Dixon seemed content to consolidate last year's gains. Miranda Andrews, the only Alderman in the Drumm faction, missing the powerful Law & Order chairmanship by only one vote. In the other two close votes the defection of Melanie Romanie to the Truestaff grouping proved decisive, and confirms Truestaff's position as a major power. The result of this realignment is a much more balanced council, with each of the major factions controlling a committee. The Treasury budget will no doubt see a significant amount of horse trading, and in the power gap left by the demise of the Justice League and the collapse of the Perignon faction, it will be interesting to see what new alliances are formed.

Malcolm Mowbray spent much of the campaigning time chasing round after an alleged conspiracy against himself and Beatrice Perignon. With his usual tact he managed to upset nearly every other councillor and undoubtedly strengthened their resolve to pack him off to Cascorach as soon as possible. Rumour has it that at one stage Mowbray was seen seen being dragged back into his house after heading off to duel with the Crimson Councillor clad in chainmail and carrying a very large sword. Although the Mowbray camp is strongly denying the whole incident, we expect to see a flurry of guard hiring within the Witanmoot.

The Floating Market appears quiet following last month's violence, and the guard have been reduced to the normal levels. The political repercussions are still being sorted out and a strong lobby had been formed by some of the councillors in the wards of Bridge and Dowgate arguing for the destruction of the Market. Cllr Saunders of Bridge has been its most outspoken proponent arguing that, "Paying to increase the Witanmoot Guard has been about as useful as throwing the money in the Ishtan." He went on to describe the guard as, "a bunch of cowardly, overpaid fairies", and demanded that if they were unwilling to do the job themselves, they should get out of the way and let the people burn the market down. A spokesman for the guard would only comment, "We know where he lives".

Cllr Saunders additional remarks about Lady Samantha Cox appear to have landed him even deeper trouble with a number of people, including a couple of knights from the Citadel, queuing up for the privilege of defending her honour. Lady Samantha has however refused to be drawn into the mud slinging. She has instead written to the wards of Dowgate and Bridge asking if Cllr Saunders representations should be taken as a formal request to withdraw the protection of the Witanmoot Guard from those Wards. Cllr Aralan Derwent has shocked the city society by venturing into the Floating Market. A disbelieving Witanmoot Guard report that she and her bodyguard, Brytewine, entered the market by the bridge stairs and then headed for the area of last month's major battle. Several hours later, just as the Guard were beginning to organise a gratuitously violent rescue mission, they both re-emerged. By this stage Aralan was holding a large bundle of stinking rags, and her red-headed bodyguard was holding off a large pack of besotted Nordic warriors. Both went immediately to the house of Alderman Ann Tasker, who later explained that the rags were the remnants of clothes worn by Armundus Septer at the time of his 'disappearance' in prison. Ann told the Chronicle, "This is the first major clue to the circumstances of Armundus' death, and finally puts an end to the ludicrous story of his escape by magic. The fact they were recovered from the market, and the subsequent 'disappearance' of his two prison guards, clearly indicates the involvement of criminal elements. The same criminal elements who were responsible for the riots for which he was framed."

The Chairmanship Voting

Treasury

Shefford

(SC, AG, BP, EA, MR, PP, AT, BB, NW, GH, JD, ML, AC, OW, DB, MD, AS, JI, AF, LL, DB, SF)

Dixon

(NB)

Law & Order

Lambourne

(SC, AG, BP, EA, PP, NW, ML, OW, AS, LL, DB, SF)

Andrews

(MR, MA, BB, GH, JD, AC, DB, NB, MD, JI, AF)

Anderson

(AT)

Shipping

Carter

(AG, EA, MR, MA, AT, BB, GH, JD, AC, DB, NB, MD, JI)

Warin

(SC, BP, PP, NW, ML, OW, AS, AF, LL, DB, SF)

Welfare & Ed

Tasker

(SC, AG, EA, MR, MA, AT, BB, GH, JD, AC, OW, AS, JI, AF, DB, SF)

Lansdowne

(BP, PP, NW, ML, LL, DB)

Isenbard

(NB, MD )

Lands & Ag

Downe

(AG, BP, MR, MA, PP, AT, BB, NW, GH, JD, ML, AC, DB, NB, MD, JI, AF, LL, DB)

Romanie

(SC, EA OW, AS, SF)

Salvoyn

Pencric

ALL

Nyskilde

Madigan

(AG, BP, MR, MA, PP, AT, NW, GH, ML, AC, AF, LL, DB)

Dixon

(SC, EA, BB, JD, OW, DB, NB, MD, AS, JI, SF)

Eresan

Bergeren

(AG, BP, MR, MA, PP, AT, BB, NW, GH, JD, ML, AC, DB, JI, AF, LL, DB)

Morgan

(SC,EA OW, NB, MD, AS, SF)