The Chronicle

of the month of Skelern in the year 144

A large crowd gathered to listen to the full council meeting where Vanessa St-Lawrence put forward a motion calling for the council to fund an orphanage for all the city. An earlier public meeting had made it quite clear to the councillors what the citizens thought of their indifferent attitude to the problem and it was apparent that the crisis had reached a point where our councillors would either do something or face a full scale riot. An amendment to the motion was attempted by the unlikely alliance of Cllrs Richard Firethorn and Adam Avery. Cllr Firethorn's amendment attempted to put the city in overall control of the orphanage and it looked like he would gain sufficient support to push this change through. However a last minute switch by Cllr Avery threw the Witanmoot into turmoil and the amendment was lost by 128 votes to 62. Whether this U-turn was a carefully planned double-cross or whether Cllr Avery had suddenly noticed the large crowd outside, remains unclear. The full motion was then opposed by Sheriff Beatrice Perignon who pointed out that the Hahnites intended to build an orphanage for the city's children if the city did not and hence the project was a waste of money. However many of the non-Hahnite councillors felt that this was an unacceptable solution and, to the cheering of the crowd, the motion was passed by a majority of 149 to 47. The ecstatic crowd carried Vanessa and Gax back to the orphanage where a large celebration was held.

The blizzard sweeping in from the North has caught most of the city by surprise just as the preparations for Springtide were beginning. All but the half dozen main roads have been completely blocked by snowdrifts and the Ishta is now frozen from bank to bank. This has brought commerce in Linrodeth to a complete halt until the wind changes. Soothsayers have been uttering dire warnings about the hatching of Ice Wyrms and other ominous portents if the wind does not die before Springtide.

Complaints have been heard about a dangerous incident when drunken revellers from the Citadel pelted through the city in a sleigh pulled at full gallop by no less than six horses. A number of citizens were injured while scrambling to safety, and an informal debate on the orphanage at the Mootstone was broken up just as Sheriff Perignon had begun her speech. That venerable lady, although unhurt, seems to have been particularly offended by the large amount of Adam Avery's campaign bunting seen trailing from the back of the sleigh.

The city has set its budget for the following year at £83,374. Despite a £4,000 in the tribute due to the King, the extra spending on the orphanage and dire warnings for Sheriff Dixon in the run up to the budget, no extra taxes will be required. The Dragonfeast last summer, much to the surprise of its organisers, has generated a large guild income, and this will more than cover the increase in this year's budget.

The nominations for the Chairmanships have not produced the usual carve up along fractional lines. A complex plan by Sheriff Dixon to distribute the posts evenly among the factions seems to have collapsed and a free for all of nominations ensued.

Treasury

Anderson, Faithside, Shefford

Trade

Warin

Law and Order

Andrews, Derwent, Lambourne

Shipping

Carter, Romanie

Welfare and Education

Tasker, Andrews

Lands and Agriculture

Derwent

Salvoyn

Rimon, Portman, Beaureli, Blessop, Davy

Nyskilde

Derwent, Howe, Blessop, Davy

Eresan

Saunders, Tholin, Firethorn, Bergeren, Blessop, Davy

Cascorach

Mowbray, Blessop, Davy

Aldermen Olivia Warin and Aralan Derwent are therefore elected unopposed.

Despite the recent incident in which outraged citizens stormed his house. Cllr Randy Parkinson has re-iterated his usual call for frozen beggars to be dumped in the marshes rather than the Ishtan. "I will not be intimidated by bleeding heart liberals such as Gax and Cllr Edge" he told the Chronicle.

Alice Fytton, Alderman of Dowgate has ordered the Watch to close the Dow entrance to the Floating Market. "This entrance is the source of most of this Ward's ill. This is the first step in our campaign to remove the blight of the market from our doorstep", she told the Chronicle. A number of incidents have already ensued as citizens attempted to gain access to the market, and rumours speak of at least one unmistakable Councillor stumped for a way to get into the market.