The Chronicle

of the month of Ternost in the year 147

Prince Edward's army has suffered an unexpected defeat at the hands of Princess Eleanor's forces. The Princess marched her entire army to the rescue of Linrodeth and struck without warning at Edward's encampment. Losses on both sides were heavy, with Edward's cavalry being particularly hard hit. After suffering serious damage to his supplies and siege engines, and with the prospect of a hostile army to his rear, Prince Edward had no choice but to abandon his march on Linrodeth. Both armies are believed to have withdrawn to their respective strongholds. The news has brought relief amongst the citizens as the City's safety is now secured – at least until the spring. Nonetheless no chances are being taken: Sheriff Derwent continues to train sections of the Marching Watch, Sheriff Tasker is co-ordinating scouting expeditions through the duchy, and Sheriff Shefford is busy clearing barges away from under the new wooden walls along the waterfront. Cllr Avery has joined in by organising ice-breaking expeditions on the river now that the first snowfalls of winter have started. Rumours that the Knights Templar of Hahn fought on the Princess' side have caused consternation in the Temple, where the election for Archimandrite is now underway.

Alison Shefford's clearing of the barges in the Floating Market area proved to be a slow and messy operation. It was achieved in the teeth of opposition from the armed residents. The attack was the first action seen by most of the Witanmoot Guard, which now largely consists of new recruits. After several hand-to-hand fights across the decks, the Guards managed to take control and demolish the barges. The inhabitants temporarily scattered on a flotilla of smaller boats, but returned to the wrecks later. The Witanmoot Guard retreated with five dead and six wounded; about half of their current strength.

The wall of silence about Lord Dixon's arrest of the Witanmoot last month has been broken by his erstwhile staunch ally Alan Monterey. The Alderman has found himself in the unusual position of being the only faction leader to be speaking out against the establishment. Whilst most of his colleagues and the vast majority of the city have been rallying behind Lord Dixon's strong leadership and decisive action, Alan has launched a lone attack upon the Lord's "dictatorial style". A spokeswoman for Alderman Monterey explained, "The fact that the Lord imprisoned all the senior members of the Witanmoot is a very serious situation which cannot, for the sake of the future of our democracy, go unchallenged." Asked if he would be taking any action to deal with Alderman Monterey, Lord Dixon replied, "Provided that he doesn't contradict any of my decrees he is free to say what he wants."

Curiosity is surrounding the status of George Rimon who has been released but who, to the best of anyone's knowledge, has not signed up to Lord Dixon's imposition of silence. So far George has not said anything in public which could be seen as a direct breach of the decree, and it appears that the severely over-stretched Witanmoot Guard have decided not to attempt his re-arrest. Many key members of the Witanmoot are known to be unconvinced by the wisdom of the decision to fight Prince Edward, and some of these people will be looking to Rimon or Jardin for leadership. Cllr Jardin, who remains in hiding, has again spoken out against the leadership of the Witanmoot. He told the Chronicle, "These traitors have betrayed the City and caused the unnecessary death of many of its citizens. The actions of Princess Eleanor make it clear to me that there is a carefully planned conspiracy against the rightful heir to the Crown. I am beginning to wonder just how co-incidental Aralan's sudden wedding and trip to Nyskilde was." Cllr Jardin's suspicions will no doubt be reinforced by the departure of Cllr Richenda Sylvanus. She left for Nyskilde and northern climes on the last ship out of port before winter. The Chroniclers are unable to substantiate any rumours of a wedding.

The campaigns for the Midwinter elections seem to have started despite the current crisis in the City. Many the faction leaders are making their support for Prince Kieran the key plank of their campaign – Monterey, Derwent, Trueman and Perignon have already declared for Kieran. With the Witanmoot Guard ready to arrest anyone putting forward a contrary view, it will be interesting to see how the campaigns develop. So far the ordinary electors are more worried about the legality of the election under martial law, but it seems that councillors are taking no chances and are already making arrangements for knocking up.