The Chronicle

of the month of Arvinoth in the year 154

A lavish civic ceremony of thanksgiving has been held for bumper harvest underway this year. Lady Davy led a formal procession of both the Aldermanic and full council members to the Dalethian Wellhouse on Wheat Hill, where a service was conducted by the Wellkeeper Shinannon. Later the dignitaries adjourned to a formal reception at the Lords Mansion in the Witanmoot, where additional generous libations were made to the Kerunian deity Baccelos. It has been a busy month for Chair of Law and Order Judi Spich. Firstly her well intentioned attempt to intervene in the Saunders’ affair stirred up a hornets' nest of complaints. Perhaps if she had quietly asked the Investigation Agency to look into the matter, things would have gone smoothly. As it was her announcement to the Witanmoot was formally seconded, then challenged. Things quickly degenerated into a full council debate on the role of the Agency, the authority of the Chair of Law & Order, and the authority of the Witanmoot and the Citadel in enforcing Guild charters. Things got even more complicated when Cllr Kate Penipot proposed an amendment instructing (rather than requesting) the Agency to be involved. An irritated Lady Jenny Davy halted the debate and instructed the Agency to, "Investigate whatever it felt needed investigating and report back to the Committee for Law & Order". A decision which, according to the Monterey faction, has "dangerous and ill-considered constitutional consequences".

Alderman Judi Spich also faced a growing crisis over the failure of the city guard to prevent crime in Cripplegate. The frustrated citizens of the ward have re-formed their own watch and are informally patrolling the streets on a personal rota. Alderman Grendle described the activities of his fellow citizens as "unnecessary and unwise", and was appalled when his fellow councillors co-opted Peter Ryman, leader of the new "citizen's watch', onto the Witanmoot. Watch leader Ryman told the Chronicle, "I don't care whose job it's meant to be. All I know is that my shop was broken into three times last month, and we have had enough."

Admiralty is refusing to offer apologies for the deaths of three citizens who were killed trying to enter Kingsport without authorisation. A Naval spokesman commented, "it is now clear that the three dockers were trying to get a look at the new ships as some sort of dare. When challenged by the guards, the three attempted to run and were quite rightly shot down."

Controversy is raging quietly over the price of bread. The bumper harvest has led to a dramatic fall in corn prices but he Bakers Guild has yet to reflect this in the cost of a loaf. According to Maud Blessop "we have held prices down during the difficult years. We should be thanked for what we have done and not attacked for trying to recover our losses."

King Ravensgrim's attempts at courtship appear to be frustrated. Citadel insiders are clearly relieved that he will be leaving in the near future, with the relationship between him and Princess Selina never having passed out of the rumour stage. His other ladies have also apparently been unusually preoccupied and the King has reverted to his mercenary origin and gone drinking instead. Apparently he was overheard in the Dancing Bear complaining that "Women are more difficult to deal with when they hunt in packs".

The Oval has been put to good use this month with a series of horse races taking advantage of the ready made racetrack. Attempts by Alderman Petro Cutario to make this a vaguely organised event have come up against the usual Linrodeth love of chaos and muddling through. Cutario's new approach to betting, where odds are offered on all the horses, has been rather more successful, especially with the Citadel accountants. However it appears to have flummoxed the less mathematically-minded and is optimistically being investigated by the Goldsmiths Guild as a possible breach of their Charter.