The Chronicle

of the month of Arvinoth in the year 157

Councillor Monterey's proposed motion of censure against Alderman Ryman was defeated in a most classic display of Witanmoot procedural shenanigans. In a carefully written piece of play-acting, all of the participants carefully engineered the desired conclusion that Alderman Ryman was innocent because he had merely requested that a city guard member make the arrest not ordered it. Poor Officer Harry Fieldsman, clearly distressed to suddenly have the attention of so many powerful people is said have spent the entire previous day rehearsing his lines.

A special detachment of the City Guard has captured the missing mine supervisor Godrick Multun. Master Multan is allegedly the perpetrator of the child slavery outrages at the Bramble Coombe mine. The unit despatched secretly by Lady Warin retuned to the city with the injured Multun on Third-day Firstweek, having detained him in a village not far from the original mine.

Shortly after being acquitted of misconduct Alderman Ryman issued a major contract for the rebuilding of the prisons to a consortium led by William Trueman. This will be a further blow for the beleaguered Alderman Gilbert de Clare. Although the good alderman appears finally to be sorting out his problems with the Brynette Temple, he is clearly still under a lot of financial pressure.

The continuing rains are beginning to cause concern. There has been minor flooding in some of the less well drained areas of the city and the high river flow is beginning to be a problem for shipping. The harvest is not yet at serious risk however the Dalethian temple has warned that if the rains do not abate the situation could become very serious. More rain has fallen further upriver and Fenny Bridges is reported impassable with merchants having to take the high road round the area.

Tensions between the city and the Barony of Denmarsh are rising along with the water level after Steward Highdale started a taxation survey of the entire North bank of the river. Alderman Richard Saunders has asked Sheriff Bowden for stronger patrols of the border and pointed out in no uncertain terms that should attempts be made to tax residents of Linrodeth then he will see this as banditry.

Both Aldric Houghton and Emma Chireton have been nominated to take the post of Aldermen of Berewic. There were only three votes between them at Midwinter, but holding the post is likely be a major boost come next Midwinter so a hard contest is expected between the Trueman and Bottler factions for the uncommitted Aldermanic votes. Trueman commended her as the choice of the people and as someone who has already got the experience to do the job.

Further military practice sessions have taken place this month building upon the success of the Midsummer muster. The Wards of Dowgate and Ishtan both fielded excellent shows of Archery skill in support of a detachment of Her Highnesses infantry. However more practice is clearly needed as the "how to defend against a cavalry charge” exercise resulted in several injuries and one death as the citizens scattered in disorder.

The Scathlocke Faction descended en mass into Bassishaw Ward this month for a massive and somewhat overwhelming campaigning event. A bemused Alderman Bergeren finally caught on to the fact that even though Gemma Downe was not in the city she was still doing his job. He eventually regained control, but not before nearly every problem in the ward had been solved several times over.