The Chronicle

of the month of Menderal in the year 148

The continued interrogation of the Little Sisters of Sedition produced a full confession and revealed that these Salvoynian-sponsored saboteurs were behind many crimes. Their actions ranged from multiple assassination attempts on leading citizens, debasing the coinage, strategic arson, introduction of addictive drugs, subversion of Citadel servants, leading the Free Trade rebellion, forming the seditious Retribution cult to criminal religious practices. In light of this extensive treachery, Princess Selina decreed that the prisoners be publicly hanged, drawn and quartered. The sentence was carried out on Firstday, Firstweek, and their remains are displayed above the city gates as a warning to other perpetrators.

The trial of Marcus Lambourne, chair of the Law & Order committee, dominated the actions of the Witanmoot this month. After weeks of speculation and gossip, the event itself became a tale of two parts. First came the case for the prosecution, offering a meticulously detailed account of his failures and omission during the course of the investigation into the activities of the Little Sisters. Lambourne's failure to properly oversee the case and order the arrest of the assassins was clearly shown to have endangered the lives of Jim Bottler and his team. So damning did the trail of confusion and woe become that by the end it seemed entirely possible that Lambourne himself was in the pay of the Little Sisters of Sedition. After the recess an entirely different picture was drawn by the Defence. Witness after witness was called forward to attest to Marcus Lambourne's good intentions and fine, upstanding character. Speakers ranged from the authoritative voice of Alderman Monterey to the generosity of Jim Bottler himself, who suggested that the new 'situation' caused problems of communication. In the end it was this argument which won the day for Cllr Lambourne. Lady Ann Tasker ruled him 'not guilty', blaming the incident entirely on "cultural misunderstandings". This reversal seemed to come as a surprise to a few, but Orvini remained impassive, describing the verdict merely as "interesting". Lambourne has declared his intention of remaining as chair of Law & Order.

Cllr William Truman has assisted Olivia Warin in drawing up a revised city budget for the new regime. The loss in tax base has been more than offset by the reduced levy required by Princess Selina, leaving the Witanmoot with a healthy balance to spend. The Chronicle notes with approval the restoration of Linrodeth's much-delayed replacement orphanage and a sweet water supply. New items include a Kerunian embassy and improved fortifications in stone for the city docks.

The Witanmoot may prefer to hold the extra monies in reserve given the newly perilous state of Linrodeth's overland trade. Reports from merchants arriving on the North road recently suggest that a major raid has been staged by the Noord. Whether this is a full invasion is unclear but large areas of land have been devastated and citizens are strongly advised to postpone plans to travel until the situation clears. The large force of cavalry assembled by General Orvini last week, which many believed would be sent to attack Aralan Derwent's force, was instead sent North to secure the Linrodeth approaches. However Aralan may be about to make herself a target after merchants arriving from the East announced that she had fortified Fenny Bridges and raised the levy in that area. Derwent is also blocking the shipment of food into the city and taxing any merchants she does let through at double rate. An official statement from Princess Selina's office commented that "After the last civil war Linrodeth suffered from a number of robber barons. It is a great pity that one of its former citizens has chosen to resort to this."

The midsummer fair was a widely varied, often strange and frequently chaotic event which seems to have been thoroughly enjoyed by the entire city. Despite the constraints imposed by the need to stay within the city walls nearly all the traditional events took place. In addition many wards arranged special activities ranging from pig wrestling to poetry. The focus of events was on in Welland where Princess Selina chose to make her main speech of the day and where the Wellhouse Green became the centre of the main religious festival. Princess Selina used her first major public gathering as an opportunity to praise the actions of Jim Bottler, Benedict Plover, Eddie Englefield, Valindar, Wat Gurney and Bruce Harris in defeating the Little Sisters of Sedition. She went on to present them all with the Order of Merit. She finished her speech by denouncing the tax level demanded by the King and, to the obvious delight of the crowd, proclaimed that she intended to reduce it by a third. The removal of the curfew for the evening was also extremely popular, and the fact that the night passed without serious incident bodes well for a permanent lifting.