The Chronicle

of the month of Menderal in the year 155

The naval blockade of Salvoyn is progressing well, and news that both the Cascorach and Eresan levies have now mobilized to besiege the Salvoyn delta has been welcomed by General Olvini. At sea our blockade is now completely effective with no shipping moving into or out of the city. A number of minor engagements have occurred and one major incident took place when a warship Asteri from Zedigal attempted to escort a merchantman into the city. A robust intervention was made by the highly manageable Broadsword which was able to engage and sink the merchantman without coming into contact with the warship. However the warship persisted in its attempt to force the blockade and the Leviathan was eventually forced to ram and board the ship. Surviving Zedigal seamen have been press-ganged into the navy, whilst the Asteri's captain is being held for questioning. King Kieran's Ambassador to Linrodeth praised the forethought of our Princess in building up a strong navy and the tactical excellence of the Linrodeth sailors.

High King Kieran is believed to be recovering from his mysterious injuries and has sent messages of support to Princess Selina, and thanks to the Linrodeth temples who have held prayers for him. One of His Majesty's first actions was to appoint Duke Faure de Lamonte as Lord High Marshall for the overland siege of Salvoyn. The outspoken and energetic old Duke, whose family has suffered personally from the attentions of the Salvoynian witches, is expected to give new impetus to the overland attack.

It has been confirmed by sources in Cascorach that Princess Alexis is missing. Her mother Princess Eleanor has announced that the planned marriage of the young Princess will no longer take place and this has increased speculation that Princess Alexis has fled the city in order to avoid the marriage. Less certain is the safety of the young Princess, who may have been duped into trusting criminal or eldritch types with her escape. Her father, Duke Alexander, has personally led the blockade of the road to Salvoyn, while other household knights are searching travellers on all other roads out of the domain.

Linrodeth's Mercers and Grocers guilds, for once in agreement, have expressed concern about the impact of the war with Salvoyn on Linrodeth's economy. There has been a notable decline in the amount of shipping arriving from the city states and it is possible that the loss of Salvoyn as an intermediate destination is causing many ships to abandon the long trip north to Linrodeth. Phillip Candever, speaking on behalf of the guilds told the Chronicle; "We don't think it is simply a matter of an over long journey, many of these ships traded goods at Salvoyn and the profit from a trip just to Linrodeth may not be sufficient to make the venture worthwhile. "

Despite the loss of shipping, all Linrodeth citizens are determined to make the forthcoming Midsummer and Dragonfeast holidays ones to remember. Large numbers of caravans are arriving overland and the fairground on the Tourney Fields is already being set up. There are decorations and bunting along all the main roads in the city, and rumours that the vintners guild will supply fountains of wine. The Bards College has many cultural entertainments planned to compete with the athletics and chariot programmes at Ye Oval. The Citadel regiments are adding music to their usual martial display, although the naval regatta will be sadly missed this year. The City Guard have confirmed that they will be patrolling at full strength over the festivities, and will not be seeking to win hearts and minds if they discover any lawbreaking.

The Chronicle

of the month of Heliora in the year 155

The Siege of Salvoyn has begun. The enemy ships fled before our fleet, a blockade has been established and Salvoyn has effectively ceased to be a port. Several attempts to break through have been thwarted and ships and goods confiscated. Work is now underway to establish a staging post where ships travelling up from the City states can break their journeys before continuing on to Linrodeth. Several protests from various city states have been received, however the Navy is holding firm. Any ship seeking to enter or leave the port of Salvoyn is subject to attack, search and seizure. The only concern now is the failure of Eresan to march upon the City. Whist King Kieran's army has moved down from the escarpment it is lingering in the Gavelkinden the opportunity to decisively defeat Salvoyn may be lost.

Preparations for the Dragonfeast are continuing apace. Lady Davy has taken the lead and ably supported by the Sheriffs and the ever enthusiastic William Trueman the great day is taking shape as a major celebration. As would be expected military contests will form a major part of the pastimes with the archery contest taking a particularly major role. The contest has been split into three groups with the military and citizens competing separately and a later all comers contest which promises to be a tightly fought affair. Traditional sports will also play a major part. A new addition this year will be chariot racing which, along with some other special events and the ever important ward football march, is being organised at the stadium. Crafts will however not be forgotten and the guilds, under the co-ordination of Emma Chireton have promised a huge market and crafts show. The theme of dragons appears to be particularly prevalent this year and the ward apprentices "dragon wagon" contest is looks set to be a newfound favourite.

Lady Davy has announced a grand feast for the night of Midsummer and for the first time in years the cities dressmakers are declaring themselves to be too busy to take new orders. Princess Selina has confirmed her attendance and that of much of her court. Competition for invites amongst leading Citizens for the limited places is fierce with many new socialites seeking to replace the old stalwarts at what is clearly going to be the definitive social event of the year.

William Trueman has launched a major campaign to coincide with the Sheriffs elections. Commenting on the closeness of the recent Lordship vote he promised to "Allow people the choice of who leads them by continuing to put up candidates, even if it disturbs the cosy status quo". The vote for sheriff will be between Nicholas Bowden, Olivia Warin and Mary Hastings which to many observers looks rather cosy. Indeed in a surprising counter attack Audrey Wirstan made an impassioned speech about the desperate need for new factions to rise up to challenge the cosy status quo which the Bottler, Trueman, Cutario consensus represents.

Rumours are beginning to circulate that Princess Alexis has either been kidnapped or has fled Cascorach to escape from her marriage. Whist official statements speak of a "seclusion and vigil' the hectic military activity and frequent questioning of merchants about a "girl of about 12' has caused many to believe that the Princess is no longer in Cascorach. If the heir to the throne of Athion is indeed abroad with little or no escort at a time when King Kieran lies injured then the Chronicle fears for the safety of what little stability is still left.

The Chronicle

of the month of Jasmarill in the year 155

News from the south is still awaited, with latest reports speaking of skirmishes between Linrodeth's screening fleet and the Salvoynian forces. Heavy losses have been suffered by the enemy side with little damage to the superior Linrodeth ships. By now our navy should be approaching Salvoyn and we should hear results of the ensuing fight. Prayers for the success of the action, and for the safe return of Linrodeth's fighting forces, are being held in all the major temples.

Her Highness Princess Eleanor of Cascorach has announced the betrothal of Crown Princess Alexis to Prince Gian-Carlo DiLeo of Ravol. Royal watchers have tried to ignore the obvious difficulties of the marriage between a 12 year known for her independence of mind and a 24 year old known primarily for his love of food. Instead they have been keen to point out that whilst Ravol is one of the smaller city states, its strategic position commanding the southern overland access to Salvoyn will make it a vital ally in the fight against the regency council. Debates have already started within the Hahnite Temple as to the possible consequences should King Kieran die before Alexis comes of age, with opinion divided as to whether Prince Gian-Carlo or Princess Eleanor would become the Regent for Alexis. Cllr Thomas Castlemaine, who died for his love of Princess Eleanor, is no doubt turning in his grave.

The scout ship Peregrine has arrived from the north with the shocking news of the abandonment of Nyskilde. The Peregrine was laid up for the winter south of Nyskilde and was tasked with performing a reconnaissance as soon as the weather permitted, and then returning to Linrodeth as fast as possible. The astonished sailors reported that the invading Noord, faced with a long winter and few supplies, have chosen to migrate into the mountain valleys. The population of the old city has dwindled to a few hundred scavengers and a small contingent of Huscarls who are doggedly maintaining control of the castle.

With much of the budget debate being stitched up behind closed doors, the vote on auditing the Treasury and Committee accounts by Princess Selina's accountants, as proposed by Alderman Alan Monterey, provided the most amusement for Witanmoot watchers this month. The motion was as hotly contested as last month's proposal that the accounts be audited by the Goldsmiths, but with the faction lines drawn rather differently. In the end with the vote split at about 130 for each, once again it came down to the decision of the emerging Stenmoor faction. A nervous Jessamine Scathlocke rose to make a competent, well reasoned but somewhat flowery maiden speech on behalf of the faction, expressing their support for the motion which "can only bring goodness".

Despite the somewhat half hearted attempts by Alan Monterey to engage the Witanmoot in a discussion about the level of each guild tax, this year's "back room budget” was passed with little debate. The guilds blocked the long overdue increase in guild taxes once again and have preferred instead to make cuts to the things that affect the citizens but not their profits. Whilst some guilds protested that anomalies brought about various historic events had not been corrected it was clear that the faction leaders were all feeling proud of having actually bothered to think about the budget in advance for a change and no argument, no matter how well-reasoned, was going to disrupt this one.

The marshlands surrounding Linrodeth are unexpectedly blooming with a carpet of tiny white water lilies. The scented flowers have not been seen for many generations and were thought to have died out under the nearby effluence of the city.

The Chronicle

of the month of Pipetal in the year 155

Linrodeth's assault fleet has now sailed for Salvoyn. The massive force took several hours to form into its sailing formation and is the most impressive naval force ever assembled. The size and beauty of the new style ships was apparent as even laden down with marines and supplies they handled with precision and grace. Princess Selina sailed out to join the fleet for its first few days of travel south and returned with a small escort which will now provide defence for Linrodeth against pirate and Noord raider attacks.

Dire news has arrived from Eresan where High King Kieran is seriously ill. Whilst his wounds are not though to be life threatening, he remains weak and will not be able to campaign this year. Forces from Eresan are reported to be consolidating defensive positions on the plains rather than making their usual march towards the Salvoynian borders.

The proposal to allow the Goldsmiths to audit Treasury proved to be hotly contested and a recount was required before it became clear that it has been defeated by 139 votes to 134. Following the defeat of the motion Alan Monterey, one of its main opponents, has now proposed that Princess Selina's accountants be invited to formally audit the Treasury and Committee accounts. The proposal for Trade to propose an alternate budget proved much less contentions with only the Bottler faction opposing it. Commenting on the victory Alan Monterey expressed his gratitude to Lady Davy for the opportunity and then went on to launch a harsh attack on Jim Bottler and William Trueman. "At the moment there is an unedifying squabble between two Aldermen who are more interested in lining their own pockets than running this city. It is about time we started budgeting properly. I remember a time when the fact that a large fraction of the city was destroyed by fire did not stop the Treasury committee from producing a balanced budget, hard though it was. Frankly, it was embarrassingly easy to produce the proposals now being circulated. The most trivial overview of last year's budgets revealed an enormous number of savings".

The budget proposals from Trade and Treasury show an interesting difference. Treasury has proposed a "modest 1 penny in the shilling" increase in Guild taxation pointing out that despite our economic recovery guild taxes are still dramatically lower than they were some years ago. Alan Monterey has however delivered a budget with no tax increases. Battle lines have clearly been drawn. Commenting on both excellent ways both cases had been made Maureen Quiller has suggested that perhaps we could approve the Bottler Tax proposal and the Monterey committee split thereby enabling us to create a much needed reserve for war emergencies.

Cllr Marcus Stenmoor's faction has grown even more this month. The group still appears to be made up of independents but rather than voting separately they are flexing their muscle as group and were clearly delighted to have proved the decisive difference in the Auditing vote.

LATE NEWS

Lady Davy came close to a shock defeat in the Lordship elections. A clearly shaken Lady Davy was forced to use her casting vote to retain her position as the Aldermanic court split 12 votes to 12. A clearly elated Sheriff Hastings told the Chronicle that she respected Lady Davy but felt that in these times of difficulty the precise and faultless leadership that she would bring was what was needed.

The Chronicle

of the month of Galemir in the year 155

The highly successful Frost Fair has shown that Linrodeth's people are still capable of enjoying life even under the threat of invasion. William Trueman can take much of the credit for the events success having spent much of the month planning, organising and finally running the event. The best exhibit competition was won by Emma Chireton whose innovative "swan carved from ice" may well have started a new tradition. The ice added a new aspect to the welcome return of the pig wrestling and enabled some newcomers to shine as the old hands failed to get to grips with the unusual surface. People are now looking foreword to the forthcoming Dragonfeast in the hope that it will be a festival rather than a signal for battle.

The city's budget crisis rumbles on with none of the faction leaders wishing to be the person responsible for proposing the necessary cuts. Jim Bottler is continuing to focus his attention upon the goldsmith's guild, and some have even suggested that he is stalling in the hope that some other faction will take over the Treasury before the decision has to be made. William Trueman, however, is reported to be highly reluctant to grasp this particular nettle. Some observers have rather ungenerously suggested that Alderman Trueman wants this particular debacle to be unambiguously Bottler's. Lady Davy is clearly becoming less and less tolerant of the game playing although she also appears reluctant to react. Alan Monterey is rather wisely keeping a low profile.

Marcus Stenmoor appears to be wasting no time in establishing a faction to challenge the stagnation of the existing order. He has teamed up with newcomer Jessamine Scathlocke, hired a political assistant and made his first, highly amusing, Witanmoot speech.

The sudden rains which washed through Linrodeth last week have all but cleared the snow. The rapid dismantling of the remains of the frost fair was only just in time as the flood waters washed clear all of the ice from the river.

William Trueman has narrowly missed taking almost full control of the key committees. It required the casting vote of the Lord to prevent Eva Capel from unseating Melanie Romanie as chairman for the Treasury and, with the backing of Petro Cutario, Marie Cripstead easily took the Lands and Agriculture post from Gilbert de Clare. Thomas Osbert and Richard Saunders both retained their seats. Fortunately for Alan Monterey, neither Cutario nor Trueman was willing to back Bottler's attempt to take the Trade post and therefore both of the minor factions have managed to maintain one committee post each. The importance of the rapidly-fading Monterey faction was further lessened by the loss of the envoys to Kerun and Cascorach with Gemma Downe and Joanna Russell taking the posts with clear majorities. Bartholomew Hyde, Gillian Howe and Samuel Rucche were all unanimously elected.

Lady Davy is having second thoughts about her decision to leave Bottler in control of the Witanmoot finances and has proposed a motion inviting the Officers of the Goldsmiths Guild to "assay and audit" the city exchequers for reserves prior to the end of the year. She has also invited the Trade committee to formally propose an alternative budget to the general Treasury proposals.

The people responsible for the robbery of Olivia Warin's household have been brought to justice by the investigations agency. A raid by a large City Guard force resulted in the deaths of the mercenaries responsible and the recovery of most of the stolen items.

LATE NEWS

The Linrodeth merchantman Warin's Cormorant has brought news of the destruction of the Salvoynian Invasion fleet at anchor in Salvoyn. Captain Redmond described the massive fleet which had assembled and the shock raid by a dozen pirate ships. The Cormorant like many other Linrodeth ships had been held in port by "customs difficulties”. They used the confusion to break free and were able to obtain a good view of the battle before making the difficult over winter trip north. The Salvoynian fleet was neatly lined up in rows and completely unprepared. Three or four large pirate ships broke through the screening force opening up the way for an attack by fire ships. The Cormorant crew described the incredible bravery of the attackers who navigated their already burning and obviously oil laden ships into the midst of the Salvoynian forces. At least half the Salvoynian fleet including the flagship Grace Dieu are believed to have been destroyed. It seams incredible that pirates would stage such a daring raid and carry it through with such ferocity. Whilst the crew of the Cormorant admit that at least one of the attackers was a Linrodeth built warship, they say that it was flying a pirate flag and many others of the raiders were known pirate ships including the infamous Fury and Siren both known to be based at Port Felix. Our Navy has been fast to respond to the news, and a heavy force has sailed south. This initial squadron will provide reconnaissance for a rapidly assembling counter strike aimed at destroying the remnants of the Salvoynian fleet and establishing a blockade of the port.

The Chronicle

of the month of Skelern in the year 155

Residents of Temple ward are becoming increasingly angry at a spate of window smashing which has suddenly struck the ward. There appears to be no pattern to the victims of the crime nor has there been the expected attempt to extract protection money. The attacks always occur at night with stones, and on one occasion snowballs, being thrown through a number of windows before the assailants run off. The city watch has deployed a number of additional guards into the area, although the recent snowfalls are making patrolling difficult.

This month's committee nominations proved to be a surprisingly messy affair. There was no sign of the usual carefully prepared stitch up and even the deviously diligent Petro Cutario seemed ill prepared for the meeting. The word in the corridors of power is that Bottler, Cutario and Trueman had failed to agree at the pre-meeting and that Trueman and Cutario were therefore trying to put together their preferred list on the fly. Alan Monterey’s faction leapt on the confusion and as a result have left the Witanmoot with a real choice for the first times in many years. A bemused Peter Ryman commenting on his nomination said "We can do a good job after we've shaken things up a bit". The full nominations were as follows:

Treasury: Capel, Romanie, Spich.

Trade: Monterey, Bowden, Barbiter

Law and Order: Capel, Cripstead, Northropp, Ryman

Lands and Agriculture: de Clare, Cripstead, Barnett

Shipping: Osbert, Porter, Barbiter

Welfare and Education: Saunders, Trueman, Bergeren

Envoy to Kerun: Downe, Candever

Envoy to Orissa: Russell, Hyde

Envoy to Eresan: Howe, Benton

Envoy to Cascorach: Russell, Merewell, Rucche

Envoy to the Western Isles: Rucche, Flambourd

The newly elected Chair of Treasury will face an interesting task. Princess Selina is widely reported to have asked the city for an immediate payment of £10,000 to cover emergency war preparations to be followed by at £5000 increase in the city's annual payment to her. The scouring of budgets for potential savings is already underway. Apart from cutting the obviously ineffective Investigations agency and abandoning civic balls, candidates for reduction are proving elusive.

Heavy snowfalls and strong winds have been causing severe difficulties for people throughout the city. Last week has been announced by the Brynettes to be the coldest on record. The Wellhouse has opened its doors to all the beggars of the city in an attempt to prevent their wholesale death. With the recent abatement of the winds some normality has been restored and there is now talk of arranging a Frost Fair on the completely frozen river.

The reward for information regarding the robbery at the home of Olivia Warin has been increased to an unprecedented £100 amid rumours that the thieves have carried off the Warin business' entire reserve fund of some several thousand pounds.

The Chronicle

of the month of Kruthos in the year 154

Lady Davy's decision to practise the Linrodeth muster in pre-planned groups of three wards and then build up to larger groups by adding these "triads” together, has enabled the most recent full muster to be a great success. Despite the hampering winter snow, it was by far the most rapid formation to yet be seen, with each ward using pre-planned routes and gates to exit the city. General Olvini is said to be delighted with the ability of Sheriffs Hastings and Warin to produce a plan and then execute it. He is reported to have commented at the end of the last muster, "What wonderful women; if they could fight I'd be out of a job."

A furious exchange of leaks is hampering the negotiations around the Goldsmiths' loan to the city treasury. Alderman Jim Bottler has accused the goldsmiths guild of a "lack of financial acumen" and an "inability to understand that they won't have any money if Linrodeth loses the war". Alderman William Trueman, who was clearly annoyed that these discussions are taking place in public rather than in a darkened room, commented that "Bottler is asking the Goldsmiths to accept a far higher risk and far lower profit than the construction guilds, but despite this the Goldsmiths will do whatever is possible to help safeguard the security of everyone in the city of Linrodeth. However, we would like to make sure that Bottler tightens up his financial act first so that none of the money is squandered."

Indigo blue flags festoon the sombre city streets, sometimes with party colours, but mostly on their own. Aldermen William Trueman and Petro Cutario have continued the "Security for All and All for Security" theme that they developed last month with the Bottler and Monterey factions struggling to carve out any agenda other than to go along with the tide of popular support for these policies. William Trueman has also become the first politician in Linrodeth history to be cheered for proposing a tax rise following his impassioned call that we provide our troops with ships and the equipment they need to eradicate Salvoyn once and for all.

The robbery perpetrated against Sheriff Warin's household during the last muster has outraged the citizenry. The one guard left at the house was viciously murdered by a gang of at least four people, who then proceeded to casually load stolen goods onto a cart. Had it not been for a diligent neighbour, who had remained behind with her children, they could have stolen a great deal. As it was the neighbour's warning and the ensuing hue and cry scared them off before most of the more valuable items could be taken. Sheriff Warin is understood to be furious. A reward of £50 has been offered by the Grossers Guild for information leading to the capture of these evil criminals who have so cynically exploited the city's defensive preparations for their own ends.

Alderman Alan Monterey is reported to be running urgent shuttle diplomacy between the Citadel and the Witanmoot. Despite his delight at their organisational skills it would appear that General Olvini is convinced it is time to dispense with the role of the Lord, the Sheriffs and even the Aldermen in anything to do with organising the muster. He is reported to be formulating plans to place the city's levy forces directly under his control. The General can be perhaps forgiven for not understanding the reluctance of the people of this city to let him do this, but he needs to learn that our Democracy is something which is not negotiable.

LATE NEWS! LATE NEWS! LATE NEWS!

The following citizens were elected as the ward Aldermen in the midst of our Midwinter blizzards: Arpent; Hugo Merewell. Avigon; Petro Cutario. Bassishaw; Marc Bergeren. Berewic; Aldric Houghton. Bridge; Richard Saunders. Cadene; Melanie Romanie. Cartage; Alice Barbiter. Castle Bard; Gilbert de Clare. Cripplegate; Peter Ryman. Dowgate; Graeme Porter. Dracas; Thomas Osbert. Faringdon; William Trueman. Ishtan; Eva Capel. Kingsgate; Adam Povre. Levestone; Alan Monterey. Marshgate; Nicholas Bowden. Oldgate; Duncan Barnett. Portsoken; Stephanie Exton. Shambles; Marie Cripstead. Temple; David Northropp. Welland; Jim Bottler.

In what was clearly a strong endorsement of the Cutario and Trueman pro-war agenda (and a devastating punishing of those still seen to be associated with Marcus Lambourne) Rose Cheeping lost her seat and Ralf Seagrim, Eddie Englefield and Audrey Wirstan were all only narrowly re-elected.

The Chronicle

of the month of Ternost in the year 154

The first practice muster of the City turned out to be something of a debacle. Only some of the Alderman had received the notification of the practice and in most areas the ringing of the City belles engendered panic and disorder. One notable exception was Faringdon where William Trueman's long interest in the efficiency of his ward turnout paid off. The worst wards were Shambles and Cartage which formed up in completely the wrong place causing terrible disruption to the arrival of the Citadel cavalry. General Olvini has summoned the Sheriffs and Aldermen to a number of subsequent meetings and is rumoured to be considering placing military officers from the City Guard directly in charge of the Ward watches.

Peter Ryman has declared himself at last satisfied that something is being done about crime in Cripplegate. Indeed a number of arrests have been made and large numbers of City Guard have been deployed into the area recently. However tensions remain between Mr Ryman and the Guard who are reported to be very unhappy about the fact that Mr Ryman has hired his own group of guards with which to "patrol the areas the City Guard are too scared to enter". With war upon us urgent reconsideration of the budgets is taking place. Rumours abound but the Chronicle has been able to discover that the goldmith's guild has been approach for a loan. The welfare and education budget to be also expected to be savaged and Jim Bottler is rumoured to be highly distressed by the removal of funding for a number of extravagant building projects. Funding for the recently purchased City Orphanage is also causing some concern.

With the elections only a month the city has moved into full campaign mode. Trueman and Cutario of clearly in the lead having both been active on the safely and security agenda. Alderman speech on the subject this month was particularly well received with its uniting theme of "security for all and all for security". Other surprising active groups have been the renewal party with Maureen Quiller making a passionate speech asking the city to rally to defeat the Salvoynian evil that has corrupted Resh. Nicolas Worton has also spoken out and on the benefits of independence and the limitations of the current factions.

In an interesting development patriots have taken to displaying blue flags outside their windows. However this blue is the pale blue that of Princess Selina rather the traditional deep blue of Linrodeth. Cynics have suggested manipulation by the Citadel however as far as the Chronicle can ascertain the display is spontaneous taking up of an idea by from the Cutario faction which produced the flags for their own use. The dyers guild has been rushing to meet demand and supplies of indigo are reported to be dwindling fast.

In sombre mood the Witanmoot has gathered to see a portrait of Lady Andrews unveiled on the walls of the Long Gallery, alongside her those of her predecessors. The painting, the work of Jessamine Scathlocke, was adjudged a worthy addition to the Witanmoot's collection, and Lady Andrews declared herself delighted with the results.

Marcus Stenmoor, the Political assistant to Jim Bottler, has left the Bottler group in order to stand for election in his own right. Mr Stenmoor, who it was widely thought at one point would become a bard, has been the main driving force behind the political activity of the Bottler faction and his loss is likely to be a significant blow to the Bottler grouping.

LATE NEWS LATE NEWS LATE NEWS

The recent heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions most certainly mean that the expected Salvoynian invasion will not take place. A number of people had already begun to question the likelihood of an invasion this late in the year and the validity of the information about it. However the Citadel remains adamant that an attack was due and continues to urge citizens to prepare for one immediately the weather clears. Two brave crews have set forth from Kingsport to scout to the south and determine if the invasion fleet has been forced to put in and over winter on the coast. They will also provide early warning of any strike coming in the New Year. It is also possible that the invasion fleet has gone south to attack our allies in Kerun.

The Chronicle

of the month of Kryll in the year 154

Dire news has reached us from the south; King Kieran has been injured in a skirmish against Salvoynian Cavalry. The High King was returning with a small escort from a supposedly secret visit to his sister in Cascorach, and was set upon by a large group of Salvoynian knights. The King’s scouts had stopped the advancing force and his escort was therefore able to choose its ground and prepare a defence. Losses on both sides are reported to have been high and whilst the King’s force was victorious, he is reported to have been received a serious wound to the arm when his shield splintered.

The controversy over grain prices flared up again with a number of councillors planning to censure the Cornmongers and Bakers Guilds. Cllr Peter Ryman has stepped into the fray with an outspoken maiden speech, “I just can't believe the hypocrisy of this council.” he declared. “The Bakers Guild has always prided itself on supporting the city. We have coped with fire, riots, plague, civil war and grain shortages. We have only raised our prices when the alternative would have been for us to go bankrupt.” He accused other guilds of profiteering from the rebuilding of the city and pointed out that no-one in the Bakers Guild had a huge mansion.

Alderman Petro Cutario has launched a major cross-city campaign on the subject of Security for All. For most of last week his faction has been rallying people to attend the free races which Petro will be providing at the new stadium. During an interval in the excellent entertainment Alderman Cutario spoke passionately about his support for Princess Selina and the defence of the city. He went on to explain his believe that security comes from both military strength and prosperity, and also from the knowledge that your fellow citizens will use their prosperity to support you in your time of need, just as you would support them in theirs. He followed this stirring speech by announcing that following a “generously priced” purchase of the Lambourne mansion by William Trueman, Princess Selina had decided to donate the proceeds to the city’s Welfare and Education budget to enable the establishment of an orphanage for the children of the Principality. Chairman for Welfare and Education, Richard Saunders, is already actively seeking sites for the new building and has declared himself delighted that this long term ambition of the city has finally been realised.

Cutario’s campaign appears to have caught the mood of the people, and many political commentators are describing it as a master stroke. The betrayal by Lambourne has seriously weakened peoples’ faith in the political factions and this, combined with a shift in campaign emphasis by the factions towards campaigning for individual Alderman candidates, has left cross city support for all the factions dwindling. By capturing the high ground and being prepared to once again stand forth in belief for something, Cutario has set the agenda for the coming election and ensured that anyone associated with his faction will do well. Brunstan Blackbeard has denied the rumours, circulating the Witanmoot, that he is involved in organised crime. Whilst admitting that in his youth he was a regular visitor to the Floating Market and had “many contacts” amongst the city’s criminals, he claimed that he had severed these ties upon becoming elected to the Witanmoot.

LATE NEWS! LATE NEWS! LATE NEWS!

We are at war and an attack by Salvoyn is imminent. A brave and loyal citizen of Linrodeth has at some significant personal risk, brought advanced news of a fiendish plot by Salvoyn to attack the city. The Salvoynian fleet is already thought to be on its way to Linrodeth and is expected to arrive towards the end of this week. The Leviathan, Cetus, Yamma, and Tiamat have all been rapidly fitted out and a full battle fleet is being formed up at Kingsport. All Consortium shipping returning to port for the winter has been redeployed onto naval duty and a general call up of all able bodied sailors initiated. Despite these actions, it is not clear that Linrodeth is yet ready to take on the might of the Salvoynian fleet which still has as its core the old Athion Royal Navy, and land defences are also being urgently strengthened. It is not known whether the attack by the Salvoynian ships is a prelude to invasion or simply the beginning of a blockade. General Olvini has declared his intention to meet any invasion in the field rather than allow the Principality’s lands to be ravaged. The first full practice muster of the Marching Watch is being planned and all citizens are reminded of the law requiring them to maintain a bow and full complement of arrows and practice with this at least once per week.

The Chronicle

of the month of Lorinfall in the year 154

Court and council decamped to Kingsport last week for the build up to the launch of this year's contingent of naval additions. Also present was an unexpected host of troops, both serving and summoned levy, which underlined how seriously Princess Selina is taking the latest threat from Salvoyn. Her Highness took advantage of this great gathering of her army at Kingsport to give a stirring and defining speech, which the Chronicle has transcribed opposite. After a full day reviewing the troops, the new ships of the line were launched on the evening tide. All were the largest vessels of the new design yet constructed, and the incredible size of the Kingsport build drew gasps of disbelief as it was finally unveiled. The 2,000 tun Leviathan and new flagship of the Linrodeth Navy was almost unable to turn into the main channel of the Ishtan, and manoeuvred slowly out to station on the ocean, along with the Cetus, the Yamma, and the Tiamat sister ships of 1500 tuns. The significance of raising the levy of the countryside controlled by the Principality was not lost on political onlookers, and stocks of luxury items in the market places fell significantly over the course of the week

Ahead of the marching levy, and presumably unrelated to it, comes news of unrest and rebellion across the northern reaches of the Weald. It is unclear whether the discontent on the northern borders is due to taxation or some more local difficulty. Fortunately, it does not appear to have effected corn supplies from the area or the redeployment of troops.

Several of the more elderly citizens of Linrodeth have been highly agitated by recent activities of Brynette surveyors along the Botmoor road and atop Botmoor hills to the south. Citing Lord Raphael's famous assurance that "no further incidents of necromancy will be allowed to occur", the silver brigade are lobbying for a curfew to be re-imposed throughout the month of Kryll and Ghostmoons. As near as the Chronicle could ascertain, the surveyors are merely checking water levels during the autumn flooding. Residents of the ward of Faringdon have lodged complaints recently about strange noises coming from the abandoned home of traitor Marcus Lambourne late at night. Local councillors consider the source of the nuisance most likely to be optimistic treasure hunters, trying to loot the place ahead of redevelopment of the site. A few more excitable rumourmongers in the local tavern claim to have seen hooded figures entering and exiting over the roof tiles, while their young offspring seem to be intent on making a lightning raid during the early hours of Ghostmoons.

The wardmoots of Dracas, Shambles and Levestone are all dealing with distraught parents and guildsmen after a number of youths went missing during errands in the early autumn twilight. The youngsters all appear to be fit, strong apprentices from comfortable households and thus do not fit the usual descriptions of lost street urchins. The City Guard has confirmed that these incidents do not appear to be related to the trio of "floaters" hauled out of the flooded River Ishta last ninthday. Scribes at the Witanmoot remain puzzled by a small number of mysterious citizens who send in taxes for properties which do not appear to exist.

All these "landlords" appear to reside outside of the city boundaries, but repeated replies to those addresses seem unable to stem the small and persistent trickle of funds into the Treasury.

In the aftermath of the great troop assembly at Kingsport, several ward moots have been debating their future role in any emergency. In the wake of other reforms to city governance, most are unclear as to whether they still retain the right to call out a Marching Watch of ward citizens under the command of the Alderman. It has generally been agreed that this is not a good area for experimentation due to the watchful eye of General Olvini, and that the Witanmoot should clarify the duties of the armed citizens and councillors.

Her Highness Princess Selina's Address to Troops at Kingsport:

"My loyal troops and sailors. We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear, I have always so behaved myself that, under the deities, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and goodwill of my subjects.

"Therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my city and for my lands and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a Prince, and of a Prince of Athion too, and think foul scorn that the Council of Regents, or any witch of Salvoyn, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to whit rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and we do assure you in the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you.

"In the meantime, my Admiral Cornaro shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to my Admiral, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my lands and of my people."