- --
Ian Hoskins

e-Mail: hoss@box.net.au
ICQ: 2938300
Home Page: http://darkstar.cyberserv.com

From the Darkness we came,
and to the Darkness we will return.

Content-Disposition: inline; filename="news41.txt"

The Cerilian Times
Issue 41 (Winter/576 MR)


A Vaumel Publishing Production.
Edited by Stephanie Vaumel, from her Imperial City offices.
19 Imperial Street, Government District, Anuire City.

Other Skapa Hjarring
offices in: (Halskapa)
Alaroine (Alamie)

Reporters: Various Merchants, Travellers, and Bards.
Printing By: Royal College of Sorcery
Archive Site: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Realm/8501/





MAIN STORIES:

The War in Osoerde continues:
Reporter: Laile Haesreiter

Keltier 5: Aerenwe moves more troops into Osoerde.
Another thousand or so Aerenwe soldiers have been moved into Algael
province ready to launch an attack on the remaining Osoerde forces in
Moriel and Gulfport provinces. Also sent with these soldiers was a force of
over a thousand pikemen supplied by the Eastern Temple of Nesirie.
With the warding still in place around Aerenwe's provinces these soldiers
were forced to rely on the assistance of the High Mage to move through the
mist safely into Algael. It is thought that the High Mage is also going to
bring summoned soldiers to the battle to boost Aerenwe's defences.

Faniele 12: Mhoried Joins Coeranys in attacking Eastern Osoerde.
Mhoried has joined with the Coeranys army to attack eastern Osoerde, taking
control of two provinces. The small number of Osoerde defends, numbering
perhaps six hundred in total withdrew as fast as they could run to the
heavily defended province of Gulfport, thought to be Coerany's next target.
The invaders are now setting up camps in the two captured provinces, a sure
sign that they intend on claiming the land as their own.

Faniele 14: Haelynil declares war on Aerenwe.
The newly formed nation of Haelynil, run by the Impregnable Heart of Haelyn
has joined the alliance of nations against Aerenwe's invasion of Osoerde.
They have sent a small force of their own troops to back up the Ghoere and
Osoerde armies. It looks like Diemed is given at least moral support to the
war against Aerenwe to as that nations troops will be protecting the
Haelynil capital of Proudglaive while the war is being fought in Algael.

Faniele 15: Osoerde/Ghoere alliance defeats Aerenwe.
A massive force of soldiers from Ghoere, Osoerde, IHH and the Church of
Storm's Height has retaken the province of Algael from Aerenwe, although
not without heavy losses. The High Mage of Aerenwe was forced to battle
with the magic's of the Sword Mage and the Swamp Mage while the Aerenwe
troops battled the Osoerde alliance forces. Several thousands of soldiers
are believed to have died in this battle, although some of Aerenwe's troops
did escape with the High Mage's assistance. Osoerde is now back in control
of the province, although the Algael fortress which had been used in the
past to assist in the defence of the provinces was destroyed in the magical
battle between the three mages.
It was only the warding of Aerenwe's eastern lands that prevent the
alliance troops from moving into Dhoenel province and taking the fight up
to Aerenwe itself.

Faniele 24: Elinie and LPA back Coeranys.
Both the Life and Protection of Avanalae and the nation of Elinie have been
assisting the Coeranys/Mhoried invasion of Osoerde by sending large
donations of funds to help them maintain their armies. The alliance of
these nations is certainly beginning to look strong compared to Osoerde few
remaining soldier, even with Ghoere helping Osoerde.



War between Aftane and Ariya:
Reporter: Arli el-jafar

Keltier 9: Ariyan ships sail up the Zhainge river to confront Aftane's
defences.
Ships from Ariya have attempted to invade Aftane by sea this week. They
were prevented from doing this however by a blockage of old Aftane hulks
that has been strung out across the river. These ancient ships have been
equipped with new weapons and now block all passage up the Zhainge river,
thus preventing Ariya from achieving its aim of destroying the Aftane trade
with other lands that is supporting their war effort.
It is believed that the hulks have been set up in a region of the river
where it is shallow and all vessel must travel slowly to avoid sand banks.
This leaves the Ariya ships open to attacks from both the banks of the
river and the floating fortresses Aftane has set up.

Keltier 14: Troops from Ariya, Binsada, and Zikala seize Seidre province.
A massive army has been sent from Ariya and Binsada to invade Aftane, after
being driven out last month. Thousands of soldiers, including summoned
desert ogres have now taken control of the province of Seidre and are busy
driving out the few remaining Aftane defenders. It is believed that these
troops will soon be moving on the northern capital of Shoufel.

Faniele 13: Invasion of Shoufel city.
The forces from Ariyan and Binsada have captured the northern Aftane city
of Shoufel after several hours of extremely bloody fighting. The mage
Bedoureg killed hundreds of Ariyan soldiers with his magic, but even with
his assistance, and that of the Shoufel militia the city was still lost.
Thousands of citizens were killed after being drafted into the militia.
They were no match for the trained soldiers from Ariya and Binsada and were
slaughtered along with the rest of the defenders. Only the wizard Bedoureg
and the Aftane command staff were able to flee the battleground alive. All
the remaining Aftane defenders were killed to the last man.

Pasiphiel 27: Ariya attacks province of Fara Zhainge.
A small force, numbering perhaps a thousand Ariyan soldiers has invaded the
province of Fara Zhainge, defeating the three hundred or so defenders.
Troops were offloaded from the Ariyan ships that attempted to attack Aftane
itself two months ago. They are now busy destroying the government offices
of the Red Kings, and arresting anyone who has anything to do with the
Aftane government.
Several other northern and western Aftane province have also now fallen,
with the Red Kings now only in control of the city of Aftane itself and
three provinces around it.



Cariele successful in the Five Peaks:
Reporter: Arl Liverstin

Pasiphiel 14: Cariele defeat Gaxbar the Great.
After many months of warfare, and the deaths of thousands of young Cariele
soldiers the Goblin King Gaxbar the Great has finally been defeat. He was
believed killed in Floodspaeth province this week, by a member of the
Cariele infantry while they were engaging King Gaxbar's goblin army.
On his death the remaining Goblins of the army fled, fighting a desperate
rearguard action as they crossed the border into Thurazor. Not wishing to
take on the Goblin nation of Thurazor the Cariele generals called off the
pursuit.
The armies of Cariele are now believed to be searching the forests and
mountains of Floodspaeth for any remaining Goblins. They intend on killing
any that they find, so to totally destroy the Goblin population of the Five
Peaks. It is believed that any survivors have now fled with Gaxbar's army
to Thurazor where they have been welcomed by that lands King.
Heavy snowfalls in the western provinces of the Five peaks have prevent
Cariele sending soldiers into those provinces, although they may find that
the creatures who dwell in those lands are a lot tougher than the Goblins
of Floodspaeth. Many in Cariele are now calling for a halt to the fighting
to let the people recover from the deaths of so many in the past two years.



War in the Northlands:
Reporter: Leif Olafson

Keltier 17: Talk of new government in Rjuvik.
There is much talk in the Rjurik lands this week of the new lord of Rjuvik
changing the way their lands are ruled. It is believed that they are
talking about some sort of council of leaders or the like with each of the
Taelshore nations sending a representative to the council and each member
having a vote on the decisions of the council. Member of the newly formed
Jarls alliance have been heard to remark that this was the arrangement that
they had in Rjuvik before the Oaken Grove took over and threw them out. The
Jarls Alliance has also claimed that this is nothing more that a stunt on
the part of the Oaken Grove of Erik to cover up their crimes against the
Rjurik people.
In the mean time the former rulers of Rjuvik, Lady Dagmar and Fulgar the
Bold appear to have vanished from the Taelshore, although there is some
talk of them moving to Brechtur or some place far from Rjuvik. Even the
temples of Lady Dagmar have now been handed over to a new ruler, and now go
by the name of the Night Walkers or something similar.

Keltier 19: Jankaping Army now all under King command.
All the armies of Jankaping are now under the Kings command, after the
Jarls who had been maintaining them called on the King to start paying for
these soldiers, especially since he now controls much of the merchant
activity throughout Jankaping and they have little income any more.

Keltier 21: Oaken Grove Moves Against the Jarls Alliance.
The Oaken Grove, the new rulers of Rjuvik have moved to capture and arrest
agents of the Jarl Alliance and also the White Witch's merchants who have
been operating inside Rjuvik for many years now. Newly hired soldiers were
used to burn down the homes of these agents and arrest merchants working
for the White Witch. Although such actions were not unexpected given the
recent activities of the Oaken Grove they are sure to bring a response from
both Parties.

Keltier 29: Jankaping Investigate Oaken Grove Killings.
Jankaping has been conducting investigations into the slaying's of the
Oaken Grove priest last season in Jurva province. Their finding have not
yet been release, and neither has anyone been bought to justice. It is
thought that the King does not wish to anger the tribes of his lands.

Faniele 16: Jankaping reorganises political structure.
The King has order that his various Jarls now take responsibility for the
maintenance of the law in most of Jankaping's provinces, with only the
province of Haarlskaang remaining under his direct control. Also he has
appointed Chief Ulthar of the Olthrugaard tribe as the new Jarl of Drasska,
a position that has been vacant for many years now. This move is though to
be an attempt to win the support of the various tribes to the Kings side.

Faniele 25: Svinik attacks the Emerald Spiral.
The temples of the Emerald Spiral in Svinik have been attacked and
destroyed by troops loyal to the King of Svinik. The Druids who ran these
temples have been arrested by the King's soldiers and carted away to await
and unknown fate. The Kings personal lieutenant, Huntsman Rolf was in
charge of the attacks and personally ordered the arrests of the Emerald
Spiral Druids. This action is sure to bring a response from the northern
lands, as many will not stand for such violence from a self described man
of peace.

Pasiphiel 12: Stjordvik begins construction of a new castle.
Stjordvik has begun work of a new fortress to protect the capital
Hollingholmen. Already much of the castle has been completed, although it
is not known if this castle is in response to the rising tensions in the
Rjurik Highland.

Pasiphiel 23: Jankaping and Hogunmark launch attack on Svinik's Thaele
colony.
Svinik's newly established colony in Svinik has been attacked and, it is
believed, destroyed by a large army from Hogunmark, backed by Jankaping
troops. As our only reports about this come from Svinik, not the colony
itself we can not be sure of the details. It is believed though that a
large force of Hogunmark soldiers, with Jankaping Cavalry and infantry were
transported to Thaele and quickly overpowered the lightly defended colony.
How their ships managed to make it through the thick ice that clogs the
northern seas at this time of the year is not known, although they may have
had assistance from the Emerald Spiral. Two Svinik vessels that were sent
north in early Keltier only just made it through the ice, so magical
assistance of some sort must have played a part in this attack.



News from the Imperial Court:
Reporter: Shaemes Silvertounge (Imperial Court Reporter)

Keltier 11: Marriage of Noelon Avan and Lady Kara Strakhyn of Dhoesone.
The biggest story this month has been the marriage of Darien Avan second
son, Noelon to the beautiful Lady Kara Strakyn of Dhoesone. Certainly the
feast that was held at the wedding ceremony is among the best I have even
seen. When I went to Arien Borthien's party last season I though that was
good, but it was nothing on the Avan's celebration.
Foods from across Anuire and many other lands were served, and the best
minstrels and bard were present. Wizards from the College of Sorcery were
hired to light up the night sky with their spells, and magicians created
magnificent illusions that covered every surface. Certainly this
celebration proves once and for all that the provincial western realms are
no match for the heartlands when it comes to throwing a good party. At
least this one was held in a reasonable location in the Imperial City, and
no bloodthirsty Rjurik barbarians were allowed.
On the whole a good couple of days was had by all. Unfortunately I did not
actually get to see the ceremony itself, as it was held in private but the
new couple certainly looked spectacular as they left the temple.

Pasiphiel 8: Peace between Deephole, and Guilder Avrash.
A peace agreement has finally been reached between the two warring guilder,
Solomon Deephole, and Avrash, head of the Taeghan Outfitters. It is
believed that the deal, brokered by the chamberlain himself, is to lead to
a formal peace between the two guild. The war of words between the two was
threatening to lead into open warfare and I for one am glad that the
Chamberlain has but a stop to this.

Pasiphiel 26: New tax on Guilds announced.
The Imperial city government has today announced a new tax on traders
entering or leaving the Imperial City. This new tax is to bring extra
income into the city coffers which have been looking a little low in recent
years. It is believed that the money gained from the tax will be used to
fund the cost of the maintaining the Imperial Legion, while the rest will
be spent to upgrade some of the worn streets of our great city, making it
once again the great city of old.



OTHER HAPPENINGS:
Reporter: Various



Keltier 4: Stjordvik opens trade with Hjolvar.
The King of Stjordvik has struck a deal with the isolated eastern kingdom
of Hjolvar that will enable Stjordvik trader to visit and bring trade with
the people of that land. It is hoped that this trade may bring to an end
the recent troubles between the southern and northern kingdom of Rjurik.

Keltier 6: Bannier Andien destroy guilds of Gaelin Thuried.
Soldiers loyal to the guilder Bannier Andien have attacked and destroyed
guilds belonging to Gaelin Thuried in Thurazor. It is believed that they
did this with the blessing of the Goblin King, so it looks like the wayward
guilder may now have signed a deal with the Goblins that will give him even
more power in the northern lands of Anuire.
The duchess of Dhoesone has called the recent actions of Bannier Andien
those of a fool. She says that by allying himself with the Goblin and the
Rjurik lands he has made himself the enemy off all the good people of
Dhoesone and unless he ceases this foolish behaviour at once he will be
driven from Dhoesone and someone more reasonable will be allowed to take
his place.

Keltier 16: Alamie spread propaganda through Haes.
Agents of the duke of Alamie have been spreading the following message
through out the city of Haes this week.
People of Tuornen, rise up against this heretical church that dominates
you.
Destroy the infidel on the Throne.
Come home to your benevolent ruler: Duke Carilon Alam
The new ruler of the duchy of Tuornen has yet to respond to this attempt by
Duke Alam to win over the people of Haesrien to his side.

Faniele 7: Reports of Strange Pirate Vessel.
There have been reports of a strange pirate vessel, that look similar to a
Khinasi Zebec, being seen off the south coast of Aerenwe. Several merchant
vessels have reported seeing this vessel as it sailed along the coast. It
appeared to be looking for something, although what this could be is
unknown.

Faniele 14: Treaty Between Alamie and Ghoere.
A peace treaty has been signed between the nations of Ghoere and Alamie,
pledging peace for the next twenty years. Duke Alam and Archduke Tael meet
in the Ghoere capital to personally sign the agreement formalising the long
standing peace between the two nations. The signing ceremony did not last
long however and Archduke Tael had to rush off to oversee the fighting in
Osoerde, where a large army of his soldiers was involved.

Faniele 23: Oaken Grove priests convert to NRC.
The Northern Reformed Church of Sarimie has moved to displace the Oaken
Grove of Erik's hold on many of the northern provinces of Dhoesone. With
the full support of the Duchess of Dhoesone they have managed to convince
many of the Oaken Grove priests, especially those in Bjondrig province, to
join the NRC and leave the religion of Erik behind them. The Oaken Grove is
likely to be unhappy about this recent turn of events, but so far there has
been no response from them, they may be too busy ruling Rjuvik to respond
to the NRC's aggression.

Faniele 26: Elven Mage Slain.
An Elven mage from the Sielwode, one of Queen Isaelie's personal
lieutenants has been murdered in her own home by an unknown assailant. It
is believed that the attack tricked her way into the wizards quarters and
then killed her with a sword, before smearing her blood all over the walls
of the wizards own bedroom.

Pasiphiel 11: Elves attack Kiergard Capital:
A large force of Elven warriors from the Sielwode have attacked the
Kiergard capital, Daum. It is believed that this was done in response to
the recent death of one of Queen Isaelie's Lieutenants. Although reports
are still sketchy, and likely to remain that way we can not report on
everything that occurred, but it is believed that a force of some three or
four hundred Elven warriors were magically transported into the Kiergard
capital to attack a tower near the palace where the killer of the Queen's
Lieutenant was thought to be living.
What happened next is unknown but of the hundreds of Elves who entered the
city only about a hundred and fifty made it out alive the rest were killed
fighting, if the reports are to be believed, the Gorgon, the Regent of
Kiergard, and the Chimaera. According to a statement from Queen Isaelie her
soldiers had forced the Chimaera into flight and where holding off the
Gorgon when they fled in the face of overwhelming numbers of Orog armies
that were approaching from the cities barracks.
It should be noted here that reports of the Chimaera being alive can not be
confirmed and it is likely just some minor mage using magic to appear like
the feared Awnsheghlien of the Iron Hills. Reports from that nation say
that the Chimaera is certainly dead and no sign of any creature claiming to
be or looking like the dead Awnshegh have been reported. The Elves
certainly seemed sure that this creature they fought was the Chimaera
though.

Pasiphiel 16: Mieres Festival mocks Aerenwe Soldiers.
At a festival in Mieres this month contestants in an axe-throwing contest
were tossing their weapons at mockups of Aerenwe infantry. Some are seeing
this as a sign that Mieres is about to become involved in the
Osoerde/Aerenwe war and join in with Osoerde in an attack on Aerenwe.
Others have suggested that perhaps the Governor is trying to hide some
other plans of his with this festival.

Pasiphiel 29: Troops movements in the North:
There have been reports of large numbers of the White Witch's soldiers
being seen moving south towards the Blood Skull Barony. It is unlikely that
they are going to attack the Orogs though.

Pasiphiel 32: Yearly Survey:
Once again we have completed a yearly survey of the nation and powers of
Anuire to choose those who are the most powerful and influential throughout
this year.

Most Powerful Nation: Once again Avanil stands out above all others. With
the surrender of the former Duchess of Brosengae to Prince Avan's forces
Avanil has now taken control of much of south-western Anuire and has
expanded their influence even further than before. The recent wedding of
Noelon Avan and Kara Strakhyn, a noblewoman from Dhoesone may herald an
expansion into that region of Anuire,. perhaps to counter Boeruine
influence in Talinie.
Ghoere has overtaken Boeruine and is now looked on by many as the second
most powerful nation in the empire. The capture of Roesone and Ilien has
greatly expanded the now Archduke Tael's influence in southern and eastern
Anuire and should Ghoere be successful in the current fighting against
Coeranys and Aerenwe then Vaesil Tael may soon be looked on as the most
powerful man in Anuire.

Most Powerful Temple: The Western Imperial Temple of Haelyn is now
considered by many to the most powerful in Anuire, although they do not
have the influence of temples such as the Militant Order of Cuiraecen and
the Impregnable Heart of Haelyn for sheer power they certainly outrank all
others. As the head of the WIT now also rules Tuornen he controls a mighty
force and could if he wished crush many smaller nations nearby.
Second to the WIT is the Militant Order of Cuiraecen. although they have
lost some power, especially in Ghoere their influence still spreads across
four nations, including the large powers of Ghoere, Mhoried, and Alamie.

Most Powerful Guild: Mheallie Bireon of Cariele is now considered by all to
be the largest and most powerful guild in Anuire. Although others may
control more holdings she also rules large areas of land and influences the
actions of Dhoesone and Alamie. Her recent success in the fights against
the monsters of the Five Peak can only bring her more influence.
Bannier Andien has now slipped to second spot on the list. Although he
still control holding in more lands than Regent Bireon, his recent deals
have seen him loose much influence in Anuire, especially Dhoesone. The
Duchess of Dhoesone has even openly described Bannier Andien as that horrid
little man, after his recent deal with the Goblins of Thurazor. Certainly
many other rulers do not look kindly on a man who deals with monsters and
he may find his support slipping in Anuire.

Most powerful Wizard: This is the hardest category to judge, but on the
advice of our friends at the College of Sorcery we have again declare the
High Mage of Aerenwe as the most powerful wizard in Anuire. He influence in
the war between Aerenwe and Osoerde is seen by many as the only reason why
Aerenwe has not already been overwhelmed by the large armies of Ghoere and
Osoerde.



ANNOUNCEMENTS:



Message To all the peoples of Rjurik;

The Oaken Grove of Erik did not acquire the land of Rjuvik to enforce our
will upon its people, we are trying to bring an ever lasting peace to our
homes. The temple does not wish to continue to rule over the laws of your
land, but will not turn back to the bandits of the "Jarls Alliance" this
kingdom. We have prayed long to Erik and have been granted an insight; this
land does not at this time need to be ruled by one ruler, but by a
brotherhood of rulers. Since this land sits on the shores of the great Teal
Firth, I ask the Rulers of this area (Halskapa, Svinik, and Stjordvik) to
send representatives to the province of Yvarra. Here they will join with
the Oaken Grove of Erik in trying to build this brotherhood of Erik, and
find a way to bring peace to this
land.

High Druid Gunter Brandt
Oaken Grove of Erik



Message from the King of Svinik:

Since the death of four of our jarls I have attempted to rule this land in
a fair and just way. I see now that I have been failing in my duties. I was
so upset when I found out that these men were planning against our land
that when they were murdered I failed to appoint new jarls in their place.
So I shall do so now in the hope of making amends for this mistake.

The Jarls of Svinik are
Bjarnheim: Jarl Rannier; You are new, but show strength and kindness.
Darsruud: Jarl Suthrim; Your loyalty is unquestioned.
Haekholn: Jarl Hrathul; My friend and Chieftain of the Sjavaar tribe.
Hvarliik: Jarl Rolf; My long time Lieutenant.
Innsmark: Jarl Ulfgrim; You have been always faithful.
Lievika: Jarl Hruthvar; King of Svinik

I will continue to look for jarls of Bergvass and Hruthvik.
I ask that these men take over the duty of law and trade in their province
up to a level 2, above that will stay in the control of the Jarl of
Lievika. I further ask that these men meet gather so we can have a full
council on the developments of our lands.

May Erik bring us peace,
Jarl Hruthvar, King of Svinik



Announcement by the new ruler of Ribos Isle:

It has been the practice, in recent years, for people to capture or hunt
the Griffons of Ribos. This has been allowed because, for the most part, it
is our friends who have done so.
However, we are becoming concerned that the native Griffon population might
become depleted through over harvesting.
Therefore, from this date forward, any capture and export of Griffons or
other flying creatures from Ribos must be licensed by the Lady of Ribos,
Irullian Angelicas.
Licences will be issued for a limited quantity, over a limited period.
There will be no cost for these licences, for it is not our intention to
profit from this "trade."
However, for obvious reasons, any licences will be issued on a first come,
first serve policy, to Friends and Allies of Ribos and the Anuirean
Imperial Mercantile Bank only.

Her Excellency,
Lady Irullian Angelicas,
Governor of Ribos & the AIMB



Announcement from the honourable Duke Diem:

My subjects and fellow nobles and regents of Cerilia. I am pleased to
announce that late last night I got my firsts grandson. The wife of my heir
and son, bore a strong and healthy child that one day, by the grace of the
gods, will rule all of Diemed.
My son and I have in consort decided that the name of my grandsons shall
be Hadrien Diem. And now that it seems that my family once again have full
control over my provinces in the east (Braeme, Alamier and Caerwil), I have
two things to celebrate.
To show my gratitude to Haelyn for his help in liberating ex-Medoere from
the claws of the crazy da Enlien, and for my grandson, I will soon start
building some large complexes dedicated to learning and prayer. And in the
midst of this complexes I will build a gigantic statue of Haelyn. To help
me build this wonder I hope to enlist the best craftsmen of Anuire, and as
many Dwarven constructors as possible.
From the days of Deismaar when our patron gods ascended to their holy
thrones above, Diemed has been the center of worship to Haelyn, and so it
shall always be.



An announcement from the courts of Diemed:

Since we have regained control of the provinces which made up Medoere, we
must appoint 3 new Counts to rule them in the name of the Duke. To rule
Alamier, the Duke appoints Sir Bayard Taerril, a long time member of the
government of Diemed. The Count of Caerwil will be from now on be Daeron
Martell, which until now have been the captain of Diemed's infantry. And to
run the once capital of Medoere, Braeme, the Dukes appoint his long time
friend Count Harwin Waynwood of Tier. The Waynwood family have for
generations been Diemed's wardens against the Spiderfell, and the Duke have
decided to reward their loyalty by giving them the courtship of Braeme, and
by appointing the Waynwood family as the first among Diemed's bannermen.
And as to the vacant post as Count of Tier, the Duke had this to say: "now
that the continuation of my family is confirmed, I see that the time to
step down as Duke of Diemed is closing. My son and heir Oeren, have till
now no experience in leading men, so to this end I appoint him as the Count
of Tier. When the time comes for me to either step down as Duke or travel
to the realm of our patron god Haelyn, I expect my heir to live up to the
words of our House: Family, Duty, Honour. And that he leaves the Courtship
of Tier to his younger brother Shaemes."

So Decree his Lordship
Duke Heirl



Message to the people of Tuornen:

I know that this is a unexpected and radical change in leadership; however,
the Duchess has over the years of wars and conflict been growing tired of
rulership. Her health has gotten worse from the stress of running
government. As her husband I have removed that stress. I do not wish to
expand my rule, but I do wish to keep my people of Tuornen free from famine
and war for as long as God and our neighbouring realms allow. Until further
notification taxes will be reduced and in the provinces of Ghonallison and
Monsedge, who have suffered the most from past wars are totally exempt from
taxes. I hope that with the new roads and reduced taxes will help mother
Tuornen heal her wounds. Maybe in the future, when Duke Alam ceases in his
attempts to retake Tuornen, there will be no taxes in all the provinces of
Tuornen.

Your caring leader,
Duke Rhobher Nichalier.



New Trade Tax in the Imperial City:

From the beginning of 577 MR all trade into and out of the Imperial City
will be taxed to cover the costs of maintaining current facilities and for
repairs and new building projects planned for the city. Each trade route
either in or out of the city will now be taxed at a rate of 4,000 gold each
three months.
This tax is necessary in these uncertain time to maintain the strength of
the cities military, among other things and to maintain the docks, and
roads used by the merchants running trade into and out of the city. Failure
to pay the tax will result in the suspension of that trade route until the
tax is payed.

Caliedhe Dosiere,
Imperial Chamberlain.



For Sale, Stone Elves:

Now available for your castle or palace these remarkably lifelike caving of
Elves are now available for sale in Anuire. Carved out of sandstone by the
famous Khinasi sculptor Raesel el-Gorgous these magnificent works of art
are available for a limited time only, so get yours now. The stone Elf
carving will be available in the imperial city for ten days only, Sarimiere
7th - 17th and you can purchase your own for the small sum of 1000 gold.
Hurry, after sales throughout Brechtur only 40 of these pieces of art
remain. See Aleric at the Black Rose Tavern for further information.



The Journal of Arien Borthein:

We have, though a special arrangement with the College of Sorcery, managed
to obtain a copy of the current journal of Arien Borthien as he travels
south along we west coast of the Adurian continent. We will be updating
this journal in coming months so that everyone in Anuire can follow the
voyage.

Ship: Borthien's Folly
Owner: Arien Borthien
Captain: Blaede Liemien
1st Mate: Crael Arlien
Magician: Caern
Priest: Eldried Houstien

Arien Borthien's Journal:

Faniele 10th: It appears that not all has gone to plan. There have been
many delays in getting my ships, Borthien's Folly ready to sail. Supplies
have been hard to come by, especially since I am trying to ensure that we
have enough to maintain the crew for many months in case we fail to find a
friendly port, or in fact a port at all.
I have chosen a captain, a former member of the Boeruine navy known as
Blaede Liemien. He seems a good enough sailor, and as he was the only one
interested in risking his life for this journey I will have to accept him.
He has also bought with him Crael Arlien, a tough old sea dog who will
serve as the 1st mate. He is nearly my age, but certainly appears to know
his way around a vessel and even now I can hear him shouting at the crew.
We are nearly ready to sail, and are only awaiting the arrival of the final
member of the command staff, the priest and magician who will be
accompanying us.

Faniele 13: Our priest has finally shown up. Eldried Houstien is his name,
and he appears somewhat unsuitable for life as sea, being more of a
scholarly type that the hardened battle priest I was expecting. Still he is
better than nothing, and on this journey we may need all the divine
intervention that we can get. I am a little worried about the amount of
equipment good father Houstien has bought on board with him though. There
are several trunks of book and paper, as well as what looks like a portable
alter, still as he will be acting as our cartographer on this journey as
well as healing the sick and wounded I have made space for his luggage
below deck in the cargo hold.

Faniele 15: The last member of our crew, the magician Caern, has come on
board. If I thought Father Houstien was an unlikely candidate for an
adventuring priest then Caern is certainly not what I expected of a
magician more used to life devoted to study. He came aboard dressed more
like a pirate that a magician, right down to the eye patch and the parrot,
which is called Erik by the way. He has with him only a single bag and
wears what looks like a cutlass at his belt. The crew seems to like him
though and I can only hope his magical skills are better than his dress
sense. Still it is good to have some magical assistance on board, even if
he is only a magician. We set sail tomorrow for parts unknown.

Faniele 16: With everything finally loaded and the crew on boards we sailed
from Seasedge on the morning tide. Captain Liemien has managed to catch a
strong breeze from the north and we are now sailing south at a rate, much
faster than I expected. I have on board some old maps, some hundreds of
years old about what to expect once we hit Aduria. According to these
ancient parchments the lands south-west of Anuire are uninhabited, although
I hold little faith in the maps.
Our send off from Seasedge was quite spectacular with even the Archduke
himself making the effort to wish us well on our journey. I have left
detailed instruction with Shannen Boeruine, who will be running my guild
while I am away, I can only hope that she does not sell it all to finance
some foolish scheme of hers or something like that. I believe that she will
be ok though, she has matured much in the years or so she has been in my
employ.

Faniele 23: The winds that carried us south from Seasedge faster than we
expected have now left us becalmed off the coast of Taeghas. We are not far
from the island of Ribos, which has seen heavy fighting in past year or so
during the battle between the Taeghan Outfitters and the Anuirean Trading
Company. It appears quite and uninhabited now, although that came may just
be a deception.

Faniele 27: We are at anchor off Ribos, awaiting the arrival of our friends
from the Diemed navy. The now duke of Diemed has promised us two of his
galleon for this journey. I can only hope that they have taken the time to
equip themselves as well as we have, for there will be many dangers facing
us as we journey south.

Faniele 32: The sea is calm enough now that I can write once more. A
massive storm struck us three days ago and we have been blown off course to
the south. We are not sure what has happened to the Diemed vessels but they
may have been sunk in the storm. We thought we saw them arriving just
before the storm struck, although we can not be sure and perhaps it was
just a trick of the light. I am not sure exactly where we are, and neither
captain Liemien or the 1st mate, Crael Arlien seems to know anything more
than me. Our priest though is attempting to cast a spell to steer us back
on course.
It is a miracle that we did not suffer more damage or lose any crew in the
storm. The captain managed to guide us through it ok though. He said it was
bad, although not the worst he had seem. I must be out of practice with
sailing though for to me it appeared that we were about to die at any
moment. The ship appears well, with only some minor damage to the rigging,
the hull still appears sound, so it looks as though the extra money I spent
has not been wasted. The captain and I are due to meet in a couple of hours
to discuss if we should continue south in the hope we will find our way
back to Aduria or make our way back north to try and meet up with the
Diemed ships again.

Pasiphiel 1: The captain and I have decided to head south-east in the hope
of striking land once more. The breeze has increased in strength and by our
calculation we should arrive on the northern shores of Aduria before the
week is out.

Pasiphiel 6: We have reached land. Although we are still not sure we
believe that this may be the northern shore of Aduria. We are now going to
travel west along the coast hoping to find civilisation or something more
interesting that the featureless white cliffs we are looking at now. There
has been no sign of life so far, although the lookout though he saw wisps
of smoke, perhaps from a cooking fire a short time ago. Hopefully it they
people of this land will turn out to be friendly.

Pasiphiel 12: We have made contact with our first Adurians. They do not
very friendly though, attacking our ship with catapults and other weapons
as it sailed into the harbour. It was mainly good luck that we managed to
escape with only three of our crew dead. Had we sailed any further into the
harbour we might all have been destroyed. The people of this land seem to
keep a close watch on the seas and have large weapons, including many
catapults pointing out to sea. I do not know what they fear, perhaps they
mistook our ship for one of their enemies. What ever it was we must now
find a place to land and make repairs. The main mast has been snapped in
two and we will need to replace it before we can proceed further.
Fortunately I remember to include items such as saw and hammers in our
cargo so replacing the mast should be as easy as finding a suitable tree
and shaping it into a new mast.

Pasiphiel 16: We have put ashore on a small island off the main Adurian
coast that seems to have the trees on it we need to repair our vessel. It
is likely to take several weeks, but it at least we have land under our
feet for the moment. We have beached the galleon on one of the island long
sandy beaches so we can more easily repair the damage. Once repairs have
been completed it should be an easy task to float our vessel back to sea on
the high tide. For the moment though we have set up camp on the shore of
the island. There is plenty of fresh water and food here so I have ordered
that our supplies on board be kept until need later and we will live off
the land for a while.



NOTE: The words here are the work of the reporters of the Cerilia Times and
should not be considered the thoughts of the mysterious figure known as the
DM