The Tragic Tale of Ser Aetos the Valiant - [Finished Flashpoint]
Throughout the course of the last month, many attempted to unravel what exactly occurred to the once great Ser Aetos, Knight of the Verdant Grove. Rumvalia erupted into rumor and mutterings as the Rumvalian City Guard finished their investigation. The trial of Ser Atticus of the Stalwart Arbor began that very afternoon. Initially, the City Guard had thought this some elaborate plot, but after interviewing the family and deducing that the boutonniere was indicative of the sigil upon Ser Atticus's shield. What's more, testimonials from both Aetos' family and those who frequently attended their battles attested to the fact that both had an ongoing feud over a failed honor duel. Some claim that Atticus screamed as he was pulled to the execution block, proclaiming his innocence until the very end. The family of Ser Atticus continued to protest even after his death, claiming that Atticus was not even in Rumvalia at the time. Funnily enough, when the family of Ser Aetos was called upon by local journalists to comment; the family estate had been sold, the family had gone and the entire holding left by Ser Aetos, totalling nearly 80,000 regals was gone. Vanished. Just gone.
Rumours and theories have been circulating around the different walks of life in Rumvalia, the mystery surrounding the famed knight being insufferably curious. The people want answers and start formulating their own ideas of the truth. The potters murmured curiously about the nobility's silence, alluding to the idea that the scheming great families around the archipelago had dipped their hands into the coffers of Ser Aetos. The rumours flowed along to the stablehands as they loaded cargo into merchant caravans, adding on that perhaps Ser Aetos' family were behind it, bribing notable families in the Regalian capital to ensure that the illegal transfer of the funds remains a secret. The merchants themselves caught these whispers, finding them rather amusing, some of them even contemplating the theories. By the time the merchants had rounded the Archipelago there were a bounteous amount of different hypotheses and conspiracy theories surrounding the tragic tale of Ser Aetos the Valiant and the unscrupulous manipulations by higher powers.
Celestial lights and Chilling Frights [Flashpoint Open]
Meanwhile in the province of Erendall within the Cadieux lands, a comet passes overhead at 10pm that evening; glittering and gleaming. The local population observe this movement with awe and intrigue in large groups; families and friends coming together to experience this amazing celestial anomaly. Strange though was how events turned after. As soon as the comet passed out of sight, multiple people within the crowd began to retch and clutch their stomach; falling and writhing in pain, foaming at the mouth. The City Guard immediately came onto the scene and quarantined all of those affected though it became increasingly clear that this event was not over. A day into containment and observation; practically every person afflicted began turning to ice.
Physicians, mages and scholars arrived to the scene, setting up a large investigation into the strange events. It continuously baffled the teams of researchers and investigators the further they went. Physicians failed to produce any cures or medical solutions. Mages found no records of curses of the sorts seemingly found here. Scholars struggled with finding similar occurrences throughout history, having to begrudgingly delve into local folklore. Regardless of what the foreign investigators committed to they wouldn't find a single thing. The comet has now become a popular topic of discussion among scholarly circles throughout the Empire, the topic either ending up in talks over tea or planned expeditions to join in with the investigations. Needless to say this is quickly turning into the perfect place to prove your worth as an academic.
A Testament to her Fame [Flashpoint Open]
In Anglia, the province of Maarde was engulfed in a major political crisis when a prominent aristocrat Adelgunde Fischer, a multiple divorcee within the region passed away with an heir in the Harhold and Reinard regions. The internal laws of both lands would dictate that one family would benefit from a portion of the taxation upon the estate while the other would not gain anything. The first born, one Hansel Fischer from Adelgunde's first husband in Harhold lands argued that he was the most entitled to the funding by virtue of him being the first born and eldest son from the very first marriage, while the second born son from a different father, Adelmo Fischer in Reinard lands, argued that he was entitled has he cared for his mother despite her divorce from his father until the day she passed. Both produced testaments that they were entitled to the funding and both of these testaments checked out as being from the hand of Adelgunde. The question was left to regional councils who both claimed their respective resident Fischer was entitled, thus the question was elevated to the Harhold and Reinard family to dispute while the Regalian State itself seized the assets and waited on the legal conundrum to be solved.
The Cats who stole the Cream [Flashpoint Open]
Cannons blared off the coast of the Isla Sornara as the masts of a dozen ships loomed in the horizon. Skull and crossbone flags fluttered within the wind as the ships came to shore; bombarding a local port town with cannon fire while bells rang out to alert the residents to evacuate. Alas! Pirates of the Varran kind!
The buccaneers and corsairs descended on the town with all their might, sweeping through the streets causing terror and awe as they overwhelmed the city guardsmen. Houses and marketplaces were picked clean of valuables in little less than two hours, the less gifted of the pirates foolishly filling their arms with loot leaving them defenseless to angry locals defending their lands. With the loss of momentum and nearby townships rallying their militias the pirates went back to their vessels, disappearing into the night as quickly as they arrived with an approximate thirty thousand regals' worth of valuables. Their fleet was last witnessed off the coast of Bastadon.
A Thousand Words [Flashpoint Open]
Within the province of Praag in the von Drachenburg lands, a notable artist by the name of Gretel Schouhaser made herself known to the nobility Empire wide, offering her services for a brand new portrait to the highest bidder. With it, a certificate of authenticity and the promise that her entire art collection will be shown off in the lands of said highest bidder for three weeks. A tempting offer to be sure, as Schouhaser had something of a cult following in the conservative region, mostly of women who were desperate to see more of the arts flourish.
Gone but not Forgotten [Flashpoint Open]
Festivities abound in the province of Ostyr as the Shield Maiden annual tournament sets off in full swing. A multitude of Velheim games and traditional ceremonies took place with no expense spared to commemorate the fallen Shieldmaiden, Arless Johanna Uexkulla, who fought and died in the battle of Ensomtreby in the Drixagh tundra. The lavish festivities caught the ears of many a merchant and town crier, who advertised that this wonderful celebration of Uexkulla's life was underway. Immediately, stewards of practically every noble house informed their lieges of the potential opportunity here, advising them to either attend themselves or send a goodwill token, as the Ostyr Shieldmaidens would most certainly be a valuable asset to potentially have in the future. The festival would last the full month of October.
Holy Hands but Full Pockets [Flashpoint Open]
The divinity of the Regalian nobility is being put to the test as a group of Etosian clerics, within the province of Limnosa in the Latimer holdings, are offering up large sums of money for influential, important positions within the varying courts of the Regalian noble families. Positions that are, traditionally, purely for the nobility to hold. Accepting such an offer may laden your coffers with gold and silver, but the Clerics' intentions are under heavy scrutiny by clergy and the peerage alike.
Beware the Ides of… October? [Flashpoint Open]
The province of Nomia within the du Triege lands to the South entertains some interesting news. A local yet notorious astronomer predicts the way to success from the stars and announces to all that he knows the exact day and time frame that luck will fortune a military movement that could potentially turn the tide of battle. His services were offered to all Noble Families far and wide to the highest bidder and undoubtedly caused a stir all over the Nobility. Could this man be telling the truth? Was he nothing more than a charlatan? Who knew? One thing was for certain however, his cult following only made the situation more difficult to assess to the outside eye.
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The Last and Eighth Flashpoint will be made available mid October
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