Monday, 27th January
Dear Reader…
...too often of late the words “Dark Times” appear in the speech of those around us. And who could blame them, when day by day the news of invasions and attacks, of mysterious, dark strangers and creatures from the depths of the Abyss reach us? The beautiful city of Magincia lies in ruins, the Council of Nobles has been slain by assassins of unknown allegiance and purpose, a new king has risen, leaving the citizens of Sosaria in doubts and uncertainty about their loyalty to the throne that Lord British himself once erected in the centre of his realm. Dark times indeed, in which we, the reporters, editors and publishers of the Trinsic Beacon will try to provide a guiding light and a sparkle of joy in the gloom of this age. True to the purpose of the lighthouse which appears in our logo we will attempt to guide you through the shallows and depths of politics by providing the latest news from the realm, to cast a ray of light into the dark shadows of mystery and to bring some joy to troubled hearts with amusing snippets and events from all across the realm.
With these words of introduction we now entrust this paper and all its future editions to those that it is dedicated to… to you, our readers.
The King and the Mouse
by Etienne L'Ennuyer
The last week has been filled with numerous events. Most important were the first public appearances of king Casca, who addressed the citizens of the realm in a speech to rally them to his cause. However, during all the occasions, the calls and shouts emitted by the crowd ranged from suspicious to openly hostile, showing clearly that the newly proclaimed king still has a long road to travel on the road towards gaining the trust of the people. First and foremost amongst the critics are the soldiers of the Yewish Militia, who, maybe unsurprisingly, oppose the king not only for the disturbing events leading to his enthronement but for his elven heritage as well. Maybe more surprising might be the fact that even elves themselves do not easily agree with the idea of one of their race on the throne. Despite this massive opposition the king began to try and reveal the mysteries behind the current attacks, leading the guardians of the realm to places where the daemons and balrons of the enemy had tainted the land.
Sherry the Mouse, friend of Lord British himself, hero of many tales and especially beloved by the children of the realm has travelled the lands to speak to the people in Trinsic, Cove and finally Britain. “Who watches the watcher?” being the question that she asked of the people in each of the towns, finally leading to her tasking the (this time cheering) audience to dig deeply into the mysteries of this day and to find out whether Casca’s claims are righteous and lawful.
It remains to be seen who will prevail and who will be able to pull the citizens of Britannia on their side.
The Virtues must be upheld…
by Pierre Le Canard
… is the gist of the interview that His Grace, Duke Irvyn Middlethorn of Trinsic graciously granted the Beacon for its first edition. Especially in such troubled and confusing times, so he emphasized, is it necessary to follow the principles and teachings of Lord British. Questioned about the appearance and proclamation of the new king, the Duke explained that honour demanded that the kingdom and the succession of kings be upheld; provided that the claims of king Casca have been made in accordance to the law. The whereabouts of former guard captain Avery (accused of the slaughter of the former council) and Lady Aileen should be discovered and a fair trial needs to be conducted in order to shed some light upon the proceedings that led to the proclamation of king Casca.
When questioned about the ongoing invasions and attacks on Trinsic, the Duke offered his condolences to the families and friends of those that fell victim to the assaulting forces. At this time, nearly one hundred lives have been lost either to the foes or the strange magic that affects all of the citizenry, causing it to turn on each other. However, His Grace pointed out that both the guardforce as well as all allies and friends of Trinsic have fought valiantly to protect the citizenry and to throw back all of the invasions to this day.
On a more personal note, the Duke assured us that he is fully recovered now after his prolonged absence and illness. Furthermore, his son, Lord Isidore, has continued his studies and is growing quickly into the role of a heir to Trinsic. The Beacon hopes to be able to supply an interview with Lord Isidore for one of the future editions, to hear more about the thoughts and plans of the future Duke and maybe to inquire about the rumours of his relationship with a Miss Yates.
Yew remains watchful…
by Pierre Le Canard
…is the statement that Besieger Corporal Sineal Walker made when asked about the newly enthroned king. As long as the people’s trust in the new monarch is slim and Casca’s rule not firmly established it would be unlikely that Yew will take up arms and rise against the king and his followers. However, this might change when the new king begins to rule in earnest. Corporal Walker claimed that Yew would be ready to protect the citizens of Britannia from a “racial cleansing”.
It would seem that Yew has fully retreated from the idea of a unified kingdom. In the current period of peace and prosperity, so the corporal, Yew would be content to look after itself. A warning was given to the people of Trinsic who tread a more cautious path and do not instantly condemn the new king without proof.
When Rebels Rebel
by Pierre Le Canard
In an interview with Van Cocidius, the Chancellor of Vesper the Beacon tried to shed some light onto the rather confusing civil war that is currently raging in Vesper. According to the Chancellor, the rebellion against the rebels is nothing more than a personal attack by Militia Captain Escaflowne on the government, potentially with the aim to overthrow it and become the ruler himself. Supported by the militia, Escaflowne faces the trade union of Vesper along with the soldiers of Cove. According to the Chancellor, a week-long ceasefire has been arranged but battles are expected after the end of said time.
One can only hope that the civil war can be ended soon, for Vesper seems to be in a pitiful state at the moment, with union and militia not working together. During the interview, the Swagger’s Inn was nearly burned down by a single orc that had been denied tax for his orc king. Inlookers to the scene claimed that orcs were a frequent occurrence of late.
Freshly from the Pen
Mere minutes before the press would start to create our first edition we recieved news that Lady Flame and Lord Mhor of the famous Bloodguard encountered Nathan Hawke, friend of the now-gone Commander Jordan Jurrel. After a visit to Jurrel's prison in the crystaline caverns and his office Hawke claimed that he would try to fill the position of Commander of the Guards in the absence of his friend. The Beacon will try to secure more information or an interview for the next edition.
Feuilleton
The Beauty of the Sword
On Sunday, the elections to the beauty queen of the Order of the Silver Serpent in Serpent’s Hold have led to the selection of Kareen Grawn, captain of the first royal archers regiment. We are being told that the good captain can string a bow faster than any man, gut a boar with a heavy spear on 20 feet distance and kill an orc with bare hands. Strangely enough we were not given a picture of the new beauty queen…
The Horoscope for February
by Cassandre d'Troi
Frosty (the Snow Elemental)
Remember the girl next door that you moved all the way to Trinsic to get away from? She’s found you. We suggest a long holiday is in order, somewhere safer and quieter, like Magincia. The stars come together in an altogether more harmonious combination later on, however, but not for you.
Shrek (the Ogre)
Try to reign in your impulsive nature this month, as it may lead you into more trouble than you want. However, calmer stars at the end of the month will bring you into less troubled waters, that is, as long as the kraken doesn’t wake up.
Ming (the Mongbat)
Have you heard the expression "He who hesitates is lost"? You will be doing a lot of hesitating this month when you go shopping in the new hypermarket that just opened up outside Britain, and fail to locate the exit for three days. Otherwise you can expect a quite spectacularly tedious month, really.
Leon (the Sphynx)
This month nothing will go wrong. In fact everything will happen absolutely perfectly and precisely as you want it. Make the most of it, however, as on the first day of the next month it is quite possible that you will die a particularly horrible and painful death.
Fead (the Troll)
A horde of mongbats will take up temporary residence in your garden this month. No harm will come to you as a result, but I'm afraid I can't say the same for your pet rabbit. Towards the middle of the month you may find a new romance entering your life, but sadly the stars are not auspicious and it will be gone again very soon.
Deck (the Ant Lion)
This month will see you going on a long interesting sea voyage to a pleasant island in the sun, when you are kidnapped by slavers and sold to the Sultan of Nujel'm. Never mind, your luck will change at the end of the month, although not necessarily for the better.
Mat (the Daemon)
Love is in the air this month, but sadly the wind is not blowing in your direction. My advice is to get used to disappointment, but this should be easy given the amount of practice you'll be having. Expect a sudden death towards the end of the month, hopefully not yours but I can’t promise anything.
Whisky (the Rat)
This is going to be an interesting month for you. Now would be a good time to start planning your funeral. If you booked the undertaker for 3pm on the third Friday that would be about right. I suggest you don’t start any lengthy legal cases, whatever the provocation. He almost certainly wasn’t worth it.
Puff (the Magic Dragon)
That tomatoes you left at the back of the cupboard until they went green and furry will evolve into a new life form this month. Do not worry, unless they also manage to develop language skills, in which case they will start a revolution amongst your foodstuffs who will then take the obvious revenge.
Theseus (the Minotaur)
You could have a hard time because you take things very seriously this month. This is probably a good thing, given the circumstances. I don’t recommend starting to read War and Peace in the near future. Of course, you probably wouldn’t finish it anyway, but your sudden and horrible end will definitely put a stop to it.
Dontfear (the Reaper)
Emotions and emotional situations may get the better of you this month. There appear to be several events heading your way, such as a plague of giant snakes, and a stampede of sheep. You are unlikely to have to worry about the lady suing you for breach of contract, however, as she was born under the sign of Whisky.
Vlad (the Vampire Bat)
The demands you receive this month may cause some resentment. Try to stay calm. Your mother will pay a surprise visit in the next few weeks. This will just about give you enough time to evict the troll that is due to move in tomorrow, but unfortunately not enough to clean the carpet or do the 3 month accumulation of washing you were ignoring.
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