:GELDAR: Geldar is situated in the south-western corner of the realm, ALMOST directly south of Merenth. Geldar is a small, rather plain farming community. The Citizens of Geldar are rather friendly but do seem to live in some fear considering how far from the bustle of the bigger, more crime effected, cities such as Sanom. I asked a few of the residents about this and as reluctant as they were they eventually told me they had been raided recently by bandits. This shocked and surprised me, this is not the first attack in recent times, perhaps there is evil in the air. I have also heard rumour of Undead Hordes, but the descriptions from the Villagers mentioned nothing about living dead, I cant help but think they are somehow linked though... Geldarians on the whole, however, seem to prefer their humble farm life over the raucous life of the cities. I am a servant of Queen Shriek, and as such serve much of my time in near the city, but even I found the lifestyle in Geldar to be quite peaceful, it would be a tragedy to allow roving bands of hooligans to ruin this... Drop by Geldar some time, the villagers are rather welcoming and the quaint little town does have some new sights that we city folk are not very accustomed to.
---A CALL TO ARMS--- CITIZENS OF SANOM-- DRAW YOUR BLADES, PREPARE TO FIGHT! **** Recently raids and invasions throughout the realm have become common place, the villages and towns throughout the provinces have been under constant attack from vile bandits and highway men...This must be halted! **** Rumour has it that an army is being formed in the mountains, I have sent Vulcan's Squires out to scout around and they have come across many sites that seem to have been travelled through by hordes of soldiers...a faint smell of incense and ash also filled the air through these parts....a smell of necromancy. A wandering nomad has also been seen passing through Sanom, he may just be a gypsy, but I have my suspicions... **** RAISE YOUR BLADES! DON YOUR HELMS! BUCKLE YOUR ARMOUR! PREPARE TO DEFEND!
In the sea just off the Seaside Village shore lurks a large and dangerous shark. Local fisherman tell tales of a great white with a taste for human (and, for that matter, Triton) flesh that bides its time near the bottom waiting for anyone foolish enough to venture into the water. Despite the beautiful coastline and the sunny weather (Druids permitting), local children are forbidden from entering the water and tourists, who are already too few in number, are staying away, damaging the local economy. So far the only people with firsthand knowledge of the shark that your dedicated reporter has managed to track down are a salvage team attempting to recover some of the valuable supposedly hoarded by the shark. "I went down with my diving gourd," says local boy Jimmy 'the fearless' Saltoni, "but the shark was waiting down there for me. I only just got pulled out in time," he says waving the stump of one leg, cut off just above the knee. "Still, I did see a lot of equipment down there", he enthuses, "and a few corpses I dare say." More news as it breaks. Icthyia, maritime correspondent.
:DEALL: Another town was recently discovered by adventurers, the town of Deall. Unlike Geldar, Deall seems to be quite busy for such a small town, I have heard rumours that is because the pixies that live nearby supply Deallian merchants with Wyrdroot, and a secret trade has it's hub in this small town. I'll be sure to ask the Palace witch-hunters to look into this, but I saw no trace of such horrific behaviour, in fact I found my visit to Deall quite enjoyable. Deall is also home to the Black Dragon Inn, not as fine an establishment as Sanom's own Tranquil Glade but quite a lively place with a friendly barkeep and some nice food...no doubt because it comes from the Butcher in Sanom. Something troubling reached my ears concerning this town a few days ago, it seems the recent raids from bandits have spread to this small town. It has escaped most of these attacks soon enough since help came swiftly, but the recent invasions seem to be spreading across the realm and becoming more common. Some say there is an evil supernatural being behind them, but without any evidence I'd say this is just an old wive's tale...
Archaeologists have announced the discovery of a hitherto unknown ruin in the wilderness east of Sanom. A recent landslide uncovered the remains of a wall which was discovered by a wandering adventurer. The discoverer, who regularly roams this mountainous region, described it as a "lucky find": "I was out walking my Roc when I tripped over a dry stone wall in the middle of nowhere. I wouldn't have thought anything of it except that I found a strange-looking coloured stone. I took it back to Sanom where it was identified as an ancient artifact." Experts are currently surveying the site which is rumoured to be large enough to be the remains of a major city. "Excavating a site this large will take many months," said one leading archaeologist. "There's evidence of domestic structures as well as shops. Some of the pottery finds are very exciting and we've recently discovered what looks like a temple of some sort. It's all very exciting!" he said. The authorities are currently looking for volunteers to help chart the site. One of the problems is the wildlife. Packs of wild dogs habituate the ruins and have been known to attack excavators working late. Another problem is the weather, which has been known to change hourly. One helper complained that the weather was the diggers' worst enemy. "It's almost as though there was some malevolent force out there, trying to hamper our work", he said. More news as it breaks, Your wilderness correspondent.
Geldar Village was ruthlessly attacked today by a group of bandits, led by the notorious Keliwen. Sources say the village failed to pay their protection money, triggering the attack. The battle lasted a while, with bandits setting fire to various huts within the village. Sadly, four huts were burnt to the ground before someone responded to their cries for help. Camris arrived, and made short work of the bandit raiders, according to Wella the Villager, saving the village from further destruction. Unfortunately one villager life was lost in the battle before he could arrive. Gilikor, Chief of Geldar Village, says that they are now working on rebuilding the huts that were just lost from the attack. Geldar is a small village located a long way south of Merenth. Reporter Dodinas.
Travellers to Sanom city from surrounding areas of Rowenmount and Merenth earlier today reported an unusual number of wild beasts and monsters roaming the wilderness and terrorising innocent travellers. Numerous tribes of Trolls, Goblins and Orcs have been sited on all major roads to Sanom. These foul bests have even been cited at the southern and western approaches to Sanom city and all travellers to and from Sanom are advised to proceed with extreme caution. The transport ombudsman of sanom has issued an official warning when travelling the shattered realms whilst measures are taken to ensure that travel on major thoroughfares, is made as safe as possible. All travel of a non-essential nature is strongly cautioned against and all travellers are advised to travel with a big stick or a licensed bodyguard. In anticipation of an upsurge in business, the sanom bodyguards association has begun a membership drive and is recruiting for "Hardy, butt wuppin lads" now. For more information speak to Kaluma the draconian in the southeast Ally. Local Monsterologist, Iva Biggun, had this report for the newspaper on the Monster population explosion: "What we are seeing here is the explosive manifestation of a developing monster population that has undergone a metamorphosis from a constricted numerical modality to a burgeoning monsteropolous that has quickly taken root throughout the greater Sanom basin area". Whilst the exact origins of these new appearances cannot be pinpointed, the fact remains that the Shattered Realms are under siege. Who will save our realms from this vile new incursion, and once again make the lands safe to travel in? Editor in Chief, Nura Nal. *
News Flash There is lost treasure in the sea! I, SunFlare happened to die while swimming, and lost all my items somewhere south of the city. There were such things as a large sum of gold coins, a battleaxe and some swords. If you want, you can keep them, or return them if you find them, the choice is yours. Good Luck with the hunt if you so choose to go on it. SunFlare
After months of inactivity, the City of Deudraeth has recently seen a strong revival of growth and trade. Construction workers have been working day and night as the city expands and commercial properties re-open to capitalise on this boom. Jianwei the builder remarked, "This here is the most work we've seen in these parts for years! Rat skewers no more, troll kebabs all the way from here on in!" The construction industry are not the only ones to feel the effect of this latest Deudraeth boom. "The noise is just unbearable now," complained one Elementalist Guard we interviewed. "Previously we had peace and quiet, but now with all these Adventurers running by we can't rest for a moment!" When asked to comment on the reasons behind this turnaround, Queen Nura politely declined, but allowed her representative to reply "It's quite obvious to me that the citizens are finally realising what an attractive commercial destination Deudraeth is. Close to major landmarks, a beautiful view, and a low tax rate. What more could you want?" Local businesses confirm this view, with many reporting a healthy improvement in results. The resurgence has even caused the reopening of the city's main Armourer, along with the building of a new Smithy, making Deudraeth the fastest growing city in percentage terms throughout the land. Despite this, Deudraeth is still much smaller than its larger counterpart Engelwood, which holds the honour of growing the fastest when measured by absolute number of lots. Deudraeth is located roughly 45 paces west of the South Gate of Sanom City.
File last modified: Mon Oct 16 15:27:36 2006