The TombstoneThe TombstoneIssue I, August 999 News From the Kingdom Priests of the God, Hades, report that the Lord of the Dead is taking longer than usual to respond to prayers and offerings. Magic items that are known to be powered by the grace of the Dead Lord have been wavering in their abilities, although none have experienced a power outage yet. The Death Knight of Rockwood has made another appearance at the Coldfire Tavern. He has once again claimed ruler-ship over the Terror Woods for his still unnamed Lord. Warlord Trent has sent troops to patrol its edges. Preparations for the feast f Rathkeale in Videssos to celebrate the victory over the Blue Elves have brought warnings from the Druids of the island. Seems that they are appalled by the large-scale slaughter of animals planned to feed the guests. They promise swift action during the feast if meat is served. Lady Catherine has indicated that nothing will change and she'll make hamburger out of anyone who interferes. Sightings of the former Overlord of Rathkeale, Ryan O'Conner, have increased. He continues to slay any that stand before him and raise from the dead any humanoid body in his path with a gold piece still on him. Current Overlord Artex has promised a full investigation. Peasants are suspicious that this is some new form of collecting taxes from the dead! Donovale Reports Unnamed sources claim that Chancellor Catherine has been negotiating a deal for peace with the blue Elves in the northeast of the island of Rathkeale. Terms have not been disclosed, but exile from this island for those Elves seems likely. This would bring a close to over seven years of war. The question of the leadership of the Country of Rockwood has become heated as of late. The current Lord Luc claims the tittle by right of honor, duty, and example. Former Lady Ivy claims the title by the right of original appointment and number of supporters. The question of who is the Lord/Lady of Rockwood will be decided at the Feast of Rathkeale in October. Anything but the destruction of souls is permitted in swaying Artex, who will personally back the winner. The naval flagship Sea Bitch II was seen last week swerving around the Misty Isles at great speeds and almost impossible angles for such a great warship. it was not war maneuvers as previously believed. It turns out to have just been a drunken cruise by Admiral Blitz and his crew out enjoying the weather and testing the catapults for distance with dead bodies in them. An explosion rocked Bluebane Castle last week in the capital of Videssos. Overlord Artex insists that it was a spell gone wrong and had absolutely nothing to do with him losing in cards to Seraph of the Unforgiven. Reporters were ordered to believe him. We do. Honestly. We do. For Rent: Undead for your protection. We rent at the cheapest price. Won't cost you an arm and a leg. See Vladimir in Donovale. For Rent: Islands in the South of Rathkeale. 10 Gold a year and up, depending on the size and requirements. Inquire with Overlord Artex Bluebane. ------------ The Tombstone Issue II, November 999 News From the Kingdom With the instability of Teng-Hua, the residents of the island to the north called Vanguard have requested Rathkealian intervention and annexation. Artex dispatched the navy from the nearby island of Skye (an island of rock and sand where prisoners are kept) with troops from the Borderlands to help. Phoenix was made Lady of the island with the consent of the natives. Vanguard under Lady Phoenix becomes the fifth County within the Empire of Rathkeale. Vlad continues his training to become the new High Priest of Hades, the official religion of the Empire. With the exception of the exploding skull incident everything proceeds on track. Vlad is still looking to rent out his undead. Peace with the Blue Elves was achieved thanks to Chancellor Lady Catherine Bluebane of Videssos. She negotiated to have all Blue Elves who want to leave may do so. They will be transported off the Island of Rathkeale and sent to a new homeland. Those remaining will be considered outlaws and will be hunted down. The Lord of the Terror Woods in Rockwood has repeated his assertion that he alone is the Lord of Rockwood. The zombies that Admiral Blitz sent in to investigate have not come back to report. The Feast of Rathkeale: The Feast of Rathkeale went off with only minor hitches. Brief interruptions by escaping food, cow-lovers, and demons were overcome by the brave souls who attended. Lucas of Chimeron won the first ever Impress Artex award with his wonderfully stunning speech. Lord Luc won his position as Lord of Rockwood through cunning, a knack for surviving, and a large cash donation to the Rathkealian treasury. Admiral Blitz was given Lordship over the Crimson Isles (formerly the Pirate Isles), the fourth County of Rathkeale. He accepted the new lands with poise and dignity. And a keg of beer. Overlord Artex Bluebane of the Empire of Rathkeale was also in turn made Overlord of the Alliance of Silverwood as per his turn in the rotation. For Rent: Undead for your protection. We rent at the cheapest price. Won't cost you an arm and a leg. See Vladimir in Donovale. For Rent: Islands in the South of Rathkeale. 10 Gold a year and up, depending on the size and requirements. Inquire with Overlord Artex Bluebane. -------------------------- The Tombstone Issue III, May 1000 News From the Kingdom The mysterious Lady seen around Bluebane Castle has been identified as Caileen O`Conner, daughter of the late Lord Ryan O`Conner. This Lady has returned to her homeland and stands at the side of Artex. The Empire grows stronger as Artex, Trent, and Devlin agree on a final arrangement. A united front is displayed against Gwenethlin over the wronged Lady Phoenix by the outlaw Aelias. Morgil agrees to return the Morph Blade to the Lady Phoenix of Rathkeale should it surface again. The Knights of Destruction threatened Artex, Squire Trent and Catherine in their quest to destroy all Knighthoods. Overlord Artex was seen wandering Bluebane Castle looking very confused and asking for a dictionary. Refugees continue to pour into Vanguard from Teng-Hua. Lady Phoenix has done and admirable job keeping them fed, organized, and protected. Other News At the Feast of Rhiassa a few awards were given out. Best Feast was awarded to Lady Catherine for 'The Feast of Rathkeale'. Artex won Mage of the Year, as well as Best New Monster concept (Undead Cows) and Best New Tournament (Impress Artex). Strange melodies of music carry through the Terror Woods in Rockwood. Rumors of the Bard of Rathkeale returning are spoken with delight. At the Big Game Hunt a goblin delivered a package to Lady Catherine of Videssos. The contents were not disclosed at this time. Missing If anyone has seen the Admiral or his flagship the SeaBitch II, please notify Seraph in Donovale. We're missing a few kegs of beer. For Rent: Undead for your protection. We rent at the cheapeast price. Won't cost you an arm and a leg. See Vladimir in Donovale. For Rent: Islands in the South of Rathkeale. 10 Gold a year and up, depending on the size and requirements. Inquire with Overlord Artex Bluebane. |
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Last Modified by Janna Oakfellow-Pushee at 02-28-10 05:08 PM