CURRENT EVENTS: AC 1014 ----------------------- Once again we arrive at the most famous section of our Almanac. Here is where we give you, the reader, a day by day listing of all the major events which took place during the previous year. Included is a brief WHAT IT MEANS section, giving a behind the scene look at what is going on. This explains why some of the events happened, or the possible future consequences of those events. Also, it just might give insight to what is going on in the minds of those involved. After all, what is the point of listing everything that happens if you don't know why it happened? Also included is a live witness report from our correspondants for the most important events of the season. This will give an even more in depth look at the events, giving the reader a feeling that he is actually there. So dear readers, browse through the next several pages to relive the year over again, and maybe get a better look at what goes on in the world. B.F. NUWMONT 1, AC 1014: Wogar's Message Location: New Kolland, Glantri. KW Description: The Supreme Hool, leader of the Red Orcland tribe of New Kolland, receives a message from his patron, Wogar. In it, he is told that the sacred Blue Knife has been stolen, and he is charged with finding it. His dreams show of the primitive humans living upon the Atruaghin Plateau . Hool is thrilled at the prospect. (See Nu 5, Fl 3.) What This Means: The orcish shaman Xilochtli stole the Blue Knife while fleeing Oenkmar in AC 1011. This infuriated the humanoid pantheon, and they have been arguing over a course of action ever since. Finally, Wogar took things into his own hands and prompted Hool to find the Knife. Wogar figures sending Hool south to Atruaghin is as good a place as any, particularly since Xilotchtli's patron, Atzanteotl, has followers among the Tiger Clan. NUWMONT 4, AC 1014: Rafielton Warned Location: Rafielton, Aengmor. KW Description: Aengmor warns Rafielton (the nation of Aengmor) not to ally themselves with the former elves of Alfheim as they will only try to get their homeland back and cause dissent among the shadow elves. Princess Tanadaleyo, who has been talking with envoys from the exiled Alfheimers since Sviftmont 23 of last year (JA), believes that the talks are going well enough and ignores the request of Aengmor. (See Va 3, Va 28.) What This Means: A growing cult of Atzanteotl is gaining more power in the city of Aengmor, and it wishes to spread its influence to the other shadow elves. They fear that if they learn of the inherent goodness of the surface elves, it will be harder to convince them to worship Atzanteotl. The cult of Atzanteotl was introduced by the various artifacts/religious icons left behind by the humanoids. Also, the old items seem to indicate that the shadow elves once worshipped Atzanteotl, and the members of the cult spread propaganda claiming that Atzanteotl was the golden age of the Shadow Elves, with Aengmor. Many of the shadow elves are believing the story since they are losing faith in Rafiel, and are slowing converting to the new way of life. The Wanderers, who have been living in Aengmor with the humanoids, know of the evil ways of Atzanteotl but they dare not speak out against it for fear of revealing their presence in the city. The Wanderers enjoy Aengmor, and do not want to be forced to leave as the Way of Rafiel demands. So far, only Kanafasti knows of their presence, and he will become a Wanderer himself this year, so he is trying to remove that law regarding the Wanderers. NUWMONT 5, AC 1014: Word Spreads Location: New Kolland, Glantri. KW Description: Hool returned to New Kolland a few days ago, spreading the word of Wogar. He has commanded his hordes to prepare for a new Great Migration, to begin in the spring when the mountain passes clear of snow. He has also invited the other humanoid leaders to join him in his quest. They refuse, believing Hool to be mad, and being content to live off of Prince Kol's machinations and the occasional raid on Erewan territory. (See Nu 1; Va 6, Fl 3, Fl 20.) What This Means: Hool will lead his Great Migration, regardless. Most of the other leaders are perfectly happy where they are. As for Kol, his kobolds and Hool's red orcs have often been at odds in the past - he isn't sorry to see them go. NUWMONT 7, AC 1014: Karameikos Recognizes New Alphatian Empire Location: Mirros, Karameikos. KW Description: King Stefan Karameikos officially announces his country opens up diplomatic ties with the New Alphatian Empire. The Karameikan Embassy is to be moved from Aquas to Sanctuary on Monster Island. King Stefan also grants favored trading status to the New Alphatian Empire. The Karameikan ambassador refers to the council as a confederation of kingdoms, which grabs the attention of many of the council members and diplomats present. They find the word confederation catchy and meaningful. (See Nu 13, Nu 15, Va 1.) What This Means: Karameikos is the first country of the Known World to officially recognize the legitimacy of the Council. Since Empress Eriadna recognized Karameikos's independence a few years ago, the two countries have maintained diplomatic ties with each other, but under Zandor's rule this didn't mean much. The two countries have had few trading relations up to now, but this can well change - King Stefan especially hopes it will improve exchanges of magic. The two countries are not likely to become military allies or to suppress tariffs altogether, however, since Karameikos is part of the Western Defense League and as such cannot take such decisions alone - and its allies would probably be more than reluctant, especially Ylaruam. NUWMONT 8, AC 1014: An Immodest Proposal Location: Caverns beneath the Plain of Fire. KW Description: Today at a meeting of Graakhalian refugees, Leyalani, a Sheyallia elf, proposes that an expedition be sent to the lair of Verminthrax, a huge red dragon. She hopes to gain its aid in ridding Graakhalia of Hulean goblinoids, or failing that, to destroy it and gain its treasure for use against them. Surprisingly, the council agrees to this, after some deliberation. What This Means: The Graakhalians were nearly decimated years ago when the Master's minions invaded their caves. The small bands of them that remain have been waging guerilla war against the invaders ever since. When Leyalani overheard Brarknar, a gnollish warrior, jokingly suggest enlisting Verminthrax' aid, she immediately went to the council with the idea. The fact that they agreed shows just how desperate they are for help. NUWMONT 10, AC 1014: Princess Ark Arrives in Shahjapur. Location: Shahjapur, Anathy Archipelago. HW Description: The Princess Ark passes over the largest island in the Anathy Archipelago, and notices several villages below. Dark clouds are moving in from the sea, thanks to strong winds. Haldemar orders the Ark to land so the crew can get some shore leave and to avoid the worse of the incoming storm (he would rather have the Ark close at hand than far above the clouds). The skyship therefore lands near the city of Dunagar. The crew hastly puts together a make-shift skyship berth. Contrary to what Haldemar expected, the people of the city are rather unimpressed with the flying ship and don't spare more than a few glances at it. Haldemar and his officers try to get an audience with the local ruler. (See Nu 12, Nu 13.) What This Means: The dark clouds are the signal of the beginning of monsoon season which is about to strike the island in force. Although on the surface world, monsoons tend to arrive during the summer months, the Hollow World is full of isolated micro-climates, in which the time of year is mostly irrelevant. For Shahjapur, monsoon takes places sometime during the months of Nuwmont to Thaumont. NUWMONT 12, AC 1014: Haldemar Meets the Mogul Location: Dunagar, Shahjapur, Anathy Archipelago. HW Description: After dealing with the people of Dunagar, who are surprisingly unhelpful and uncaring, Haldemar manages to get an audience with Mogul Balindi, ruler of the province of Dunagar. During the audience, Haldemar learns that Shahjapur could not care less about foreigners; the world will unfold as it should, so if Alphatians arrive, so be it. They should not bother the rulers about it and just get on with whatever it is they want to do. Haldemar is rather disappointed by such rude treatment, but realises that at least Alphatia was not forbidden to visit. Diplomatic relation can be attempted again in the future. (See Nu 10; Nu 13, Nu 20.) What This Means: The Shahjapuri are fatalistic and believe everything happens at is was meant to happen. To get involved in sometime is just a waste of time. Hence, if Alphatians arrive, so be it. Why bother making plans when it will happen as it should. NUWMONT 13, AC 1014: Princess Ark Grounded Location: Dunagar, Shahjapur, Anathy Archipelago. HW Description: As the Princess Ark is about to leave, a huge wall of rain drops from the storm clouds above. This storm is heavier than any storm Haldemar or the crew have ever seen before. Haldemar decides to stay on the ground rather than risk damaging the Ark in the storm. He believes he'll be able to leave in the next couple of days. (See Nu 10, Nu 12; Nu 20, Nu 26.) What This Means: The monsoon season has started. NUWMONT 13, AC 1014: Qeodhar Joins New Alphatian Empire Location: Farend, Qeodhar. KW Description: King Norlan reluctantly agrees to join the New Alphatian Empire. He says to the Council that he can't place his troops under Commander Broderick's command yet, because they are busy repelling many monsters that cross the ice floe thanks to the cold winter. He only accepts to send troops to the Yannivey Islands to help Floating Ar taking over the isles. (See Nu 7; Nu 15, Va 18.) What This Means: Baron Norlan had always considered Zandor's petty empire as no threat to him, and he thought it would be the same with the New Alphatian Empire. But the offensive on Blackrock and the arrival of Floating Ar above the Yannivey Islands made him realize that Qeodhar was one of the last territories of now-sunken Alphatia that was still independent from the Empire. They may well decide to remove him if he continued to ignore their diplomats. After all, the New Alphatian Empire seems to be military and magic rich despite the disappearance of Alphatia. Norlan doesn't want to lose his time attending the Council meetings, however, but what he doesn't know is that this will prevent him from discovering Alphatia's survival within the Hollow World - something that could also have explained his wife's disappearance. Norlan is currently trying to devise a way to keep his army under his sole control; he particularly doesn't want his troops to help in overthrowing the kings of Esterhold. NUWMONT 14, AC 1014: Ancient Ruins Discovered Location: 50 miles southwest of Oceansend, Norwold. KW Description: Scouts in the region of Oceansend for King Ericall of Alpha discover ancient ruins while hiding from a Heldannic patrol. What This Means: These ruins were a far off colony of Nithia several hundred years ago (circa 1000 BC). The Nithians never managed to gain a foothold as the barbaric goblinoids and humans (Antalians, ancestors of the Northern Reaches) who lived in the area ransacked and plundered the city several times. This would be the most northern Nithian ruin ever discovered to date. The exact contents of the ruins are left to the DM. NUWMONT 15, AC 1015: Declaration of a Confederation Location: Sanctuary, Monster Island. KW Description: The New Alphatian Council hereby declares their "Empire" a Confederacy, as they are merely a set of aligned nations with common goals. Although technically they must obey the orders of the Empress, she is too far removed to affect daily life, so the nations are indeed more-or-less independant. From now on, the New Alphatian Empire shall be known as the New Alphatian Confederate Empire. (See Nu 7, Nu 13; Va 1, Va 15.) What This Means: This is simply a way that the Council is using to make their empire sound stronger and more united than it was before. They also happen to like the word confederacy as it sounds grand and imposing. NUWMONT 15, AC 1014: Patrols Fail to Return Location: Schattenalfheim Caverns. HW Description: Two patrols of Schattenalfen fail to report from their border excursions. The elves respond by doubling the sizes of their patrols. (See Th 5, Ya 7.) What This Means: This is the first of several strikes by the Traldar of Coresco. They intend to fully reclaim the lost treasure that was apparently stolen, whatever it was. The Traldar, however, are invading the Schattenalfen territories in small groups of heroes rather than a unified army. They are each trying to get glory for themselves rather then achieve their collective goal. NUWMONT 20, AC 1014: Flood in Dunagar Location: Dunagar, Shahjapur, Anathy Archipelago. HW Description: The rain hasn't stopped in over seven days. The Gadwallabad River, which Dunagar is located beside, has overflown, and most of Dunagar has turned into mud flats and shallow lakes. Haldemar notices the destruction caused by the continual rain, and is dismayed by the deaths of many people as well as the lack of compassion or help that the Shahjapuri give each other. He immediately sends his crew out to help all those they can from the torrential rains and floods. Another section of the crew is ordered to keep the Princess Ark safe and as dry as possible. They are assigned to "bucket duty." (See Nu 12, Nu 13; Nu 26, Va 2.) NUWMONT 22, AC 1014: Snowstorm in the North Location: Southern Norwold, Wendar, and Heldannic Territories. KW Description: A huge snowstorm covers southern Norwold and the northern Heldannic Territories and Wendar. NUWMONT 26, AC 1014: Haldemar Saves an Untouchable Location: Dunagar, Shahjapur. HW Description: The crew of the Princess Ark rescues drowning victims, whom they latter learn are outcasts in Shahjapuri society. Because the crew of the Ark interacted with these "untouchables," the crew themselves become untouchables. When word spreads around, the Shahjapuri refuse the help of the crew of the Princess Ark. Most prefer to (and do) drown instead of accepting help from the Alphatian outcasts. Haldemar cannot believe the ridiculous system and view of life that the Shahjapuri have. (See Nu 13, Nu 20; Va 2, Va 15.) What This Means: This is just the effects of the Shahjapuri caste taking its effect on the behavior of the people. Most are so into the social caste system that they would never even think of breaking it. The effects of the Spell of Preservation have only entrenched it even more. VATERMONT 1, AC 1014: Opening of Hard-Ball Season Location: Sanctuary, Monster Island. KW Description: The Council of the New Alphatian Confederate Empire declares the Hard-Ball season open. Inscription of teams is closed today. For two months, the different teams meet each other; only one per country shall remain for the Super-Hard-Ball in the month of Flaurmont (matches between teams from different countries are friendly, mostly exhibitions). The Council also announces that Karameikos is invited to participate in the event.(See Nu 7; Th 17, Fl 1.) What This Means: All nations of the New Alphatian Confederate Empire have made an effort so that they all have at least one team that participates this year, and the stadium has been completed in Sanctuary. Master Terari has made his best for years to develop Hard-Ball in Karameikos; he is responsible for the participation of the country in the Tournament - as well as for the good relations the Kingdom maintains with the Confederacy. VATERMONT 1, AC 1014: The NACE? Location: Sanctuary, Monster Island, NACE. KW Description: During the declarations of the new Hard-Ball teams, Commander Broderick referred to the New Alphatian Confederate Empire as the NACE. The term is quickly picked up by the merchants and commoners, despite the obvious distaste for it by rulers and members of the Council. (See Nu 13, Nu 15, Va 1; Va 18, Ya 11.) What This Means: As a military man, Broderick is used to short terms and acronyms. He and his men have since developped the word NACE to represent the New Alphatian Confederate Empire. He accidently used the word, which to him has become second nature, and most of the commoners found it easier to say as well. The rulers and Council members of the NACE dislike the term as it removes all the perceived grandeur of the real name for their nations. Still, they are unable to control what will become public slang, and must soon learn to live with being referred to as the NACE. VATERMONT 2, AC 1014: Elemental Presence Location: Shahjapur, Anathy Archipelago. HW Description: The rain and storms of the monsoon over Shahjapur reach such intensity, that several water and air elementals are summoned to the area from their home planes. (See Nu 20, Nu 26; Va 15, Va 18.) What This Means: This is a natural phenomenon caused by the storm; the elementals will return once the storm starts to die down (see HWA3: Nightstorm, p14 for more details). VATERMONT 3, AC 1014: The Elven Alliance Location: Rafielton, Aengmor. KW Description: Despite warnings from Aengmor, after several small meetings between elves representing King Doriath and Princess Tanadaleyo, the shadow elves and elves of Alfheim agree to work together to save the Canolbarth forest, and perhaps learn to live together in one elven nation. Several surface elven mages and Tree Keepers are invited to move back to the forest, joining the Norwold (Foresthomes) elves and shadow elves in working out magic to save the trees. (See Nu 4; Va 28, Th 9.) What This Means: Princess Tanadaleyo truly desires to save the forests of her nation, as she wants a beautiful surface nation for her and her people. She finds it unlikely that the shadow elves and surface elves will ever manage to live together, so does not see her offer of letting the elves move back in as something too dangerous for her people. The elves of Alfheim do not see much hope in peaceful coexistence either, but they also truly care about their forest. They would rather see their forest still alive and in shadow elf hands than dead and belonging to them. VATERMONT 5, AC 1014: Eusdria Fights Back Location: Ersel, Eusdria. SC Description: With the help of a few units of Guards (druidic defenders) from the nation of Robrenn, a contingent of the Knights of Eusdria (national company of honorbounds) marches into the Duchy of Frisonnia which has been largely overrun by the Huptai hobgoblins and goblins. The Guards use their druidic powers to create a path through the amber lotuses, allowing the Knights of Eusdria access to the village of Ersel. There, the Knights manage to retake the village, forcing the goblins to flee. (See Va 25, Th 3.) What This Means: This is only a small beginning for Eusdria. The Huptai have merely left the village and wait within the fields around the village. The Knights are only safe within the village and a small path along the river; everywhere else, they are subject to the sleeping pollen of the amber lotuses. Therefore, the goblins need only stay out of range of the dwarven crossbowmen of Harstal (Eusdria), and they will be safe. VATERMONT 6, AC 1014: Great Wall Finished Location: Northern Darokin. KW Description: After many setbacks, the Great Wall of Darokin is finally completed. What This Means: Work began on the Great Wall of Darokin way back in Sviftmont AC 1010 (see PWA1). The 20' high wall runs for 125 miles, from Fort Fletcher to Corunglain City, following the southern edge of the Broken Lands. The Great Wall should have been finished early last year, but various events, including weather, shortage of supplies, plus an increase in goblinoid raids to prevent the wall from being built, had slowed the process down considerably. The government of Darokin is currently debating on whether or not they should extend the wall for another 50 miles up to Fort Nell. Going against that plan is the list of problems they had to complete the current section of the wall. The completion of the Great Wall should put quite a dent in Hool's plans for a large goblinoid migration through Darokin. VATERMONT 9, AC 1014: Revenge of the Dead Location: Elegy Island, Ierendi. KW Description: A horde of zombies and skeletons attack the village of Nula on Elegy Island in Ierendi. What This Means: Grave-robbers disturbed a magically protected tomb of the ancient Makaian on Elegy Island (see GAZ 4: Kingdom of Ierendi). The curse animated the corpse into a powerful zombie of 10 HD who causes 3d6 damage with a punch and does not lose initiative like a normal zombie. It also has the power to animate dead three times a day, and has since raised an army to attack the people who have moved onto the burial island of the ancient Makai. VATERMONT 11, AC 1014: The Clerics Complain Location: Sayr Ulan, Sind. KW Description: The Rishiyas of Sind (clerical caste) complain to Rajadhiraja Chandra ul Nervi about the upstart clerical order of Gareth in the Khurish Massif. They claim that to allow a new religion to exist in their nation goes against their sacred laws to their Immortals. Chandra does not take any decision concerning the matter. (See Va 17, Va 23.) What This Means: At first, the Rishiyas were not afraid of the Followers of the Prophet, as Sitara Rohini and her band have been come to be known (see JA). Preachers of various foreign religions have always travelled to Sind, stayed a bit, then disappeared. But the miracle performed on the Day of Dread in AC 1012 (see PWA3) has grabbed the attention of many of the Sindhis. The fact that the new Immortal preaches against Immortal interference seems to have also slowly won over the hearts of many of the lower castes. Now, after a full year of services in her monastery in the Khurish, the Rishiyas can see a danger of losing their power over the people of Sind to this new Prophet of Gareth. VATERMONT 15, AC 1014: Capital Named Location: Sanctuary, Monster Island, NACE. KW Description: After much deliberation, the Alphatian Council decides upon a name for the new capital and meeting grounds for the Council. They rename Monster Island into Ionace, as an acronym for Isle Of the NACE, and the capital city is to bear the same name. A section of Old Denwarf-Hurgon (including the new Parliament) therefore becomes Ionace, while the border mining town remains known as Sanctuary. (See Nu 15, Va 1; Ya 11, Ya 23.) What This Means: The idea was mostly pushed by Commander Broderick and Favian Vern, who both have rather unusual likes compared to most Alphatians. Since the Council could not decide/agree on any other name, Ionace was eventually accept for lack of a better solution. VATERMONT 15, AC 1014: Rain Starts to Die Down Location: Shahjapur, Anathy Archipelago. HW Description: The huge rainstorms over Shahjapur begin the long and slow process of dying down. The water and air elementals begin heading back to their own planes of existence. (See Nu 26, Va 2; Va 18, Va 21.) VATERMONT 16, AC 1014: Lycanthropes by Night Location: Threshold, Karameikos. KW Description: Several farmers outside of Threshold are found mutilated by wild animals in the morning. Many believe a pack of werewolves must have been in the area as it was a full moon the previous night. VATERMONT 17, AC 1014: The Rajadhiraja Agrees Location: Sayr Ulan, Sind. KW Description: After enough pressure by the Rishiyas, Chandra ul Nervi finally accedes to the clerics. He decides to let the agents of Hule take care of the problem, and informs the Master's agents about the unrest being caused. The Huleans send a squadron of orcs led by human officers to the Khurish Massif to deal with the Followers of the Prophet of Gareth. (See Va 11; Va 23, Va 25.) What This Means: Chandra himself does not see Sitara and the followers of Gareth as an important threat, viewing instead the Huleans as a bigger problem at the moment. But he must accede to the Rishiyas or lose his throne. Chandra therefore condones the act of the worshippers of Gareth and sends the Huleans to deal with the problem, concerning himself more with his Freedom Warriors and his plans to overthrow the Master's agents controlling Sind. VATERMONT 18, AC 1014: Qeodharian Troops Land on the Yanniveys Location: Yannivey Islands, NACE. KW Description: The few troops Baron Norlan sent to assist Floating Ar arrive and place themselves under the command of the general of Floating Ar - himself appointed by Commander Broderick. (See Nu 7, Nu 15; Va 21.) What This Means: It is only a token help, most of Norlan's troops stayed at home. Moreover, the conquest of the Yannivey Islands is already almost over. VATERMONT 18, AC 1014: Air Elementals Harass the Princess Ark Location: Dunagar, Shahjapur, Anathy Archipelago. HW Description: A group of air elementals, just moments before leaving the lands of Shahjapur, notice the Princess Ark and investigate. From up close, they notice that the soul of a skywyrm is in it, the enemies of their particular group of elementals. For the next few hours, the crew of the Ark is forced to defend their ship from the attacking air elementals until they are forced back to their plane of existence by the dissipating storm. (See Va 2, Va 15; Va 21, Va 23.) VATERMONT 21, AC 1014: Monsoon Almost Over Location: Shahjapur, Anathy Archipelago. HW Description: After almost 2 months, the monsoon season is almost over. The intense downpour has now fallen to a light rain, with the occasional patch of no rain at all. (See Va 15, Va 18; Va 23, Va 26.) What This Means: This is just the natural progression of the storm. VATERMONT 21, AC 1014: King Norlan Reorganizes his Army Location: Farend, Qeodhar, NACE. KW Description: Baron Norlan splits up his army into three distinct bodies: the Army, the Watch and the Special Force. The Army represents 60% of the total numbers, and is placed under the jurisdiction of Commander in Chief Broderick of the NACE. The Watch represents 30% of the old army, an is in charge of patrolling the cities, arresting people and similar duties. Although watchmen can use arms and armors, they are not considered an armed force and as such remain under Norlan's control. The Special Force is a secret service, mostly spies and assassins, who are basically the most able 10% of the old army. They don't have any official existence, and their actions are always covert ones - few people know that force exists. (See Nu 15, Va 18.) What This Means: Baron Norlan didn't want to lose the power his army brought him. Thanks to that trick he keeps control of almost half of it - and even creates a secret service. The rest (i.e. the Army) is now under Broderick's control. VATERMONT 23, AC 1014: Princess Ark Leaves Shahjapur Location: Dunagar, Shahjapur, Anathy Archipelago. HW Description: During a patch of no rain, Haldemar orders the Ark to take off and head above the clouds. From there, they continue their exploration of the Hollow World by continuing toward the continent of Jomphur. (See Va 18, Va 21; Va 26.) Note From The Editors: After this, we seem to have lost contact with the Princess Ark. The adventures of the crew on the continent of Jomphur still remain a mystery to us. Hopefully, one day, we'll learn what happened. What This Means: The continent of Jomphur was purposely left undeveloped in the HW Boxed Set so individual DMs can populate as they see fit. The purpose of the Mystaran Almanac is to continue to develop the current history of the world, not to make and develop the whole world. I therefore left this part deliberately blank, as each DM will have their own personal favorite to add here. Hopefully, the members of the Mystaran Mailing List will develop the area someday, and maybe there will be an "official" fully developed Mystara. VATERMONT 23, AC 1014: Followers Attacked Location: Monastery of Gareth, Khurish Massif, Sind. KW Description: The squadron of Hulean orcs arrives at the monastery used by the Followers of the Prophet. They demand that they stop worshipping Gareth immediately and return with them to Sayr Ulan to face charges of blasphemy. The priests refuse, and a fight breaks out. The orcs are defeated, as they are unable to witstand the clerical magic of Sitara or the fighting abilities of Anand Brishnapur and their disciples. (See Va 11, Va 17; Va 25, Th 16, Fy 13.) What This Means: Although the first victory is theirs, Sitara and Anand realize that this is just the beginning. They have known for a while that the Rishiyas were bound to interfere, so it really doesn't come as such a surprise to them. VATERMONT 25, AC 1014: Spreading the Faith Location: Monastery of Gareth, Khurish Massif, Sind. KW Description: Sitara Rohini sends out her original disciples of Gareth to spread out and establish new monasteries and temples. She and Anand will stay in Sind to uphold the words of Gareth here no matter the cost, but the others are needed to keep Gareth alive and bring his word to other people of the Known World. Once they are gone, Anand begins preparing the monastery to defend against the next wave of Hulean soldiers. Since the monastery is near the top of the mountains, it is rather easy for him and the others that remain behind to block the passes and create many avalanche style traps. (See Va 17, Va 23; Th 5, Th 16.) What This Means: There are just over a dozen of the original Followers of the Prophet. Among them are two foreigners, Arturo Olivera from Akorros (Darokinian) and Sula Ivanov of Mirros (Karameikan). There is even an orc, by the name of Thurgg. The rest are all Sindhis of both ethnical backgrounds (urdu-varnas and pure Sindhis). By now, each of them has become full-fledged clerics or fighting monks of levels 1 and 2. Only Anand of the original followers remains behind with Sitara the Prophet. VATERMONT 25, AC 1014: Trapped in a Field of Flowers Location: Ersel, Eusdria. SC Description: The amber lotuses have regrown over the path cleared by the Guards, trapping them within the village of Ersel. (See Va 5; Th 3, Fl 14.) What This Means: The Guards suffered several casualties in raiding Ersel, and now do not have enough powerful spellcasters left to clear another path out. They use their magic to communicate with their leaders and let them know what has happened. VATERMONT 28, AC 1014: Tree Keeper Arrives Location: Canolbarth Forest, Aengmor. KW Description: Jorodrin Feadiel, the Tree Keeper of Clan Feadiel (GAZ 5: The Elves of Alfheim), arrives in Rafielton and joins the shadow elves to help them save the Canolbarth forest. The shadow elves are slightly awed that the Alfheim elves' most powerful Tree Keeper has arrived to help them. (See Nu 4, Va 3; Th 9, Th 27.) VATERMONT 28, AC 1014: The Monsoon Ends Location: Shahjapur, Anathy Archipelago. HW Description: The monsoon season finally ends, and another eight months of dry and hot weather once more arrives to the nation of Shahjapur. (See Va 21, Va 23.) THAUMONT 3, AC 1014: Ersel Destroyed Location: Ersel, Eusdria. SC Description: Starved and without reinforcements for weeks, the Knights of Eusdria and the Guards within Ersel finally succumb to the raiding Huptai goblinoids. (See Va 5, Va 25; Fl 14, Fl 20.) What This Means: King Sigismund III was unable to raise enough druidic defenders from Robrenn to clear another path for his trapped honorbound. Robrenn is also unwilling to send too many of its Guards, or to send its most powerful druids, as they still do not completely trust the "unnatural" ways of the Eusdrians. This is another sad blow for the Eusdrians. THAUMONT 5, AC 1014: Tenpocatliotl Razed Location: Tenpocatliotl, Azcan Empire. HW Description: A huge wave of Schattenalfen suddenly pour out into the streets of the city of Tenpocatliotl. The initial panic and element of surprise gives the elves a huge advantage in their attack on the city. Soon, the Azcan manage to piece together a unified defense, but they are too late to stop most of the onslaught. The Schattenalfen eventually flee back into the depths of the ground, but not before destroying and burning fully three quarters of the entire city. Raids against the city continue on for several weeks. (See Nu 15; Ya 7.) What This Means: This is the most daring raid by the Schattenalfen in centuries. Over the past century, they have slowly dug tunnels to the second largest city of the Azcan Empire, built several secret passageways to the sewers and streets, and then assembled their army. As all their previous raids with such tactics, the Azcans where caught completely by surprise. It is only because Tenpocatliotl is the second largest city in the Empire that the elves were unable to utterly destroy it. Still, this raid will have serious repercussions on Azca, as Tenpocatliotl was the main source of gold and wealth for the Empire. The loss of the mines around the city as they are forced to rebuild, and hold their defenses, will definitely be felt by all Azcans. THAUMONT 5, AC 1014: Arturo in Akesoli Location: Akesoli, Darokin. KW Description: Arturo Olivera, one of the original Followers of the Prophet Sitara (who had saved him from orcs back in AC 1012; see PWA3), arrives in the city of Akesoli in Darokin. From there, he books passage on a boat to Akorros, his home town. (See Va 25; Th 7, Ka 11.) What This Means: Arturo is simply doing as Sitara has commanded. He has decided that his home town of Akorros is as good as any place to build a temple to Gareth. THAUMONT 6, AC 1014: Favian Tries Diplomacy Location: Faraway, Verdan, Esterhold Peninsula. KW Description: King Favian Vern sends diplomats to discuss with King Nicodemus of Verdan of a way to avoid a useless war between their two kingdoms. Favian's messengers affirm King Nicodemus and ex-King Xanthus will be allowed to leave freely, with all who want to go with them and with all treasure they want, if he accepts to relinquish all claims to Verdan. King Nicodemus has them arrested and executed. (See Th 20, Th 25.) What This Means: Nicodemus is confident in his army. He has always stopped Jennite invasions coming from the wild east, and has crushed all slave unrests easily. He knows the rebels are not as well organized here as they were in Blackrock. He has prepared his army for the event, which has been reinforced last year by the remains of Xanthus's, including the now-repaired flying man-o-war. THAUMONT 7, AC 1014: Arturo Back Home Location: Akorros, Darokin. KW Description: Arturo Olivera arrives in Akorros. After a brief reunion with his family, he begins his task of preaching the words of Gareth to the Darokinians. (See Va 25, Th 5; Ka 11.) THAUMONT 9, AC 1014: Strange Magic in the Forest Location: Canolbarth Forest, Aengmor. KW Description: The elves of Alfheim are mystified as their magic spells fail to bring back water to the Canolbarth Forest. Some of the spells even misfire and cause minor injuries. Tension begins to mount between the shadow elves and surface elves, as each suspects the other of sabotage. (See Va 3, Va 28; Th 27, Ya 12.) What This Means: A few of the surface elves in the party are members of the Alfheim Avengers, but they are not responsible for any of the incidents. These elves truly suspect the shadow elves of the sabotage, and are trying to cause dissent among the two elven subraces by throwing out accusations on the slightest error made by the shadow elves. The Alfheim Avengers would rather see the shadow elves thrown out of Canolbarth rather than live with them in peace. Jorodrin, now in charge of the Alfheim elves, believes the shadow elves, and does his best to calm the younger, hot-blooded elves in his group. THAUMONT 12, AC 1014: New High Priestess Location: Atruaghin Clans. KW Description: Eelsha Spider's Kiss becomes the High Priestess of the Tiger Clan of Atruaghin after the former high priest dies in his sleep (see GAZ 14: Atruaghin Clans). What This Means: Eelsha has wanted to be High Priestess all her life and has finally succeeded in poisoning the former High Priest. Now that she is in charge, she begins to become more ambitious and starts looking at the neighboring clans and their territories. THAUMONT 12, AC 1014: Zvornik on the Attack Location: Zvornik, City-State of Zvornik. SC Description: Derdren Zvornik, the Margrave of Zvornik, sends his military out to capture the free town of Bistr. The village falls within the day, and Margrave Zvornik declares that all of Cape Korcula is now under the jurisdiction of the City-State of Zvornik. (See Ya 18, Ya 24.) What This Means: Derdren Zvornik has always been power-hungry, seeking nothing less than to rule a kingdom under his name. When his father died last year, he started to build up his forces to commence his dreams of conquest and glory. The forces of Hule watch the sudden deployment carefully, looking for an opportunity for their own expansion. THAUMONT 14, AC 1014: Abandoned by the Knights Location: Arypt Desert, Davania. KW Description: Having used the Karameikans to help pilot the Alphatian skyship out of the Hollow World, General Anna von Hendriks decides that now is the time to get rid of them. The Heldannic Knights turn on the Karameikans and a battle erupts on the entire ship. The fight is forced to a halt as the ship begins to plummet back down to the earth as no one is controlling it. The two groups work together and manage to prevent the complete destruction of the skyship as it crashes into a large sand dune. Still, the ship is now damaged beyond repair. Coincidence has it that more Heldannic Knights were injured during the crash than Karameikans, so the Karameikans quickly take control of the situation. The leader of the Karameikans decides to let the Knights go provided that they promise on Vanya to go their own way and not to attack them again. General Anna von Hendriks is forced to agree. The two groups separate and go their own way. Looking at their maps, the Karameikans discover that they must be somewhere in the Arypt Desert on the continent of Davania. They start to head north, back toward the Sea of Dread. What This Means: The Heldannic Knights and the Karameikans managed to escape the Hollow World by the southern polar opening, the route usualy used by the Heldannic Knights, with the help of their skyship. It took them most of the year AC 1013 to get to the south pole without being spotted by the Alphatians. With a risky procedure that the Heldannic Knights have witnessed the Princess Ark do, they sped through the center of the polar opening and managed to break out into the Void before the anti-magic forced the ship to crash. Luckily, it just worked and they managed to regain control just hundreds of feet above ground before crashing. For the past week they have been flying over Davania and heading back to the Known World, where the Karameikans plan on revealing the existence of the Hollow World. General Anna von Hendriks prefers to keep the Hollow World a secret so that only the Heldannic Knights would be aware of it and capable of exploiting it. The solution to keeping it a secret was simply to silence the Karameikans, permanently. Unfortunately, she failed, and now the Knights must also find a way back home without the help of a skyship. THAUMONT 16, AC 1014: Attack on the Monastery Location: Monastery of Gareth, Khurish Massif, Sind. KW Description: The next unit of Huleans arrives at the monastery of Gareth and attempts to capture the heretic priests. But the orcs and soldiers are unable to get to the top of the mountain where the monastery is, so Sitara and Anand remain safe in their religious stronghold. (See Va 17, Va 23, Va 25; Fl 1, Fl 10.) THAUMONT 17, AC 1014: Bandits in Heldann Location: 100 miles from Freiburg, Heldannic Territories. KW Description: A patrol of Heldannic Knights bringing gold (taxes and treasures from captured lands) back to Freiburg is ambushed by a large group of armed peasants. The peasants manage to grab the wagon with the gold and get away. The rebels, knowing the surrounding forests better than the Knights, manage to split up and lose their pursuers. The use of magic prevents the knights from using their own clerical magic to track down the traitors. The Heldannic Knights believe that Geoffrey of Grunturm is behind the daring raid. The loss of money causes a serious blow to the war funds of the nation. (See Ya 14, Fe 7.) What This Means: The Heldannic Knights were never truly loved by the commoners of the Heldann Freeholds, but were tolerated because life managed to go on more-or-less as usual. However, last year, Wulf von Klagendorf declared an Inquisition against the non-believers in Vanya (JA, Nuwmont 1, AC 1013). Too many sons and daughters have been executed in that Inquisition, and many of them only to gain land/property for the Lord leading the Inquisition more than for any religious heresy. Many Heldanners have had enough, and are ready to start a rebellion against their oppressors. This raid is just the first of many skirmishes and was as much intended to show inspiration to the commoners as to deal a severe blow to the Knights's coffers. Geoffrey of Grunturm is behind this particular group of rebels. His own lands in southern Norwold having been overrun and conquered (and his people enslaved by the priesthood of Vanya) by the Heldannic Knights, Geoffrey has decided that he has had enough with the clerics of Vanya. He has returned to his homeland, having vowed not to give up until the Knights have been defeated so that they can no longer harm and persecute anyone else. He has managed to inspire several peasants who have also decided that enough is enough. THAUMONT 17, AC 1014: Hard-Ball Stadium Completed Location: Ionace, NACE. KW Description: The Stadium that will host the Super-Hard-Ball matches in Flaurmont is completed just in time on Ionace. (see Va 1; Fl 1, Fl 28.) What This Means: The Council declared the season open the first day of Vatermont, although the stadium what not yet completed at the time. Magic has been used to speed it up. THAUMONT 17, AC 1014: A Deadly Sandstorm Location: Arypt Desert, Davania. KW Description: The Karameikan Polar Expedition spots a huge sandstorm approaching them rather quickly. They look for shelter and soon discover a huge crystal pyramid. They take shelter within the strange structure. (See Th 14; Th 18, Th 22.) What This Means: The crystal pyramid belonged to the now long gone Katapec people. The reference to them is given in PC2: Top Ballista, on p.28 in the Tabi description. What exactly this culture was or what happened to them (Hollow World?) is unknown. THAUMONT 18, AC 1014: Attempt at Communication Location: Arypt Desert, Davania. KW Description: The leader of the Karameikan Polar Expedition decides, on a lark, to try the scroll of communication he has been carrying around for the past three years. The scroll had failed in the Hollow World, but perhaps it will work again now that they are back on the surface world. There is no answer to his message. (See Th 14, Th 17; Th 22, Fl 12.) What This Means: The captain of the Farseeker has given up on the expedition and believes they are all dead. The Farseeker returned to Karameikos in the spring of AC 1013 (See PWA3, Ei 28.). No one is looking at the scroll of communication anymore. THAUMONT 20, AC 1014: Assault on Verdan Location: Verdan, Esterhold Peninsula. KW Description: Although he has troops stationed in Alpha and the Yanniveys, Commander Broderick decides for the invasion of Verdan. Knowing his submersible galleys will be no surprise, Broderick decides to attack from different directions at the same time. Of course, he puts his submersibles and ships into position on the Verdan coast and Faraway's harbor, with marines pouring out of them, but he also leads infantry through the woods of Esterhold from the port cities of Anchorage to the west and Rock Harbor to the south. At the same time, some Jennite tribes lead skirmishes on the eastern forts - thanks to Broderick's gold. The Jennite slaves in Faraway, hoping at the sight of the foreign troops, cause some trouble within the city - although they are largely disorganized. King Nicodemus didn't expect such an all-out assault, and finds it difficult to battle on all fronts at the same time. The undefended interior land quickly falls to Broderick's marching troops; only the capital and the three eastern forts remain uncaptured, though they become isolated from each other. (See Th 6; Th 25, Fl 7.) THAUMONT 22, AC 1014: Marching Home Location: Arypt Desert, Davania, and Qeodhar. KW Description: The Karameikans decide that the best place to go right now would be the Thyatian city of Raven Scarp. With a specific destination in mind (and the sandstorm over), the group marches out into the desert. (See Th 17, Th 18; Fl 12, Fl 25.) THAUMONT 25, AC 1014: Faraway Besieged Location: Faraway, Verdan, Esterhold Peninsula. KW Description: Surprised by the way things turned out, King Nicodemus decides to throw all of his forces into the battle. His divisions have been more or less able to keep the Alphatian armies at bay so far, although the rest of the land is probably no more his - except perhaps the eastern forts. He fears an uprising of the Jennite slaves, however, and he knows he would have a hard time fighting it with all his troops busy repelling the Confederated Army. So he decides to strike with Xanthus's man-o-war, and delights in the sight of the ship blasting squads of attackers trying to break through. Suddenly, three more skyships appear in the sky, and shoot at the man-o-war. The ship soon crashes to the ground, damaged beyond repair. The Jennite slaves cheer at the sight of the crashing ship, and seize the opportunity to rebel again. Attacked from sea, air, land, and from inside the city, the Verdan troops find themselves overwhelmed and must retreat to the palace where they rally. By the end of the day, most of the city has been conquered. Many Verdan masters are assassinated by their rebelling slaves, and small groups of loyalist troops that find themselves surrounded by rebels are butchered - the Verdan soldiers do the same with the groups of rebels they encounter. (See Th 6, Th 20; Fl 7, Fl 18.) What This Means: Broderick knew of Xanthus's ship, so he hired all the skyships that Floating Ar and Aeria could spare. He didn't put them to work immediately, however, rather preferring to surprise Nicodemus and Xanthus. His tactic proved successful, because the destruction of the two kings' ace caused their armies' rout. Broderick himself is surprised by the rapidity with which he has taken most of the land, and hopes this will not cause Thyatis to react with hostility. Broderick now does his best to prevent the rebels from murdering everyone of Alphatian descent they see - he knows the surrender of the palace and the forts is only a matter of time. THAUMONT 27, AC 1014: Source of Warped Magic Found Location: Canolbarth Forest, Aengmor. KW Description: After a couple of weeks of research, the elves discover that some strange magic is starting to overwhelm the forest and is preventing the elves' magic from working. The exact nature of this magic remains a complete mystery. Both Jorodrin and Tanadaleyo are intrigued by this and decide to study it further. (See Va 28, Th 9; Ya 12, Ya 19.) What This Means: Although each sub-race of elves blames the other, in fact neither are directly responsible for preventing the magic from working. The former nation of Alfheim has always been a strong magical place. Most of the magical energies of the nation focused into areas that became known as Magic Points (see GAZ 5; The Elves of Alfheim). When the shadow elves unleashed their great magic (some say enhanced by Atzanteotl, but that might be a rumor spread by the Alfheim Avengers) against the forests of Alfheim, that magic eventually dissipated and merged into the existing magic points, corrupting them as it once corrupted the now dying forest. At this point, the magic points are causing more nightmares, madness and insanity than ever before, and they are releasing never before seen monsters onto the world of Mystara. As a side effect, they are beginning to influence and cause the strongest/largest magical effects (such as nation-wide weather magic) to go wild or not work at all. THAUMONT 28, 1014 AC: Prince Malachie's Savior Location: Chateau Morlay, Glantri. KW Description: A heavily armed, trained, and magical group of mercenaries breaks into Chateau Morlay and attacks Prince Malachie. The castle defenders are unable to stop the intruders, and several guards are killed. When Malachie himself is cornered by the assailants, another mage arrives and joins to the defense of the Prince. This unknown mage uses several powerful spells and manages to chase off the attackers. Once the danger is gone, the man disappears as mysteriously as he arrived. None of the attackers are captured. Rumors in taverns about the incident seem to indicate that Etienne d'Ambreville returned to help Prince Malachie just as he did two summers ago to help his successor against Henri d'Ambreville. Some begin to claim that his ghost is watching over his former allies during his life. What This Means: Synn discovered that Malachie gave Jaggar one of her scales and has decided that she has had enough with the interfering Prince. She used her vast treasure horde to get the best mercenaries she could find. Through a chain of contacts, so no trail could be lead back to her, she hired them to eliminate her opponent without further delay. Unfortunately they failed. The mysterious mage that saved Malachie was indeed Etienne d'Ambreville. Rumors of his return have been going around since the summer of AC 1012, but the former Prince has decided he would rather stay in hiding until he can recuperate and regain all the power he once had (either attain Immortality again or avoid being detected by the other Immortals until he is ready for them if he is Immortal once more, depending on the outcome of Mark of Amber). When he does return, Etienne will need all the allies he can get to help him reestablish his political power, and therefore could not afford for Prince Malachie to be defeated. He was forced to come out of hiding to help his ally. The other Princes of Glantri, upon hearing the rumor, will begin to once more search and try and discover Etienne d'Ambreville as they did when rumors left Chateau Sylaire about his return. As during their previous search, all means mundane and magical will reveal nothing of his presence. STRANGE MAGIC IN CANOLBARTH [Excerpted from a report submitted to the Darokin Diplomatic Corps (DDC); reprinted with permission.] At the request of the exiled elves of Alfheim, I have accompanied them back into their former homes within the nation of Aengmor. Because of the presence of one of their most important Tree Keepers, Jorodrin Feadiel, and their distrust of the shadow elves, the Alfheimers prefer to have a neutral party act as mediators. Hence the involvement of the DDC. This is my first report. The Alfheim exiles decided to give a peaceful attempt to work together a try. I believe that the main reason is that they cannot bear to see their beloved forest die. The elves would rather see it in the hands of the enemy that have it disappear altogether. Still, the presence of some of their sharpest military minds under false names in the party leaves me to believe that other events might have transpired within the forest as well. More than likely, it was merely reconnaissance, but perhaps we should take a deeper look into the plans of the Alfheim elves as well. I believe (CENSORED). For the past three weeks, both races of elves have been trying desperately to save the Canolbarth forest from destruction by the lack of rain the area has been suffering the past several years. The blight oaks that are currently dominating the vegetation seem able to survive extended droughts so far, but the shadow elves fear that if this continues for a few more years, they will surely die as well. Yet magical experimentations on both side always fail miserably. Just yesterday, there was an explosion which wounded two of our [DDC. Ed.] members and destroyed one of our wagons, exposing (CENSORED). Luckily, no one noticed thanks to the commotion caused by the wounded. Another way that the magic fails to work properly is that instead of summoning rain or water, monsters appear out of thin air and attack the elves. As of yet, I am amazed no one is dead from the wild surges. While talking to Jorodrin about (CENSORED), the discussion soon turned to the failure of the magic. His assistant insinuated that the shadow elves were somehow behind it, but Jorodrin is positive that they are not. The senior elven Tree Keeper gave me the impression that not just the weather magic was behaving wrong, but so was all magic cast within the area. If this is indeed the case, perhaps we should re-examine our outposts along (CENSORED). Maybe this wild-magic zone is spreading and might soon enter the lands of Darokin as well. My shadow elf contacts were less subtle and outright accused the Alfheim elves of treachery in an attempt to destroy their forest home that they have worked so hard to achieve. Guards were placed around the elven encampments, and no Alfheim elf was ever allowed to venture out of the sight of the guards. Needless to say, this caused various problems and arguments which I needed to mediate. Worse, such arguments delay the research to a point where only one day out of three or four were actually spent trying to save the forest while the others were wasted arguing. Soon enough, however, it was indeed discovered that neither of the elven races seemed to be behind the wild magic and another truce was declared. Jorodrin deduced that before anyone could even attempt to save the forest with magic, they first had to discover what exactly was causing magic to be so unpredictable. With a surprisingly good group effort, they had managed to deduce that it wasn't even from their current position that the warping effects were coming from. This teamwork shows that the elven groups can indeed work together, and very effectively as well. An alliance between the two would make them a powerful force indeed, but with their distrust and hatred toward each other, I doubt this will happen during the current elven generation (i.e. this whole millenium). The pertubation in the magical energies seemed to be originating from the Magic Points of the Canolbarth Forest (see Attachment A (CENSORED)). The entire research party moved closer to one of these Magic Points so they could get a better look at things. The closer one got to these famous Magic Points, the more the forest appeared warped and twisted. Even nature had turned wild, as we witnessed no less than three trees uproot themselves and walk to another location. Jorodrin assured me they were not treants nor any other type of living tree; they were normal oaks which simply went for a walk. While there, night and day raced by several time in just a few hours, yet time itself remained unchanged; we did not get hungry or tired... just the sun and moon changed positions several times in the sky above. It was also in that area that one of the Alfheim elves went insane. He cried out at the shadow elves, calling them orcs and dwarves, while his fellow Alfheim elves were apparently some type of ogre-halfling crossbreed (don't ask, I'm not sure myself...). Whatever affected magic and nature was apparently also capable of affecting the minds of those that went near. It is because of these properties that the elves have named these areas the Wild Lands. They have begun to try and analyse how these Wild Lands were created and if they are indeed growing to encompass all of Alfheim. Of course, the younger Alfheim elves immediately accused the shadow elves for the mental state of their friend. Once more, the shadow elves denied any involvement. From the information I have gathered on shadow elves, I must say I believe them. As we know, the shadow elves are xenophobic, arrogant and do what they want but they are not the type to lie about it (see Attachment B (CENSORED)). Jorodrin continues to tell his entourage to wait a bit as they have several years to examine the situation. But the other Alfheim elves seem rather impatient, and I fear it is only a matter of time before they start another useless argument. Once again, I will be forced to mediate, and frankly, I thought it would be easier to get the dwarves to ally with the elves than it has been working with these two elven races. U.B.