Category: Star Herald

Star Herald Paper

Fair Folk Sighted

If the Fae have returned… What do they want? Many worry that they will want revenge for the Backlash.

Recent missives have raised the questions about times gone by. Small towns in the mountains have told of fair folk being sighted in the woods. The Fae have not been seen in the world since the Backlash when the Peace of Ages was formed. The ancient mistake which lead to the Backlash has been a source of sorrow for the Souls Templar. The Templar takes personal responsibility for the Backlash which pushed the Fae out of this world, banishing them with the Dark Fae. If the Fae have returned to the world it could herald the return of evil and the war.

Long ago years after the Peace of Ages, when the Ageless Ones left this world they spoke of a prophecy, that war would return and warned that the people would have to be vigilant and not allow old grudges to return. The prophecy is unclear, only the Souls Templar has the original text, they say this will allow them to divine if the prophecy is coming true.

If the Fae have returned… What do they want? Many worry that they will want revenge for the Backlash.

Souls Templar Regroups

There is talk that the cataclysm is a result of the Mistress’s liaison with a demonic creature, which has rendered her unholy.

The Souls Templar have begun to regroup after the insanity brought forth from the simultaneous eruptions of four peeks bordering the valley where the Rose Palace was located. What is clear is that they have suffered an incredible number of losses. What is unclear yet, however, is why there were not more losses. The palace was entirely covered in the molten rock from the bowels of Elder Soteria. There is much talk throughout the 10 Kingdoms that such an events indicates the Old Gods are upset with the Templar in some way. The Grand Mistress of the Templar has not indicated how so many did survive, tales from within the palace when the eruptions happened tell that most were unable to get out fast enough, those outside were killed instantly. The only thing to protect the inside were powerful wards of protection put on the palace long ago. The vast majority of those from the palace suffocated as the air ran too thin.

The Grand Mistress still has not identified the creature which rescued so many of them;While we are of course grateful to the gracious help provided us, if they wished to be known to the public, surely it is clear they would have made themselves known. I myself did speak to them in person, however, I feel that after being done such an honor it would be the height of treachery to speak of them with such familiarity without knowing why they wished to not be known. Rest assured we give this brave soul thanks for the efforts which has saved so many, even in the light of such loss, the Gods provide hope.

Grand Mistress Lisa Thompson

Those close to the Mistress report that she may have even known this person for some time, described as part demon and part woman. There is talk that the cataclysm is a result of the Mistress’s liaison with a demonic creature, which has rendered her unholy. Growing unrest among the monarchs at such an idea has driven some to wonder if a woman is really the best choice to lead the group during such troubling times.

Cataclysmic Eruption at Rose Palace

The Rose Palace were the keepers of the Peace of Ages and without them it is feared the great war which tore apart the world may begin anew, and restore Elder Soteria to the smoldering ruins from before the Ageless Ones came.

While the exact reasons for this are unknown, the Rose Palace has been engulfed in fire and molten rock as the mountains surrounding it has erupted, casting fire into the skies and burning rock down the slopes of the mountain. At the end of this last evening, the palace itself has been entirely enveloped in brimstone and molten lava. It is unknown if anyone escaped, but wizards have been trying to contact the Palace via the Airgid Drochaid though they fear that the palace has been destroyed or the stone shattered as no connection has been possible. Knights from the 10 Kingdoms have been dispatched to the Rose Palace in accordance with the Peace of Ages, they should arrive in a matter of days.

In the nearby towns on the night of the eruptions, many townsfolk described the heavens opening up and the Gods shooting blue lightening down from clear skies into the mountains. Though no one closer than 200 miles away has come forward, though many advisors and monarchs have dispatched people to gather information and see how bad the damage is. The Rose Palace were the keepers of the Peace of Ages and without them it is feared the great war which tore apart the world may begin anew, and restore Elder Soteria to the smoldering ruins from before the Ageless Ones came.

Members of the Souls Templar who were on assignment have been released from their charges by the monarchs they reside in, and are set to gather in the mountains at the Ruins of Wulfre Keep, not far from the Rose Palace itself, though given the old ruins location in the mountains, it may not be possible to meet there. If this is the case, it has been said that they will meet at the town of Rawold.

If the Souls Templar and the Rose Palace have been gutted, all the realms may be in dire trouble and the Peace of Ages is likely to be broken. After that, all out war is likely to follow.

Daemoni Attack

Hunters and others moving through the Eras Forest and beheld rips in the air sending forth ghosts in droves, all throughout the woods these things appeared seeking out anyone and everyone who was alive, even larger animals were attacked. No one has yet come up with an answer for this tragic loss of life, several dozen hunters are reported as dead along with a group of young children, gathering firewood and berries to bring home to their mothers waiting arms. The things would encircle their pray once threatened or attacked themselves, circling faster and faster around the person would slowly die, loosing the essence of life itself!

Mistress of the Souls Templar, Lisa Thompson, was herself attacked and some two dozen of her soldiers were killed leaving her alone alive when a woman came to her aid and saved her. Mistress Thompson would not explain how, but she did say;

There are no things that cannot be bested, no things that cannot be killed, and if these creatures of evil wish to fight we will oblige them and they will know our resolve either burning to dust with our magic or a sword sticking out from their guts. We will prevail, there is no question, that is a promise upon the Old Gods.

While the Mistress’s words have comforted many, others still wonder about the details. Stories tell of the things simply stopping their attack for no reason and moving off to the north. Scouts have been send out from a few different towns, but so far none have reported seeing them again. Certainly it is a thought that chills to the bone, what could cause such creatures to stop and why then did they not vanish but instead moved North? There are no answers today, but perhaps tomorrow some will be found.

Dwarven Horns

On a fateful morning, a young dwarf appeared in the hamlet of Whiterage blowing a horn, waking almost everyone in the town who was not already stirring. Shortly after, she fell into into unconsciousness from significant wounds on her body. The local healer in the town along with two newer arrivals to the town; Mauve and Eadan. While folks of Whiterage have grown quite familiar with Eadan, who is very open and honest. Some are more cautious of Sunn, wishing to know more about him and why he seems to want very little to do with them or anyone else. Even among those cautious souls, it is known that he befriended a lost young girl and has been steadily paying for her stay at the Inn, which has left many with a warm though that his past should remain the past. Commonly it is said that had he evil intent, the girl would have been left to die in the woods or even worse fates would have befallen her.

The young dwarves name is Gwynnyl and tells that she and her people were attacked in their fortress and formed them to flee – by demons. It is clear that trouble is spreading throughout the land and without intervention it may even envelop the small peaceful homes of Whiterage. It is said that the Grand Mistress of the Souls Templar will be coming to Whiterage to speak to this Gwynnyl in an attempt to get answers from her.

Souls Templar Looking for Dangers

The Souls Templar has made it clear that it will not continue to sit idle while the countryside is under threat. Grand Mistress Lisa Thomson has made it crystal clear that her knights have been sent out to look for whatever is causing the recent problems and find a solution to it.

In her own words…

Our countryside shall always be safe, even if it means we must make it safe at the point of a sword. The people shall not be made to tremble at the idea of traveling, the world is at stake and we will rid it of such filth as we have seen. Nothing shall stand in our way!

The Grand Mistress is known far and wide for her skill with a sword and with magic as well, the Knights themselves are known to be good to their words and promises. Many rulers cheer this news that the Souls Templar will take charge in the fight to win back the land from what plagues it.

Strange Things Get Stranger

For background, the Star Herald is a publication produced though some unknown magical means to push news out to the world. I will define it better later. Probably distributed by old methods, such as caravans where someone could buy something that magically updates or something, I don’t know yet.

Across the known 10 Kingdoms the Souls Templar has been fighting creatures which have not been seen since the days of old. In woods and forests across the land monsters have been sighted, killing and even eating their victims before burning villages to the ground.

Undead Plague Neskar

In the marshlands of the Kingdom of Neskar, in the south, stories are told of the dead rising from the grave. The King of Neskar has proclaimed that this must be the work of evil Necromancers intent on breaking the Peace of Ages and further has asked the Templar to help them in rooting out the users of such vile magic. Necromancy has a long-standing association with evil legend tells of evil wizards raising the dead to form armies to rule the living. The King claims to have irrefutable knowledge that there is an evil Necromancer in Duskmoor Fen but refuses to produce it. The Templar has sent a group of knights to help the King either quell the evil wizard or see the truth.

Ghosts Haunt Anzar’s Delve

The Queen of Oflar has claimed her right to protection and called on the Knight of the Souls Templar to respond! The Knights have sent a contingent to assist the Queen, who claims that ghosts have started to swarm the nearby ruins of Anzar’s Delve and have begun to expand and attack her people living nearby. In her letter to the Templar, she tells several nearby towns have been attacked and many of her subjects killed, some to just again roam as tormented ghosts not long after. Her harrowing tale is one which has struck fear into many small towns which sit near ruins.

Wailing in the Silence

The Silent Sea which separates the Realm of Froqua to the north and the Espary Fiefdom to the south. The water has been known for its calm and quiet surface, legends tell that the sea fell silent when a warship came up from the depths during the Great War and a great wizard sealed the surface against it ever happening again, entombing all within the water to remain there forever. As the legend tells the sea has been calm ever since, though locals from both nations are adamant that swimming in the sea will get a young fool taken, never to be seen again.

In recent weeks people in Fiheath in Froqua and in Indun on the border of the two both report on cloudy nights when the normally calm sea becomes rough, they can hear a mournful wailing coming from the lake, some smaller villages on the shores tell of the dead calling to them for help, so much that several who live off the sea are afraid to fish.