CrowChronicles

The Crow Chronicles The Undead Menace In this edition: An Interview with Mayor Godwyn Crast, Battle of the Transczena Bridge, Return of the Dead And “An Evening with the Estermonts” Welcome back to our devoted readers! This edition of the Crow Chronicles is brought to you by the Lyons Cartography Company! For the finest maps in all of Axios, there’s nowhere else to go besides Lyons Cartography Co.! Their shop and maps can be found in Markev! Everyone and their mother appear to be having an election nowadays, and the Chronicle was able to interview the victory of one of these elections. Our reporter Ryan Cassius was able to sit down the Mayor of Senntisten, Godwyn Crast. CASSIUS: Thank you for being here, sir. CRAST: Thank you for having me. CASSIUS: One of the more controversial legislative changes made during your term thus far has been the legalization of slavery. How has it affected the city and its people? CRAST: Not very much, actually. As far as I’ve seen, only two slaves have ever been taken. CASSIUS: Would you say then that slavery has been ineffective then for the city? CRAST: For the city as a whole sure, but there are individuals who have done well off of the slave trade. CASSIUS: Which individuals if I might ask? CRAST: A certain Guy Longchamp, one of my aides. CASSIUS: Are you saying then that only members of government have benefited from the legalization of slavery? CRAST: Some have benefited sure, meaning their standard of living has increased, but nowhere near as many have made a profit off of the trade. CASSIUS: Moving onto a different topic now, news has spread quickly about the recent assassination attempt on the High Pontiff. Does the municipal government have any idea on who might have been behind it? CRAST: It was a heretic group, and this information can be confirmed by the Grandmaster of the Order of Saint Lucien. However, we’ve yet to gain more specific details on the assassin himself. CASSIUS: What steps has the city taken to improve security for both the Pontiff and commoners? CRAST: Well, we’d like the Freikorps to have more patrols around the city, potentially catching these plotters before they get a chance to do any real harm. The Pontiff has also increased his own personal security. CASSIUS: That’s all for now. Thank you for your time, mayor. CRAST: Again, thank you. It was my pleasure. Battle of the Transczena Bridge As many of you may have heard, His Majesty Otto III was captured following a failed raid against the pagan Norlanders just last month. After paying his own ransom for freedom, an army was assembled which consisted of the men of Haense, Marna, Curon, Belvitz, and the elves of the Dominion. This great force marched out of Markev and encountered the enemy force, consisting of Renatians, Frostbeards, and Norlanders, at the Transczena bridge. A skirmish quickly began, with archers on both sides sending projectile after projectile towards the opposing side. With some skillful maneuvering, the Haensetians and their allies were able to cross the bridge and engage the gathered host, killing many. The Renatians had been able to cross the bridge and cut off the Haensetian’s rear and road back home. This resulted in a missile skirmish, which continued until the Haensetians conducted a final charge, hoping to break the enemy lines and clear a pathway home. The charge proved successful, and a majority of the enemy’s forces were defeated. The victorious host swiftly marched back South to Markev, where they celebrated a great victory. Return of the Dead Mere hours before you read this, the Duchy of Curon was attacked by an undead horde, similar to that which attacked Markev before. These creatures are believed to be the remnants of the army that had been crushed a few years prior (see edition three for more details). Regardless, men of Haense, Curon, some extra Knights Errants that joined in were able to swiftly vanquish these beings to the netherworld. An Evening With The Estermonts Welcome to our latest series, “An Evening With The Estermonts”. Here, we’ll be covering the business family that we’ve all heard of, their private life, their drama, their business, and their money. Recent reports would show that the family’s been having some struggles as of late, caused by estranged cousin Cedric Estermont. His recent attacks against the royalty of Haense (and attempted kidnapping of the Queen), have meant that business within Markev has decreased and profits are dropping. When asked, one Estermont responded that “Cedric is a child and needs to grow up.” When we reached out to other members of the family, none were willing to comment or were too busy to do so.

The Crow Chronicles A New Beginning In this edition: Return of the Crow, An Interview with Ruslan Amador, A Threat No More, Election of the High Pontiff, And A Royal Birth It’s been a while, but after regaining the funding and our readers’ humbling enthusiasm, we at the Crow Chronicles are happy to announce that we will be renewing our previous contract with the Kingdom of Haense, and start printing issues every year ((every Friday)). Before we start, we’d like to announce that we will be selling advertisements for your company or product, starting at a cheap 50 mina! Advertisements are preferably written by yourself or can be written by our editors, though an additional 10 mina charge will be added. Now, let’s get right into the news. The Kingdom has seen plenty of elections, the most recent one being that of the newest Lord Maer of Markev, Ruslan Amador. Thanks to our connections within the royal court, our very own Ryan Cassius was able to get an exclusive interview with the man himself. CASSIUS: Thank you for being here, sir. AMADOR: Thank you for having me. CASSIUS: Let’s get started then. This was a very tough campaign. What do you think won it for you in the end? AMADOR: I suppose there would have been appeal in my clear vision, aims and plans for Haense; something that unsuccessful Maer candidates have failed to lay out in the past. I’d also like to mention Coltaine Wick; he’s been a very, very close friend and supporter of House Amador, my campaign, and the White Cross Company. CASSIUS: Run me through the emotions you felt as the news of your victory came to you. When did you find out that you’d won? AMADOR: Not until the evening after the results. You see, I was not present in Markev at the time. I was out in the countryside, providing food and aid to the farmers and orphans struck hardest by our war with the spectres. CASSIUS: Now, you made a very bold promise on the campaign trail, promising to fund and build forts for the military. How exactly do you plan on raising the money and material needed for this sort of project? AMADOR: There is no need to raise any money. House Amador is rich enough to fund it all themselves. CASSIUS: Focusing more on the city, there have been rumors of a potential citizen council. Do you have anything you’d like to say on this? AMADOR: Oh, well, the secret’s out. It is my hope that the Palatine will voice his proposed draft of any upcoming Acts with an assembly of citizens who will inform him of the mood of the populace towards a particular act. CASSIUS: Thank you for your time, Maer Amador. Is there anything else you’d like to say before we wrap this up? AMADOR: I need to get back to the orphanage I was volunteering at. Thank you to everyone that voted for me, but these children need my help the most at the moment, and that is where I shall be. A Threat No More For many years now soldiers of an unknown order, presumably coming from the Wall to the south, have been wreaking havoc across the countryside in an effort to drive the Kingdom from its lands. Unfortunately for these specters however, the men of Haense do not bend easily. A coalition of men and elves marched south, numbering nearly 90,000 in total. We had our war reporter Humbert de Puy follow the men along and record what he could. Here’s what he said: "The weather grew colder with each passing step, as if the world itself had been altered by these magical beings. The roars of Cold Bears and cawing of crows, eager to eat, could be heard coming from seemingly miles away. As we got to a clearing, away from the snow and on reasonably flat terrain, the decision was made to set up camp and rest. It was then that the enemy showed, lining the cliffs with no end in sight. A horn cut through the air, breaking the silence that had befallen the gathered soldiers. Then, a sudden uproar. The elves were the first ones in, their curved blades and armor gleaming under the light of the sun. Then the Marnans, followed closely behind by the men of Haense. As they smashed into the enemy ranks, the sun suddenly vanished and the bright blue sky was replaced with a despairing darkness. A brutal melee followed, but in the end the wraiths were defeated, their armies routed, and the south secured in a great victory for Haense and her allies." The Crow salutes all servicemen, active duty and retired, and encourage all who seek a career in defending their homeland to contact Commadant Geralt Rauen ((Pureimp10)) or the King himself to learn more. Election of the High Pontiff Mere hours before you read this, the Holy Church of the Canon was blessed with a new leader. As many of you may know, Pontiff Clement III abdicated the Exalted Throne following growing concerns that he was becoming too stressed to lead GOD’s Holy Flock. While the decision took many by surprise, the Synod has since sprung into action, electing the former Archbishop of Jorenus, Elphias. While his pontifical name has yet to be chosen, the Chronicle and the Kingdom are glad to see a true Haense man elevated as GOD’s vicar and wish him the best of luck. Birth of a Prince It is with great pleasure that the Crow is able to report that a new Prince has been born to the royal family! Born at approximately midnight yesterday, the new Prince has been named Karl Marius after the founder of his house, and was reported to have been born at a healthy 6 pounds. The Crow will respect the Royal Family’s right to privacy, and will do no further reporting on the royal prince unless the Family allows. We at the Crow offer our full congratulations to the Royal Family and share the Kingdom of Haense in celebrating this joyful event.