Crow_Chronicles

The Crow Chronicles

“The most trusted name in news.”

Mystery in Markev

In this edition:

A Killer’s Manifesto, Menace in Belvitz,

Soldier’s Folly, A Holy Crusade,

Keeping up with the Marbrands

Boy, do we have a couple of good stories for you today, loyal readers. But before we begin, this week’s issue is sponsored by the Southern Haeseni Railroad Company! For all your transportation needs, the Southern Haeseni has you covered!

DISCLAIMER: The Crow Chronicles is not the official newspaper of the Kingdom, and should not be treated as such. Any and all opinions are those of the paper alone.

A Killer’s Manifesto by Joey Patooie

WARNING: Not for the faint of heart.

The Crow Chronicles has received a manifesto from a man claiming to be Arend Wick’s murderer. We’ve included it here in its full text for our readers, though we do warn that it is disturbing.

Discord is a wonderful thing, it breeds acceptance, the true authority is then placed once more in the hands of the strong. When the incompetent among us our now our leaders, pillars of our community that demand respect, the truly strong are allowed to exercise their wildest fantasies in a way that no other current administration has allowed. I hold a strong allegiance to Haense, but more specifically this Haense.

The old, those who vouch for a more stable political and social structure must be rooted out and destroyed. Thankfully, my place within your most trusted guard force allows me to do this. They do not want unity, they do not want egalitarianism. They are autocrats, trying desperately to hold onto their perceived power and authority at all costs. This means people like Arend Wick must be extinguished: they are thorns in the side of the feeble, who hide behind the might of the many. They are clever tricksters.

And this is precisely why I am allowed to operate. The guard care little for crime, more complex murders and investigations are beyond their span of intellectual capacity. They hold a strict moral compass (so long as it benefits them), and this makes them malleable, shapeable. They are easy to manipulate and maneuver, for a house divided against itself cannot stand.

I will take this moment of fame to inform the public that many of the allegations of illicit activities by the guard force are true. Infighting was a large problem for them, and the weakest link cannot survive without the hardworking peons below subjugated to their whims. I will let you decide what other scandals that come from them to believe, it matters little to me.

Their momentary, temporary comfort is what drives them. They are like animals. They act solely on the instinct of self-preservation, no matter what long term damages it brings to the people of Haense. And I would consider this a good thing.

I will end my tirade with what I’ve stated in the beginning: I am loyal to this new brand of Haense. All criminals, I urge you to utilize discord to your advantage. For it is evident that the guard is incapable of doing anything to stop you. The only group with enough bargaining power has had their commander murdered by my hand. This is your time to strike. He was not the only man on my list, nor will he be the only person my atrocious acts reach to.

If you wish to stop me, fellow Guardsmen (which I doubt, perhaps at the level of the footman justice needs to be dealt, but I assure you that your commanders side with me), you will go to the mausoleum (if you can find it). My next act will take place there one Saint’s Day after this gets released to the Crow Chronicle. I wish you luck.

Yours,

R.R.

Menace in Belvitz by Rudy Rosenberg

The city of Belvitz has been overcome with shock over the discovery of a monster spider infestation in the earth below. City authorities are unsure of how long the beast has dwelled in the city sewers, according to a man named Adler who claims to work with the Duke of the city. When our reporter arrived on the scene, Adler claimed that some men had already gone down into the sewers after hearing the screams of what they believed to be a child.

Sources reported that, upon defeating the large beast, multiple smaller spiders emerged from its corpse. Whether these smaller spiders will grow to be like their mother and the severity of this threat remains to be seen, and no official statement has been released from the Duke’s court but we hope to see one soon.

Soldier’s Folly by Konrad the Elder

The war against the Vaeyl rages on, and the southern order reminded the Kingdom of that when it attacked Markev earlier this week. A host of Vaeyl orderman were spotted marching up the southern roads and the Brotherhood of Saint Karl quickly mustered a defense force to meet them. When it seemed that the Brotherhood outnumbered their attackers the Haensetian men surged forth from the gate, prepared to meet their attackers.

Unbeknownst to the men of Markev, the Vaeyl had prepared an ambush and it had worked perfectly. A raging battle began outside the gates of the city and the forces of Vaeyl were pushed back, but not before taking an elf female hostage. Witnesses of the battle state that the incompetence of one Gobus Doral resulted in the hostage being killed. The hostage’s name is unknown. Our thoughts and prayers go to the family of the deceased, and we hope to receive a statement from the Brotherhood soon.

A Holy Crusade by Wilhelm Muller

Reports came out late this week that the Holy Pontiff Siegmund I has declared a Crusade against the Elven Dominion. According to a statement put out by a spokesman for the Church, the Crusade was declared after the discovery that the Elven Dominion hired the mercenary Reiter group to raid the Church owned city of Judeberg. The spokesman also claimed that “many leaders have answered the call to Crusade”, though we have not received any names at this time. The Crow Chronicles will be closely following the Crusade and its developments through the work of our regular wartime correspondent, Heinrich Schulte.

Keeping up with the Marbrands by Lorenz Stein

Some buried tension was unearthed recently in the Marbrand family. Our own reporters and other eyewitnesses reported Marius Marbrand, a young Lieutenant in service to the Kingdom, was spotted threatening his kinswoman, Nymira Marbrand. From what we could tell the dispute arose over the legitimacy of either’s claim to the Marbrand name, with both calling the other’s ancestor illegitimate.

              "Family, gotta love ‘em, huh?" - Unnamed eyewitness

Luckily, neither Marbrand was hurt and everyone was able to peacefully move on with their day.

16 minutes ago, PosidonX7 said:

Sylvia Faroe z Astri gazed upon the news, scoffing at the claims and HOW HER NAME WAS WRONG. She'd immediately make comment, "Such claims are false. Kovachevs are not inherently a fan of either I or the Brotherhood of Saint Karl. It would seem that at every turn they make false claims in an attempt to make us look bad as a whole. Last time I found a member with substances on him, he was severely punished. As a reminder to the citizens and people of Haense in accordance with the Decency Act of 1653, any public display of criticism, libel, slander, or any other conduct akin to the aforementioned whether written, spoken, or the like against the Crown is declared seditious and deemed dangerous to the vitality of the Royal Administration, thereby forbidden. Being that the guard are of the Crown, we fall under such jurisdiction. If such acts are continued the result is capital punishment."

We at the Crow Chronicles are the most pressing name in news, and we will not be intimidated by such threats. Any who attempt to scare witnesses that could provide greater insight to the truth will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. As such, the paper stands by our witness, Victor Amadeus, and will support him in the coming trials.

The Crow Chronicles

“The most trusted name in news.”

The Markev Murders

In this edition:

Slaughters in the Streets, Drug Traffickers Revealed,

Standoff at Sundown, "A View with the Vanirs"

Welcome back to our devoted readers! It’s been a long time since we last released an issue, but we’re proud to announce that the paper has been revived and is ready to continue providing top quality news to the people! This edition of the Crow Chronicles is brought to you by the Wulf’s Den! For the finest metal products in all of Axios, there’s nowhere else to go besides the Wulf’s Den Smithy and Forge!

Slaughters in the Streets by Robby Cassius

WARNING: Not for the faint of heart.

After the most recent murder concerning the strange, unidentified body in the college, another killer is back at it again! Reports of anonymous tippers, who have inside knowledge into the case in question, say that it was none other than Sister Jenna Swift, a nun at our local, Hansetian Church! Upon her arrest, the evidence was brought to the King who, reportedly, was unable to do anything, due to tense relations with the church! Fortunately, it is reported that a Holy Knight of the Church condemned her to death, and threw her onto the balcony. Rumor has it that you’re still able to see her body, if you have access to that portion of the balcony of course!

But in further news, another murderer strikes again, this time closer to the King. The body of Lord Commander Arend Wick of the HRA was found in a semi crucified position. His tongue was removed, and the lower half of his face was skinned. Chars all across the framing of the hall indicate there was a mass fight that took place. Why the guard were unable to hear the fight going on, nor why they were able to apprehend any potential subject is unknown. Insider reports through an anonymous source state there was a note found at the scene of the crime, which read: “The Brotherhood bows for no one. R.R.”

Could this be an inside job from the Brotherhood of Saint Karl? We know they’ve had a tense relationship with the Wicks, after one of their operatives wasn’t given political immunity as promised by the King. The Brotherhood has yet to make an official statement, and the note found at the scene of the crime by our informant was taken into evidence, more than likely never to be seen again.

It should be noted that the HRA were the ones that were responsible for evidence collection and the eventual prosecution of the Sister Jenna Swift. Could this perhaps be retaliation by the group of rogue nuns? Or is it perhaps that the Brotherhood is seeking justice for making them look bad? Or perhaps an even darker thought: do we have a cunning murderer on the loose? We anxiously await a statement from the Brotherhood, and would be more than willing to sit down and interview them.

Drug Traffickers Revealed by Kristoff Ruthenberger

Since the Chancellery of Prince Robert Sigismund, the War on Drugs has been a vital domestic campaign to stifle the flow and influence of contraband flowing within the realm. In 1646, under the Royal Administration of His Late Majesty King Otto III, the Crime Prevention and Enforcement Act, was passed and enforced under the Prince Robert’s premiership to crack down on civilian and military abuses of the free trade agreement signed with the Estermonts three years earlier.

In recent reports taken from the citizenry, drug trafficking has been noted as resurging among the denizens and taking form in the most unlikely of sources: within the ranks of the Brotherhood of Saint Karl with Captain Sylvia Astri Faroe allegedly being a primary facilitator in illegal substances within the sewers. Sources notably by a Victor Amadeus II, a Kovachev bannerman has asserted these accusations. No comment has been given from the Captain nor her subordinates.

Standoff at Sundown by Larry Gambino Jr.

The high tensions associated with increased activity within the proud city of Markev boiled over recently, which showed the public how well our Brotherhood of Saint Karl is prepared for emergency situations. Adrian cavalrymen, approximately 15 strong, rode into the city. They used their temporary moment of surprise to surround civilians and guards, gathering them in the red square.

The Adrians accused proud Hansetian men of being necromancers, and threatened to go to war over this fact that they’ve seemingly pulled out of nowhere. Thankfully, our Royal Army diffused the situation through nonviolent means. The Guard managed to handle the situation with aplomb, and no civilians were hurt during the confrontation. It really shows the might of Hansetian pride, seeing our proud Guardsmen handling situations diplomatically and getting us out of potential wars.

A View with the Vanirs by Siegmund Mayer

One of our reporters got to sit down with some of the Kingdom’s elite over the last week, namely the members of House Vanir. They were very welcoming, and even offered a donation to the paper so that it could succeed. The Vanirs described details for a new fleet of ships, even giving our reporter a tour of the few that they’ve built already.

           "It was pretty cool I guess." - Crow Chronicles Reporter

We hope to sit down and meet with other noble families as well, even families involved in city affairs and not just national politics.