THE CLARION ... The Public's Muster (Free Edition!)

[Safranum]

Towards the tail end of Varethis 16991, a publication begins to appear in communal spaces around Edana. A proud title gleams on the covers - THE CLARION... a trumpet of war, commanding attention upon the battlefield. Glancing through any of these, you are confronted with a series of wild claims and conspiratorial questions. You shake your head. While bold, the man who wrote these texts is clearly a loon- if only because he so proudly shares them.

THE CLARION ... The Public's Muster
26th Varethis, 16991

Penned by Dell Scriver,
Edana City Library.

Distributed freely.

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THE FORGE STILL BURNS HOT ... By Our Hand

To call the Lord Commander Empyrean a "madman" is a comforting lie. It allows the nobility to gasp in feigned shock and the public to tremble at a bogeyman, ignoring the chilling truth.

We are told a monster has been cast out from the disciplined and gallant Mercadian forces, but I put it to you that the monster was not cast out - it was forged within them. The Lord Commander stands not as an aberration, but as the purest product of an institution that we have been taught to revere without question.

Consider the hallmarks of the perfect soldier. In Lord Commander Empyrean, prized loyalty curdled into an intolerance for dissent. Ruthlessness held in awe on the battlefield became a routine cruelty that would poison his command. We isolate our military, wrapping it in a mystique of honor and sacrifice.

And then we are surprised that its leaders forget they are meant to serve the society from which they have been estranged?

Every medal upon their chests, every title granted, serves to reinforce the delusion that the will of an officer and the good of the Kingdom are one in the same.

Well, I say - hunt this great beast. Condemn him. Strip him of his honors in the public square for all to see. But when the spectacle comes to a close, know this: the forge that shaped this wild, swinging axe burns as hot as ever. As long as we continue to venerate the myth of the soldier, driven into the fray by the Divine Crook of the Shepherd, Himself...

It is not a question of if another Lord Commander Empyrean will emerge, but a simple matter of when.

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A SILENT OFFERING ... And an Invitation

For the past few weeks, a quiet mystery has unfolded across Edana. Residents open their doors to a gift awaiting them: a pitcher of cold, fresh milk.

The phenomenon is most pervasive in the north of the city, affecting many upscale homes in the burgh. These pitchers have even been found in the yard of the Church.

While the Council remains silent, the citizenry continues to receive these curious blessings.

Yet, questions linger.

Is this a simple act of charity, or is it a message - perhaps even an omen?

To this mysterious benefactor, I issue a warning, and make an offer.

Superstition can perverse the most noble of intents.

To prevent your message from getting lost, my door is open. I'll record your story, even if not your name. You have our attention; let us hear what you have to say!

[Safranum]

THE CLARION ... The Public's Muster
29th Varethis, 16991

Penned by Dell Scriver,
Edana City Library.

Distributed freely.

---
OUR SAINT SPEAKS OF SALVATION ... Don't They Always?

"Honest," "direct," "transparent." These are the words I heard from a man in the crowd. His eyes were alight with admiration for the Councilman's 28th Varethis address.

While the public hears "honesty" and "unity" in the Councilman's words, they are comforted by the illusion of an orderly leader. We were not witness to a political address, but the public coronation of a man wearing his trauma as a crown. The "vigilance" he demands is his paranoia, and his "divine will" is the logic of a man who cannot otherwise endure reality.

So he offers a bargain.

And believe me, dear reader, this is the oldest and most dangerous in history. Liberty exchanged for the promise of safety. He asks us to become a city of watchmen, reporting on our neighbors, locking our doors, and surrendering the right of the commons. He sharpens the knife used to cut away the "rot" in our city and asks us to admire its gleam.

Indeed, the most dangerous words spoken were of faith: "Talathas wills it." With these words, the line between councilman and prophet is gone. When a leader believes his authority flows from the divine, the law becomes whatever he wills it. Justice becomes whatever deemed necessary. Opposing thought ceases to be mere dissent, taking upon the mantle of blasphemy.

Mercadia stands at a precipice. We can cower behind the walls of the fearful city the Councilman offers. Or we can face the monsters in the wilds, and in our halls of power, as free citizens. As you listen to the hopeful words of our new saint, realize that his halo may be the rim of a gilded cage settling around us.

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THE LEDGER ...

• On 28th Varethis, Councilman Warren emerged from the ward of the Edana church after rumors of death and mutilation.

• Attack launched on Arandor. Several elves wounded. Magnus Empyrean, with help of disgraced Kingsguardmen Clyde Marshal and Solmyr Nightveil, to blame.

• Councilman Warren addressed the public on the developing hunt for Magnus Empyrean, calling for unity and faith. Vows to reach out to Arandor for mutual efforts.

• Some attending citizens expressed a promise to defend the city if necessary.

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UNTIL NEXT TIME ...

A matter of philosophical query for the readers...
When a man leaves a headless corpse behind, what - precisely - returns in his place?

---
This edition of the Clarion was funded by generous donation.

Write Dell...
KoM Post Box #6
Edana.

[Safranum]

THE CLARION ... The Public's Muster
20th Veranis, 16992

Penned by Dell Scriver,
Edana City Library.

Distributed freely.

---
SEEKING THE STORIES OF THE PEOPLE ... A Raw Record

The official story, proclaimed from the thrones of power, is one of simple victory: that this past weekend, on the 18th of Veranis, the city of Edana repelled the combined forces of Blackwatch and Consortium raiders. That our salvation was secured by the timely assistance of Arandor. While the streets ran with blood and iron, it is said, the innocents of the city were kept safe and sound within the hallowed walls of the Church.

But a city's history is not written through its proclamations.

It is written in the blood, sweat, and terror of its people. Etched in the memories of the gatesman holding his post before the encroaching army, the priests tending to the wounded amidst the clamor of battle, and the child watching the smoke rising over the city walls from behind the Church window.

These are the truths that live on in our shared memory. These are that which matter most.

The official record will be clean and polished, on crisp parchment, and left to decay on shelves behind locked doors.

Now I, Dell Scriver, am collecting the people's record. And it will be messy, contradictory, and vulnerable.

If you have a story that the official narrative would forget - a moment of terror or of courage, an act of cruelty or of altriusm - I will hear it. I will protect it.

And I will ensure that it is not forgotten.

So, I bid you:
come chat.

You know where I am.

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THE LEDGER ...

• On 11th Veranis, Court Mage Larissa Aylomeinne held a meeting of mages in the Edana New Hall.

• Councilman Warren held public muster ahead of 18th Veranis battle, alleged to be outfitting plain citizens for battle.

• Mercadian victory over Blackwatch and Consortium forces on 18th Veranis raid of Edana. No known casualties suffered on side of defenders. Forces from Arandor arrived to assist.

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UNTIL NEXT TIME ...

Be wary of help that arrives too quickly, too eagerly, and too perfectly.

Good fortune is rarely so well-rehearsed.

---
This edition of the Clarion was funded by generous assistance.

Write Dell...
KoM Post Box #6
Edana.

[Safranum]

THE CLARION ... The Public's Muster
23rd Veranis, 16992

Penned by Dell Scriver,
Dell's Place, Edana.

Distributed freely.

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THE UNSEEN QUEEN ... And Her Knights

Regarding the recent mongbat attacks, let there be no mistake: these were not lost, wild animals.

Evidence present at the scene points to organized agents; these creatures are branded with the letter 'E' and bear the scars of whippings. In the dying breath of one of these mongbats, it had shuddered the name, "Queen Ezmelda."

Further complicating the situation, the City Guard made a baffling claim that the creatures even infiltrated the city streets unseen.

The Church is now preserving one of the corpses for study, upon discovering that the most aggressive and crazed of the mongbats held a red gem in their mouths, which crumbled to dust upon discovery.

The city has been quiet since the 23rd Veranis attacks, but questions linger: who is this queen? How can we trust the coverage of our gatesmen?

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THE LEDGER ...

On 23rd Veranis, three flocks of mongbats attacked Edana.

The gatesmen and prominent citizens, Court Mage Larissa Aylomeinne and Sir Knight-Errant Dominique Beauregard, did their part in repelling the attack.

At least three had passed in the attacks, one passerby and two gatesmen. They were promptly rushed to the Church.

Clues left behind: the branding, 'E' and the mongbat who could speak the name, "Ezmelda".

Early theories considered the mastermind to be Magnus Empyrean or officials in Arandor.

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THE BLOND HAIR OF COURAGE ... A Review

Sir Dominique Beauregard's "The Blond Hair of Courage" is a solid entry in the art of modern fable, presenting a world where heroes are righteous, monsters are slain, and vows of higher service provide a convenient shield against romantic entanglement.

The tale follows our titular hero as he slays a wyrm to save the Princess Maerwyn. After her hand is offered in marriage by her father, Sir Beauregard makes a surprising decision.

As a tale for children on the principles of courage and duty - especially to the divine - it is accessible and easy to recite near bedtime. A copy is available for the public in the Edana City Library.

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UNTIL NEXT TIME ...

Keep your eyes on the skies, folks.

Some may shirk their work.

---
This edition of the Clarion was published independently.

Write Dell...
KoM Post Box #6
Edana.