Firan Times, Volume 1, Issue 3
From FiranMUX
June 24, 2001 VOLUME I, Number 3 Feb 22, 21 AU
It has been a busy few months in the Firan realms!
The vote for the Republic came and went, and, as predicted, was evidently not easy by the outcome. It seems that the council has decided to put off the vote for a year rather than make a decision now, voting to sustain the Republic while possible changes are reviewed. Members of the Council have been seen in meetings, and deep discussing. The populace can only wonder what that means, and rumors continue to fly about where each member of the Council stands.
The fall festival, when it happened (albeit a little late), was a resounding success! Many prizes were won and many events were held, to much acclaim. However, some unrest and unhappiness was evident when all three winners of the pentathalons claimed nobility as their prize, prompting much outcry and petitioning among the other nobles to limit the number of noble titles that can be given at the festival to one. The new nobles are: Lady Nazeera, of the Bear Clan; Lord Lippio, of the Eagle Clan; and Lady Throgana, of the Gold Dragon Clan. Of course, with so many new nobles raised from the ranks of commoners now, the whispers are going about that the noble class is losing its power, and it can only be wondered how the new nobility will handle their new-found status: will they prove themselves worthy, or will they fall flat as uneducated fools?
Quite a situation happened in the Gold Dragon Clan, when the High Priest of the True Temple, Rasmus, was rumored to be abusing his powers and harrassing polytheists! When the arguments grew more fierce, Lady Leyla, acting as proxy for Clan Leader Jalil, was forced to arrest him. This prompted more protests by the other priests, and even a stand-off in the True Temple between Cassio and Corunos with the Lady Leyla. In the end, Cassio was arrested, and the conflict seems to have been squashed, although the suspicion is certainly still there.
In another shocking turn of events, a Vrelander ship flying the Ista Aldrik was sighted approaching up the river, causing a good portion of the populace to turn out in expectation of seeing the Heroes home. However, this was not to be. Instead, Lord Aldrikos Ista Aldrik, long since thought lost and dead, emerged from the ship instead of the heroes, accompanied by a new Vrelander and claiming to be a general in the Vrelander army! After the initial shock wore off, everyone was thrilled to see him, and eager to utilize his knowledge of the Vrelander culture in further hopes of discovering the whereabouts of the Heroes.
This did make for an unprecedented situation, however. The Princess Bashona, long-since assumed to be Aldrikos' widow and then later married to Prince Sadin, found herself with not one but two husbands. A meeting of the clergy determined that an unbinding is not true if the spouse is not dead, thus she was never truly married to the prince and is, in fact, still married to Aldrikos! This complicates things as her status as Princess is no longer valid, and leaves her with quite the mess to sort out as she reacquaints herself with a husband she had thought gone.
Shortly after Aldrikos arrived, though, a mysterious new plague struck the populace. Victims (including many of the most illustrious personages in the city) were struck down with crushing headaches and pain behind their eyes, falling into delirium and unconsciousness in some states. A full eight percent of the city's nobility was stricken, and thirty percent of the city overall, and the disease spread to other cities as well. Deaths were many, with some of the sick bleeding from their ears as they died. Most notably, casualties included Wirk Ista Barun, head of the Ista Barun family in the Chimera Clan. Although rumors are that the plague's effects are waning, the healers have not yet felt secure in releasing those in quarantine, and if the messengers are any indication, those who are confined and feeling better are beginning to get restless.
The long-awaited birth of Clan Leader Nydiam's children by Lady Ibania happened at last, and it was hoped that this would be a happy event for the Eagle Clan. Unfortunately, Ibania gave birth to not one child, but identical twin daughters. When Clan Leader Nydiam announced the birth of two children to his people, the clan reacted with violence and fear, rioting and destroying and burning much of the district. One of the children was killed in the rioting, and Princess Zeysani was stabbed with a spear and had her throat slit, almost killing her. It was feared that the princess would never speak again, but she seems to be recovering. It is also rumored that Lord Kristover Rissik had something to do with the princess being struck by a spear, but any charges that were brought were cleared.
In the aftermath, the people fear that the Clan Leader has gone insane. It's said that he's cast off both his wife and remaining child, and they are rumored to be ill with the plague in quarantine. He has raised his taxes to the huge sum of ten thousand per person and arrested many for treason and failure to pay. And he has declared that all first-born children will be registered, and that one each year will be killed via a lottery selection, in recompense for the death of his daughter. In the wake of this, the clan has revolted, and it is uncertain how long the Eagle Clan will remain viable -- and how long Nydiam will live.
The city can only hope that with the coming of spring, things will begin to improve as the snow melts! FIRAN_TIMES
