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687

6 Copper

Curious Crystal Causes Connundrum

Of all the heralds of the return of the Cultist victims, none were more surprising than the addition of a sec-ond satellite crystal to the floating Attic. The crystal, similar in size to the first, emerged when the tower it was reportedly housed in collapsed recently. How it came to be, however, has been a question for many.

“This isn’t something that we have seen a lot of,” Ner-asmun Collective cleric Boris Norton stated. “We have checked all magical possibilities as to how it came to be. Our results at this time are inconclusive, but we will pass information to higher Collective clerics, or to our leader, Mr. Enrobso, if we need to.”

The crystals have always been a bit of a curiosity. Floating in the sky since the landing and founding by Christopher Canary, The Attic has been a steadfast sentinel as Alavast was built. There has been very little change as the years went on, until the eclipse two sum-mers past.

The Attic unexpectedly sank and fell slack against the chains restraining it from floating further away. No one knows the cause as to why it slacked, nor why the Attic returned to its normal state a year past.

“It was weird how the Attic sank, then rose,” claimed tai-lor Madeleine Varric. “I for one thought the Attic would fall upon this city and leave nothing but crushed rubble. I feared I would wake up one day and find myself bur-ied in the remains of my shop.”

As with before, no one from the Nerasmun Collective were able to ascertain what had happened. Several

Valandil Lightfoot

other clerics from other members of the pantheon have checked as well, with nothing giving any results as to whatever has been going on. However it happened, it is beyond the machinations of man, to what anyone knew. Then, just last autumn, another crystal appeared, de-stroying a tower in the process.

The actions of these crystals have caused several to theorize what their purpose is. Some speculate The At-tic is collecting buried crystals and more will emerge in the coming years as the Attic grows. Others believe the crystals to be something divine in nature. Then there are conspiracy theorists who believe everything from a secret Gnoll invasion to the Council gathering magical power.

“I’ve heard the rumors, and I have a theory of my own,” Courtney Mathesin, noted Guild conspiracy theorist stated. “I don’t know about you, but something is fishy about those Unexpectables, and I’m not talking about their chef. Think about it: they mysteriously disap-peared during the eclipse, it ends and the Attic goes slack. They go out a few times, Attic resumes normal altitude. Twice, they leave, and someone comes back with some weird porcelain object, crystals appear next to the Attic. Could be a coincidence, but I’m putting gold down on something behind the Unexpectables and a link to our floating ornaments.”

Whatever you believe, one question does remain. Where did these crystals come from and what is their purpose? Whatever the answer, we here will continue to research and pass on any information as it becomes available.

Rumors of A Council ShakeupWhile nothing has been officially announced, the political rumor mill has been working overtime with the whispered possibility of the Unexpectables guild being granted a seat on the council. This comes as no surprise to many students of local politics who have seen this group’s meteoric rise from questionably-motivated troublemakers to he-roes of the city twice over.

“It is apparent that the Unexpectables guild is one of the more politically savvy groups to arrive in Alivast in recent years,” commented Alifa Green-vine, professor of political science at Eve’s Mead-ow Academy. “They have made it a point to rub elbows with such notaries as Captain Bronzefang, High Priestess Aila and her husband General Bal-ton, as well as their frequent association with his majesty, Lord Corbeau. They have a knack for making powerful allies.”

Ms. Greenvine’s mention of Knight SIr Lord Cap-tain Remus Corbeau is telling and many consider him to be the obvious pick to represent the guild on the council when the decision is formally made. Sir Captain Knight Lord Corbeau is a hero in his own right, and already well respected in the halls of power, and his genteel upbringing and noble education would make him a fine representative.

But, other sources say that the Unexpectables may choose a dark horse candidate by nominating

Ludwig Hoodenpyl

a relative unknown as their representative. “Since they are quite sly political operators, The Unex-pectables may choose someone other than Lord Corbeau,” added Greenvine. “This would be a bit of a gamble, but could be a masterful play be-cause it is not unreasonable that he will be award-ed his own seat in the near future due to his influ-ence as leader of the Gryphon Knights and noble title. If this were to occur, the Unexpectables guild would effectively have two allies speaking for them on the council.”

It is a mystery who The Unexpectables might con-sider for their voice if not Sir Knight Lord Captain Remus Corbeau. One rumor is that the group may throw in their lot with recent arrival Prince Hassrad of Quetzalqueen, formerly of the Tatalohn Jungle who despite keeping out of sight for the past few months, appears poised to once again excite the populace with the pomp and circumstance that announced his arrival in Alivast last fall when he was paraded through town with great fanfare and borne upon a litter practically dripping with jewels, gold, and fine silks.

“I do not know much about this Prince Hassrad,” Greenvine stated, “But based on the stories I’ve heard of his grand arrival in Alivast, he must truly be something else. I think the Council will be in for a treat to have an eastern potentate such as him joining their ranks.”

Pigeons Pilfer from Pretzel PurveyorTralox

Last night after the applause and cheering of the return-ing dragon cult victims a strange scene was spotted in the lower druid district. Many of you are likely aware of Ron’s pretzel cart and its popularity among a certain lower district captain. Last night a spectacle was spotted in the district as numerous pigeons covered the branch-es of nearby trees watching the cart causing a general sense of unease in the customers and was even report-ed to a nearby guard. As the night grew on the pigeons had done something never thought possible as Ron had finished his latest and last batch of pretzels for the night. Several muscle armed birds had landed next to the cart

as Ron was right there. When he went to shoo them away they swarmed and picked up his pretzel cart. Ron described the scene as similar to the skies during the dragon attacks with hundreds of pigeons swarming and taking every ounce of dough from the cart. But just as quickly as it happened they all flew off, dough in beak and talon, leaving a desecrated cart in their wake. “They were everywhere as soon as it had happened. It was all gone, they were like piranhas, quick and ef-ficient. This is gonna set me back badly.” Ron had to close the stand today to prepare pigeon countermea-sures.

Does this mysterious figure of serpentine nobility have a chance to join the Council of Alivast? Who is Prince Hassrad anyways?

File image of the

unfortu-nate Ron when his cart was besieged

by a flock of ducks

last year.

Letters to the Lady of Livrosea(Note: the Alivast Oracle newspaper is now legally obligated to inform readers that the contents of “Letters to the Lady of Livrosea” do not constitute, religious, financial, or legal advice.)

Dear Lady of Livrosea,

I recently came to Alivast as a refugee from the Underdark and have met people that have helped me adjust, I think the word is ‘friend’? I enjoy spending time with these ‘friends’ but every time I meet with one of them, a kobold, my heart beats faster, my head feels strange and my hands grow warm. I do not know what to do, the others do not seem to notice and when I do not see her for many days my heart starts to hurt. Is this normal? Has she cursed me with some kind of Kobold magic? I do not want to break from these new friends but I am afraid of these strange feelings. Please help!

Signed, Tall-Dark-and-Confused

Dear Lady of Livrosea,

I am a gentleman in the autumn of my years and while I first came to Alivast, I was still seeking adventure, now I’m wanting to simply settle down and enjoy what I’ve earned from my treasure-hunting days. I’ve been looking for companionship because I wanted to find some company for this time of retirement, but I’ve ran into a problem - most of the people in Alivast are actually quite young. Yes, there are a few older folks like myself, but they seem to always have partners that immigrat-ed to the city with them. Yes, there are plenty of single young people, but frankly, I’d pre-fer someone more mature. Do you have any suggestions where I could find available older folks in my area?

Signed, Elder Gentleman

Dear Lady,

I am constantly feeling harassed and offend-ed by people who make certain assumptions about my sexuality and romantic interests by the way I look. When I first came to the city, I gave people a lot of grace, but over time it has really been wearing on me and it is really stressing me out. When I meet someone, it seems like I always have to explain myself, and more often than not they don’t really seem to pay attention. I feel like people only see my outside and don’t really consider my inside. My insides are mainly a few floating rat bones, scraps of cloth, and loose coins I find in the sewers because I am a gelatinous cube. How can I get people to see the real me?

Signed, Shook Up JellyDear TDAC,

I love you! Sounds like you have a new friend who puts your heart a-flutter. What you can do is to spend some time with her and get to know her a bit better. If you’re comfortable enough, you could always ask if she wants to join you and meet up for tea and pastries, or a pit fight, or livestock auction, or any other activity that you think you both might enjoy. The best way to figure out your feelings for someone is to talk to them and spend time with them. Ask her what things interest her, or what she likes to do with her free time. Even before setting up a date for an outing, you can take a measure of the situation by asking those types of questions. If she enjoys spending time with you, then keep on keeping on and before you know it, you might have love!

Dear Elder Gentleman,

I love you! It’s always a challenge to find people you mesh well with, and a lot depends on simply finding a social network that connects you to others with similar interests, or in your case, age. If you aren’t active already, there are a lot of groups for older folks that focus on certain hobbies or pastimes, or you could check out the opera since you strike me as a fairly cultured individual. Bridge clubs and bingo halls also cater to the older set, as do clubs that have formal dancing. You may not find the love of your life right away, but you can meet others in your age group and they might be able to introduce you to someone they know that might enjoy your company as much as you enjoy theirs.

Dear Shook Up Jelly,

I love you! I know how it is difficult when people don’t see the real you. Don’t feel like you have to explain yourself to everyone - you don’t owe them an explanation if you’re not comfortable giving it! Often we have to ignore what other people think of us, and in your case, they’re probably thinking “That gelatinous cube wants to absorb me into its body and slowly digest me with it’s acid.” I’m willing to bet you get that a lot, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less. You may need to get out and meet some people who are less judgemental. The sewers are not the best place to meet a diverse cross-section of the city. Maybe visit a library or one of the city parks.

Once again, here we areWith me having to apologize for going perhaps a bit too far The past few poems, I’ve made some statements about the Council About how they were all daft scoundrelsWho really needed to stop or they would be stoppedWith their heads chopped off and lopped For their many treacherous and treasonous dealingsWhy, the things waiting for them would have left many reelingUpon closer inspection though and also with a much clearer headI’ve found myself deeply regretting all that I’ve saidAlthough, secretly I still harbor some doubts But, for now, I’ll give the Council an outOne thing though that really doesn’t sit rightIs that something is happening to innocent followers of the lightI don’t know what, which is rather suspicious Or maybe my fears are completely fictitious All I know is I feel like at any moment, I’ll have to runDue to my worshipping of the sunOr perhaps, that’s just me being paranoid Then again, it is a possibility that my last few poems left some rather annoyedUh oh, at the door, there’s a knockinMaybe I should stop talking and start walkingOr maybe talk about something different for a changeYes, yes, I know, next time, let’s talk about something or things un-usual and strangeJust in case though, I should probably go and clean up someAnd pray that whoever this is, they’re rather dumbWell, then, whatever comes, I hope to see you all againAnd remember, no matter what, they can never take away my pensNor my voiceI’d rather like to keep both though, if I even get a choice!Oh wait, it was just the mailIt’s for the best though to cover up my trail

Eripmav A. Ton-Yllatot

Poetry Corner- I’m Not Crazy -

Touch the Heart

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Laeleus Stormwing

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@rexosaur7 as Tralox - WriterKingKiwi as Eripmav A. Ton-Yllatot - Writer@wxchuck as Valandil Lightfoot and Laeleus Stormwing - Writer@froggies_mom as The Lady of Livrosea and Ludwig Hoodenpyl - Writer, puzzlemaker, layout artist@Jimtherabidcow as Woggha Purse-Snatcher - Writer, Layout Artist, Ad Artist@rhyllberg - Avan Cup Cupon@Noodlelazer - Horny Tiefling Romansion Art@AugustCristofer - Alivast Doodler, Snakeboi Doodler@Ultraous - Stupid Sexy Orc ArtM. G. DeVair - Artist, Besieged pretzel purveyor