PaxLair Statehood, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – July 16, 2013 – by Ashlynn – The next meeting will be held as follows:
Governor’s Mansion, Skara Brae, Trammel, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – July 13, 2013 – by Ashlynn – In a true miscarriage of justice to shock all good virtue-minded folk, Ozog was found guilty this evening by a jury of his peers.
Lord Ikerous was the presiding judge with Belle Starr acting as crown prosecutor, and a man of dubious origin by the name of Vinnie representing the defendant. The jury was mostly made up of other town governors and one goblin. King Blackthorn was also present to oversee the trial.
Ozog was standing trial on charges of vandalism, assault, and arson. The arson charge was dropped on condition that Ozog enter a guilty plea for vandalism. Ozog had already admitted the charge so there was little point in contesting it.
The charge of assault however was still in debate but in the end, the jury took only minutes to reach a unanimous verdict of not guilty. There were both cheers and boos from the crowd and for some the verdict was hard to stomach.
Ozog was however issued a 200,000 gold crown fine for vandalism and was also ordered to pay a further two million to pay for repairs to the town stone.
It should also be mentioned that by order of King Blackthorn, goblins are now free to roam Skara Brae so long as they obey the law.
In reaction to the verdict Lady CharGar of Skara Brae pulled me aside to issue a statement on the matter and informed me she would be resigning as town governor.
Governor CharGar had this to say:
“I am resigning due to the travesty that happened. I will not rule a town that allows that to happen without justice. The riot yesterday was uncalled for – it destroyed my town and I have no way of making those that did it pay for their actions.
I will not rule over a lawless town. The brutal beating I took at the hands of those goblins left me with no recourse.”
This is a shocking turn of events that I’ve no doubt will be discussed at length at the next Royal Council meeting.
Castle Blackthorn, Britain, Trammel, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – July 11, 2013 – by Ashlynn – The newly elected governors of Britannia’s cities met with the King for the first time yesterday evening to formally introduce themselves, air their concerns, and discuss current affairs. I, your diligent reporter, put in an appearance in an effort to bring word of all that was discussed.
The officials present at the meeting were:
Lady CaT and Lady Sherry Shar were late arrivals, and Lord Gareth, Governor of New Magincia was absent. A large number of people including Ozog released on a 300,000 gold crown bond were also present in the public gallery to view the proceedings as they unfolded.
After everyone was seated King Blackthorn called the council into session and asked all the governors to state their names and which towns they represented. The King then followed with a short speech regarding the recent unrest and declared:
“We can never again allow our relationships to be torn asunder in such a manner. We are a Kingdom, bound together for the good of all Britannia. And it is only together that we can progress in a manner to honor this land and it’s people.”
Cheers of “Long live Britannia” followed before the King asked each of the Governors to formally introduce themselves for his benefit and that of those in the public gallery.
The King then moved on to the first order of business – the recent attacks on by earth creatures across the realm. Captain Kilvere gave a full report of the attacks to the council, mentioning the missing mages, dead scholars, and recovered cipher. The King brought up the large stone gateway in the ruins where Vulcan was defeated and declared he would take charge of investigating that personally.
Lady Andrea Kilvere was also briefly commended for the support she had given thus far to the Royal Guard and it was suggested she could also aid in any investigation.
The governor’s finally had their chance to speak as the King asked them to bring up their requests and concerns in turn.
Governor Ivy was the first to speak and her opening request was funding for construction of a proper animal stables and yard near the tailor shop just across the north bridge. Vesper with it’s history of maritime trade and smuggling has never traditionally devoted much funding to animal husbandry and lacked the facilities.
The governor also requested resources for several other improvements including civic decorations, a public trash can, and the towing away of abandoned ships – presumably one-time pirate vessels that sought sanctuary in Vesper.
Finally, Lady Ivy mentioned a mutual defence pact that had been established with the Governor and City of Minoc, the written details of which was presented to the King.
Governor CharGar was next to speak requesting the commissioning of a white stone ankh to be placed outside the Community Centre. Also mentioned was the upcoming trial of Ozog, the goblin who had been recently arrested for vandalism, harassment, arson, and assault.
Next to speak was Governor Lauren with the simple request of more guards for the City of Moonglow. Presumably the recent attacks had shaken up the people of the city and security was foremost in the minds of the citizenry.
Encouraging commerce was mostly on the mind of Governor Phoenix with her requests for the rebuilding of the dockside market and the construction of a Soul Forge.
Lady Phoenix then raised the matter of Ozog’s trial claiming that he was arrested without cause and there was a great deal of concern over the matter especially amongst the citizenry. She suggested that the matter would set a precedent that would see all governors ignoring due process when dealing with citizens of the realm.
Lady CharGar was given a chance to respond and went into detail regarding the crimes Ozog was accused of. The King seemed to agree that the charges were justly filed and was happy with a trial to go ahead as long as it was fair.
Governor Angelica spoke next asking for the restoration of a “box of rope” or some such. I must admit that I have no idea what it is precisely, but it seemed to be important to the Lady Angelica and I believe the King also considered it a legitimate concern.
High taxes were Lady Angelica’s next concern, especially in regards to city trade deals. The King stated that he had already heard rumblings on the matter and it would be looked in to.
Governor Victor Speranza seemed to come prepared, unrolling a scroll an delivering an impressive speech to the council, the contents of which have been penned in ink for the benefit of my readers:
Greetings your Majesty, Governors, Lords and Ladies. Greetings to all citizens of Britannia, be you Humans, Elves, Gargoyles, Goblins or other more. I, Victor II, am just another fellow traveler along the path of Virtue and welcome all of you to join the city of Minoc and I look forward to representing you now, and in the future as this council continues.
I have come amongst you today, as you see, not for my recreation and display, but in the midst of political and physical battle raging in my home town. If I am to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for Sacrifice, for Minoc, and my people I can do no less but to stand before King Blackthorn today and represent the fears and desires of my fellows.
I know I have but the body but of a weak and wiry archer; but I have the heart and stomach of a King, even though I am but a pale shade to a King of Britannia, and think foul scorn that enemies of our land, should dare to invade the borders of our realm. I would rather any dishonor be given to me, than to not take up arms here in Council or in the field of battle by representing not myself, but the artisans, merchants, and warriors of Minoc.
I have four requests of his grace, two regarding the safety of the land, one to help improve the prosperity of not only Minoc but of Yew, Jhelom, and other towns, and one to help raise the morale of our town.
Due to the recent attacks on Minoc and her interests we have signed a mutual defense pact with our closest neighbor, the city of Vesper. As beneficial as this is, and without slighting the bravery of our neighbors, the citizens feel this is not enough to protect our homes and interests. While we have extended our realm of protection to our gypsy friends we barely have enough armed guards to patrol the area. Thus the citizens of Minoc humbly request an increase in the amount of guards we can employ in order to patrol our city and defend our interests.
In regards to our gypsy friends, we are very excited to have them in the city of Minoc. They have long been a positive influence and supportive of the endeavors of Minoc and not only bring us new and rare materials but help our wares reach the far reaching corners of Sosaria. However, recent issues with attacks, not only withing the city but along the roads, have caused a series of problems and even forced several of our friends to seek refuge in Vesper and even The Lost Lands. We have no want to see them removed from our town and and as such wish to offer them the same protection we bestow upon our own, more permanent, citizens. Thus the citizens of Minoc humbly request that we remove the paltry tents housing the gypsies and provide them more protection by creating a large hostel in which they may all reside and escape the elements with a real roof over their heads and hide from danger with a real wall to protect their children.
While the defense of Minoc is an important part of our livelihood, we must also continue to make gold in which to pay our taxes and feed our hungry mouths. Minoc has been home to the famous sawmill, although known more recently as the place to get your start as a miner or blacksmith thanks to the rich bounties of Mount Kendall and nearby Covetous dungeon, but she lacks in one area that is most beneficial to not only Minoc but to Yew and even interested parties in Jhelom, Vesper, and Britain. This would be trade by sea. Thus the citizens of Minoc humbly request that we build a dock in order to begin trade by sea as well as by land. There are many great locations still being discussed by our committees but once funds and approval have been granted our industrious citizens will be more than excited to begin construction.
And on to my final point, and I will try to be quick as I didn’t wish to take up more time than Vesper did! This is simply a request for improving civic appearence around the city of Minoc. We are had workers and our expansion has always been rapid. Because of this we have outgrown the normal development of cities and find ourselves lacking in a few basic services and appearances. The citizens of Minoc humbly request two beautification projects; one to finish the statues that have been under construction for years in the center of town, two to finally have our roads paved and finished as we have grown so fast that we have but simple dirt paths or broken stone still lining the ground beneath our feet.
Thank you for your time my King. May you forever follow the Virtues.
The King thanked Governor Victor, agreed that Minoc was in urgent need of aid, and said his concerns would be looked into.
Speaking next for Jhelom was Governor Sherry Shar who had the single request of more support from the Royal Navy to deal with pirates frequently lurking off the coast.
Last to speak was latecomer Governor CaT who had apparently been accosted by trolls on the way to the castle. She however had no requests of the King which seems to indicate that all is well in the serene forest town of Yew.
With nothing else to discuss the King declared the meeting over and stated he could note stay for the post meeting feast. He did however address further concerns from private citizens, particularly on the topic of the upcoming trial.
Sadly I could not stay to hear all the details as I had an appointment regarding an upcoming story contest. But I believe the first meeting with the King has been productive and will hopefully continue to be so in the coming months.
PaxLair Statehood, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – July 9, 2013 – by Ashlynn – The next meeting will be held as follows:
Skara Brae, Trammel, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – July 8, 2013 – by Ashlynn – Ozog’s mischievous ways finally caught up to him several days ago when he was arrested by guards acting on behalf of Lady CharGar, the recently elected Governor of Skara Brae.
Relations between the pungent goblin tribe of Pitmuck and the new Skara Brae administration were already tense following an official statement by the Governor that goblins were not welcome in the town. In response Ozog, and allegedly a few other goblins engaged in a spree of vandalism, theft and harassment of the local citizenry until he was finally arrested by Belle Starr, the Sheriff of Skara Brae.
While poor behaviour has come to be expected from the goblins it is clear that the events of the past week had crossed a line and something had to be done.
In a surprise twist even other members of the goblin race were shocked by Ozog’s behaviour with one little imp named Ido stating:
Mees comes backs to de cities to bisits and mees is so sad to sees goblin kin beeshavin’ so’s means. Pee’in ons stuffs ins de towns jest to causes trubles? Tinkin deys rules ober odders, nots admitison when dez dones somtin dey weres not supposin toos?
Ozog remains in custody at the Governor’s estate on the mainland. His trial has been set for July 13th at 3pm by the eastern clock. It is as yet unknown who the judge will be or what the specific charges are. The public gallery is open for those who wish to see this vandal finally brought to justice.
PaxLair Statehood, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – July 2, 2013 – by Ashlynn – The next meeting will be held as follows:
Pitmuck, Trammel, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – June 20, 2013 – by Ashlynn – Since Dudley vanished from the realm the goblin Pita Tinkles has been left in a terrible state. Moping around during the day in a permanent state of depression and bawling her eyes out at night. It has been hilarious to watch.
But the other goblins have not been idle! They concocted a plan to seek out Dudley on behalf of Pita, and sent out a call for non-goblins to help them. Being curious as to where the journey would take us I simply had to go along.
Last night a small group of goblins and several volunteers met at Pitmuck to follow up rumours that Dudley had been seen in the Tokunese city of Zento. Even some of the new City Governors decided to take a break from their bureaucratic duties and lend a hand.
The group headed to Zento and spoke with a number of dockworkers who stated they saw a person fitting Dudley’s description head west in a large ship. Though it was a pretty vague clue, the goblins were determined to follow it up and off we sailed in a ship of our own.
After some time at sea we found ourselves under attack by many sea serpents and sea elementals. It seemed like they were protecting something and soon enough, we spotted land ahead. A few small islands that appeared to be inhabited.
The inhabitants however were not friendly. They were of the savage sort and even with Niva aboard, they would not listen to reason. Clearly the only solution was to murder all of them lest we end up boiled alive in a metal cauldron and eaten.
Making landfall on the second island yielded some results. After dealing with the hostile residents and rolling their corpses into the sea, we discovered some of Dudley’s belongings. A torn black robe, a spellbook, an armoured vest, and a torn note. Of Dudley there was no sign, but one of our companions did note the lack of blood at the scene.
The note was stained and torn but read as follows:
There isnt a lot o—– is quick. There was some sort of infecti—– ——ortant that you don’t try to find me until I can find some kind of cure. I hope this will manage to reach Pita so she knows that I’ll be back as soon a——
-ll my love, Du—-
With no further clues we could only speculate on what had happened. It is my belief that Dudley had been captured by the island’s inhabitants, stripped and cooked in a giant pot. This suggestion seemed to upset Pita so the others tried to assure her that he was still alive out there somewhere.
The wind then blew the torn clothing into the sea so Pita quickly grabbed the spellbook before it too vanished into the sea. And then with nowhere else to turn, we made our way back to Makoto Jima and, eventually, Pitmuck.
So what became of Dudley? Has he really been eaten by a savage or a sea creature? Is he dead? Is this the end of Pita’s search? Who can say. But if I were to have to put my signature and seal on his fate, I would conclude an inglorious death!
PaxLair Statehood, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – June 18, 2013 – by Ashlynn – The next meeting has been postponed until next week.
Britain, Trammel, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – June 17, 2013 – by Ashlynn – The results for the very first Britannian City Governor elections are in! Though winners in some cities were a foregone conclusion (due to a lack of standing candidates) in others there was a little competition.
Winners by default in cities where there was only one standing candidate are as follows:
Multiple candidates did stand in some cities and winners could only be decided by votes, bribes, and charm.
All Governors have been invited to attend regular meetings with the Royal Council in Castle Blackthorn. Dates will be announced in the near future and I believe the City Governor’s are permitted to bring some supporters.
Governor Ivy of Vesper has also announced her first official town meeting on Friday 21st June at 7pm by the eastern clock. I believe the meeting will be held at her office just across the western bridge from the Bank of Vesper.
Many thanks to Lord Se’an for keeping me informed regarding the progress of the elections.
And congratulations to all the winning candidates!
PaxLair Statehood, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – June 11, 2013 – by Ashlynn – The next meeting will be held as follows:
