Old World Rumor Mill
Hammer And Salt: After the disastrous Grand Conclave last year as tensions rose between the Cult of Sigmar and the Cult of Manann, itself a result of the Holders of the Shore and the actions of Frederick von Hohenzollern, one might have thought it would be safer to put a hold to the Grand Conclave this year. Not so, it seems, as the Emperor forged ahead regardless. This year, however, several Knights Griffon were dedicated to peacekeeping efforts in Nuln, and there is much whispering of just how many priests, acolytes, and laypersons of the from the two Cults arrived in Nuln, greatly outnumbering the representatives of every other invited Cult. Up to and including the Grand Theogonist and the High Matriarch of the Cult of Sigmar and the Cult of Manann respectively. In the past, the Grand Conclave has been a week long event, during which concerns and grievances are aired, the time one of great pomp and circumstance as the representatives of the Gods concentrate themselves in one city. This year, it took not one, not two, but three entire months, with many recesses held as a result of much shouting that could be overhead, and it is even rumored there were more than one scuffle between the servants of many of the Cults not of Sigmar, perhaps out of fears that the Sigmarites might turn on them and theirs next. Still, better prepared this time, the Emperor did not relent, making trips to all of the major temples where the priests rested in recess before the next meeting, continuing to do so throughout the massively extended Conclave. The Emperor met with all, and all met with the Emperor, again and again and again, meetings taking place at one point in the Grand Cathedral of Sigmar, the next in the High Temple of Ulric, and so on and so forth. At one point, a train of over a hundred priests, escorted by religious templars and the Knights Griffon, departed into the forest for a holy site of Taal for their debate. Remarkably, however, those three months seemed worth it. With titanic and singularly focused effort on the part of the Emperor, it seems that a religious conflagration not seen since the Era of Three Emperors has been stoppered. For now, at least.
Deep Forest Clashes: Sounds of screams and panicked reports from scouts and those who wander within the forests brought curious investigations this year through the southern provinces. There, more than once, was found the dead and dying remains of various small but fierce battles. Dead spiders, feather-covered goblins, and squigs were found amongst mutated hounds and the beastmen that drove them. It has long been known that the despicable greenskins and the monstrous beastmen have been rivals for the deepest parts of the forest where the Empire dares not tread without heavily armed support. But this year that rivalry appeared to grow more fierce than usual, at least based on the bodies left behind. Talabecland, Reikland, Middenland, and the Westerland gave such reports this year. What could have driven them to such violence? Why, their own depraved inhuman natures of course! Let them kill one another, I say, and so much the better!
Famines Over?: Thanks to the grandiose and effective works of the Acciai-Vega of Miragliano, and those who followed along with their instructions and ideas, this year marked the first fully successful harvest and distribution of foods. It finally seems that the people of Tilea might no longer suffer the many, many years of famine that they have so far. Though it was quite expensive, importing so many cats and investing in such absurdly fortified granaries and guards, the results cannot be denied. The field's bounty was such that those who had relied on highly priced food imports as their method of finding wealth and plenty were dismayed by prices crashing through the basement this year. On the other hand, those that properly invested and prepared, such as the Acciai-Vega, have taken full advantage of the ensuing mercantile chaos to absorb a truly staggering amount of assets, or so the merchants say in admiring and fearful tones. The rats which have plagued Tilea for so long have been turning up in utterly vast numbers, but dead! Thanks to the tireless efforts of the felines, the poisons, the guards, and more. It may very well be that the ordeal is finally over, but while many wish to simply return to normal, the Acciai-Vega are the loudest proponents of remaining prepared for the future, just in case. Either way, celebrations are being held at this victory over the vermin, let the rats starve, for Myrmidia's sake!
Grand Upset At Grand Tournament: The idea behind the Grand Tournament was such that it would help distract the people of Bretonnia from their troubles of the past few years. Plague, minor famine, invasions by greenskins, ravages by beastmen, and so on. King Gaston purposefully opened up the tournament to foreign warriors, though within reason obviously in terms of character, so that the Bretonnians might further impress upon themselves of their relative superiority. Wondrous prizes, rich fare, and more were promised. Games were even included for those not participating in the martial contests. By all accounts, all was well, for much of the tournament. Several contestants arrived from foreign nations, to give their best attempts at martial excellence, yet all faltered before the abilities of noble Bretonnia. No, instead, it was a supposedly Bretonnian-born contestant who upended everything. Even in Bretonnia, there is a tradition of mystery knights, those who purposefully obscure their true heraldry and face in order to pursue the contest without the expectations that such things would carry weighing them down. Many tales and songs exist of such mystery knights, true brothers coming to cast down ignoble siblings, and the like, some being chosen by the Fay Enchantress and set on their path. This year, however, the mystery knight known simply as the Silent Knight, for their total lack of exhalation and word, dominated throughout the competition. Yet, in the end, at the concluding ceremony where all the prizes were finally handed out, the greatest of them all being a favor granted by the King and Fay Enchantress both, the mystery knight was revealed – it was none other than the newly ascended Duke of Parravon, Jerrod Letard! How he slipped past his observers in Parravon is unknown, especially as one of said observers was a Grail Damsel, or Prophetess, or however those odd Bretonnians call their priestesses. In any case, boldly, as all reacted with shock and were stunned by his reveal, the Duke begged for mercy. That he was ignorant of his father's machinations, and that his wish was for the observers, 'or living chains wound about my neck' as he was heard to say, to be gone from his home. Alas, on the King's own honor, he had sworn an oath to do his best to fulfill the request of the victor, and as such could not easily refuse. Nor could the Fay Enchantress, it seems. As a result, only a short time after the Crown and highest religious authority in the land came crashing down on the Dukedom which got thousands of knights and thousands of Imperial citizens slain in the short-lived Third Parravon War – may there never be a fourth, or if so, may it be the utterly final one – said restrictions were lifted. Going so blatantly against the Royarch and the Fay Enchantress has not won the new Duke any favor, however, though many Knights Errant from other Dukedoms have however trickled into the land, attracted by the near suicidal boldness it took to do so. It seems that Parravon has dropped in esteem by the reckoning of all of Bretonnia, with only the wasteland of Mousillon being any lower.
Middenland and Reikland: Perhaps as a response to the military exercises that took place in the north, or perhaps as something already planned in advance, the armies of Middenland and Reikland committed to communal drills this year. Joining near Carroburg, the gleaming and mighty troops of two of the wealthiest and strongest provinces in the entire Empire worked in tandem as they marched this way and that. All told, it was quite pleasant, friction between the soldiers of two different and occasionally rival provinces sublimated beneath taciturn professionalism. No less than the Graf of Middenland, Gunthar von Bildhofen, brother to the Emperor, commanded the forces of the greatest of the northern provinces, and on the other was the stern and accomplished General Ludwig of House Schliestein. It seems that Count Rommel was unable to come, though the trusted General Ludwig did his duty well enough. To the point that the drills quickly turned into a short impromptu campaign west along the Drakwald's edges, whereupon the combined troops cut down thousands of beastmen who seemed especially frenzied this year, practically flying out of the forest the moment the forces of mankind and civilization happened to get just a little too close. All in all, a good act of cooperation and an appreciable military success. Still, the beastmen have rarely been so aggressive so close to the outer limits of the Drakwald, normally only showing up in such numbers and so berserk after a punitive force has penetrated far deeper into the forest. It is a good thing that the Graf and General were working together then, to cull them properly!
River Excavation Finds Bodies: The vast underground river which stretches from Tilea to the Empire beneath the mountains which suffered quakes and tunnel collapses a few years ago has been undergoing continuous excavation efforts ever since. After all, it is quite possibly one of the most valuable trade routes available, able to be sailed down regardless of the season, whereas winter can quite easily block off all mountain routes entirely and impassably. Or at least it was, before it was so abruptly closed off. Considerable wealth and effort has been expended on both sides of the river to clear it, the Merchant Princes employing workers rather than vast mercenary armies and the Empire throwing their own not-inconsiderable might to the act. More recently, bodies have been discovered in the rubble as work crews penetrate further and further into the river's tunnel, well-decayed and crushed beneath all of the rock and rubble. Beastmen, of all things! Pfah, dumb creatures probably died the moment the tunnel quaked. Odd, but not unknown for such stupid creatures to die in such an undignified manner.
The Wild Bull: Not even a few years after his radical actions in Ostland upon the Cult of Manann, the Count known as the Steel Bull to some, Frederick von Hohenzollern, has fallen upon his own people for once rather than anyone or anything else. He had introduced a radical set of revised laws, stripping rights and defining territorial borders with utter finality, infuriating numerous noble families in that distant province. He apparently utilized the newfangled 'printing press' to make sure there were enough books to distribute to everyone, implicitly if not aggressively staring down all who protested down the point of his Runefang
Brain Wounder. Already, dozens of disputes over taxation rights and land ownership have radically changed practically overnight, as suddenly arguments are revived or greatly revised from before. Certain acts have outright been outlawed, such as halfling coursing, while certain laws which are meant to equalize certain matters between humans and non-human citizens have been thrown out entirely! What madness! Yet, somehow, the Count has the support of the local Verenans on his side. Chaos has ensued as different matters are suddenly brought to the fore where previously there was no point due to differing laws and rights, all of which have been altered, infringed, or removed entirely. Various titles have been regained, and various titles have been lost, in accordance to a 'clearing up' of over two thousand years of differing Elector Counts, Emperors, and so on. Though it will take some time to see just how effective this new law code might be, suffice to say Ostland has been quite shaken up by what has occurred. Perhaps the Count has taken just a few too many blows to the head for the sake of the Empire?
Farmers Rejoice In Northern Trident: A new device has taken root, quite literally, in the Northern Trident. This seeding drill, apparently created by the infamous Anna von Hohenzollern, daughter of the Steel Bull, had immediately and greatly increased the yields of the fields in the Northern Trident. By using its measured capabilities, the usual manner of scattering and planting on hands and knees appears to be done, at least on the larger scale farms. The drill allows for precise planting of seeds, in depth and distance, and as such crop yields across the Northern Trident have rather exploded. Though the devices are a bit expensive to produce, the results are undeniable. Even in ancient times, our ancestors knew that more food meant more power in the long run. Of course, no sooner had the farmers of Ostland had their wonderful increase in yields, able to sell that much more at market, than did the natural consequences amount - flooding a market with a product surely means a price decrease. Worse than that, the increased income for the farmers meant that rather suddenly had much more to pay in taxes, and even more so with regard to the mad Count's sudden decision to utterly upend thousands of years of tradition and well-researched lawmaking in a single go! Regardless, already the Northern Trident is benefitting. One can only imagine how well such devices might aid in places with far better farmland than the cold north, but only time will see if the stubborn Ostlanders will dare sell or trade the things in large enough amounts, or if their betters will have to wait for the inevitable to occur and make use of them themselves.
Dragon In The South: Far to the south of the Empire, in the Border Princes, where those who disagree with the rightful rule of others attempt to carve out their own small domains, there are many dangers. Starvation. Dehydration. Disease. Raiders of all sorts and sizes. Things that proper nations are far more capable of dealing with. But, admittedly, it is not every day that an utterly massive dragon appears and begins burning the scattered beastmen and spreading terror around the landscape. Said to be even bigger than the dragon that the famous mercenary of the south Asarnil rides, this beast has terrorized the Border Princes, occasionally burning small isolated villages and burning down smaller warherds before departing again. No one knows where its nest is, or where it came from, as the beast disappeared sometime around the fall. Only to reappear over the Grey Mountains, buzzing north across Middenland, and disappearing somewhere in the Middle Mountains. Already, prospective dragon hunters have begun flooding the mountain range, hopeful to slay a dragon for the legend and claim its surely enormous horde for the wealth.
Sea of Claws 2341 Report: The tales of flying Ostland sailors, as it turns out, is true! The fleet of Ostland has begun employing men and women daring to wear ludicrous creations which allow them to fly as the albatross does, while also bearing crossbows which the holy albatross most certainly does not. As it is, however, these scouts and their ability to fly up past the point of the usual sightline of most all ship-bound folk have more than proven their worth. Being capable of scouting out with spyglasses and flying over the waters as a mere speck in the distance allowed the ships of Ostland to maneuver themselves such that they were able to surround and sink a trio of Druchii vessels, as well as send a large greenskin barge down into Manann's maw. As for the rest of the Sea of Claws, it was another oddity this year as the Norscans themselves seemed unwilling to even leave their anchorages, and daring – foolhardy perhaps – missions of scouting have proven that many coastal settlements were largely abandoned, leaving only empty spaces behind as Norscans are loath to waste wood and fur and so on. Where they've gone, none can say, but most speculate they've mostly gone inward to some mindless contest in the name of the Ruinous Powers or the like. Though there were small notes that the ships of Kislev seemed to almost be patrolling against themselves in strange contests of brinksmanship close to their coastline when seen at all.
Overall Order Victory. Ostland Victory. Kislev Victory? Norscan Raiding Pressure -> None.
Kislev Rumor Mill
Troll Cleansing: Regularly, the disgusting monsters for which Troll Country gets its name spawn in greater and greater numbers. Then they trundle south, east, north, all directions possible by land, in search of more food and resources to sustain their inhuman hungers. Only one year ago, hundreds of trolls spewed outwards in greater number and with startling speed compared to the past such deluges, to the point that even the most stubborn of settlements in Troll Country had to evacuate or die. Many of said refugees are now settling near Kislev City, escorted there by the Grand Army, or even further south near the farms. But more importantly, the question of why the trolls have reacted in such a way goes currently unanswered, as by the reports of said refugees there was yet enough still plenty of food, in one measure or another, for the trolls to consume yet. Those who live in Troll Country have a vested interest in keeping track of such things, after all. All varieties of troll, save for Chaos Trolls, sent outwards? Almost fleeing, some speculated, though from what or why is unknown. It hardly matters now, however, now that the Grand Army has seen to the careful extermination of the trolls, firing from afar with flaming arrows on the part of Ungol Horse Archers, expertly burning and slaughtering the beasts while remaining out of reach.
Further Rumor Mill Entries Unavailable Due To Intrigue Action Successes By Certain Non-Ostland Parties.
Karaz Ankor Rumor Mill
Iron Rock Halfway Gone: The disassembling of such a massive hunk of rock and ore as the infamous Iron Rock would have taken thousands of years, if the dawi had their way. Properly reinforcing the tunnels, mining its rich seams, could have supplied a tremendous amount of resources for the Karaz Ankor, even by the standards of the Golden Age. But the greenskins care little for such things, and instead simply tear away rock and seam alike with the aid of their enslaved giants and exploding squigs, simply tearing massive hunks of the mountain away and then utilizing trains of trolls to trudge it back towards Karak Drazh and Karak Eight Peaks. The magnificent mountain has been permanently ruined, halved in the course of but a handful of years by brutal and uncaring greenskin…and it pains me to even use the word…
industry. Even if all the greenskins should be slain, the mountain claimed once more, it will never be the same, portions of its trove forever ruined by being crudely forged into greenskin armaments or worse, left to simply rust as scrap in a pile of trash. Though the dawi were unable to finish our tunnels and mining networks before it was taken from us long ago, there remain yet grudges to be struck out for our being forced from there. Another has been added, the Grudge of Iron Rock's Destruction, for this awful act.
Blood Bowl Bleeding: This year, the carnage within Karak Eight Peaks, known now to the greenskins as the Blood Bowl and supposedly the 'City of Pillars' to the accursed skaven, grew more intense than before. From nowhere, it seems as if the skaven are simply emptying their warrens of their most malnourished and mistreated, shoving numbers beyond counting armed sometimes with nothing but their own yellowed claws and chipped fangs upwards from beneath the earth. These skaven were so completely consumed by their titular 'Black Hunger' that many of them were outright self-cannibalizing as they emerged into daylight. By the grumblings of the longbeards, this has happened before. The skaven, foolish creatures that they are, often multiply exponentially more than they can possibly sustain with food in the long-term, and deluges such as this are often the result. Unfortunately, on numbers alone this tactic has allowed the blasted ratkin to overwhelm doughty dawi defenses in the past, though for once they are doing so against the greenskins. In any case, the sheer numbers of crudely or outright utterly unequipped skaven were rammed straight against the brutal edges of orc axes and puncturing goblin spears. Rivers of blood have been spilled, the casual and insane sorceries of the ratmen clashing with the explosive and uncontrollable works of the greenskin shamans. Enough, it seems, to have caused outright daemonic manifestation, according to outcast Algrom Shadowbeard, with red-skinned and horned daemons tearing upwards out of the pools and rivers of blood spilled. Thus, for this year at least, the war became one of three rather than two, for the daemons were allied with none, and none allied against them. Daemon killed greenskin who stomped skaven who backstabbed daemon. And so on. Such manifestations, and in such numbers, speak terribly as to the condition of the runic defenses that were long ago carved into Karak Eight Peaks, their status unknowable as three forces now desecrate the once beautiful hold. Algrom's sketches paint a grim picture of the entire environment, statues of the Ancestors and carefully carved halls not only defaced but simply destroyed, shattered ancestral tombs utilized as ammo for catapults or casualties of magical or mundane explosions. Some are even beginning to whisper that even if the dwarfs manage to reclaim Karak Eight Peaks…there may not actually be a hold left to reclaim.
Sadrina's Ramblings
The Light of Isha Illuminates Nagarythe: You wouldn't know, being humans, of the torrid and tragic history and state of Nagarythe. The Shadowlands, they are called. Once one of the mightiest of all the elven kingdoms, the birthplace of the Witch King himself, now ruled over – supposedly – by Alith Anar. If he even exists. I've heard of him, but I've never met the man. I suspect that there have been numerous Alith Anars, but it is not as if I would know for certain. In any case, ever since the end of the Great Incursion, some small decades ago, it has remained in the grasp of the Druchii, despite the best efforts of the cruel and brutal warriors who refused to leave the Druchii unharmed. The princes of Ulthuan have been floating the idea of attempting to reconquer that darkened corner of Ulthuan, but it seems that Her Serenity has gotten fed up with simply waiting around. Some dare whisper that she is 'too impatient' for an Everqueen, and if I ever meet those whispering short-eared wastrels I'll likely have to beat them silly or at least ruin their social lives for a thousand years. I say that she is as bold as she needs to be in these dark times. I say that why shouldn't the Everqueen, aided by her Champion Tyrion of House Emeraldsea and his squire Eldyra, and their new ally in Gholnaros, lead the charge? The court of Avelorn, that wondrous train of song and light and dance and joy, follows her into that darkened northwest, and behind them comes Prince Imrik, of Caledor, leading a great many Dragon Princes with her. Personally, I think they are just there to try and keep Gholnaros alive, rather than really to aid the Everqueen, but so long as their lances and swords aid My Lady, I don't really care at the moment. The Reconquering of the Shadowlands has begun, one way or another. I do hear that they were thinking of possibly electing some other prince…Melenar I think his name was, to lead the effort, but the princes might have debated for many years yet. I applaud my Lady, for so long as a single kingdom of Ulthuan is oppressed by Malekith's cruel kind, all of Ulthuan is lessened. Even if it is the Shadowlands.