KIDNAPPING!! ARSON!! MURDER!!

Local authorities responded to reports of a farmstead being burnt to the ground, and its inhabitants slain, a day’s walk southwest of Riverton, sources tell us.

castle burns“It was…horrible. I’ve been working with the militia for years now, and have never seen anything like it.” stated Lebben Farseer, an investigator working with local Irvanshirian Militia troop. “The entire farmhouse was burnt to the ground, and all the livestock gone, but the family…the family was slaughtered. It weren’t no bandit group or wild animal did to those bodies what these THINGS did…it almost looks as though something turn’t those poor folks inside out. I don’t know what could have possibly done it to those folks, but others in the area have been told about it, and many of them are fleein’ the area, and rightfully so!…”

The bodies of the family have been identified as Pav and Ingrid Wilmer, local cattle farmers. Unfortunately, the bodies of their two children, ages fourteen and eleven, were also discovered on the scene. Recently, the Wilmers family had also adopted a young elven boy by the name of Owen through the Fortune’s Children program, but Owen was not found with the rest of his family, and his current whereabouts are unknown. Authorities are suspecting foul play, as there had recently been rumors of suspicious activity involving a group of unrecognized children in the area.

Anyone with any information on Owen’s whereabouts or any information on who could have committed this atrocious act should contact either the authorities in Riverton, the local troop of the Irvanshirian militia, or members of the Fortune’s Children group of The Allegiant.

Innovation Within the Allegiant! Orphans Rescued!

Just outside of the city of Riverton is a rough and tumble jumble of ramshackle huts, crude tents, and dirty dwellings that look like they have been built and set up by children. In fact, that is almost entirely the case! They call this makeshift town “Orphan City” and it is filled with the lost and orphaned of many races from all over the kingdom and even the rest of Aszuron. These orphans range in age from 2 or 3 years old to sometimes as old as 18 or 19 and have been on their own for most of their lives. Orphan City has been a place for these lost and lonely to find help, companionship, independence, and even some semblance of family. However, being “ruled” by children and young adults with little to no means of making money and less ability and know-how about how to grow food or get other supplies, Orphan City has also become a place of where survival of the fittest and strongest has become the law, despite the attempts of several of the older inhabitants to keep it from becoming so. It has earned itself a reputation of being dangerous and hostile to “outsiders” and town officials have received many complaints about its existence.

The Allegiant in Riverton has been working on programs throughout the city to help orphans within its Fortune's Children Symbolboundaries and has recently developed an innovative new program called Fortune’s Children that will help to not only find these lost children homes that will help them build character and develop good, lifelong habits and strong moral compasses, but will help the working families throughout Irvanshire as well. Executor Porri the Advocate has been working tirelessly in cooperation with the Messengers’ Guild, the Freetradesmen, and several other organizations to secure homes with farming families in the more remote areas of Irvanshire to take in and adopt these orphans in order to help with farm life. In return, these families, hand-picked by the Allegiant, will feed, shelter, and care for the minds, bodies, and souls of those they adopt within a strict Allegiant-designed regimen, ensuring that they grow up to be strong, compassionate, and well-adapted citizens of the kingdom.

Fortune’s Children has been widely accepted as a true innovation of the times and is lauded for its compassion and wisdom. As such, it has been implemented very quickly and Orphan City was the first target. Within weeks the piecemeal village had been emptied and its inhabitants sent to various places around the kingdom. Cleanup is currently underway to remove all traces of the unsightly occupation and it is though that this program will extend to other cities where homelessness and large populations of orphans are prevalent.

Executor Porri also wishes to extend the invitation of a warm, caring home to those families within the kingdom who are in a state of poverty so extreme that they feel they can no longer take care of their children. If you find yourself in such a heartbreaking situation, please seek out your local Allegiant officials to apply to be a part of this wonderful program. Alternatively, if you are a family in a place to help those in need (and who may need extra hands to help with your trade or farm) and are willing to raise your family members (new and old) according to a regimen laid out by the Allegiant, please again contact your local officials to apply.

It is through innovations such as this that we find ourselves in a more compassionate, caring, and altogether more wonderful world and it is the wish of Executor Porri and the Allegiant that this will lead to many more programs and innovations in the future.

Player Submission: Common Man’s Guide to the Incarnations and the Allegiant

This Guide will be a departure from the previous entries. In the spirit of the month of Enlightening (Editor’s Note: this article was received in Enlightening, but is only being published now), I will be enlightening you with Knowledge regarding the Incarnations and the Allegiant. This essay will also touch upon the Bloodwaters.

Incarnations

The Incarnations are embodiments of the most important concepts in Magesta. There are many minor Incarnations, but the Great Incarnations technically number 17. The chart below contains 19, though it should be noted that the Creator is technically not an Incarnation (currently) and Death and Dream are technically the same liminal Incarnation. Usually, the Incarnations are counted as 18, counting Death and Dream separately and excluding the Creator.

It is from the Incarnations that we derive the days of the week and the months of the year. Since many members of town often struggle remembering the names of months, this chart includes the previous Age’s month names as well.

Age                                 Years                                      Incarnation                                         Day

Creation                              117?*                                        The Creator                                         Shapingday

Dream / Repose               3613                                            Dream                                               Dreamingday

War                                     1005                                             War                                                  Battleday

Tears                                   5375                                             Fear                                                 Weepingday

Gathering                           2877                                        Community                                       Gatheringday

Arrival / Waking              2007                                           Faith                                                   Wakingday

Fortune                               125+                                           Fortune                                              Fortuneday

 

Incarnation                                            Month                                               Old Month(Age of Arrival)

Nature                                                          Newgreen                                                              Impril

Music                                                            Petalsong                                                            Maygrelian

Knowledge                                                  Enlightening                                                          Ogrune

Magic                                                             Suncast                                                                   Gobly

Peace                                                             Stillbreeze                                                           Gnomegust

Labor                                                            Harvestwane                                                          Elftember

Death                                                            Reapingdusk                                                          Orctober

Evil                                                                Boneharvest                                                        Dwarvember

Law                                                                  Greysky                                                                Drakember

Chaos                                                             Ravingfrost                                                          Humanuary

Memory                                                      Reminiscence                                                           Faebruary

Life                                                                  Bloodthaw                                                              Marchestry

*Some scholars argue that since Death did not exist until the Age of Repose, measuring time for the Age of Creation is meaningless.

Allegiant Symbol AloneThe Allegiant

The Allegiant is an organization dedicated to worshiping, serving, and giving Agreement to the Incarnations. The Allegiant categorizes the Incarnations into three groups: the Head, the Heart, and the Hand.

Each of these three groups is tied to a different color of the Bloodwaters. While the Incarnations are manifestations of phenomena important to Magesta, the Bloodwaters are a sentient manifestation of the entire universe. There are five colors of the Bloodwaters, but only three are accessible from Magesta.

The Blue Bloodwaters are Spirit. Blue is the color of the Heart. The Heart is living. The Heart is emotion. The Heart is passion. The Heart sways rationality and gives drive to action. The Heart is Chaos, Death, Faith, Fear, Life, and Music.

The Red Bloodwaters are Magic and Energy. Red is the color of the Head. The Head is consciousness. The Head is reason. The Head is methodical. The Head is drive. The Head gives order to action and tempers emotion. The Incarnations of the Head are Dream, Memory, Knowledge, Magic, Evil, and Law.

The Yellow Bloodwaters are Time. Yellow is the color of the Hand. The Hand is action. The Hand is work, though not necessarily manual labor. The Hand is follow-through. The Hand is consequence. The Hand gives a means to both passion and ambition. The Hand is Community, Fortune, Labor, Peace, Nature, and War.

There are those in the Allegiant who serve all the Incarnations, but most Allegiant members are drawn to either the Head, the Heart, the Hand, or to one Incarnation in particular.

If you are interesting in learning more about the Incarnations and the Allegiant, please seek out one of the following people:

Oliver Finnestera, Minister of the Elmerton Allegiant

Rybin vanHolt, Cordent of the Head

Sebastian Dark, Yeoman of the Hand

Asmondaious, Confessor of the Heart

 

RybinvanHoltseal

Yours in Knowledge,

Rybin vanHolt

Historian and Scholar

Archminister Gallows Succumbs to Hearing Loss

Allegiant Symbol AloneNews from the Allegiant Temple in Point Edgar: Archminister Valvik Gallows has succumbed to total deafness after years of dealing with hearing problems involving a magical experiment in the year 97, Age of Fortune.  Sources within the Allegiant say that the Archminister has no plans to retire, and that his ability to minister to the people is not at all hindered by this issue.  In fact, he has recently begun plans to institute several new orphanages in the kingdom’s neediest cities and has the Allegiant working with Ghaatma’s Own to establish several hospice centers within their guild walls.

Porri the Advocate, Executor of the South Farthings and an agent of Community,  is reported as saying,

“He’s been working hard despite this disability for a long time, and the people around him have learned to signal to him to get his attention. He is also quite adept at reading lips.  His sermons are on the loud side, to be sure, but this only means that his words can be heard without magical amplification.  We will continue to support and stand by the Archminister.”

 

My Spirit Soars

Over the last year, those loyal to the Incarnation of War have been thrown into a Chaos the likes of which has not been seen in Ages. The Vampire Queen Amphelise, acting as a de-facto Incarnation of Nightmare, was able to put Armego, the Incarnation of War, into a deep, crippling slumber. Many of his agents no longer felt their connection to him; they became the Lost, and many of us were in danger of succumbing to the emptiness of Spirit that resulted. However, Amphelise has been defeated and Armego has woken once more. Though his awakening brought joy, it also brought confusion- both his and ours. He has claimed to be Hyurog, Magesta’s first Incarnation of War, and has mentioned alliance with someone called the Gatekeeper (to what end, we are unsure), though he also recognizes his role as Armego.

This duality has caused a great deal of excitement throughout the Allegiant because it seems we are nearing the fulfillment of a prophecy written long ago:

When the spirits duel in War, the Dawn of Victory is at hand.

In the original prophecy, the word “duel” was difficult to distinguish; it looked as if it might have, instead, read “dual.” Interpreters at the time agreed that the intended word must have been “duel,” but they made a marginal note about their hesitance. In light of this recent event, we now understand that the intended word was, in fact, “dual,” so, as officially noted by the historians in Battlekeep, the prophecy now reads:

When the spirits, dual, in War, the Dawn of Victory is at hand.

Magical verification has been undertaken, and our Spiritual Theorists have confirmed that there are, indeed, two spirits residing within the Incarnation of War. It is my fervent belief that the Dawn of Victory is upon us and we are fortunate enough to be alive to witness it!

Oh, Faithful ones! The Spirit of War has come into his rights once more on Magesta. My being is alive and aflame with the passion of battle and I hunger for the glory and brilliance that it brings. I long to see men rise from the bleakness of the battlefield and take on the vividly colored mantle of bravery and courage. I yearn to see the depth of character of warriors the world over, and to see all peoples reach their true potential. Hyurog has reclaimed his title and is bringing about an Age in which War is revered and glorified! He has come to us as prophesied, and the effects are being felt the world over as the bloodfire is ignited once more in the hearts of Magesta.

This recent change has inspired me to relate, briefly, the story of the beginning of the Age of War in order that we can use the past to help us interpret and accept the present and to look forward to the future.

The end of the Age of Repose saw fundamental shift in the positive and negative energies of Magesta. The very components of Magesta’s eight Realms were being altered by some force in ways that impacted nearly every person, plant, and animal on Magesta. For a reason never determined, the Incarnation of War was especially affected by what was happening- many of his Warlords had their Agreement somehow inverted, still receiving their power, though from someone or something other than Hyurog. The hearts of many of his remaining agents became timid and their spirits lost the spark that gave them courage and the will to live fully. Hyurog was losing his family to this force, and it is said that his wrath grew exponentially even as his feelings of helplessness and loss increased. Finally, as a father will do when his family is attacked, Hyurog struck back with all the power granted him by his Incarnationhood. Though his actions were born from an attempt to shift the balance of energies back to normal, his vision was filled with bloodlust, the glory of war, and the inexorable and valiant spirit of, as-of-yet unrealized, Potential. His will poured over the land, and the Age of War shaped the next thousand years.

Now Hyruog is returned to us, and though we are charged to figure out why, we are also charged with Duty and Obedience to our Incarnation, even as we would give to a visiting commanding officer. Perhaps the energies have been tampered with once again and he has returned to us in our time of need- a time when we need War to bring about change. A time when the beings of Magesta need to be tempered with blood and battle and come through the Forges of War stronger and more resilient. The strength of War has given rise to a strength of character that has been lacking and is sorely needed. We may not be able to understand fully the nature of this merger of Incarnations, but it is my hope that we will embrace it and use it to better and strengthen ourselves. Nowhere is the glory of a person’s character as well-defined as on the battlefield.

Hyurog's war

The Dawn of Victory is upon us! Make yourselves ready. And Praise Hyurog!

~Garraunt Warsson

Agent of War

Devoter of the South Farthings

Vampire Houses in turmoil! Our nation to be restored!

Irvanshirians,

Last Petalsong, I was forced to invoke the Right of Perdition as our nation faced a grave danger, with many of the nation’s nobility under a terrible control.

It brings me great pleasure to announce that – on a case by case basis – The Allegiant are revoking the Right of Perdition.

The Vampire Houses are in disarray. Even now, months later,  they succumb to power-plays and in-fighting. They are killing each other more quickly than any of us could.  The Vampire Queen is dead and with her passing, so too passes their sway over our nobility. The creatures are retreating without their noble lords to hide behind.

Already Point Edgar and Tradegate have been returned to the able hands of our nobility. Once the  investigations into each town and city are complete, all of Irvanshire will be back to normal. I want to thank each and every one of you for the smooth transition of power to us. I anticipate the conversion back to be just as easy.

As the Allegiant, it is our duty to serve, especially when others cannot. Thank you for your cooperation, Irvanshire.

 

-Valvik Gallows, Incarnist of All Incarnations,
Arch-Minster of the The Allegiant in Irvanshire

Allegiant Invoke Right of Perdition

Irvanshireans,

It is with heavy-heart that I survey the state of our nation. The undead awaken, and would claim our home as theirs. They kill our sons and daughters. They take what they please and ignore everything we as a people have struggled to create.

Our lands are constantly troubled by one thing or another, it is true. Always, we have been able to rely on the great houses of Irvanshire to keep us safe. Not so with this new threat. The vampires have our noble families under their sway. They use foul magic to twist their wisdom and skew their justice.

Many think the Incarnations are the first priority of the Allegiant, but that is not so. Our first duty is to those who would serve our patrons: the people. We exist to lift up the common man and guide the nobles. We promote the people so they may promote the Incarnations. But the vampires slay the common man! They ensorcell the noble! These monsters dare to call themselves kings and queens. They disregard our laws and toss away the society we built.

In times of uncertainty, when the path we are on is fraught with tribulation and our destination can only be ruin, we must invoke the Right of Perdition. In these times, the Allegiant must step-up. We will not let these usurpers rule us! They do not revere our lords, nor the Incarnations! The only things they worship are themselves.

We will not stand idly by. We invoke the Right of Perdition. Those villages and towns that miss the gaze of the great noble families of Irvanshire will now look to the Allegiant as their leaders. Already the orcs of Hatchport look to their Minister to command them. Already the gnomes in Craftshire have found succor in our open hands. While House Lav’Endros looks inward, we look to Elmerton. While House Camis and Falstoke ignore not only the raiders of the Lakeshires, but now also the vampire menace, we create a ministry in each hamlet. Soon Port Hensworth will be able to count on us. Soon Lakedale.

The Allegiant call ourselves the Head, the Hand, and the Heart. But you Irvanshire, you are the rest. You are the Arms, out-stretched and welcoming. You are the Feet, ever advancing. You are the Back, upon which this nation was built. You are the Eyes, and you can all see the blight that is consuming our land.

This does not bring me joy. I am not happy to have to call upon the Right. But I will do so with pride and honor, because Irvanshire deserves no less.

-Valvik Gallows, Incarnist of All Incarnations,
Arch-Minster of the The Allegiant of Irvanshire