As I walked to one of our dens in Spinesreach, I was stupefied at the sight of the place: Our reporters were either hanged, slain or maimed beyond recognition, our quills were broken and stacks of parchments were burned to the ground along the place. They even killed my favourite cat, Mr. Chuckles! The tyranny rules the City of Spires by now and that I shall remind everyone this: No amount of intimidation will stop the Spirean Gazette from continuing its crusade to the farthest recesses of the continent in order to bring you the most intriguing news! Now for our third issue we were able to arrange a very exclusive interview with Lady Phoenecia Sinclair, empress of a commercial behemoth, purveyor of exotic delights and an esteemed Speaker of the Duiran Council! Without further ado I present you the third issue of Spirean Gazette!

-Mr. Spires (Chief Editor)

DISCLAIMER: This publication IS NOT endorsed, funded or supported by Spinesreach in any official capacity. Readers are fully responsible for the mental disturbances they might experience while reading this gazette and the senile old man who delivered this issue to the distribution center should be considered exempt from any responsibility.

1. HOUSE D'BAEN: DESCENDING THE SPIRAL SO FAST?

One of the Five Great Houses of the Dominion, House D'baen has been always a point of interest for our esteemed gazette, for they never cease to provide us the most intriguing occurrences. After the mysterious disappearance of Praetor Cordia D'baen, the tension within the house did not subside when another mysterious figure known as Maldoror D'baen wrested the power from Praetor Zisra D'baen, seizing the opportunity in a moment of upheaval. Who was this man? Where did he come from? What was his motivations? As we investigated through the ancient city, some people told us about his abusive past while some people were downright clueless. Her Imperial Majesty, Ellenia Nebre'seir, Mazhar of the House Nebre'seir had some choice words about him:

"Maldoror is notorious for his disgusting actions, just ask anyone in Bloodloch that is old enough to remember. He has been known to make advances towards young thralls and use his power to influence their decisions. Maldoror deserves to have his dangly bits chopped off and fed to him, and should I find out that he is using his power to make advances on young women, I will be the one that does the chopping."

We tried to contact the Imperator Maldoror and against all these allegations he said:

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Eventually he has been brought down from his position by the tempestous Rijetta D'baen who is known for her fiery attitude in matters, but no doubt she will have the best of the House within her mind. As Spirean Gazette we congratulate the new Praetor and hope this one will last longer then the predecessors.

2. UNDER OLD MANAGEMENT!

The guild of arcane, the beacon of knowledge and power within the City of Spires, Sciomancers has fallen to the control of the conservative wing once again. Perceived as a visionary or a man of aspiration by some and as a madman or a charlatan by others, the short reign of the Shadow Warden Kalak Vaelinos was full of troubles. Despite his revolutionary attempts at renovation and bringing more influence to the guild, he faced with the determined opposition of the conservatives who actively undermined his reign by threatening to leave their positions, slanders, misdirections and sudden outbursts, to the point of accusing the man as a thief. Eventually, the man in question decided to leave Sciomancers to their fate. The replacement was none other then the Hero of the Crystalline Void, Tekias Ilstrem-Cardinalis, also coincidentally Hero of the Love Triangle between Teani Tash-Vetra and Amarita. What happened to the madman? Who knows. He was last seen frequenting the taverns of the land, drinking heavily and singing lewd songs about people. Meanwhile Sciomancers are discussing to change the name of the guild. Possible candidates are: Puzzlemancers, Vacation Spot and Conservative Brotherhood.

3. RENEWAL OF DUIRAN: REAL OR MYTH?

Known by its tolerance towards all people of the continent, the Duiran Council modified their policies to be more hostile against practitioners of the Shadow element with a swift declaration. Despite this seems like a firm step towards curbing the influence of corruption which may spread to Dendara, it is viewed as an ineffectual method which would actually make no substantial difference. While the public statement of Speaker Eowyn, aims to protect the Council, this in no way promises an aspiration to care about the nature itself. It does not stop the spread of Corruption by the followers of Lady Chakrasul or takes no visible step to bring military dominance in the battlefield for pre-emptive strikes against threats. Furthermore, Duiran insists on harboring a ylem Pylon which is proven to be dangerous and if not cared would harm Dendara more then a stray shadeling entering the borders. Will Duiran take necessary steps to refuse this dangerous Delve technology and return to their roots? Will they finally assemble enough troops to stomp on the Corruption itself? That remains to be seen. So far the defections from their side and the lack of presence in the battlefield, makes the situation seem bleak for the nature Council.

4. ONCE UPON A TIME IN BLOODWOOD

Our sources indicate that people have been disappearing near Bloodwood as of late, both those of Spirit and those of Shadow, and strange screams can be heard for those who linger long enough to actually listen. Rumour has it there is someone grabbing people from the forest. Other rumours say people are being lured away by a temptress demon. No city had spoken out loud about this, yet. Whether it is due to guilt or ignorance that is impossible to tell. We duly warn our readers to take care while trudging through this mysterious territory and keep their trousers up all the time against any tempting threat which may be lurking within the woods.

-----Advertisements, Commercials and Stuff-----

- General Fezzix Sicarius and his daughter Istela Sicarius invaded the fortress of an evil Mage and decided to bring him to justice. But day after day, they did not return back to Spinesreach to watch the official parade prepared in honor of their victory. After the despicable mage flushed them out (literally, with water) it has been noted that the General happened to drink from the wine spiked with the mutagen created by Runas Elindian, an Archivist which studies phallic restoration at the lack of a better thing. What happened in there for days? We leave it to the imagination of our readers.

- [A caricature of a red-haired Tsol'aa with amber-colored eyes is depicted here. At first frame she seems to be staring intently at a vat of molten chocolate. Within the second frame her eyes appear to have grown empty and dull, mouth drooling severely. The third frame portrays the Tsol'aa woman falling headlong into the vat with a splash of molten chocolate. Below the third frame something scribbled in italics. - "For Robyn" ]
- OFFICIAL PUBLIC POLL (Please send your answers to our editors)

1st Senator of the Year Competition! Vote for your favourite Senator!

(a) Atarah Sor'Tirivan: Hideous looking, extremely talented in various matters and a family woman. Still does not know how to cook like a proper woman.

(b) Fezzix Sicarius: Conniving, dishonorable and stubborn. Expected to die from a lung disease due to excessive smoking.

(c) Kanivara Sor'Tirivan: Her cussing would put a barbarian with a burly chest to shame. Hates pigeons.

(d) Tina Cardinalis: The legal backbone of the City of Spires. Prone to torturing people and throwing them off a chasm. Approach her at your own expense.

(e) Kelliara Vetra-Seirath: She is [Redacted] and [Redacted] While she can be sometimes [Redacted] Her usual demeanor is [Redacted]

- WEATHER REPORT

A singularity rain is expected in the following weeks, our citizens are advised to bring extra clothes for the sudden currents of cold and watching the skies is paramount to avoid this strange weather phenomenon.

-----Advertisements, Commercials and Stuff-----

***SPIREAN GAZETTE: EXCLUSIVE***

[A long dark haired woman with large lavender eyes laying on a mound of gold with an alluring manner is depicted here]
Duiran Council, the place where you are exposed to fifty shades of natural phenomenons was our destination for this particular assignment. As proud and all-knowing Spireans we were confident that we could find the atrium of the Great Oak by ourselves, but eventually had to ask locals to save some time, else Mr. Spires would be upset for the delay. We have been informed that our mark left for her shop in Esterport so we gathered up our packs and travelled to the Azure Rose within the bustling city of commerce. The shop itself was full of exotic curiousities gathered from all across the lands and the proprietess Lady Phoenecia Sinclair was quite accomodating offering refreshments to us as soon as we barged into the place. Though before we could ask anything, one of our colleagues tried to impress this attractive lady with his bravery by gulping a whole godstongue fruit which started the Age of Dawn, only in his mind for a few seconds. After we dragged out the enlightened corpse of our friend, we could start the interview.

- Spirean Gazette: "First of all, Lady Phoenecia, we thank you for allowing this opportunity to visit your fine establishment. You have quite a commercial empire, for someone from a nature council. Would you like to tell us something about your commercial ventures?"

- Lady Phoenecia: "The Azure Rose has been my flagship business since I first started crafting many years ago. I started out as strictly a tailor in Enorian, and then gradually learned more crafts as time went on."

Setting her eyes upon us, she gave us an almost a cheeky grin, folding her arms upon the bar. While she continued to explain her ventures, one of our reporters tripped and fell into a large vat of bubbling liquid bringing our casualties to two for the time being.

- LP: "As my reputation grew, so did my business. Eventually I had earned enough to be able to purchase a shop in Delos when one went up for auction. The Azure Rose has been here ever since - well over a hundred years now. I run a few other shops as well, or assist in stocking them, but am not the main proprietor."

- SP: "That is quite an impressive history my lady, though you are also an influential politician in Duiran. There have been speculations about the military presence of Duiran lately. Some people say that you are gathering your strength for the future while a part of people thinks that your ranks have dwindled noticeably. As Spirean Gazette, that is our duty to enlighten our readers about this situation. Would you care to tell us about the situation in Duiran?"

- LP: "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to divulge intricate details."

Her grin shifted from cheeky to a sly one while our casualties increased to three when one of our fellows ate a hallucinogen making himself think that bashing his head on the wall is a revolutionary idea. Determined to bring this interview to our headquarters, I decided to not touch anything in this dangerous shop.

- LP: "Each city has its strengths and weaknesses, and each has periods of military dominance. I've served on the ruling councils of three of the four."

- SP: "Of course, some general words to inspire would be acceptable as well. But it is not our place to insist, my lady."

- LP: "Well, I'm admittedly not as familiar with Duiran's history as much as I'd like, but where Enorian focuses on the Light, and Spinesreach traditionally knowledge, Duiran's focus has been primarily observing and protecting the balance of nature. Dendara in particular. Making sure the Cycle behaves as it should."

- SP: "The Cycle, my lady?"

- LP: "If something goes wrong with the very fabric that makes up life, then everything falls apart. Or at least that's the impression I've gotten in the time I've served Duiran."

- SP: "Balance, that is something worth to preserve and even fight for indeed. Oh perhaps we have delved into such serious matters, we should ask about this fine drink you presented us."

I have glanced at the glass brimming with the liquid she fondly calls as the Visions of Dendara and garnered the courage to take a gulp from it. Oddly I did not die and for that I am still grateful. My worries and anxieties were gone and for a moment I thought all this interviewing was meaningless, but thankfully I came to my senses.

- LP: "It was my regional entry for the Epicurean Academy brewing contest. The exact recipe is my little trade secret, but it's absinthe made from Ithmian wormwood and fruit from the Great Oak. Hence its odd green color. There's a few...other herbal ingredients I've mixed in that evoke pleasant sensations and relaxation."

Why is she still grinning, why, WHY? [Rest of the ramblings has been hastily redacted before they made it into the final version]
- LP: "Among other things. I'm quite partial to using flowers or more unusual ingredients in food and drink. There's overproof rum in there made from the same green fruit from the Great Oak. A bit of opium for pain relief, and cactus weed for, ah...well, I just threw that in for the funny feeling you get from the hallucinations. Since it's diluted, the effects aren't terribly strong."

- SP: "Such a way to describe it, right now our readers will be looking forward to grabbing some of this for themselves! As a final question. Do you have anything special you would like to tell to our readers?"

- LP: "Challenge me. I'm one of the most experienced crafters there is, and I love using under-utilized materials. Dare me to make something you've never seen before, and I'll be sure to impress. Blue roses represent challenge, or impossible tasks. I enjoy attempting to turn the impossible into reality."

I wish I could say "we" thanked Lady Phoenecia, but as the last survivor of this exotic interview, I cordially thanked her and found myself back on the path to the City of Spires. Our readers should have no doubt about our persistence and resilience in providing the most exclusive interviews within the continent. If necessary we would eat a whole crate of godstongue. For Republic, For Freedom!

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Spirean Gazette is the leading source of information available to public and published irregularly(on management's whim) from time to time. Don't mix it with imitations which may come out in future. Spirean Gazette year 468. All rights reserved.


Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 5th of Ios, in the year 468 MA.