It occurred to me  while trying to link the most recent Gazette to a related installment that, absent minded as I am, I never posted the first two installments of “Blackwood Gazette” on this blog, due to the fact that this was originally a misguided foray onto Tumblr.  So, bonus post; the first two installments of “Blackwood Gazette” (do try to contain yourselves…I know this is very exciting stuff):

Blackwood Gazette #1
Curtains Up: Fantasy Epic ‘Fires of D’Kalm D’korr’ Opens in Oeil de Fleur

8/4/280 YT-The theatre going citizenry of Oeil de Fleur turned out in droves last night for the opening of renowned playwright Delando’s newest opus, ‘Fires of D’Kalm D’Korr’. Among those in attendance were some of the Empire’s greatest celebrities, including none other than NorEaster’s greatest hero and favored son, Rigel Rinkenbach.

“The premise sounds like complete rubbish, I must say,” Rinkenbach said. “But I’m a sucker for any piece of art with a name I can’t pronounce, and besides, I’ve nothing to do this night anyway. Also, they [offered me a] free case of Romillion’s Absinthe to be here.”

Others have been waiting outside the Oeil de Fleur Empress Theatre for months, debating the deep lore of the series, and speculating on what might happen in this newest installment.

“It’s a prequel,” one fan said. “It’s going to fill in some important gaps, I hope.”

“I’ve been imagining this story for years!” Another said. “But I’m sure it will exceed my expectations.”

Others were in attendance purely for the spectacle. The play features extensive special effects that required new technology to achieve.

“We’ve built something called a ‘flare gun’,” Reginald le Plante, special effects coordinator for the show, said. “It’s a crucial part of the climax, where our hero grows in size and lays waste to the enemy armies. The audience is in for a real treat!”

Rumors about the safety of this technology have been swirling for months. When asked if there was any validity to the rumor that the actor playing the wizard had been replaced three times due to burns, le Plante refused to comment. As usual, director and writer Delando could not be reached for comment.

In any case, the first performance last night went without a hitch, though audience members leaving the theatre did report the smell of sulfur hanging in the air, and of burning eyes.

“It was like I was really there!” one enthusiastic fan said.

***

Blackwood Gazette #2-Klankenvroot Industries Reveals Plans for Commercial Planar Wing Transport

10/4/280 YT-Since the end of the Crowndon-Nor Eastern war, wealthy industrialists have been searching for a way to make Planar Wing Aircraft, or P.W.A.s for short, a viable source of income. So far, all of these endeavors have ended in tragedy.

“The weight a commerical aeroplane[sic] would likely need to carry, versus the weight of the constructed materials and Blackwood needed to keep the craft aloft, don’t equalize into a workable solution,” said Samson Davies, a well known detractor when it comes to commercial P.W.A.s. “They always end up tearing themselves apart upon take off or landing or whenever they hit turbulence. The cost of life so far has been unacceptable!”

Industrialist Ivan Klankenvroot responded quickly to Davies.

“Nonsense! We’re charting the course of human civilization, here, plotting our progress for the next one hundred years! No human cost now is too high compared to the benefits future generations will enjoy.”

When asked if he would be aboard the maiden flight of his commercial P.W.A., slated to be called the Heisenberg, Klankenvroot chuckled.

“Of course not,” he said. “I’m much too humble for that. That honor lies on the heads of the engineers and the workers putting the thing together. They should enjoy the fruits of their labor, after all.”