blackwood gazette

Blackwood Gazette #156- Platitude Escapes in Hellstorm of Dust and Stone

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By Chester Seaton, News

13/7- The twists and turns in the La Pierre saga continue, as it appears that the disgraced admiral turned wily pirate has once again eluded capture.

The Pharessian infantry, believing they had the scourge of the Imperial Skyways pinned down in an ancient ruin, began to move in during the early morning hours on Surnsday. Their plan: to bombard the ruin’s main entrance, enclosing the Pernicious Platitude and her crew inside.

The first stage of the plan was a complete success. The Pharessian infantry did indeed bring down the main entrance and hall, cutting off the main point of egress and destroying thousands of years of history in the process.

What they did not account for, however, was La Pierre setting several bundles of dynamite along the interior of the ruin’s main chamber. The explosion brought down the roof of the ruin, which experts are saying amounted to little more than one ton of rock, as the inner chamber extended to within two meters of the surface. Most of this rock was pulverized by the explosion.

As the smoke and dust cleared, the Pharessians below watched as the repaired Platitude rose from within the cliff, her crew mocking them from the deck. The Pharessian General in charge of the operation, General Malik Auduam, ordered his men to quickly reload their cannons, but by the time they were ready to fire, the air ship was out of range and disappearing over the canyon’s ridge.

“You’d think that the Pharessian military would have been informed about that ruin’s particular quirks,” said Crowndon Admiral Winston Johannes. “It’s right here, in this history book I just checked out of the library; ‘Ancient Sarnwainian Engineering and Their Odd Little Foibles’, by Veronica Trenum, Ph.D. A whole book, just about the oddities of Sarnwainian ruins. Perhaps we should lend it to them.”

Blackwood Gazette #156- Platitude Escapes in Hellstorm of Dust and Stone

Blackwood Gazette #155- Julianos’ Forces Level Town of Sanado Flores

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By Isairo Palantes, Monteddorian Correspondent

10/7- The Monteddorian Empire bleeds today, as it has just been confirmed that the small town of Sanado Flores, located on the southern bank of the Teardrop river in the Valley of Wisps, has been completely leveled and its populace almost entirely wiped out.

Details are scarce at the moment, but we have been told by Monteddorian military authorities is that the rebel leader known only as Dougherty had gone to ground in the valley, along with several of her most important officers and a sizable contingent of her force. Upon learning of her whereabouts, Alejandro Julianos ordered his personal fleet to fly directly to the town. It is said that his own personal flag ship, Panther’s Reign, began the bombardment.

The regular Monteddorian military claims they had no knowledge of the engagement, and that Julianos acted of his own volition. Military leaders around the Triumvirate have already condemned the action, and protests have erupted throughout the nations of the Nor Eastern Empire. Ferdand Govanna, the governor of the province in which Sanado Flores was located, has called for martial action against Julianos and his forces.

There has been no word as to the success of the strike, or whether or not Dougherty was killed. Regardless of its outcome, it is apparent that Julianos has earned nothing but ill will, even amongst his own countrymen.

Blackwood Gazette #155- Julianos’ Forces Level Town of Sanado Flores

Blackwood Gazette #154- Plot To Overthrow Thankai Monarch Thwarted; Three Generals Arrested

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By Basilio Mura, Nor Eastern Correspondent

9/7- With most of Thankaen’s airships on the way to assist Pharessian forces in their apprehension of Roderick La Pierre, a secret cabal of Thankai Generals decided it would be a good idea to try and seize power from the country’s millennia old monarchy. The coup didn’t exactly go as planned, however.

“We saw it coming from a mile away,” said loyalist General Daichi Temirak. “Thanks to information we received from an outside source, most likely dissenters within the rebel ranks, the Throne was aware of an impending coup. Our agreement with Pharassus was actually a part of the plan to draw them out.”

As it turns out, only one of the two Thankai airships was actually enlisted to help with La Pierre. The other simply took to ground in the jungles outside of the capital city. A third, heretofore secret and recently built airship patrolled the skies over the Omeddon Ocean.

“When the rebels showed themselves our airships swooped in and we bombed them hell and back,” said General Temirak.

Unconfirmed reports that a large section of the city’s outer quarter (made up mostly of the destitute) have begun making their way across the border between the Sarnwainian Empire and the Triumvirate. Temirak denies these reports, but does confirm that the rebels were hiding in the outer quarters.

After the bombing, three surviving rebel Generals, all of them possessed of outstanding service records including the Venerable Reed of Valor, the highest military honor that can be bestowed upon a living soldier in Thankaen, were captured and taken to an undisclosed location. The Thankaen monarchy refused to comment on what fate awaited the captured men.

Blackwood Gazette #154- Plot To Overthrow Thankai Monarch Thwarted; Three Generals Arrested

Blackwood Gazette #153- Rinkenbach Still Missing; Shady Characters On His Trail

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By Basilio Mura, Nor Easter Correspondent

8/7- Government representatives for a small village at the base of the des Anges Mountains have reported that members of an undisclosed Imperial office visited last weekend, asking after the missing industrialist Sir Rigel Rinkenbach.

The village is the site of a vacation home to the renowned alchemist Ambrose Johns, a friend and confidante of Rinkenbach’s. Johns told the village council that the unidentified men questioned him on the last time he’d seen, spoken, or written to Rinkenbach.

“It seemed like routine questioning, at first,” Johns said. “But there was clearly a dark tone beneath it all, like I was under threat of censure or even violence if I didn’t cooperate. I don’t know what Rigel is involved in, but the whole ordeal left me quite frightened.”

Experts have suggested that the unidentified parties may be members of Nor Easter’s intelligence services, the Subterfuge Society, to which Rigel Rinkenbach has many ties going back to the war between Nor Easter and Crowndon. The Society was said to have been deactivated following the war.

“Nor Easter claims that in times of peace, the Subterfuge Society doesn’t exist,” said a member of Crowndon’s own intelligence service. “And indeed we have found no evidence to doubt such claims (hard as that may be to believe). If such claims are true, and the Society has been reactivated, then it could mean that unforeseen forces are in play. The members of the Triumvirate would be wise to prepare for the worst.”

Since his disappearance last month following an embarrassing press conference, Rinkenbach’s trail has gone cold. The Empire has since seized his business, and the Empress herself has reached out to Triumvirate leaders to help search for the world famous inventor and alchemist.

****

A conspiracy is afoot!

Blackwood Gazette #153- Rinkenbach Still Missing; Shady Characters On His Trail

Blackwood Gazette#152- La Pierre and Crew Pull Ship into Cliff Side Ruins as Pharessian Forces Move In

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By Chester Seaton, News

7/7-Today brings an update on the situation in Pharassus, where the Pharessian military has the debauched pirate Roderick La Pierre surrounded and trapped at the bottom of a canyon. General Auduam reported this morning that Pharessian ground forces have begun entering the large, open area that is the location of an ancient ruin where La Pierre has taken shelter.

La Pierre, however, somehow became aware of the incoming military force and ordered his crew to pull the wreckage of his ship, the Pernicious Platitude, into the ruin.

“A futile gesture,” General Auduam told us. “That ruin has only one entrance. They’ve backed themselves into a corner. When the ground forces enter the canyon floor, they will fire upon it with their cannon, and bury the pirate alive. Our victory is assured! This blight will be removed from the land forever and always!”

The decision to open fire on the ancient site comes in the wake of recent worldwide efforts to preserve ruins with archaeological value. We spoke to Doctor J. Feenarty Croke about the Phareesian military’s plan.

“It is an outrage!” Dr. Croke said. “Much of our ancient history has been lost due to centuries of warfare that occurred before the discovery of the Blackwood grove. Awareness of the sorry state of our ancient historical sites is at an all time high, so there is no excuse for such flagrant destruction, not even for La Pierre. They say they have him backed into a corner? Just bring in an alchemist and gas them all. Shooting the place up is completely unnecessary.”

Blackwood Gazette#152- La Pierre and Crew Pull Ship into Cliff Side Ruins as Pharessian Forces Move In

Blackwood Gazette #151- Pandion Air Racing League Opens with Outstanding Numbers

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By Huxley Pruitt, Sports

6/7- The first annual Pandion Aerodynamics Racing Circuit got underway this weekend in Walsh, drawing thousands of citizens from around the Triumvirate for some high flying racing action. For two days the best pilots in the empire showed those of us with our feet trapped firmly on the ground what a plane can do, and then pushed those planes just a little bit more.

The Legacy League provided fast action out of the gate, with a head to head race between Tobias Cuthbertson, former Captain of the Crowndon Air Corps, and “Bonzo” Doosly, retired pilot for Nor Easter. They were neck and neck for most of race, cutting close corners around the course’s obstacles. The turnaround occurred around the last turn, when Doosly clipped Cuthbertson, sending both air craft careening. The crowd watched in silence as Cuthbertson brought his craft under control and pulled ahead, winning the race with a two second spread and earning cheers from the mostly Crowndonian crowd. Cuthbertson would go on to dominate the weekend for the Legacy League, beating Walsh’s own Parker Behan and Toring’s Hardisty Pender for the top of the winner’s podium.

The second day of racing focused on the Horizon League, and if you asked anyone in the crowd, this league, made up mostly of amateur and trade pilots, is the reason they came out. Promising head-spinning stunts and a true sense of derring-do, the Horizon League did not disappoint.

The-Middle-of-Nowhere’s Gideon Hotoft shut down des Anges’ Micah Le Fleur in a stomach churning stunt race to open the event. This exhibition was followed by a heavily modified version of the head to head course the Legacy League raced the day before, featuring more obstacles and tighter turns. Hotoft once again put on a good show, but ultimately came in third on the podium. The first place pot ultimately went to Rommsbach’s Perys Kerby, while second place went to the controversial woman pilot, Marcy Quail.

After the races were over, we spoke to Mathis Galland, owner of Pandion and the creator of the races, about how he felt the event fared.

“I think it’s safe to say it was a rousing success!” he told us. “The crowds were going wild at every close call and photo finish, and we’re already getting requests from sponsors who want to enter their own racers for a second season.”

Tickets for the next event, two weeks from now in Des Anges, have already sold out.

Blackwood Gazette #151- Pandion Air Racing League Opens with Outstanding Numbers

Blackwood Gazette #150- Gazette Reporter Accused of Aiding Von Grimm Gang in Fort Winstone Massacre

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By Maurice Merchant, Editor-in-Chief

3/7- Ever since the Dragonfly aircraft meant to aid Colonial Marshals in retaking Fort Winstone from Doctor Argyle Von Grimm were hijacked and turned against the Marshals themselves, people have wondered how Von Grimm knew the aircraft were coming. An investigation into the matter has revealed startling evidence that our own correspondent, Mister Hil Spencer, was implicit in this atrocity.

The Gazette reported on the Marshals’ intent to use the aircraft against Von Grimm several days before they were shipped. Since telegraph wires coming in and out of the Fort had been cut in the first days of the Marshals’ siege, and since the Gazette’s circulation in the Colonies is limited and late due to printing schedules, it was assumed the Von Grimm gang was cut off and we were given the go ahead to report the story.

The recent capture of a man affiliated with Von Grimm in a small town sixty miles east, however, has shed light on this story. The captured man claims that he was positioned in the town for the sole purpose of receiving wires from New Crowndon, and then relaying that information to a lookout at the fort using a lantern.

Thanks to the telegraph officer’s unusually meticulous record keeping, it was discovered that the messages regarding information on the aircrafts’ delivery schedule came from an office in the business quarter of New Crowndon, an office often frequented by Mister Spencer.

Mister Spencer was arrested late last night, and it is to the Gazette’s shame that the New Crowndon branch of the Gazette has been closed pending further investigation. As owner and proprietor of the Gazette, it is my duty to personally apologize to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives outside of Fort Winstone. I vow that, going forward, we will take careful considerations concerning what information we print, and who is given that information to report.

Blackwood Gazette #150- Gazette Reporter Accused of Aiding Von Grimm Gang in Fort Winstone Massacre

Blackwood Empire #149- Recipients of Recirculated Tuna-Gold Complain of Lingering Odor

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By Chester Seaton, News

2/7- It’s been over a year since a sizable chunk of Crowndon’s gold supply was contaminated by a crashed shipment of Barrier Ocean Tuna. The lingering smell was such that the gold had to be melted down. Much of that gold is now finding its way back into circulation, but not without some problems.

“I went down to the bank last weekend, to pick up me check,” said Lorne Delantine, a dockworker in Walsh. “Turned it in for twenty gold jacks. Should’ve known something was wrong when the teller seemed to be holding her breath as she placed them on the counter. Now, I work on the docks, so I’m used to all kinds of nasty niffs. But this, faint as it was, was nearly enough to bowl me over.”

Other reports ranging from Walsh to Toring over the weekend pay period seem to indicate a wide spread problem.

“We’ve gotten complaints from everyone from citizens collecting their pay to business owners,” said Sylvester Tourney, regional manager of the Crowndon bank. “And there’s rumors that people are trying to give to gold to vagrants, and the vagrants won’t take it. We thought we were over this! I wouldn’t be surprised if La Pierre kept a portion of the gold and found a way to put it in circulation once we thought we were in the clear. Even stranded in the desert and surrounded by an army, he’s a thorn in this nation’s side!”

The Secretary of the National Treasury offers a more reasonable explanation, however.

“It would seem that a bureaucratic error led to a portion of the gold to evade several of the last sanitation procedures,” the secretary said. “Hence, the faint remainders of the foul stench. We urge any citizens who received the rotten gold to return it to the banks for an exchange, so that the gold can be re-processed.”

Blackwood Empire #149- Recipients of Recirculated Tuna-Gold Complain of Lingering Odor

Blackwood Gazette # 148- Pernicious Platitude Shot Down Over Pharassus

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By Chester Seaton, News

29/6-After what we can only assume has been weeks of terrorizing the skies of Sarnwain, we’ve received reports that the Pernicious Platitude, the ship belonging to air pirate Roderick Beauchamp La Pierre, has been shot down.

According to Sarnwainian news outlets, the Platitude was sighted in the skies near the capital city of Pharassus in the early morning hours this Sarnsday. Pharesian ground forces mobilized immediately, and tracked the ship to a canyon where it set anchor within. The Pharesian army moved in several cannon to the edge of the canyon, where they were able to fire down on to the Platitude.

“I have to say, I’m surprised,” said Admiral Winston Johannes, commanding officer of Crowndon’s Air Corps. “Since Sarnwain lacks a major air presence, the idea of them being able to take down one of Crowndon’s best air warfare strategists seems unlikely. But I believe La Pierre, whose arrogance led to his defeat at the end of the war with Nor Easter, let that same arrogance blind him to what capabilities Sarnwain does have. He didn’t see the ground forces coming, because he wasn’t looking for them.”

After opening fire, and taking out the Platitude’s main balloon and two of its reserves, the ship was still able to limp away. The Pharesian infantry say they have tracked the downed ship to some ruins in the middle of the canyon.

“We are monitoring the situation,” said Pharesian General Malik Auduam in a press release. “We have a constant vigilance on the pirate. We think he’s making repairs, and his crew is sheltering in the ruins. Unfortunately, he is out of range from the canyon ridge. We are working on ways to get infantry down into the canyon, but that may take a few days. We also have two airships coming in from Thankaen, to the east. I have no doubt that we will accomplish what the Triumvirate, in all its incompetence, failed to do. Typical, no? They created this monster. We must kill it. All the more glory to Sarnwain.”

Admiral Johannes reply to that last part of the statement can best be described as terse.

“They’re welcome to it.”

Blackwood Gazette # 148- Pernicious Platitude Shot Down Over Pharassus

Blackwood Gazette #147- Empress Marcellete Bastian Orders Government Seizure of Rinkenbach R&D

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By Ada Herschel, Science and Technology & Hunter O’ Leary, Business

25/6- In the wake of Sir Rigel Rinkenbach’s sudden flight during the Industry and Innovation Conference last week, the Empress Marcellete Bastian has issued orders for the search and seizure of Rinkenbach Research and Development.

The order of a private citizen’s business to be seized by the government has been met with some controversy, yet the Empress stresses that the measure is necessary.

“I do not like this at all,” Her Imperial Majesty said. “And were there any other option, I would take it. But the technologies that Rigel Rinkenbach was developing are of grave importance to the security of not only the Nor Eastern Empire, but the Triumvirate.

“Already we’ve heard reports of thieves and other shady types, how do you say, ‘casing the joint.’ If we don’t seize it, put it under lock and key and guard it, someone else will take it. And judging from the reports of my men who are currently on site cataloging their findings, you do NOT want that to happen.”

Rumors of what has been found are shocking to say the least. The items range from innocuous (plans for some sort of ‘electric toothbrush’) to the deadly (fifteen hundred different types of previously unknown poisons and twice as many devices to administer them) to the plain weird and esoteric (a box, full of wires and boards, with a glass front and metal poles sticking out of the top).

The most popular rumor, however, is that the Empress’ insistence on protecting Rinkenbach’s contraptions is merely a smoke screen, and that she is actually searching for something in particular.

“This is about Blackwood,” said conspiracy theorist Oculus in his weekly rag The Exhumanor, and for once, he may be on to something. “It’s always been about Blackwood. The Empress’ goons are rooting around that old compound looking for Rinky Dink’s formulae. Everyone knows it, but everyone’s afraid to say it: those who control Blackwood control the Triumvirate and, by extension, the world.”

Blackwood Gazette #147- Empress Marcellete Bastian Orders Government Seizure of Rinkenbach R&D