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Blackwood Gazette #136: Dougherty’s Rebels Bomb Three Refining Plants; “The Message is Clear”

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By Isairo Palantes, Montedorrian Correspondent

8/6- As if in answer to Alejandro Julianos’ promise to build new Blackwood refineries in Monteddor, groups of rebels flying the banner of Dougherty bombed three existing facilities within the borders of Julianos, Desantana, and Salasan Provinces. The attacks have brought Blackwood production in those areas to a stand-still, and claimed the lives of over 300 workers.

“The message is clear,” said General Indio Rojos, of Salasan’s first armored division. “We promise to build three refineries, they bomb three. With this heinous act, the rebels have shown that they will not be placated. And like a dog that cannot be trained, a peasant who cannot be placated must be put down.”

General Rojos has taken to demanding the Dougherty rebels be labeled a clear and present danger to the interests of the Monteddorian Empire, if not the Triumvirate as a whole.

“I am tired of stepping softly around this filth,” General Rojos said. “We must dispense with niceties. It is no longer enough to ‘control’ these people. They must be rooted out and destroyed. You have noticed they fly a flag now? They want to be seen as a country, then we will treat them as we would any foreign entity that would deign to incite war within our borders. I wish to call on the support of Julianos and Desantana, as well as the Triumvirate Authority.”

A spokesperson for Julianos has called General Rojos remarks ‘inflammatory’, and stated that there is no need to declare all-out war on Dougherty and her forces just yet.

“It is very tempting to let loose and begin slaughtering anyone seen to be rebelling against Julianos’ authority,” the spokesperson said, “Julianos stresses that we must not forget that these rebels are Monteddorian citizens, and has even expressed a certain respect for Dougherty and her ability to rally so many under her cause in so short a time.

“Let us not forget, that little more than a year ago, Julianos was viewed as nothing more than an overly ambitious upstart. Four years ago, no one knew who Julianos was. Now he rules his own Province and commands one of the largest military forces in the world. In Dougherty, Julianos sees himself. Rather than salt the earth under Dougherty’s feet, he would prefer to reach out and open negotiations. Let it be known that the offer is open.”

Blackwood Gazette #136: Dougherty’s Rebels Bomb Three Refining Plants; “The Message is Clear”

Blackwood Gazette #135: Statue of Roderick Beauchamp La Pierre Erected in Nostholm Sparks Controversy

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By Chester Seaton, News

5/6-Relief crews helping to re-establish law and order in the Northern stretches of Crowndon have reported that the citizenry of Nostholm have constructed a statue of the exiled Admiral turned air pirate Roderick Beauchamp La Pierre out of scrap wood and egg crates. The Crowndon military calls the statue’s existence “Disturbing.”

“I can’t help but feel that it’s an insult,” said Conrad Bluveir, an aid worker from Rommsbach. “Both to the Empire and us. When it started to go up, we’d hoped it was an effigy, being as it’s made out of wood. We kept waiting for them to set fire to the thing, but they never did.”

When aid workers asked the village alderman when they were going to “torch the malevolent terror of the Northern skies,” the alderman laughed.

“Tis not an effigy!” the alderman told us. “Tis a tribute, to our hero and savior! While Crowndon was busy doing whatever it does, building aero-planes and supplanting Monteddorian businessmen, we was up here starving, and La Pierre was the only one to do anything about it.”

When told that the supplies La Pierre allegedly dropped on Advent’s Eve were supplies stolen from ships bringing aid to them in the first place, the alderman scoffed.

“Lies! Damned lies and propaganda! Those crates had goose, and apples! You really expect me to believe Crowndon would give us goose and apples for Advent? I think not!”

Nostholm isn’t the only northern village building tributes to La Pierre, either. The people of Alexander’s Crossing are said to construct dolls of straw and sack cloth in the image of La Pierre, and hang them from the eaves of their homes, and in the trees of the town square.

“It’s disturbing as hell,” said one Crowndonian soldier stationed in the town. “They hang those creepy dolls and tell tales of how La Pierre lives in the woods, protecting the town and playing tricks on the Outsiders. Us, in other words. Those tricks being tainted meat in our provisions and buckets of water over our barracks doors. That isn’t La Pierre, though. It’s just these backwoods miscreants we’re meant to be helping.”

The Crowndon military says they have no plans for reprimands against the villages, as that would likely serve to drive a wedge further between the people and government workers. They are, however, continually assessing the situation for what they call ‘dissident tendencies.”

Blackwood Gazette #135: Statue of Roderick Beauchamp La Pierre Erected in Nostholm Sparks Controversy

Blackwood Gazette #134: Pixie Sinclaire Runs Rampant on Waystation Echo

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By Chester Seaton, News

4/6-Former Nor Eastern saboteur and spy Pixie Sinclaire was spotted on Waystation Echo earlier this week by Crowndon soldiers visiting the station on layover. Given the 100,000 gold imperions bounty on her head in Crowndon, the soldiers attempted to apprehend her. According to eye witnesses, they failed miserably.

“The soldiers were in here, celebrating something,” said a bartender at the station’s tavern, The Rusty Fishhook. “A birthday or promotion, doesn’t really matter. In comes this woman…all 5 foot 6 inches of ‘er, red frizzy hair stiff from the salt air and cursin’ up a storm under her breath. Got the impression she wasn’t happy with her current travel arrangements.

“Anyways, she walks by the soldiers at the bar and they go quiet, like guys are wont to do whenever a pretty lass walks by. Except they wasn’t trying to decide who gets to take a run at her. They knew who she was. I think everyone did. She orders a glass of absinthe and I get it for her, and all the while the soldiers are stepping away from the bar and fanning out. She puts her money on the bar and tells me to keep the change, and all hell breaks loose.

“One of the soldiers, he starts to say, ‘Get her!’ But before he can even manage it, she’s turned around and winging her glass at his head. Nails him right in the nose and he goes back, blood and absinthe and broken glass splashing across the floor. The others, they’re drunk and surprised and not too bright to begin with. By the time they come to their senses, the girl’s run out the door.”

Miss Sinclaire was then reported as running toward the northern docks, with conflicting reports stating that she had anywhere from one soldier to an entire platoon storming after her. The Port Authority reports that over ten thousand gold imperions worth of damage was done to the station, as Miss Sinclaire tipped over merchants’ stands and broke open steam pipes to aid in her escape.

Miss Sinclaire was ultimately able to escape capture, and it is presumed that she hopped aboard a ship and is continuing on her way to the colonies. It was previously reported that she aimed to find the whereabouts of Adella Chatelaine.

Pixie Sinclaire is wanted in the Empire of Crowndon for war crimes against the Empire during the Dividing War, chiefly the sabotage of a wartime supply railroad that resulted in the deaths of over 500 civilian passengers, and the starvation of Crowndon soldiers serving on the front.

***

SURPRISE ULTERIOR MOTIVE!

Today’s post serves two purposes: one is to help further the Adella Chatelaine storyline, however slowly. The other, of course, is to remind you that you can read all about Pixie Sinclaire, former Agent Provocateur, in the full length Blackwood Empire novel, “Where, No One Knows”, available in paperback and as a Kindle e-book, and even better, a free Kindle e-book if you’re an Unlimited subscriber. Check it out and tell me what you think!

Blackwood Gazette #134: Pixie Sinclaire Runs Rampant on Waystation Echo

Blackwood Gazette # 133: Julianos Ships Spotted Over Barrier Ocean, Heading Towards Colonies

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By Chester Seaton, News

2/6- Eyewitness reports across northern Monteddor and Southern Crowndon have been rolling in the last few days, stating that a large fleet of Julianos ships, both aerial and marine, have been seen making their way across the Barrier Ocean, presumably for the colonies. These reports were corroborated by Authorities on Waystation Alpha, who claim the fleet passed by two nights before.

“We thought it was strange,” said Glenn Ernst, head of IA on Waystation Alpha. “They didn’t hail us, didn’t stop for resupply, nor did they respond to our own attempts to contact them. Wherever they’re going, they’re looking to get there fast, and seem well equipped to make the journey non-stop.”

The make-up of the fleet varies from account to account, but most make note that the fleet does not appear to be military in nature.

“What I saw were mostly transport frigates,” Ernst said. “Only a few gun boats, likely for escort.”

Ernst claims that he saw no sign of the Panther’s Reign, Alejandro Julianos’ personal flag ship, though crews returning to Walsh from shipping runs have claimed to spot it. Such claims have been dismissed as rumors.

“Our patrols over the Barrier Ocean have seen this fleet,” said Fleet Admiral Percival Dunbarrow Pillsbury III when we contacted him, confirming that there is indeed a fleet, but offering no confirmation that it belongs to Julianos. “Most of what the Authority Head on Alpha reported is true. It is comprised of transports and a few armed escorts. I must admit that the whole thing is rather awkward. Whoever they are, they aren’t exactly being covert, flying over heavily populated areas and within lens range of the Waystations, but nor are they being forthcoming with their intent. Any attempts to hail them are ignored. Likewise, Julianos isn’t responding to missives requesting clarification.

“There’s not much we can do, for the moment. It could just be a matter of establishing new lines of communication with the few remaining Monteddorian controlled colonies in the south. Julianos is a military ally, and the fleet isn’t harassing anyone. Unless it starts dropping bombs and raiding towns when it reaches the colonies, we just have to let them go about their business.”

Blackwood Gazette # 133: Julianos Ships Spotted Over Barrier Ocean, Heading Towards Colonies

Blackwood Gazette #132: Rogue Colonial Officers Will Lead to “Renewed Hostilities” say Territorial Representatives

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By Hil Spencer, New Crowndon Correspondent

1/6- The representatives for the Council of Native Peoples have released a statement concerning the recent desertion of twelve military officers with the intent of entering the Western Territories. In an unexpected twist, the representatives put up a united front.

“At best, this incursion displays a complete failure on the part of colonial governments to control their officers,” the statement, signed simply ‘The Council’, read. “ At worst, it is simply a façade, a way for the Marshals to get their man while looking the other way should the 12 men in question get caught. Neither possibility fills us with faith regarding our treaties.”

The statement goes on to issue an ultimatum, that if the Triumvirate colonies are unable to reign in the 12 deserters, and the deserters cross over into territorial lands, it could result in renewed hostilities.

“This is not the desired outcome, for us or for you,” the statement says in closing. “But if it comes down to it, it will be the necessary outcome. The peoples of the territory will continue to hunt the man Von Grimm, in hopes that we can deliver him to the proper outposts in time. We can only hope that the colonial governments are able to stop their own men, as well.”

The unanimous tone of the statement has many in New Crowndon scratching their heads.

“Most of us had assumed that those tribes with which we’ve firmly established good trade relations would hold out,” said Berclay Ancroft, the governor of New Crowndon and head of the colonial senate. “But this statement would indicate otherwise. Our military leaders are pushing to lock the embassy down in light of this, but we’re exercising caution for the moment. We’re also doubling our efforts to transport men with no loyalties to any of the deserting officers out west to our pickets. We need to resolve this, now.”

Blackwood Gazette #132: Rogue Colonial Officers Will Lead to “Renewed Hostilities” say Territorial Representatives

Blackwood Gazette #131: Public Memorial For Actor Hostander Alleroy Turns into “A Chaotic Maelstrom of Heated Emotions…”

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By Alex Grosset, Arts and Entertainment

29/5- A memorial for the late Hostander Alleroy, one of the most beloved stage actors of our time, descended into anarchy last night.

Everything started off as one would expect, with Francois Lupeau, head of the Oeil de Fleur Association of Theatrical Arts, took to the stage for a look back over Alleroy’s career. This was followed by the customary moment of silence. Lupeau then opened the stage for anyone who wanted speak of their time with Alleroy and what his work meant to them.
Poet Theodor Vorschevsky was the first to stand up, and regaled the audience with a remembrance of Alleroy through verse and music. It was rough in its execution, but touching in its sincerity. Things went downhill after that.

Actress Valencia Dupon followed. She spoke of her ill-fated romance with Alleroy in a monologue that went on for thirty minutes. The speech was broken into little vignettes, which she acted out. For the most part, those gathered in attendance listened with strained patience, often sighing or rolling their eyes. When she recounted the incident that ended their affair, the discovery of Alleroy’s relationship with actor Donolan Shea, she failed to take into account that Shea was in the audience. Shea, taking offense at Dupon’s interpretation of events, stormed the stage and confronted her verbally. Dupon lashed out at him, and before things could take a more violent turn, they were removed from the premises.

The most heinous act of disrespect, however, came in the form of actor Roman Karvander. Karvander recalled Alleroy as a deceitful man who once undercut him for the role of Lollis Bamberby Happenstance in Papeau’s masterpiece “Two Bits for the Plaguebearer”, a role that earned Alleroy his earliest acclaim. The accusations Karvander leveled at the deceased were the final straw, and sent Alleroy’s friends and loved ones into a frenzy. Unfortunately, Alleroy’s enemies were almost equal in number, and a ruckus broke out.

Fighting spilled into the streets. Horse carts were over turned and several businesses had boards over broken windows come this morning. Famed soprano Alicia Sols was seen in the middle of the street, rending her clothes and wailing Brahmmer’s “Winter’s Dirge” at the sky. Authorities were called in to restore the peace.

“The entire event was insane,” Alleroy’s son, Alexander, told me. “A chaotic maelstrom of heated emotions, grief and hate and love all coming together. Were he alive and in attendance, I’m sure Pops would have loved it.”

Blackwood Gazette #131: Public Memorial For Actor Hostander Alleroy Turns into “A Chaotic Maelstrom of Heated Emotions…”

Blackwood Gazette #130: Julianos to Build Three Blackwood Refining Plants, Creating over 5,000 Jobs in Monteddor

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By Isairo Palantes, Monteddorian Correspondent

28/5- In a continuing bid to insert himself into every facet of Monteddorian life, Alejandro Julianos announced that he, in conjunction with Blackwood magnate Yolanda Desantana, plans to build and open three new Blackwood refining plants. The plants are expected to be built on land within Julianos, Desantana, and Salasan provinces and create over 5,000 jobs.

“The demand for Blackwood is greater than ever, and growing,” Yolanda Desantana said during a press conference. “These extra facilities will allow us to harvest, process, and ship Blackwood faster in order to keep up with growing demand, particularly in Nor Easter and the Northern reaches of Crowndon. They will also allow us to put to work thousands who have been unemployed due to the fighting over the last year.”

Detractors were quick to point out that Desantana never acknowledges the fact that much of the fighting was the result of her and Julianos’ bid for power.

“This is a classic sedation move on the part of our new conquerors,” said Deseban Gonollo, professor of Government at Monteddor University and outspoken opponent of Alejandro Julianos and his actions over the past year. “They take over, throwing the status quo into turmoil. The tension is high, so they throw the people a bone to calm them. But notice where the refineries are being built: two of the provinces are under direct control of Julianos and Desantana, and Salasan is a well-known ally and contributor to Yolanda Desantana. The fighting has been heaviest in Govanna and here, in Ballantine. It is the people of these provinces that need jobs.”

Julianos’ camp was quick to respond to Gonollo’s claims.

“Gonollo is a rabble rouser and attention hound,” the Julianos rep said. “This is well known. He railed for years against Raphael Valiente, and against Valiente’s father. You could give him everything he says he wants, and he would turn around the next day and complain that there is not enough for everyone else. The man isn’t happy unless he’s unhappy, so to speak.

“The only reason the refineries are being built in Julianos, Desantana, and Govanna provinces is simply because they are closest to the Blackwood Grove. Rest assured, we are actively recruiting in the areas hardest hit by the fighting between Dougherty’s rebels and our military forces. We will provide travel to those hired, as well as security, shelter and food while they work at the refineries.”

Blackwood Gazette #130: Julianos to Build Three Blackwood Refining Plants, Creating over 5,000 Jobs in Monteddor

Blackwood Empire #129: 12 High Ranking Colonial Officers Desert, Head for Territories Despite Denial of Entry

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By Hil Spencer, New Crowndon Correspondent

27/5- The political powder keg that is the Von Grimm saga threatens to ignite long put to rest animosities, as we have learned that 12 officers from the Colonial Marshals, Frontier Rangers and even the Colonial Militia have allegedly deserted their posts and are heading toward the Plasty Meridian with the intent of crossing into the Western Territories to search for Von Grimm. Field Marshal Ameron Lassiter is said to be leading the group.

The Marshals learned of the plot this weekend, when they discovered the guards posted outside of Lassiter’s estate rendered unconscious with an alchemical substance known as Hoolihan’s Dream. This coincides with the theft of a store of the substance from a fort in the colony of New Hammelford, and the desertion of one Captain Ian Gorski. Gorski’s brother is said to have died during the massacre at Fort Winstone.

The disappearance of Lassiter and the desertion of Gorski also coincide with the desertion of ten others, all of them in positions of authority and all of them with connections to men killed in the massacre, or associated with Lassiter.

A nationwide manhunt has been enacted for the 12 deserters before they reach the Meridian. There are fears, however, that any pickets placed by the Marshals and Rangers may be mere illusion, as dissent against the Colonial leadership’s inability to act has been loud among their ranks.

If they manage to enter the territories, such an act would constitute a breach of treaty with the Native Nations and may spark renewed aggressions with its peoples. As such, the Colonial governors have each issued a public statement disavowing any and all actions.

The representatives from the Territories have yet to issue a statement. Their embassy in New Crowndon has seen an increase in security, however, and it is said that correspondence in and out of the embassy is being closely monitored.

Blackwood Empire #129: 12 High Ranking Colonial Officers Desert, Head for Territories Despite Denial of Entry

Blackwood Gazette #128: Over a Year Since Tuna Heist, Crowndon Still Feeling Economic Pinch

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By Chester Seaton, News

26/5-Over a year has passed since the pirate Roderick Beauchamp La Pierre crashed a barge full of Barrier Sea tuna into the Bank of Crowndon, contaminating the gold within with an unbearable stench and tanking the Crowndon economy in the process. While things have started to improve as the gold was melted down and re-circulated, the Empire still feels the pinch.

“Last year at this time, this tavern was full of the merrymaking of fishermen and dock hands,” said tavern owner Hatham McTavish. “Now, all those men are gone, either moved to other towns or enlisted in the air corps. Some turned to thieving, either wound up hung or in a dungeon. Had to turn in one of my regulars, me-self. Hurt like hell, but a crime’s a crime.”

Corroborating McTavish’s account is a new report from the Imperial Authority, saying that recruitment in the Authority, as well as the Crowndon Air Corps and Crowndon Infantry, has tripled in the last eight months, spiking just after the beginning of winter.

“Military service offers a certain security,” said Sergeant Donald Loys, a recruiter in Walsh. “With jobs down, men are lining up. Our recruiting stations have even been told to focus on this fact to bolster enlistment.”

Likewise, petty crime has tripled as well.

Nowhere in the Crowndon Empire is the economic pinch more visible than in Rommsbach, where the famous Mile of Treats, a street known across the Triumvirate for its abundant bakers, candy makers, distilleries and tobacco sellers has been all but abandoned in the last few months.

“This place used to be a party, most every night,” said one citizen of Hestenberg, the town where the Mile of Treats is located. “Now it’s near a ghost town, most of the bakers have shuttered their stores. The smell of pies and sugar and fresh fruit has been replaced with nothing but salty air from the sea, and the colorful banners along the road are tattered and torn. It’s a terrible sad thing. But they’ll be back, I know it. They always come back.”

The hopes of that man from Hestenberg might not be empty, either. Towns along the Serpent’s Tongue River, the border between southern Crowndon and Monteddor, have seen a recent boom since the first of the renewed shipments of Blackwood from Desantana Refining came pouring in earlier this year. And though those effects have yet to echo throughout the rest of the empire, morale is, for the most part, growing.

“Crowndon is, and always has been, the strongest of the Triumvirate,” said High Lord of Industry and Commerce, The Grand Duke of Walsh Harlow Dyston. “We have weathered innumerable tests in the past, and we’ll sure as hell weather this…this mere prank by a drunken trickster.”

Blackwood Gazette #128: Over a Year Since Tuna Heist, Crowndon Still Feeling Economic Pinch

Blackwood Gazette #127: Johanna McKilroy Causes Millions (More) in Damages During Daring Escape from Custody; Declared “Public Enemy Number One”

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By Chester Seaton, News

25/5- The city of Toring has once again felt the ill effects of having Captain Johanna McKilroy in their midst. While Imperial Authorities were transferring the infamous pirate hunter for trial in the city she most wronged, two ships under her command swooped in to liberate her.

“I saw the whole thing,” said Albert Hensworth, a citizen of Toring. “Right from my back window, through this here telescope. I like to watch the trains come in. They were about fifty miles out when two airships came in low, and I saw flashes from the deck of one while the other floated over the top of the train with men dangling from ropes.”

Survivors from the train corroborate this tale, saying several armed men landed upon the roof of the train. Guards stationed on the train fought valiantly, managing to repel the attackers until the train reached Garrand’s Tunnel.

The ships broke off their attack, but unfortunately the pirate hunters were prepared. A third ship reportedly waited at the other end of the tunnel. As the train exited, crew from the ship opened fire with rifles, killing the conductor. His body fell over the controls and the train was unable to decelerate before entering the city. It hit a bend in the track and derailed, slamming through two blocks of buildings before coming to a halt. Anna Whitley was in one of these buildings, sipping tea.

“One minute, I’m sitting across from my suitor, talking about what, I don’t remember,” Miss Whitley said. “It was perfectly quiet. The next thing I know, there is this slight rumbling, and the cups and saucers in the tea shop all start to jingle just slightly. But the rumbling grew, the jingling turns into a full on dance. Then the whole shop explodes in brick and dust, and next thing I know, my suitor is no longer sitting in front of me. I think the train hit him.”

McKilroy and several guards survived the crash and exited the train. They sent up a flare and within five minutes, officers from Toring Yard arrived on the scene. Unfortunately, crew members from McKilroy’s fleet had taken up position in the buildings surrounding the site. Fearing they would be overrun, the guard commander reportedly ordered the execution of Captain McKilroy.

“She must have gotten loose at some point during the chaos,” said Corporal James Robargh, who was sent on this duty along with his sergeant and a private. “We entered the car were she was chained up, but she ambushed us. I swear she jumped from the overhead, hit the private in the back of the head with the chain of her shackle; she had it wrapped around her remaining hand. I tried to bring up my musket but she kicked me in the gut, and the shot went off into the deck. Then she turned on the sergeant, beat his face in with the chain wrapped around her fist. I just sat and watched, too afraid to do anything. She was like some sort of animal, she was. Vicious. Rabid, like.”

McKilroy was next seen exiting the train car and making a mad dash through the street with gun-shot raining down around her from all sides. She managed to escape into a building controlled by her crew, and they escorted her to the roof. Imperial Authorities followed, engaging in a close-quarters exchange of fire within the tight corridors of an apartment building.

“I’ve never seen nothing like it,” said Private Joseph Carnell. “Gunfighting in a building where people live…it was hell, I tell you. Pure hell. Smoke filling the halls, choking us, making it impossible to aim. And you can hear the people screaming in their rooms, not knowing what’s going on and you just hope you don’t fire and wind up shooting through someone’s wall or floor. And worse, the people you’re fighting don’t have the same care, the same hesitation. Never seen anything like. Hope to never again.”

Once on the roof, McKilroy and her remaining men clambered onto a rope ladder which was pulled up to one of her ships. Survivors of the incident say that she made a lewd hand gesture as she ascended. Authorities attempted to pursue, but their efforts were hampered as a fourth and fifth ship had staked out the nearest Authority sky dock and begun hammering it with mortar fire. Ships from the next station were unable to reach the scene before McKilroy disappeared.

It is believed that Captain McKilroy will go to ground somewhere in the Divide, where the deep ravines and canyons will make it next to impossible to locate her. Imperial Authorities along the route have been alerted, and Fleet Admiral Percival Dunbarrow Pillsbury III made it adamantly clear:

“This transgression will not go unanswered. The damage to Toring at the hands of McKilroy and her crew not once but twice is a travesty of the highest order. As of today, Captain Johanna McKilroy is declared public enemy number one, and to be viewed as less than the pirates she claims to hunt.”

Blackwood Gazette #127: Johanna McKilroy Causes Millions (More) in Damages During Daring Escape from Custody; Declared “Public Enemy Number One”