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Blackwood Gazette #233- Quack Inventor Argathal Gladstone Raises Eyebrows with New Invention

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By Ada Herschel, Science and Technology

15/4/282- When Argathal Gladstone first began showing up in the news nearly two years ago, you couldn’t be blamed for not taking him seriously. His claims to take down what he called the ‘Blackwood Tyranny’ and subsequent failed attempt to cross into Nor Easter for the Industry and Innovation Conference, only to miss it by several months, are the things humorous scientific foot notes are made of.

Gladstone’s newest invention, however, is no laughing matter. Well, that’s not entirely true. It’s still kind of a laughing matter, but has the potential to be something serious.

“We received word that the wayward inventor had returned to Crowndon at the beginning of spring,” said Captain Marshal Warden, an officer with the Crowndon infantry division responsible for policing the region known as the Middle of Nowhere. “I figured we should head on out there, to check and make sure he wasn’t building an anti-matter engine or some such thing.”

What Captain Warden found wasn’t anything of the like, but Gladstone was working on a new contraption.

“It was a little ball, with a propeller. Doesn’t sound very fancy, I know, and when he demonstrated it to us it lifted up into the air and crashed, setting a nearby bale of hay on fire. A tiny robot with a water hose tried to put the fire out, but that malfunctioned as well and we ultimately had to intervene to extinguish the flames. Still, despite this catastrophic malfunction, the tiny flying ball intrigued me.

“There are all sorts of applications that such a device, provided it was functional, could fulfill. Gladstone told us it was his intention to attach a spade to the device, so he could pilot it up and clean out the gutters of his home. I, however, am thinking much more militarily in nature.”

Captain Warden returned to his garrison, where they informed the commanding officer of their discovery.

“Colonel Donovan laughed at the story,” Captain Warden said. “But once I told him a few of my ideas, he started listening. We are currently in the process of trying to secure Mister Gladstone’s original plans for the device, as well as a military patent. Mister Gladstone, however, is proving to be more litigious than we would have thought at first glance. He wants to be brought onto the development as chief engineer. We’ve agreed…to an extent.”

The Captain added that they plan on showing a prototype at this year’s IIC.

Blackwood Gazette #233- Quack Inventor Argathal Gladstone Raises Eyebrows with New Invention

Blackwood Gazette #232-Plamondon and Desantana Fleets Converge in the Skies over The Sea of Wrecked Beginnings and Bitter Ends

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By Chester Seaton, News

13/4- After months of hostilities brewing between the security forces of the Desantana Territory and the pirate fleets of Seylene Plamondon, the situation reached a head this weekend. One might of have expected an epic battle of apocalyptic proportions, sending flaming wreckage plummeting into the sea below, but the situation ended with an unexpected outcome that many fear could lead to a dire outcome.

Reports say that the convergence of the fleets came about as the result of a challenge from Yolanda Desantana made directly to Seylene Plamondon. A shipping vessel taking a nearby route seems to verify this, saying they saw Desantana’s fleet arrive in the early afternoon.

Plamondon accepted the challenge, and according to the same shipping vessel, which for reasons unknown decided to stick around and monitor the situation, arrived later that day. It was at that point the vessel decided to bug out.

We have no way of knowing what transpired next, as neither Desantana nor Plamondon have issued statements. What we do know is that the flagships of both fleets were both present, and it is highly likely both women were on board. According to analysts in Nor Eastern intelligence, it is believed that Desantana and Plamondon met in parlay, and an agreement was reached.

The result of this agreement was witnessed two days later, as both fleets arrived in the skies above Monteddor City, and we have reports that Plamondon ships have been integrated into Desantana patrols, suggesting some sort of partnership has been established.

Such a partnership has Crowndon military officials up in arms, ever as always these days, it would seem.

The ever vocal Crowndonian Fleet Admiral Henry McTolliver minced no words in reacting to the situation.

“This is pure insanity! First, we give control of a fleet made up of the most advanced ships produced by the Triumvirate to a Monteddorian crime lord, and now we have an alliance between a Monteddorian crime lord’s daughter (who killed her crime lord father and now has an iron grip on almost 90 percent of the Blackwood supply, I might add) and the largest pirate fleet in the known world. I’m starting to think we should just rip up the Triumvirate treaties and call ourselves New Monteddor.”

Blackwood Gazette #232-Plamondon and Desantana Fleets Converge in the Skies over The Sea of Wrecked Beginnings and Bitter Ends

Blackwood Gazette #231- More Prisoners Go Missing From Nor Eastern Prisons; Empress Bastian Orders Investigation

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By Basilio Mura, Nor Eastern Correspondent

7/4/282- Echoing a similar situation reported on in Crowndon, several prisoners have been reported having gone missing for Nor Eastern prisons. The situation was brought up when the families of the incarcerated began raising questions.

“This has started to become a disturbing trend,” said Doctor Saul Panteri, a professor of criminology and law with the University of Oeil de Fleur who has taken it upon himself to serve as spokesperson to the aggrieved parties. “Most people will overlook the disappearance of these individuals; point of fact, no headway has been made in the case of the missing in Crowndon. Here in Nor Easter, however, such barbaric attitudes will not go unquestioned.”

Professor Panteri took an interest in the case when the cousin of a man he prosecuted a decade ago showed up at his office to accuse him of being involved. Disturbed by the accusation, Panteri began searching for others who found themselves in similar situations.

“I was looking for a trend,” Panteri said. “Not only among the missing in Nor Easter, but in Crowndon, as well. I couldn’t find one. There didn’t seem to be a common pattern: violent criminals, nonviolent criminals, men, women…it didn’t seem to matter.

“And then I looked deeper. Most of those prisoners that have disappeared were convicted of crimes in which individuals in positions of power, who I won’t name, had been somehow affected. Powerful individuals who would be in a position to pull certain strings.”

Panteri met with several of the complainants, and began to organize them. Eventually, he was granted an audience with the Empress of Nor Easter herself.

“I am of the same mind as Professor Panteri,” the Empress told us. “This is indeed a disturbing occurrence, and possibly a poor reflection of our justice system. As such, I have ordered our judiciary to look into the matter.”

The Empress’s words did little to assuage the families of the missing families, however. Dougal Couresan, the husband of one of the prisoners, suspects she may actually be one of the perpetrators.

“The professor tells us those have gone missing did something to piss off the bigs,” Couresan said. “Well, my wife worked in the palace, as a scullery maid. One day a few silver forks and a crystal glass somehow got dropped in my wife’s things. They threw her in the can for thievery! Now she’s gone. All this talk of investigation is just a smokescreen, methinks.”

Blackwood Gazette #231- More Prisoners Go Missing From Nor Eastern Prisons; Empress Bastian Orders Investigation

Blackwood Gazette #230-Officials Believe ‘Pillar’ Assassinations Related to Summit Attacks

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by Chester Seaton, News

4/4/282- While the stocks of private security firms across the Triumvirate may be up, it would seem the recent murders of several high profile business executives have had the opposite effect in other sectors. New reports say that consumer faith in several of Crowndon’s key exports has plummeted in recent weeks.

“How would you feel as a stockholder in an environment where the leadership could change, violently, at any given moment,” said Abraham Comstock, a business analyst in Walsh. “After the CEO of Fornherst Engineering was murdered, his replacement wasted no time in driving the business into the ground.”

While other affected businesses have replaced their departed with much more competent leadership, the example set by Fornherst Engineering set a poor precedent. It doesn’t help that other recent incidents, such as the winter of 280, the Desantana Uprising and ensuing Blackwood shortage, the Heisenberg Disaster, and the Great Tuna Heist perpetuated by Roderick La Pierre have left the citizenry feeling like Crowndon’s economy has been under attack for the last three years.

“It all feels a bit coordinated, no?” Comstock said. “Almost like someone somewhere is pulling strings. I’m not one to jump at shadows, to point fingers and posit insane theories, but this destabilization of Crowndon’s economy coupled with the attack on the Arms Summit last year almost feels like it’s all been a part of some systematic deconstruction of the Empire to me.”

Statements made by the lead inspector on the murders in Toring, Donovan Wick, would seem to lend credence to this idea.

“It might sound crazy,” Wick said, “But given the coordination and efficiency of these murders, and taking into account the domino effect they have caused throughout the business community, I must admit the possibility of something more going on. I’m reluctant to pin these crimes on some shadowy, global conspiracy that has it in for the Triumvirate…but I’m not ruling it out completely, either.”

Blackwood Gazette #230-Officials Believe ‘Pillar’ Assassinations Related to Summit Attacks

Blackwood Gazette #229-Rival Archeologists Set Out to Uncover Lost City; “A Scientific Race That Could Determine the Future of the World”

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By Ada Herschel, Science and Technology

31/3/282- Ever since the missing explorer Uriah Farringdon Oke was recovered in the colonies, rambling about a mysterious ‘living city’, the archaeology community has been abuzz with speculation as to what such a discovery could mean. Now, two separate expeditions, led by noted rivals Doctor Veronica Trenum and Doctor Alex Congate, are set to strike out into the Deadlands.

“It is my firm belief that this is all poppycock,” Doctor Congate told us. “Unfortunately, said poppycock has dominated the discussion for the last three months with no end in sight. Even if there is nothing to be found, I feel it is my duty to right the course of academic discussion. It will also offer me the opportunity to finally debunk that hack, Ronnie Trenum.”

Doctor Trenum is more optimistic.

“My studies at Pre-Rift sites around the world have pointed to this junction. It is the crowned jewel of my scientific career, and any discoveries to be had will have lasting effects. This has the potential to be a scientific race that could determine the future of the world, even as it shines a light on its distant past.”

The scientific community is divided on the ramifications of this endeavor, as is to be expected. Many detractors state a concern that the spectacle of the race will dilute any discoveries made, with one prominent archaeologist comparing Doctors Trenum and Congate to ‘squabbling children who refuse to get along, more concerned with their own stars than any real science.’

Others have called into question whether Doctor Trenum should be undertaking this endeavor at all, given her recent year long ordeal in Lelina. Doctor Trenum was quick to dismiss any such allegations.

“It won’t do me any good to mope about, doing nothing,” she said. “I must get back out into the field at some point. And the challenges I overcame in the wilds of the Lelina swamps make me all the more qualified to survive anything the Deadlands have to throw at me.”

Neither Trenum nor Congate deigned to divulge the details of their expeditions, though both are believed to set out within the next month.

Blackwood Gazette #229-Rival Archeologists Set Out to Uncover Lost City; “A Scientific Race That Could Determine the Future of the World”

Blackwood Gazette #228- Famous NESS Operative Leaves Five Dead, Four Wounded After Mandolin Performance Goes Awry

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By Basilio Mura, Nor Eastern Correspondent

28/3/282- Patrons of Big Bessie’s Barroom, Billiards and Burlesque who gathered at the establishment for its grand reopening at its new location this weekend were no doubt expecting a leisurely evening of music and drink. What they got however, was something completely different.

Noted bard and mandolin player Gerard P. Shanahan took to the stage at 20 hundred hours to begin his set. According to audience members, the performance started well.

“He opened with Poulain’s ‘Moonwave Ebb and Flow’, my favorite piece,” said Marlane Vousan, who attended the performance with her sister. “It was such a somber number, and lulled us all into a sense of calm serenity. It felt like everything bad that ever happened or could happen had been washed away…or so I thought.”

According to others in attendance, after the third song a group of men at the bar became restless and started to heckle Shanahan.

“A bunch of lewd luddites, the lot of them,” said Guilanne Pierot, a student at the Academy of Alchemists and Alliterators. “Sods started shouting senseless disparagements directed to deflate our delight. Dismay descended promptly thereafter, as the miscreants misjudged Shanahan’s sense of self-esteem.”

Shanahan, an outwardly jovial man by most accounts, is also known for a short temperament when it comes to performing. He also just happens to be a dormant member of the Nor Eastern Subterfuge Society.

“He tried to keep it peaceful, he really did,” Miss Vousan said. “But the more he asked them to quiet down, the more they acted up. He seemed sad. And that made me sad. That’s when the knives came out.”

The bard, having had enough of the drunkard’s disruptive behavior, leapt from the stage, a pair of daggers appearing in his hands almost from nowhere. Onlookers say he didn’t immediately start killing, however.

“I think he just meant to scare them,” said Reynard Houlcombe, the owner of the establishment. “But they weren’t scared. Things…escalated after that. Bastards never stood a chance. It was just a flurry of blades and blood. Now I have five dead bodies on my dance floor. Shanahan grinned the entire time, too. I think he might have enjoyed it.”

Members of Oeil de Fleur’s police department arrived at the scene shortly after. They escorted Shanahan from the premises, but authorities say he was not placed under arrest.

“Shanahan is protected by a complex judiciary code that puts him somewhere between an average citizen and a diplomat,” Inspector Volain Duustois told us. “Put simply, we have no jurisdiction. He has been handed over to Nor Easter’s intelligence service for judgement. I don’t expect much to come of it, however.”

Blackwood Gazette #228- Famous NESS Operative Leaves Five Dead, Four Wounded After Mandolin Performance Goes Awry

Blackwood Gazette #227-High Profile Murders Mean High Profits for Private Security Firms, Recent Reports Say

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By Hunter o’Leary, Business

23/3/282- It would seem that the recent murders of high profile business men across Crowndon has driven many others to seek the protection of private security firms, if the recent earnings reports of several such firms are any indication.

Phalanx Protection, a firm based in Toring, told me that they’ve seen an ‘unprecedented’ rise in clients over the last month.

“We’ve had to start turning potential clients away,” said Yerman Ghilly, the CEO of Phalanx. “We may be a large firm, but our resources are limited, and if we are to continue providing our clients the elite level of service we promise, we must make sure our personnel aren’t spread too thin.”

Yerman went on to say that they’ve begun referring clients to Watcher’s Heights, an up and coming firm based in Walsh.

“These homicides have proven to be an enormous boon to our business,” said Samuel Harding, CEO of Watcher’s Heights. “Before last month, we were barely more than a start-up. Now we have clients from Toring and Sau Anoit. It’s been difficult keeping up with the growth of our customer base, but we are quickly hiring and training a healthy batch of fresh recruits, mainly veterans of the Dividing War and law enforcement officers eager for a more lucrative career.”

Some of these firms claim to have already seen some action. Crown Security, a prominent firm stationed in the capital which has made a name for itself protecting everyone from celebrities to foreign dignitaries reported that one of their teams foiled an attempt on an unnamed client two weeks ago.

“We succeeded in preventing the murder of a high profile client with connections to one of the previous victims,” said Charles Cooper, one of Crown Security’s veteran chiefs. “Where we failed, however, was in putting the assailant down. We won’t make that mistake again, and given the ferocity and determination of the suspect, we believe a second attempt will be inevitable. This

“The fight was brutal; it seemed less like an assassination and more like a crusade. I lost two highly trained men. If I were to give similar firms a piece of advice, it would be to ensure they get the job done. Whoever these people are, they aren’t messing about.”

Blackwood Gazette #227-High Profile Murders Mean High Profits for Private Security Firms, Recent Reports Say

Blackwood Gazette #226- Crowndonian Business Interests Pledge Support for Julianos; “Akin to Treason” says Admiral McTolliver

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By Chester Seaton, News

21/3/282- Despite the outcry of concern from Crowndon’s military elite, it was revealed this week that several members of Crowndon’s business elite have vowed financial backing for Admrial Alejandro Julianos’ First Armored Air Corps.

So far, only one such backer has revealed their identity. Lord Palatine McCredmond Hauks, founder and CEO of Hauks Financial, issued a statement concerning the matter, pulling no punches as to his reasoning.

“I cannot sit idly by and watch the Triumvirate, and by extension, Crowndon, fall under the stresses placed upon her while the Crown’s Arms do nothing. They sit high on chairs built by traditions rooted in times long since ended. I believe Admiral McTolliver when he says that he believes Crowndon’s military is still the best suited to protect the Imperial skyways, and that is why I am worried.

“He’s an old man, stuck in old ways. Old ways that have never seen the likes of the pressure being put on them by Seylene Plamondon or those who attacked the Arms Summit. And who knows what other horrors lie on the horizon, far to the east in Pharassus and Djidann? Hell, they couldn’t even handle the machinations of that mad man Rinkenbach. We live in new times, with new threats that need to be met with new tools, and new thinking. I don’t like that these tools are held by a man many presume to be a criminal. But Julianos has shown that he can weather the storm, that he can think outside the parameters set by those who would do us harm.”

Admiral Henry McTolliver shot back at Lord Hauks’ statement, making it known that severe penalties will be levied against citizens of Crowndon who makes oaths to Julianos.

“The Lord’s statements are outrageous and akin to treason,” the admiral said. “They are essentially funding an outside military, one that is positioning itself to take the place of our own. Were it not for the treaties and agreements in place that serve as the mortar holding our alliance of empires together, I would have Lord Hauks and his ilk in shackles already. It may still come to that. We are pursuing every avenue possible to charge these financiers to the fullest extent of Crowndon law.”

Admiral McTolliver’s threats may ultimately prove to be hollow, however, as the Triumvirate treaties place the Authority above each empire’s own militaries in the chain of command. In other news, Hauks Financial’s holdings increased a staggering twenty percent after the announcement, suggesting many of Crowndon’s citizens agree with Lord Hauks.

Blackwood Gazette #226- Crowndonian Business Interests Pledge Support for Julianos; “Akin to Treason” says Admiral McTolliver

Blackwood Gazette #225-Heaven’s Rogues Expo Finally Opens; Is Unmitigated Disaster

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By Alex Grosset, Arts and Entertainment

2/3/282-After numerous delays and financial setbacks, renowned venue promoter Salvador Bidlittles’ month long expo based on Henri Duhamel’s “Heaven’s Rogues” stories opened in Sau Anoit last week. The reception from fans has been lackluster, to be kind.

“They promised us a faithful recreation of the stories’ world and characters,” said Bernice, a fan from Sau Anoit. “They said it would be like stepping into the pages of the stories themselves. What we have instead is a kitschy mock up full of papier-mâché and bubbles. (Expletive removed) bubbles!”

The price of admission for one day at the expo costs in excess of ten Imperions, two months wages for the average person in “Heaven’s Rogues” demographic. For some attendees, however, the cost was much greater.

“I came here all the way from Walsh, clear on the other side of the Triumvirate,” said Lanciel Harker. “The trip cost ten times as much as the ticket. Took me half a year to save up. I was expecting fine dishes based on those in the books; I got day old strudel. I wanted to hear the music realized; I got some dive bar musician plinking out a barely changed version of Bandiel’s Leitmotif on an out of tune harpsichord. And the live theatre we were told would be occurring throughout the event? It’s amounted to one vignette during lunch, cut short when the actress succumbed to botulism and soiled herself mid-monologue.”

Even more people slated to attend the event never made it, as their tickets were booked for the Expo’s original venue in Val Coursais. They claim they were never informed of the change to Sau Anoit.

While Salvador Bidlittles made a name for himself nearly two decades ago and has put on some of the most lavish and well regarded productions over his career, a string of flops in recent years has left the famed promoter floundering. Critics are saying this disaster will prove to be the final nail in the proverbial coffin.

And it’s a shame, really. When the Expo was announced, Bidlittles promised an amusement unlike any other, a venue for people fond of Duhamel’s work to live in and partake of their favorite fictional universe. It was even said that Duhamel was working very closely with Bidlittles and his designers to ensure the utmost authenticity. It was meant to be a revitalization of Bidlittles’ career, and one cannot deny that the idea was bold. Alas, it seems as though it was not to be.

The “Heaven’s Rogues” Expo closed its door a mere four days into its thirty day run.

***

Author’s Note: So, the original part of this story was over a hundred installments ago. Hey, sometimes these smaller stories get lost along the way. Here’s the first part:

Blackwood Gazette #114

Blackwood Gazette #225-Heaven’s Rogues Expo Finally Opens; Is Unmitigated Disaster

Blackwood Empire #224-Authorities Link Multiple Homicides To Death of Yves Business Man; Believe It’s “Only the First Wave of This Violence”

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By Chester Seaton, News

29/2/282-Law enforcement officials in Walsh, Toring, and Yves today revealed that a recent string of anonymous tips led them to the scenes of several homicides over the course of the last three weeks. While details were kept to a minimum, it is believed the homicides are linked somehow.

“All of the victims are prominent business owners with ties to each other,” said Inspector Donovan Wick of Toring. “Each of them was killed in similar fashion, and in each case it appears the murders were followed by the environment being ransacked and objects of value being stolen.”

While Inspector Wick didn’t elaborate on what these ‘objects of value’ might be, his counterpart in Yves, Pavetta Janvier, told us that files pertaining to the victims’ business interests had been taken.

“It is my belief that this is only the first wave of this violence,” Inspector Janvier said. “Whoever killed these men was looking for information on their associates and their holdings. This isn’t just about killing, it is about striking a blow to their hold on power. I suspect a vast criminal conspiracy of murder and subterfuge is at play.”

Law enforcement agencies across the Crowndon Empire have dispatched personnel to contact and if necessary protect those they believe are in danger. As for who might be conducting such a grisly business?

“We have several theories,” Inspector Wick said. “But this early in the investigation, I feel it would be unwise to share them. If these crimes are connected, as we believe, we can say that whoever the perpetrators are they are well organized and coordinated.”

We also learned that Inspectors Janvier and Wick had taken several witnesses into custody, but no other information was provided.

Blackwood Empire #224-Authorities Link Multiple Homicides To Death of Yves Business Man; Believe It’s “Only the First Wave of This Violence”