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Heard in Haven: February 2000
 Title: New Estrel It was from the gates of Delphi, on a pedestal Shaped of the cobbles themselves that the new Varati Estrel was named to take the place of the late Estrel Maya on Delphi's council. Heralds gathered to listen and then carry the news to any that would care to hear, throughout the city... Niamh Gitanjali bin Mazat, having achieved the rank of Adept and found to be suitable by both the Council of Estrella and the Varati people, was named to the vacant position to serve Haven there as long as he is able.
Title: Much Ado... A Wedding, Part Two Well, after much ado, it winds up that all the rumours were nothing! Word quickly spreads again from Palladium, whispers spreading like flame in the middle of a dry summer: The Wedding is On. And it would appear that the Princeps and the Dea aren't wasting any time, again. Not even a week had passed from the cancellation of the first ceremony when the pair rescheduled their wedding in Civitas Dei. And it would appear that quite a bit happened during that week, if rumours are anything to judge by. This time, it is scheduled to take place on the evening of Tuesday, December 27th in the year 3905. The ceremony shall occur on the Thanatos Estates in Civitas Dei, and the reception shall follow at the Tritonis Estates. Any who may wish to are welcome to attend.
Title: The Wrath of Khalid Atar Returns The veneer of peacefulness in the marketplace was cruelly shattered as a procession of wyvern-mounted Agni-Haidar entered the city. The fabled reptilian beasts snapped hungrily at the city's denizens, but their lusting teeth found no flesh as tightly-held reigns prevented it. The file of coldly black-clad warriors halted before the towering Citadel amidst a void of merchants and customers. The lead warrior reached up with a callused and coarse hand to throw back his cowl and remove the unadorned steel helm. What lay beneath was a travesty of flesh. Etched viciously by the merciless knives of time and service to the God-King, the cruel face of an old warrior was revealed. His burning gaze settled upon the stone tower and lips parched threatened a disgusted sneer at the candala structure before he spurred his mount forward. In a fit of hissing and the scraping of claws on stone, the guard continued its march towards Atesh-Gah. Faisal, the Nayaka of the Agni-Haidar, has returned.
Title: The Loose Morals of Delphi's Estrella "In the name of the Gods, Christal, why on earth do you want all those weird things?" Rea, a vendor of excentric foods at the Rialto, looks at the Citadel's servant with a raised brow, "You're not with child, are you?" "Oh no, not me, Rea, truly." The woman leads forwards in a conspiratorial whisper, one which is known to draw attention "It's one of the Estrella." "What? But who? I thought the female ones were all too old by now?" A shake of Chris' head, "No, the youngest, that priestess of the Atlanteans, she's with child." Her voice is lowered dramatically, "They say it's the Seneschal's." A gasp. "That one? But... he's old and, well he's even less attractive than a normal fish. And, hmmm, I recall seeing that girl one time... can't she find someone better?" At that moment, an Atlantean man, looking quite dignified and well-dressed, interrupts. "The High Priestess you're talking about? Why... of course she can do better. Like the Orman heir, Orman Kai's son." As the two women stare at him with wide eyes, the man continues in a voice filled with confidence, "Orman Rhys is a handsome one, and worships Pasiphae, just like she." A sly grin and wink at some men who've gathered around, listening to the tale, "And I assure you... those ceremonies done for Pasiphae, now, they are worth attending, I assure you. Her bearing his child would not surprise me." He places a hand against his lips, "An interesting match that would be.... not that she'd ever marry." Hearing the gasps from his interests, he sighs, turning around yet explaining, "She's High Priestess, she belongs to Pasiphae. Not merely one man." Long after the man has wandered off, people are still talking about this latest bit of juicy gossip, and guessing who indeed the father would be. Those with ties to the Citadel favor Raijin, while others find the words of the Atlantean more trustworthy than that of a Mongrel. Occasionally, an Atlantean will dare to give his or her opinion, and always in favor of Orman Rhys...
Title: You Will Not Believe This! Tiro: Misla, Phyla, listen, you will never believe what I just saw! Misla: What's it now, Tiro? Did the Deus Cassius stay up another night again? Phyla: Aye, that's old news... Tiro: Nay, it's not of that! I just came from his chambers and you'll never believe who was there, what I saw! Misla: Oh, something new? Don't hold it in lad? Share! Tiro: It was the domina Helena, I swear it was her! In his chambers, at this early hour! First, I thought she was here to visit domina Arianna, but... Phyla: Get on with it! Tiro: Listen to this: They were locked in the tightest of embraces I ever did see! Misla: What do you mean, embrace? A small hug? Tiro: Nay! More than a hug! I saw them with my own eyes, I swear by Tyche! And then when I got in, he stepped away, looking at me, you know, like a warning not to tell. Pfff. I tell you, those two are more than friends. Just think on it... Phyla: Well, the Deus is a man, and he's been every so lonely of late... Misla: And domina Helena, you know the scandals she brought onto the House of Jove... Tiro, snickering: I told you it was hot! Oh, they tried -- she calling him a friend, him saying she was just telling him something grave. Do you believe it? Misla & Phyla: I don't! Wait 'til I tell...
Title: Tomato Soup A few giggles followed by hushed whispers circulate throughout the Rialto, several sets of eyes focused upon the gates of the Citadel. "Oh, it was quite an amusing sight, I tell you, Magda. You should have seen her -- flailing and falling, why, she nearly killed the poor pet of that Amarisian woman, you know, the wife of the heir?" Lotte giggles as she tells her tale. Magda shakes her head slowly, rearranging the fruit in her stand. "And I thought caduceans were supposed to save lives, not shorten them. Poor dear, she is not like them other Delphites you know... she, at least, seems to care." "None of them care, who're ya kidding? They're all alike. Besides, she's scarcely more than a child, that one. Why, I couldn't tell which was the teacher and which was the student." Hans scoffs as he unfolds his bolts of fabric. "Yes, well you cannot tell an orange from an apple, Hans, so that is nothing new. The Empyrean, you know, the one who fell? She's the teacher. My, she has not grown much in the years -- spent most of her life in Delphi, you know," Magda remarks knowingly. "Both of you, stop now. Domina Atreides is a nice young woman, even if she does look nothing like her cousin and former Estrel Tritonides. From what Felix told me, she paid for the damage without being asked -- how many would do that, hmm?" Lotte defends the latest victim of gossip wholeheartedly. "Anyway, I'd a likely fallen too, if some strange animal tripped me. Indecent, I tell you, to let animals wander the Rialto -- they are forever robbing our stand." The voices fade off in confirmation of the various rants and complaints of daily life in the market. Though a few still snicker over the thought of 'the Caducean' using her body and robes to make tomato soup upon the ground. Really, are they that bored in Delphi?
Title: Street rats Where? A few of Delphi's kitchen staff walk through the Rialto.... "I'm tellin' ya, Jeraco, he brought a scruffy Empyrean girl in off the streets!" "Aye, I heard as much. The one who caused all that trouble with those Varati." "She has been in here like a hundred times, but he brought her back again." "What's he expect, Delphi to make her a non-street rat?" "I don't know... she looked pretty bad. He was yelling about fixing her wings..." "What's her name... Sebastienne? She needs a week of good food, too, from the look..." "Yeah, I think he just wants her well enough to go back to the streets." "Feh... what are we, mother of the community?" "I don't know, I only work here..."
Title: Could it be True? Could it be true? Has she lost her mind? Was if it is just a dream mistaken? But what if... What if indeed it is true? What if Helena Jove did indeed get visited by Him, by the Kronian Himself? Where the young noble goes, people whisper, point at her, or fall silent, the conversation picking up again once she is gone from view. Could it be true? And even if indeed the Kronian has found a way to talk to His people again, why on Aether has he chosen that woman? Why not the Emperor? True, she is Jove, but... This is one rumor that is spread in hushed tones, coming from different sources, each with an opinion glued to the words. People say that someone asked her if the story was true and that the Jovian indeed reacted positively, that she herself believes she was blessed with a visit. For a people who have lost so much, this rumor brings hope as well as skepticism, dividing the Empyrean population into one part that either believes or wants to believe that the rumor is true. The other part either questions the Jovian's sanity, accuses her of telling lies to get attention, or believes the girl to have suffered from hallucinations. Some don't even want to think on the matter, afraid of the consequences if the visit indeed happened. For think on it. What if indeed the story is true and the Kronian is returning...
Title: Wreck on the High Seas There must have been something tragic that happened out on the open waters of the ocean, for now bits and pieces of what is left have started to float into the bay. It was clearly not a wreck nearby, for there is not nearly enough flotsam washing up on the beaches for the apparent tragedy to have been in Haven's own waters, but that it did occur is unmistakeable. A few watertight boxes with the owner's goods in them and a weathered plank or two complete with the thick pins often used to fasten them in the way of wise ship-builders have washed up on the east and west banks, and at least two bodies. Whose ship it was is not yet known, but no few sailors on the docks mutter a brief prayer for those souls lost once more to the grey widow-maker.
Title: Assistant Estrel Though no formal announcement is made, rumors flow out from Delphi like water, seeping into every crack and corner. Lehuan Okalani, Estrel of Delphi, has named another Atlantean to act as liaison between her people and the Citadel, assuming some of the responsibilities and duties of a member of the Estrella. The name of this assistant is unfamiliar to many: Neruan Vanora, Pasiphaean and Adept of the Elemental caste.
Title: A New Baby! Word just now begins to trickle out of House Chryseis, word of a blessed event and an addition to the family tree. The Gods have bestowed upon Altair and Andromache Chryseis the gift of a little baby girl. The baby is healthy, and both mother and daughter are resting and gathering up their strength. A name for the newest Chryseis member will be given at a naming ceremony yet to be announced.
Title: Crazed Fishie...? Strange sights are hardly unusual in Haven. So the rumors of a half-crazed Atlantean roaming the streets tend to excite little interest in the majority of the populace. Someone heard from a friend, though, that she stumbled her way out from the Delphic Citadel as if Khalid Atar himself was on her heels. And another reliable source swears up and down that she snitched a ragged piece of cloth from one of the vendors in the Rialto, and is wandering hither and thither with it wrapped around her head and face. Talking to herself, someone else mentions. Laughing. Or sobbing. Seems she's managed to earn herself something of a reputation in the space of a day or two. A little unusual? Well, sure... but what isn't, around here?
Title: Altair's Gill Fetish? Through the myriad clashes of cultures and colors found in the Rialto strides Jaynses, a young mongrel seamstress often remembered for her gregarious tilt and a bubbly personality that froths over into the realm of annoyance. She moves with intent. Nominally, she is shopping, but in truth she wishes to pass on this bit of news she had recently heard. Approaching the cloth merchant, Suan, another who happens to share the young woman's talkative bent, Jaynses bursts out with exasperating exuberance. "Suan, you would not believe what I just heard." A slightly dubious frown stretches the wide, homely features of the merchant. "Aye, I doubt I shall believe it after you tell me, either. Still convinced that Khalid is an Empyrean, are ya?" Flighty hands wave the other woman to silence. "No, it's the Commander, Altair. He was seen doing unmentionable things to a young Atlantean girl over Seaside way. Swear it truth to be." A loud harumph puffs out the cheeks of Suan, as she replies. "Now, Jaynses, you don't be spreading that tripe. The Commander is a good and respectable man. Married, too." Said as if that last bit eliminated him from such activities. A thoughtful pause then, as she hunkers down. "What was it they say they were doing? And in the middle of the street, no less?" Voice pitching down into a conspiratorial whisper that still manages to carry well, words dribble forth amidst the naughty giggles. "She was draped all over him. Locked in lip and otherwise, I am hearing. Rather shameful. Lots of people watching, too." A quick gasp of shock, and then the conversation spirals into inarticulate whispers that consider the ramifications of this news. Soon followed by more important matters, such as the best cloth for a maiden's dress.
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