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Heard in Haven: October 2000
 Title: The Beginning of Spring As the winter loses its icy grip, the snow begins to melt. Starting with drips as the air warms, the rainy weather has speeded the process a little. More and more snow melts each day, testing the drainage of the City and surrounding farmlands. Those who can see the rivers note that they are starting to swell with the excess water, flowing a little faster and deeper with each passing hour. All this is perfectly normal, the result of winter's ending and spring's beginning. What is not perfectly normal is the sheer volume of water that will eventually find its way into the drainage systems for this part of the world - the heavy snows all winter will make their effects felt, and soon. Fortunately, the snow in the mountains has not yet begun to melt - what will happen when it does?
Title: Minor Hound Rumors Amidst the current turmoil between the Hounds and the Praetorian Guard, it's easy to miss a few small tidbits of news that have come out of the Bastion. The order for the wing-crippled Empyrean Sebastienne's arrest has been revoked. Apparently the girl's innocence in the murder she was suspected of has been proven. If the Hounds are searching for another suspect, they're not saying. On an even more minor note, some in the city have noticed that Soldat Geridan Kentari has been relieved of duty to the Hounds. The few that speculate on why argue between his quitting or being fired. The answer will have to come from the man himself, though.
Title: Driftwood... Odd pieces of timber, as ever, float in Haven's bay. Some are just packaging or other debris that's been swept off shore, but some drifts in from the sea, and it sometimes has a story to tell. These particular pieces are ship's timbers, splintered, broken, twisted. What's left of the paint is as black as the proverbial raven's wing, a simile given weight by the white-painted letters "VEN'S W" still visible on a larger piece.
Title: The Schola Way... It hasn't been officially stated what spurred this new wave of armament among the high ranking officials of Empyre. Usually, the Schola - elite members of the Praetorians who protect and serve the Emperor and the Aegis directly - are seen rarely and only in presence of the dignitaries or on dark and heartless missions from the Maximus himself. Yet few fail to speculate that it is the recent violent developments and the mysterious murder in the house of one Aegian in Haven that brought on the red and purple capes of the infamous Emperor's guards into the open. In effect, the Schola guards around the Maximus and the members of Empyrean Aegis have increased, and their manner shifted from forlorn to outright frightening. Dedicated, single-minded and merciless, the Schola take nothing for granted anymore, and seem quite happy to indulge in any occasion that may as much as promise any possible danger to the person under their wing. They have only one goal - to protect, and no other life seems to matter in any respect. Draped in decorative Empyrean uniforms and red or purple chlamys, and trained to fanatical perfection, they employ their mind-boggling tactics with verve and dedication, walking around proudly, engaging in little conversation and making a distinct impression that their swords are constantly stained with fresh blood...
Title: A Heated Squabble, or: Muckbaths, the Latest Fashion? The afternoon sun would have spotlighted a strange sight among the muck and sludge of melted snow around the corner of Main and Vicina. The crossing paths of a golden haired Empyrean and a vaguely seen mongrel of feminine form. A conversation arose between them that turned decidedly heated. It seems the blood had been warming with the temperature. Amidst the discussion the Empyrean appeared to have been taken with a sudden fever as he swayed and muttered inarticulate imprecations, while the woman in turn ended up in one of the puddles on the ground. Then, the matter that truly spurred comment: the situation was set aflame. Literally. The Empyrean's wing was set afire before he also collapsed into the quagmire, luckily dousing the impromptu flame. Fortunately the servants who had been standing at attendance with wavering towers of boxes quickly abandoned their charges in favor of their master. The limp body was awkwardly hefted and carried away into staring press towards the Palladium. The mongrel shrilly shouted her victory at the felled man, who was in little position to listen, before shakily scampering off herself, towards the north.
Title: Eye for an Eye... An enfeebled old Varati wearing the crimson robes of an Atarvani priest shuffles into the Rialto escorted by a pair of Akhund. He finds a stone perch from which to speak, and after a Herculean effort for one so old, manages to mount the object without toppling to his death. From beneath a blood red cowl he issues the following pronouncement: "It was made known to the God Khalid Atar that the candala kafir named Cassius Augustin was a prominent figure in the group of dishonorable killers who call themselves Kyklos. It is also known by the Amir-al that this honorless kafir gave the command to slay one of the Amir-al's own blood, Kiral Khalida. For this, the Neverending Fire has consumed the kafir named Cassius Augustin, incinerating him. Let it be known that none who shed the blood of Clan Khalida will escape the Amir-al's wrath. This is the will of our God." The old man's legs buckle slowly in an attempt to lower himself from his perch, but after the attempt almost results in a loss of balance, he is helped by his Akhund. The trio retreat from the Rialto, leaving behind a largely indifferent crowd populated by a handful of outraged Empyreans and smugly satisfied Varati.
Title: Varati in Empyrean Quarter no Longer There are no grand announcements. No Heralds upon stands crying forth to the uncaring merchants of the Rialto, no grandly spoken proclamations. Like a ripple in a pond, it spreads from the Bastion. Hounds, many of them fresh-faced recruits with more enthusiasm than experience, come forth in the traditional squads of three, at least one Sentire or Reeve among each. The ripple of men and women bearing the Cerberus pass into the Empyrean Quarter. Where they meet with the "auxiliaries", the Varati Clansmen wearing sashes of indigo and black, the "auxiliaries" are relieved of duty. Their sashes collected as they leave the Quarter, the Clansmen are given orders to return to their own. In Atesh-Gah. Within a matter of hours, the Varati Clansmen who had augmented the Hounds are gone, returned to Atesh-Gah. The patrols of Hounds are, perhaps, a bit thin within the Quarter. The Praetorian Guard remains stripped of the ability to enforce the laws of Haven, and Atlanteans bearing sashes are still the law of Haven along the waterfront. But less than one day after Khalid-Atar proclaimed the death of Cassius Silvarius Augustin, the Varati that once patrolled the streets of the Empyrean Quarter are gone.
Title: The Praetorian Response to the Death... In light of the rumors blazing through Haven, there seems to be no obvious response from the Praetorian Guard. However, there appear throughout the quarter, men (and some women) who look seem to be watching over the Empyrean citizenry at large, particularly when there are any interactions with Varati. There's no threat of violence unless offered. It's fairly obvious who these men are, but they wear no armor to proclaim it, nor do they attempt to interfere in any way with the Hounds or the auxiliaries, fading into the background when it comes to that. If questioned, they demur answering.
Title: More Murmurs Rise Against Delphi As the news of Cassius Augustin's untimely death travels throughout Haven, so do the whispers of wariness. Though the death of one more Empyrean, be he noble or not, does not effect the people at large much at all, the manner of his death is a cause of great concern, as is the sudden retraction of the Varati from the Empyrean quarter. "He just burned him to ashes without even so much as a trial?" "I think those Varati weren't even trying to help the Hounds, I think they were scouting for an easy, prominent victim among the Empyreans!" "And the Delphi /helped/ them get inside unmolested! They stripped the Praetors of their rights to protect and then they let the Varati just waltz in and capture an Aegian and take him back to Khalid to destroy as he pleased!" "The Delphi are certainly in on it! Why else would the Varati leave their supposed 'protection' positions just after their goal was accomplished? The Delphi is ruled by the Varati." "They have been for years! They just don't care so much for hiding it now." "Why should they care, eh? They have us right where they want us. Obeying the laws they don't enforce against the Varati!" "That's right, I heard that they are looking to capture that Praetor Caius 'cause a Hound saw him do something, but remember a while back? We /all/ saw those two Varati warriors try to kill a man in the street, right in front of a Reeve, and nobody has brought them to trial for it! If that healer wouldn't have been there, e'd have died for sure! It would have been a murder, but the Delphi didn't do /anything/ about /that/!" "If the Varati are taking over Haven, then it means that the laws of Haven will no longer apply, don't it?" "S'right! The city was founded under the agreement that all races would live peaceably and none would try to overpower the others, this is supposed to be neutral ground! That was the whole point of the city back in the beginning, wasn't it?" "Well, if the law is only the law for some and not for others, I don't see why we should be forced to obey them... There are more of us than there are of the Hounds..." "Are ...you talking about revolt?" "I am."
Title: And with Spring Comes New Trade... As trade in Haven returns to something approaching its normal state, word soon spreads that others besides the Varati have become interested in the bounty trade brings. A few select merchants have started selling lumber, telling all and sundry that this is the best timber available, procured at great expense from a group of Sylvan tribes in a distant forest. And indeed, it seems that every week a new ship arrives with more lumber in tow - a veritable bounty. The wood is everything it is claimed to be - good, straight timbers whose quality can only be found in a Sylvan forest; and it is priced accordingly. Still, despite the cost, it is already proving popular for builders, sculptors and other artisans...
Title: The Sky is Falling? In the rosy light of pre-Dawn, a group of mages set out from Delphi, led by the perhaps-familiar faces of Minowara Raijin, Neruan Vanora, and Rohan Garret. Without spoken words, the group heads north into the farmlands outside Haven. There's nothing particularly interesting for the Haven rumor-mongers, but that changes drastically once a few reports trickle back from the north. There's tales of outraged farmers arguing with the Delphites, and of mages working to tear up vast tracts of earth with their magic alone. Rumors and accusations are bandied about thick and fast in the Rialto, with more than one person declaring an intent to close up early and head north to see just how far Delphi's gone. Not a few people have commented that that strange Atlantean madness has returned, since Delphi's fish folk have obviously gone insane. Just then, however, a group of Heralds approaches the Rialto, and spreads out to the four corners of the marketplace. In loud voices, they proclaim Delphi's latest work: a massive earthen floodwall. The winter has seen much snow, they cry, and it will melt soon. The danger of flooding is great, and Delphi is moving to protect the city. A giant channel will be cut with sweat and magic, with the earth raised into a dune between the channel and the city. As much of the farmlands around Haven as possible will be behind the wall, but there is much work to be done. Even with Delphi's magic, those of the Ivory Tower need help, and call upon the citizens of Haven to assist them. With that, the Heralds depart. Reaction to the news is mixed. Many don't believe it, others call it some strange Varati plot, and yet more just shake their heads sadly and say they knew the day would come when Delphi lost all grip on reality. The more clever whisper that it's a scheme to defuse the current talk of rebellion in the city, but a very, very few seem to believe the Heralds. Anyone heading north will indeed see Delphi's mages toiling away in the sun, digging with pick, shovel, and magic.
Title: The Circle Strikes Again? If the Varati nobility have been slightly more cautious when venturing outside their embassy to the north so soon after the death of Cassius Augustin, there is now suddenly a noticeable increase of guards and sour looking faces in general as the dusky people of Fire walk the streets of Haven. The reason? Word spreads like wildfire, were you only to listen. There was a sudden commotion within the courtyard of Atesh-Gah the other evening, something that could only be half glimpsed from the street beyond, but heard well enough from the several shocked outcries and shouts that caused more than one head of those passing by to turn. Someone had been killed, the ever enthusiastic gossipers inform anyone wanting to listen - someone who was dropped from the darkened skies above, straight into the courtyard, for everyone to behold. No, not just one, they were several! At least a dozen people were found butchered in the gardens, the most eager claim. Tortured. Mutilated to near unrecognition. Simple slaves, one rumor goes - nothing too important, there are lots of those around. No, no, another contradicts; a whole kshatri family of high standing was slain. There are almost as many variations of the rumor as there are mouths to retell them, and naturally, the accuracy varies wildly; it's rather doubtful whether anyone actually knows the truth. One reoccurring little detail is the name 'Kyklos'. Wasn't that what the late Augustin was said to be part of, after all? Perhaps they want revenge.
Title: They Weren't Kidding ... Well, it seems that Delphi wasn't kidding around. A deep ditch dug by sweat and magic, backed by a strong earthen wall, is going up around Haven. With a lot of Delphi's resources behind it, as well as a number of volunteers from Haven, the progress has been remarkable. Smaller floodwalls and dams are under construction in the farmland to the east of Haven, as Delphi's making no secret that that is where the main body of water is expected to come. Farmers and livestock have been spotted in the process of temporary relocation to higher ground, though not without complaint. Any one of those involved will state that there's still a lot of work left to do, however, and that all assistance is very welcome. Through it all, however, one thing remains painfully clear: there hasn't been any sign of water coming down from the mountains, yet. So, while Delphi works on in grim earnestness, others laugh at their efforts, and still others narrow their eyes at the great wall going up around the city.
Title: Conspiracy? Many are talking about Delphi's efforts to save the city from the supposed wall of water headed its way. Some speak of madness from magicians and clairvoyants. Others think it merely a good precaution. Many laugh. But a new rumor has also surfaced...Many are wondering, speculating, worrying...what if it's not really to hold the water back, but something else? A wall around the city? Perhaps the war in Avalon is headed their way and no one's telling the common folk...Perhaps it's just a large conspiracy...
Title: Manipulation? Now, consider this: What if the wall around the city is not built to stray the water away. What if it is not built to keep an invading force out. What if... if the wall around Haven is made not to keep someone or something out of the city, but IN the city? What if the risen barrier is a prison wall to prevent people from leaving? Reasons? Oh, there could be so many! But with the insanity professed in Delphi, what if those mages are doing mass experiments on people in Haven, or are about to alter the entire metropolis? They built a wall to keep someone in the city, which means that people will be trying to leave Haven after _something_ happens soon. Something that they will, undoubtedly, do themselves... or something about to happen that they are keeping a secret. Another earthquake, perhaps? Famine? Plague (wall built to keep the plague from getting out)? Slaughter? Revolution? Magical experiments? But who could that 'someone' be? The Empyreans, everyone knows, can just fly out. The Atlanteans can leave through the ocean. Sylvan presence is limited inside Haven itself. Varati, perhaps? Maybe, but who needs the ground to leave the most? Mongrels! The Mongrels may be in danger, and Delphi has built a wall around Haven to imprison them inside. After all, no flood is coming to the city. The above rumor has just started by the more paranoid groups. It is now trickling onto the streets.
Title: Death at the Beach Through the streets of the city they had marched, remaining silent and aloof of those around them. Four Najada - the Najskor himself, his Kurie wife, their son, and the vojak known as Vladimir - walked steadily to the beach and did not stop until they had entered the ocean itself. This was the end of their peaceful activities. Accounts vary, but certain things seem to be taken as true. The silver-haired woman among them had been slaughtered in the water, victim to a strange and alien ceremony. Some say she had struggled, and just before her life had been stolen the air was filled with phantom images of a strong, solid, bluish man. Others state that she willingly gave herself - even seemed proud to be chosen. But blood was spilled, and it darkened the waters with crimson. Communion was shared among the three remaining men, until the Najskor emerged alone back onto the beaches. What happened to the body? And the two remaining men? No one knows for certain, and no one seemed inclined to stop and ask Izak himself before he disappeared into the streets.
Title: A Lovely Sunny Day It was a nice, warm day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and a miniature heatwave was had by all. Even the mountains shared the warmth of spring, a blessed relief as the chill of winter finally fled. The sun shone over Haven, persuading the various august personages therein to break out the summer clothing long before summer itself came near. However, with the heat, rumors of a flood are rampant. With all that snow melting in one day? Brrr - who wants to be in the way of that when it comes down from the hills?
Title: A Messenger Comes to Delphi... Early in the morning of the second day after the warmest so far, an unusual messenger visited Delphi. A golden eagle drifted in on the breeze, landing in a tree and watching the almost-empty courtyard. At the sight of a member of Feralis, she Shifted, knowing that the use of such magic would bring him. As her power left her in Sylvan form, she was revealed to be neither old nor young, with bronze hair and amber eyes, blue tattoos on her arms and several scars on her body. In a rich, deep voice, she told him that Haven's new wall will soon be needed - the flood is coming; in speaking, she revealed massive canine teeth. In answer to the Ferine's thanks, she commented rather acidically that the Elders of Apisachi had asked her to come, before Shifting back into eagle-form and flying away as if touching anything of Delphi burnt her. She didn't leave her name with the Ferine, but he was not asked for his.
Title: A Funeral in the Palladium In the Eastern part of Haven, where the Empyreans dwell, a fire illuminated the night sky with a hue of crimson and yellow. Some rejoiced, thinking that Palladium was finally ablaze. But as the night wore on, and nothing changed the intensity of this burning light, the mood of the hopefuls died and their wishes did too. Yet those perceptive, those who kept up with gossip and the news, knew that nothing befell the flyers from the sky, other than a death of one of their own. Nodding, they paid their own respects in silence for a moment - some good some bad - knowing that Cassius Augustin was being honored that night. The pyre that burned and flooded the night with red hues went off some hour after it was lit... fueled not only by the ashes of the man's possessions but offerings that mourners made. Someone threw a feather into the fire. Someone left a hat. And even Varati flowers from Atesh-Gah burned in the blaze, as an offering from someone he knew.
Title: But What of the Shakir? The embassy of the Varati in Haven is an insular place, and those who dwell therein are a reserved, proud people who do not speak of their business to the infidels outside the walls of the Atesh-Gah. Yet rumors do emerge, albeit delayed, as whispers between friends, gossip carried by the wind and by chatty servants...and so, therefore, does word of the fate of the missing Shakir of Clan Khalida seep through the obsidian boundaries between the Varati stronghold and the rest of Haven. An urn bearing the name "Shahar al-Jehan Khalida" lives in the Temple to Khalid, borne there by the hands of the God-King himself, laid to rest with his own blessings. Those who came into the Temple to worship witnessed this event, saw the ashes of the Lioness of Khalida given a place of honor for all eternity. And heard, oh definitely heard, the words of the dread Amir-al to the Ushasti known as Majidah: his Lioness was dead, and the Empyrean known as Cassius Augustin was responsible. Whatever else happened inside is unclear, but about the Atesh-Gah the rumors grew that Cassius had slain Shahar Khalida. Then, like migratory birds, a few of these rumors flitted outside the Atesh-Gah.
Title: Wrath and Fury Returned In the early morning hours, the skyscape painted in red and golden hues was marred by a dark shape, small in the distance. That shape neared and soon cast a large shadow upon the cobbled streets of Haven, a shadow in the shape of a wyvern queen. With a shrill alien cry, the monster bellowed, scattering the morning's patrons below it like so many partridges. Great wings clawed at the air and sent a wall of wind down the street, aggravating saris and sending felt caps tumbling away from their owners. When at last the beast finds purchase on the ground and her weight is settled, she casts her reptilian gaze around. Those few denizens of the city unfortunate to be close by suffer a number of attacks from the vicious snapping jaws of the Queen. Needle-like teeth seek the soft flesh of mongrels and Varati alike, and only the efforts of the Queen's handler prevent any of these assaults from succeeding. From the back of the vicious Queen slides a shape cruel and ominous. Wrapped in the cold black haik of the Agni-Haidar, he stalks towards the gate of the Varati embassy, his face lost to the shadows of a cowl deep. The wyvern Queen growls angrily in his wake, her appetite tempered by a cautious hatred of the retreating rider. Trailing the Agni-Haidar is a Varati woman shrouded by blue and golden silk, her strides hurried to keep pace with the warrior in front. Her diligence almost proves her undoing when the menacing black shape pauses before the threshold of the embassy, and only quick footwork saves the woman from colliding into him. A coarse and callused hand emerges from the depths of the night wrought haik to grasp the cowl. With a jerk, he casts aside the hood, unmasking features cruel and ruinous - the features of the Agni-Haidar Nayaka, Faisal al'Siraj. His eyes burn with undisguised contempt for the candala city before he rips his attention away and continues inside. His Mahisi, Rabi, follows. In the absence of the Nayaka, the Queen again grows bold and hisses lustfully at the small bipedal treats that scamper away from her. Before a meal can be found, her rider prods her into action. Wings broad stretch, gain purchase in the air, and pull the beast skyward with powerful strokes.
Title: Deluge! Rumors fly wildly around Haven, as the city awakes to find itself flooded in. Beyond the massive walls that Delphi has constructed is ... water. Nothing but water surrounding Haven, though dryer land can be seen by the sharp-eyed to the west. Excited children tell tales of a dramatic turn of events during the night as a wall of water assaulted Haven, to be thrust back and pacified by a small number of grey-robed Atlanteans standing atop the wall at regular intervals. What does it all mean? Certainly, Haven seems to be surrounded by water on all sides, and land travel to and from the city is impossible, at least until the waters recede. It would seem that the flood has indeed come, and that Delphi's preparations were not wasted. Not all are satisfied, though, and a small number of people mutter darkly that the Citadel summed forth the waters, for its own dark purposes ...
Title: Departure Reports filter back that visitors to the western shore of Haven today have noticed something odd about the beach. It might have taken a few moments to notice just what was different this morning, but the change was obvious. The longboat Naglfar, the ship that carried the Aesir and Najada across the high seas from their Northern homeland to Haven, is gone. The Aesir had repaired, and refitted the mighty craft, and in the pre-Dawn hours, simply left Haven. Those who knew the Aesir well have heard some of the reasons for their leaving: culture differences, disgust with the soft Southlanders, and no patience for protracted negotiations, to name a few. Others still murmur that someday, the barbaric Northlanders might return, and only time will tell whether it will be with hands that are open, or grasping the haft of an axe.
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