Flaming Skies To The East

Over the last few nights, and sometimes even well into the mornings, the skies to the East have been lit up in shades of red and orange. The sky looks as though it has been set ablaze.

The sight has obviously led to some panic in the citizens of our fair city and The Council of Barons has had to send the Constabulary to calm agitated groups of citizens multiple times. Scout ships were immediately dispatched and word came back almost immediately that the lights are due to an eruption on the continent of The Burning Lands.

To be seen from this distance, the eruption must be truly massive. The Gazette interviewed Professor Spirow Andallamew at the University and the professor had this to say:

"It does indeed appear to be an eruption on a massive scale. We detected numerous small earthquakes in our vicinity as well. Whatever is happening on that continent must be truly terrifying. Or maybe they like it, Burning Landers are weird."

Despite the danger, several noble houses have joined forces to hire a small fleet of relief ships in case the peoples of The Burning Lands are in need of assistance. This has proven to be a divisive idea amongst both the nobility and the commonfolk. A representative of the Mason's Union, Albert Kigdorf, spoke to a gathering in the South Square early this morning:

"We have hungry people here, in our own home! Why should we let these rich do-nothings send our hard-earned bread out to sea to help some outlanders?! We need to take care of our own!"

The sentiment, echoed by the gathered masses, rang true to many citizens across our fair city and vigorous debates, along with some incidences of violence, have begun occuring wherever the argument takes hold.

One of the noble houses, House Kell, has been instrumental in trying to calm the populace. Lord Baron Orion Kell, patriarch of House Kell and member of The Council of Barons, led several groups of Peacemakers into these gatherings with the intent of de-escalation. During one address Lord Baron Kell spoke emphatically:

"I know you are afraid, we all are. The sky is almost literally on fire and you see us loading ships and taking the things we may need to some far off land. No one doubts why you would be angry or fearful, it is a natural reaction."

"But we have morals and ethics. We have a duty to assist as many as we can. There is no sacrifice here. Our cupboards are not bare nor our wells dry. We have the means to help without sacrificing our own good fortune. Were we not to do so, what then would we as a people be? What then would we think of ourselves?

"I, for one, would sleep sounder with a belly half-empty than I would with one full knowing my bread could have saved another. So go home, we have what we need and more. Be not afraid. Be proud of our sacrifice and be well in knowing that others suffer less by our actions."

The words seemed to have the desired effect and the crowds dispersed easily and without incident. Though the naysayers remain, the worrisome behaviour has ceased for now. We will all have to wait and see what comes of these events.

Eggregious Errors

Multiple shop owners are breathing sighs of relief today after a magistrate ruled that the tax bills received over the past few months were indeed erroneous in several ways.

The affected owners launched a legal case after letter from The Council informed them they owed enormous tax bills that were due immediately. Attorney for the wronged parties, Alan Devysh, made the argument that even if this wasn't an obvious miscalculation, asking his clients to pay immediately a number this large is simply impossible.

After the relatively brief court case, it was indeed revealed that several notations in the city's tax ledgers were to blame. Very minor errors compounded over time until the entire system broke down and tax collectors reacted perhaps overzealously once the amounts were seen.

The Council of Barons has agreed to a complete audit of the tax ledgers to ensure a mistake of this magnitude does not happen again.

Weird Words

A man was recently seen spouting strange prose near the Southern Gate. According to eyewitnesses the words were completely non-sensical and disjointed.

No one who came cross the man reported any threatening or harmful actions taken by the man but the concern for his safety was enough so that several reports to the Constabulary were made. Once on the scene, Constable Raymond Friedyn placed the man under Council's Protection.

"The man was clearly not in his right mind," the Constable said, "and he certainly didn't appear to mean anyone any harm. I saw no reason to escalate the situation and thought we might be better served by bringing him to get some medical treatment."

The man remains unidentified at the time of publication.

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Murd Dargan's Herd Bargains
Your Place for Livestock
Feed - Chickens - Feed Chickens
And More... Outside the West Gate

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