Death and Flame in the Viridale

[Poltergeist]

Those out working at night saw an orange glow from the west, later reported to be a fire in the Viridale, set by a mob of enraged laborers that were looking for an evil elf spirit they called a Maia.

The druids responded in force but broken bodies were all that were left in the wake of the attack. In retaliation, druids and rangers, specifically those of Talos and Auril's horde, have renewed their hatred against the city that spawned the people that attacked their home.

The Legionaires posted around the Viridale have a slightly different take on things, with most forming into factions to either criticize or defend the elven ranger that was the cause of so much ire, with her defenders shifting the blame instead onto some sort of ringleader named Nicholas.

[Satoshi]

"The time has come, people of the valley! No longer should you let the fey queen - her pet rangers and wild-men push your husbands and wives, sons and daughters from the woods. No longer should you let their blood spill in vain! I have struck a blow at her, left her in fear of cold iron and proven she is as mortal as any man who's life or mind she would steal away! But I cannot stand alone. Together, we can finally have the justice that blood demands! Together, we can show that no haughty self-proclaimed immortal will cow us into submission! This is our land! Human land!"

It had not been as easy as he had imagined: fear of the wood's elves and fey, perhaps, or the savage stories one hears about the Mossclaw. Only a handful of daring souls chose to stand and fight. Armed with torches and iron that had never touched the heat of a forge, the humble men of the woodland known as Viridale followed him towards peril. Conviction was on his side when he strode up to those gates - he proudly shouted his intentions, his rallying cries to all who would listen.

A second time he floated down the river, barely conscious as his blood mingled with the frigid water. This time, however, his shivers were abated by the heat of his hate and the orange glow in the distance. He watched as the smoke rose up nearly invisible into the sky, seeming to swallow Selune whole. For the first time in a decade, the bitterness he felt was gone and replaced with a strange sense of satisfaction. He closed his eyes and let the cold and dark threaten to lull him to sleep, unaware of the tiny figure in the sky overhead.

[Chiangtao]

After hearing the news, Doc takes a seat on his cot in the Corps de Grace headquarters. He tosses his hat away in frustration and disgust.

"The good don't wash away the bad - reckon I heard that somewhere 'afore. That law woman and Darius, they done thrown me in on this when they ordered me protect that thar hin the other day. All I seen in these last days is a wreckless, childish elf with deadly toys and an itch to provoke folk.

"I'm a doctor, damnit; not some law dog. She shouldn'ta thrown me in, but now that I am, reckon they're gonna git an earfull. Can't keep protectin' some'er like this."

Now red in the face, he takes a long breath to calm down.

"Still, I aught afford Darius a chance to explain. The man's earned that, reckon. Ain't no need to take this to Mard yet. Reckon I aught go see this man..."

[FoogooFish]

Centurio Blackwell issues the following statement:

"The elven ranger, Maia, was assisting the Legion and Arbiter's Alliance with a patrol along the Pioneer's Way near the Second Wind Inn when Nicholas and his lynch mob attacked the Viridale. The carnage that he caused was solely done to upset the fragile balance that the denizens of the Viridale have with their neighbors. Nicholas and his vigilantes acted with purposeful malice,and they will answer for their crimes in the Valley."

[TheBrogueadier]

Several tons of dour looking dragon can occasionally be seen lazily gliding on the thermals high above the Viridale. It tends to fly at some altitude, well beyond bowshot and spells ranges. At that distance its colouring is hard to make out, some say the creature may be blue while others claim to have seen red or bronze tints.

What has brought such a creature to the damp and mouldy Viridale forest is anyone’s guess, but where dragons go rumours are sure to follow.