Editorial With winter drawing close, tales of terror and dread will begin to breed among the masses. Fear not and take heart good people, for if there is something lurking amidst the cold darkness you can be certain the harsh light of truth will expose it. Let the Western Realms Gazette be your guiding light through these dark winter months. As the last edition was unfortunately delayed by our printers we hope to remedy that lamentable affair with more ground-breaking news provided by the valiant WRG team. There has been so much happening recently that this edition is stuffed so full of the latest stories that anymore and it would burst. Joining our team this edition we are proud to boast the famous Trollball legend, Jimmi the Spoon who has given the WRG exclusive rights to publish his biography, and in an effort to enrich the lives of our faithful readers, Executioner Lord Master Tzang Tong has agreed to answer your legal questions. You ask for the truth, the WRG replies; with impunity! Peregrim Bright

The devastation left by the Goblinoid Horde, clearly showed how vulnerable the Realms was and Mercia shrewdly sighted this as an opportunity to expand its empire. During the Civil war an unnamed soldier working for the King captured plans detailing a Mercian invasion of the Western Realms and this threat to security sent loyalist soldiers across the water to investigate. This foreign menace pulled both rebel and loyalist forces together thus bringing about the Parley. Mercia saw how this could ruin their entire plan and frantically rushed troops across the sea to disrupt the now famous peace treaty signed between the King and the Duke. During the final days of the Parley the Mercians attacked injuring the Princess and wounding the King. If it was not for the might and stout hearts of the people of the Western Realms, Mercia would have triumphed. When the treaty was signed one of the Duke's promises as Knight Protector of the Realm was to make the Mercians pay for the outrage. He swore that he'd retaliate with such fury that Mercia would never find the nerve to try an invasion of the Realm again. Since that time the Duke has been merging loyalist and rebel forces preparing them for this very campaign. While our army is abroad the Militia has been granted greater judicial might and the Duke has appointed special officials to keep law and order in his absence. It is up to us to support the Realm and in the Duke's absence we must do our damnedest to abide by the laws and codes that bind our great society together. For if we do not uphold these values then we might as well be the thieving, loutish heathen that our army has gone to thrash. Peregrim Bright

Lady Trafarian Returns It was a happy week for the good people of the Western Realms when one of their most loved nobles, Lady Vionna Trafarian, was returned to her estate after a long absence. As reported in the inaugural edition of the new look WRG, the good Lady disappeared several months ago, the latest in a line of events that have fuelled rumours that the family is in some way cursed. When the Lady first disappeared, many presumed that she had left the family home to mourn the passing of her husband, whose violent demise has been shrouded in mystery and has surrounded by malicious rumours of dark pacts with evil forces. With the passing of time, it became apparent that matters for the Lady might be more serious, with foul play being considered. The possibility of kidnap was raised several times but at no point was a demand for ransom made. Despite investigation by the most elite organisations, including the Kings Rangers, the Investigators of the Royal Court, and WRG reporters, no significant clues were found, and all involved were forced to pray to their respective Patrons for the safe return of the Lady. And then, with the minimum of ceremony, the Lady came home. 'I was out in the grounds, as I normally am first thing in the morning, when I saw these two hooded figures walking across the main lawn.' said Mal Pemberton, the estate gamekeeper, when we asked him about Lady Trafarians actual return. 'I didn't recognise either of them, so I shouted for them to stop, and told them if they didn't stop I'd call for the guards. The two of them turned round and one of them called out that the guards wouldn't be able to hear; what with my throat complaint. The voice was beautiful but I didn't recognise who it was 'til she dropped her hood - then I nearly burst out into tears as I realised it was Ma'am herself. It's been over six months since she left, and we've all missed her so much. Now things can get back to how they should be.' We spoke to several other members of the household, and whilst all have now spoken with the Lady none have been given an explanation for her disappearance. All have commented on her good health, and all have spoken of the mysterious stranger that Mal Pemberton mentioned. He appears to be a close friend and adviser, and a few have commented that he may be a new love in Lady Trafarian's life. Few would begrudge her a second attempt at happiness. The nature of this relationship was not further elucidated by a small-scale soiree organised by the estate to re-introduce the Lady to society.

'This sort of event is typical of the affairs put on by such members of elite society when they feel that they have been out of the public eye for too long', claims our court correspondent, Lore Meravain. Meravain was one of the guests, along with WRG owner Montgomery Fitzwilliam-Murdoch and both paid particular attention to Lady Trafarian's partner. Formally introduced as Mr. Rufus Wordmody, the dilettante son of Joshua Wordmody, a property dealer and merchant from Vacarin, Wordmody seems to be a product of fine education and reputable noble stock, although he has a manner that is not entirely of these parts. Mr Fitzwilliam-Murdoch summed it up best when he commented 'He's a fine man, no doubt, though I fear he may have a little Mercian in him'. Throughout the night Mr Wordmody acted as a fine and genial host, seeming well acquainted with the staff and giving the impression that he was to be staying at the Trafarian estate indefinitely. However, of his relationship to Lady Trafarian, neither party could be drawn to comment any more than to reaffirm that they are 'the best of friends'. This is certainly true - the pair seemed almost inseparable all evening. Another item that was not on the agenda for discussion was the actual reason for the disappearance of the Lady in the first place. It was hinted by the Lady herself that it was connected to the demise of her husband, although how connected is unknown. It appears that she met Mr Wordmody quite early on during her stay away from the estate, and that he helped her with a lot of the problems that she faced. It is possible that she was merely trying to tie up the lose ends left by her husbands untimely death, although of course there are those who persist to cast aspersions on the Trafarian name by insinuating that she is involved in the same dark follies as her husband. Whatever the answers to the mysteries surrounding her, the WRG would like to wish Lady Trafarian good luck in this new chapter of her life. We would also like to make it plain that we shall not undertake a campaign of investigative or sensationalist journalism to find out more about the nature of Lady Trafarian and Mr Wordmody's relationship. As ever, we value our integrity highly, and do not wish to intrude upon the private lives of two of the Realms private citizens. Sosay Gruffnut Editors Note: The following story is not for the faint hearted. However the Western Realms Gazette believes wholeheartedly in the distribution of the message to masses so the truth can be realised, no matter how disturbing. Therefore it is advised that those of weak nerve, fowl-like disposition, old people, children, cats and Mercians proceed to page 7.

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Depraved Murder Rocks Dellgate In these times it is not uncommon for atrocities to occur on our doorsteps, and many of us have become desensitised to the violence that surrounds us daily. Yet at the scene of the latest crime to rock Dellgate, even the hardened head of the militia investigation was visibly shaken by the act of sheer brutality that he witnessed. It was on the early morning of the 10th day of the 11th cycle that the militia were called to a vacant warehouse in the merchants quarters. The alarm had been raised by the new caretaker of the warehouse, who was working his first day on the job. He was so badly shaken by what lay within that he stayed in a catatonic state for the best part of an hour before his friends called for the militia. Upon arrival they sealed the crime scene, refusing WRG reporters access, although the scene was soon viewed by us. Inside the warehouse the image was that of a slaughterhouse. The floor was covered in blood, seeming almost too much to have come from the one frail corpse that hung from the middle of the ceiling. What singles this murder apart from others is the sheer calculating depravity that its perpetrator(s) have exhibited. The body was suspended from the ceiling by means of two chains passed through the shoulder joints. The lips had been crudely sewn together with wire, and the hands bound so tightly at the wrist with wire that they had cut through to the bone. Nearly eighty nails has been hammered into the soles of the girls feet. Along each major vein of the body a line of perforations had been etched, with each wound severe enough just to draw blood. Physicians on the scene believe these wounds led to her death, and due to their lightness they must have been inflicted continuously for several hours. Within an hour of being discovered the body had been identified as being that of sixteen year old Dala Wainwright. Miss Wainwright had been missing for several weeks and concern for her safety had been mounting. Due to the nature of the murder the militia immediately checked local asylums for recent escapes but this has proved useless. A more promising lead has come from interviews with several members of the local vagrant population. Separate statements describe two robed figures entering the warehouse at night on the 9th. Little detail has been given other than one of them being around six feet in height and of moderate build, with the other being shorter and of slighter build. Any individuals that have any information regarding this crime are encouraged to visit the militia offices at Dellgate as soon as is possible. Sosay Gruffnut

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Ruins of old Holdfast Destroyed Outlands consumed in Necromantic War The Western Realms is in danger of being embroiled in a violent necromantic battle as two necromancers fight for dominance of the Outlands. This shadow conflict is in danger of escalating to proportions equal to, if not greater than the horrific menace posed by the Necromancer not six years hence as the ruins of the old Holdfast were destroyed again as both sides struggled for control. The battle between the necromancer Kir and drow liche Zulrana was disrupted by a mysterious dark rider that began a long journey to the old Holdfast ruins ultimately ending it's destruction. The creature, a liche known as Asheram the Memorable, carried with it a powerful necromantic stone left over from the reign of the Necromancer to the location of the old Holdfast. It 's intention was to give this item to a powerful undead abomination which would upset the balance of the already fragile necromantic war and pull the Realm into the conflict. It was only thanks to the intervention of a valiant group of adventurers and the WRG crew that the conflict was kept from boiling over. At the cost of Groth,( a brave dwarven warrior) the abomination, Asheram and the stone was destroyed. Amongst this fervid story of heroism lies an even darker tale. It was exactly 3 years ago from the day on which this event took place when the Holdfast was destroyed first in frightening similar circumstances. The original destruction of the Holdfast took the lives of the famous Holdfast four, this time thankfully the losses were less. A few days after the second destruction of the old Holdfast the WRG ventured back to the sight to find a strange symbol burnt into the ground. When we returned with our visual impressionist Jolly Molson it had mysteriously gone, fortunately I had sketched it in my notes. What it means we have no idea but it seems that unless we are careful history is doomed to repeat itself. Peregrim Bright

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