End of July Obits ~ Part Two
Greetings, Britannians. 
“Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”
Lord Casca tried to calm his mind as he tried to digest the information provided to him by his spy. The humiliation that he felt at the escape of Aino Nystad, coupled with the ineffectiveness of his mercenary campaign, had left him frayed and frazzled.
So, the wench’s brother had formed an alliance with the rebels…
“Operation Royal Flush, sire!”, his spy had informed him.
But it was the mention of Dawn which really heckled him. In their current state, the rebels and their operation, remained a group of outlaws with little support amongst the aristocrats. However, this could change drastically if they managed to recruit Dawn. Not to mention, the popularity she still enjoys amongst the Royal Guards. The combination of Aino and Dawn could tilt the scales against him!
“Women! They will be the death of me!”, snorts Casca, as his mind races back to the words of Lady Oriana. He continued to pace back and forth, trying to compose himself.
“What has gotten into me!? It feels as if a wretched curse lies heavy on me, stealing any chance of solace!”
Suddenly realizing that the spy was still in his room, he stops in his track. And at that moment, he also makes up his mind about Dawn.
“Let’s see how Dawn feels about fire! After all, a small spark neglected has often kindled a mighty conflagration.”
[Reporter note: please take note that Seppo means the person named Dawn, and NOT the Kingdom of Dawn]
The secret prison lay under Wrong, an ironic place to hide it - Wrong having once been a prison in antiquity before the injustices committed there made the walls ooze with evil. An altar located in the lair of the Sicarii granted access to the newly carved deep level which held the active prison. There, a daemon called the Nightmare Shaper attacked the group - its journal detailed its perverse love of torture. 
Continuing deeper into the prison, they slew its many vile creature-guards until they neared the end of the northern tunnel. There they found none other but Enforcer Morton, Casca's chief toady, wielding his halberd. A rather long and brutal fight ensued, ultimately ending with Morton's final breath. As the celebratory cheer's echoed faded, the group rushed to the only occupied cell. Lord Magnus Grey, Minister of Agriculture, stood mute behind magically silenced bars. He was quickly released and informed of the last five weeks worth of events he missed during his captivity. 
In a pile of Morton's belongings lay a log of the prison. It detailed his recent activities, including the attacks against the High Council, Skara Brae, and Tokuno, as well as the 'purchase' of the Nightmare Shaper. 
It was deduced that something in Deceit must be the source of these gates, thus an expedition was readied. They learned that an archeologist named Walter Drake had embarked on an expedition to the dungeon and discovered a secret chamber within. He had returned to the dungeon to learn more at the behest of Casca. 
Since the gates protecting Blackthorn's Keep disappeared with the crystal's destruction, the angry mob stormed up to Casca's bedchamber balcony. The bell resting there was obviously a poorly crafted fake which only the most inept of simpletons might accept as genuine. 
The gate led to a wooded area on Isamu-Jima in Tokuno where the foolish people began to attack anything that moved. I watched in horror from the shadows as vile acts were committed, spurred on by the demented Morton as the group moved steadily towards a small tea house to the north. They were ruthlessly killing creatures typically aligned with Britannian interests... Ethereal warriors, meer, dryads, satyr, wisps, unicorns, and pixies all fell before their bloodlust. 
Within the house, unnoticed by most, lay a small book. Its contents prove quite damning for the attackers, for they were not slaying enemies of Britannia - but enemies of evil. 
The gate led back to the Counselor's Hall where Morton said he was leaving to 'protect the King.' The crowd followed him towards Blackthorn's Keep but found the northern half of the bride had once more been covered with gates. The gates led to Deceit as before, where dozens of liches appeared to assail his foolish followers. 
Mongbat Darts Tournament Winners!
Archery Contest Winners!
Chicken Fight Winners!
Attention Royal Guards and Volunteers! I have received the following missive regarding an official order from Casca, himself!: 
Before the protest I investigated the route the march would take from the bank to Blackthorn's Keep, and found that the bridge to the keep had been booby trapped. In an act of unmitigated cowardice, the northern end of the bridge had been blocked by magical gates. Each gate led to a single room in Deceit which had been decorated with Golden Lich Statues. When approached, these statues would come alive and begin casting lethal magicks... 
Once High Chancellor had reached the gates, he found two men standing before them dressed in the armor of the Order of the Silver Serpent. They both threatened the Chancellor for 'daring to stand against Lord Casca' and branded all those attending as heretics to the Virtues. The Chancellor merely laughed at them and declared "'Tis better to be declared a heretic by a madman, then to turn your back on Britannia's heritage in the destructive pursuit of power." The two men threatened arrest and 'dire consequences' for the High Council should they continue oppose Casca before they ran away. 
Aldagar Morr, the devoted prophet and supporter of Lord Casca, has gone missing! Those who go to Britain often have likely encountered the boisterous prophet at the West Britain Bank or Castle British, supporting the King’s causes and petitions. Witnesses report that the prophet was accosted by Cymidei Fier, Sleath, Black Metal and an unknown assailant from the Dark Tower and savagely beaten in broad daylight at the bank. 
Over the last two days, Enforcer Morton has been a busy little minion of the evil tyrant who threatens to corrupt the very foundations of Britannia... The vile Casca apparently sent him to Skara Brae yesterday to 'arrest several brigands who were plotting crimes against our fair land.' I'd wager these poor souls did little more than hold a meeting to voice concerns over Casca's slimy ways. 
There is no Justice or Honor in a mob, only chaos and bloodlust. An image depicting those who helped Morton in this despicable act was published with Casca's manure-laden drivel. The four pictured to the right are the true traitors to Britannia, they and Enforcer Morton should be brought up on charges! 
My investigation of the mine after the Enforcer bullied his way through revealed that the Royal Staff, which had been given to Yometsu in exchange for his Blade, had been taken away. 'Stolen items' indeed. Casca merely had his lackey clean up evidence of his continued betrayal of the Britannian People! 
I spoke with General Takehiko Yamamoto of the Imperial Guard in Zento regarding the raid, and he seemed less than pleased - mainly due to the fact there had been no 'coordinating' at all. In fact, the Empire is most upset with Casca for his unwanted edicts and diplomatic interference. Since the cyclops incident several weeks ago, the Empress has taken a very dim view of Casca - and of Britannians in general. 
Over the course of the last few months, a criminal known only as 'Pauper' has carried out a plot to cripple Britannia, and seize control of Britain. His activities have largely been kept quiet, and I have only mentioned this Pauper a few times in my articles as his true identity has largely been a mystery. This has changed.... 
Pauper's first known act was to turn a Royal Intelligence operative stationed in Trinsic, Felucca to his will. This traitor played a small part in Andrew and Melissa's assassination of the Royal Mage Clainin. In a cowardly attempt cover his tracks, Pauper lured his new follower into a lethal trap. 
Further activity from Pauper involved the smuggling of a strange blackrock ore. The ore made it into the hands of the orcs who live in the mine southeast of Yew, along with a book detailing the construction of an advanced war machine: a blackrock golem. The threat was swiftly destroyed, as the orcs had only managed to construct one prototype. 
Michael of Moonglow, a mage researching the unusual properties of blackrock, was the Pauper's next target. Pauper thought the mage's research could be valuable and had him abducted and taken to the Pass of Karnaugh in Ilshenar. Michael was rescued and went into hiding after his ordeal. 
Three armies had already been dispatched to Despise, the Hedgemaze, and Buccaneer's Den in preparation for the siege on Britain. Each army had been given explicit instructions to not destroy the city, but to cut it off from the rest of Britannia and make the life of its citizens miserable. Pauper's instructions showed a disturbing degree of familiarity with the functioning of the Royal Guard and the capitol's defenses. Once more, these armies were valiantly defeated before they could launch the attack. Britain was spared. Upon the corpses of the army's leaders, Royal Signal Lanterns were discovered - identical to the one which rests on Casca's balcony. 
Since the Shadow War had ended so abruptly after the crystal allowing the Crimson Dragons to enter Trammel was destroyed, many questions have remained. Why did daemons and ophidians join in the attacks against Yew and Vesper? Fortunately both questions would be answered... The daemons joined in the attacks because Pauper and Andrew promised that a book significant to their history could be found in Yew. They believed this lie and helped attack the forest town. The ophidians who attacked Vesper were a rogue group who believed Britannia had betrayed the peace treaty after the Scion War. As it turned out, Britannia had indeed betrayed them - or rather its King Pro-tempore had. Evidence has been discovered that Casca sent weapons, armor, and trainers to the terathans to help them in their endless war with the ophidians. 
Rumors of dark goings-on spread from Zento to Britain. Through investigation, it was learned that people had been abducted from Zento and taken to a small island north of Homare-Jima. That island was controlled by many powerful beings loyal to Pauper. A costly battle was waged to wrest it from them; and once secured, it was discovered that experiments with blackrock had been conducted there. Explosive crystals veined with blackrock had already been tested in Mt. Sho, projecting blackrock into the nearby environs. A larger cache of the crystals had been scheduled to enter the volcano in one week's time. 
Each of the creature groups had been promised something in return for their assistance to Pauper. The kappa were given a feast of gourds, a paltry reward for their aid. The Yama-uba was promised human flesh to quell its undead hunger, a truly beastly payment. When it came to the yomotsu... Well, their words speak for themselves... 
