An Overview of Recent Events #8

The Clockwork Butcher’s Arrival

The mood was grim as the town gathered for the first time since Eltiel’s fall. General

Kiernan Jowenys had made his intentions very clear: Fortune’s Bend was to surrender

at the Gates and join the Vargoth. While a number of those from the Five Duchies

travelled in a final attempt to urge a unified front against the Vargoth assault, others

prepared lightning lures to aid in the upcoming battle. Accompanied by those from the

town who had newly escaped from Eltiel, we prepared to fight for the Duchies.

To put it bluntly: the fight was never ours to win.

From the moment the battle began, it was immediately clear to those fighting what the

outcome would be. Even when immense blows were struck, when Brithoffer’s throat

was cut, he stood back up to keep fighting. His particular brand of conductive lightning

forced the town back step-by-step, slowly but consistently gaining ground. When the

very last lightning lure broke, the town was forced to retreat and leave the Duchies

behind.

It is with great pain that we now count the Howling Gates alongside Eltiel and

Valarmore in places taken by the Vargoth. Efforts to recover survivors are ongoing,

and support continues to increase for the individual Duchies still standing.

The Clockwork Butcher’s Death

On Saturday night, the town finally had its chance to strike back against a seemingly

unstoppable foe. A number of individuals spent the day gathering information and

searching through Brithoffer’s laboratory for some sense of how to kill a Turned. And

miraculously, they did.

With that new knowledge, and a better understanding of lighting and conductivity, the

town mobilized again to put the Butcher down for good. The Tyrant’s promise of aid

came through with the gifting of the Mad Dog, the Winter Aspect of the Hound

Celestial, to hunt alongside the heroes. And hunt we did. While lightning forced the

fight into fluid movement, the town relentlessly pursued its quarry.

To make a very long story short, the Butcher was butchered. His ally, the T’Barrissian

Tuga, has been identified as the town’s next target.

A Curse of Cookies

It was perhaps a relief when the sun rose on the final day of the Gather and revealed no

Vargoth. Instead, Kira Tanner of Spyndlemere arrived to request help from Fortune’s

Bend. A prince of a town in Spyndlemere found a tree bearing cookies. Naturally,

Spyndlemere being what it is, the cookies were cursed. This curse spread from villager

to villager as the prince passed along the cookies. Fortune’s Bend aided in the gentle

neutralizing of villagers while the curse could be broken, using relics empowered by

shared stories instead of the violence that so often characterizes these Gathers.

Both the victories and losses from this past Gather have been immense. The Gates have

fallen; the town is able to kill the Turned. It need not be said that the newfound ability

to kill Vargoth puts an even larger target on the town.

Arrivals from Eltiel: Ducky, Kethrey, and Imperium made it out of Eltiel after

encountering Colonel Brithoffer during the Fall. After being locked in a bunker for

several months, they arrived in Fortune’s Bend shortly before the fight for the Five

Duchies.

Boons Collected: Mr. Boon arrived in town after his appearance at the Masquerade

during the Winter gather. Anyone who owed or was owed a debt was brought to the

Shade for collection of their deals.

New Explosions Reveal Ancient Cities: The town discovered the ancient civilization

of Yelinthe, which was sealed away during a plague and uncovered during the Fall of

Eltiel. Anyone who succumbed to this illness found their spirits trapped inside their

bodies under the control of a powerful mage known as “the Necromancer.” Hollander,

the trapped spirit of the King’s Advisor, is unsure of the impact as the Necromancer has

now also been freed

A Wedding Never to Be: The wedding between Fortune’s Bend’s Poppy Voss and Sir

Ardent Fisher of the House Fisher in Konnigstrava has been unfortunately called off

with Poppy left at the altar in her wedding dress. She still looked beautiful, though!

The War Table: Throughout the gather, the town reviewed and strategized over the

war table of the Five Duchies and the distribution of resources.

Voidwalking: A Voidwalker was paid to arrive in Fortune’s Bend and take a small

force to travel to the Void, where lucky heroes got to meet the Moth of the Desk and

submit research queries. A treat for librarians and lepidopterists alike!

The Unlit Halls: Pru’s unparalleled skills as a hostess were on display again at this

most recent soiree at her Unlit Halls!

Mellurian Updates: Trent’s suspension to Melluria has been lifted with recent changes

in the Vargoth war efforts! Melluria has also agreed to pledge aid to Fortune’s Bend

through both materials and personnel, though there are currently Sappers trapped

behind enemy lines.

Unexpected Aid from Rodent Friends: Whereas many countries and nations still

hesitate to stand against the Vargoth, our squirrel allies are braver than most. They’ve

agreed to provide food and shelter for refugees as well as serve as our eyes and ears in

the trees.

A Successful Assassination: Representative Canea of Merrigor has unfortunately been

assassinated as part of a Vargoth plot to undermine Ambassador Dolbrin’s position of

influence. The town was able to successfully provide evidence implicating the Vargoth,

which has led to the disappearance of Vargoth (sympathizer?) Geslan Montand as well

as a renewed distrust of the Vargoth for Merrigor.

Five Duchies Council: Many members from the Duchies and the Foxfall Mercenaries

attended the Council of the Duchies and were given ten minutes to address the council.

After impactful statements from Artanis and Pozi and an impassioned plea from Caleb,

the meeting concluded with the devastating news of the fall of the Gates.

Refugee Rescue: A small group of the town went on a rescue mission to free refugees

from Old Valarmore. While nearly every adventurer fell in pursuit, fifty refugees were

safely rescued.

Brought to you by The Fortune Teller Staff

(Recap of March 2025 Event)