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ROGUE BARON RAISES ARMY OF STONE MONSTERS TO TERRORIZE THE KINGDOM
By Robert Capa, Torlia correspondent
Dateline: 14-
The Bereny Bugle has discovered that Bereny’s most wanted outlaw, Uryen d'Agrillac, is preparing an army of magically animated stone monsters to spearhead his attempt to seize control of western Moonward, if not the whole Kingdom.
The Bugle has previously reported how the outlawed Baron has established a new base deep within a heavily fortified valley in the Spirit Mountains. This reporter can now reveal that within his mountain fastness, Uryen is creating dozens of Stone Animates to fulfil his crazed ambitions to overthrow King Dirk.
Stone animates are magical constructs which are brought to life by magic, granted
a strange cunning intelligence and then set to serve some task. Animates are highly-
Being magically created monsters, animates are fundamentally hostile to living beings.
In normal circumstances their evil nature is held in check by the will of their creator,
but it is not unheard off for them to go out of control and run amok, as happened
at Mirrormane a few years ago when an out-
What remains a mystery is how Uryen is summoning the monsters, or more accurately who is summoning them on his behalf. The secret of manufacturing animates has been lost to all but a few, and the only enchanters known to have this ability are the members of the magical guild known as the Assembly.
When challenged over whether the Assembly is conspiring with Uryen, Assembly spokesperson Lady Eleanor deManfess told the Bugle “The defence of the Kingdom and people of Bereny is a founding principle of the Assembly. The idea that we might connive with this outlaw against Bereny’s lawful monarch is completely outrageous and without foundation.” She was unable however to explain how Uryen may have acquired such large numbers of stone animates.
The Bugle may however be able to offer an explanation. A source within the Assembly,
who does not wish to be identified, has told us that Uryen’s neice Lady Ygraine d’Agrillac
is a prominent member of the organisation. Lady Ygraine has previously repudiated
her uncle’s actions and professed her loyalty to King Dirk, although she would certainly
have herself been outlawed had she done otherwise. However she has also publicly
styled herself ‘Countess Falkone’ -
The Bugle has been unable to contact Lady Ygraine for comment as she is said to be outside the borders of the Kingdom, possibly in the Broken Lands. However, until the origin of Uryen’s stone warriors is explained, this reporter believes that a shadow of suspicion must hang over her and thus by association over one of the Kingdom’s most venerable magical institutions.
Meanwhile the presence of both Uryen’s monstrous servants and his more mundane followers
around the exit from the Valley of Ynis Mor continues to create peril for travellers
between Hells Deep and Red Mountain Keep. Even the offer of the staggering sum of
115,000 gold pieces -
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