The Light of Burning Shadows

ISSUE NO. 4372
Imperial Weekly Rerald
SOLISDAY, 12TH OF SEXTONTH

Is Now Published every MOONDAY, ODDAY, and SOLISDAY morning by

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In This, The
47
TH
Year and
239
TH
Day of Her Majesty the

QUEEN’S BLESSED REIGN

over the
CALAHRIAN EMPIRE

A Dispatch Received from the
FIELD
written by Her Majesty’s Scribe,
RALLIE SYNJYN

PORT GHAMJAL, ELFKYNA:
The Iron Elves fight again!—Major Konowa Swift Dragon distinguishes himself on the field of battle—Elements of the Imperial Army prove victorious against forces aligned against the Empire—The fabled Red Star of the East returns!—A second Viceroy falls from grace—The Shadow Monarch casts her noxious spell—Forests most foul—Luuguth Jor is saved!—The Iron Elves sail forth in a daring gambit to stamp out evil wherever it builds a lair.

HONOR RESTORED

T
hrough the magnificent exertions of the once more proud and honorable Iron Elves, and under the command of His Majesty, Prince Tykkin, these stalwart warriors wearing the Imperial silver-green met and defeated the most wicked of creatures controlled by the elf witch, the Shadow Monarch, in pitched battle. Most stunning of the many exceptional events that unfolded was the return to this world of the fabled Red Star, known in these parts as the Star of Sillra. In an act of supreme graciousness, Prince Tykkin allowed the Star to remain and grow in Elfkyna as a beacon of strength and purity, thwarting the works of Dark Elements.

MARCH INTO BATTLE

M
ajor Konowa Swift Dragon—formerly Colonel Konowa Heer Ul-Osveen—(as previously reported) has once again resumed his rightful place as an honored and respected officer in the service of the Empire. Recently restored to active duty, Major Swift Dragon wasted no time in reconstituting the regiment he once led so proudly, the Iron Elves. Though no longer composed of elves, the regiment nonetheless retains the traditions and most importantly, the battle skills of its previous incarnation, and has acquitted itself well in the field. In an act surely to go down in the annals of history, the soldiers of the Iron Elves took a Blood Oath infused with magic of unknown powers to serve their regiment and the Empire unto death and beyond. Never has such an oath been taken, but then never has such a regiment strode forth into danger against such overwhelming odds. What repercussions such an oath carries only time will tell.

INSPIRED ACTIONS

H
aving received his orders from the Prince, Major Swift Dragon led the brave soldiers of the reformed Iron Elves to the embattled outpost at Luuguth for to relieve the 35th Foot Guard. Alas, a forest of black intent had taken root there, the hand behind its design none other than the Shadow Monarch. Finding the garrison lost, the Iron Elves immediately set to the task of restoring order. Though outnumbered, the Iron Elves never faltered though the battle lasted through the day and night. With inhuman strength, creatures of shadow and darkness threw themselves against the Iron Elves’ wall of bayonets. Each time Major Swift Dragon was there, his saber (a gift from his friend, Colonel of the 14th Household Cavalry and Officer Commanding Her Majesty’s Cavalry in Elfkyna, the Duke of Rakestraw) whistling through the air as the enemy fell before him. Musketry crackled like dropped crystal as the soldiers fired volley after volley until their eyes were red and their throats parched from the smoke. Though they were hard pressed, these brave warriors did not break. Again and again, rakkes—yes, dear readers, the rumors you have heard are true, the great hairy beasts of fang and claw long thought hunted to extinction have returned—flung themselves on the line, but each time they were repulsed. Tales of elfkynans in league with these creatures are patently false! By the end of the battle all peoples of the Empire—elfkynan, human, elf, and dwarf—stood shoulder to shoulder as they fought the Shadow Monarch’s forces.

COURAGE ABOUNDS

F
or his actions at Luuguth Jor, Major Swift Dragon was to be commended and awarded the Silver Sword for Bravery medal by the Queen Herself at the palace in Celwyn, a most deserved acknowledgment of his actions. However, Prince Tykkin, expressing his regrets, has ordered the Iron Elves and other elements of the Imperial Army and Navy to immediately set sail and scour the high seas for any sign of the Shadow Monarch’s creatures and destroy any enemy lodgments they find. Sightings of forests of a most dark and unhealthy nature by merchant shipping suggest the Shadow Monarch is making a play for the islands in the Onmedan Sea. This cannot stand, and thus the Iron Elves, so recently bloodied in fierce contest with the enemy, will once again take up the quarrel with the foe and smite it down.

THE FALLEN ARE HONORED

Memorial Service for the 35th Foot Guard to be held in Triumph Park this coming week. The Roll will be read and family members of the deceased may place a rose or other suitable flower on the site of the future monument to be dedicated in their honor.

WANTED FOR HIGH TREASON

By Royal Proclamation be it known that Faltinald Elkhart Gwyn, former Viceroy for the Protectorate of Greater Elfkyna, is hereby stripped of all titles, honors, awards, and other distinctions, and is considered a most vile and contemptible man. His capture, prosecution, and execution is paramount and any persons aiding in his being brought to justice will be eligible for a reward of not less than 100 gold coins. Any persons known to give aid and comfort to this TRAITOR will share his decidedly dark fate.

LOTTERY OF THE STARS

The Royal Mint, in conjunction with the Soldiers’ Benevolent Fund, has launched a lottery open to all citizens of the Empire to wager a guess as to where and when the next Star will fall. The person(s) guessing both date and place correctly will receive 1/3 of the funds collected with the remaining 2/3 going to the care and treatment of wounded soldiers, or, in the case of their death, their families. In addition, the Royal Mint is proud to announce it will begin striking a collectors’ series of coins commemorating each Star as it reveals itself.