Post by fall on Sept 21, 2020 23:36:19 GMT
The Sundial Times
JHAR RETURNS: LEGEND BROUGHT TO LIFE
"This monster would come around every time springflowers bloomed, after the harvests had finished and the winter snows passed. It would come around to each village and demand a tithe of meats and honey and gold, and a single mage sacrifice, all to be consumed right before the people's horrified eyes..."
[break][break]
This is a common opening to the Jhar story, which was widely believed to be more myth than fact before this morning. The new year's sunrise revealed a massive rupture (also known as a wraith nest) over Blackmoor Swamp. Far more concerning, however, is the wraith (also known as antima) which spawned from it: a snake-like dragon, as massive as its rupture. It is theorized to be the same Jhar of legend.
[break][break]
Athenians in cities across Salem were able to track down the wraith and safely trail it by using drones, confirming the worst fears of many. The wraith was shown to have incredible power, and shown to raze an entire town with little effort. The question asked in the annually-told legend was asked to us today: do we sacrifice one life in exchange for the lives and livelihoods of the many?
[break][break]
We were not prepared to answer it.
[break][break]
Though many of the closed-door conversations between those in the Council of Salem, prominent covens, and local governments have not been released, their actions in many locations were clear. In Sundial City, the Helios Knights, in partnership with the local government, organized a fighting force of highly ranked mages. Anonymous sources from this force claim that they were instructed to stay in Sundial, to watch and plan, and to only mobilize if the wraith were to cross halfway over the Verda River Basin towards Sundial City.
[break][break]
The actions of Gale Valley's government, if any, are unclear. No defense appears to have been mobilized. The governor and government officials declined to comment.
[break][break]
Eclipse Town, which seemed to be the next target for the wraith, was not prepared for a head-on battle, but it was small enough for most of its citizens to safely evacuate before the wraith's arrival.
[break][break]
Mirrorlight Metropolis, with a population too large to reasonably evacuate on such short notice, seemed in disagreement on a path forward. The Council of Salem brought together a disproportionately small defensive force which, according to anonymous sources, were hardly given any instruction. The councilwoman Rowvenna Shephard was seen entering a prison some time after the scene had started to be projected in the streets throughout the city, though we cannot say for sure if this was part of the Council's contingency plan.
[break][break]
Some unaffiliated volunteers and members of Jester's Den, including the coven leader Cain Delacour and Lux University president Bailey Renico, instead took the approach of legend and brought the fight to the wraith. The full athenian recording of this event can be found at any location selling The Sundial Times.
[break][break]
Despite the unplanned nature of the fight, the mages were able to beat back the Jhar, sending it retreating to its nest after only moderate damage to Eclipse Town. As of yet, we are unsure what this will mean for next year's Saturnalia.
[break][break]
Many volunteers died in the battle, and many more have been injured or magically mutated. They are all being healed and purified at Beaivi Hospital in Mirrorlight Metropolis, and we have been informed by family members that Professor Renico is expected to make a full recovery. Times and locations for vigils in honor of the fallen heroes have been posted at the town halls of all major cities.
SUPPORT FOR ECLIPSE
Various volunteer groups and covens both large and small have already begun organizing disaster recovery efforts for Eclipse Town in the wake of the Jhar's attack, despite the town's lack of accessibility due to the destruction of its Eluvian Hub. Opportunities for learned mages and mercenaries have been posted up on local mission boards on a global scale, but there are plenty of other ways you can help... [page 5]
Necromancer Imprisoned
The criminal necromancer called "Sólveig" has been captured following today's battle with the Jhar. She is wanted for acts of terrorism and for using forbidden magics, following a widespread display of raised dead across Sundial City last season as well as the tragedy at the most recent Empyreal Cup.
[break][break]
However, some people are demanding that authorities show leniency due to her seemingly helpful participation in today's fight... [page 2]
A New Normal
Though the Jhar returned to its nest today, what does this mean for next year and beyond? We've asked Gammana Coswicks, head of the Sundial City library and published co-author of some wraith observational studies performed with Bailey Renico.
[break][break]
Q: What will likely happen to the wraith nest which spawned the Jhar?
[break]A: Ruptures don't heal quickly. Considering this one's size, even with magical assistance we're likely to see it as a fixture of the horizon for many years... [page 4]
[nospaces][newclass="#newspaper"]width: 440px; background: [var="paper"]; color: [var="print"]; border: 1px rgba(0,0,0,.15) solid; padding: 20px 40px; margin: auto; cursor: default;} #newspaper h1 { font: 58px 'Alice'; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px [var="print"] solid; padding: 0 0 3px 0; margin: 0 0 20px 0;} #newspaper h1 span { display: block; font: 24px 'Great Vibes'; text-transform: capitalize; transform: translateY(10px); padding: 0; margin: 0;} #newspaper h1 span:before, #newspaper h1 span:after { content: ""; position: absolute; height: 12px; width: 195px; border-bottom: 1px [var="print"] solid;} #newspaper h1 span:before { transform: translateX(-200px); } #newspaper h1 span:after { transform: translateX(5px); } #newspaper .news .columned { font: 11px 'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify; columns: 2; column-gap: 15px;} #newspaper .news h2 { font: 22px 'Roboto Condensed'; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: -1px; margin: 0; padding: 0; } #newspaper .news img { max-width: 100%; border: 1px [var="tiny"] solid; filter: grayscale(100%); margin: 5px 0; } #newspaper .news p { line-height: 12px; border-bottom: 3px [var="tiny"] double; padding: 0 0 10px 0; margin: 0 0 15px 0; }#newspaper .news p::first-letter { float: left; font: 30px 'Alice'; line-height: 12px; margin: 12px 8px 8px 0; } #newspaper a { font: inherit; color: inherit; line-height: inherit;[/newclass][googlefont="Alice|Roboto+Condensed|Great+Vibes"][var name="paper" value="#fcf8f7"][var name="print" value="#333"][var name="tiny" value="#999"]
