Acumin Description, Link Map & Events

[Lichen]

The village of Acumin was nestled deep in the Dolwoods, hidden among the tall trees and thick shrubs of the vast and mostly unexplored forest. Wagon tracks led to and from the town, their deep ruts an indication of the towns past heavy trade history. But Acumin was no longer a trade town. This was partly because of a lack of inclination, partly because of a lack of manpower, and mostly because of the rather restrictive spell that surrounded the town.

This spell had been cast by a Treant Elder as a very effective defense against outsiders. It was translucent for the most part, an invisible barrier against the world outside, but whenever the light of the three suns hit it at just the correct angle it would light up into a beautiful display of rainbows. This spell covered the entire town in a tall and very thick bubble, and was anchored at five boulders spaced evenly around the town. It was nearly 20 feet thick, and that factor combined with its protective property made entering it very difficult. The spell was designed to let those designated as Carmelya's Children pass through unmolested... everyone else was slowed down as if they were stuck in especially thick molasses. Birds, snakes, dogs and all other animals walked through without problem, as did druids of any level... but all others couldn't make it through the barrier in less than 4 hours, making a stealthy attack nigh on impossible. In case someone did take attack into mind, the cities rangers patrolled the borders of the city constantly, bows and staffs in hand.

In return for this spell, the Treant ordered the citizens of Acumin to live in a way that would show their respect and love for Carmelya. They had taken this into heavy consideration especially where their buildings were concerned. All the buildings were made out of completely natural materials and it was, if possible, mostly still living. Vines had been trained to grow on special grate structures that formed building, their growth sped up to a reasonable rate by the magical influence of the many druids that lived there. The huge trees of the city, those few that had survived the fire, were modified into tree houses. Some trees were so massive or, conversely, their inhabitants were so small, that the insides of the trees themselves were hollowed out and turned into living quarters, or had stairs carved into their trunks. For those who chose not to use plant life for the building of their homes and workplaces there were other options. Many had simply dug their buildings out of the ground or built them out of slabs of sod. But nowhere was there a brick or a wooden plank, save for one single solitary building... the Tavern.

The tavern was a relic from days of old. It had managed to survive the fire and had acted as a sanctuary in the days afterward. As such, it still remained, a testament to all of what they had survived. Even it's heavy brick walls had been covered with ivy however- this was Acumin's new life, and everything had to conform.

When the dawn rose on the first day after the Treant had saved them, in the center of the town appeared a stream that bubbled up from the ground, it's clear liquids spilling down the sides of the small mound it was situated on and pouring throughout town in rivulets that eventually became small streams themselves. It was here that the temple to Carmelya had been built. It was a small temple, consisting of a stone statue overgrown with flowering vines, but it was the central temple for the people of Acumin. There were no priests, as the organized leaders in Acumin were limited to the thane and other traditional governmental leaders, but everyone worshiped at the temple nonetheless and when they desired to hear tales and stories of Carmelya they would ask the elders and the druids.

Of course, not all things were as peaceful as the small town of Acumin. To the southwest was something very dark and foreboding, a tower named Dar Havark that belonged to the infamous Avanthar Dra'Aran and his wife Kyoko. It teemed with undead and soldiers of the deeply evil couple, a dark entity that lurked just beyond the outsides of the city of Acumin. Owned by Avanthar were several lumber mills and, though most of the townspeople didn't know it, much of the town itself. These lumber mills in the Dolwoods were no longer affiliated with the town itself, for the villagers forbid themselves to do any lasting harm to the forests around them. Hunting in limited amounts and taking lumber when cold was acceptable, but large-term exportation was not. The villagers of Acumin took what they needed and sold what the forest could afford, and thus were happy albeit not terribly wealthy. The evils of Dar Havark and even their simple and common acts of taking more than the forest wanted to give were vile and heinous to the people of Acumin. There would be no more lumber mills in Acumin, ever.

Of course, below them was an even deeper evil. The ancient vysstichi had once lived in Acumin itself, although it had then been known as Sylannen. Now they lived only in Herozzal, their stronghold in the caverns beneath the Centripaxian Highlands. Though the city's spell now kept them from invading the village as they had done before, the city still made frequent raids on those who ventured outside the city at night, stealing them below and turning them into slaves.

And even the Dolwoods themselves were not truly safe. Their mysterious depths protected the city as well as took those foolhardy enough to venture it's midst without protection. Such a thick wood was very much unexplored and, as such, home to many dangers, some unknown and some spoken of in whispered rumors. It was said that the Dolwoods were magic, and home to some of the most wonderful creatures in all the Empire. It was also said that within their depths were secrets that should never be discovered, so deadly and powerful were they. What was known was that the Dolwoods were a dangerous place... many of those who ventured into them unprepared never came back again.

Acumin Link Map
Location Link - Creators (Editors) - Current Moderator - PC Shopkeeper/Moderator
Short Description of Location. (OOC Notes)

Inside Acumin

• Village Entrance - Lichen - Lichen
  The only way to enter the city is to come through the spell barrier. (OOC All PCs must post their entrance, or you can PM Lichen to explain why your PC already is in the city. This thread is self moderated unless upon request)
• The Sooty Cavern Tavern and Inn - Sgiathatch (Lichen) - Lichen
  A relic of the olden days of Acumin and the only building of it's type in town, the tavern has stood through pox and fire, though its owner has changed from the once vice-thane to the once vice-thanes daughter.
• The Fountain of Carmelya - Lichen - Lichen
  A fountain in the middle of town that serves as the temple to Carmelya, this is where those seeking a place to communicate with the Goddess or learn the art of Druidism should go.
• The Bank of Acumin - LoudMouth, Desmodus - Lichen
  The place to go to exchange crowns for banknotes, or to store hard earned money.
• Acumin Aedile's Office - Windhaven (Loudmouth) - Lichen
  The center of business regarding land and building purchases and sales. Also the place to obtain permits for owning particular buildings.
• The Black Hoof Stables and Animal Supply - Reoul Freewind (Kaleah Kurfess) - Lichen
  Stables for storing horses. Also provides animal feed, equipment various beasts and critters for sale, and horses.
• Acumin Druidic Grove - LoudMouth - Lichen
  A place of worshop to the Goddess Carmeyla and a place of learning about Carmeyla.
• The Multipurpose Civic Building - Dvalinn Brandrslá - Lichen
  Serving as doctor's office, schoolhouse, and the thanes office... should there ever be a thane.
• Ranger Hall - S'Lon Caliban - Lichen
  The rangers of Acumin serve as guards as well, and patrol not only the woods nearby, but the city boundary as well.

Outside Acumin

• Dar Havark - Avanthar Dra'Aran, Faye - Lichen - Avanthar Dra'Aran
  A powerful and evil force a few miles southwest of Acumin, Dar Havark is a tower ruled by Avanthar Dra'Aran and his mate, Kyoko. (OOC Note: Avanthar is in charge of moderation, unless it comes to battle or there is a chance of injury or death for a character, in which case contact Lichen as a moderator.)
• Herozzal - n/a - Lichen
  The vysstichi stronghold buried deep beneath the city of Acumin. (OOC Note: In order to reach Herozzal, one has to either navigate through the tunnels or find the Arc. Both methods of entrance require a moderated adventure or GM approval.
• The Kaldres Manor - Fodder (Lichen) - ? - Pirvan Kaldres
  A once-great manor owned by House Kaldres, located on the outskirts of town.

[Lichen]

Kalendryas 12 - Kalendryas 25th
Winter of Era I of the Celestine Mandate
Era X PF in the Age of the Darkening

The city of Acumin was a peaceful town for a long time. After their initial triumph over the vysstichi many eras ago, the inhabitants of the city settled back and began to enjoy their lives again. They formed a small cohesive group, selling lumber and produce to nearby cities. What had once been a part of the Imperial Guard collapse and reformed a small citizens militia consisting mostly of rangers and druids. New celebrations began to take place, worshiping Carmelya and thanking her for her aid in their war against the vysstichi beneath them. It was as they began to forget, began to ignore the past and concentrate only on the present and future that the first calamity struck. The Pox, the dreaded and deadly disease that had already decimated the rest of the province crept into Acumin, its entry unnoticed but its presence terrifying once discovered. People began to die in droves, their meager healers unable to aid all but a very few. Tragedy consumed the city, and as it did, another tragedy began to unfold. One night, in the middle of Kalendryas, ten eras after the fracture of the aethergem, a fire broke out. The small amount of townsfolk that weren’t sick and confined to their beds struggled to fight the fire, to save their town, but the fire set by Hene Malster was too powerful for their meager forces. It consumed the town, one house and one citizen at a time and there was nothing the militia or the citizens could do to stop it.

When the sun came up the next day, the devastation became apparent in its completeness. The only building left intact and standing was the tavern and this became a refuge for the hundred or so left. The vice-thane ordered that all food and drink be free in an uncustomary gesture of kindness. Perhaps he too was sick from the stench of burning flesh and wood that filled the air and lingered in the nostrils. So many had died... a population of a thousand, most sick from the pox, had been decimated to a pathetic hundred shivering, frightened and mourning citizens. On the bright side, if there could be a bright side to such horror, the fire had consumed in a way that had cleansed the city both of the arsonist himself and any remaining infected with the pox. Acumin was now razed to the ground and ready to start anew... fertile soil, ready to spring buildings and life forth from the burnt and blackened ground.

[Lichen]

Kalendryas 25th
Winter of Era I of the Celestine Mandate
Era X PF in the Age of the Darkening

It was the 25th of Kalendryas, a night that should be of celebration. Of course, nobody in Acumin was celebrating, at least not anything more elaborate than drinking to the fact that they were alive. Pox and Fire had taken their toll on the small city - those few still living were merely intent on keeping that as the truth. Thus, the elaborate ceremonies of the New Brightening, the Brightening of Cleansing, the celebration of the removal of the vysstichi from the city and the claiming of it for surface kind were not celebrated. Instead of celebrating life in great fancy shows, the survivors of Acumin drank in their taverns, occasionally toasting the holiday but otherwise ignoring it. Belches and drunken laughter was the celebration of Cleansing Brightening, not parades and dances, for the citizens of Acumin had, in their pain and agony, forgotten the most important brightening of all.

But the vysstichi had not forgetten. For the second time since their city of Sylannen had been lost, the vysstichi crawled forth from the ground to reclaim it. In the depths of the night, they, along with several hundred undead under their control, swarmed the city. Creeping silently over the ruins of the burnt and blackened city, they moved towards the laughing tavern. Those who were inside were unaware that the underworld had just reached the surface, and when the first undead crashed through the doors and windows, those first few attacked were caught completely off guard. Their throats were bit out by zombies, or they were cut in half by blades carried by skeletal arms. The undead swarmed the city and the tavern, cutting, hacking and biting as they went. Demons, necromancers, zombies, skeletons and their like slaughtered the town, and thus began the third fight for Acumin, the third Cleansing Brightening.

OOC: Threads for the PCs in Acumin will be showing up on the board in the next few days. If you're not included but want to be, please PM me.
Acumin Under Attack - Throk & Ungar
Acumin Under Attack - Noll, Larien & Ilmyrn
Acumin Under Attack - Marnia, Mortimer
Acumin Under Attack - Telcontar, Casandera
Acumin Under Attack - Borax, Huturo & Tellurion
Acumin Under Attack - Leath, Glingal & Duncan
Acumin Under Attack - Deriond, Sa'brael & Char
Returning the Stars

[Lichen]

Kalendryas 25th, Later That Darkening
Winter of Era I of the Celestine Mandate
Era X PF in the Age of the Darkening

Once again the stench of burnt and crisped flesh filled the night air of Acumin, mingling with the rancid rotting odor of the undead corpses, their bodies having long ago started to decompose. Corpse gas and burnt bodies filled the noses of everyone who inhaled, the smoke lining their mouths and sensitive nostril membranes till they smelled, tasted and felt the smoke of their comrades. It seemed that while nothing could add to the horrors that had been inflicted upon the wretched and seemingly condemned town of Acumin that the fates still felt fit to try.

The battle had gone badly by all accounts, yet well at the same time. There were survivors, after all. However, decisions had been made in the midst of the battle that had cost many hundreds of lives - the 550 workers and paladins that could have easily saved the town from the undead had instead decided to congregate and present a large juicy target to the strong but relatively stupid undead. Perhaps a better tactic might have been hiding in the bushes and using the undead troops' rotten brains against them... however, there was nobody to inform of that now. The leader of the large group had died in the fire he'd ordered his own troops to set, surrounding himself in flames that quickly grew into a raging inferno, engulfing the woods north of town and consuming most of Captain Relais's troops as opposed to the undead they were meant to stop.

Those undead who'd snuck past the encampment found Acumin's skeleton easy prey. The some hundred or so citizens of the town had been all but wiped out... it was only thanks to what limited assistance the Dianite workers had offered that they managed to escape. All fifty of them, at least.

It was several hours after the battle had begun that the cleanup work began. All those who could still walk swarmed to the tavern in droves, where they were quickly organized by the tavern's waitress. Those injured were herded into the back to be helped by those few remaining who had such skills, and those who were beyond help were moved outside, their remains to be dealt with as the suns rose the next brightening. Those few undead who managed to make their way to the tavern in the last moments of battle were slaughtered till the town was essentially free, and the survivors regrouped to recover... and to form a plan.

For Mila was organized enough to put people to work, but she was not emotionally stable. Over the past few cycles she'd lost nearly everything... and now, as her father the Vice-Thane had fallen in battle, she'd only her hatred and her tavern left. Deciding to fuel the first, Mila immediately jumped to the conclusion that it had been the infamous Darksoul who'd attacked the town... after all, the murder and necromancer had been spotted in the tavern earlier that evening, inquiring as to the state of the thane. Finding that there was no thane, he had stormed out... and it was only then that she'd realized who he was, too late to stop him and bring him to the justice for which he was well overdue.

Now, however, she saw an opportunity to bring him to justice, for both previous crimes but more importantly the crime she believed he'd just committed. Convincing the crowd to her opinion, Mila along with multiple other members of the crowd organized a plan of attack. Scouts, under the lead of one Mystic Duncan Scythe, would go ahead as scouts. Later, fighters would follow, led by ex-lieutenant Marnia and accompanied by Mila herself. Those not fit or not desiring to fight would remain behind in the tavern or wherever else they might hide. The badly wounded were placed in the cellar and barricaded in; while they believed to having slaughtered the undead of the town, they were taking no risks. Those not badly injured enough to be relegated to the safety of the rather empty cellar were left to staying in the tavern itself or finding hideyholes around the town in which thy would stay till the darkening faded away to the light.

For while the undead were gone, one and all could swear that there was a battle still to be fought... and not simply at the tower of Dar Havark.

OOC: Threads for this stage of the battle (PM to join if you're not sure):
Acumin Under Attack, Part 2 [All Participate]
Attack on Dar Havark [Scouts]
Attack on Dar Havark [Fighters]
Attack on Dar Havark [Those Who Remained]
Attack on Dar Havark [Private - Borax, Throk & Ungar]

[Lichen]

Kalendryas 25th, Even Later That Darkening
Era I of the Celestine Mandate
Era X of the Age of the Darkening

As the fighters and scouts crept off to fight in Dar Havark, other things crept into the town itself. Dark things, evil things... vysstichi to be precise. A dozen or so vysstichi crept into the town to destroy and captive the survivors. Children were to be taken as slaves, and the elderly were to be killed. It was a simple enough task; using mysticism to trick the traumatized survivors into believing their loved ones had returned and were cajoling them out of their hiding places, or necromancy to actively ressurect the fallen and use them to entice. Many a tear-stained chubby face had turned and smiled happily to see their ressurected parent and toddled happily out into the night air, and those who were old and tired were easily tricked as well. The likelyhood was that the vysstichi could have decimated the town were it not for the bravery of two fellows strong enough to resist the magic and fight off the vysstichi as long as they could. A halfling and an elf did what they could and slowed down the attacks and killed several attackers. They could not save all of the victems, but they did save who they could.

Meanwhile at the tower the scouts and fighters were finding more than they'd bargained for. Hundreds, maybe even a thousand ratta littered the grounds of the tower. Compared to the mere 30 or 40 people who had come, they may has well have been massing in the millions. Plainly outnumbered, only the most brave continued to fight, while the others sought a way to flee what was so obviously a death trap.

They returned to find their city in even worse shape than before and only a few people left. After doing what cleanup they could, the townsfolk fell once more into despair, wondering what further horrors were in store for them that darkening. They were soon greeted with what seemed to be the next; thundering footsteps that shook the whole tavern alerted them to the fact that they were not alone.

But the incoming creature was not an enemy, but a friend, despite a misguided entrance and tearing through the ceiling of the tavern. It was instead an Elder Treant, sent by the goddess Carmelya to save the town. It would appear that it was too late, but instead the Treant was not here to save them from woes already past but to protect them from new ones and to deliver a message. Carmelya had saved them before but had not been repayed; her forests were still burned and cut down for farmland and wood, and people did not respect nature as they should. In return for their salvation, they were to become the protectors of the forest, and to respect and uphold nature as best they could. They were given a book to guide them in this task, and in return the town was covered with an intricate magical shield to protect them from the world outside. As the suns rose on Kalendryas 26th, the townsfolk watched the Treant bring their town back to life and then set out to remake their homes and lives.

OOC: Threads concerning the end of the war and the rebuilding:
Acumin's Respite
Child Hunting
The Elf with the Pen and a Book
Electing a Leader

[Lichen]

Brightening 30 of Immanis
Spring of Era II of the Celesting Mandate
Era XI PF in the Age of the Darkening

It had been over a year since the attack on Acumin. The city had healed, had rebuilt itself from the rubble using Carmelya’s gifts and her manuscript for guidance. The essential buildings had been rebuilt, and though the economy was far from having ressurected itself, the appearance of a stable and pet store showed hope for the future. The population stabalized at 39 constant inhabitants and occasional visitors.The Aedile had been unofficially nominated the head of Acumin, and carried out most of the political tasks without enthusiasm. The rangers cleared out the local woods of vysstichi, and the druids regrew the homes of whomever asked. It was not the city it had been; it was small and the inhabitents remained scarred from their trials, but it was free of danger and free of the pox. It was ready to begin again.

OOC: None of this was roleplayed. I’m just catching us up to where we should be.

[Lichen]

Brightening 3 of Ponutis
Spring of Era II of the Celestine Mandate
Era XI PF in the Age of the Darkening

Having received a letter from Alicia Tamarel, newly appointed Steward of midpoint, Aedile Latherin Veridos (highest ranked authority figure in Acumin) begged for aid from the military city and travelled to Midpoint for a meeting of the province.

Primus Gaudeo and Natura offered aid, men to scare away the vysstichi and hunt down their source. Raliric Ered`Gard promised to collaborate with Ranger Litate and bring an end to the constant attacks on the trade routes.


OOC: Threads concerning this event:
Letter to the Thane
Meeting: Private: Invitation Only!

[Lichen]

Sometime in Early Spring
Era II of the Celesting Mandate
Era XI PF in the Age of the Darkening
Following the attack on his tower, lord Avanthar Dra'aran of Dar Havark began the expansion and rebuilding of his domain. His efforts were furthered by the appearance of a visitor, an Elementist of extensive power who made a deal with the dark Lady of the tower. A fortress was the purchased item, and gold with a few stipulations the asking price. No stronghold for vysstichi, and peaceful ties to the valley of Syl'rosya. The Mage went to work, using his gift to summon an Elemental Lord, driven not by money but by pride in the work to come.

He carved great furrows in the ground, forty feet wide and deep enough to drown, the bottom filled with spikes for the less cautious invader to encounter. He built walls of black stone, tall and wide, complete with stone towers and stairwells for defense. Entrances lay at the North and South, thick breaches in the wall, their bridges solid stone and immobile. But the Mage was not here to build just walls, but a city, and so he set to the building of a great Bastion surrounded at each point by great towers, including the original, yet modified Dar Havark.

Beautiful, powerful, and impossible to ignore both for the sheer size and the power required in its’ creation, the newly renovated city of Dar Havark sparked fear and dread in the citizens of Acumin. There was a truce between the town and the tower, yes, but with so much power, would Dar Havark be content with its neighbor to the north?

OOC: Threads concerning this event:
A Dark Begining

[Lichen]

Brightening 1 of Cryxatum
Summer of Era II of the Celestine Mandate
Era IX PF in the Age of the Darkening

Following the unprovoked attack on his tower, Avanthar called out the current leader of Acumin for retribution. With the entire town present, he reprimanded Latherin for the attack on the tower from an era earlier, and demanded an apology and a promise that Acumin would show no further violence towards the tower. In return, he offered a truce between the tower and the town, a peaceful coexistence.

Latherin admitted that the attack on Dar Havark was a mistake, and a tremendous one at that. Apologies were offered on behalf of the citizens of Acumin, and a promise of no further mistrust between their cities. Peace between the town and the tower – but how long would it last?

OOC: Threads concerning this event:
Return of the Lord

[Lichen]

I still need a date, Avanthar!

Morris, a Persettie from Primus Gaudeo and a royal pain in Mila’s rear end, did not come to a tiny town for no reason. His arrival was fortuitous, for no less than three brightening after his arrival did Latherin decide to call a town meeting.

The town needed income, Latherin pointed out. And with Carmelya’s blessing and curse in place, their options were limited. Latherin, as Aedile, planned to lower land costs to the barely feasible minimum, and invite sheppards and Bee-keepers and the like to practice their trade in town. The idea was met with extremely limited enthusiasm, as Latherin also mentioned the influx of soldiers expected from Natura and Primus Gaudeo, soldiers whose tastes and requirements would deviate quite heavily from Acumin’s own.

But Morris was not so displeased. He smelled opportunity, and this took him to Dar Havark where he began to bargain with Lord Dra’Aran on behalf of his own Lord Brian. Avanthar craved the land of Acumin, but knew the Aedile would stop any of his purchases. Morris offered to be a go-between, purchasing the land and then reselling it to Avanthar. Since he was from Primus Gaudeo, he could funnel the money through there, and Avanthar’s ownership would be undetected and unprotested.

OOC: Important threads concerning this event:
A Muchily Superficial Arraignment
A Town Meeting
Dispatch Lord Brian

[Lichen]

Through Summer to 1 Kalendryas Era XII PF
Paradigm: The Pox is Cured

As the summer wore on, and Kalendryas' namesake month approached, Acumin began to see some modest signs that the labors off the Aedile's office on the village's behalf were starting to bear fruit. From the beginning, the chief challenge facing Latherin Veridos had been how to revive the nearly-deserted hamlet's economy without breaching the rather stringent terms of Carmelya's pact. The options were not many, and both Latherin and the Druids had needed to wrack their brains to find enough of them to make an impact on the community's prosperity.

Chief among these were shepherds, about five household's worth, from Midpoint and Riparia. Their arrival was hardly going to restore Acumin's wool industry to its former level of activity, especially since their inability to fell trees for lumber prevented the villagers from constructing a woolen mill, and even the simple components for a spinning-wheel needed to be imported. Still, limited in scope though it was, the presence of these farmsteads and their flocks restored some degree of hope; the villagers had their own native supply of wool once more, and could sell the odd wool blanket or garment to the occasional wayfarer who passed through.

The druids had done what they could to keep the groves of apple and pear trees alive and viable; fruits from trees could be harvested without destroying the plant that engendered them, and were thus favored by Acumin's protecting Goddess. Two families from Riparia had arrived to examine these groves as an investment prospect, and the assurances of both Lehan Y'Las and the Aedile had pursuaded them to purchase the groves at a modest price. As it was already late in the growing season, the families merely hired a few local hands to pick the fruits from the newly-tended trees. Again, the size of the harvest was modest, no more than a few dozen bushels. But the fruits were nourishing, and at least a few bushels were converted, compliments of a metallic contraption devised by the dwarf, Bork Valding, into cider, which once again could be sold to the occasional guest staying at the Sooty Cavern Tavern.

A brace of beekeepers came from Natura, the materials needed for their apiaries already in tow; while the coming winter would cut short most of their honey-producing activities before they could realize much profit, it did not cut short their knowledge, which they freely shared with those villagers interested in taking up their craft. Native and visitor alike would have honey for their food and mead for their drink on their tables, and Carmelya willing, they would begin to produce a surplus of both goods for sale to the rest of Centripax the following year.

Encouraged by their Aedile's vision, the druids and fae-folk also began to gather local herbs, both medicinal and savory, for making remedies, seasonings, and teas not readily available to other parts of Centripax. Sirius Ilnous, a refugee physician from recently-evacuated Olympia, arrived in search of a new job and another opportunity to contribute his advanced medical and herbal knowledge, his more academic and scientific approach to the discipline complimenting the more traditional approaches of the druids nicely. Once spring returned, Acumin would be in a position to produce and market its herbal concoctions to the rest of Centripax in quantity.

Soon autumn approached, and with it the end of most growing seasons, but the short fall and upcoming harsh winter boded well for at least one traditional product Acumin had been known for before its late calamities: maple sugar. Quickened by the long summer behind them, and seeming to sense the cold winter ahead, the maple trees in the abandoned tree-farms were rich in sweet sap, and it took only the discerning eye of some visiting farmers from outside Primus Gaudeo to spot the opportunity. A group of four such farmers soon purchased most of the prime maple-tree stands around Acumin, and brought in hired youths from the capital city to help extract and boil the precious sap, turning it into the sweet confection that had long been a mainstay of Acumin's produce, and would soon be again. In addition to bringing in money from the sales of the maple sugar they produced, the strapping young men brought an element of romantic interest to a community whose population of able-bodied men had been so decimated by the vysstichi attack. It did not take long for some of the local maidens and widows to find suitors.

So it was that, as the Day of Cleansing approached, the villagers could look forward to a celebration that would be truly celebratory and festive. For the first time in nearly two eras, there would be plenty of food and drink, much of it locally-made, and new faces among the joyous gathering of villagers: by Cleansing-day, Acumin's population had grown from about forty to nearly twice that number. The once-prosperous town had taken its first tentative steps out of the oblivion into which it had seemed about to sink forever...

Written by Desmodus
OOC: Threads that concern this event:
Town Meeting

[Lichen]

Summer
Era II of the Celestine Mandate
Era XIV Post Fractum

“Vyssie scum don’t give up,
Don’t retreat or run
They go to ground,
Don’t make a sound
When you forget, they come.”
~ Children’s Song

Five long eras had passed since the town of Acumin had been attacked, though the outsides were certainly scavenged heavily. The Vysstichi still attacked caravans, taking foodstuffs and livestock and lives alike, hitting nearly 25% of all incoming trade. Only the most tenacious and driven made it in or out of Acumin now, and despite the aid from Primus Gaudeo and Natura, there were simply not enough guards to both protect the traders and hunt down the source. What few men they had sent into the caverns had disappeared long ago, dead or lost to cave-ins and mysterious circumstances.

Despite this, Acumin did not do poorly. The lands inside the protective shield were made of rich soils and temperate climate. The shepherds’ flocks were healthy and happy, the fruit was plentiful and delicious, and the honey flowed forth like a sticky fountain. Latherin had done well, inviting tradesmen here, and the towns population was steady, if small. There was easily enough food for all, and some for export should any grow bold enough to do so.

But Acumin was a city whose past was rife with change and disaster. Five eras, Latherin frequently thought, was a boon, a gift, and not to be taken for granted. The vysstichi were growing more bold sneaking near the city at night and staring through the shield, contemplating. Avanthar’ city grew more in size and population every day, and on clear afternoons he swore he could hear the ringing of pickaxes from the foul tower. Yes, there was relative peace now, but that would soon shift. The Vysstichi were resourceful, they would find a way in. Dar Havark was powerful and ominous, and Latherin did not trust their tenuous truce would last longer than it suited the tower’s Dark Lord.

And so he picked up a quill, and began to write a letter to the herald, beseeching the aid of any qualified adventurers. It was time to take care of the problem of the vysstichi, once and for all.

OOC: Threads concerning this event:
http://www.playbypost.com/forums/herald...preferred.html

[Lichen]

Evening of the 45th brightening of Aperitus
Era II of the Celestine Mandate
Era XIV Post Fractum

Latherin lifted a weary hand to rub at his eyes, blissfully unaware of the ink he was spreading all over his face with the gesture. The paperwork of late had been intense, largely because he had no longer had other more immediate concerns to deal with. With the tunnel exploration underway, Latherin had finally had time to return to his books and ledgers, fueled by the panic induced by the thought of trying to fund his hired adventurers. The past few cycles had been spent pouring over receipts and tax documents, and if he had to read another application for land titles from some ridiculous Primus Gaudeo farmer he would be forced to gouge his eyes out with a dull fork.

Latherin blinked, a common action but this time it was one filled with far more meaning than it usually held. He picked up the paper in front of him yet again and pulled it close to his face, examining it in the low candlelight, frowning. Primus Gaudeo. He looked at the last four applications. Primus Gaudeo. Primus Gaudeo. Primus- Damn it. He put the paper down and looked at his book – 27 of the last 30 plots purchased had been farmers from Primus Gaudeo… and he’d just received a notice from the Primus Gaudeo Aedile that 13 pieces of property had been filed for a title transfer to a single individual.

”Well that’s suspicious,” Latherin said to himself. ”That’s…” And to think he’d been so pleased at the land sales over the past few eras! Latherin scowled, and picked up the large rubber stamp he hadn’t used in quite a while. He dipped it in ink and placed it over application number 27. It left great satisfaction in his mouth to read the words “Application Denied” when he picked up the stamp. He was simply annoyed he’d approved the previous 26 without noticing the trend, even if it had taken place over several eras.

26 plots of land, turned over to some mysterious benefactor due to some damn loophole. That was – Latherin did the math quickly in his head, numbers having always been his friend – nearly 10% of Acumin and its surrounding area. He wasn’t certain what someone would want to do with that much land, but he had his gut instincts and they told him it wasn’t likely good. Acumin was useless for large farming due to the export and import difficulties, and no great business would want to start here with the town’s rather firm building rules. Which left only a few options – the vysstichi had started to try to buy instead of destroy the town, or their neighbor to the West was encroaching.

Latherin scowled. Well, if he wishes to be a citizen of Acumin, a citizen he will be, Latherin thought, and pulled out a different ledger, one reserved not for land titles, but for income tax.

Avanthar was not the only man who knew how to appreciate a loophole.