Everguard Visionary/Issue 3

Founder: Arthur Spindle Editor In Cheif: High King Fisc Arylon Authors: Fisc Arylon, Editorial Board	In the beginning, there was only Tor, and the beginning has a lot in common with the end.	Price: 2 Everguard Marks Issue: May 2008 Third Issue

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Everguard's Claim Disrespected Yet Again
Nobles from the realm of Morek have traveled across the monster-plagues Mimer Peninsula and established an independent colony in the city of Libidizedd. The port city of Libidizedd is a great prize for the new colony. It is located on the central sea, and connected to many other ports on the sea through shipping and trade routes. In the young history of the continent of Dwilight, no realm has been forced to face invasions of their territory, their territorial claims, or their sphere of influence - none that is, other than the realm of Everguard. Anonymous men label the realm and her High King as aggressors, antagonists and yes... bullies. But what is the truth of the situation? While the eastern realms of Springdale, Morek, Pian en Luries and the southern power of Madina have sat comfortable in their corners of Dwilight unharassed by colonists and usurpers - the untamed lands of the west have attracted considerable attention. Much like their eastern neighbors, when the fifth independent nation of Dwilight was formed, it had designs on commanding	a specific territory - a certain territory descending down from Valkyrja to Eidulb, and including the Libidizedd Island. To the west, there are already claims on the cities of Gaston, Chrysantalas, Itau and others that otherwise could have been taken by Everguard, yet they will now not be able to command. That claim was challenged once, by the colonists who now sit in Golden Farrow, known as Caerwyn. The end result of that was intense negotiations, and a peaceful resolution that avoided war for both realms, and allowed the Caerwynians to center their realm in a wealthy and prosperous city. Everguard's meager claim of land was respected, and both realms ended up the better for it - a triumph of diplomacy for both, and hardly an acrimonious and aggressive bully pushing around the new kid on the block. And now, with the entire Mimer peninsula available for colonization, the new colonists have arrived in Libidizedd	and are entrenching themselves, despite objections from Everguard regarding a violation of their claim. The colonists have made a counter-claim they say stretches further back than that which the High King made. Neither recognizes or acknowledges the other's claim, and a conflict looms. At current, the High King has offered a peaceful resolution to the issue by providing the Morek Colonists with what their chief goal was - religious freedom on the island, and free passage to the westland so that they may spread their faith across their vastness. In return, the Everguardians ask for political control of the island, and the relocation of the colony to the city of Mimer. The High King believes it is a solution that gives both what they want - but only time will tell if the new colonists value peace and stability with their new neighbor, or if they are insistent to push their claim. But one thing is certain, the realm of Everguard does not bluff.
- Editorial Board,May 2nd

Mass Kidnappings!

Guardians across the realm were shocked to learn this morning that a number of noble born citizens of Everguard had been taken from their homes and forcibly exiled from the continent. More shocking than the sheer numbers of people taken away are the identities of who was taken. Luna Dawnstar, Queen Consort of Everguard, and the Marchioness of Aquitain was taken from her manor some time after midnight. Sin Ravenwulf, one of the founders of the realm and next in line to command the region of Ammando was taken away shortly therafter. Many others were taken, and seemingly most of them were stalwart allies of the High King. This has given rise to several theories. Despite the nonsensical rantings of the Dwilight Daily claiming that these mass kidnappings are a result of the realm "cracking from within", the more plausible theory is that agents attempting to destabilize the realm and weaken the High King's power base are responsible. Chief among the suspects is the coward Hericus le-Fay, a recently expelled rebel who was plotting against the High King. Also possible are agents from Caerwyn or Astrum, perhaps even Morek. The manner and scope of this act suggests large financial backing, and detailed planning. We may never know who is responsible for this outrage - but it is clearly an act of foreign desperation, and has nothing to do with the stability of the realm.

- Editorial Board, May 9, 2008

EDITORIAL: Lies and Propoganda
How deliciously predictable human action can be. Since tension between the new realm of Astrum and Everguard has become apparent, a one sided onslaught of disinformation has begun. The realm of Morek has claimed that it had a claim on Libidizedd, and that no such claim on the island was made by Everguard. They, and the faith they subscribe to have now engaged in a slanderous campaign of demonization, attempting to portray the High King of Everguard as a bully and a violent fanatic. This is despite Everguard having peace treaties with 3/4 of the continent's nations, and going out of its way to seek a peaceful resolution to the Caerwynian dispute when it could have easily not have even cared and crushed the young colony. But it is not only Morek and her agents which attempt to weaken Everguard's position by spreading dubious information. Perhaps because they feel slighted due to their relocation, many Caerwynians, including Premier Delia, after having feigned friendship with their northern neighbors, have banded together and inserted themselves into the dispute attempting to throw their weight around the island. Make no mistake - no matter how clever the wordsmiths of other realms may be, or how many people they line up to slander our realm, they will never be in the right. The Caerwynians especially should know better - for despite their "outrage", their ruler has known since before she was even elected to the Premiership that Everguard laid claim to the island. High King Fisc Arylon has maintained records,	and has in his possession documents outlining an express claim on that island sent to the Lady Delia. The immediate sphere surrounding EVERY realm on this continent should be sacred and respected territory. If another realm has designs on a free city adjacent to a realm, they have a duty to speak with that realm to make certain they may claim that city. Everguard has twice seen that principal violated. The outrage currently expressed by certain realms on this island rings extremely hollow and disingenuous. None of them have experienced such aggressive colonization on their doorstep, and if they had, all residents of Dwilight would expect much harsher treatment than Everguard has shown to these people. Everguard was never notified, never spoken to, and was expressly bypassed for both of these claims. Rather than act like the bully we are portrayed as, we have gone out of our way to work for peaceful relocation and keeping the colony in question in tact. Were we truly as we are portrayed by the rag of the Dwilight Daily or the garbage newspaper of the Caerwynian Chronicle we would have returned the favor, and not spoken to the colony in question, and simply moved in to crush it at our leisure, pressing our claims backed by our military machine. So, ladies and gentlemen - always remember that what you read is a reflection of the author, and their personal stake in the situation. The truth is often a casualty.
- Editorial Board,May 3

Aggressive Plague Strikes Down the High King - Everguard in Chaos!!
Shocked cries rang out from Everguard today as word reached the people that their High King has been taken by a great and powerful illness. Word has reached the Everguard Visionary that a sickness known to local Dulesians as "The Twisting", because of its effect on the apparency of the victim - it twists, warps and scars the skin to a great degree, massively disfiguring their body. Additionally, it has a profound effect on the mind as well, causing great memory loss, inability to focus, constant loss of consciousness, and a lack of logical processing. In other words, the illness warps the mind and the body, and leaves a human incapable of functioning in any realistic way. Before the plague took his mind too much, High King Fisc	Arylon called a meeting of his Dukes to discuss the situation, and to formally abdicate the Crystal Throne. In the last anyone has seen of Fisc, he collapsed on his council table, gripping the Emerald Crown in his hand. Unfortunately, this action could not have come at a worse time for the realm. Still reeling from the mass kidnappings that left Everguard without three region lords, and seeing her regions invaded by hordes of monsters there was now no sovereign power to assign new lords, or direct a response. Currently, the three Dukes of the realm, Duke Jack Carnes of Eidulb, Duke Hackem de Struct of Gelene and Duke Lestat Corax of Valkyrja are all vying for control of the realm. Until such a time as a successor to Fisc is chosen, the realm	runs risk of losing its grip on many of its regions and base of power. Only time will tell if the former High King will be able to recover from this aggressive illness. Dulesians who have been consulted by the Royal Guard report that in 80% of cases, The Twisting becomes fatal. In the 20% who survive, at least half are permanently disfigured and never make a measurable recovery in either mind or body. Guardians from around the realm are praying to Tor for his recovery.
- Editorial Board,May 10th