News Bites From Fractallus
Issue Number 3
~Countess Genevieve Marigold Adrema~
Welcome back, dearest delighter in devilish details. This month, I bring you news of the newly risen Countess Genevive Marigold Adrema. Uplifted to Countess on merit at the tender age of 8 years old (16 in Earth years), this outer realm-calling prodigy is a dynamo in the Shadowmirrian social scene, commonly seen at parties or charity events with a date or with the rest of her team. She has recently been seen in the company of known gentlemen such as Baron Harlane Prenticit, the Honorable Master Tony Hansina, and Sir Blaise Trinsington.
She is a member of the highly respected Enforcer team led by Marchioness Netherby. This headstart has allowed her to arrive right on track to graduate from the Defenders Military Academy and Shadowmirre Law Academy’s Joint Military Law program in search of a place in the military high courts. She is one of the youngest Enforcers recruited and the youngest to receive the Eidriuian military’s highest honor, the Medal of Ultimate Dedication and Sacrifice. It is only given to those who have both died in service to the Empire and made significant contributions to saving others.
Her gifts as an Angel Touched member of the Cobalt Coda make her one of their premier members. She is said to have an innate grasp of the magical threads binding our world, which allows her to move objects through space with little effort using natural telekinesis and possesses an overflow of magical essence. Unlike most casters who possess a stable, limited amount, which is depleted and replenished each day, Lady Adrema can cast unlimitedly and help power certain other casters spells like those of the elder Lady Adrema. Especially when working together, this mother-daughter team is among the ranks of the Eidru Empire’s most talented and powerful casters.
With an early life spent in the bosom of the homeland, enjoying the natural beauty of the Tranquil forest, Lady Adrema has a wide breadth of social experience. Ginny was born and raised in Spindle Glow Crossing, one of the many villages nestled in the forest. She enjoyed a quiet, simple life of love and learning with her quaint family until The Unpleasantness broke out and stole that life. Her beloved family and the lives of many a family just like hers in our great Empire’s small towns and villages were uprooted and shattered.
This event has spurred Lady Adrema on to the heights she has now reached and will no doubt soar above. Having excelled as a magical Prodigy under her adoptive mother, Countess Neisha Adrema’s tutelage, she’s been climbing at a steady rate ever since. She was Invited as a guest of honor to the 77th annual Grand Caller’s Ball and began instituting experimental growth-promoting measures in her town, Shadow Valley, part of the Nethervale. She’s already established a yearly summer harvest festival coinciding with her birthday. Planted new crops and began an alchemical and casting enrichment program to elevate crop yields year-round.
~Bursting Berries~
For the curious epicureans, this issue brings you a unique gastronomic adventure. Bursting berries, a tart, fleshy purple berry that resembles a strawberry on the outside, are a culinary curiosity you may have heard of and tasted. But have you experienced the delight of finding them in the wild?
They hold several exciting surprises waiting to be discovered.
When ripe, they develop a pocket of sweet, gooey syrup inside. The scent is slightly floral, with an initial puckering tartness that eases into a sweet honey-like aftertaste lingering on the palate. They’re prized for use in all manner of culinary preparations, including jams and syrups, cakes, and candies.
Bursting Berries grow naturally in scrubby, flat lands and sparse forests with plenty of indirect sunlight but are easily farmable. Eaten by many a small mammal and birds galore, which spread their tiny visible seeds all around. Along with all of the native inhabitants of Harctelion. Their tantalizing taste lures more than just we here in the Eidruian homeland. They are shipped off to the inhabitants of all our hard-working colonies, not to mention those scoundrels in the Reophate Empire who seem to have just as big an appetite for them.
If you believe you’ve found a patch of bursting berries in the wild, it’s crucial to be able to distinguish them from their lookalike, the stink berries. This knowledge will ensure you can enjoy the bursting berries without any unpleasant surprises, a key to a successful foraging expedition.
~Stink Berries~
Stink berries look like Bursting berries with bitter purple flesh but are filled with a noxious acidic liquid instead of the sweet, syrupy filling. Alchemists will still pay top dollar for these beauties if you can safely harvest them; just make sure not to pierce them or get any degrading fruits that might burst and splatter you with Acid.
You guessed it, bursting berries got their name because when the gooey syrup inside, or the acidic slop in a stink berry’s case, begins to ferment inside, they burst and splatter the burbling liquid festering. Bursting berries just make a mess. Stink berries, on the other hand, can pose quite a hazard near the end of their short life span. They are, after all, prized for their use in Acidic preparations. Herbalists can also use the flesh and the concentrated compounds in teas and poultices when you bring fresh berries.
Stink berries play a unique role in the animal kingdom, serving as a treat for vultures and a snack for several species of lizards, such as the stone salamander and the crystal cleep. The masked and striped skunkoons have a fascinating relationship with these berries, consuming them and other noxious “foods” to fuel their poison production.
~Hantrican~
Most intrigued investigators, I know how much you enjoy gossip and warnings of the secret and depraved. Well, look out for Hantrican. As the god of parties, revelries, and intoxicating substances, this cult can be more than depraved; it could be dangerous. Though the Cult of Hantrican is widely frowned upon, one hears rumors and innuendos about small groups on every level and hidden within every sphere of Eidruian society.
In every city and major establishment, secret societies and chapters are rumored to be dedicated to many of the socially forbidden faiths. But what makes Hantrican stand out? Unlike the more demure or practical faiths, this cult actively encourages upstanding citizens to break laws and stray from traditional Eidruian values. It’s crucial not to ignore the warning signs. If you suspect your loved ones are falling into vice, it’s your responsibility to intervene and seek help immediately.
Now, don’t mistake my meaning, dear friends. There is nothing wrong with celebrations, with enjoying the fruits of the land and your hard work, but our glorious Queen, Abionne the II, insists we keep ourselves ready for anything that may come our way. This requires keeping a clear head and a sharp eye. Don’t let your senses be dulled by Hantrican’s seductive spell woven in smoke and drink.
~Vrator~
Imperial vacationers, tucked on the outward edge of the Tranquil forest, between the forest and the Dobryan hills, is the ancient dominion of Vrator. If you’re looking for a picturesque place to sample the Wines, ales, and cheeses of the Empire, look no further than picturesque Vrator.
You can meet people and visit shops selling delicacies and crafts from all of the diverse county seats. If you have ever dreamed of witnessing the famed troll-powered grain mills of Ascher in action, walking with the beautiful fairies of the Tranquil Forest, or visiting a wandering Dobryan carnival, start planning your trip now.
Magically enchanted, masterfully worked wooden furniture, toys, decorative and Art objects, and almost anything else your heart desires are created in Vrator. Their legendarily skilled craftsmen, who have passed skill traditions down through family lines since before the Megantanis united the Vratorians with the Homeland, will leave you in awe of their craftsmanship.
The long history and family lineages coexisting with the ancient rites and traditions of Vrator make this the perfect place for artists, historians, and scholars alike. Take your visit to the Capital city, Vrator, the region’s namesake, for a quick snapshot of the land. Vrator is currently governed by Countess Rosemond (Galeen) of Twining Hills, with Duke Halmanis Tellesation as the assigned Eidruian overseer and ambassador of the entire state.
The Counts of Vrator are highly respected amongst their charges and are all given an equal seat on the Vratorian council. All command sizable forces, despite their relatively low social station across the Empire, as most men and women in Vrator are trained to at least defend their homes, shops, and farms, and every man is enlisted in the standing army when he comes of age.
~Motivational Talks by Marchioness Netherby~
Most exceptional Eidruians, I know you have been intrigued by the rise of Last Month’s Feature, Lady of Substance, Marchioness Netherby. In light of your many letters asking for more information, I am bringing you some good news. If you’ve been keen to hear from her in person, you will find her giving a motivational Address at the Temple of the Mother of Heros this Dylember, Sixthday, the 16. If you are otherwise engaged, she will offer a repeat performance at the Temple of the Father of Humanity the next Sixthday, the 23.
Pews will fill up fast, so be sure to arrive early if you want to sit down. The topic is said to be much-needed encouragement after the darkness of The Unpleasantness. Known for her powerful oration and outspoken patriotism, Lady Netherby’s speech is sure to be a rousing experience no matter your affiliations. All loyal Shadowmirrians should make an effort to attend and meet one of Eidru’s greatest heroes in person.
~Homeland Newshound (K.B. Silver)
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