York - Status

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Scouting Report, May 1107

The people of York have suffered greatly since the cataclysm. Many were forced to shelter in the North against the great north Wall as waters flooded the lands around the ports. Londinium suffered when its Ritual circle was destroyed and fire burned out half the City. Baron Londinium has instigated a plan to rebuild but the work is a slow and arduous task, yet the people of Londinium set about it with good cheer. There are reports of strange sightings in the sky over the place where the Wellspring once stood proud, which many fear are magical energies escaping from the land and in Ely construction is underway on a bridge to rejoin the City to the mainland.

Many visitors have journeyed to the Elven garden which stands where the Great Library of Norhault once stood and the Elves tend the garden with love and care and it is openly regarded as one of the greatest sights of beauty in all of Albion.

As the waters of the floods of last year recede back to the sea, a series of small islands have been created off the coast near Chelmsford and many look to see if a home may be made there though the people of the town are still down-heartened about what they perceive as inaction by the Nobles to their plight.

 Last winter York was gripped by great sadness over the death of Duchess Madelaine. Lady Falcon held a particular significance to the duchy not only as a political leader but as a spiritual and moral guide also. Whilst time has healed the wounds to an extent there is still serious concern about her potential successor. Earl Finn seems the most obvious candidate politically but his unpredictability, public disdain for convention and tendency towards violence hardly cast him in the same mould as the late duchess. There are undercurrents of support for both Countess Karlennon and Baroness Fisher as more suitable successors, but in other parts of the duchy there are concerns that both lack the experience and political weight to stand up to Winchester or Gloucester.

Without Duchess Madelaine there is real concern that The Royal Council may have lost its moral compass. York wishes to see a strong Albion but there are severe doubts about the methods that the nobles of other duchies might use to achieve that goal … the declaration of war upon the Lions faction only compounded this. Worse still are suggestions that Earl Finn might well be an active support of a move towards strength at all costs, and York would be greatly reassured by the presence of a more moderate voice on the council.

The past few months have seen a slight rise in Nethras worship around York as some of The Mother’s followers begin to accept the new goddess as part of The Trinity. The most significant religious shift however has been towards The Pendragon who is now seen by many in York as the most moral of the three dominant ancestors.

Scouting Report, October 1106

With the death of their Duchess, York is in a state of unrest.  Although more secure about their future by the coming of many nobles of Albion… there is still much conversation about who will be made the next Duke of the area.

The more pressing new is about the City of Londinium. Although badly hit by the flooding in recent months, during the Cataclysm the ritual circle exploded starting fires that destroyed a large portion of the city.  It is rumoured that all the way up to Wine street is now either rubble or ash. The Albion fleets evacuated many of the population of the city by boat as they were cut off by fire. The more worrying occurrence is that the void energy has brought not only demons to the area, but caused some of those killed to rise again.

In Durham, large cracks have appeared down the Great Northern Wall.  Rumours from Flodden and Uttobourne tell of Celts raiding from the north taking grain and cattle. Although these reports have not been substantiated, old animosities are rising.

The Transport circles in York and Lincoln have both exploded doing minor damage to the outskirts of their respective cities. The Wellspring itself has erupted destroying all in a three mile radius. Residue magical energy left in the area has meant travel there is both difficult and dangerous. None of the scouts that have travelled there have come back, at least not in any condition to speak.

In the city of Norhault the great library has disappeared, leaving behind an Ancient Elven Garden. This has raised the morale of the people of the area and many people have travelled across the country to see the wondrous site.

The banks of the River Ely have burst, increasing the size of the Ely Lake. This has meant that the city of Ely has been trapped on an island between the lake and the sea. Just north, the Hawk Fens are growing in size and farmland as far as Haxby is becoming water logged.

Scouting Report, May 1107

With the Cataclysm came uncertainty in Cornwall. In Alton a strange forest has reared up where none stood before and Scouts report the way through Impassable at present. The Island of Lundy still unreachable via the land bridge and sightings from the ships in the Bristol Gap show the forest covering much of the Island.

The cliffs which mark the stark beauty of Cornwall have become even more pronounced as the Seas crash against them with a force born of the changing of the world. In Exeter the marshlands on the southern edge of Rutterkins wood have expanded making travel by land even harsher in the region and adding to the already dark reputation of the Wood itself.

Caer Pendrinn, Castle in the Sea has escaped the rising sea levels relatively unscathed, which many attribute to the mysterious Dame Melyor of Pendrinn.  The town of Bristol is getting back to normal as people return after the initial destruction caused there and many businesses are now re-opening to the joy of the populace, though travel there can be difficult with the Circle at Alton being damaged in the upheavals. In fact the Duchy is entirely cut off from the transport network as its circles are either destroyed or damaged. This has however, seen a great upturn in the coastal trades.  

Yet for all the happiness there is a sorrow. Rozenwyn Pervaine, Duchess of Cornwall and voice of the young orgaine has been taken gravely ill with some malady of the Heart. Having returned to Caer Pendrinn it is believed that she is being tended to by Dame Melyor and none have seen her outside those walls for many months. As a result the people of Cornwall worry that the voice they so recently gained on the Royal Council of Albion may be lost forever and their Queen put aside for another. Some however are turning to the ancient House of Corvidae, Cornish in ancestry and outlook to be its voice, whilst others see the growing power of the House of Glass as a beacon of hope for the Duchy as a whole.

Of all the Duchies’ Cornwall has long been the least interested in politics outside her own borders. Most Cornish folk are happily apathetic towards the Albion court and feel its decisions have little impact on their daily lives. Community, tradition and local pride are far more important to than directives carried from nobles in other duchies who have little chance of ever understanding Cornwall’s unique challenges.

Religion in Cornwall has been somewhat in flux since the formation of The Trinity. Support for Nethras and The Pendragon grows slowly but steadily but there is still a degree of suspicion about The Hunter, who is seen by many as a warlike northern ancestor who claimed victory over Manannan by force. Worship of Taranis is still strong in some more remote regions and, behind closed doors, whispered rumours of the Lord of Storms’ resurgence are all too common.

Rumours continue to abound about the disappearance of the Mists within the Vale of Avalon, what terrors might it unveil or what ancient treasures may be uncovered. Yet the Cornish mindset remains stoic in the face of adversity. They look to their own and where old communities have been destroyed or displaced, new ones rise in their place.

Scouting Report, April 1106

In the majority of York morale is low. With so much time and effort invested into Cornwall and Winchester , it is thought that the young King has deserted their people. The Norhault and York Battalions spent much of their time stopping civil unrest, and trying to make sure that the food reaches the cities.

Like Keswick, many of the people have taken to worshipping wild ancestors to provide for them. Worship of the Mother is at it's strongest in York, but her followers are often shunned by the people and several have been killed.

Like Winchester, people on the East Coast have noticed strange tidal patterns that have scared away fish and sunk several fishing boats.

In Bishop's Aukland troops have ringed the perimeter of the land of Malhault's area. People have defected to his banner in desperation for food and the rumour is that he has some way of getting food in the area. None of this has been seen and very few people who have entered the duchy have bothered returning.

Scouting Report, May 1105

Problems in York are widespread and outbreaks of lawlessness have broken out in most of the duchy’s major cities. Fighting between rival gangs of criminals has entangled many of the locals and death rates are increasing rapidly, whilst the sheriff’s department struggles to keep the violence under control.

The York Battalion has been drafted in to help with the disorder, but they are stretched thinly between guarding the ritual circles (aided by half of the Keswick Battalion) and dealing with this crime wave.

A mercenary army in the service of the Harts has started to move into Londinium. The Northern Fleet has cut off the docks of this self-proclaimed free state, and efforts are made to evacuate loyal Albiones whilst the city is cleared of rebels section by section. So far the army has met only minimal resistance, although outbreaks of rioting and violence have started in places.

There have also been rumours of brutality by certain members of the army against some of the people of the city. Peasants have been found bloodied and beaten in acts of seemingly motiveless brutality.

Morale in the north of the duchy is a lot higher and although the death of the queen has been taken badly the new alliance with their old enemy - the Caledonians - has meant that people are a lot more at ease than they have been for years.

The new circle in York has glowing jewels and an indentation in the altar stone although it does not appear to be public knowledge what these are for. There is a heavy guard on the circle and they have strict orders to not let people near it.

Rumours abound across the city what this circle could be for, and some fear it could be a potential point of attack for Imperial or Conclave attack.