Winchester Status

Scouting Report, November 1108

Since the Daemonic creatures of the Court of Lies took the Bloodwood the Battalion of Winchester has been involved in a holding action, keeping the evil contained yet unable to make significant advancement within its borders. This stalemate is starting to tell on the forces for, while the enemy seems able to continue fighting ceaselessly the men and women that defend Albion cannot. This has led to some unrest among the people, who fear that sooner or later their protectors will fall under the strain of so long a conflict.
This unrest bleeds its way down the ranks of the lesser nobility and into the rank and file of the common folk, many of whom begin to wonder what will happen if the attacks they hear of from York move southwards.

Still for the most part daily life in the Duchy continues as always. Commerce being a big part of city life there are always disputes amongst trade guilds and haggling over prices of this or that to contend with.
In more rural areas farming has picked up and goods are flowing to trade centres freely again which only serves to bring prosperity to the Duchy of the King.

Trade by sea however is another matter. Pirate actions of late have been intense and several towns along the coast have come under serious attack.
Lismore and Lowestoft have been razed with reports of mists rolling in land followed by creatures coming out of the sea and destroying all in their paths. The Navy now has regular patrols and a blockade in place in an attempt to stop these attacks, and for now it seems to be working.

Scouting Report, May 1107

Winchester, Duchy of the King has undergone a change since the cataclysm. The Sea that was so brutal to the lands of York last summer has swept into the Eastern border sweeping much away in its path. Peacehaven is gone, drowned out by the cataclysmic floods leaving Marchwood Keep at the seas edge but without a working Transport circle. Similarly the Transport circle at Sherburn was destroyed by an outpouring of energy at the time of the Cataclysm. The Marshes at Trell have become even more inhospitable, its borders remain the same yet its depth has increased to make it almost impassable. However, as the waters begin to recede the land itself shows very little sign of the devastation, in fact there has been an increase in the waterways and irrigation canals throughout the Duchy, its people praising the Trinity for protecting them and showing that the King's Duchy is indeed the chosen of Albion.

Politically Winchester knows its own strength and is quietly optimistic about the future. Duke Charenten's influence at court is as high as it has ever been and his recruitment of House Grimmir from Gloucester is seen as a notable coup. Both Charenten and Grimmir were prominent in the battles surrounding The Cataclysm and there is a widespread faith in their ability to provide both stability and security. This is further backed by a growing support for the Company of the Blackened Staff as they are increasingly accepted as Winchester's own.

Winchester has a greater awareness of affairs at court than many other duchies and there is a significant level of suspicion about the increasing power of Gloucester over the last year. Most believe that the balance of power rests between the two duchies and are keen not to simply hand control of Albion to a bunch of westerners who place greater stock in hunting skill than in manners or literacy. Overall however there is confidence in the ability of their nobles and trust in Duke Charenten to protect the duchy's best interests.

Since the formation of The Trinity worship of The Pendragon has become increasingly visible in the duchy; particularly amongst those associated with the court. The Hunter is also undergoing a resurgence, although the interpretation usually portrayed here teaches strength, leadership and family as its core values, and pays less attention to some of the ancestor's more feral aspects popular in other duchies. There is still some distrust of Nethras and she has never really prospered here; perhaps because of the lingering legacy of The Mother or perhaps simply because there is less poverty here than elsewhere in Albion. Many in Winchester are excited by the formation of the new knightly orders are there is some expectation that all three will establish some sort of presence close to court.

After members of the Harts Faction travelled to the Bloodwood in Selby to destroy the infestation of Daemons that had plagued it, reports started to circulate that the place was ill at ease. Scouts tell of strange sounds coming from within its borders, which shift and change with the wind. The Bloodwood is a wild and savage place once more.

Scouting Report, October 1106

To the west of Winchester, the spine of Albion shifts and the land starts to move. This seems to have diverted the course of the River Stour causing yet more flooding, this time damaging Worcester. Morale generally in Winchester is high.   

Scouts operating between the keeps at Sherburn and Poynton have gone missing whilst investigating reports of undead. The captain of the troops at Sherburn Keep, a man named Banin, has stopped scouts from investigating the occurrence out of fear of losing any more people. He is preventing anyone from leaving the area instead insisting that all scouts and rangers reinforce his own men and remain in the keep. This has made information from the area of the Cornwall boarder sketchy at best.

There is major damage to the circle at Selby, but the mages guild has managed to avoid any damage to the city or the guild houses themselves. The transport circle at Marchwood Keep has kept expelling void energy that has damaged both the circle and caused considerable damage to the keep. The casualty figures are lighter than they could have been due to the Winchester battalion moving on the settlers following the Great Flood earlier in the year.

The Bloodwood by Selby has started reverting to it’s old ways – and the tree’s themselves have taken a more sinister appearance. It is rumoured that dark and evil creatures escaped from the circle reside in the woods there and local villagers have gone missing. Some of their bodies have been found, disfigured in some way, some have even been walking and trying to feed on cattle or other livestock to feed their unliving hunger.

Scouting Report, April 1106

Winchester is not a duchy used to hardship. With the reunification of Cornwall feelings are bitter towards them as they resent sharing what little food they have with the Cornish. The Winchester battalion and the Circle Guard spend their time protecting food caravans and stopping the regular food transports. With many minor nobles missing since October, gangs try to seize what power they can and give the battalions regular trouble.

The people of Winchester move towards the cities to better reach the food supplies leaving fields untended. Fishermen on the east coast have complained about odd tidal patterns and ships have been sunk.

Religious enclaves of Mother Worshippers have shut themselves off from other areas of land; fearful of attacks. Followers of the Architect and Nethras try to help the people of Winchester but faith is low and civil unrest is high.

Scouting Report, May 1105

With the death of the Queen and the chaos that the release of prisoners from the Winchester jails has caused, morale in Winchester is at an all time low.

The Winchester Battalion has been working tirelessly with the sheriff’s office to return the prisoners to their cells but around the Winchester area people have started to lock themselves away, and strangers are met with fear and distrust.

In Marchwood, Cornish refugees - many with family in the duchy- have come and brought with them disease. Prejudice and violence against the refugees is rife … and family or friends in Winchester who give them shelter are liable to find themselves shunned and treated as poorly as the refugees themselves.

There have been reports of several murders (supposedly either refugees or people of Cornish descent), however with a number of dangerous criminals still on the loose from Winchester jails it cannot be proved that such crimes are politically motivated.

Trade with Cornwall has completely stopped and this lack of business has meant that some people on the border now have to travel for many days to get vital supplies.
The trade wagons from Finmere must be guarded by Winchester Battalion to stop the drivers getting stoned by villagers. This is causing a massive distrust of the Harts armies and resentment of the fact that supplies are going to the “treacherous� Cornish whilst loyal Albiones go hungry elsewhere.

With spring starting the people of Winchester are fairly certain that they will be the next target of Imperial aggression, and are starting to prepare for travel north to York in the hope of thus avoiding the violence. Confidence in the Harts armies to defend them is very low and a virtual plague of malicious rumour only increases the fear.

A few isolated riots have occurred in parts of Winchester, however such incidents were easily contained and quickly quelled. Although a degree of anti-Hart sentiment has started to emerge, most of the populace believe that Imperial agents are the root of such unrest.