Varden Plan

Over the week after the barbarian horde leaves, citizens and the press have varied reactions to all of the events. A sampling of the main currency of opinion follows.

Sources

• The Courier: the largest and most reputable paper in Ptolus, albeit one with a slight pro-Empire slant.
• The Guilder: a newspaper covering local guilds, currently under the control of the Ironworker's Guild.
• The Market Voice: a reputable paper focused on economic news and information; the source for classified ads as well.
• The Midtown Partisan: a gossip sheet mostly focused on the noble families.
• The Noble Record: once serious competitor to the Courier, now centered on entertainment news, noble gossip and fanciful fictions about actual people.
• The Ptolus Herald: a widely circulated paper largely considered factual but with a clear anti-Empire bias.
• The Monitor: a well made broadsheet the covers the news from a religious angle. Considered to have some of the finest writers in the city, but known to be funded by the Church of Lothian, so generally considered slanted in the Church's direction.
• The Undergrounder: a seedy rag that serves up rumors about the events and people of the criminal underworld.
• others: dozens of other papers exist. Most are very niche or very low quality, more like newsletters.
• rumors: stray talk that gets spread around, misunderstood and mutated.

The Barbarian Horde

The general story of the horde coming to find their king from his chaos cultist kidnappers who intended to use him in some kind of ritual, then leaving once the party rescued the king is widely (and mostly accurately) reported and believed. Almost no mention is made of the particulars of the ritual in the press, or the idea of the Night of Dissolution, leaving the field open for everyone to push "pet theories" of "what really happened", often to further their own agendas. Some of the more prevalent:

• Regardless of the specifics, blame for the whole mess lies at the feet of the Empire, who can no longer be counted on to care about Ptolus. (The Ptolus Herald, The Monitor, others: mostly the anti-Empire lunatic fringe, rumors: in Oldtown, particularly)
• The freedom and initiative of the six members of the party are emblematic of the strength and rightness of the Empire that guarantees such freedom. Cities outside the Empire would have fallen because their people are not as self-reliant and fearless. (The Courier's editorial board, others: mostly the pro-Empire lunatic fringe, rumors: in ???)
• The whole affair was largely a distraction, as the city defenders would have obliterated the barbarians in any case. (The Market Voice, others: mostly government-based publications loyal to the Commisar, rumors: mostly Midtown)
• Chaos cults are by far the strongest danger to the city, and should be exterminated. (The Noble Record, The Monitor (which particularly worries about arcane ability of the cultists and the cults being concealed within legitimate churches), The Guilder (which particularly worries about chaositech), others: publications from temples to various lawful gods)
• The details of the Night of Dissolution are critical, and a conspiracy is afoot in the mainstream media and government to suppress them. (others: mostly obscure arcane rags)
• The supposed plot was far too premeditated, planned and ordered to be the work of chaos cultists, who are being framed by religious authorities in the city. (The Undergrounder, others: mostly anarchist organizations)

Vallis Moon

The appearance of the Vallis moon caused quite a stir, particularly in the arcane and religious communities. The explosion of opinion, warnings, debates, open brawling and even suicides was unrivaled until three days later, when the Vallis moon vanished again and the ruckus started anew.

• The spell interference and cancellation effects of the Moon lasted only for the first day, where they caused a lot of havoc. Including:
  • In the Nobles' Quarter, the spells holding the luxury Soaring Idyll apartment building aloft fail, and the building crashes to the ground, killing over fifty people, including some in some nearby manor houses, which were crushed. Within an hour over three dozen people were looting the wreckage, having scaled the cliffs into the district. (The Courier, The Noble Record, The Undergrounder)
  • The aeroship normally moored on the estate of House Shever is missing, and "reliable sources" indicate it crashed much like the apartment building did, but the wreckage was quickly hidden to prevent embarrassment to the house. (The Noble Record)
  • Any doubt that the Inverted Pyramid holds a powerful influence over the city were dispelled when the group's huge headquarters appeared floating over Oldtown. While it did not fall, it took the group nearly five hours to conceal the building again, leading many to question the wisdom of allowing them over the city at all. (The Monitor)
  • In the large exodus of ships leaving the city when the moon first appeared, collisions occurred when a number of ships lost their magical propulsion. Three ships sank completely, spilling their cargo to the bottom of the harbor. (The Market Voice)
• A number impromptu religious debates in the Temple District's Steet of a Million Gods about the importance of the moon erupted into violence, resulting in several deaths. (The Courier,The Monitor)
• Nearly one out of every four babies born in the three days that the moon was visible have runelike birthmarks on their faces or hands, including two born to noble families. (The Noble Record, The Midtown Partisan)
• The moment the moon returned, it released a shower of dust and rock which continues to rain down to the ground. As this previously extremely rare material (called Vallis dust) contains potent magical abilities (it can be used to power spells), a "gold rush" mentality has quietly developed, with arcane geologists secretly grabbing as many flying vehicles and fly spells as they can find to race to collect the stuff. It is likely that, in the coming months, either a few groups will manage to control this new source and ration it to keep prices high, or it will flood the market and make the price crash. (The Market Voice, others: arcane "current events" newsletters, geology publications, astronomy publications)
• Vallis dust is an extremely dangerous substance, known to cause tissue damage just by standing near it, and should be outlawed. (The Monitor, The Undergrounder)

The Unlikely Six

Both the press and the public talk a lot about the PCs. One of the first stories to cover them, a special edition of The Courier put out hours after the barbarians left, contained an editorial on the group mentioning, among other things, how the collection of races and backgrounds made the group uniquely Ptolusian, saying "the city owes a huge debt to this unlikely six, but can be proud of the fact that their like would not even be possible elsewhere." Lacking a true name for the group, the press latched onto the phrase "unlikely six" and even began to capitalize it as if it were the group's official name. Opinions are mostly positive, losing only a bit of luster as the week goes on and a few contrarians emerge.

• Of the group as a whole...
  • The Ironworker's Guild does everything it can to associate itself with members of the group and the group as whole. The large beer bash they hold in the group's honor is the "social event of the season". (The Guilder)
  • The group has an insanely complex and impressive history, corroborated by numerous "friends" and "experts" the group has never actually met. (The Noble Record)
  • The group may not fit in very well in the Nobles' Quarter, and it remains to be seen how the neighborhood will react to them. (The Midtown Partisan)
  • During the ceremony when the city awarded Rosegate House to the group, someone used detect alignment spells to determine that only two of the group are good and two are chaotic and, therefore, it is clear that the group is really playing the city and were, in fact, the ringleaders of the whole plot. (rumors: mostly in South Market)
• Caralaria
  • Caralaria gives the most candid and complete (and largely factual) telling of the group's activities, though provides few details about more arcane matters and is strangely silent on certain portions of the machine encounter. (The Guilder which gains a lot of prestige from the story)
  • The Church of the Iron god has done a fair bit of recruiting based on Caralaria's prowess. (rumors: the Guildsman District, Midtown)
  • Caralaria and the other monks of the Path of Iron are in league with a vast conspiracy connecting House Shever, the Shuul, the monastery, the temples of Teun and the Iron God and the Iron Mage. (The Midtown Partisan)
  • The unusual hair color, clothing and "punchy attitude" of Caralaria seems to have caught on with a group of girls and young women who gather in Star Crossing Plaza to see and be seen. (other: one newsletter from South Market directed at the clothing industry)
  • There has been a bit of a rush on disguise self scrolls caused by high cost (illegal) prostitutes using them to match Caralaria's hair color and appearance for their clients. (The Undergrounder)
• Lostwhite
  • Lostwhite speaks of the events publicly only briefly, in a short appearance in the temple of the Lady.
  • Lostwhite "turned heads" in a custom dress made by Garner Chevril, a up-and-coming designer in South Market, at a party hosted in her honor by the Order of Iron Might (of which Lostwhite is a member) at their citadel in Oldtown. (other: the same South Market newsletter for the clothing industry)
  • Several hours after this party, the City Watch chased Lostwhite and three human male paramours (thought to be students from the nearby Imperial University) out of the Arena in Oldtown in the middle of the night, after their loud cries of passion disturbed residents in nearby houses. (The Noble Record)
  • As a half-orc, clearly Lostwhite is in league with the barbarian hordes, so cannot be trusted. (rumors: the Warrens)
• Naerai
  • Naerai frustrates the press with silence, which causes them to dig into his past. The only real fruit they find, however, is an interview in the Courier with Karetsan, leader of a community of harrow elves called Zar'at. He speaks highly of Naerai's character, and extends a public offer for him to live in Zar'at, but says little else.
  • Naerai bears the brunt of "the group were the ringleaders of the whole plot" conspiracy theory, where his being a harrow elf is used as "strong evidence" of the group's real evil agenda.
• Oreni Erthuo
  • Oreni gives a short interview to The Market Voice which, while not actually containing much information, lends legitimacy to the group's story.
  • One of the earliest stories about the group claims Oreni, being part of a noble house, is obviously therefore the leader of the group and the mastermind behind the defeat of the cultists, who is driven to excel in order to make up for the failings of his father. In spite of no legitimate evidence of this, many assume it to be true. (The Midtown Partisan)
  • Oreni clearly has connections to the Balacazar crime family and has been seen at the homes of family members. (The Undergrounder)
• Scoffney Shever
  • Hint of connection to Longfingers
• Sikarsis

The Runebearers

• Dullin Balacazar, grandson of Menon Balacazar
• Darata Chornim
  • It cannot be a coincidence that the home of this runebearer is right next to the Soaring Idyll apartment that fell. (The Noble Record)
• Corrent Epathi
• Tarthia Kor
• Wacther in the Skies

The Ledger

• Oreni's father Otan Ertho is listed several times for appointments with Erepodi.

Odds & Ends

• Inverted Pyramid
• Pythoness House
• Some rumor that is really something that escaped from the Banewarrens.