Pavis recent history, rumors, etc.:
=======================The proposed marriage of Pavis into the Lunar cult has been abandoned, and relations are tense among the two factions. The failure of some key missions of the "Reclaim the Rubble" campaign, such as the decimated Balastor's Barracks party and a still-missing party sent into Blind King's Castle, has not helped. Ditto for the ill-fated "Best and the Brightest" contest. Some blame these failures on clandestine activities by ardent anti-Lunars such as Bendrath, Daughter of Pavis. Other cite the events as a sign that the marriage is not meant to be. Still others worry about the rift between the cults creating an opening for Bad Things to happen. What would New Pavis do without the Lunar army to guard it? Simple, they say, New Pavis would be a smouldering, haunted pile of Rubble once the trolls and nomads had their way with it. This fear of being defenseless keeps many mouths closed that would otherwise be voices against the Lunars.
The Coders continue to ingratiate themselves with the people of Pavis county. They have negotiated some peace deals with nomad raiders that were plaguing county farms, eradicated some chaos nests, arranged an uneasy truce with the violent Orlanthi Cold Wind faction, made the streets of New Pavis safer, and found new trade routes through Prax and the Wastes. The first caravans from far eastern Teshnos and Kralorela are due this year, a subject of much rejoicing and concern. In the meantime, Governor Sor Eel the Short has seemingly sat on the sidelines, upstaged by the venerated Coders. He seems more of a figurehead now, but is still a valid military threat to those who violate the peace that the Coders bring.
News from the west: Sartar has been quiet and is presumed pacified. The Lunars are nearing completion of a Temple of the Reaching Moon there, which will extend the Glowline (eternal full moon) of the Red Moon from Furthest in Tarsh to cover all of Sartar. Rumors of troubles in Heortland and more problems in Esrolia are little consolation for the subjugated Sartarites. There has been word of a shakeup in the Lunar command (more on this Saturday).
Other stuff more relevant to your PCs: Elohwyn has had a hard time recruiting new Vingans; no one has agreed yet. Warrior women-types seem scarce in Pavis, and she has found that your party has a mixed reputation. You are thought of highly as skilled explorers and warriors, but joining your cadre is seen as extremely dangerous, even suicidal. Elohwyn has had women tell her that they think the Wyrmsjaw Fort group does not care for its lesser members. They'd sooner join a Zorak Zorani berserker squad, they joke.
Idylla, priestess of Firshala, has spent much of her time looking for information on Morta and Firshala, but is now turning her attention to the cult's desparate need for new initiates. She warns that even one initiate missing a Firshala holy day risks losing contact with Firshala. If contact is lost, Idylla would need to conduct a very dangerous mission onto the Spirit Plane (or hire a shaman to do it at exorbitant cost and risk) to reinstitute worship of Firshala. Idylla thinks that you need to accumulate at least 50 initiates within a year or two. She wonders how this will be done if Wyrmsjaw's secrets are to be maintained.
[I may have mentioned that there is only 1 (high) holy day for Firshala; I was wrong. You inititates attended a short ceremony just before you left for Dyskund. There is no tithing or time commitment because this is a tiny spirit cult. But initiates do need to sacrifice all but 1 MP to Firshala once per HD.]
The River has been plagued by a minor, but worsening, drought. It seems that Storm Season last year brought little rain or snow to the Rockwood mountains in the north. Orlanth has been quiet, they say. Thus the river is lower this season than it was in Earth or Dark Season last year. This has been bad for farming, trade, and travel all along the Zola Fel. It is not a catastrophe, but people are worried. They blame the drought on the fall of Orlanth to the Lunars. Strangely, the drought is not so bad in Prax or even Sartar, but it is widespread. Che'enshashan has told the River Voices that the Zola Fel cult plans to send an envoy on a heroquest this high holy day to re-enact the myth of "The River Voice and the Storm Clan," to seek rain from the cantankerous storm folk. He assumes that Caernak will leap at the chance. If the drought continues much longer, next year riverfolk and fish alike will begin dying.
Coming up next, Puzzle Canal info!