To Whom it is Concerned

[Vern Kron]

To whom it is concerned,

I am not a citizen of Runewick, but I had decided to go see the jungle of Runewick because I'll admit, I was curious. It was quite shocking to realize that the jungle now has black dragon skeletons of madness creeping about. I have eliminated a number of them, because entrance to Runewick was not really possible without many severe injuries (of which I suffered some, I had to retreat for a time before re-engaging the issue). While traditionally I would have allowed Runewick to continue to deal with it's threats in it's own terms, I was concerned that a new arrival may get gobbled up. At time of writing, I have slain six of these creatures. They extend from Yewdale to the front gates, with some on the bridge. They also extend northward from your front entrance and are harassing the sheep at their leisure. You might also take note of the ones in Yewdale, as it seems they have been snacking on some of the cows there. Why would a skeleton dragon eat anything, considering it has no real need to eat? I don't know.

I'm not sure what caused this, or what is going on, but it seems bad to me, and I figured I should let you know. By my estimation there is atleast 10 more dragons roaming about.

Be careful around the outside of Runewick, you now have not only intense jungles to worry about, but skeletal dragons.

If this is something you would like to pay to have removed, I do need some heartwood enchanted to resist flames.

Artimer Fault

[Charlotte-ate-wilbur]

Despite the attempts of few citizens this past dwarven year, the complaints about the flesh eating plants and danger in the fields has gone completly ignored by the Council. The result of this collection of dark energy is not surprising. The question is, if we attempt to take these matters into our own hands and tear down the pillars and clear the dangerous plants what consequence will we face from our council? We cannot step outside.. and yet we fear our protectors who keep to their grand flats and the Guardhouse remains empty. This is not virtuous.

~unsigned

[Djironnyma]

Runewick thanks everyone who slay undead and unholy creatures on our land.

Any proposal to improve the situation at the fields can be discussed free and public at the towns meeting today by every citizen. Anonymous request are not considered.
Further more I recommend our great library. The library has well written books about arcane theory which explains very good why there is nothing like "dark energy" and help to understand why it is currently the greater evil to destroy the column's as to keep them.

~Djironnyma

[Liz]

I would also recommend that the bearers consult the libraries of Runewick as well. They contain many great tomes on statesmanship and administration.

- Don Valerio

[Lia]

An elf stops and reads the last comment before he shakes his head and writes a sentence below.

I would recommend that you take care of your identity crisis.

~ Tarias

[Amira Ranevskaya]

Suggestions on how to deal with the plants have been given and ignored. Attending citizens meetings are in fact, pointless. The current administration refuses to accept any philosophy that is not their own. They do not allow true freedom in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding, nor can those who are not the Dean to allowed teach official classes. It is no wonder this academy is failing. Where are the guards and rangers to fight off this plague? Where are the Bearers who claim to defend this town?

Amira

[Djironnyma]

Every reasonable suggestion has been discussed open-ended. We accept that these which couldn’t convince with their arguments may remember that different. Anyway we are still welcome any proposal to remove the overgrowing without supporting the enemy under Letma by destroying the columns which weak it.

Our library is a collection of different opinions, the council has almost no influence on the selection of books since that’s done by the librarian and he is encouraged to collect a wide range of different opinions. Furthermore there was no request from anyone to teach official classes nor is there any rule about it, so I serious wonder why you think there is any kind of limit of the freedom of knowledge but Runewicks constitution.

And you are absolute right that we need more guards and rangers and you are total welcome to join them to support the town active. Runewick didn’t lack on people seeing what our problems are, we need more people willed to active work on solutions. You and everyone else can be sure of the full support of the council to work on solution by joing one of the forces or research a solution which didn’t result in making our problem to someone others by just destroying the columns.

~Djironnyma

[Amira Ranevskaya]

If the guard captain was around and present perhaps you would have people wanting to join the guards. Why should anyone join a group whose organization is non-existent except for name. Perhaps that is something you should consider discussing in your unattended citizens meeting. A replacement. Perhaps the empty air might volunteer.

And before you suggest I offer my services, I will let you know that I would sooner join the Rangers. I have half considered it and it seems that they are the only organization with a leader that actually cares about what happens to this town.

Amira

[Djironnyma]

I would consider a change of any position if I see a better candidate, last seen by the change of Professor Vitus with Professor Deanna. While the current guard captain isn’t around much he is at least present if called. Anyone who want to join the guard but can’t reach the guards captian can also speak directly with any council member.

You must accept that disagreeing and not caring are different things. For someone who calls for the freedom of knowledge and opinions you seem to have a hard problem with accepting other points of view then your own. I invested much more work into Runewick as most other citizens except the Archmage himself. I care about every soul, book and building in this town and I’m fully aware of my responsibility and of the great danger and hindrance Runewick faces with the overgrowing. Yet alone I see currently no solution of the problem which will not support the enemy deep under Letma and will so threaten Runewicks neighbours and Runewick itself from a long term point of view much more. I can accept that not everyone shares that concern about Cadomyr and the distance future of our town, but I will not sell the safety of others and our own tomorrow for a quick and easy safety today.

~Djironnyma

[Amira Ranevskaya]

You care for Runewick as if it were a petulant child in need of being ignored. I have given you suggestions on dealing with the mana that has been flowing like a waterfall and causing mutations in the forest plants. It has never once been discussed nor considered and is simply dismissed out of hand.

Disperse the mana or contain it. You can not simply allow it to run rampant. If this is not done then the overgrowth will continue. This theory has been confirmed by many, only you refuse to consider it.

If you will not do it, then maybe your citizens will.

Amira

[Djironnyma]

How you can accuse me on one hand to act infantilising and implicate on the other hand, if it is not done like you say it will happen anyway even if non-consensual or by force. That not an adult way of discussion.

Furthermore I never rejected a plan to deal on a other way with the mana and I would welcome any well prepared ritual to which is presented. Anyway till today no one have send such to me and my own studies in that direction haven’t brought any safe result yet. You are welcome to either support my research or present your own.

~Djironnyma

[Amira Ranevskaya]

A letter has simply been pinned below the conversation, it appears to be older and may have been removed from where it was before.

As I will be unable to attend the impending Citizens Meeting upon the morrow, I would like to present this documentation on our newly formed jungle for consideration by all of Runewick.

From what has been done by others, I have gleamed the following information. The Arcane Study held by the Dean has concluded that the plants are not magical in origin. Deanna's Alchemical Study has concluded that the plants do not hold any special alchemical properties and that the minerals in the soil have not affected the plants in anyway.. In fact, in her attempt to determine this, the offending jungle plants changed from solid leaf matter to gooey slime. She has also pointed out that some of the jungle plants are pitcher plants. Naturally pitcher plants are strangely carnivorous, but feed only on flies and other insects. The ones found in the fields are unnaturally large and seem to have a taste for elves and halflings. Furthermore, Ranger Olaf conducted an experiment that involved moving a tomato plant from the fields to a plot further away in untilled soil. The once thriving plant is now wilted. This leaves the finial school of study involving the Divine by Alrik, which has not yet been conducted. Though I do not wish to rule out the possibility, I find the thought that the gods desired to create a jungle in Runewick to be highly unlikely.

I, myself, have made further attempts to investigate the surrounding area. These issue seems to be centralized around the columns and their portals. A warning was issued that the increased concentration of mana in the fields could cause accelerated growth in plants. This appears to have occurred and the majority of the plants are quite possibly forgotten or dispersed seeds that never took root. What is strange is that these jungle plants are not native to any place I know of on Illarion. Although some oceanic coastal species have seeds that float from shoreline to shoreline, these do not appear to be related.

One theory I have considered is that the intense concentration of mana in the area has caused the plants to mutate unnaturally. What was once an onion seed or a hops plant has been affected from an exceedingly large dose of mana and has caused it to change. Furthermore, the jungle plants have proved to be highly unstable in that when separated from the parent plant they even change from. This is evident from the slimes that boiled up in Deanna’s experiments. Should this be the case, the high concentration of mana shall have to be contained or dispersed before removal of plants can occur.

There are a few possible ways to deal with the mana overflow within the area. The simplest of solutions is to of course remove the pillars and their portals. This is, of course, not the preferred method, as it will simply result in the pillars appearing elsewhere. Short term, the excess mana makes for a grand spot to conduct rituals. Rituals hold the possibility of helping to disperse mana from the area. Another option would be to create an artifact, or even a series of artifacts spread throughout the fields that absorbs and contains mana. This would help stabilize the area long term.
Once the area has been stabilized, the fields can be cleared. There are two possible routes that I can think of. The quick way, and perhaps most volatile, is to do a controlled burn on the area. This will clear the field of all plants, but if not properly controlled, will do more harm than good to the area. Alternatively, each plant could be dug up and disposed of one by one. This will take a bit more time, but will protect the naturally occuring flora. At the same time, care must be taken to dig up all of the roots. Some plant species have the ability to regrow from remaining roots. Because of this, it is not impossible for the fields to still need to be cleared again later. However, if the excess mana has been dealt with, even if the plants do regrow, it will not be at an accelerated rate.

One finial item to note. Three independent studies of three different fields have been, or are to be conducted to determine the causation of the Runewick Jungle. In my mind, it only seems pertinent that these three fields of academia continue to be represented. Deanna appears to have extensive knowledge of alchemy, plants, and druidic matters, and has been a long standing citizen of note in her leading of the Rangers of Runewick. I would gladly look to her for guidance in these fields that I have little knowledge of in the future and have found discussion with her to be quite insightful.

Amira Ranevskaya

[Lia]

The efforts of Alrik Grimler have already led to a success. Our fields are free of the plants.

~ Tarias

[Djironnyma]

I concern the effort you have done with your thoughts and you have pointed out some very true facts. Anyway the problem of the mana concentration is, that while it is very intense it is on the same time very chaotic, pulsating non-calculate able and almost wild. It is like waves of mana-energy, I charged a very powerful artefact at the columns and it was almost destroyed by the act (and it destroyed almost myself during that act). So using the place as a normal ritual place brings non calculate able risks which can bring great danger.

My research go more into a direction of creating a flame which drains the mana and burns it into elemental fire – if many mana arrives through the columns the flame would grow, if there’s comes a small wave the flame would shrink – but as you might imagine that is also a great danger, I will visit Lor Angur personally next month to discuss that idea with some old friends and colleagues.

But even if this idea could work I did not feel very comfortable to create a giant flame in front of the town so as said I m very open for other suggestion.

~Djironnyma

[Djironnyma]

Under the lead of the ranger Deanna the attendants of the towns meeting Elynah Gesse, Rakaya, Tarias, Alrik Grimler and myself destroyed all undeads we could find.

~Djironnyma

[Charlotte-ate-wilbur]

To those of you willing to do something about the dangers outside of our town and those allies of Runewick who also wish to help...It is high time that we took care of this. We cannot let the workers and the children among us be trapped inside the town while flesh eating plants grow rampant, targeting halflings and elves, of which Runewick 'had' a healthy population of. The coagulation of dark magic is also unacceptable. For Bearers of light and justice, they seem to have a real interest in the progression of the evil magic outside of our town! To what end? We must root this out quickly as it has been a danger for far too long, now it is complacency. Let the Council be, let them make their decisions and the citizens can make theirs. We will not endanger the town nor strike at it, but we can show the Council that we care about each other, our citizens, and our town's well being.

Leave your letter with Borgate to learn more. ((pm me to find now chars name etc plz))

[Amira Ranevskaya]

Tarias,

The letter in question was written well before the fields were cleared and were my suggestions from perhaps a year ago. I am sure more evidence has been discovered in this time.

Djironnyma,

I am glad you have finally decided to even consider my research instead of simply dismissing it. Had I known about your research I may have had time to actually theorize other alternatives. These findings do change things and I will need more time to research.

Amira

[Djironnyma]

To do good research means to suppose as less as possible and proof as much as possible. I don’t know if you have written me this letter or not, but I will not decline that statement. For true we can agree that you didn’t get an answer. That could mean I dismissed it, it could also mean that the letter never reached me, or that I got it in a stressful moment, gave it the wrong priority and unfortunate forgot about it. It is even possible that it fell behind my desk or that I throw it away by accident. Indeed none of these options is very satisficing for you, but my point is if you don’t get an answer from a letter I recommend to ask the addressee why you got no reaction and not simply assume that you were ignored.

~Djironnyma

[nathi]

There is no proven evidence to see the occurrence of the plants in direct connection with the columns. The plants may be a nuisance to some, but they do not pose a real threat. We don't fear forests. These plants can even be an opportunity. Without haste, we will investigate this possibility. I don't want to be pushed into rash actions, and carefully examine the things and opportunities that they present. As far as the columns are concerned, in Runewick we are agree that the situation should not be exacerbated by ill-considered actions until we have sound knowledge.

~Deanna

[Vern Kron]

A copied note is place upon the board.

To the citizen of Runewick,

today, my student Falyame, and me visited what could now be called the Jungle of Runewick. It is our wish to inform you on our findings, and to let you know what seems to be the best course of actions in accordance with nature.

The fields of Runewick are very fertile grounds. Furthermore, it seems that many magical studies over the years left a taint on the flora of this area. To these two aspects, a third one joined: The unnatural presence of the pillars and their wicked magic. The pillars initiated the abnormal growth, as well as the creation of partially unusual plants. We have listened to the earth and it is clear that the growth will continue, possibly becoming faster and faster.

The first step to solve this issue is to remove the pillars as soon as it is possible. There is no question that their presence harms the plants, and ultimately, all other living beings. The second steps is to wait and let nature takes it course. You must not harm the plants. You must not try to destroy them. True, they will, for a certain period of time, continue to grow, and we do not know the final state in which it will come to rest. Yet, it was the reckleness of your actions that caused this. The plants are not to be blamed for that. Just as you would not murder a deformed infant, you are not to murder deformed plants. It is crucial that you understand this second step to be as important as he first one. Compare it to an arrow in your leg. The arrow need to get out, and the sewn wound then needs time to heal. In case you decide to get rid of the plants, you might end up facing even worse consequences.

Merung Harbes and Falyame
-----------------------------------
An die Bürger Runewicks,

heute besuchten meine Schülerin Falyame und ich das, was nun wohl der Dschungel von Runewick genannt werden kann. Es ist unser Wunsch, euch über unsere Entdeckungen zu informieren und zu erläutern, was das richtige Handeln in Übereinstimmung mit der Natur zu sein scheint.

Die Felder Runewick sind sehr fruchtbarer Boden. Weiterhin haben die magischen Studien über die Jahre einen Fleck auf der Flora in diesem Gebiebt hinterlassen. Zu diesen zwei Aspekten kam ein dritter: Die unnatürliche Anwesenheit der Säulen und ihre verdorbene Magie. Die Säulen läuteten das abnorme Wachstum ein, so wie die Entstehung teilweise ungewöhnliche Pflanzen. Wir haben der Erde zu gehört und es ist eindeutig, dass das Wachsen weitergeht, womöglich immer schneller und schneller.

Der erste Schritt dieses Problem zu behaben ist die Säulen so schnell es geht zu entfernen. Es gibt keinen Zweifel, dass ihre Anwesenheit den Pflanzen schadet und letztlich auch allen anderen Lebewesen schaden wird. Der zweite Schritt ist zu warten und die Natur ihren Gang nehmen zu lassen. Ihr dürft den Pflanzen nicht schaden. Ihr drüft nicht versuchen, sie zu vernichten. Es ist wahr, sie werden für eine bestimmte Dauer weiter wachsen und wir wissen nicht, in welchem Zusatand sie ihre Ruhe finden werden. Doch es war euer rücksichtslos Handeln, das dies verursachte. Die Pflanzen tragen daran keine Schuld. So wie man einen deformierten Neugeborenen nicht ermordet, so darf man auch deformierte Pflanzen nicht ermorden. Es ist entscheidend, das ihr versteht, dass der zweite Schritt so wichtig wie der erste ist. Vergleicht es mit einem Pfeil im Bein. Der Pfeil muss entfernt werden, und die vernähte Wunde bedarf dann der Zeit zu heilen. Solltet ihr doch euch entscheiden gegen die Pflanzen vorzugehen, könnten die Kosequenzen gar drastischer werden.

Merung Harbes und Falyame

[Djironnyma]

I dont see why anyone believe copy an statement makes it more valuable or more true. We recognized Merungs appraisal and we appreciate him as a wise druid with a deep knowledge about nature and alchemy. Anyway I also know that he have just a very limited knowledge about arcane theory and manaenergey and that he is someone who is very skeptical about magic influence on nature in general. So he is neither an expert in rating the influence of mana on something nor is he neutral nor did he consider the negative long term effects we already pointed out. By all respect for other ways of seeking understanding of the world, Runewick will not bring its neighbors and own future in danger cause a druid was told so by "the earth". Especially since we know that the enemy is manipulating people with visions since we are aware of his presence.

~Djironnyma

[Amira Ranevskaya]

The plants are not a direct result of the columns, they are an indirect result. They are not spawned with intent by Letma, instead they are the result of the mana being pulled from it. This has caused an accelerated growth rate as well as mutations in a few of the plants. As I have stated, there are really only two main routes towards dispersing this mana. Either tear down the columns and close the portals which will end the dispersion of mana entirely. However, the Council seems to be decidedly against this, so plan B will have to involve dealing directly with the mana instead of the removal of its source.

As for my research. I tend to make it available for all to see and do speak of it. It is no fault of my own if someone is blind to it. People have read it and know of it, which can not be said of those who do not openly share theirs.

Amira

[nathi]

It is good to discuss problems. But the ideas should be put forward in mutual respect. If proposals or discussions are going in the form of complaints or even accusations, then cooperation should not be expected from the other side. Nevertheless, I am pleased with this sympathy for the fate of Runewick. Be sure, we have very different opinions on many things in Runewick, but we agree on one thing - We do not want to take any risks and we only act when we are sure that we have chosen the right approach. This presupposes investigations, which require their time due to the care. As far as the plants are concerned, here are new approaches, whether their appearance, the mutation is not even a signal for us to be a help against the pillars. There are hints from earlier investigations leading to Alcyros Benvolte, a former citizen of Runewick.
I would like to call on us to help with counter-planting in order to stop the plants gently. I would also like to ask those interested to contact me so that we can arrange a survey of Benvolte's last known student.

~Deanna

[Charlotte-ate-wilbur]

It has been nearly a dwarven year since the mutations have occured. I may also add that two of these mutations eat halflings and elves. So telling your citizens that this is not dangerous is absolute madness. We have every right to question the sanity of the council at this point, regardless of the excuses which are apparently limitless. There is a complete lack of regard for Runewick and it's citizens by it's own leaders. This is shocking considering the claims of intelligence and virtue that would otherwise make Runewick a place of pilgrimage.

There are either dark agendas afoot, or a need for absolute control by incredibly stupid people.

~Unsigned

[Cassidy Eshorn]

A small parchment is added at the bottom slightly crooked as if the author wasn't sure whether to hang it there or somewhere else...

As an added concern, I don't believe allowing the blood fairy's in town was a good idea, they seem to have taken it over. I think two or three flew in my depot but couldn't encourage them to leave as they proceeded to eat the food I had stored. Perhaps it is best they are asked to leave?


Cass Eshorn

[Karrock]

When I asked does position of captain of guards is opened for attempting to get I got answer, that Leomar has not dissappeared and he is even more active and visible inside walls and around region than I was pass these several dwarven years. In my perspective I seen him just about three times a dwarven year. Perhaps he is still active as guard but sadly he is all the time in the space you are not, so you cannot see him. Clear random. Don't suspect those people would even lie in this matter.

~Titus Marcelius