An Escalation of Violence

In the recent days, Swordcaptain Ryman Whiteshield of the Lord's Men appears to have begun marshalling the Men-at-Arms under his personal command in anticipation of something. News have reached Essembra that the murderous Archer who had until now been confined to attacking only travellers on the roads has begun attacking villages in Battledale as well. Although Essembra herself has not been threatened as of yet, other smaller and less defended villages have found their inhabitants fatally struck by black arrows from beyond treelines. If these rumors are true then at least over a dozen lives have already been lost across the dale.

The gossip surrounding these dire developments and this sudden mobilization of the Men-at-Arms has people suspecting that Swordcaptain Whiteshield intends to ride out to the villages to find this wanton murderer and bring him to justice at last. There are further rumors that he might even hire adventurers to aid in his search. Other gossip around Essembra has people making claims that the unusual bouts of violence that recently occurred around Battledale (and persists) has apparently begun happening in other dales as well, more notably those bordering Battledale. In some circles this has given rise to talk of conspiracies but others dismiss such nonsense as unsubstantiated hyperbole.

The rumors turned out to be true and the Lord's Men under the command of Swordcaptain Whiteshield rode out en masse to protect the outlying villages from the growing threat, their numbers further bolstered by hired mercenaries and adventurers. It did not take long for Whiteshield to prove successful in this endeavor as he returned alongside his Men-at-Arms with an elven man in chains, somewhat unexpected by some considering the stories of the infamous archer and his particular appearance.

However, in the following days since his capture and while the elf languished in a cell at the Old Hoof Mill under strict watch by the Lord's Men it became unmistakable that these attacks on villages ceased entirely, leading concerned Battledarrans to believe the elf had indeed been the one responsible. Regrettably the roads continued to remain as dangerous as ever as the true archer was out there still.

Regardless, for now the people of Essembra and Battledale as a whole drink in honor of Swordcaptain Whiteshield for his decisive action in their defense and the people who protected them under his leadership, though most of all the adventurers responsible for the murderer's capture.

Gossip begins to spread around regarding the identity of this elf, with Battledarrans wondering whether the elf had acted on his own or if he was in league with the infamous archer himself all along. The tone of conversation shifts as word begins to spread around Essembra that judgement has been rendered concerning the fate of the elf and that he is to hang publicly by the end of the tenday for his multitude of crimes against Battledale and its people. Already workers can be seen in Old Town assembling gallows on the walls of Lord Ilmeth's Manor.

By now news have spread around Battledale, Whiteshield's victory turned out to be shortlived. The execution of the elven murderer never came to pass and his escape, aided by five masked assailants, had come at the cost of Essembra's Men-at-Arms and commonfolk alike. A manhunt for the escaped archer and his liberators was due to be organized but with the sudden passing of Lord Ilmeth those plans now seem in some disarray as priorities shift. For now, a bounty notice has been posted for the capture of the escaped elven murderer and those who aided in his escape.