Madge's Musings 9th Day of Advent

 'Well I guess you're back to hear what Sassy Talbot told me. I hope you take disappointment well because it isn't very exciting.

Now as I understand it this gossip came to Sassy from her brother Harold who heard it from his mate Bill who got it from goodness knows who in one of several taverns he visited over the last week. So you can judge how reliable it is, I'm reserving mine for another day.

So whoever the story came from in the first place was wandering on the outskirts of Grimwise Forest minding their own business when they saw a group come out of the forest. They were scary and had weapons and ... well you can guess the rest. There seems to have been another person there but Sassy was vague about that. This second person antagonised the Grimwise crowd and they attacked him, using magic at one point and the person telling the tale had to drag the ruined body back to Lunecaster where the guards took over and the Guardian banned magic.

Oh, I can't be bothered with anymore of this rubbish! Truth be told, Sassy didn't have a clue and she just wanted to be centre of attention for a while. It happens to women like her when the lustre wears off I've heard. But it did get my curiosity going so I wandered off to the dining room in the Citadel and did a bit of eavesdropping. Halfway through my second pie I overheard a group of Elders disgusting the new orders from the Guardian. He's hosting a delegation from Grimwise soon and the magic ban is partly to stop them using it when they're in Lunecaster. 

A couple of guards sat at the next table and while I was dabbing the cake crumbs off my shawl they talked about the terrible burns that had been inflicted on the victims of the attack. One of them said he'd never seen anything that awful and his mate said that it was hard to believe what they bought into the infirmary had once been a man. Put me right off ordering another slice of cake that did. 

I've got some friends in the infirmary so I think I'll pop over tomorrow with some poultices and potions for them. Who knows what we may chat about?

So I'd better get some herbs infusing and check my stocks of oil of lavender.'