[Bungleau]

Just a couple of brief updates from the battle lines in the Gael Serran...

First, in a tragic turn of events, local wandering medicine man Mekdawa was found dead south of Valeia last week. Apparently, he'd been hanging around the wrong crowd of toads and found himself caught up in the middle of a gang fight of some sort. Blades were flying left and right, and Mekdawa didn't look any different from any other toad, and was slain. Police have no suspects, but are looking for the small group of people who sold six bottles of "Toad Special Potion", reputedly an aphrodisiac, to the wizards' guild. Mekdawa was the only known street source for the potion, although rumour had it that the Temple was known to assist him on occasion.

Second, in an amazing feat of strength, a party of adventurers actually pushed a crate through a wall in the Serpent Temple! [img]graemlins/wow.gif[/img] Seems they were pushing and shoving, trying to get a robe that was in the crate, when they suddenly pushed the crate through the wall. No damage has been noted to the wall, and it has been confirmed that the crate is indeed gone. David Copperfield has apparently tried to contact the wandering group of adventurers, seeking to employ them as consultants for his next show.

Third, the coffers at the Serpent Temple are starting to run dry. Dowry priests, those who collect the tithes and offerings from other priests and the general public, have been dying left and right with no apparent cause. Every dead priest has been found in a doorway, though, and some have questioned whether low-level temple priests have been pushing the dowry priests into doorways, allowing them to be crushed by the temple's new automatic doors, in hopes of a promotion. Elyssia, High Priestess, has scoffed at this suggestion, calling it nonsense in a press release that stated that only those priests worthy of the honor could become dowry priests.

In a related story, Temple Chief Financial Officer Kreug has placed an ad in the latest Gael Serran Examiner, offering to train individuals interested in becoming dowry priests for a small fee of 10,000 gold. No word yet on how paying money makes you more worthy of priesthood than faith and works, but this reporter will keep searching.

It was also reported to the Examiner that even those folks who like to play it "safe" and protect themselves from attacking innocent townspeople and the like are finding themselves with problems in the Serpent Temple, where out-of-town adventurers like Bloodrunt, a barbarian, noted that while he was able to protect himself from attacking other people, in the Serpent Temple, their weapons were not afforded any such protection. In other words, the person could be protected from an accidental sword blow, but their weapons could not. No word yet on how this will affect the attitudes of those priests who like to walk around with their staves.... either giving strikes or receiving them.

And in the final item in today's journal, a strange new pink and purple message spread across the Gael Serran tonight, reading "OLISTXZ<> Bound Error!" The Temple has been consulted, but they have been unable to determine the origins of the phrase or its meaning. Research will continue...