The Muckraker’s Almanack, Issue 30 
5th Day of the Harvest Season, in the Year 1234 

Times in the nation of Ivras have been tumultuous indeed. It’s hard to believe it’s been only a year since the fateful Feast of Flowering that saw Archmage Hagia become a corrupted, wormlike beast that ravaged the capital city of Faline. And after it had just been rebuilt from the monster attack five years prior!

But  your Humble Correspondent gets ahead of themself. As any reputable  journalist would say, let’s discuss the facts. The beasts that have long  plagued our country are, in fact, corrupted mages,  former Ivratian citizens who have accumulated too much… erm… mysterious  dark forces… and transformed into foul monsters of various shapes and  sizes.

The Order at Namarast,  an organization created to educate, control, and observe the mage  population, has tried and failed to find a way to stop them – in fact, more monsters rise every day, some from the jungle, some from the cities, some from the Order itself.

It has been left to the Mage Protectors,  which (for reasons unbeknownst to your humble correspondent) are still  admitted regardless of Order, Wild, or Hidden background, to fight and  defeat these monsters in a countrywide event known as a Great Hunt. Every mage who participates uses their unique skills to fight, with some magic more effective against certain beasts than others.

Despite  the fact that your average non-magical, non-homicidal Ivratian citizen  must still rely on mages for protection, distrust and fear of them grows  every day. Tensions between non-mages and mages came to a head during Ascent of the Archmage, when Ivras elected non-mage Miriam to replace Hagia as its first non-mage Archon in generation.

Since then, Archon Miriam has decreed that all mages must be accounted for and sequestered to the Order, and the Archon’s Witchfinders have been draconian in their pursuit of  free mages with no direct opposition from King Gladius or his Royal  Council.

But wherever there is restriction, there is rebellion.  Miriam’s election opponents, Prince Sabora and Enchanter Guro, have  created a fragile alliance between their two respective factions: the Mage Court, a group of mages whose power lies in their social status, and the Wild Clans, scattered enclaves of powerful mages who have collated to defend their freedom.

Among  all this conflict, one must wonder – what of the average citizen? Will  great big hogs fight, leaving the little pig with the bone? Will Ivras  crumble under political pressures, unleashing anarchy? Or will we simply  be crushed by giant evil monsters before we get to find out?

Whatever the answer, stay tuned – there’s sure to be great press.

XOXO,
The Muckraker