The cold grasp of winter wanes and the warmer winds of spring slowly blow on to Mardrun. With the winds come the stirring of activity of restlessness after a long cold winter.
Word travels from Clan Stormjarl as boats set off into the bitter cold seas for a month of hard fishing and hunting. However, a rumor of a specific small band of boats led by a Jarl Yisef Stormbrand is what is told in the longhouses and mead halls. The rumor is that the Jarl’s ship, the Crowbane, along with four other vessels sailed south to find rich waters to fish and whale. The members of the crew spread tales of finding a large area filled with kelp and fish almost jumping into the boats. However, after collecting their bounty from this secluded place, nature tried to keep it secret and not allow the sailors and fisherfolk to return to Mardrun. The storms that wracked the fleet were beyond anything the crews have faced. Many of the sailors blame the streaks of white in their hair from the stress of the swells and waves. Lightning was their only source of light for what seemed to be weeks. A rain as cold as ice pelted them and soaked them to their core. But during this entire ordeal, Jarl Stormbrand and his Crowbane led the way, and the crew of the Crowbane say that the Jarl was laughing and thoroughly enjoying the storm to the point that some began to question their leader’s sanity. However, he led them through and got back to the shores of Clan Stormjarl, and with the plentiful bounty they just barely secured on their month-long trek.
To the north the unaffiliated Pack White Stag begins a ceremonial hunt for a white stag so that a new Pack Leader can be selected. Many potential candidates head into the woods to seek the honor and prestige of being able to lead the noble and ancient pack. However, only one is able to claim the glory of the kill, Celsti Whitestag. With the stag on her shoulder and bow in hand she approached the withering old Pack Leader upon the anther throne. After a brief ceremony the new Pack Leader was announced and a celebration was held at the success of the hunt, and many other hunts too. Members from other packs, including the honorable Pack Longfang, made appearances to pay homage to their neighbor and continued ally in the north.
To the south in Newhope, terror strikes again as the mass murderer hits another small home out in the countryside. Guards were alerted to the small house due to a horrible smell coming from it due to the warming weather. When looking upon the inside were the butchered and frozen corpses of a family of three, thawing like the rest of the world was. A nearby cleric was able to estimate that they died sometime back at the height of winter. There was no message this time, but the method is still the same as well as the area and location. Many begin to wonder just how many have died like this, undiscovered and left to rot till someone eventually finds them.
On a lighter note, an orphanage has been opened up in Newhope, a project that has been headed by Duchess Mary Tri-cuspis. The orphanage immediately began to welcome young children without homes to help them find families of their own, as well as gain some mild education and pick up some trade skills from nearby trade workers if they are willing to take the government-funded apprenticeship. Many see this a very generous step and a way to help prevent theft and poverty in the citystate as a whole.