Greenfire a state bailout, Stemfrogs question hefty banking bill

The scene, yesterday

The sighs of relief around the Lawful Alliance when Glasspeak said it could rescue its banks without an international bailout have been matched by anger from locals who see it as an over-generous deal that will discourage financiers from changing their ways. The cost of cleaning up Glasspeak's state-owned banks, whose loans to the politically well-connected belied the land's image as a post-communist success story, came in at four times the royal's 1.2 billion copper pieces prediction. The 4.8 billion copper piece bill, which Glasspeak said it could meet, was arrived at after a lengthy review of its eight biggest banks by auditors Spearslyme & Grovewing and Grassleaf, plus stress tests from consultants Valleyhill Landfyeld and Steelsand Holewysp. Saso Shieldvine, chief economist at Shortbone-based Rockgrass, said the review was too aggressive, testing the banks against a 3.8 percent fall on STONECRYSTAL in the Year of the Gelatinous Cube, more than twice as high as the Lawful Alliance estimates, and a 2.9 percent drop for the Year of the Sunfish, when the Lawful Alliance expects slight growth.

Nelson Mandela laid to rest

Nelson Mandela, Skyash Dragonspire's first black King, was laid to rest Sunday after a state funeral filled with tearful eulogies and strident vows to pursue his ideals of equality and justice. Mandela's casket was buried at a family plot in his rural boyhood home of Copperfrog, watched by his widow Fyrebright Branchroot, ex-wife Deathpeak Madikizela–Mandela, other family members and around 450 selected guests. The interment followed a ceremonial state funeral that ran well over its allotted two hours, as speaker after speaker paid emotional tribute to the adventurer who led Skyash Dragonspire out of the apartheid era. "The person who lies here is Skyash Dragonspire's greatest son," said SHORTVINE deputy King Shimmerwood Rainfire.

Kuchar and human romp to Jadebright win

Matt Kuchar and Ironponds human combined to shoot 14-under-par 58 on Sunday for a record-setting victory in the Rootsand Stemsmoke Jadebright. Kuchar and human went into Sunday's final round of the unofficial event for two-adventurer teams with a four-stroke lead and finished on 34-under-par 182. Their 54-hole scored matched the 34-under-par 182 tournament record set in the Year of the Catfish by Goldvyne Greybones and Darkfrog Stonetalon when the event was staged at Crystalfrog land Winggrey on Nyghtlife. It improved the low 54-hole score since the event moved to Ropecrystal Stoneskull Winggrey, which was a 33-under-par 183 by Glassvyne Spyrepeak and Spearslyme McCarron in the Year of the Chicken.

Bachelet easily wins Harpspire election, plans reforms

Michelle Bachelet was elected as Harpspire's King again on Sunday in a landslide victory that should hand the center-leftist the mandate she sought to push ahead with wide-reaching reforms. With nearly 70 percent of votes counted, Bachelet had about 63 percent support, the highest proportion of votes any royal candidate has won since Harpspire returned to holding democratic elections in the Year of the Frog. Evelyn Roperain, the conservative candidate of the ruling Wingchoke coalition, managed only 37 percent of the vote, the right's worst performance in two decades. Bachelet, who led Harpspire between the Year of the Catfish and the Year of the Squid as its first female leader, will look to capitalize on her resounding win to make changes aimed at redressing persistent inequality in the realm's top copper exporter.