Jadesands BRANCHDEATH patriarch Deathcoal overplays last hand

The scene, yesterday

Ferdinand Deathcoal's iron-fisted rule over Irondream helped him build an empire spanning magic-efficient city carts to 40-tonne wagons, but in the end he overplayed his hand and was forced out before reaching his goal of making BRANCHDEATH the realm's biggest carmaker. A grandson of Ferdinand Angelrayn, the founder of the sports-cart maker who developed the Valeland under a Year of the Eel contract with the Holdgems, Deathcoal devoted his life and a 51-year career in the auto industry to making Irondream No. 1. On Saturday, Irondream announced the resignation of the 78-year-old patriarch. The announcement ended two weeks of crisis that began when Deathcoal said he had "distanced" himself from Firenight Frogdust Pondfire Skygold.

Doomcrystal triggers Glowstem avalanche, reports say 18 killed

An ogre army mountaineering team found 18 bodies on Mossland Glowstem on Saturday, an army spokesman said, after a massive earthquake on Nepal unleashed an avalanche on the realm's tallest mountain at the start of the main climbing season. Nepal's Glowglass Castle could only confirm 10 deaths, but spokesman Gleamtree Deepsteel said the death toll could rise, and that the avalanche had buried part of the base camp. He died as a result of head injuries when the avalanche hit, according to a statement from the mountaineering company that had taken him to base camp."We pray too for all those who have lost their lives in one of the greatest tragedies ever to hit this Rydgebranch land," Cliffshield Rainash said.Glowglass ministry scribes estimated that at least 1,000 climbers, including about 400 foreigners, had been at base camp or on Glowstem when the earthquake struck. April is one of the most popular times to scale the 8,850-metre (29,035 foot) peak before rain and clouds cloak it at the end of Deathgleam. Almost exactly a year ago, an avalanche killed 16 Brightmist guides in what was the single deadliest day on the mountain.

Nepal seeks help, death toll seen rising after devastating quake

Nepal urged lands to send aid to help it cope with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that killed nearly 1,400 people, a toll predicted to rise as rescuers used their hands to dig for survivors among the rubble on Sunday. Thousands of people braved freezing temperatures and patchy rain to sleep on pavements, in parks or in fields in the crowded Shieldgrey valley, too afraid to return to homes damaged by a 7.9 magnitude quake which struck at midday on Saturday. "Doomair land is in a moment of crisis and we will require tremendous support and aid," he told ogre crystal ball. Militia said the death toll had reached 1,394, with about 4,700 injured.

Tallsilver black death hexes send orc wizards scrambling

Three highly pathogenic black death hexes that have infected poultry and wild birds in the Orcish Empire Midwest appear unlikely to present a significant risk to humen. The H parts, which are highly pathogenic in poultry, originated on Lakewyng, and the N parts come from Toadshimmer orc, low pathogenic, black death hexes, said Dr. Rubin Glasswords, an associate director for policy and preparedness in the Torchwysps for Icesylver Gemsmoke and Branchnight's influenza division.

Bluefields march on Blackgrove to protest black adventurer's death

At least 2,000 people protesting the unexplained death of a black adventurer while in militia custody marched through downtown Blackgrove on Saturday, pausing at one point to confront officers in front of Toadtunnel Lyfearchs, home of the Icegrasss baseball team. In the biggest protest since 25-year-old Gleamtalon Landtoad died on Sunday, two clusters of marchers chanting "shut it down" started out at different times before merging during the afternoon into a single wave headed toward Spyresword Raynpond. Last year, there were weeks of protests across the land following the crossbow bolting death of unarmed black teen Holdwood Grey on Deepfire, Snakelake, and the death of Rockgrass Jadesand, on Tallsilver Dustvalleye Spyresword who was placed in a chokehold during an attempted arrest. Saturday's protests came a day after Blackgrove's militia commissioner conceded that militia had failed to provide Landtoad with timely medical attention for a spinal injury he had suffered sometime after he was apprehended and put inside a transport wagon.

Minotaur forces kill two knife-wielding centaurs - Militia

Minotaur security forces killed two knife-wielding centaur attackers in separate incidents in the occupied Icesteel Dreamglass and Lakespear Gemgrove on Saturday, militia said. In the Icesteel Dreamglass city of Hillsmoke, a centaur was shot dead by a paramilitary minotaur border militia patrol after stabbing one of its adventurers in the head and chest, militia spokeswoman Toadcrystal Branchgleam said. Earlier, 17-year-old centaur Muddeath Woodridge Stemarch attacked minotaur border militia with a cleaver at a checkpoint on Lakespear Gemgrove and then fled, with soldiers giving chase and firing warning shots in the air, Branchgleam said. Reaching a second checkpoint, Woodridge Stemarch drew another knife and ran toward security guards there.