[i][b][h2][color=red]=-=Year 833, Summer=-=
=-Jollas-=[/color][/h2][/b][/i]

A pillar of light streaks across the sky, inviting the Jollian peoples to watch the show from their homes and from the shoreline. Human and Beastfolk, Animal and Monster all pause to watch the strange light appear and disappear, wondering to themselves if it was magic or the end of the world. Zealous prophets in the cities proclaim that their visions had been fulfilled, as mages look on and whisper to one another, unsure what they were witnessing. Nobles and their families gathered on the wall with their guards and servants, and shortly there after riding out to the hermits and temples looking for answers but none could be given. The Cults of Kasta proclaim that their god had killed a mighty beast with his spear, slaying it with a single blow. Other cultists proclaimed that Kasta himself had been killed, his blood gushing out in the streak of light over the waters. Regardless of what, the show of light became the talk of both the educated and illiterate for weeks at a time.

One prophet named [color=red]Zdzisław Mika[/color], a distant relative of a influential Valk family in Loskadia had traveled abroad looking for answers, and within a month found it. Tales of strange human-like men on ships made of steel, the size of castles, floated on the waters and traveled between land to land, spreading plague and misery in their wake. Zdzisław had traveled across the western lands, traversing with diplomats and proclaiming himself an ambassador of Jollas, calling for a destruction of what the travelers were being called; 'World Eaters'. He spread rumors and tales wildly, declaring that they were dark spirits of the waters who kidnapped children, ate sentient beings, and practiced necromancery. After a time, he returned to Jollas demanding to speak to the high authority, the king himself.

Jollas had little to no interaction at first, if any, with only vague reports of Otum merchants seeing strange iron ships the size of 10 whales upon the waters, followed by smaller ships, and were avoided like any sea monster. One Otum who was invited to court even claimed to have traded with the ships, but it had turned out to be just a rumor. [color=red]Tymon II Banaszynski[/color], King of Jollas, allowed the wandering 'diplomat' into his court to explain himself. When he was told by Zdzisław of the supposed atrocities of these 'world eaters', the king didn't particularly look convinced. When pressed, Tymon II was rather annoyed that the appearence of these 'world eaters' shifted from being human in form to being spirits, being demons to being evil gods. Tymon II heard enough, and stood before his court.

"I am a man of many deeds, but I will no longer listen to speculation and peasant religion, I here proclaim this. Someone bring me a 'world ender' so that I may see them for myself, see if they are deserving of mercy or death at the hands of Jollas and her people! Bring me proof I can see and touch, for I will no longer bare rumor!" Tymon II proclaimed before his court. His courtiers murmured amongst themselves, and the older prophet Zdzisław was invited to stay in court as the only 'capable' witness. In court, the faithful man intermingled with the king's courtiers, and became popular with his stories about extreme things these travelers did.
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Meanwhile in southern parts of Jollas, pressing political matters had been becoming and issue between the Dujals of Loskadia and the Beast Isles over the ownership of New Strekkad. In the past year, The Beastfolk had been building up New Strekkad, opening a new temple of Gula to sponsor his cult, and a oppossing temple to Nulla had been also built outside the city as well. The city had become very rich, and attracted a larger number of human merchants looking to exploit the city's cheap Beastfolk labor and struggling craftsmen industries. These new merchant elite formed a local society known as the [color=red]Neus Volga[/color] which bribed the city's Valk to ignore their political machinations into allowing them to become city council members. While not very unified, most were members of the Cult of Kasta and regularly were involved in many of the city's affairs.

The Dujal of the Beast Isles eventually caught wind of this and while he had first tolerated the merchant take over of the city, his Spion soon learned that the merchants were spreading rumors that the Otum were plotting to banish the city's other Beastfolk and Humans in order to take it over. The Spion also informed the Beast Isle Dujal that the Loskadian nobles had been preparing at the border as well. [color=red]Mislav Poljak[/color] was frightened by the prospect of such a take over, and invited the Dujal of Loskadia to a private gathering hall in New Strekkad in an attempt to diplomatically deal with him. Mislav had nearly made it to New Strekkad when his entourage was attacked by Souden mercenaries, only being saved by his contingent of his own Bolam mercenaries who travelled with him. Unable to prove the mercenaries were hired by the Loskadian Dujal, he entered the city and took control of it's court from the Valk.

A week later, [color=red]Arminas Kucys[/color], the Dujal of Loskadia, arrived with an artist and the two talked in length. Mislav accused Arminas of hiring a rich group of merchants to take his city, but Arminas pressed for proof which the Otum could not give. Arminas then offered a insulting sum of gold for the city, in which Mislav refused. The two insulted, with Arminas being witty and Mislav being easily fustrated, all while a artist painted in along the court. Arminas then insulted Mislav further, declaring he in good faith came to New Strekkad to defend the good name of his family while the Otum had come to accuse, and left in rather dramatic fashion, taking out his ornate sword and sticking it to the ground of the court's hall. The artist left with his patron, and shortly there after did Mislav figure out why the dramatic Dujal had even bothered to bring a artist to the meeting.

The week, Mislav began recieving angry couriers from various Loskadian nobility, mocking him and proclaiming their support for their own Dujal. Apparently, the artist, a well known and upcoming artist in Jollas named [color=red]Pranas Milius[/color] who had showed his work in a local villa to a gathering of nobles from across Jollas, depicting the meeting between the nobleman and the Otum. Mislav was presented as a insane and deranged creature with a hunchback, surrounded by demonic figures and fae abominations, while Arminas was depicted as noble young man, sword in hand, challenging him. This publicity stunt wasn't really to challenge Mislav's authority, but to raise money it seemed, as Mislav's embarressed Spion who had not predicted this admitted that he heard rumors that Arminas had made a huge amount of money from this venture, making dramatic rumors of Mislav in order to garner attention. It was obvious that Arminas wanted new Strekkad, but for what purpose Mislav nor his courtiers knew.

In the meantime, Mislav shored up the city's defenses and began gathering levies from the countryside. His Bolam mercenaries were then commanded to being ransacking the homes and estates of the Neus Volga group, having them formally banished from the Beast Isles as foreign agents. These merchants complained to Arminas who informed them he could not do anything, due to laws set in place which gave the Beast Isles Dujal the authority to trump even the king's own laws. Mislav ordered a group of soldiers and knights to then patrol the border, but had no will to bring a iron grip to the city. Loskadia still had troop camps on his borders, and were soon met with troop camps of Bolam and Otum, and Kobtum war camps found in the deeper forests. As a consquence of this, the Neus Volga merchants lost most of their investments and put many businesses in New Strekkad out of business and in the hands of less competent merchants, who were soon devoured by the Otek Merchant Guild who simply sold the properties for a quick amount of coin.