BNN: Mystery Games Surround Yew
Autumn Sarn Jul 17 2000 4:17PM
The bonfire flickered brightly in the center of town. The signs of a fireworks wand nearly devoid of energy lay under a tree. Jugs of cider stacked haphazardly on a table and the large trashbags of food scraps waiting to be hauled away showed this site had held a large scale party hours earlier in the day. We headed into the Sturdy Bow nearby to get the scoop.
"Amazing! Hadn't seen a sight like this since that Litha Festival last year over there in Felucca," a shopkeeper remarked. "But it was even bigger than that! About time we had another good cause to celebrate. Brings in the business."
"You're all ready for the Games then?" I asked.
"We sure are! If anyone needs supplies for the contest on Tuesday, just come on by a bit before and we'll fit you up with a bow made from the finest Yew trees."
In addition to the archery contest on Tuesday, a horse race will be held to officially open the brand new "Winner's Circle Race Track". A new and permanent addition to the city, this racetrack boasts an overlooking bridge, raised platforms on both sides of the track to officiate the races, a semi-circle of benches in the center for viewing, and a raised platform for awards ceremonies. The new racetrack is located behind Empath Abbey upon the facet of Trammel.
Scores of people travelled from far and wide all lining up in front of the Winery to pre-register their city for the week's events. Although the line was long and the sun was hot, the crowd was in high spirits - so much so even one saucy lass could hardly contain her glee over the festivities and planted a kiss right on Calum Carter in gratitude for all his hard work as he worked his way down the line! Unfortunately we were unable to reach Carter for a comment about this mysterious woman.
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On a more ominous note we received word of one fatality already associated with these Games. While many expect accidents and injuries to occur during contests, they usually don't happen before the events begin. Several people commented about seeing the young runner hopeful walk away from the crowd after saying a few words to Calum and being followed by another woman identified only as Zare. Some words were exchanged between the two and the runner collapsed in the afternoon sun. Zare then strolled over to Calum and announced he could scratch Thalia (as the runner has been identified as) off the list in addition to her own. Zare informed him Thalia would not be participating in the races, having taken a bit of a fall and "wouldn't be getting back up", and she had other business to attend to. Before anyone could question her further over the bizarre turn of events, Zare left the crowd, not being seen since.
Orcs and bandits also plagued the runners during the torch run. Runners had just made their way past the crossroads near the desert when they were ambushed by overwhelming numbers of orcs, some of them a deep blood red. The orcs were clearly organized, but the runners prevailed. Bandits also descended upon the runners. Planned attack or unfortunate coincidence?
Looks like the sports aren't the only games being played out there in Yew. What do these red orcs want? Who are these mysterious women lingering around Yew? Zare and Thalia appeared to be discussing the whereabouts of an object before Thalia's mysterious collapse. Was Thalia's collapse a tragic accident, or foul play?
We'll be out here all week in Yew bringing the latest and greatest coverage of the Britannian Games and unravelling these mysteries the best we can. Go out and have a great time and then come back to BNN to read all about it!