With the treasury of Canterbury Cathedral empty and no gold forthcoming, the Queen is said to be furious. The Crusade is nearing Italy and there are rumours that without Italian gold the French and English mercanaries may see their pay fall. No doubt the recent tax increases in Nottingham and other areas are linked to the needs of the Crusade - Sherriff Marion is said to have sent silver taken with force from Nottinghamshire peasants to aid the Queen.
It is said that whoever is appointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury will be expected to remove the gold from the shrine of St Thomas a Becket to send to the Queen. Becket has recently been sainted: the extent of his wrath is unknown.
With the bishopric of Lincoln empty following the removal of the previous Bishop to answer questions in Rome, nobody has yet offered a reward for all the gold, silver and jewels which have been stolen from Lincoln Cathedral. The entirety of the treasury is said to have been looted as well as all the religious artefacts and reliquaries on the altar. The night guard is missing; rumours that blood was found on the floors are being denied by the church.
Candidates for the Bishopric are invited to apply with a plan on how to rectify matters.
Reports have come from the Cornish coast of a castle standing on a small island suddenly appearing, and now seems to be remaining there instead of disappearing again. Local expeditions to the castle have been quickly repelled, claiming that they dare not approach the beast they heard within. Meanwhile, Isobel of Norwich from the Collegium Profanum is making a lot of noise about the Profana's success in rediscovering Tintagel Castle: it is very likely that these are the same place, but it remains to be seen what will be done about the beast within.
Following the discovery by the Queen's guards that the treasury of Canterbury is now entirely empty, Elga Tuck has been cast down from her role of Archbishop by order of Queen Eleanor. There are rumours that when Eleanor reaches Rome she intends to apply to the Pope to have Tuck excommunicated. In the meantime, Tuck has been declared outlaw and wolfshead, and the usual reward has been placed on her head.
Rumours that this step had to be taken because Tuck knocked out the guards using barrels of ale as weapons and fled the Cathedral into the wilds of Kent are being clamped down on by priests, as are rumours that Tuck called on the favour of St Thomas a Becket to aid her escape.
Travellers are being urged to be careful following a mass gaolbreak from the keep in Nottingham Castle. Apparently a large number of notorious outlaws who were being held prior to their hanging escaped during a market day. Sources close to the Sheriff urge caution when travelling the roads.
Anyone wishing to claim the substantial reward for the head of any member of Locksley's band should send a message to Sherriff Marion to discuss the possibilities of a manhunt over the coming months.
The great army of Galloway has entered the fray and pushed the Scots northwards out of England – but they did not stop there. With the Scottish army making a tactical withdrawal, the Galwegians, lead by Margaret of Galloway, harried them further and further north.
Meanwhile, the rebellion in the Highlands seemed to suddenly gain strength. The forces of the rebellion swept down from Inverness, gaining followers and momentum as they went. A man named Domnall meic Fergus has stepped forward and proclaimed himself King of the Picts, and rightful ruler of the Highlands of Scotland.
The pressure of these two forces combined pushed the Scottish army first north and then east, to Edinburgh. There, the King had constructed a great war fleet to sail to France, and from there to the Holy Land. Now it served as a means of retreat for the beleaguered army. King William and his troops sailed out to what they believed was comparative safety. However, a sudden storm from the south beset the fleet, which was scattered and sunk beneath the waves.
Now the two armies – Galloway and Highlands - stand facing each other on opposite sides of the river Forth. Queen Ermengarde de Beaumont has fortified her position in Edinburgh, with what remains of the old Scottish army guarding its gates. No news has been heard of King William I since the departure of his ill-fated fleet from the docks at Leith.
A great pagan army has routed Madog ap Angharad, King of Powys, during a storm, shrieking their pagan oaths and war cries. The King's castle lies in ruins. The known witches Aelga and Braith were everywhere in the battle, shrieking like ghouls, their hair streaked with running blood.
They did not even honour their noble dead—the thrice-accused Aelga was seen eating the arm of a fallen knight as if it were a carrot. Who will right this deep, awful wrong?
The whereabouts of King Madog are unknown.
Many of good faith have gone missing over Midsummer. Hunters from Caledonia; various children; good Christian travellers in Caernarfon. Those doubly-accursed scum Braith and Aelga even forced their way into a church, slaughtered everyone indiscriminately, including the aged Sir Robert Everton, recently back from a journey to Compostela. They stole two Christian priests, whose fates are unknown but unhappily guessed at.
Once again bits of the County of Blois have gone up in flames, this time a wood near the King's favourite vineyards. The Knights of St George wish everyone to know the cause of the flames has been deal with, and helped extinguish the wood, which will recover.
Our intrepid reporter ventured into the wood to see what there was, and reported finding only the body of a dead cow. The Knights, departing whilst arguing at the tops of their voices, were not approachable for comment. Still, there has been no reoccurrence of fire.
During the recent absences of Stanley the Abiding, something dreadful has taken up residence in his place, screaming all night long. Staff are safe within the manor but dare not venture out; nor will anyone approach the manor from without. They send their pleas to the church to come exorcise whatever has taken to haunting them.
In the absence of her mother the Duchess of Aquitaine, Countess Marie de Champagne is hosting Great Court in Poitiers at Christmas-tide. From the day of the birth of Our Lord till Twelfth Night, she bids everyone of any nationality attend the great Court of Love, at which troubadours will gather, a great hunt will be had to provide the boar for the Feast. In addition, a tourney will be held to determine the Champion of Love. Of course, all entries must be fighting for the glory and favour of another.
A mighty, fire-breathing dragon has been sighted near Forthwick Grove, in Hampshire. Everyone is panicking, and looking to the Knights of St George for aid.
The brave Knights of St George, led by Sir Gerad of York, have saved the town and cathedral from an infestation of stone imps. Following a dramatic fight on the roof of the cathedral, the Knights managed to hunt down and destroy the imps' lair in the nearby hills.
Rumours have it that their work was hindered by locals opposed to their meddling. However, work on the cathedral is apparently almost back on track.
Villagers in Haddenham were late last night awoken in the small hours by a vile smell, strange voices and strange lights from deep in the fenland. The following morning, after the sheriff's men had been summoned from Ely, a party ventured out to Foulmere Fen, whence the lights seemed to come. Arriving there the party found two bodies who had been ritually slain, their hearts cut out and placed into their mouths and their eyelids removed. Locals are calling for assistance.
The Mercantile Guild, with the immense help of Osmund and Umfrey Brekeswerd, has managed to negotiate peace with the merfolk and issues the following plea to all the sailors around the known world: DO NOT SLAY MERFOLK. The Guild will offer wax ear stoppers for anyone who is concerned with the merfolk's songs, but urges people not to harm potential allies. Just think how much treasure lies on the sea floor, in sunken ships or otherwise…