The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has six  rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

1. An outsider from Harmonius has recently arrived in the underground city of Dran. They do not appear to be from Zal, who are helping to rebuild the city, nor are they claiming any other faction membership. Those who have spoken to the outsider, though, believes that they are an agent from one of the factions and, going by their questions, looking for someone and something specific, though what hasn’t been shared.
2. Rumour has it that agents of both the Quiet Cabal and the Karum are searching the Veritex beneath Ruk for something. It’s thought, going by their questions, they are looking for a specific person, though it isn’t known whom. The agents have been seen in several cities of the Veritex, and may have even clashed with each other as well.
3. The underground city of Dran was recently hit by quakes that buried much of the city and collapsed most of the rest. Representatives from Zal are helping with the rebuilding, which the residents appreciate, but there have been rumours that Zal somehow caused the quakes in order to get control over the city.
4. The All Song does not reach into Muk in the Veritex, and it’s a possible destination for members of the Church of the Embodiment. It’s rumoured that devotees of the All Song are trying to stir up opinion against Muk, claiming that the All Song doesn’t reach the small city due to the actions of its residents, who are secretly plotting something.
5. The Veritex is a maze of tunnels beneath the surface of Ruk, and it’s thought that they all used to connect before Ruk was damaged. Some portions are isolated from others, and it’s been suggested that some of the collapses isolating them are not the result of damage, but are deliberate in nature, suggesting someone has something they want kept hidden.
6. There are cities in the Veritex beneath Ruk, home to all sorts of people, from those with hidden agendas to criminals to those that just wish to be left alone. It’s rumoured that some of Ruk’s factions have taken over some of the cities, using them as hidden bases from which they can launch operations without others seeing; the Karum is said to be one of these.

The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has ten rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

1. Apostle Warad-chel, of the Church of the Embodiment in Harmonius, is one of the highest-ranking apostles in the hierarchy of the Church, and has been implicated in a number of incidents that nearly led to disciplinary action being taken against the faction, but First Apostle Ah-kalla always stands by his favoured Servitor. Some claim that the First Apostle’s statement that the True Code is stronger in Warad-chel than anyone else means that Warad-chel is a literal embodiment of the True Code and, as such, possibly the First Apostle’s superior.
2. Gardens can be found in Harmonius, some merely ornamental but the fruits of others rivals those products created by Zal and other factions. It’s rumoured that Zal in particular is not happy about this, as it means people buy less goods from them. It’s said that the faction has been looking into ways of damaging the gardens so that they are no longer as productive and what they produce is not as good.
3. Harmonius has pneumatic elevator tubes stretching to the surface below that can be used to travel to and from the city. The tubes could once be retracted for defensive purposes, but this hasn’t been tested in some time. It’s rumoured that the city has been quietly checking the mechanisms to see if they work, which does suggest that there’s a fear they may be needed at some point in the not-too-distant future.
4. It’s said that occasionally defensive mechanisms on Harmonius decide someone approaching the city by airborne means is a threat, and one that needs dealing with quickly and efficiently. Those it decides are a threat never make it anywhere else. It’s also said that in truth it’s not the city deciding who and what to eliminate, but someone in control of said mechanisms.
5. Most of Harmonius floats above the surface of Ruk using massive and ancient technological engines. It’s rumoured that there have been problems with those engines recently, and that no-one seems to know how to fix the problem, due to their age. Should this be true, and should a solution not be found, Harmonius may have to settle back down to Ruk, else risk falling from the sky.
6. The Ankaseri faction was destroyed after attempting to sway Maru-shtal, the Arbiter of Harmonius, but there are rumours that it was never completely destroyed, despite appearances. Some say that a residue of the faction remained and it has been slowly building its strength back up and plotting its return, and its revenge on Maru-shtal and everyone else.
7. The Market Tri-Tower of Harmonius is constantly bedecked with lights that can be seen from some distance away. It’s rumoured, though, that there have been problems with the lights recently, with some of them cutting out for no discernible reason. Nothing serious has happened as yet, but some are said to be concerned by this.
8. The Office of the Arbiter is used by the Factol Council of Harmonius to decide close decisions, but there are rumours that the Office is not always as independent of the factions as it should be. Some claim that at least one faction has the ability to sway the Arbiter, Maru-shtal, to make decisions that are in their favour, though this ability is used rarely to prevent it from becoming obvious.
9. There are pneumatic elevator tubes leading up into Harmonius from the ground below, one of the ways of getting to the city. Some say that these elevator tubes can be risky to use, because some of them have hidden diversions in them, where those who are unlikely to be missed are diverted away so that they can be experimented upon in hidden labs, where new flesh is always needed.
10. Those who become apostles of the Church of the Embodiment in Harmonius can take communion, and those who eat a wafer of the bread gain a benefit, said to be because their ties to the True Code are strengthened. Some whisper that this communion has another effect, and that those who take it are subtly influenced by First Apostle Ah-kalla in their actions and choices afterwards.

The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has six rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

1. Glial storms are imbalances of the bioelectrical energy of Ruk, moving cascades of scintillating energy that can drive those caught in them mad. Glial storms have become rarer over the years, but some are claiming that, for some unknown reason, they are becoming more common again, though they are still rare.
2. Huge mobile harvesters are used to gather the resources of Ruk’s grey forests, with many of them owned by Zal. Others are owned by small co-ops, captains and freebooters who steal from the harvests of others. It’s rumoured that those grey harvesters that are not owned by Zal have a tendency to suffer from misfortune more often, whether this is freebooter raids or equipment problems. Some go out of business and are bought up by Zal, leading to suspicion that Zal is trying to eliminate the competition.
3. Most parts of the Hub, the oldest part of Ruk, are policed, monitored and cleaned, but there are exceptions, where anything but is true. It’s rumoured that some parts fall out of favour, or fall afoul of one of Ruk’s factions, and as a result end up losing all of these services, resulting in their rapid decline.
4. The grey forests of Ruk can be dangerous to travel through as the fungi that grow in them produce hallucinogenic and poisonous spores. Some people who have survived trips through the grey forests have claimed to have seen fungi actively moving around and hunting other travellers, though given the hallucinogenic nature of the spores, such claims are readily dismissed.
5. The Shattered Wastes of Ruk are debris fields lacking much in the way of life or water. Damaged organimer can grow back imperfectly, or die, and this is what resulted in the wastes. It’s said that there are parts of the wastes where the organimer is not merely growing back strangle; it’s growing back wrong. Organimer is quasi-living metal but in some areas it’s said that “quasi” no longer applies.
6. The Spar Jungles of Ruk are where the disk of Ruk broke when it ran aground on the shoals of Earth, and are scattered throughout the Hub. The Spar Jungles are dangerous places, home to gangs of outlaws and dangerous beasts. It’s said that some of them have other dangers as well, places where the Strange is breaking through into Ruk, or where the fabric of Ruk itself is wearing thin.

The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has ten  rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

1. A small group of Ruk’s inhabitants are said to be promoting only natural birth and claiming that family connections are far more important than the inhabitants believe. Their beliefs, in fact, seem to have been influenced by Earth humans’ approach to children and family, and those factions who are less keen on Earth are proclaiming that the group has been tainted and needs eradicating.
2. Devotees of the All Song of Ruk say that the All Song arose as a way to repair the damage done to the True Code by whatever accident Ruk suffered in the Strange. There are claims, though, that as a patch, the All Song is flawed, and it is now at the stage where it is causing more damage to Ruk than it is solving.
3. It’s believed that some sort of accident in the Strange damaged Ruk severely, compromising both its structure and the True Code on which everything depends. There are claims that this accident wasn’t an accident, and was instead the result of deliberate action by malign forces, but no-one seems to know just who or what said forces might be.
4. Most believe that the inhabitants of Ruk did not originally look like humans from Earth, as they do now, but reshaped themselves so that they could better interact with the people of Earth. Not everyone of Ruk believes this, but there are rumours of a small faction who not only believe it but believe that the people of Ruk should seek to regain their original form, blaming Earth humans for them having changed from their rightful shape.
5. Perhaps half of Ruk’s population doesn’t experience natural childbirth, instead being grown in vats. There have been rumours of problems with some of these vats recently, with those being born from them coming out… wrong. No-one seems to be clear at how they are wrong, but something just doesn’t feel right about them.
6. Ruk was built as a lifeboat fleeing the consumption by a planetovore of its originating civilisation, eventually getting wrecked on the Shoals of Earth, though little more is known about the event or the origin. There are rumours that Ruk wasn’t the only lifeboat constructed by the civilisation, and that there may be at least one more out there somewhere.
7. The Church of the Embodiment is the largest of Ruk’s factions and believes that adhering and preserving the True Code will result in the arrival of a messiah. It’s rumoured that some members of the faction believe that the All Song is preventing their messiah from arriving, and are planning to take action against followers of the All Song.
8. The walls of Ruk are massive spars of organimer that pierce and protect the landscape, though some also lie shattered. It’s rumoured that the organimer spars are starting to break, though, and break at an increasing speed. None claim to have seen this happen, but it’s said that the factions are trying to discover if this is true and, if it is, discover a way of stopping it.
9. Those of Ruk seek to find fragments of their lost genetic code that are represented in the True Code. There are rumours that, somewhere, perhaps hidden on Ruk, in the Strange nearby or even upon Earth, is a repository of the True Code that contains much of the missing knowledge, and there are many factions that would love to get their hands on such a repository.
10. Though those of Earth only recently became aware of Ruk, those of Ruk have known of Earth since before recorded history. It’s believed that a number of historical figures may have come from Ruk, and some suggest that Ruk has been gradually shaping Earth’s history of its own ends.

The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has eight rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

1. A group of adventurer-prospectors known as the Lost Coda has been scouting the Halls of Adaman and it’s said that they are in need of others to help them, thanks to the almost daily attacks by the dangerous creatures that live in the Halls. The pay is said to be good, but it’s rumoured that deaths amongst those they hire are high.
2. Ardeyn’s Night Vault isn’t that hard to reach, as there are many caves, mines and old tombs on the surface that connect to passages that lead to the Night Vault. It’s rumoured that those who venture into the wrong passages, though, become trapped in the Night Vault, unable to leave again, due to venturing somewhere whilst living that only a soul should have gone.
3. The chambers and rooms of the Halls of Adaman are said to be full of still-sealed areas containing relics from the ancient qephilim builders, from tombs to artefacts to strange beings. There are said to be warnings inscribed within the Halls, telling any who enter not to open any sealed chambers as they may not be able to cope with whatever is within them.
4. The Court of Sleep in the Night Vault still performs its ancient tasks of collecting and assessing the wandering spirits of the dead, to determine their final fate. There are rumours, though, that the Court is starting to fall apart. The qephilim of the Court are mortal, and it’s said that their numbers are no longer being replaced, meaning that as time passes there are less and less qephilim to shepherd the spirits of the dead.
5. The Halls of Adaman in the Night Vault were quarried by the Qephilim of Lore and the Qephilim of Commerce but have since become infested by evil, though many treasures remain within. It’s rumoured that there are qephilim, or perhaps the pale shadows of such, stalking the halls, seeking something they lost long ago.
6. The Roads of Sorrow are haunted by umber wolves that seek out the spirits of the dead in order to devour them, unless the umber judges of the Court of Sleep manage to intervene first. It’s rumoured that the umber wolves have been heading closer and closer to the surface of Ardeyn, in order to get to the souls before the umber judges, and that some might even be venturing out onto the surface itself.
7. The Screaming Rift in the Halls of Adaman is a large shaft whose screaming comes from the sound air makes as it is sucked into the shaft. Things that are sucked into the rift tend not to come back out again. It’s rumoured that the size of the Screaming Rift is growing, which means that the danger it presents could also be growing.
8. The umber judges of the Court of Sleep walk the Roads of Sorrow, looking for the souls of the dead before they can be snared by Lotan the Sinner. The souls they fail to catch become ashen demons, servants of the Sinner. It’s rumoured that other servants of Lotan are attempting to interfere with the work of the Court of Sleep, so that an army of ashen demons in the service of Lotan can be raised.
9. There are a number of powers in the Roads of the Dead and the Night Vault, with the Court of Sleep being the most well-known. Some of these are known of, though not as well as the Court, but it’s rumoured that there are other, minor, powers that lurk on the edges of the Roads, with goals that are a mystery to most.
10. Those who die on Ardeyn can have their spirits rescued from the Night Vault and restored to a living body and thereby restored to life. This is a difficult and dangerous thing to do, and there are rumours that some of those who are brought back to life this way are, for want of a better word, wrong. Some think their spirits have been changed by the experiences, but others say that, sometimes, something that is not the spirit sought takes its place in order for it to be brought to life.

The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has eight rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

1. Several groups from out of the area have recently set up in Kryzoreth, and have the same sorts of charms as the cliffwalkers that suppress dreams. The groups seem to be martially inclined, and appear to be looking for something specific. It’s rumoured that a number of their members have been turning up dead in the mornings.
2. The caravansaries that the Iron Road maintains around Ardeyn are rumoured to be places where unusual experiences and odd items can be rented or found. Some claim that these experiences and items would cause trouble if they were discovered, as the Iron Road is providing things that are illegal in most places.
3. The cliffwalkers of the Long Way Down guild regularly climb down the edges of Ardeyn to see what they can recover there, especially as cyphers are far more common than they are in the Borderlands. The work is dangerous, with not only the risk of falling to their deaths, but also the extreme weather of the Borderlands and dangerous creatures. Recently, though, it’s rumoured that the guild headquarters is investigating what appears to be a larger than normal percentage of cliffwalkers being killed or simply failing to return.
4. The Hulks of Kryzoreth are partly stone and partly alive, being sentient entities that form a series of rounded hills. It’s not known what the hulks are, only that they haven’t stirred. Recently, though, there have been some reports in the area of the ground shaking; perhaps an ordinary earth tremor, or perhaps what happens when a hill-sized creature starts to move.
5. The Iron Road is a caravan and courier guild that connects Kryzoreth to the rest of Ardeyn, but it’s rumoured that recently a number of their caravans have disappeared in the vicinity of the Hulks of Kryzoreth. It’s said that not that many have gone missing, but the Iron Road still wants the disappearances investigating.
6. The Long Way Down Guild, whose members are known as cliffwalkers, keep their headquarters in Kryzoreth, though they wear dreamstone charms to keep the dreams of the area away, as they find them disturbing, not being natives. There are rumours that the natives of Kryzoreth strongly dislike the use of these charms and are planning to kill the soul sorcerer who creates them, as well as destroy as many of them as they can.
7. There are hollowed out cavities in the Hulks of Kryzoreth in which those who claim noble blood live. It’s not known how deep the cavities run, with rumour claiming that they connect to the land of dreams. Some outsiders claim that what the cavities connect to is far worse than anything as tame as a dream realm, and that they may even lead to Lotan’s nightmares.
8. Those who sleep near the Hulks of Kryzoreth have strange dreams; the residents of the area gain special contentment from the dreams with the most gifted dreamers claiming noble blood. Transients, though, find the dreams to be nightmares beyond description and take measures to keep sleep away. The natives seem to share contentment, tranquillity and peaceful ways, but there are rumours that this is just what shows on the surface, and that the dreams have a much deeper and darker effect on them, one that outsiders never see.

The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has ten rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

1. Bands of the Betrayer’s homunculi have been reported to have been spotted in the Borderlands close to Megeddon, though it’s said the creatures have not been attacking anyone, just watching them carefully. Those who have come upon the homunculi unawares claim that the beings appear to be searching for something in the Borderlands.
2. Megeddon is inhabited almost entirely by homunculi, copies of the Betrayer in three colours, green, red and clear. There are rumours, though that there are other colours of homunculi, ones that are even rarer than the clears. It’s said these are homunculi created with unusual abilities that the Betrayer creates for specific reasons, though it’s not known what either abilities or reasons might be.
3. Much of Megeddon is empty, as the fortress is capable of holding many more people than it currently does. It’s rumoured that the number of homunculi in the fortress has been increasing over the years, mostly slowly but more recently the numbers have been rising much more rapidly. It could be that the Betrayer has discovered a way of creating homunculi faster, or that he has an upcoming need for larger numbers of them.
4. Part of the fortress of Megeddon is known to be out of bounds for everything but the Betrayer’s homunculi. There are many rumours about just what might be found within that area, with treasures of different types being the most common theory, but there are rumours of strange beings held prisoner, vast machines of unknown origin and purpose and visitors from dimensions that have little in common with Ardeyn.
5. The Betrayer continues to oppose Lotan, as he did when he was War, and it’s rumoured that those that follow him, homunculi or otherwise, have started to take a more active role against Lotan. Though most would appreciate Lotan’s forces being countered by the Betrayer’s, few would consider the Betrayer to be much of an improvement over Lotan.
6. The Fortress of Megeddon is topped with metal towers that look out over the Borderlands. Though metal may make an improved defence, it’s said that’s not the real reason for its use in constructing the towers. Some say energy can be seen sometimes arcing between the different towers, with bolts occasionally darting out into the Strange.
7. The symbol of Megeddon is a black circlet of spikes, called by most the Traitor’s Crown. There are rumours that this symbol keeps appearing in the Borderlands near Megeddon itself, causing some to wonder if the Betrayer is intending to expand Megeddon, the land or the fortress itself, to take control of more of Ardeyn.
8. The White Zone is the part of Megeddon set aside by the Betrayer for those who visit him, with embassies from various nations and powers, even though they don’t outwardly show their allegiance, as well as others who trade in goods that Megeddon needs or wants. It’s rumoured that some parts of the White Zone are out of bounds for regular visitors, suggesting that the Betrayer has people, or things, residing there that even he doesn’t want others to know about.
9. There are few entrances on the side of Megeddon that faces into Ardeyn. but it’s rumoured that there are more facing out into the Strange. The fortress’s appearance is suggestive of it being a much larger fortress that was lost in the Strange, and some say that the gates on the Strange-facing side still connect, through unknown means, to the rest of the fortress.
10. There is a belief that the fortress of Megeddon may once have been an ancient qephilim city that was taken over by the Betrayer for his own purposes. It’s rumoured that there still are some relics of the qephilim deep within the fortress, and perhaps these relics might be connected to the Betrayer’s homunculi in some way.

The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has four rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

1. Objects, and people, that fall from the cliffs of Ardeyn’s Borderlands tend to fall several miles to shatter on a deeper portion of the cliff that has a less severe slops, rather than drift off into the Strange. It’s said, though, that certain things don’t fall to break on the cliffs below, but do instead float into the Strange, clearly overriding the effects of Ardeyn’s gravity, perhaps with some sort of attraction from the Strange itself.
2. The Borderlands of Ardeyn encircle the Daylands and are where the laws of Ardeyn fail as the Strange takes hold. Beyond the Borderlands float lands called skerries, and it’s said that the skerries might once have been attached to Ardeyn proper. It’s rumoured that the Strange gradually affects the borders of Ardeyn, causing skerries to float free from the land, and that eventually the entire place will float off into the Strange in separate pieces.
3. The skerries that float around the Borderlands of Ardeyn are protected by a remnant of Ardeyn’s Seven Rules that stops them from being group up by the Strange, but it’s said that whatever caused the skerries to float free is an ongoing process, and the skerries themselves are undergoing slow disintegration over time.
4. The weather in Ardeyn’s Borderlands is not only atrocious, it is also highly variable, changing from one extreme to the next between one day and the next. It’s rumoured that the weather conditions now are even worse than they used to be, with the weather changing much more rapidly than it once did. There are fears that, if this is true, it may continue in this way, perhaps ending up with multiple changes of weather every hour.

The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has ten rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

1. Buried beneath the glass desert are pockets and hollows where artefacts dating back to the Age of Myth can be found. Legend has it that also under the desert are much larger pockets, where not just artefacts from that Age can be found, but creatures from the final battle between the armies of Lotan and those of the Maker. Something that would be extremely dangerous to uncover.
2. Glass pirates ride ships that skate across the Glass Desert of Kuambis on magical skates, posing another hazard to any that travel through the region. Recently, there have been rumours of internecine fighting amongst the pirates, and it’s said this is because one pirate has decided to forge them into a single force and is destroying any pirates who refuse to join up. Should the pirates unite, this will make the region even more dangerous.
3. Illicit items, dark sorceries and slaves can all be bought at the Citadel of the Harrowing in Kuambis, things that would be illegal in other regions. It’s rumoured that these are only the comparatively tame surface of the goods and services that are truly available at the Citadel, and that far darker things can be bought by people in the know.
4. Kuambis is home to many of the dragons of Ardeyn, as there are rumours that relics of their draconic ancestors can be found in the waste, powerful enough to let the dragons take control of all of Ardeyn. Dragons are no good at cooperating with each other, though, but there are rumours that several have formed an alliance in pursuit of their goals. Though it is likely such an alliance would eventually fall apart, it could be that this would be after they have managed to find what they are looking for and conquered everywhere on Ardeyn.
5. The Ahlan Mountains run through Kuambis, and other regions of Ardeyn, and three tall peaks known as the Three Sisters have stars descend to them on some nights of the year, resting there for several hours before rising again. It’s said that the frequency with which this happens, and the numbers of stars that descend, has been gradually increasing over the years.
6. The Citadel of the Harrowing is the only place in Kuambis that the dragons cannot go, thanks to the Red Pact they swore many years ago. However, it’s said that just because the dragons can’t go there, it doesn’t mean their agents or those acting on their behalf cannot, and that the most powerful dragons always have representatives looking out for their interests in the Citadel.
7. The Glass Desert in Kuambis which is said to be where the final battle between the armies of Lotan and the Maker was fought, the glass itself coming from the glass castle of Maker’s Hall. There are rumours that the glass ended up infused with part of Lotan’s will, and is slowly moving to the old site of Maker’s Hall, where it will form into a new castle, but one of Lotan, not the Maker.
8. The Harrowing is the yearly competition held at the Citadel of the Harrowing in Kuambis, where four mortal contestants fight a dragon in the arena, with the prize being something worthy from the dragon’s hoard. The dragon usually wins, and can choose to take the survivors as slaves or eat them, but dragons who lose submit rather than be killed. It’s said that those who win the contest rarely survive the year, as the defeated dragon dedicates its time to destroying them.

The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has ten rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

1. Chaos skiffs ride the currents of the Strange and most from Ardeyn are based out of Port Jayeed. The Strange and its inhabitants are dangerous, and not every chaos skiff returns from its voyage. It’s rumoured, though, that the number of skiffs that are being lost in the Strange has been on the rise over time.
2. Dangerous creatures from Ardeyn and the Strange can be found fighting against slaves, volunteers and champions in Marhaban’s Champion Dome, but recently there have been creatures appearing in the contests that no-one recognises. They’ve never been seen in the matches before, and they look like nothing ever encountered on Ardeyn. Some claim they come from completely different worlds.
3. King Khousaf if Mandariel died a decade ago, and no new king was chosen from amongst the Twelve Princes by the Oracle of Ardeyn. It’s rumoured that this was because one, or more, of the princes was involved in the former king’s death, which was murder, not natural causes, and the Oracle didn’t want to risk a murderer being put on the throne.
4. Mandariel and the Queendom of Hazurrium have a frequently tense relationship; the Queendom accuses Mandariel of putting all of Ardeyn at risk by sending ships into the Strange whilst Mandariel claims the Queendom just wants to maintain is position of pre-eminence. It’s rumoured that relations have devolved further recently, thanks to a number of skirmishes between the two countries on their border, and that they might get worse still.
5. Port Jayeed is those relations where chaos skiffs based on Ardeyn sail the Strange travel to and from, and it’s rumoured that there are plans to increase the number of piers where the skiffs can dock, perhaps to allow more skiffs to make port, perhaps to allow larger vessels to dock, though it’s not known what such vessels might be.
6. The Champion Dome is the most famous part of Marhaban, where slaves, volunteers and champions fight each other and dangerous creatures from Ardeyn and the Strange. Betting on the results of contests is extremely common, with large purses regularly changing hands, but it’s rumoured that some of the fights are fixed to ensure that the right people win. Those right people may include Prince Salman and Prince Bandar, two of Mandariel’s Five Princes.
7. The Five Princes are the rulers of Mandariel, and the survivors of the original Twelve Princes. They share power, though each would no doubt prefer to be the sole ruler, and it’s rumoured that some of the princes have been reaching out to other powers with the hope of getting backing for them to take the throne. Some may be reaching out to powers best left alone.
8. There are many whispers about Captain Tethis, mayor of Port Jayeed, with some claiming that he’s actually a kray thrall. Those rumours in particular are dismissed, but it’s said there are other rumours that are, if anything, even more troubling. And that those who mention them disappear, never to be seen again. Which might mean they are true.