The Yorkman/Issue 004
Greetings, and welcome to the first ever edition of The Yorkman to be written entirely whilst sober! As always, feel free to contact us via e-mail, especially if you have some news to share with the world (seriously, there must be something going on out there...). Also, feel free to discuss the articles on the talk page.
We'd like to thank everyone who contributed to this issue and answered our questions, especially Michael Edwards, Zydd Soral, Agent47, Patch, James Barnes, and several others who requested anonymity.
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Thanks - The Yorkman Team
This issue originally published on 01/09/06.
Contents
The Third Invasion
On september the 20th Zydd Soral, a respected officer of the Colonial Police, was vicously attacked whilst on patrol in downtown York. The attacker, a man by the name of Agent47, was a mercenary, hired by an unknown client.
Retribution was swift, and Agent47 was personally executed by Kjendlie, the brave and uncompromising new leader of the ColPol. Over the following days, however, more and more mercenaries began to arrive in York. Reports started flooding in of murders and attacks. The Guild appeared to be striking randomly, cutting down innocent victims, with no pattern emerging. As the Colonial Police considered outlawing the organisation as a whole, the Order of Patriots issued a call for unity against the incursion.
"Like Fighting a Drunken Bum"
When questioned about the attacks, Guild Leader Tom Failur issued a statement claiming that "Our job is to kill people for money. Any kill we perform is therefore a hit of some kind." However, speculation is rife that for this job, the Guild has no client but itself - that the whole claim of working for a third party is merely a smokescreen, to avoid responsibility or admitting their real aims.
Zydd himself has raised the point that attacks from the Guild are generally infrequent and random - "like fighting a drunken bum". This string of hits means that either someone with a lot of money hates York, or the Guild have some ulterior motive. The Order claims that the raid is being paid for by HVLD, Tom Failur and the Malice, the joint leaders of the Guild. They certainly have a motive; the entire clan is still smarting at being driven from York by the Order of Patriots earlier this year.
Guild Calls For Ceasefire
Fighting has been heavy on all sides, and our brave boys in blue have inflicted grevious casualties upon the mercs. The Guild has even been driven to the point of suggesting a ceasefire with the Colonial Police, but so far the indominitable Kjendlie has refused to back down to intimidation, promising that all murders in York will be punished, and the the ColPol will "have the last shot".
Civic Leaders Call For Unity
The fine folk of York have rallied together admirably in the face of this threat. Following a 'call to arms' from the Order, the Pirate Hunters have declared that all pirates in the invasion will be slaughtered by their heroic troops. The Order inform us that they are working closely with the ColPol, and that they have requested aid from several other influential groups.
One such group is the Royal Expedition. In a statement sent to us today, the Expedition's Minister for Military Affairs informed us that the RE field hospital has been declared "sovreign territory of the crown", and will provide a safehaven for civilians caught in the fighting.
"Anyone killing innocents in the hospital, or any member of a faction involved in the fighting caught trying to hide there, will be killed" he states. "The Royal Expedition are numerous and well armed, and we are sworn to protect the people of this island from scum such as these."
The Colonial Police, meanwhile, have called for new allies the Derby Hospitallers to send military aid So far it is unclear whether the Durham Pistoleers have been contacted, but their assistance would certainly be invaluble to the defenders of law and order in this town.
The Order has also stressed that its 'bounty program' is still operational, with 10gc per scalp available to anyone who contributes to the defense.
These are, to paraphrase the Order, dark days indeed. York has endured much; can we now endure this?
A Las Barricadas!
Colonial Policeman Killed in Dalpok
As the embattled town of Dalpok still reels from the joint raid of the Jolly Roger Gang and the Scurvy Crew of The Hell-born Strumpet, anti-outsider sentiments are running understandably high.
These sentiments reached a tragic peak last week when reformed convict turned Colonial Police Officer Sora Lamal was killed by an unprovoked attack in the medical hut. Sora had spent several days there, protected by friendly natives, a polite message on the hut wall, and widespread use of the Identify Friend or Foe Initiative.
Locals were shocked at the brutality and senselessness of the attack, and many were quick to condemn it. "Sora was only here to help us!" lamented one. "And now this will bring the ColPol down on our heads as well!" Several angry locals declared the killed a criminal and a renegade, to be killed on sight in a manner reminiscent of how the ColPol istelf deals with murderers back in York.
What effect this will have on interfaction relations has yet to be seen, but so far the Colonial Police have made no rash moves to avenge their dead. We can only hope that more innocents do not pay for this crime; right now, the people of Dalpok need all the help they can get.
The Yorkman wishes to apologise for the lack of sources cited in this article. Unfortunately, despite repeated expenditure, we were only able to indetify one of the natives present at the time.
Bandits on Mountain Highway
Once again, rumours of bandit attacks have reached our ever-alert ears. Last week several travellers on the York Mountain Highway were apprehended by a group of pirates connected to the Jolly Roger Gang. The JRG is famously anti-York, and news of their operations in the area have raised fears that a full-scale assualt may be imminent, compounding the present crisis in York.
One of the bandits, identifying himself as 'First Among Daves', has offered a 1gc bounty to any Gang member who kills a member of the beleaguered Colonial Police. Jolly Roger Gang leader Michael Edwards insists that this odes not represent a change in the clan's policy towards the ColPol (and that the ColPol are still the only York-based group that the Gang will negotiate with), but says that he "can't stop First Among Daves doing what he likes with his own money".
Although the bandits are a threat to anyone using the North Road, they are not believed to have ventured into town. With most of York's militiamen tied up with the fighting in the town center, it seems the only real threat to the bandits comes from the Shartak Rebel Forces, an organisation of unknown size and capabilities who operate a shoot-on-sight policy on pirates in the jungles surrounding York.
Fighting in the jungle may hinder the JRG, but if they are about to launch a determined raid then it is almost inevitable that another group will join the bloodbath that York is rapidly becoming.
The Knights Hospitaller
This issue, we've interviewed James Barnes, the leader of the newly-founded Derby Hospitallers.
Firstly, introduce yourself to our readers; who are you, what have you been up to since you came to our island, and what lead you to found the Hospitallers?
- My name is James Barnes. I arrived almost a month ago. Upon arrival, I went swimming in the deep waters off Shartak's coasts. Regrettably, I was bitten by sharks quite frequently. It is for the best, however, as tending my wounds taught me a good deal about
dealing with injuries.
- As for what lead me to found the Hospitallers...well, in my nights resting on the beach, I was slain twice by hostile natives. I became aware that the other settlements had forces of valiant men and women dedicated to defending them. Derby, for whatever reason, had no such force, leaving it vulnerable to the depredations of vile men. I decided that this could not go on. I made clear my intention to form a group to defend Derby, and I found many supporters among the stalwart inhabitants of Derby.
What are the aims and goals of the clan? You seem to be more than a simple police force - what is your vision for the future of Derby?
- I do indeed intend to go beyond acting as a police force. I hope the Hospitallers will eventually fulfill all the needs of Derbians. You already know about the hospital we have founded. What is not as widely known is that the Hospitallers are constructing a guide to life on Shartak. I will go into more detail on that later in the interview.
Your clan has stated a zero tolerance policy towards those who attack fellow outsiders. Do you have similar policies and attitudes towards pirates and natives?
- Our "foreign policy" is still under construction. I am seeking the desires of my fellow Hospitallers before I
take any action on these fronts. After all, it is their clan, too.
How will the clan deal with groups such as the Mercenary's Guild, the Shartak Preservation Front or the Pirate Hunters, who commit acts of organised violence for various reasons? Will there be any acceptable ideological or moral excuse for violence in Derby?
- This has not been put before the Council, so anything I say is strictly my opinion. However, my personal inclination is to ignore the activities of the aforementioned groups, provided they do not take place in or near Derby. Should they begin attacking outsiders within the boundaries of Derby, they will cease to be welcome as long as the violence continues.
What current projects do the Hospitallers have underway?
- At the moment, we're still largely in the organization stage. However, along with our hospital, I mentioned a guide to life on Shartak earlier. I'll explain that now. Currently, the guide contains only a guide as to what talents are most valuable for life on Shartak; I hope to expand it gradually with the input of my fellow Hospitallers.
Would you care to give us some information on the Hospital you've opened in Derby center?
- Certainly. The Derby Hospital is free to any and all outsiders. Located at [-70.093,+26.352], all one has to do is sleep in that building while wounded. I check it every morning, and I heal any outsiders I see wounded. It saw little use at first, but more people are visiting as word spreads.
In setting up the Hospitallers, have you studied the other 'police' style groups on the island, and what lessons do you think should be learnt from their experiences?
- I have not yet studied the activities of the Colonial Police or the Pistoleers. However, I have consulted with the Royal Expedition concerning advice for running a hospital. Police actions are both more complex and more manpower intensive than medical aid. Thus, I am going to seek advice from both the Police and Pistoleers for advice before beginning them. I hope to initiate contact with one or both groups soon.
And finally, where do you see the Hospitallers, Derby, and Shartak in general in a year's time?
- I'll begin with Derby. My hope is to see a real community develop in Derby. At the moment, being from Derby just means one has a long walk to Durham. I want Derbians to actually like their hometown. I want being a Derbian to MEAN something, as hackneyed as that may sound.
- My dream for the Hospitallers ties into that. I want to maximize the enjoyment the Hospitallers get from life on Shartak, and I hope that, in doing so, we will improve the experience for others as well.
- As for where I see Shartak...I see it growing, deepening, and evolving, and I want the Hospitallers to be part of it.
New West Coast Trade Route Opened
Michael Edwards, honary Durham Pistoleer and leader of the Jolly Roger Gang, is continuing his crusade to unite the piaret community and secure his clan's hold over the shipwreck. The Dalpok Warzone, combined with the militantly anti-southerner attitudes of many unaligned pirates, means that even the fearless traders of the South Shartak Trading Company rarely attempt a 'run' to the northern coast, and many that do end up robbed and murdered.
This insolation, coupled with a lack of local produce (85% of the shipwreck's "industry" is related to rum production) has long resulted in a shortage of first aid kits, rifles, decent blades and other vital goods. Now the Jolly Roger Gang is planning to address this with a new trade route along the western coast, with pirate traders who can walk freely in both towns. Already the first trader is returning north with a large shipment of first aid kits to heal sufferers of shark bites and persistent puncture wounds.
Pirate turned Pistoleer turned pirate again Patch describes the mission as "a great step forwards for the shipwreck", although he missed several letters out. "Yarr!" he enthused, rather too frequently. "This puts us on a par wi[th] th[e] southern towns, an[d] shows that th[e] Gang really is [h]ere t[o h]elp all pirates! Yarr!"
Giant Roc on Mt. Shartak "May Have Been Bad Trip"
Panic engulfed the town of Raktam last week when a respected local shaman came running into the clearing screaming a warning of death from above.
Out on a gentle stroll, the colour-blind mystic had stopped to eat some berries from a nearby bush when he felt his stomach suddenly clench. "Eeverything went bright and loud, and I knew the ancestors were trying to warn me of something. Suddenly there was a terrbile screeching and a huge **** off eagle landed on the mountain, its head the size of an elephant!"
The startled Raktamites quickly began digging into shelter, but as the day's hunting parties began to return, it emerged that nobody else had seen or heard the monstrous eagle. The shaman, however was at this point in the grips of a fever which a local herbalist ascertained had nothing to do with the ancestors, and everything to do with an accidental overdose of the wrong berries.
"Seriously, people," said the fraught healer, "get a grip already."
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