Zor, Olarune 19, 998. 2/19/998

Lord-Mayor ir'Gadden

For one week, the City of Towers belongs to everyone.

Visitors from every nation of Khorvaire are arriving in record numbers as Lord-Mayor Bren ir'Gadden launches the inaugural Day of Remembrance, a citywide celebration dedicated to honoring those lost in the Day of Mourning while embracing the peace that followed.

Four years ago, the nation of Cyre disappeared in a catastrophe unlike anything the world had ever seen. Though the mystery of the Mourning remains unsolved, its aftermath forever changed the course of history. Within two years of the unspeakable tragedy, the nations gathered at Thronehold to sign the treaty that ended more than a century of warfare.

"We cannot choose the tragedies that define our history," the Lord-Mayor said during yesterday's opening ceremony. "We can choose what we build afterward."

A member of House Orien before entering public service, ir'Gadden has pledged a considerable portion of his personal fortune to ensure that no visitor is turned away from the celebration. Working alongside House Ghallanda and House Orien, the city is providing complimentary lodging, basic meals, and skycoach travel for tens of thousands of guests, making this one of the largest public hospitality efforts in Brelish history.

The initiative reflects the Lord-Mayor's vision of a city where old borders matter less than new friendships.

Throughout the week, musicians, artists, scholars, veterans, merchants, and craftsmen from every corner of Khorvaire will gather in Sharn's plazas, theaters, markets, and gardens. Memorials to those lost in Cyre stand beside concerts, public feasts, magical exhibitions, and lectures looking toward the future of the Five Nations.

"The Day of Mourning ended countless lives," said one festival coordinator. "The Day of Remembrance is about the lives that continue because peace followed."

There may be no better home for such a gathering than Sharn itself. Few cities welcome so many peoples under one skyline. Brelish families share neighborhoods with Cyran refugees. Warforged veterans work alongside the very nations they once faced in battle. Dragonmarked heirs, goblins, dwarves, elves, and visitors from distant lands cross the same bridges each day without a second thought.

If the Last War divided Khorvaire, Sharn has spent the years since proving that living together is not only possible, it is prosperous.

As festival banners flutter between the towers and free skycoaches carry visitors from district to district, the city offers more than hospitality. It offers a glimpse of what Khorvaire might become if peace is treated not merely as the end of war, but as the beginning of something greater.

The Day of Mourning changed the world forever. This week, Sharn hopes to remind its visitors that the future can be shaped just as profoundly: one shared table, one new friendship, and one hopeful step at a time.

If you are a visitor to Sharn, House Ghallanda, Keepers of the Golden Hearth, welcomes you! The City of Towers is one of the greatest achievements of Khorvaire, with a long history spanning thousands of years. Whether this is your first visit or your fiftieth, House Ghallanda extends a warm welcome and wishes you a pleasant stay during this year's Day of Remembrance.

Built upon soaring cliffs above the mouth of the Dagger River, Sharn is unlike any other city in Khorvaire. Remember that directions are given not only north and south, but also up and down. If someone tells you to meet them "three bridges above" or "two levels below," they are being perfectly clear - at least to a local.

To celebrate the Festival, the City Council has declared all Upper and Middle City districts open to visitors, and licensed skycoach services will be provided free of charge throughout the festivities. Simply look for the official festival pennants displayed upon participating coaches.

Skycoaches are the quickest means of crossing the city's immense distances. Should you prefer to travel on foot, every district is connected by bridges, lifts, stairways, and public ramps, though comfortable shoes are strongly recommended.

Visitors wishing to descend into Lower Dura, the Cogs, or other lower wards should be aware that festival services are limited in those districts.

Upper Central remains the heart of civic life, where visitors may admire the soaring towers of government, fine architecture, and breathtaking views across the city.

Skyway, floating high above the city upon ancient magic, opens its plazas and gardens to the public for only a handful of days each year. Visitors are reminded that private estates remain closed unless invited.

The theaters, galleries, and cafés of Upper Menthis host musicians, storytellers, illusionists, and performers from across Breland and beyond.

Those seeking exceptional shopping should stroll the markets of Middle Central, where merchants representing every nation of Khorvaire display their finest wares.

For students of history and arcane learning, Morgrave University welcomes respectful guests to its public exhibits throughout the Festival.

House Ghallanda proudly recommends the many licensed inns and dining halls bearing our seal. Wherever you see the Golden Hearth, you may expect clean rooms, honest prices, and a welcoming table.

Festival visitors who have not been granted accommodations from the Room Raffle are encouraged to seek out any member of House Ghallandra wearing a bright yellow hat to seek alternative arrangements in a hospice or extradimensional locale.

Sharn welcomes thousands of guests during the Festival, and a little courtesy ensures everyone enjoys the celebration. You may encounter elves from Aerenal, dwarves from the Mror Holds, goblins from Darguun, kalashtar from Adar, warforged veterans, and travelers from lands you've never heard named before. A courteous greeting goes farther than suspicion. Be patient with crowded bridges, offer space when boarding skycoaches, and remember that many merchants and performers are reliant on extra donations to supplement the meager stipend alloted by the Lord Mayor.

Please respect any ropes, signs, or City Watch barriers you encounter. While much of the Upper and Middle City has been opened for public enjoyment, some towers, estates, and guildhalls remain private property.

House Ghallanda thanks you for visiting the City of Towers and hopes your stay is safe, prosperous, and memorable.

As preparations continue for this year's Day of Remembrance festivities, reactions remain mixed among Sharn's innkeepers, tavern owners, and merchants following Lord-Mayor Bren ir'Gadden's ambitious hospitality initiative.

Under the plan, the city has contracted with House Ghallanda and House Orien to provide modest stipends to affiliated inns, taverns, hostels, eateries, and licensed skycoach operators. In exchange, visitors selected for the program will receive complimentary lodging, basic meals, and skycoach transportation throughout the festival.

Participation is voluntary, though businesses displaying the Festival Hearth placard have agreed to honor the arrangement.

According to city officials, the first 50,000 visitors who register upon entering the city will be entered into a lottery assigning them accommodations for up to ten days surrounding the Day of Remembrance. Organizers say the system is intended to distribute guests evenly throughout Sharn's wards while encouraging travelers to experience districts they might otherwise overlook.

Many proprietors have welcomed the arrangement. "It's good for business in the long run," said one Middle Menthis innkeeper. "Folks who discover a comfortable room today may return next season paying full price."

Others are less enthusiastic, arguing that the city's stipend falls well short of normal festival rates.

"We'll be serving twice the customers for a tenth the coin," complained a tavern owner in Upper Dura. "Hospitality is one thing. Arithmetic is another."

Independent established not affiliated with House Ghallandra are split on whether to accept the arrangement for a guaranteed minimal stipend to cover cost, or whether to set their own rates to try to capitalize on any visitors who choose not to or are unable to take part in the accommodations raffle.

Officials from House Ghallanda maintain that participating businesses will benefit from increased traffic, while House Orien expects record passenger numbers as complimentary skycoaches carry visitors between celebrations across the City of Towers.

The Lord-Mayor's office estimates that more than one hundred thousand travelers could pass through Sharn before the week's end, making this the largest public gathering since the end of the Last War.

Authorities suspect magic sabotage in the collapse on Wir of Providence Tower in the Copper Arch district.

As of Zor morning, the death toll in the catastrophe stands at 19, with another 42 injured. Most of the bodies still lie within the rubble, and Watch Commander Kurna Dalgoria said recovery efforts would take several days.

"Divinations have confirmed that no victims remain trapped in the rubble, and House Jorasco is taking care of the remaining injured. Today our focus has shifted to investigation and the recovery of remains." Dalgoria said.

Dalgoria said the investigation, a combined effort among the Sharn Watch, the King's Citadel, and House Deneith's Sentinel Marshals, has turned up evidence that the tower's noonday collapse was no accident.

"Wherever these saboteurs are hiding, the Watch will find them. No matter how far they run, we'll be right behind them," she said.

Sentinel Marshal Rorick Thyrish arrived on the scene with the first emergency aid healers. He said he detected dim, lingering magic auras at the base of the tower.

"The evocation aura I detected was probably the spell that damaged the tower foundation," Thryrish said. "And the conjuration aura would be consistent with a teleport spell the culprit used to escape the collapse."

Thyrish said a third aura was present: a necromantic residue fainter than the other two. He referred further questions about the investigation to Dalgoria's office.

Dalgoria refused to speculate on the motives of the saboteurs. The tower has several expensive residences, an arcane research group's library, a small but well-appointed inn, and the offices of Warforged Rights Now!, an advocacy group for warforged created during the Last War. Dalgoria said any of the tower's inhabitants could have been the saboteur's target.

A Morgrave University team led by Antiquities Professor Casimir ir'Tannan announced on Wir that they've decoded the Code of Vvaraak, a puzzle that has fascinated cryptographers, linguists, and historians for decades.

The Code, created more than five thousand years ago by a dragon named Vvaraak, is found on inscriptions in ruins across Khorvaire.

"The characters and symbols in the code correspond to no known ancient language," ir'Tannan said. "But we thought we recognized some patterns in the syntax -- the order in which the symbols were strung together."

The key to cracking the code, ir'Tannan said, was accumulating Khorvaire's largest collection of Vvaraak antiquities. Morgrave University used its own researchers, expeditions from the Wayfarer Foundation, and independent explorers to copy or acquire examples of Vvaraak's inscriptions.

"If you're going to decrypt something, it's important to get the largest sample you can," ir'Tannan said.

Vvaraak's inscriptions can be found on ruins across Khorvaire, ir'Tannan said. The Lost City of Harad-Nui off the Qbarran coast, the ruined Mines of Blazegold in the Mror Holds, and the Seals of Aal'drash in the Shadow Marches have extensive examples of the Code of Vvaraak.

One remaining puzzle: Why the Code of Vvaraak resisted divination magic.

"We employed all sorts of divinations, but even efforts to commune or contact other plane didn't get us anywhere," ir'Tannan said. "In the end, it came down to a lot of brute-force cryptography and the extraordinary ingenuity of my team."

The team's findings, along with a complete lexicon for the Code of Vvaraak, will be published over the next several months, ir'Tannan said.

"Just as we're standing on the shoulders of great historians who came before us, I hope that our discoveries inspire the next generation of students," ir'Tannan said.

But reaction from the academic community was mixed. Athuran Happlestep, history professor emeritus at the University of Korranberg, called the effort to decrypt the Code of Vvaraak "typical Morgave irresponsibility."

"We know so little of Vvaraak, but we do know this: It trapped or killed a lot of strange monsters from far-off dimensions," he said. "Now that anyone can read Vvaraak's inscriptions, what's to keep tomb robbers from opening a bunch of mystic seals and unleashing horrors that the world hasn't seen for thousands of years?"

MISSING
Small brass mechanical hound answering to "Cog." Last seen chasing pigeons near Dragon Towers. Reward of 75 galifars for safe return. Do not attempt repairs.

HOUSEKEEPER DESPERATELY SOUGHT
Respectable Skyway estate requires live-in servant. Generous wages. Must ignore unusual noises from attic after midnight and possess no fear of ghosts. References appreciated.

WANTED: ARCANE CONSULTANT
An experimental lightning-powered device refuses to remain in this reality. Magewright or artificer with experience in planar phenomena requested immediately. Hazard bonus negotiable. Visit Workshop 14, Blackbones.

PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS
Anonymous patron seeks discreet individuals to confirm whether a prominent merchant is truly who they claim to be. Talent for observation more valuable than swordsmanship. Leave inquiries beneath the third bench in Tumbledown Park.

REWARD OFFERED
Seeking the return of a leather journal bearing the crest of a silver unicorn. Lost somewhere between the University District and Menthis. Contents are of scholarly interest only. No questions asked.

HELP WANTED
Night shift at the Cogs pumping station has suffered an alarming shortage of workers. Applicants willing to descend below the foundries may earn triple wages. Hazard bonus included after the third night.

FOUND
Strange crystal humming softly in the presence of dragonmarked heirs. Owner may reclaim by accurately describing its color, song, and unfortunate side effects.

EXPERT CLIMBERS NEEDED
An object of sentimental value has become lodged upon the underside of a bridge in Middle Dura. Rope, courage, and discretion required. Payment doubles if the City Watch remains unaware.