Storms Over Esterhold
Story Emits
Since the rebellion of Ivan Helianthus, the forces of the rebel Duke haven't been quiet. Several islands in the Mourning Sea known to be inhabited by various groups of Abandoned, and thus unclaimed by the Compact, have been reduced to a smoking ruin and those who lived on them either taken as thralls or left to die where they were cut down. These men believe they are strengthening the Compact by reducing the shav threat.
On a breezy fall day, the lookouts in Esterhold saw the flag of Helianthus blowing in the breeze. The alarm was raised and the settlement prepared for the approach of the Helianthus forces. Sometime in the afternoon, the strangest storm rolled in, blanketing the island in dense fog. The crack of thunder and the threat of lightning drove the defenders inside as many raised prayers in hope that the storm that drove them to seek cover would also ravage the enemy ships.
Such prayers seem to have been answered. As the storm dissipated, the Helianthus ships were left charred and wrecked husks, floating out on the water. The bodies and cargo began to wash up onto the shore later that day showing there was not a single survivor of the storm.
News of a terrible attack spreads through the city like wildfire, and the story is sensational enough to go along with it. Blood was spilled in a place of sanctuary, an unforgivable crime, and the Grandmaster of the Knights of Solace declared the life of the culprit to be forfeit, as both Faith and Duty require. What happened after that is far less clear, but the stories claim that the House of Solace came under vicious attack by a large group of murderous thugs, possibly even shav infiltrators, attempting to free the condemned man. The Knights of Solace fought valiantly, taking grievous injuries and several deaths, protecting those within the House of Solace who stood no chance of defending themselves with their bodies and their lives. Fortunately, none of the sick or ill were harmed, as the Mercies presumably evacuated them in the chaos, though there's a bit of confusion over that, as some people are claiming they were evacuated well before anything actually happened.
It's unclear if the attackers succeeded in their rescue, but they seem to have fled. The guards posted at the gates alert their superiors that some force incredibly fast and bleeding ran out into the forest before they could stop it.