The High Kingdom Annals & Christendom Courier

The Poisoned Feast: France (2-20) Betrays Burgundy (чемпион.) at Dijon

The march of Dijon witnessed an appalling betrayal when France (2-20) struck at the encampment of Burgundy (чемпион.). Hostilities this year extended beyond the marches to Dauphine. The surrounding valleys have been thrown into chaos by this sudden breach of homage. Local serfs note that whether the tax-gatherer wears foreign or native colors, the levy of barley remains unaltered. From tower to keep across Burgundy, watchmen kept ceaseless vigil, scanning the tree line for smoke.

Panic in the Courts: Burgundy (чемпион.) Nears the 9 Keeps Needed

The ascendancy of Burgundy (чемпион.) has reached an alarming climax, having brought 7 castles into allegiance, with only 2 castles left to conquer of the 9 castles total. Foreign kings meet in hushed panic to stave off the inevitable. 'The enemy relied on high masonry, but stone is naught without resolute blood behind it,' observed a siege engineer. Barons of Burgundy swore renewed fealty amidst clinking goblets and joyous shouting.

The Citadel Yields: France (2-20) Masters Guyenne Belonging to England (karashc)

England (karashc) reeleth this season following the catastrophic loss of Guyenne to the host of France (2-20). Desperate riders from the high council arrived too late to avert the castle's capitulation. Couriers riding hard with lathered horses confirm that the victor hath already stabled horses in the ducal chapel. Lords of England held anxious colloquy behind locked doors, unable to agree upon a defense.

Fortunes Wax: Burgundy (чемпион.) Gains 2 Strongholds

Letters delivered under ribbon and green wax announce that the realm of Burgundy (чемпион.) expanded its feudal rolls by 2 castles this year. The influx of new tribute has invigorated the court and heartened the populace. 'God hath granted favor to the bold today,' proclaimed a bishop at the high altar. The local blacksmith reported brisk trade in straightening bent swords for the vanquished and polishing new spurs for the victors.

The Crown Diminished: England (karashc) Loses 2 Holdings

The fortunes of England (karashc) have waned precipitously, forfeiting 2 fiefs in the space of a single summer. Retainers fought stubbornly in rearguard skirmishes, but the tide could not be stemmed. The council chamber of England stood half-empty, several powerful barons having already ridden home to guard their own manors. 'Parchment is cheap, but the iron that enforceth it costeth dear,' observed a guild merchant.

Valiant Stand: England (karashc) Preserves Normandy Despite Onslaught from France (2-20)

A resolute defense by England (karashc) in Normandy has frustrated the ambitious plans of France (2-20), whose supported assault broke against stubborn resistance. The field before the gatehouse remains littered with broken mantlets and shields. Consternation gripped the great hall of France, where lords grasped their swords in bitter apprehension. 'God defendeth the rightful cause, as our lances have proven,' asserted a herald of England.

Infamy in the Field: Burgundy (чемпион.) Betrayeth France (2-20) in Cantons

Monks transcribing dispatches in the abbey scriptorium record that Burgundy (чемпион.) hath severed its pact with France (2-20) in the most shameful fashion, attacking their positions in Cantons. Even neutral observers express disgust at the cold-blooded treachery. 'Let the trumpet sound as it will; the wheat must still be cut before Martinmas,' said a philosophical miller. In the royal seat of France, a heavy gloom fell over the court as grim tidings arrived from the front.

The Bitter Vendetta of Burgundy (чемпион.) and England (karashc)

There is no softening in the enmity that piteth Burgundy (чемпион.) and England (karashc) against one another, sustained now through 2 unbroken years of raid and counter-siege. Bishops who attempted mediation have retired in pious despair. Foreign guilds of wool-merchants held closed meetings to reconsider transport routes across the continent. The local cooper remarked that new lords always bring grand proclamations, but their men still drink the same sour small beer.

Homage and rent wax bright for Burgundy (чемпион.): up by 2 manors to a proud measure of 7 strongholds. Hard seasons beset England (karashc), whose realm shrinketh by 2 walled towns to a tally of 3 towns.

It is muttered in the castle hall that England dispatched a gift of fine malmsey and falconry gauntlets to the grand seneschal of Burgundy. A rogue scribe claimeth to have seen a map in the scriptorium of Burgundy wherein the ancestral lands of England were already quartered in red ink.

Unseasonable rime and black frost settle upon the northern marches, freezing the water in castle moats.

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