Crown Names ir'Saldivar to Dark Lantern Post
By Dorius Del Davandi
WROAT — Former Sharn Watch commander Mathurin ir'Saldivar will be appointed by the crown to head the King's Dark Lanterns, the Sharn Inquisitive has learned.
King Boranel has scheduled a ceremony in Brokenblade Castle's West Gallery next Wir. After naming ir'Saldivar to lead the intelligence-gathering branch of the King's Citadel, the king will present ir'Saldivar with the ceremonial lanthorn of fearsome truths.
Members of the ir'Saldivar family and ministers in the Breland Parliament, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Mathurin will accept the appointment. Crown representatives declined to comment on King Boranel's schedule or any upcoming appointments.
Brelish Parliament Lord Ruken ir'Clarn said he had "grave concerns" about ir'Saldivar leading the Dark Lanterns.
Since the end of the Last War, the Parliament has sought an oversight role in crown appointments — a role King Boranel resists.
"There's a lot about ir'Saldivar we just don't know. Rumors of a connection between ir'Saldivar and the Boromar syndicate in Sharn, for example," ir'Clarn said.
Some of ir'Saldivar's connections to the Boromar clan are more than rumors. As head of the Sharn Watch, ir'Saldivar put a record number of Boromar clan members behind bars. However, critics accused his office of relying too heavily on undercover agents that committed crimes to maintain their cover identities. Ir'Clarn said that the issue of parliamentary oversight goes beyond this appointment.
"I don't think the crown sees the potential benefit that parliamentary approval would bring," he said. "Once appointees for high office get approval from Parliament, they will know that all of Breland stands behind them. It's more than the confidence of the king — it's the confidence of the whole nation."
When named to the post, ir'Saldivar will replace Daal Chorek, who resigned the post in Aryth in the wake of the Tattered Flag scandal. Members of Parliament accused Chorek of harboring war criminals from the Last War, granting them new identities as manor lords in rural Breland. Chorek was acquitted in a subsequent crown trial.
Prince Aejar’s Climbing Expedition to Mount Herrian Overdue
By Dorius Del Davandi
CRAGWAR—More than two dozen mountain climbers, including Prince Aejar, remain in the Blackcaps tonight, two days after the scheduled conclusion of a journey to the top of Mount Herrian.
Search parties were being organized from among all able-bodied men in Cragwar and surrounding villages, a courtier said on condition of anonymity. Crown representatives were unavailable for comment as the Sharn Inquisitive went to press.
Mount Herrian, deep in the Blackcap Mountains, is most famous for the ancient shrines, dating from the latter days of the Dhakaani Empire. It’s regarded as a straightforward climb, requiring little technical proficiency, say local climbers.
Like other mountains in the Blackcap Range, Mount Herrian has no snow on its peak; the surface of the mountain remains warm no matter what the weather. But the path to the mountain is long and winding.
Also among the missing are noted diviner Alliqua Brashen, retired army Colonel Warrick Nathuna, famed explorer Laasha Halli, a squad of King’s Own infantry, and more than a dozen porters and servants.
Aejar, Boranel’s fourth son, is sometimes referred to as “the scarred” due to the claw marks on his face and neck—the result of a childhood mishap with a palace bodyguard animal. He lost an arm in the same incident, but the loss didn’t deter his zest for adventure.
