Ports from around the Rhine Archipelago report in increase in pirate activity, and sources from notable towns such as Helmrest on Taegel, Port Davis on Southport, and Sunkissed Pier on Devimetra report that some of these pirate vessels seem to be manned by crew of undead. These concerns have led to the hiring of new adventurers to address this threat.

The sound of a far off trumpet was heard across Jaern; the source remains unknown, but reports from various Mages' Guilds around Jaern all confirm that the sound was heard at the same time.

Representatives from the Harena Trade Union of Cahyali have also reported across the Otherworld that the same sound was heard across major cities in Ley’ork, and there is a high likelihood that this trumpet sound was heard across Cahyali as well.

An update on the planar collision: the plane that has collided with Jaern has been given a name after first reports have come back to the Centralia Mages' Guild: A plane-wide organization called the Albion Empire appears to be the main government of the series of islands there.

Headlines in Helmrest And nearby local news sources report:

Scandal!
Ladies and Gentlemen, things are becoming even more chaotic in the city of Helmrest after an unnamed cloaked individual reported that Professor Fatima Abiduan may be a pirate corrupting the city from within! Once Captain of the Guard Gorth managed to scrap together enough arms to perform an arrest on what may have been a dangerous individual, they stormed her office in the University, only to find that she was gone entirely. Not only had she disappeared, but the Jetro Research Center also reports dozens of sensitive projects and research have been stolen, as well as some of their best researchers and students missing as well. If anyone has any information on where this criminal absconded to we request that you file the tip at the Tidesquall Precinct at Helmrest.

A celebration rings out across Jaern, as the year comes to a close. Communities across the world celebrate the Festival of the Tides at local Natatoriums, as gifts are exchanged and resolutions for a new year are made. This year, celebrations are two-fold in the Rhine, as Port Davis, Southport hosts a celebration for both the defeat of Ishar Magaroth and holiday joy in the midst of what looks to be a lengthy Freeze in the Rhine.

At the stroke of midnight at the end of the 10078th year since The Founding, reports across Jaern and Cahyali are coming in, with communitie all describing a singular event that appears to have affected the entirety of both planes for a brief moment. An eyewitness statement:

It was as if the stars were disappearing one by one, something was wring but the people around me were busy celebrating to notice. I thought for a moment that perhaps this was some sort of astrological event, but then I realized the obvious truth: I could not see the stars because something was blocking them, it was moving and flowing all across my vision, snuffing out more of the stars in the sky until every last one was gone, it took mere seconds! And then I saw the black sky open up an eye, and following it were hundreds more, all looking down upon the planet, before a second later they were gone and the stars were back, and the Natatorium nearby rang the midnight bells. I swear I'm not crazy!

Some similar accounts have been collected by individuals across Jaern and Cahyali. Mages' Guilds and Universities alike are looking into the phenomenon, but little headway has been made.