|
'Lost 39th' Regiment Emerges From Talorn Reach
MOONWATCH—A regiment of Brelish infantry lost since 972 marched into Moonwatch from the southwest, ending a 26-year mystery into their disappearance during a routine troop transfer to a garrison on the southwest coast.
According to numerous eyewitness accounts, the soldiers expressed amazement at the current date. Nor had they noticeably aged during their disappearance of more than two decades.
The regiment will board sea vessels tomorrow for the journey to Sharn. Once there, they’ll be questioned about their missing time, then ceremonially mustered out of the crown’s service.
“At this point, we believe that the 39th was the victim of some sort of fey enchantment, and we hope to get more details in the next few days,” said King’s Citadel captain Rollis ir’Ondric, deferring further comment until the 39th Regiment arrives.
Morgrave University arcanist Gillan Luhensia said that episodes of “elastic time” are characteristic of fey magic.
“Both traditional folklore and more academic sources are full of episodes where someone will fall asleep amid a faerie circle and wake up a month or a year later,” she said. “But for hundreds of soldiers to simultaneously undergo elastic time represents a watershed for our understanding of the phenomenon.”
Folk tales about time slowing down or speeding up are common in southwest Breland, Luhensia said, and many even reference the Talorn region specifically. But thus far, arcanists have been unable to duplicate or observe the phenomenon directly.
“If we can’t figure out the conditions under which it occurs, that often means that it’s not the place itself that’s altering time. It’s probably a powerful fey creature or creatures within the Talorn,” she said.
Why a creature would trap a regiment within elastic time, then free them unharmed is “a matter for others to speculate on,” Luhensia said.
Because many members of the 39th Regiment were recruited from Sharn, a homecoming parade is planned for two weeks time. City officials said a parade time and designated route would be ready in time for next week’s Sharn Inquisitive.
The Talorn is a known home of many dangers, including flesh-eating satyrs and strange fey tricksters. While it contains thousands of acres of theoretically arable farmlands, past efforts to settle it have fallen victim to strange mishaps, unusual weather—and perhaps the superstitious fears of the settlers.
About the Author
David Noonan is a designer/developer for Wizards of the Coast. Before coming to Wizards, he was a daily newspaper reporter in Washington state. Apparently the city hall beat is good practice for an Eberron campaign.
|
