Tavern Tales

Stronghold's Gossip Column

Freshly inked parchment is bound and bundled, handed to nameless riders to distribute throughout the city before the sun rises. Tavern tables, market stalls, even the steps of shrines will be graced with the drying ink; no place is too sacred for what the secretive publishers deem the "gospel truth." Each week, the cycle will start anew, unknown publishers writing scintillating articles, shadow riders delivering in the dead of night when no one can catch them. All to share a tidbit of information, to spread hilarity truth to those that would otherwise never receive it.
What started as a single public service announcement exploded into the most-read weekly gossip column across the Human Empire. People flocked to the locations where the magazines were dropped in the shadows, soon causing various market stalls to sell individual copies to those who could not wait to see the scandalous secrets shared within its pages. For five Copper a week, one could read the latest stories, catch up on the sagas of drama unfolding across Stronghold, and get a glimpse of the world outside the city walls.
Tavern Tales was never meant to be more than Stronghold's gossip column, but interest outside of the capitol was rabid. Within the first month, the magazine began its first print runs outside of the capitol, arriving in taverns and Dagger Guild inns throughout the Human Empire. Before long, interest grew outside the borders, but other countries and kingdoms were reluctant to let such low-quality literature into circulation. This has not stopped the most rabid readers, sneaking copies from the Human Empire to those who could not miss the action.

Purpose

The purpose of Tavern Tales is to inform the general public about things that they may otherwise not know about. From rumored crimes, to secret love triangles to possibly demonic powers, the publishers of this magazine share all the scandalous details, making all aware of what the nobility and bureaucracy try to hide. All information is treated as truthful, but whether any of it is or not remains to be seen.

Document Structure

Publication Status

Tavern Tales is a weekly publication that is published on the third day of every week, excluding any major holidays. The magazine is published in Stronghold, but is readily available in most large cities of the Human Empire as well as in some inns run by the Dagger Guild in areas across the Northern Continent. The publisher would like to expand into other areas, but many of the other countries and kingdoms of the Northern Continent do not find the publication as humorous as the Human Empire.

Legal status

Under the laws of the Human Empire, Tavern Tales is seen as a humorous, non-serious magazine that is entirely a work of fiction, although the publishers disagree with this distinction. The publishers believe that their content is truthful and deserves to be shared with the masses, but overall, the publication is seen as a bit of harmless fun.

Historical Details

History

Tavern Tales originally began as a simple, one-page public service announcement about the supposed crimes committed by Starlit Academy Headmaster Alexander Cross. While the man's status as the Empress' pet vampire was nothing new, the retelling of violent crimes he allegedly committed was scandalous news for some. The publication was so well-received that the publishers created an entire weekly magazine that has been growing in size and reach for nearly a year.

Public Reaction

Public reactions to Tavern Tales are fairly split, with some seeing the publication as gospel truth that all must read, while others believe it to be wasted parchment. Some weeks, the reaction is less split, as some of the stories seem to border on the truth, while other weeks, the stories are more outlandish, and even die-hard readers have to question the validity of the statements.

Tavern Tales Cover

Tavern Tales by Portrait via Portrait Workshop, created by RiverFang

Type

Text, Magazine

Medium

Paper

Conspiracies

The many issues of Tavern Tales have given rise to a number of conspiracy theories, especially since the authors of the publication are as yet unnamed. Some of the more common conspiracies is that Darius Nizz, the famous Blue Mage, can turn into a Dragon, and that Alexander Cross is actually guilty of a number of violent crimes across Stronghold.
While all of these theories are easily debunked, it has not stopped the readers of Tavern Tales from wholeheartedly believing the conspiracies and acting on them. Both Darius Nizz and Alexander Cross have received "fan" mail from readers of the publication, but none of it was kind.