The Publications of the Works of Airtam Morenthall, Elder Scholar and Former Headmaster of the University of the Lighted Way

Political event

The death of former headmaster, Airtam Morenthall under suspicious circumstances, led to the theft and publication of her private journals, detailing a great many illicit and horrifying implications under the name of the Empire. The Burnt Crows, claiming not only responsibility for her death but the publication of the journals as well, releases a statement claiming to have more damning evidence and threatens to release it to the public if their demands for restitution for the Seanachaisian people are not met. The Wraith Guard are mobilized by the Bechtlarite Intelligence Bureau in a focused attempt to stop them.

Airtam Morenthall had a long and successful career within Becht society following her involvement in the Somnambulistic Prophecy . Her findings in the The Ruins of Shah , interactions with Ioelena Lurie , and her tenure at The University of the Lighted Way had made her somewhat of a celebrity in Bechtlarite society. Her work done as an educator and researcher was hailed as some of the most brilliant of its time. As she aged, she became more and more reclusive, tending to remain in her sizable manor house, safely within the walls of Armuun where she was free to read and write in peace.   Two years of seemingly peaceful retirement passed without incident. THe former headmaster assumed a routine, and was seen very often at the very popular The Yerba Mate Cafe , where she would often debate and read well into the evenings with other patrons. It was on one such evening that the The Bechtlarite Intelligence Bureau assumed she was followed home by The Burnt Crows . From the investigation, it appears as though she was forced into her home and the place was ransacked thoroughly, her entire staff executed in the process. While no real valuables of note were stolen, Airtam's entire private collection of research and journals was stolen. The manor was set ablaze and Airtam, it is assumed, was trapped within and left to die in the ensuing inferno. The perpetrators, assumed to be Burnt Crow operatives sent on the behest of Sighnai Oifrei herself, made their escape without a single witness.   It was less than a week before the first of the manifestos began to show up at various places through the rentertainment district of Armuun, detailing the contents of a great many of those journals, most notably of which is the accounting and results of the experiments done upon an imprisoned Somnambuli , described as a severe slight upon the Seanachaisian Empire , Seanachaisians as a people and their culture, and the god, Bodi as well. The manifesto went on to describe the actions of the The University of the Lighted Way and the The Sovereign Empire of the Bechtlarites as an act of war against an already slighted race of people who had suffered for generations. The publication brought with it a great deal of concerns about and doubt in the Empire, many of the Bechtlarite people even raising their voices in protest that such a thing could happen after so long and so much work to repair what their past had wrought upon the world.   The initial publication was followed by several more, each more scathing than the last and each one revealing further state secrets detailing unethical experimentation and the mistreatment of others, often in collaboration with the Culvarkt Council of Houses . Details of dissections of captive Ougham , isolation and experimentation upon Volrishtad captives, and proposed further plans to continue such things. By this time the citizenry of Armuun and even many of the outlying settlements was up in arms. Protests broke out with demands of the truth being shared and repercussions being brought upon those guilty of allowing these travesties, and upon those who played a part in them.   While the civil unrest was growing, newly appointed Nonpareil Barbara Graves  and a specialized complement of Wraith Guard operatives, supported by specialists from the Culvarkt intelligence agency, The League of Steam began a hard push to uncover the location of the Burnt Crows in order to curb the dissention at its core. Sadly for them, The Bone Cask was their greatest adversary in this, and the Crows eluded capture, digging in deeper and deeper the closer their pursuers explored, often utilizing the traps and the environment to hinder and even kill members of the opposing force deep in the tunnels. All the while, the publications of Airtam's private journals continued to be released.   It was not until after the eighth release of information that Graves and the Guard stumbled upon a lucky find. In an unexpected raid following a tip off from an unnamed source, the Wraith Guard led a successful attack upon a conclave of Crows, capturing and destroying their printing press and recovering the remaining documents and journals that had been taken from Airtam. The fight to secure them and make their way out was a long and bloody fight, one that claimed the lives of many on both sides, but in the end, Graves and a small group of Wraith Guard and League of Steam operatives exited through The Bonescrap , much to their surprise, and were able to abscond to The Ocularium with their prize. The documents were brought before Sovereign Margaret Effron and, to the surprise of many, she ordered the remaining works to be scoured for any further damning evidence, and that the previous accusations be collaborated with the information contained therein with a neutral party of outsiders, one that excluded her own people and the Culvarkt as well. The call for volunteers went out and was answered by a mixed group of Bechtlarite citizens, Ventryte , Hiversteadians , Volrishtad , and, even more surprisingly, an Ougham . The group was housed and the works granted to them where they were under constant guard and allowed to freely make their way through the substantial pile of text.   At the end of the arduous process, in a unified quorum, the group came forward with their findings. Much of what was contained therein confirmed the publications of the Crows, but also brought to light that the manifestos they had scattered throughout the city were not the entire story. As it turned out, Airtam had fought against many of the injustices during her tenure, often endured threats of violence, professional ruin, and even on more than one occasion, the promise of her death. It was also reported that the majority of the horrors described within were done without the oversight of the Bechtlarite political machine, the Order of Objective Representation having not been reported to, not allowed any insight into the actions of those involved. Working with the The Bechtlarite Intelligence Bureau , the listed perpetrators of the activities that had been brought to light by the writings were arrested and sentenced accordingly. There was no mercy shown in the trials that followed, each of them presided over by the Sovereign herself, with representatives of all the nations wrongs invited to sit in and lend a voice to proceedings. This was hailed as one of the greatest achievements politically to date achieved by the Sovereign during her rule to date, showing not only her willingness to do what most considered the right thing, but also bridging the gap between many of the cultures that had for so long been at odds with her own.