180 / 08 / 22

Last night his Grace the Duke Wilbur Derspire was arrested for treason. The arrest was carried out by elite troops from Bellcross, who struck without warning at an hour past midnight. Thanks to the timing of the operation and the skills of the troops that carried it out, there were no casualties among either the guards or the serving staff in the castle. The Duke is currently being held prisoner at the hall of Justice. The charges apparently relate to bribes the Duke received in return for his decisions in certain criminal cases. The first of these cases relates to a judgement over a decade ago where he condemned a merchant to the black pit for treason. We understand that the evidence was falsified, and the person who brought the charges paid the Duke a sizeable sum to ensure a swift and harsh sentence.
The second case involved the same merchant who returned with supposed evidence of his innocence. There were concerns raised by various parties at the time of this merchant's return, but the Duke overrode those objections. It has now been revealed that the Duke made this decision in exchange for a magical artefact, a sword called The North's Fang. This sword has a long a noble history from before the years of darkness and it is now being transported to Bellcross. In keeping with ancient tradition, we understand that the sword will be awarded to a member of the army who performs above and beyond the call of duty.
Accepting a bribe would have been enough to level charges of treason against the Duke, but this treachery is compounded by the fact that the bribes originated in the elven kingdom on Laiqua. Having elven influence over the ruler of a key settlement like Filishar is what prompted the arrest which is believed to be the first of its kind. The nature of the arrest implies that the verdict is a forgone conclusion, and that our King is not going to follow his predecessors tendency to simply dismiss lords that didn't follow the rules.
An acting Duke has been appointed until the charges against Duke Wilbur have been settled. Little is known about Acting-Duke Pelin, a human from Bellcross, but he has already made clear that he is only here to ensure that Filishar continues to run as normal and will not be taking any part in the trial of Duke Wilbur.