Murder at Ago Manor! Disgraced Lord Maxim Takes Power by Force

Revolution

A brief but violent battle erupted at Ago Manor tonight when disgraced Lord Maxim, formerly of The Wolfpack, returned to his old quarters at Ago Manor and confronted the new commander. Lady Bugyō Shax, who has been featured by this publication in the past, had been promoted to leader of The Wolfpack and Lord of Shima Province just hours before the incident.

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According to eyewitness accounts, Former Lord Maxim arrived through unknown means from an unknown location and forcefully broke the door of the manor down in a bout of rage. When guards stopped him in the entry hall, Maxim threatened violence until Lady Shax herself felt inclined to step in. What followed was a brief but brutal battle in which Maxim and a golden-skinned accomplice restrained and killed Shax. Other reports indicate the former Knight Commander handling Shax's soul and feeding it to a terrible earth dragon, but these accounts could not be verified.   “I always knew he had that anger right under the surface,” said INA, a witness whose identity has been obfuscated for her own protection. “You just had to be near him when he put that armor on to hear him struggling to control himself all the time. Honestly, I’m surprised something like this didn’t happen sooner. I guess the shock of losing The Wolfpack was just too much for him.”   The reporters of the Akegata Shinbun reached out to Former Lord Maxim for comment. Shockingly, he responded with the statement included below:  

"Hm? A comment on that incident? There isn't much to say, I provided Shax shelter when she came to me on the promise she do nothing to disrupt order, or face the consequences.   “Not only did she break that peace, she did worse. It's one thing if it was just me but her careless actions affected the people closest to me. She brought this upon herself as I have warned her many times in the past.   “Do I regret what happened? In a way, I had become a bit fond of Shax but there are some things that can't be forgiven. Now is that all? I have to arrange her burial and deal with reversing all the damage she's caused."

  This bewildering testimony seems to indicate that Former Lord Maxim blames the erstwhile Lady Shax for the incident, citing that she acted in ways to “disrupt order” and “break [the] peace.” However, the intrepid reporters of Akegata Shinbun have reached out to officials in the Hashinara Clan who confirm that Lady Shax’s appointment was fully legal, ordered by the Daimyō herself!   “Hm. Yes, I have the signed order here. And I recall co-signing it myself. But that’s strange...” said the well-known Magistrate of Wakigami Tōdaisen Nobuhara. And indeed, we humbly agree with his assessment! The strangest thing about this event is Former Lord Maxim’s blasé attitude towards it!   Is he deluded into thinking that Shax somehow took power unlawfully, in the face of all the evidence? Or perhaps this is a result of his foreign proclivities. Other cultures are said to still believe in the barbaric “power by force” form of government!   “An Albionite should never have been in power in the first place,” commented Fukayama Kikunojō, a respected city planner from Izumi Province. “It was only a matter of time before the clash of cultures caused some sort of incident. I hope the leaders of the Hashinara Clan learn from this mistake.”   The situation is still developing in Ago and it’s currently unclear whether Former Lord Maxim intends to declare himself ruler by force. If so, he’ll be in direct opposition to orders given by Hashinara Yoshiyuki herself. The Daimyō’s prolonged absence from public view has caused some to theorize that this is the perfect time to act against the Clan. Others believe that high-ranking individuals such as Tōdaisen Nobuhara and Silver General Ryūzaki Sanosuke have conspired to silently remove Yoshiyuki from power. Look out for a full analysis of the situation in our next issue!