THE FIRNOST HERALD

Thursday, June 29, 2000 Vol. 1 No. 3

Sparks flew between Restor de Tristram, Satyr Representative, and Grendel over the banishment of Patrick McDaniel, resulting in the Redcap Representative being banished himself.

The incident which resulted in McDaniel's banishment was reportedly instigated by Grendel himself. According to McDaniel, "It started with me making a joking comment [about my own sexuality]... he then spit on me. I told him quite plainly that if he spit on me again I would [defend myself]."

Grendel pressed the issue by spitting on him a second time, and McDaniel retaliated, to the point of setting the redcap on fire. Grendel then banished him from Firnost for three days for violence within the Freehold.

After hearing McDaniel's version of events, detailing how he only retaliated to what was clearly an assault on his person, Restor de Tristram subsequently banished Grendel for three days, also for violence within the Freehold.

Mr. De Tristram also told me that he had other reasons for the banishment besides the base crime. Said De Tristram, "Well, for one it was done to illustrate the abuses that Parliament can take with the banishment law as it stands. Grendel abused it. He instigated an attack deliberately in order to banish a Satyr. He has a long history of abuses against our kith... [he] needs to realize that even if he is Redcap rep it still means he is accountable, be it for instigating a fight, abuse of power or even murder." When asked about the history of abuse of Satyrs by Grendel, De Tristram said, "He's made lewd remarks and nearly sexually assaulted one of my kith."

De Tristram said that he would continue to give Grendel a penalty of three-day banishments until Grendel publicly apologizes to McDaniel for spitting on him.

McDaniel's banishment has been contested by not only the Satyr Representative, but by other observers. Aeril, a Paroseme Inanimae witness to the fight, told me, "Grendel was told by all present that he was the one responsible for the confrontation and that all the blame lay upon him. Patrick [set] him on fire with magic that burned nothing but Grendel." When asked if he thought that McDaniel's actions were an overreaction, he replied in the negative. "He repeatedly asked for what he recieved, it was only [McDaniel's] great patience that delayed it for so long."

Grendel himself was unavailable for an interview, but expressed his extreme displeasure at his own banishment. "It's bad politics, not to mention disrespectful... I'm not going to apologize for what I did. [McDaniel] dared me to and I wasn't going to back down."

With McDaniel's banishment nearly up and Grendel's still pending, this issue doesn't look as if it will be settled anytime soon. The Herald will be following this and other stories as they happen.

Succumbed Wednesday June 21, 2000 to illness brought on by an alleged poisoning. He is survived by his fiancee, Rina Kismet-Castle and two children.