Otherworldly Invasion (2)

The sudden turn of events stunned every visible and hidden lookout watching the area. Reports passed up the chain and spread rapidly.

Three minutes later, Nikolayevich received a report. Five minutes later, the senior officials of Northwest Province, the garrison commander, the grand commander of the Knights Order, and the speaker of the Nobles' Council received theirs. Half an hour later, Magic Messages reached the King and the Prime Minister's residence in the distant Royal Capital...

A Space-Time Gate had appeared in Faerun City again, along with a large army from another world. The news spread quickly across the Lorenzo Kingdom and then the entire continent.

The government and Military had intended to suppress the news together, but something went wrong along the way. Kingdom City News reported it first, and the Kingdom's other major papers promptly reprinted the story. News of a suspected otherworldly invasion at the ruins of Faerun City once again seized the front page of every major paper.

By then, suppressing the news was pointless. Rather than hide it and leave the public to speculate wildly, they might as well issue a frank official announcement.

The Kingdom's government reacted promptly enough on that front. Four hours later, the Prime Minister's press secretary held a press conference, while privately warning the newspapers not to publish unsubstantiated rumors. Only official releases were to be trusted.

Control of the narrative let the Kingdom's government breathe a little easier. With the press steering public opinion, at least the people would not panic too badly. The papers described the otherworldly invaders as a backward, barbaric civilization still wielding broadswords and spears and wearing ragged leather armor. There was nothing to fear; the mighty Kingdom Army could repel them.

Not everyone was taken in, of course. Many still wondered: if the enemy