Last night, witchards from the areas located near Brede High Woods in England registered an uncommonly powerful discharge of magical energy. The shockwave caused mundane technology to malfunction and electricity to go out in several villages. Fortunately, no witchard territory was affected, and the anomaly stopped short of Bothwell.
It is yet uncertain if the occurrence was accidental or a result of hostile activity. Representatives of the Guardian Order sealed off the area, barring anyone from coming close to the Woods pending investigation. No statements have been issued and the spokesperson for the Guardian Order has been dismissive of any questions from the press.
Left with no explanation, local witchards have been whispering about secret war manoeuvres.
“Someone’s testing weapons right under our nose,” says one of the residents. “The only question is, who’s doing it – our people or the enemy?”
“I’ll bet my left arm it was necromancy,” says another witness. “I saw a skull in my tea leaves that very morning!”
“If you don’t know what it is, it’s always kids playing with things they shouldn’t be playing with,” says a third source. “Before Headmistress Montpellier, it was Bothwell students blowing things up and setting everyone’s teeth on edge. Fortunately, she put an end to that nonsense. Maybe some other brats went to the woods at night and blew themselves up with magic.”
Whatever the Guardian Order has discovered, they are keeping the details to themselves. Not even members of the other Orders are allowed to know anything. Earlier this morning, representatives of Pickingill protested the Guardian Order’s barring of the Woods, claiming that area to be under their protection.
“There was this one lady who was really agitated,” says a witness. “She tried to push past the Guardians and was flashing some papers, but she didn’t have any luck. I don’t feel particularly bad for her. That’ll teach them to breed unicorns or some other pixies on witchard territory.”
Talks between Pickingill and Guardians are scheduled for later this week. Until then, the area remains warded off.