From Catherine (Ogre):

Mereoni and Ogre have certainly talked at length about the city and its people. Ogre recalls Mereoni saying that the people of Jerris are very apathetic, more so than anyone else she has met in her travels - almost liked they are drugged... !? She has felt much more sluggish and down since her arrival in the city. The city is often cloaked in the blackish dust that is being blown in from over the Poison Forest and the Dragon Keep.

Ogre says she has been working tirelessly to help the people of the city and to increase their "love" of Garlen but they are bad and don't care about how much help she gives them. She has done quite a bit of work with the orphanages helping them read, write, learn about the outside world etc. Some look on this with doubt... "who would ever care about orphans"?

After a recent visit to Aramis (Calcaneous) Ogre said Mereoni was very dispirited saying that Aramis had gotten rid of nearly all his advisors and was not really paying much attention to those there. She was also frustrated as he was not really paying much attention to any of the High Priests of the Passions. Aramis looks very sick, quite pale, withdrawn and very tired. Mereoni was also sad as she had been unable to locate some "friends and acquaintances" that she was hoping to catch up with. They are nowhere to be found...

Ogre says he doesn't remember so many soliders around when he was smaller. They tend to go down to the canyon a lot and never seem to come back with anything.

From Alison (T'kral):

The city is often cloaked in the blackish dust that is being blown in from over the Poison Forest and the Dragon Keep.

So WHAT'S THIS BLACK STUFF!!! Can the boat take some and get it analysed in Iopos (of course without revealing where we got it?) Can we trace the dust back to some origin? Do we feel any different after spending some time in it?

Aramis looks very sick, quite pale, withdrawn and very tired. Mereoni was also sad as she had been unable to locate some "friends and acquaintances" that she was hoping to catch up with. They are nowhere to be found...

Calcaneous is obviously suffering. Perhaps that might be used to our advantage? Maybe he needs to shift bodies again? Has Aramis found out any information on body exchanges? Is he looking as sick in Tinkeepo's body? Is it something else?

Ogre says he doesn't remember so many soliders around when he was smaller. They tend to go down to the canyon a lot and never seem to come back with anything.

The canyon is where the kaer is. There's definitely something going on down there, and T'kral would lay huge odds on the fact that it's more than just hunting for lost artifacts. She's got no idea what though.

From GM Giles:

The Black stuff has been a ever present "natural feature" of Jerris for as long as memory goes back, some say it is ash from a dragon, some say is a fire that rages in the Poison Forest. It coats the walls of every building in Jerris and seems to always flow almost directly over the city despite the direction of the prevailing wind.

Prior to the setting in of the storm that currently lashes Dragon Keep, players might recall that the air there was also filled with a strange black ash/smoke.