If one be gone we carry on
The Hill Path
As winter settled over the hills of Mournwold, the Empire and the Jotun clashed in bloody warfare that raged back and forth across the territory. In the end, the Jotun were forced to choose between retreat or being surrounded thanks to clever Imperial strategy; their armies withdrew to Ashvale, leaving behind Jarl Haakon Gydasson, the former ruler of Mournwold, with a significant force of Jotun champions at Farstrider's Watch.
During the Winter Solstice, with the aid of the eternal realms, Imperial heroes used the Sentinel Gate to launch a pin-point strike aimed at eliminating Haakon. The attack was successful; the Jarl was defeated in honourable battle, his forces scattered and forced back to the protection of the Watch standing sentinel over the Greensward.
As spring approaches, most of the forces fighting over the Mournwold have retreated. The exception are the Drakes and of course the Tusks who stay behind to deal with the remaining Jotun bands who refuse to give up their control of the central regions of the Mourn. They move steadily, careful not to waste lives and focused on the ultimate goal of liberating the Mourn. The healers and physicks have their work cut out for them – many of the champions who fight in the name of the defeated Jarl are true veterans, experienced in facing Marcher soldiers, and know the hills well enough to be a challenging foe.
Not only armies fight in Mournwold. A Frozen Citadel is raised in Southmoor to defend Sarcombe, and a ward of Spring magic wreathes the forests of Alderly in thorns and brambles and brings with it unexpected assistance. Swift figures with long ears are spotted in the grasses and the hedgerows; servants of the Prince with a Thousand Foes. They have little affection for armies, but they have even less for would-be conquerors. Their aid is subtle, and mostly consists of ensuring the farmers and families caught between the Marcher hammer and the Jotun anvil are spirited to safety. Yet from time to time they, or those they assist, provide valuable information about the movements of this warband or another, ultimately aiding in the Imperial advance through the hills and farms.
Wherever the Marcher armies go, they are met with cheers from the folk of the Mourn. Outsiders often see the Marchers as staid and restrained, but that is not the case here. Hidden supplies of food and drink, kept from the Jotun, are broken open whenever a band of Marcher soldiers liberates a village or a farmstead. Nobody who fights for the Mourn will need to pay for a hot meal, or for a cold room in an inn, in the coming months. The sense of pride in the brave folk of the Tusks and the Drakes is palpable.
The miners of the Ore Hills join the battle to drive the Jotun out, and make their own supplies and hidden tunnels available to the Marchers. Human and orc alike, there are folk who have had enough of the Jotun, and put their lives at risk to help drive them out once and for all. The recruiters of both the Drakes and the Tusks are approached by Marcher orcs who have heard the voice of their ancestors, urging them to take up their blades and forge their path as heroes. There is some uncertainty in the ranks as to how to deal with this. The would-be soldiers are no better or worse than any other green recruits – but they appear sincere in their belief that they are sacrificing their chance to be reborn for their single chance to join their ancestors – who are presumably Jotun – across the Abyss. Recruiter and human soldier alike are a little unclear what to make of this.
For the most part, though, there is hard fighting and victory aplenty in the Mournwold. As the Winter ages and is reborn in Spring, so the Marchers drive the Jotun out of the Ore Hills and push into the Chalkdowns.
The Mournwold is Imperial, but it is far from secured. The allies of Jarl Haakon remain in full control of the Greensward, and there are still plenty of doughty Jotun warriors in the northern farmlands. The barbarians dominate Ashvale – Liathaven – and at any moment the King or the Queen could send armies streaming out of the trees into Green March, Alderly, or Southmoor. Even a couple of armies would likely be sufficient to provide a major challenge to the Marcher armies, reinforced as they would be by the garrison of Farstrider's Watch. The battle for the Mournwold is far from over.
Causeway O'er the Marsh
While the Tusks and the Drakes clash with Jotun champions in Mournwold, the Strong Reeds keep their vigil over the marshes of Bregasland. Last Summer, the Jotun barbarians invaded Gravenmarch, widely known as “the only dry land in Bregasland.” The Fist of Ulven and the Southern Bear quickly captured Graven Rock and the town of Graven – killing a number of Navarr traders in the process.
During the Solstice itself, the Ice Fishers of Ldansk received the aid of the King-under-the-mountain and secured the return of the Burhfæst – a magical citadel drawn from the Summer realm in ancient times. The Imperial Military Council took the hard decision not to interfere – sending the heroes of the Empire to challenge the Druj and eliminate Governor Rahab. As a consequence, the citadel rose from the “great pebble” providing a powerful bulwark and anchor for the Jotun forces. The ghodi Faraldi Blutesson established themselves castellan of the Burhfæst, securing a supply route back to Liath's Ring in Ashvale and then seemed content to watch what was happening.
The Strong Reeds, who were already in the marshes, kept a watch of their own. In accordance with the solemn oath sworn by their general to protect the Bregas people, they swiftly deployed their unique strategic ability to lay low to stay among their fellows no matter what the Jotun might try next.
And the Jotun tried... nothing. A handful of raids into the western fens and across the border into Mitwold, but nothing more serious. The Ice Fishers took residence in the magical fortress that emerged around Graven Rock and seemed content to simply command Gravenmarch. Or so it seemed.
Tame Your Fears
A fortnight after the Winter Solstice, the Jotun invade Bregasland through Gravenmarch. Out of Ashvale come somewhere in the region of forty or fifty thousand Jotun. The gates of the Burhfæst open wide, and the garrison joins the battle – orcs from the Ice Fishers, and mighty armoured warriors drawn from the realm of the Stone-crowned Monarch. Several thousand more warriors of the Summer realm – red-and-scarlet armoured knights – fight with them for the glory of their mistress, the Lady of Pennants. The town of Sallow, and most of the Rushes fall beneath their banners almost before anyone realises what is going on. They then push west and north, to Grey Fens and North Fens.
For all their force, the orcs of the western jarldoms have come cautiously into Bregasland – not as a rampaging storm as they did when they took Mournwold. Some of the defenders are able to use clever ruses to play on the orc superstitions about the wetlands, and a well-timed ghost story turns out to be nearly as useful as an armed raid against a poorly-positioned supply dump.
The exception to this careful strategy is the Corazón – the Lasambrian army seems to have little fear of the marshes and indeed seems mostly enthused about the idea of seizing the Winter supplies from Bregas barns, and looting their storehouses. A major raid is launched against Eel's Landing, but between the Strong Reeds and the Greywaters and a lot of carefully positioned lanterns, most of the warband is lost in the fens for the better part of a week, and when they reach the “market town” they find it mostly deserted and its wealth spirited away to who knows where.
Thwarted and frustrated the Lasambrians go in search of easier meat and soon turn their attention on the Breadbasket, the network of granaries and storehouses that cross the territory. This time even the Courage of the Reeds and the tricks of the Greywaters are not enough to stop them. The grain they pillage is precious even if it isn't the wealth they hoped to claim from Eel's Landing and its loss is a bitter blow that will be felt by every farmer in Bregasland in the coming season.
As is their wont, though, the Jotun do not touch places tied to faith, or the spirits of the fallen. Some ghodi make a point of visiting Sabbey's Mound where they engage in a ceremony of some kind apparently intended to honour the spirits of those who fell during the invasion of 383YE. Others make a pilgrimage of a sort of Fisher's Rock, although their ceremonies there are much more sombre. The legacy of Mathilda Fisher is complicated, it seems, even for the Jotun.
The last time they came the barbarians put a false-queen on a shaky throne. This time, they are here simply to conquer, for themselves and for their ancestors. They offer the Choice as always, even to those who have been given the chance to take it once before. Some seem eager to see the Jotun return – the Clakes of Beandown actually welcome the barbarians. There's a rumour that the outlaw head of the family, Sammy Clake, met with Stephen of Sarcombe and pledged his entire household to the aid of the Jotun as long as they were prepared to promise them vengeance against their neighbours. By all accounts the traitor Stephen was more than happy to welcome the Clakes to his side.
Reeds! Do you hear the songs from the Mourn? Jarl Haakon Is Dead! Killed by the hand of folk hero William Hooke. Our siblings in the Mourn are free again and change is coming. Lay Low once again, the marsh will hide us as we haunt and harry the remnants of the Jotun Forces. We are bound by common cause, so we will look to our citizens offer our aid and proof again our bonds of loyalty like the folkheroes of old. To Ground!
Amberlain P. Black, General of the Strong Reeds
Marching ever forward
The Clakes are very much in the minority, however. For all their problems with the Empire these are Marcher people – and they do not accept conquest easily. There is only so much that individuals can do against such an overwhelming host of the Jotun – but the Strong Reeds are also here. Bound to the people of Bregasland by oaths and magic alike, they provide hope to those who will not accept the barbarian yoke. If the Reeds were not here, the entire territory would have fallen to the Jotun in one fell swoop. As it is, they fight tirelessly not only to slow the barbarian advance but to offer whatever aid they can to those who would fight for their homes. Over the course of weeks, with the help of the Reeds, those who would resist the western barbarians gather at Ottery, in eastern Ottermire.
It is a mixed bunch, this resistance. There are Greywaters here, and even a few Droverbills, as well as Elvers, Selwyns, and Wheelwrights. And almost immediately, they fall to arguing about the best way to deal with the Jotun and whose fault it is that the orcs have returned. There are some who argue that the Bregas need to negotiate with the invaders, because the Empire has proven time and again that it cannot be trusted. There are some who ask what Bushel Sykes would do (leading to the unhelpful answer “steal someone else's eels” which provokes a fist-fight). There are those prepared to lay down their lives rather than submit to the Jotun again, and the whole thing looks set to dissolve into a sullen, resentful, rebellious mess even as the Jotun storm across the marshes and close on Ottermire.
In the end, the soldiers of the Strong Reeds take charge, convince the most contentious to put their arguments back in their pockets until after the meal is done (as the saying goes), and remind the angry Bregas that if they do not all hang together they will certainly hang separately. They must put their bitterness aside, for a time at least, and have faith that there is help coming. The causeway into Mitwold represents the best route to escape should it become necessary – but it is also the obvious route for Imperial allies, for the other Marcher armies, to come to the aid of Bregasland.
There is scepticism, but in the end, nobody wants to make things easy for the Jotun. Barricades are erected, weapons and armour distributed, levies called and yeofolk from one end of Bregasland to the other rally to the cause. There are even a few defenders from Mitwold who come marching along the causeway – recruited by those Strong Reeds who only recently were billeted in Oddmire and Meade March (and their presence leads to more arguments, as the most hidebound Bregas insist they don't need the help of their kind of course).
While the defences of Ottery are being made ready, the Strong Reeds fight to delay the Jotun. They target supply lines and scouts for the most part, using their superior knowledge of the marshes and their skill with hit-and-run tactics to their best advantage. In every region, even in the Rushes where the folk have heard the resentful whispers of the Clakes, they are welcomed and sheltered from the barbarians. In turn, they help those who need to escape to find sanctuary at Ottery, or to pass along Odd's Way to Oddmire.
The Defence of Ottery
There is only so much the Strong Reeds and their allies can do, however. They are massively outnumbered, and even when working together the disparate factions of Bregasland cannot defeat the might of the Jotun. Yet they do their best, and sometimes one's best is enough. Barely.
As the Spring draws near, the Jotun close on Ottery. The town and its environs, and Odd's Way, are the only part of Bregasland not under the control of the invading orcs. The future looks grim for the defenders, but it is clear they do not intend to give ground before the barbarian host. With the Strong Reeds to support them, they will fight - and die if need be - to deny the orcs complete control of their homeland. They have set aside their Pride for the moment – and bound their Loyalty to great things around them like armour.
Yet for all their outward cooperation the defenders of Bregasland are still divided. The fracture-lines run deep here, following the fallout around the reign of Mathilda Fisher and the Jotun occupation. It remains to be seen whether those cracks can be glued, or whether this invasion will see the fragile unity of the marshes shatter irrevocably into a thousand pieces.
Game Information
Mournwold
- The Marcher armies have liberated Ore Hills
- They are a little shy of two-fifths of the way toward liberating the Chalkdowns
The two Marcher armies have made significant headway in the Mournwold, driving the Jotun out of the Ore Hills and then turning their attention north toward the Chalkdowns. They are a little less than two-fifths of the way towards retaking that region as well. The Jotun still control the Chalkdowns, and both the Greensward and Farstrider's Watch are dominated by veteran champions and their warbands - there had been no Jotun armies active in the territory this season.
Bregasland
- The Jotun have conquered Grey Fens, North Fens, and the Rushes
- They are eight-tenths of the way towards taking Ottermire
The presence of the Strong Reeds is the only thing that has stood between the Jotun host and complete control of Bregasland. As it is, the territory has been almost entirely conquered and is no longer Imperial. This means that the senator, Willem Tarne, has lost their seat, and the territory cannot be targeted by rituals from the Imperial regio.
Being Bound by Common Cause, and oathsworn to protect Bregasland, has significantly helped the Strong Reeds to encourage the people of the territory to put aside their differences and resist the Jotun. It seems unlikely that they will be able to prevent the orcs conquering the whole of the territory by themselves, however, unless something unexpected happens. There are more opportunities for the Strong Reeds to exploit their unique position at Sal-Ott Meet.
One effect of the hard work done by the Strong Reeds, and their close work with the people of the territory, is that they have helped the Bregas conceal much of their wealth from the invading orcs. For the moment personal resources in the territory do not suffer the conquered territory penalty – and as long as the Strong Reeds remain in Bregasland they won't suffer that penalty even if the Jotun take Ottermire.
Sadly, thanks to the persistence of the Lasambrians, the Bregasland portion of the Imperial Breadbasket has been utterly looted. No Marcher farm in the territory will gain any benefits from the breadbasket in the coming season.
Participation – Bregas
- Any character whose personal resource is in Bregasland is encouraged to consider how the invasion affects them
Characters from Bregasland are encouraged to think about what the invasion means for them and how their household is faring. The presence of the Strong Reeds has ensured that anyone who wants to do so could have become part of the resistance against the Jotun invasion, perhaps even joining the desperate defenders at Ottery.
Conjunctions
Gathering Clouds (Mournwold)
...We will search every mine, farm and woods to clear out the Jotun in our continuing ambition to make the Mourn whole....
excerpt of orders from Stanley Of Chalkdown, General of the Tusks- A warband of yegarra is gathering in an old watchhouse in Alderly
- This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
- Stanley Of Chalkdown is responsible for killing Einar the Cunning
- This conjunction is against barbarians; magistrates advise that lethal force is fully justified
Einar the Cunning, would-be conqueror of Alderly, continues to create a name for themselves following their success at meting out "justice" on the herbalists of New Longswick last season. Now, they have established themselves in the Boar's Hall, a dilapidated watchhouse just inside the forest of Alderly. There they wait for their followers and others willing to pledge an oath to them.
Tall Margaret, the soldier who raised the alarm last season, has developed a grudge against the champion. She sought out rumours of the yegarra, reportedly speaking with several of the strange servants of Guard of the Young, and has discovered their meeting place. Now, she asks that Stanley of Chalkdown journey to Alderly and finish the job against the upstart. If Einar the Cunning is not stopped, they will form a warband of five hundred strength by the start of the Autumn Equinox 387YE.
A Time for Iron (Kallavesa)
- A warband of yegarra are moving to claim the wealth of Hufi's Garden
- This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
- The Woundbinder of the Mark is responsible for defeating the yegarra
- This conjunction is against barbarians; magistrates advise that lethal force is fully justified
In Kallavesa, a small raiding warband of yegarra has taken a small ship across the Westmere to Kallavesa Marsh, intent on claiming wealth and renown in the swamps of the Winterfolk. Their ultimate goal is Hufi's Garden, outside of Masi. The yegarra would never threaten Masi, nor the guards who watch the dead there, but the vibrant garden is considered a legitimate target of war. Their ship having landed, their path leads them directly through Aethelric's Fence, a mostly abandoned palisade that is largely used by local children to recreate the famous sieges of the past. If they can be held up and stopped there, then they will be forced to abandon their raid and return across the Westmere to Bregasland.
If the Woundbinder of the Mark, Conrald Mystrim, defeats the yegarra then they will receive a Phial of the Sun from the grateful gardeners of Hufi's Garden. If the yegarra reach Hufi's Garden, then it will be devastated, producing half as many herbs until repaired.
A Peculiar Calling (Mitwold)
- A warband of yegarra are returning from a raid into Mitwold
- This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
- The Bailiff of Meade is responsible for defeating the yegarra
- This conjunction is against barbarians; magistrates advise that lethal force is fully justified
The conquest of Bregasland has given the Jotun warbands a path into other wealthy lands. One warband, yegarra from Kalsea, is resting during their return from a disappointing raid into Mitwold – stymied by the freshly galvanised bounders using the bounders hall in Meade. Dissent and arguments abound amongst the warband – what was supposed to be an easy and fruitful foray has been cut short. The warband continues travelling with each other, but has been splitting into three camps whilst resting.
The Warden of the Granite Tower recognised the efforts made by the bounders in hindering the yegarra. The herald of the Lady of the Frost has stated that if the warriors of Kalsea are defeated, they will deliver a suit of "Blackmetal Chain" to the Bailiff of Meade in time for the Summer Solstice. Given that they are expected to be in three camps, it is possible that the Bailiff might choose to engage the first group stealthily.
Fog of War (Bregasland)
...we will look to our citizens, offer our aid and prove again our bonds of loyalty like the folkheroes of old.....
excerpt of orders from Amberlain P. Black, General of the Strong Reeds- A warband of Jotun and Lasambrians are returning from plundering Bregasland
- This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
- The General of the Strong Reeds is responsible for recovering the plundered goods
- This conjunction is against barbarians; magistrates advise that lethal force is fully justified
The Lasambrians of the Corazón have been focused on gathering resources over the last three months. With their hoped-for treaty in tatters and news on the invasion of Reinos sporadic, the Virtuous orcs have focused instead on their well-practised skills. One of the warbands is returning to the camps around Sallow with the fruits of their labour; magic items and money. Each warrior in the warband has been rewarded with something for their efforts over the past season. Most have a trinket of some kind, others are bedecked in a heavy breastplate forged by blacksmiths, or wield a blade of an orichalcum and steel alloy.
It falls to the General of the Strong Reeds, Amberlain P. Black, to defeat the Lasambrians and their Jotun allies. If that can be accomplished, and the ill-gotten loot recovered, then the artisans of Bregasland will be heartened to know it is put to good use in fending off the Jotun.
Glory at the End (Battle Opportunity)
The Strong Reeds have kept a vigilant watch in Bregasland for over a year, reassuring their countryfolk since the territory's liberation from the Jotun and the pretender stewardship, and ensuring that the large warband of Ice Fishers of Ldansk are under continual surveillance. Dutiful, steadfast, and stubborn to the last, they have bidden their time. Without the army's presence, laying low in isolated fens and sleet-driven birch stands, Bregasland would have been utterly overwhelmed by the Jotun's sudden drive out of Ashvale, through Gravenmarch, and out across the open marshes. Had they been elsewhere, then the orcs would be in Ottery already, preparing for a march down the broadened Otterway right into Oddmire and then Mitwold.
Whilst there is much to praise in their commitment and dedication to carrying out their general's orders, it is tough to keep morale up with the arrival of fresh Jotun forces. Soldiers fight for their neighbours' homes, the eel farms of their cousins, and the cattle of their other cousins. It is tireless, it is thankless, and it needs to be done. "The reward for a good job is more work" as the Marchers say.
The Jotun now control all of Bregasland except for the town of Ottery, the Otterway into Mitwold and the southbound Sallow Way as far as Sal-Ott Meet, half the distance to Sallow itself. Thwarted by the guerrilla actions, ambushes, and subterfuge of the Strong Reeds, the barbarians have been unable to complete what they had finished before the turning of the seasons. But there are warbands slowly picking their way east out of the North Fens, and most troubling of all, a massive force moving north up the Sallow Way. Without intervention, this mass of elite kirkja warriors will reach Ottery by the end of the equinox, effectively completing the Jotun's conquest of the territory. The western barbarians have such numbers that even the Strong Reeds will be unable to oppose them in the campaigning ahead.
Objective: Block the Sallow Way
- Stop the Jotun's attack north from Sallow
- Hold ground and turn back the assault at Sal-Ott Meet
- Success will prevent the Jotun from fully conquering Bregasland before the new campaign season
- Failure will see the fall of the territory, allowing the Jotun to advance
Sal-Ott Meet lies equidistant along the causeway between Sallow and Ottery. Here, the land broadens out into several open pastures and one of the largest woods for many miles. Traditionally, in quieter times, the area has seen frequent use as a place for summer festivals, markets to draw merchants in from across the wide marshes, and foot-the-ball matches between the two settlements. It has also served as a point where new recruits to the Strong Reeds muster.
The field provides as good a place as any to bring the Jotun to battle as they move north. The portal from the Sentinel Gate will deliver forces from Anvil to the gathering field some ten to fifteen minutes before the Jotun arrive. A set of defences hastily erected by locals under direction of the Reeds awaits the arrival of Imperial forces. All that needs to be done is await the barbarian troops, bring them to battle, and blunt their attack. Should the line still hold a full hour after the Sentinel Gate is opened, then prognosticators predict that the Jotun's strength will begin to wane and they will soon relinquish their offensive. It will be forty-five to sixty minutes of hard and relentless work, but "war is a thrice-ploughed field" as the saying goes.
Objective: Rouse the Strong Reeds
- Call out the Pride and Loyalty of the Strong Reeds
- Beat the bounds at the three dolmen to raise morale and allow the army to Rise from the Reeds
Sal-Ott Meet has long been a place where beaters from across the territory convene to share news of criminals or pass words from the Imperial magistrates. Hundreds of years ago, four dolmens were set in the field by Bregas beater gangs, one for each of the marsh-covered regions of the territory. One was lost during the reign of Emperor James, either magicked away on a summer night or swallowed by the fens, the telling differs... Beating the three remaining stones is a potent local tradition whenever gangs gather. Several local beaters from the Strong Reeds ask the Empire to recognise the Pride and Loyalty of their actions in Bregasland to inspire the rank and file.
If the beaters from across the Marches can symbolically 'beat the bounds' of the field, and even show the dolmens a bit of rough music, then it will raise morale in the army. If that happens, then the army will be fired up to take the fight back to the Jotun. This will not be an easy undertaking given the nature of the Jotun's advance, but it could be a risk worth taking.
Should the bounds of the dolmens be beaten successfully, then it will further remind the army what they are fighting for. “Pride in small things, loyalty to great ones” as the saying goes. The inspiration will allow the army's general to issue a new order - Rise from the Reeds - setting the soldiers of the Strong Reeds loose from their hiding places to wreak bloody havoc against their foes. Following the 'Reeds continued long-term deployment in Bregasland, this offers a potent option to unleash in the coming seasons. This would be a permanent change to the Secretive quality of the Strong Reeds.
Rise from the Reeds
- All casualties inflicted by this army are increased by a fifth for each uninterrupted season of laying low
- The ability of to capture territory is increased by a fifth for each uninterrupted season of laying low
The army takes advantage of the seasons of preparation to unleash a surprise assault in an attempt to overwhelm the enemy. The soldiers emerge from hiding to launch the attack, focusing on the weak points in the enemy position identified in previous seasons. For each season that this army has taken the Lay Low order without interruption in the targeted territory, the army gains 20% towards taking territory and inflicting casualties. Taking any order other than Lay Low (including this one) resets the count.
Battlefield Opportunity: Capture the Corazon's pennants
- Seize Corazon pennants during the battle
- Present five banners to the nation and Marcher egregore
- Success will display the Empire's Loyalty and remove the sullen quality from the Grey Fens
Following the thwarted raid on Eel's Landing, the Corazón have struck against winter storehouses and granaries across the territory. Tight belts are tightened further as the armies of the Jotun progress across Bregasland. Those who cannot, or choose not to, flee from the orcs, secrete away what they can and prepare for the hardships of another occupation. Still sour that the Droverbills skirted a harsh punishment for their actions when the Jotun last came east, people start to grumble more. There are many here who remain sullen, making future campaigns costly for the Imperial budget.
"You don't own it unless you can defend it." as the saying goes. Showing the people that thieves are dealt with quickly, and providing evidence that they have been brought to justice, will always be welcome news. Striking back at the Lasambrian raiders in Bregasland is timely and will make a pointed display to the wider population. If at least five orange pennants born by the units of Lasambrian orcs at Sal-Ott can be taken from the field and presented to the Marcher egregore in front of the nation, then it will send a powerful message across the territory about the actions of the Empire and their Loyalty to those in need. Successfully presenting the pennants will ease the sullen mood of the territory over the next three months.