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Good as gold

2026-09-10T00:49:45Z

Noserenda: /* Gelberg's Last Theorem */ He aint dead yet

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Autumn]][[Category:Foreign Nations]]
<ic>Professor Gelberg sat pensively on the floor, his gaze following a kestrel hovering on the wind. The cold stone of the wall was rough against his back and the sun was warm on his face. For now, there was nothing left to do.

One of his companions who had been captured with him came across “I’ve got terrible news, Immy. We just drank the last of the Holberger.”

The Professor gave a deep sigh. “Damn. I was very fond of that stuff.”

“I remember. Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be able to get a crate to take home.”

“That's a good though. We should focus on that." Professor Gelberg didn’t look away. The kestrel remained in its position. “We’ll have to do something eventually. It does no good to deny the inevitable.”

He noted his companion coming across to sit beside him. “It’s not inevitable. Don’t talk like that.” They were no longer discussing beer.

“I suppose not. But the mouse can’t hide from the kestrel forever.” It was still hovering. Did it take effort to hold themselves like that? He had never been much of a one for natural philosophy.

“Someone will come. The Imperials will find us. We’ll go home and you can tell everyone about the best beer in Imperial lands.”

Professor Gelberg shrugged. “Perhaps. Or perhaps this is all part of some terrible scheme...”

With a scream, the kestrel swooped on its prey.</ic>
<div {{floatleft}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=Morose and Cowled.jpg|caption='''Nekoda of the Shattered Tower''', Cardinal of Courage and one-time [[Patron of the Beurteilung]]|align=right|width=2000}}</div>
==Overview==
At the Winter Solstice '''Nekoda of the Shattered Tower''', now [[Cardinal of Courage]], won the [[Patron_of_the_Beurteilung|patronage of the Beurteilung]] at [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Imperial_elections#Bourse_Auction|auction]] for forty-seven thrones. This gave them the right to request that the scholars of the Commonwealth appraise a pressing matter, much as if it were an [[appraisal]] being carried out by the prognosticator's office. As always, the work was led by Professor Immanuel Gelberg, a studious [[Commonwealth]] scholar whose research emphasises the [[Commonwealth#Religion|Common Good]]. Last season, Die Beurteilung was set the task of assessing "''...ways to build upon the River Couros, to strengthen our bonds and uplift our Prosperity from Therunin to the Bay of Catazar.''"

Professor Gelberg's team were pleased to carry out this task. Economic development is one of the main concerns of the [[Commonwealth#Politics|universities and research fellowships]] that propose motions to the ruling council of generals. On top of this, a productive work trip along a beautiful river through land controlled by prosperous and generous hosts seemed like a fine way to conclude their business before [[Towards_a_common_good#Going_Home|returning home]] to their friends, family and colleagues.

If only it had turned out that way...

==Disaster Strikes==
* '''Professor Gelberg was abducted by Grendel raiders while sailing too close to the mouth of the River Couros'''
* '''Somebody knew exactly where the Professor was going to be and betrayed him to the Empire's enemies'''
* '''His team were able to complete the appraisal but Gelberg remains a prisoner of the Grendel'''

Shortly before the Summer Solstice, tragedy struck. Professor Gelberg was [[388YE_Summer_Solstice_winds_of_fortune#A_Sudden_Threat_(Reikos)|abducted by a party of Grendel wave riders]]. Somehow this group were able to penetrate the Empire's defences, evade their patrols, and precisely target the Professor. There is absolutely no possibility of any kind that that was a coincidence. Someone, somehow knew exactly where he was going to be and betrayed the Professor to the Empire's enemies.

There majority of the work had been completed already, but the team held their report back a season, hopeful that Imperial heroes would be able to recover their boss and he could present it in person. This was his last appraisal, his last piece of work in the Empire. Nobody wanted to accept that this might just have been his last piece of work period.

Sadly, the professor could not be rescued. The Gate did open, but somehow it ''didn't'' provide the heroes of Anvil with an opportunity to rescue the Professor, a thing which is ''literally impossible''. Instead, they ran directly into a trap. According to skilled prognosticators, the only way that can happen is if the prognosticators misunderstood what the purpose of that conjunction was. The Gate doesn't exactly provide an explanation after all. It's very strange, but people who spend their entire lives studying the Gate claim it makes more sense if you think the point of the expedition was to try to rescue the Professor but fail. They point to the fact that he is still alive... clearly fate is not finished with the Professor Gelberg just yet.

Still, the Grendel show no sign of letting the Professor go. So - somewhat reluctantly - they have published their report. The work is thorough and practical, but nobody can quite shake the feeling that if Gelberg were still here he might have had one more idea to put the cherry on the cake. There's a reason he was considered one of the finest minds in the Commonwealth. Maybe it's the same reason the Grendel have abducted him...

==Expand the Docks at Hedra==
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Visitors Docks of Hedra'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Great work </td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Hedrossan, Necropolis</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 100 white granite, 20 mithril and 360 crowns in labour</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' 12 months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Raises the level of investment in congregations in Necropolis, Bastion, Morrow and Redoubt, providing 36 rings each season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Available until the end of the Summer Solstice 390YE</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:''' Does not produce any benefit until the Grand Inspiration of the Way is complete</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''Once the Grand Inspiration of the Way is complete, the docks at Hedra could funnel donations from visitors to congregations along the river Couros'''
* '''Building the Visitors Docks at Hedra would raise the level of investment in congregations in the four territories, providing them with 36 rings each season'''

Much of Gelberg's work focused on Necropolis and Bastion. He quickly identifies that of the two nations, Highguard and Urizen, the former was the one that would more easily benefit from investment. The Urizen territories on the other side of the river already benefit from a number of significant investments, great works that help enrich their citizens, their nation and the Empire. By comparison, Necropolis and Bastion languish without any significant investment of that kind at all.

Nobody along the river Couros can avoid the constant news about the ongoing construction of the [[Construct_Grand_Inspiration_of_the_Way|Grand Inspiration of the Way]]. Hundreds of wains are still required to complete the construction, along with massive amounts of labour, but work continues apace. Once it is completed, the Grand Inspiration will undisputedly cement the White City as the heart of the Way of Virtue the whole world over, and will attract massive numbers of pilgrims to bask in its aura.

Gelberg's team don't commit anything to paper about the reason for this failing, but in person they're less circumspect. It's clear Gelberg blamed the lack of investment in Necropolis and Bastion on the new monument. As far as he was concerned, this enormous white elephant was consuming much of the wealth of Highguard, which should otherwise have been directed to the Common Good. The Professor was full of praise for the architecture of the Grand Inspiration, but he found its purpose utterly baffling.

He was concerned that nothing would be built in Necropolis or Bastion until the Grand Inspiration was finished. As he put it "Until the Highborn get this out of their system, every thought will turn to their temple." For some reason, he did ''not'' share the optimism of the Assembly of the Ambition - he seemed to think that there might well be years of work yet to do. He forced the team to focus on the territory, arguing that Necropolis was without doubt the territory where they could do the most good, but he had the team future-proof the plans, spending extra time to ensure that they would be good for at least two years to come. "Hopefully they can come back to them when they've built their towers to the moon..."

And so the team got to work. The port-town of Hedra serves the traders from the League and the Brass Coast, as well as those from further afield in the Marches or Wintermark. Outside merchants benefit from access to Highborn stone and bring sacks of grain and other foodstuffs ultimately destined for the high peaks of Urizen. The presence of the [[Ambassador_to_the_Commonwealth#The_Diplomatenschloss|diplomatenschloss]] boosted demand for all sorts of goods, leading to a small influx of ships coming to serve the market. If only the embassy were 100 times the size, that boost in trade could be the source of new wealth for the territories on the Couros.

Gelberg's team were impressed by the potential of the docks and draw up plans for an expansive improvement. They spent hours labouring over the proposals, until they eventually made a breakthrough - the Grand Inspiration. As far as Gelberg was concerned, nothing would get done until the Highborn folly was complete - so why not redo their prognostications on the assumption that it was already built? Why not look at what could be done once that happened? Frustrating to wait a year or more, but if they're going to have to do that anyway...

The final proposals are not cheap, coming in at 100 wains of white granite and 20 wains of mithril, but they would transform the fortunes of Necropolis and Bastion, and even Redoubt and Morrow would see some gains. The Visitor's Docks would be designed for passenger vessels, bringing visitors from all over the Empire - and the world, according to Gelberg's calculations, although he is very sceptical of that last part. From Hedra it would be a short journey to the city of Bastion and the Grand Inspiration. Gelberg's plan creates the facilities to handle this influx of visitors, thereby raising the level of investment in congregations across the four territories, providing each one with 36 rings each season from donations of grateful pilgrims eager for hostelry and support as they make their pilgrimage to the White City.

==Gelberg's Last Theorem==
* '''The work done by Professor Gelberg's team is complete'''
* '''A few members of the team believe that Gelberg had hit on an idea that he wanted to prognosticate shortly before his capture, but he was unable to tell anyone what it was'''
* '''Gelberg's Last Theorem is likely to remain a mystery unless the Empire can find a way to free him from the clutches of the Grendel'''

The scope of any Die Beurteilung is not guaranteed to match that of the Imperial Prognosticators' office - the small group of Commonwealth professors lack the resources and the facilities to produce something on that grand scale. Some of their work in the past has been expansive, but others have been shorter in length, as befits their scope. In this case, the team were delighted by the breakthrough they made - drawing on the enormous flood of visitors that are bound to come to see the Grand Inspiration creates a flaw in the design - the plans are no use until the Grand Inspiration is complete, but it enabled the team to produce a single commission that was highly efficient, by many measures, given that it boosted wealth across the congregations of ''four separate territories''.

Pleased with themselves, the team submit the work to their Imperial counterparts, and those who are not staying behind to try and do what they can to facilitate the Professor's release from the Grendel make ready to depart. Die Beurteilung is over, and his towering vision for the Visitors Dock at Hedra will stand as his Last Theorem. At least in the Empire - for even if Gelberg can still be saved, he was due to depart these shores anyway at the end of last season.

And that would be the end of the matter, if it were not for ''one last thing''. Sarotsin, one of Gelberg's students, was chatting with Naomi in her offices in the Castle of Thorns, and he happened to mention that Gelberg was working on something when he was captured, something he thought might be useful on this project. He'd been working on designs for ways to create access to the coast in areas where the geography wouldn't normally permit it - to allow fleets and merchant vessels to dock where normally it would be impossible.

It's too late now, of course, but maybe if the Empire can recover Gelberg, then his Gelberg's Last Theorem might yet prove useful?

When something is lost

2026-09-08T20:07:34Z

Noserenda: /* Into Crucible */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Autumn]]
<ic>John scanned the horizon, looking, desperately, anywhere for a patch of blue sky. There was nothing, of course. Just the same endless billowing green, as if the sky itself were carpeted in grass. Every time he raised his eyes to the sky, he got his hopes up, but every time they were dashed.

"It ain't natural," he said, the statement a contender for the worst understatement by a Marcher from Hay this week.

"No. As I keep telling you, we're ain't in Mitwold no more." Hatty Hay was trying not to snap but it was hard to keep a civil tongue in her mouth. "We're in some kind of regio. Some kind of enormous fucking regio. The size of Mitwold, or bigger even. Mebbe bigger than the whole Empire. Mebbe bigger than the whole world."

"I still don't see how can it be bigger than Madruga, and fit in the territory." John liked Hattie, best Landskeeper in the Drakes, as he often told people. But that was best as in "best at fixing broken bones" and the like. She was rubbish at explanations. He hadn't known that til now. Hadn't needed to mind.

Hattie bit her tongue and changed the subject. "Stop chewing teeth, we'll be fine. They'll find a way to get us out of here. And in the meantime, keep your eye on that sky. First bit of blue you see, you let me know."

John hoisted his pack. It was noticeably lighter than when they'd set out. That was definitely ''not'' reassuring.
</ic>
<div {{float-left}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=Spring by Michalina.jpg|caption=What do you do when something is lost?|align=left|width=500}}</div>
==Overview==
* '''An enchantment has been cast on Madruga'''
* '''It coincides with two Imperial armies bringing the last two regions of the transfigured territory into the Empire'''
* '''One of those armies has not come back out of the marshes'''
Once [[Madruga]] was grassy plains, rich coastline, and prosperous islands. Now the islands are in the hand of the [[Iron Confederacy|Suranni]], the coastline is only just recovering from terrible storms and magical [[Spring magic#Chaos|chaos]], and much of the grassland has been transfigured into an enchanted marsh infused with the powers of the [[Realms#Night|Night]], [[Realms#Spring|Spring]], and [[Realms#Winter|Winter]] realms. Mind you, this is [[the Brass Coast]] and there are plenty of Freeborn who welcome the excitement, unpredictability, and wonder each day promises.

After the Summer Solstice, magic started to settle over Madruga. It took a little time to get going - this magic is full of the dreams of forests that have not grown in Madruga for a very long time indeed. What few woodlands there were went to build the ships the Freeborn value so highly. At the same time the magic was weaving its way across the twilit bayou and the grasslands, two Imperial armies were finally bringing the last regions of the territory back into Imperial control.

''One'' of those armies has since come back to report success. The other... has not.
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Crucible.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Sung001b.JPG|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Sadogua001d.webp|align=right|width=200}}</div>
==Shadows over the Bayou==
* '''A potent Night magic enchantment has settled over Madruga'''
* '''Folk living there or visiting experience vibrant dreams of nighttime forests'''
* '''Encounters with heralds of the Night realm, especially Sung, Sadogua, and Azoth, have become a little more common'''
Night magic pools in Madruga, in quiet places throughout the territory. It whispers through the dreams of the people, who are visited by visions of a strange night-time forest. A swampy, marshy forest of cypress, alder, willow, and mangrove. The forest is alive with strange creatures, rainbow-hued little beasts that switch from one shape to another. From scuttling lizard, to soaring laughing bird, to chattering monkey, to three-tailed cat, to meddlesome octopus, to surreptitious alligator, to long-legged dodo-bird with a crest of eyes. They are not threatening, but they are strange and they trail dreamers who walk or punt through the phantasmal woodlands.

Encounters with the Night Realm are noticeably more common, little sparks of unexpected magic clearly drawing on the [[Night magic#Resonances|resonances]] of the [[Realms#Night|Wondrous Forest]]. In particular, people talk of seemingly chance encounters with odd heralds of that realm especially those answering to ''[[Sung|Rainbow Serpent]]'', ''[[Sadogua|Brother of Wizards]]'', and [[Azoth|''Crucible'']] itself. The creatures tend to be friendly, interested in the people, encouraging folk in the usual manners for their kind, happy to accept hospitality. This is the Brass Coast, and they often offer little boons in return for food and drink. They also offer payment for things no Freeborn would consider deserving of recompense - conversation, answers, the chance to pet a dog.

Obviously, given the nature of this kind of magic and the territory itself (especially [[Madruga#Crucible|Crucible]]) there is a significant chance of some kind of unexpected outcome. Perhaps even permanent transformation of the territory in some way...
===An Absolutely Terrible Idea===
* '''Nobody is entirely sure who first came up with it but a daring proposal has been made'''
Everybody says they heard it from somewhere else, but there's a fascinating idea doing the rounds. It might have come from the heralds of Azoth, who everyone knows love transcendence through alchemy and learning through experience almost as much as they adore inspiration through madness. It might have been mentioned in one of the long, rambling conversations between drunk hakima and heralds of Sadogua. It might even have been whispered into the wind by some of the children of Sung. Not that the heralds of the Night realm have a monopoly on ideas of dubious good sense - it's just as likely to have come from a hakima inspired by their dreams or even a visiting citizen from another nation entirely.

The idea is straightforward enough. The magic that infuses southern and western Madruga is not drawn from a single realm. So why not follow the Night enchantment currently nestled over the territory with a Spring and a Winter enchantment - in any order - and see what happens? Obviously the Children of Wrecks were throwing potent Spring magic around during their occupation of the islands but it was very much in the form of destructive [[curse|curses]]. But it can't be denied that such magic occasionally leads to beneficial results here and there - spreading ''marsh flowers'' for example. Wouldn't an enchantment ''intended'' to be beneficial be more likely to bring good results in Siroc Bayou, Crucible, or even the [[Madruga#Quiet Grasses|Quiet Grasses]]? They wouldn't even necessarily have to be cast strictly consecutively - although the order might matter - as long as no other enchantments were inserted in between. There is a very vague attempt to name the idea the "Madrugahedron" (referencing the [[Stargazer#Resonance_and_the_Omnihedron|omnihedron]] beloved by some [[Urizen|Urizeni]]) but it doesn't really catch on.

Before anyone can do anything as organised as make a concrete proposal, however, the ''other'' effect of that this Night enchantment seems to have had a hand in becomes clear and people have other things to talk about.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Drakes_Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Star Forged colour.webp|align=right|width=200}}

==Into Crucible==
* '''The Drakes and the Star Forged have entered the Bayou, but become split up'''
* '''By the end of the season the Star Forged have emerged relatively unscathed, but the Drakes have not'''
* '''There is no sign of the missing army; more than six thousand Marcher soldiers have completely disappeared'''
Since the [[Where the river rises|transfiguration]] of Madruga - since the Dry Patricians were defeated and their terrible Blight washed away by waters infused with Spring and Night and ultimately Winter magic - this has been a place of mysteries and wonders. Last season, a season of [[phantasms and foam]], the [[Red Wind Corsairs]] explored [[Madruga#Siroc Bayou|Siroc Bayou]] attempting to understand the shifting marshes and bring this magically infused geography into the Empire proper. They encountered [[Phantasms_and_foam#Madruga|difficulties]] but still made some headway mastering two thirds of the marshlands.

After the Summer Solstice, the Corsairs set off for [[the Marches]], alongside the [[Fire of the South]], and took part in the campaign against the Jotun in [[Bregasland]]. Two armies came south to complete their work - the [[Star Forged]], the new army of [[Navarr]], and the [[Drakes]], the [[Pride|proud]] first army of [[the Marches]]. Putting subtlety to one side, both armies were ordered to undertake an [[Army orders#Overwhelming Assault|overwhelming assault]] against the strangeness of the Bayou and Crucible, and that is exactly what they did. Both armies bore enchantments - the Drakes carried the [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]], invaluable in mastering the mysteries of the marshes. The Star Forged were empowered with [[Find the Best Path]], an enchantment that improves not only speed but the logistical structures of an army allowing them to move with confidence over long distances. Remember that bit.

Elsewhere in the territory there is some commentary from the heralds of the Night realm that the approach of the two armies is all wrong, too violent, too unsubtle, but the creatures of Night often say that kind of thing. There may be a ring of truth to it all - for the first month or so there are semi-regular reports from Navarr messengers of encounters with phantasmal soldiers similar to those the Red Wind Corsairs mentioned. Sometimes human, sometimes orc, sometimes something unlike either, they seem to be drawn out of history or in from dreams. There is fighting, but amazingly no casualties are suffered. The wounds the phantoms cause seem to lie in the mind and the spirit rather than on the body. The two armies complete the work of the 'Corsairs. Siroc Bayou still contains enigmas, as befits any locale infused with the essences of both the [[Realms#Spring|Primal Forest]] and the [[Realms#Night magic|Wondrous]] ones. They proceed to the next target - to Crucible itself.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Logan Dusklight.jpg|caption='''Logan Dusklight''', General of the Star Forged|align=right|width=250}}
The first report, delivered by a cheerful Navarr messenger, is that everything is proceeding as expected. Then... nothing. The next messenger does not arrive with a status update, and neither does the one after that or... There are a handful of Freeborn explorers who brave Crucible in search of treasures and wonders to sell in the markets of [[Madruga#Calvos|Calvos]] and [[Madruga#Quzar|Quzar]]. This season when they emerge from the marshes they report encounters with the Drakes and the Star Forged, surprised that people seem so concerned about them. The last such sighting indicates that the two armies have split up to cover more ground, but are confident that by the start of the Winter Solstice they will have ensured Crucible is part of Madruga in fact as well as name.

The silence from the armies themselves, however, stretches on. A patrol of soldiers sent in to make sure everything is alright are swallowed up and disappear in their turn. Something is clearly wrong...

Then, a little over three weeks before the Autumn Equinox, the Star Forged emerge from Crucible into [[Madruga#Lightsea|Lightsea]]. They are muddied and exhausted, but triumphant. Between them, the Drakes and the Star Forged have mapped out enough of Crucible, have established outposts and encampments, that the region is now truly Imperial. They warn that the place is very confusing, that the deeper one pushes into Crucible the larger and wilder it seems to become, although that might just be the Night magic and the Spring magic playing tricks on the mind.

What they haven't brought out of Crucible with them however are the Drakes themselves. There is some confusion among the Navarr - they thought the Drakes would rendezvous with them in Lightsea. And yet there is no sign of the Marcher army. The entire six-thousand-strong force of the Marches has vanished.

The only sign of the Drakes comes when four units under the command of ''Iñez i Azul-Mar i Riqueza'' of [[the Brass Coast]], ''Fay Baker'' of [[Dawn]], and two Marcher captains - Lazarus and John of Meade. They are as confused as the Star Forged - they seem to have only jumbled recollections of the last few weeks, and believed the rest of the army was right behind them. But there continues to be no sign of the Marcher army.
===Participation : Mist Walking===
* '''Anyone whose military unit supported the Drakes or the Star Forged has jumbled recollections of their time in the marshes'''
* '''Any such character with the naga lineage might find their physical or roleplaying trappings becoming stronger'''
* '''Any unlineaged human character who supported one of the armies may choose to change their lineage to naga after the Autumn Equinox'''
Any character whose military unit supported one of the armies that were exploring and cataloguing the Siroc Bayou and Crucible, you are likely to have jumbled recollections of precisely what happened. The more you try to remember the harder it is to keep a coherent thread. You are encouraged to skim over some of the other text about the marshes, such as that in [[Phantasms and foam]] last season, or the descriptions of the marshes' peculiarities in the [[Made anew]] wind of fortune.

Any character with the [[naga]] lineage who supported the Drakes or the Star Forged, or is the general of one of those armies, may use this as an opportunity to strengthen their [[Naga#Other_Trappings|lineage trappings]] or to focus on one or more of their [[Naga#Roleplaying|roleplaying trappings]] and heighten their effects.

Likewise, any human character with no lineage who supported one of the armies may choose to develop the naga lineage. Given the short gap between this wind of fortune being produced and the event, you may want to demonstrate roleplaying trappings at the Autumn Equinox and arrange your trappings afterward - meaning you can email {{plot}} after the event to get your lineage updated.

==Still In There Somewhere==
* '''Magicians and their eternal allies all agree that the Marcher army has been trapped somehow by the kaleidoscope of magic that permeates the Bayou'''
* '''The Star Forged were saved by the nature of the enchantment on them, the Drakes were not so fortunate'''
* '''To get them back, the Empire will have to go and look for them'''
The [[hakima]] from the [[Hakima_of_Salt_and_Sand#Parador_of_Salt_and_Sand|Parador of Salt and Sand]] are among some of the first to talk to those who have emerged from the marshes, and a potential explanation begins to emerge. The Night magic enchantment on Madruga has ''done something'' to the Crucible. The Drakes are, as near as anyone can tell, still exploring it. It looks as if the magic enhancing their ability to claim ground - the ''Clarity'' - may actually have worked against them in fact by encouraging them to keep seeking to understand a place that defies explanation. The Star Forged however were enchanted with an [[Autumn magic]] working that empowers armies to ''get where they are going''. While the Crucible might have drawn them in, ultimately their enchantment served to ensure they emerged unfazed.

All the reports suggest the Marcher soldiers are probably fine - but the longer they stay in Crucible the more likely they are to either get so lost they can never return, or to undergo some kind of terrible transformation, or to encounter something more dangerous than phantasmal dream soldiers.
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; margin: 15px;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Sular.png|align=right|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=NBMarches.jpg|align=right|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=NBNavarr.jpg|align=right|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=NBBrassCoast.jpg|align=right|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Wyr.png|title=Rune: Wyr|align=right|width=150}}</div>
Conveniently, there are a few heralds of the Night realm in Madruga who are happy to offer their own particular brand of assistance when challenged. The little wizards of Sadogua concurr with the hakima assessment, and are more than happy to get into the deep and confusing weeds of a conversation about the interactions of different kinds of magic. The heralds of Azoth find the questions a little confusing, and suggest that rather than assuming the Drakes are lost, they should instead consider them to be on a bold adventure, one that might lead to exciting new insights into magic, war, and the mortal spirit. The heralds of Sung reply to all questions with questions of their own, the most common being "''What do you do when something is lost?''" which at first seems very unhelpful but provides inspiration to the hakima. What you do when something is lost is ''you go and look for it''.

==Finding the Missing Legion==
* '''The Drakes are lost in the trackless Marshes of the Crucible '''
* '''Helping to bring them back will require a concerted effort by their allies'''
* '''The Military Council could apply the guerdon to the efforts to rescue the Drakes'''
The likely explanation is that the Drakes are still in Crucible somewhere. The [[Imperial Seer]], '''Jorma Steelhail''', should be able to confirm this with a simple casting of [[Eyes of the Sun and Moon]]. The Marcher [[egregore]]s should likewise know whether the soldiers of the Drakes are still alive and well or not. The heralds of Sadogua and Azoth certainly think they are, but their definition of "alive and well" is of questionable value.

Following the Autumn Equinox there will be an [[opportunity]] for [[military unit|military units]] to launch a rescue mission into the Crucible. The aim will be to find the Drakes and lead them safely out of Crucible before anything bad happens to them. Nothing is ever easy, however, and definitely not in places like Crucible after a potent Night enchantment.

After the Autumn Equinox, any [[military unit]] can take the [[venture]] ''Find the Drakes''. This is a [[Military unit#Scouting|scouting]] action that represents venturing into Crucible, helping find the missing Marcher army, convincing them that they are lost in magical marshes, and leading them back to Lightsea or Quiet Grasses (or indeed anywhere that is not Crucible). Instead of the usual production a military unit receives, a standard military unit would gain one random ''marsh flower'', and 36 rings (representing wonders of the marshes). This is a pitiful recompense, but obviously the [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies|Quartermaster General]] could apply the [[Military_unit#Guerdon_Shares|Imperial Guerdon]].

As with many such situations the amount of strength applied to this venture effects the outcome.
<br><br>
<span style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold;">Less than 5,000 Strength - Further In</span><br>
A limited response will mean the Drakes are not rescued in time for the Winter Solstice 388YE. They remain lost in the marshes, and they will have lost 2,000 strength due to missing soldiers and the dangers of the deep Crucible. There will be another attempt to rescue them at the Winter solstice.<br><br>
<span style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold;">Between 5,000 and 10,000 Strength - Desperate Egress</span><br>
The rescue mission is a success, and the Drakes emerge from Curcible in time for the Winter Solstice. In the process however, they will have lost 1,000 strength due to soldiers who get left behind, disastrous encounters, or unrecoverable transformations.<br><br>
<span style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold;">Between 10,000 and 20,000 Strength - Controlled Extraction</span><br>
The Drakes emerge from Crucible in time for the WInter Solstice. They have sustained some losses but their strength falls only by 500. They will also have the opportunity for a change to their quality, either related to their time in the transformative marshes or the inspirational support and outpouring of love from their people.<br><br>
<span style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold;">More than 20,000 Strength - Total Victory</span><br>
The Drakes emerge from crucible hale and hearty, with the opportunity for a new quality. In addition they and the other explorers of the marshes will have discovered an opportunity in the marshes that could be exploited by the Empire in the future.

To complicate matters, not every [[military unit]] is equally able to contribute to this venture. '''Freeborn''', '''Navarr''', and '''Marcher''' units provide their full effectiveness. Military units from any other nation contribute (and receive rewards) as if their strength were two ranks lower.

Some folk have an advantage here however - any military unit that supported either the Drakes or the Star Forged this season receives a 2 rank bonus to help rescue the Drakes, affecting both effective strength and rewards.
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; margin: 15px;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Pallas.png|align=right|width=150}}</div>
===All Things Can Have A Price===
* '''Rather than focus solely on finding the Drakes a military unit could go looking for treasure'''
* '''These military units will gain more treasure and provide less help to find the Drakes'''
* '''All military units taking either action will appear in a single list compiled by the civil service'''
* '''If finding the drakes gets the guerdon, then everyone involved will be able to claim the rewards'''
There is another approach here, but one that might result in a little bit of... criticism. Instead of focusing ''exclusively'' on finding the Drakes, a military unit ''might'' take the opportunity to do some exploration of their own and see what they can pick up. As well as the ''Find the Drakes'' venture, the ''Take Your Time Looking For Lost Marchers'' venture is also available. This is a [[venture#questing|questing]] venture, and a standard military unit that undertakes it will receive 2 pieces of "Adversity Vis" (that is, [[Vis#Vital Honey|Vital Honey]], [[Vis#Hearts Blood|Hearts Blood]], or [[Vis#Crystal Fire|Crystal Fire]]) and two ''marsh flowers''. An upgraded or enchanted military unit will receive commensurately more treasure.

This venture is available to anyone who wants to take it. Those military units receiving a two rank bonus from supporting one of the two armies this season will still do so. ''However'' there is a drawback to this action and that is that ''regardless'' of the effective strength of the military unit, it will ''only'' contribute 50 effective strength towards finding the Drakes and guiding them out of Crucible. The actual rank of the military unit and its enchantments will have no bearing on the amount they contribute.

There isn't any way for the civil service to tell who is searching for the Drakes and who is taking their time about it, so a single list will appear with all the names on the same roll of honour. If the guerdon is applied to finding the Drakes, then everyone who takes ''either'' venture will be able to claim a share of it.

===Pride of the Marches===
* '''The General of the Drakes is still a General'''
* '''The General can still issue an order to the army though the force can't actually leave the region or undertake an attack or defence'''
* '''Folk from the Marches can support the Drakes to help them deal with potential casualties providing a lifeline to home'''
* '''It is still possible to target the army with an enchantment but impossible to predict what if anything it will do'''
* '''There is no upkeep for the army this season'''
* '''The general of the Drakes is Alfred Houtman Fella'''
Obviously the general of the Drakes '''Alfred Houtman Fella''' is in a little bit of a bind given their army is missing in action. The civil service have confirmed that they still ''are'' a [[general]] even though their army is currently somewhere in Madruga. They can still participate freely in the [[Military Council]] until such time as proof emerges that the Drakes are never coming back. They can even still issue an order, but ''only'' the text of the order matters. The army will remain in Madruga, lost in Crucible. It also isn't possible for military units to take the [[military unit#Campaigning|campaigning]] action to support the army. It is still possible to place an enchantment on the army using the general as focus, but impossible to predict exactly what the effect will be. The ritual will still ''have'' its effect but the ability of the Drakes to benefit from it will depend entirely on what it is.

There is no upkeep for the army this season, since the civil service has no easy way to feed and billet the army.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Marcher Icons.jpg|align=left|width=300|caption=If absolutely nothing else, sending a few hundred poppets to the soldiers of the Drakes certainly can't ''hurt''.}}</div>

===Pride and Loyalty===
* '''An outpouring of Pride and Loyalty inspires the folk of the Marches'''
* '''Heralds of Sadogua and Lashonar have agreed to carry care packages and messages of support to the stranded Drakes'''
* '''''Any'' Marcher character can choose to support the rescue of the Drakes albeit with limited effect'''
There are concerns about how the soldiers on campaign, lost in the trackless marshes of Madruga will survive, but that only results in an outpouring of support from the Marches, especially [[Upwold]]. The Drakes are well loved, after all, and if [[Life of Tom Drake|Tom Drake]] taught anything else it is that you look out for your own. Obviously, this being the Marches, there has also been some recrimination from people who ought to know better who argue that a sinister Freeborn conspiracy has intentionally sacrificed the Drakes to Azoth but it is ''probably'' safe to ignore those people. Humans and orcs want to do everything they can to help, even if they can't send beaters of their own to deal with the situation.

By itself its not clear how they ''could'' help (beyond encouraging or enchanting military units), but help comes from unexpected sources. Some of the [[smith]]s and [[landskeeper]]s have spoken to servants of Sadogua and Lashonar, and both eternals have committed to offer their assistance. They are prepared to carry messages and supplies into the Crucible and make sure they get to the Drakes. In a similar manner to the way the Navarr and the Imperial Orc nations were able to support the raid against the Great Forest Orcs, the people of the Marches can show their support for the Drakes if they wish.

''Any'' Marcher character can take the action to support the venture to ''Support the Drakes''. Any character that chooses to support the action will suffer a 50% penalty to the normal production of their [[Resource#Personal_Resource|personal resource]]. A character with a [[congregation]] that supports the venture will instead receive ''no'' [[liao]], but will keep all their Synod votes. They will however not be able to undertake a [[Congregation#Lectures|lecture]] or [[Congregation#Downtime_Options|preach]] at the same time. A [[fleet]] likewise can't take a different [[voyage]], including trading or supporting an army. Instead of their normal production they'll get the same as a military unit (a marsh flower and some valuables).

Even if they aren't going to Madruga personally, they can still provide crucial supplies to support the soldiers of the Drakes themselves. The help they provide won't benefit from [[enchantment|enchantments]], but all resources of the characters that ''Support the Drakes'' will contribute ''half'' the strength of a military unit of equivalent rank.
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Arwydd Clearbramble.jpg|caption='''Arwydd Clearbramble''', Archmage of Spring|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Bloodcrow Arora.jpg|caption='''Bloodcrow Arora''', Archmage of Winter|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Brat Umbral Path.jpg|caption='''Brat Umbral Path''', Archmage of Night|title=One in six Night eternals think he's pretty neat|align=right|width=200}}</div>
Each resource that takes this action will contribute 50 strength to the ''Find the Drakes'' venture. For every 100 Marcher characters take the option, any damage suffered due to a partial success will be reduced by 500. In the event that the mission is a full success, not only will the army not suffer any casualties but they will be revitalised and receive 500 additional resupply this season.

===Eternal Aid===
* '''Plenipotentiary could be used to ask for help for the Drakes'''
* '''A poorly chosen eternal or a poorly worded request for help will do more damage than good'''
While much of the focus on the missing army revolves around the Night enchantment and the heralds of Night, Crucible is affected by ''three'' realms of magic not only one. In theory, the [[Archmage of Winter]], [[Archmage of Night]], [[Archmage of Spring]], or [[Stone Smith]] could each use their [[plenipotentiary]] at the Autumn Equinox to ask an appropriate eternal to intercede and help the Drakes. This is a risky course of action - the choice of eternal and exactly what they were asked to do will be crucial. Neither the eternals of Spring nor Night are especially fond of armies, and the aid of the eternals of Winter always comes at a price.

In the event that an eternal was asked for aid and minded to provide it, they could certainly increase the chances of the Drakes returning safe and untransformed. The civil service estimate that the aid of an eternal would add 3,000 to the effective strength of the ''Find the Drakes'' venture. Two or more eternals would likely conflict with each other however - a second eternal would add another 2,000 effective strength, and a third only another 1,000.

Anyone attempting this should be ''very careful''. A poorly phrased request, or a request to an eternal that for whatever reason was not disposed to help, had problems with the Marches or the Drakes, or disliked the Empire, would instead ''subtract'' 5,000 from the effective strength of the ''Find the Drakes'' mission, with potentially disastrous consequences.

===Order, Order===
* '''A single Conclave Order could be guided to aid the efforts'''
* '''Only one Order can help but only if they are not currently busy elsewhere'''
Magicians are arguably the ones best placed to help, but which ones? The Conclave could choose one of the Orders and ask them to help recover the Marcher army. If that is the will of the Conclave they will need to choose a single order and give clear guidance on why they want them to help. An Order can only be [[Grandmaster#Guiding_an_Order|guided]] by their grandmaster using one of their two declarations of concord. Doing so would have the usual cost of twenty mana crystals, and would be guaranteed to contribute 1,000 strength to the efforts. Any other potential effects would depend which order was chosen.
<div style="grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr; align-items: center;" class="imagegrid">
{{CaptionedImage|file=OrderSevenfoldPath.jpg|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=OrderCelestialArch.jpg|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=OrderShutteredLantern.jpg|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=OrderRodAndShield.jpg|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Chalice.jpg|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=OrderGoldenPyramid.jpg|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=OrderUnfetteredMind.jpg|width=150}}
</div>

Wiki Updates

2026-09-08T19:58:52Z

Noserenda: /* Favoured Quality */

[[Category:Rules]]
==Overview==
This is a list of significant updates to the wiki. We try to keep it as up to date as possible, in the hope it will be a more useful reference than the [[Special:RecentChanges|recent changes]] page which lists every spelling correction and formatting change.

By its nature, this page will be regularly updated, so when you visit the wiki try checking here first. However, please keep in mind this is a manually updated page, so it may be a little behind the actual updates. We tend to make an entry on this page once an update is finalised - so if something has changed and hasn't been mentioned here it's possible that the changes are not yet complete.

In early 2022, we moved all entries on this page prior to 2019 to the [[Archive:Wiki_updates_to_2018|previous wiki updates]] page in the Archive namespace as detailed in [[#Archiving Wiki Updates|Archiving wiki updates]]. We did this again in 2024, moving updates prior to 2021 to the same page.
==Favoured Quality==
* ''08/09/2026'''
We've made a slight adjustment to the wording of the [[Eastern Sky]] special quality, [[Eastern_Sky#Army_Quality_:_Favoured|favoured]]. The restriction on issuing the same order on two consecutive seasons means that if the general issues ''Traverse the Crossroads'' at the Summer Solstice, they can't also use it at the ''Autumn Equinox'' even though their favours have refreshed. As long as they use different orders each time, they can issue a special order every event.

==Eyes of the Hills==
* '''05/09/2026'''
This ritual has been replaced with a new war ritual that is compatible with the rules for [[war magic]]. Anyone who currently has the ritual mastered who does not wish to have the new version of this enchantment mastered, can email admin@profounddecisions.co.uk to have it removed from their mastered rituals.

==Arcane Consolidation==
* '''01/09/2026'''
We have updated the rules for [[Army_qualities#Magic|arcane consolidation]] to provide 35 mana crystals for a full strength army that takes the order, with proportionately less for a depleted force. This replaces the previous rule which rounded the army's strength to the nearest thousand to calculate the mana produced.

==Shield Rules Update==
* '''28/08//2026'''
We have changed the rules for kite and heater shields to give a simpler definition of the maximum sizes. The new rules make it much easier for our weapon check team to check a shield is the right size, quickly and easily at the event and should make it easier for players to be certain whether or not their shield pass. The new rules are designed to be more permissive than the old rules to ensure that any regular shaped kite or heater shield that would have passed before will pass under the new rules.

==Clear Counsel of the Everflowing River==
* '''24/08/2026'''
We've added a clause to the [[Clear Counsel of the Everflowing River]] ritual to make clearer what happens when [[Clear_Counsel_of_the_Everflowing_River#Preparing_the_Question|preparing the question]]. If the question does not follow the format laid down by [[Sung]] (''"The named coven asks Sung why..."'') then the eternal will still respond, but is under no obligation to provide a useful answer.
==Hooded Misery==
* '''12/08/2026'''
We've removed the potion Hooded Misery from [[The Last Resort]] potion set. It is no longer possible to mix this potion, and existing potions will have no effect beyond making the drinker feel ill for a short time. We've done this for several reasons, one of which is that we're not interested in rekindling contagious disease plot.

==Herthfire's Hospitality==
* '''12/08/2026'''
We've adjusted the magnitude of [[Herthfire's Hospitality]] to match that of [[Leonine Pavilion]]. We had incorrectly set the magnitude to match [[Chamber of Pallas]] and similar rituals, which restore personal mana.
==Colour Coding==
* '''08/08/2026'''
We have been presenting opportunities in box-outs for the past few years, but we've recently added some more colours to make it easier to pick up information at a glance.
<table style="float: right; margin-left:10px; width=50%; max-width:400px;">
<tr><td style="background-color: HotPink;">'''Venture/Voyage'''</td></tr>
<tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Commission'''</tr>
<tr><td style="background-color: LightGreen;">'''Title'''</tr>
<tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Motion'''</tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" style="background-color:LightYellow;">'''Ministry'''</td></tr>
<tr><td style="background-color: Pink;">'''Chamber of Commerce'''</tr>
</table>
* '''Venture/Voyage:''' [[venture|Ventures]] and [[voyage|voyages]] available to military units and fleets, with entries for what Type of venture/voyage; Location (if relevant); Availability; Duration; Rewards; and Special
* '''Commission:''' A [[commission]], with entries for Commission type; Location; Cost; Time; Effect; Availability; and Special
* '''Title:''' A [[Imperial title|title]], with entries Type; Appointment; Powers; Responsibilities; and Cost
* '''Motion:''' A [[Senate motion]], with entries for Motion type; Necessary details; Cost; Effect; Availibilty; and Special
* '''Ministry:''' A [[ministry]], with the goods available and what they can be purchased for. Most commonly used with a new Imperial title
* '''Chamber of Commerce:''' When a group of [[Resource#Personal_Resource|personal resource]] holders in a territory are called on to make a decision, such as the [[farm]] owners of [[Hahnmark]] meeting to [[Petals_in_the_snow#Making_the_Choice|decide on Sarcophan merchants]] during the Spring Equinox 388YE

==Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust==
* '''17/07/2026'''
The assurance of [[Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust]] has been broken. The ritual no longer functions and any attempts to perform the ritual will fail. More information can be found in the "A Silenced Call" section of the '''[[Ambassadors of death#A Silenced Call|Ambassadors of death]]''' wind of fortune.

==Three Refrains==
* '''14/07/2026'''
We've dropped the page for the Three Refrains, since there are no longer any NPC members of the group and their role has been supplanted by the [[Cat's Graces]] [[Imperial sodality]].

==Grandmasters==
* '''14/07/2026'''
We have made a number of changes to the rules for challenging a [[grandmaster]], or electing a new one if they die or resign. The new rules and the reasoning for the change along with an IC justification have been added to the [[Rules update 2026]].

==Shield Shapes==
* '''12/07/2026'''
We've added a note to [[Weapons & armour]] to make provide better clarity on what is or is not a kite or heater shield. We've also removed the metric measurements, as they did not match the imperial measurements (and were slightly smaller).

==Signs and Portents==
* '''08/07/2026'''
We've added a note to [[Signs and Portents]] to make it clear that you also can't direct the ritual effect using an [[arcane projection]]. Creating "visionary divinations" is more an art than a science, but there's explicitly no way to access the big pool of Night visions in a way that controls or influences the vision you receive.

==Military Archive of Zakalwe==
* '''<s>22/06/2026</s> 24/06/2026'''
The assurance of this ritual, which is not in Imperial lore, has not been broken. The ritual continues to work as intended.

==Magnitude Changes During Codification==
* '''01/06/2026'''
We've added a note to the [[college of magic]] page laying out that it is possible for an arcane projection to result in a ritual of different magnitude, especially when the final ritual has more general application than the specific arcane projection.

==Multiple Arcane Projections==
* '''01/06/2026'''
We've updated the rules on arcane projections to make it clear that you can't create multiple copies of the same arcane projection in the same season.

==Somnolent Wanderer==
* '''21/05/2026'''
We've edited the ritual ''Somnolent Wanderer'' to make clear that it is only possible to cast the ritual on the Friday or Saturday of an event. The ritual has been adjusted on the database, and we can provide a new copy of the ritual text in return for the old one.

==Heaven's Spear Sunders the Mountain==
* '''11/05/2026'''
We've adjusted the base magnitude of the ritual ''Heaven's Spear Sunders the Mountain'' from 16 to 8, and the additional target magnitude from 12 to 6. The magnitude of this ritual was incorrect. It's been adjusted on the database, and we can provide a new copy of the ritual text in return for the old one.

==Zemress Festival==
* '''22/04/2026'''
We've added a page for the [[Zemress festival]], which is a [[The Brass Coast|Freeborn]] festival held on the Saturday of the Spring Equinox that has recently sprung up inspired by [[Zemress]], exemplar of [[Prosperity]].

==Religious Crime==
* '''08/04/2026'''
We've made some extensive changes to how [[religious crime]] is defined by the [[Synod]] and prosecuted by the magistrates. This included the creation of the new Synod [[judgement]] of [[proscription]], as well as changes to how [[castigation]], [[vindication]], and [[penance]] work. Further discussion can be found in the [[Figure of eight]] wind of fortune.

==Rewarding==
* '''06/04/2026'''
We've updated the text for [[rewarding]] to add that the Tribune has the discretion to dispose of the funds if the priest raising the judgement dies.

==Salt Council==
* '''02/04/2026'''
We've added the information from the Grendel dossier on the Salt Lords to the [[Grendel#Salt_Council|Salt Council]] section of the Grendel page. This information was originally delivered by the eternal [[Basileia]] to the [[Imperial Magus]]. More information on the origins of the dossier can be found on the '''[[Fake_empire#Basileia's_Dossier|Fake empire]]''' wind of fortune.

==Tribute==
* '''02/04/2026'''
We've changed [[Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court]] to adjust the calculation whereby we determine how much [[vis#Heart's Blood|Heart's Blood]] the ritual produces. You can find further discussion of this on the [[Rules_update_2026#Tribute_to_the_Thrice-Cursed_Court|Rules Update]] page. As always, anyone who has this ritual mastered and no longer wants the updated version can email admin@profounddecisions.co.uk to remove it.

==Ruining Forts==
* '''01/04/2026'''
We've added a section to the [[Limits of magic]] talking about using rituals to [[Limits_of_magic#Damaging_Fortifications|damage fortifications]]. While it may have been possible in the past to damage forts in a controlled fashion with ritual magic from a distance, that's no longer the case.

==Rivers==
* '''01/04/2026'''
We've adjusted [[Rivers of Life]] and [[Rivers Run Red]]. These [[curse|curses]] are now as effective on [[navy|navies]] and [[fortification#garrison|garrisons]] as they are on [[army|armies]].

==Golden Voyage==
* '''01/04/2026'''
We've changed the magnitude and effect of [[Golden Voyage]] to bring it more into line with the way we approach personal resource enchantments, with particular reference to the [[Laws_of_magic#The_Law_of_Scale|Law of Scale]]. It now provides only five ranks for a fleet taking a [[Fleet#Questing|questing]] [[voyage]], but in the process, the magnitude has been significantly reduced from 18 to 10.

==False Virtues==
* '''31/03/2026'''
We've made several edits to the [[malign spiritual presences]] page to add some additional clarity, especially around the concept of so-called "[[Malign_spiritual_presences#False_Virtues|false virtues]]."

==Multiple Great Works==
* '''26/03/2026'''
We've added a note to the [[Great_work#Multiple_Great_Works|great work]] page that reflects the fact that multiple great works in a territory affecting a single resource become more expensive. It's now not possible to commission a great work that affects the same resource until an existing commission is completed, abrogated, or lapses, without a specific [[opportunity]].

==Litany of the Labyrinth==
* '''26/03/2026'''
We've explicitly added [[Voice for the dead]] to the effects that the [[Litany of the Labyrinth]] will affect.

==Garden of Teth-Anon==
* '''03/03/2026'''
We have added an [[Ritual_theory#Agreement|assurance]] to the [[Garden of Teth-Anon]]. This follows the assurances added last year, which can be found in the [[#Assurances|Assurances]] entry.

==Assailing Forts==
* '''04/02/2026'''
In line with our new fortification changes we've edited the [[Highest_discipline#Technique_of_the_Transcendent_Claw|Technique of the Transcendent Claw]], and explained how the ''Onrushing Storm'' order works under the new rules. We've also made edits to the way the [[Army qualities#Siege|Storm the Walls]] and [[Army qualities#Engineer|Dig In]] orders work.

==Fortifications==
* '''03/02/2026'''
We've made some significant changes to the way [[fortification|fortifications]] work in the military campaign. The fortification page has been extensively edited; fortifications are now split into a [[fortification#bastion|bastion]] that represents the physical fortification, and a [[fortification#Garrison|garrison]] that represents the soldiers who defend it. In the process, we've removed the citadel commission. There is a [[Rules update 2026#Fortifications and Citadels|rules update]] that discusses the changes in more detail.

At the same time, we've made changes to several rituals that interact with fortifications. This includes:
* [[Hammers of the Brilliant Shore]] and [[Stalwart Stand on Solid Ground]] explicitly affects only the bastion of a fortification.
* [[Stone's Unyielding Defiance]] and [[Ramparts of Ashlar]] provide additional force to the garrison of a fortification
* [[Thunderous Tread of the Trees]] and [[Mountain Remembers Its Youth]] affect both the bastion and the garrison, and how their damage is inflicted has been adjusted slightly.
* The ''Wolves of Winter'', a ritual not in Imperial Lore, provides additional strength to the garrison of the enchanted fortification, but ''only'' for purposes of inflicting casualties.
* The four "citadel" rituals - [[Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae]], [[Forge the Wooden Fastness]], [[Dripping Echoes of the Fen]], and [[The Basalt Citadel]] have been changed significantly, and each provides different benefits.

Some of the rituals have also had their magnitude adjusted. We're currently still assessing existing fortifications, and outstanding opportunities and will update them as we go.

==Dadford Road Exit Plan==
* '''09/09/2025'''
There are new instructions for when you are [[Dadford_Road_Campsite#Departure|exiting Dadford Road campsite at the end of this final event]]. Please make sure you follow the instructions carefully to save time for you and everyone else!

==Chimes of Annulment==
* '''08/09/2025'''
We've changed the duration of effect for [[Chimes of Annulment]] from one minute to ten minutes. The previous short duration left too little margin for error to make it an appealing option on battles. The new time is designed to be difficult - but more achievable. The recent conjunctions involving the Lock and the Key provide an IC justification for the change if one is needed.

==Varushka Embroidery and Weaving==
* '''08/09/2025'''
We have updated the [[Varushka_culture_and_customs#Embroidery_and_Weaving|Varushka culture and customs]] page with an entry on embroidery and weaving, following the completion of the Great Hall of Fabric Arts in Delev.

==Sodality Limitations==
* '''05/09/2025'''
We have changed the [[Imperial_sodality#Limitations|limitations on titles appointed by Imperial sodalities]]. If they elect a national position it must be revocable by the relevant national assembly.

==Walls of Holberg==
* '''23/08/2025'''
We've fixed an error in the database for the location of the Walls of Holberg. The city of Holberg is in the region of Holfried - which is where the walls are canonically - not neighbouring Holmauer (which was once walled, but the walls were long since destroyed by the Druj).

==Detect Magic==
* '''07/08/2025'''
We've changed the Discern Arcane Mark effect of [[detect magic]] to instead be [[Detect_magic#Discern_Mark|Discern Mark]]. We have made clear that it also functions to identify when the casting magician shares a [[Mark of Fellowship]] with the target.

==Rewarding==
* '''20/07/2025'''
We've made some updates to the [[judgement]] of [[Rewarding]]. It explains how the virtue fund relates to wains of mithril, weirwood, and white granite and discusses more ways the judgement can be used.

==Rule of Risk and Reward==
* '''16/07/2025'''
As referenced in the '''[[Beat of your drum#Lyceum|Beat of your drum]]''' wind of fortune, researchers at the Lyceum have discovered a way to add additional targets to this ritual.

==Sum of the Parts==
* '''16/07/2025'''
As referenced in the '''[[Beat of your drum#Lyceum|Beat of your drum]]''' wind of fortune, it is not necessary when casting [[Sum of the Parts]] for the three additional participants to take damage. Supporting the target with words of encouragement or similar roleplaying is sufficient to power the ritual effect.

==Sun Chamber==
* '''14/07/2025'''
We have added a new sodality - the [[Sun Chamber]] to the game. This is a powerful [[Imperial sodality]] whose membership is restricted to citizens aged 14-18. The aim is to directly address the fact that Empire can be a very inaccessible game for players before they turn twenty. The new sodality exists to help members gain positions of power and influence in the Empire and encourage members to approach existing problems in new ways.

==Secrets of the Empty Heart==
* '''25/06/2025'''
We've updated the ritual [[Secrets of the Empty Heart]] to make it explicit that you can use the special ability granted by the [[enchantment]] even if you are under the effect of [[Calls#WEAKNESS|weakness]], [[Combat#Dying|dying]], or [[Combat#Terminal|terminal]]. This is a special case where an active ability can be used when in a state where it would normally not be possible.

==Navarr Wayhouse==
* '''21/06/2025'''
We have created a new page that contains all the rules for a [[Navarr wayhouse]] [[commission]]. Most of the details are based on the information we provided in the original wind of fortune, but where we have made some changes, these new rules will not affect any motions passed at the Spring Equinox or earlier. The [[387YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Construct_Wayhouse_in_Ossium|wayhouse in Ossium]] is fine to be built with [[mithril]] and produce [[Game_items#Mana_Crystals|mana crystals]]. Any new wayhouses will all have to follow the new rules and can only be built using a Senate motion or an Imperial title with the power to commission a wayhouse.

We've stubbed the new page for the next few days, while we finalise any changes for new wayhouses. We'll remove the stub once that process is complete.

==Historical Researchers==
* '''09/06/2025'''
We've added an [[Historical_research#Ser_Eddard_d'Argenteux|additional researcher]] to the list of senior historical researchers. This is to cover historical research into topics for which research into songs, stories, legends, and myth might be the most appropriate avenue of inquiry.

==Colleges and Runeforges==
* '''4/06/2025'''
We've updated the upkeep for a [[college of magic]] and for a [[runeforge]], and introduced a new rule on the maximum number of such facilities that the Empire can support. The old rules for upkeep were somewhat incomprehensible, the new rules are much easier to understand and make it much easier for us to run plot around these important commissions. There is more detail on the update on the [[Rules_update_2025#Colleges_and_Runeforges|rules update wiki page]] explaining the changes, the impacts and the reasoning for them.

==Senate==
* '''2/06/2025'''
We've updated several pages on the running of Senate. We've extended the description of [[Senate_session#Expert_Witness|expert witnesses]] to match how it is working in practice and included a copy of the Civil Service's guidance for expert witnesses. As part of this, there is a new rule that senators [[Senator#Limitations|can't act as expert witnesses]] themselves.

We also updated the page on [[Senate_session#Sunday_session |Senate sessions]], introducing stricter plans on Sunday to help the session finish promptly.

==Ritual Theory==
* '''29/05/2025'''
We've updated the [[ritual theory]] page. It was already huge, so we've split some of the content up into logical chunks on new pages, creating a page for the [[limits of magic]] as well as one on the [[laws of magic]]. We've significantly overhauled the content on [[eternals and rituals]] and created a new page for that also - there is a lot of additional information there now for players whose characters are involved with ritual magic.

We've also added a page on [[war magic]] which discusses the possibilities and potential of using the realms to enchant armies, military units and fleets. This page reflects the changes we've made earlier this year, but brings a lot of the key information together, so that it is one place.

==Herbal==
* '''16/05/2025'''
We've added the details for a [[Potion#Herbal|herbal]]; something similar to a [[Magic_items#Schema|schema]], but for one or more potions. The entry shows how they are made, how they can be added to Imperial lore, and how they can be destroyed.

==Towerjacks==
* '''14/05/2025'''
We've edited the ''dig in'' order of the [[Army qualities#Engineer|engineer]] quality to exclude the mustering of [[Army|armies]] and [[navy|navies]] from their ability to speed up a [[commission]].

==New Characters and Conquered Territories==
* '''14/05/2025'''
We've updated the system so that it is no longer possible for players to create new characters in territories that have been completely conquered - that is, territories which are receiving the [[Resource#Conquered_Territories|conquered territory]] penalty. This is partly done to ensure new players unfamiliar with the state of the campaign do not make the mistake of starting in a territory where they will face significant additional challenges.

==Citadels==
* '''13/05/2025'''
We've added a page for citadels, the new commission type from the '''[[The_war_of_thorns_and_flowers#All_Along_the_Watchtower|The war of thorns and flowers]]''' wind of fortune. (Citadels have since been replaced with new rules for fortifications).

==Vines and Symbols==
* '''03/05/2025'''
We've added a note to the [[Vine#Costume|costume]] section of the Vine page to make clear that it is not appropriate to use a square red diamond on its own as part of costume, to avoid accidentally breaching the Geneva Convention by using a symbol of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Red_Cross_and_Red_Crescent_Movement International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement].

==Arcane Projections==
* '''03/05/2025'''
We've made a change to the [[Arcane_projection#Preparing_an_Arcane_Projection|deadline for submission]] of [[arcane projection|arcane projections]]. Rather than the late booking deadline, the deadline for the Spring Equinox will be the early booking deadline, and after that the deadline will permanently shift to the close of downtime. You can read more about it in the [[387YE_Spring_Equinox_interlude#Arcane_Projections|Spring Equinox interlude]].

==Colleges and Runeforges==
* '''03/05/2025'''
We've changed the email address for players who run a [[college of magic]] or [[runeforge]] to send their submissions to. Rather than rules, they should now be sent to {{plot}}. The deadline for submissions (the end of downtime) remains unchanged.

==Glossary==
* '''11/04/2025'''
We have added a [[glossary]] page to the wiki with some more information on common terms used in Empire and LRP as a whole. We expect this to be updated on a semi-regular basis as more terms come to light. Any queries or suggestions can be sent to [mailto:wiki@profounddecisions.co.uk wiki@profounddecisions.co.uk].

==Dreamcatchers==
* '''07/04/2025'''
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamcatcher Dreamcatchers] will be inappropriate for use in [[costume]] at Empire from event three this year onwards. We want to avoid using items that are culturally sacred in real life because it is more difficult to ignore their real world significance and we don't want to disrespect people's beliefs. We've managed to speak to some of the players affected already, and everyone has responded very positively, but we realise we haven't been able to speak to everyone about this change - hence the reason for two events' grace to allow players to make any changes needed to their costume.

==League Look and Feel==
* '''07/04/2025'''
We have rewritten [[the League look and feel]] to move beyond from the more restrictive costume options presented by the original brief. We do want the League to have a really clear visual look that defines the nation, but we want to ensure that it includes garments that everyone can feel confident wearing.

==Combat==
* '''07/04/2025'''
We have update the combat rules for Empire to say that head hits will not be allowed at any events in 2025. We are trialling the new rules, so please see the [[Rules_update_2025#Combat|rules update page]] for more details.

==Alignment==
* '''28/03/2025'''
We've added a fourth option to the [[declaration]] of [[alignment]], that of [[alignment#Acceptance|Acceptance]], as a result of opportunities created by plot over the last year or so. This allows the Conclave to accept or refuse an offer from an eternal, in a manner that the Archmage of the appropriate realm can also use.

==Army Enchantments==
* '''25/03/2025'''
We've made several changes to rituals that [[enchantment|enchant]] an [[Army|Imperial army]]. Almost every army enchantment ritual has changed in some fashion. It is no longer possible to change the [[Army qualities|quality]] of an army with magic, and the resonant effects for each realm have been much more clearly defined. You can find out more about these changes in the accompanying [[rules update]].
* [[Swords in the Noonday Sun]] ([[Urizen lore]]; Summer 80): now fills soldiers with supernatural prowess, increasing the strength of an army by the equivalent of 1000 extra warriors. It's also gained an option for additional targets. The roleplaying associated with it has also changed, meaning it is no longer considered a ritual that uses savagery to create its effect.
* [[Find the Best Path]] (Autumn 80): Now grants a campaign army the ability to move through an additional territory, rather than granting the [[Army qualities#Fast|fast]] quality. The magnitude has been lowered to 80, and an option to include additional targets has been added.
* [[Quickening Cold Meat]] (Winter 120): We've reduced the magnitude of the ritual and been significantly clearer about the unpredictable dangers associated with the ritual.
* [[Machines of Destruction]] (Autumn 135): No longer offered by [[Estavus]] and removed from the [[Mystic scrolls of Estavus]] page.
* [[Loosen the Shackles]] ([[Urizen lore]]) Winter 120): now gives an enchanted army the equivalent of 4,000 extra soldiers but only for purposes of inflicting casualties on an enemy. The magnitude has increased to 120. It still draws on the forbidden power of [[Agramant]].
* [[Why Sulemaine Walked Away From The Baker]] (Winter 80): The effects of the ritual have been increased. In addition to making the army more resistant to effects related to poison and venom, it also reduces damage suffered from other means.
* [[Bound by Common Cause]] (Autumn 80): has had its effect completely redesigned and now reduces the upkeep of an army while providing potential narrative bonuses.
* [[Fire on the Water]] and [[Eyes of the Hills]] cannot currently be cast; we are still deciding how to deal with them.

The change has also affected some non-enchantment rituals.
* [[Eyes of the Sun and Moon]] (Day 14): now provides information about enchantments on armies and fortifications in the territory scried.
* [[Eye of the High Places]] (Day 14): now provides information about large-scale effects on a territory.
* [[Dreams in the Witch House]] (Night 14): has been reworked to make it better reflect the way the ritual had evolved in play and to widen the kind of information it provides. The magnitude has increased to 14, bringing it into line with similar divinations.

==Fleet Enchantments==
* '''24/03/2025'''
In conjunction with our [[#Military Unit Enchantments|changes to military units]], we've also updated the way a [[fleet]] acts in [[downtime]]. As with military units, we've streamlined the actions that can be taken by a fleet captain, and how they interact with [[enchantment]] rituals. We've introduced several new actions that any fleet captain can take, and defined others more closely. These changes will take effect in the downtime following the Winter Solstice.

The main change to rituals has been to better define which action each ritual supports. One of our goals has been to ensure that each ritual affects only one kind of action, and where possible to strengthen the themes of the individual realms as part of a wider update. The magnitudes of rituals have not changed, nor has the amount of benefit they provide; we've just defined what action that benefit applies to more clearly.

Rituals affected include [[Blood and Salt]] (supports raiding), [[Winds of Fortune]] (supports trading), [[The Lure of Distant Shores]] (supports trading), [[Sular's Promise]] (supports trading), [[Golden Voyage]] (supports questing), [[Muffled Oar]] (supports scouting), and [[Piranhas Devour the Kraken]] (supports campaigning). The ritual ''Shroud of Rolling Fog'', which is not in Imperial lore, has likewise been adjusted to support a single category of fleet action.

We've also added a new ritual to Imperial Lore: [[Wolves of the Hungry Sea]] (Winter 12) that is used to support guarding actions.

As always, if your character has mastered a ritual that has changed you can email [mailto:admin@profounddecisions.co.uk admin@profounddecisions.co.uk] and we'll free up the mastered ritual slot for you.

==Imperial Sodalities==
* '''18/03/2025'''
We've made several significant changes to the procedures and benefits of creating an [[Imperial sodality]]. Key among them is the idea that a truly Imperial sodality is capable of wielding legal powers and appointing titles; that anyone can become a voting member of an Imperial sodality simply by receiving a ritual mark; that one can only be a voting member of a single Imperial sodality; and that their creation and upkeep are now much more clearly defined. This has also involved an addition to the powers of [[The Throne#The Great Councils|the Throne]], [[Powers of the Imperial Senate#Imperial Sodalities|Powers of the Imperial Senate]], and [[New_Imperial_titles#Well_Worn_Paths|New Imperial titles]]. There's also a new ritual in Imperial Lore - [[Mark of Fellowship]] - that supports membership of an Imperial Sodality.

We've also written a [[Rules update 2025#Imperial Sodalities|Rules Update]] discussing the changes.

==Runa's Gift==
* '''14/03/2025'''
We have added a page for [[Runa's Gift]] to the wiki and the recipe list is now available for [[Surgical_skills#Apothecary|apothecaries]] to learn. These potions come as a result of the [[Yerende]] joining the [[Imperial Orcs]] and use [[realmsroot]]. Anyone who has the necessary ingredients in their inventory and has learned the recipe list can email [mailto:plot@profounddecisions.co.uk plot@profounddecisions.co.uk] before the '''1<sup>st</sup> of April''' to mix potions from this recipe list before the event.

==Military Unit Enchantments==
* '''14/03/2025 '''
We've overhauled the way [[military unit|military units]] act in [[downtime]]. The focus has been on streamlining the actions that can be taken by a player with that resource, and how they interact with [[enchantment]] rituals. We've introduced several new actions that any military unit can take (such as mercenary work or seeking glory) as well as a small number of adventures available to specific nations or archetypes. These changes will take effect in the downtime following the Winter Solstice.

The main change to rituals has been to better define which action each ritual supports, and to remove rituals that supported multiple actions. Some magnitudes have shifted up or down as well. One of our goals has been to ensure that each ritual affects only one kind of action, and where possible to strengthen the themes of the individual realms as part of a wider update.

Rituals affected include [[Merciless Wrath of the Reaver]] (supports raiding), [[Raise the Standard of War]] (supports campaigning), [[Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust]] (supports campaigning and has also gained an [[#Assurances|assurance]]), [[Shroud of Mist and Shadow]] (supports raiding, magnitude lowered), [[Clad in Golden Raiment]] (supports campaigning and the magnitude has increased to 6), [[Sharp Eyes of the Corsair]] (supports scouting), [[Lions of Phoenix Reach]] (supports campaigning), [[Carve the Crystal Guardian]] (supports campaigning), and [[Conclave of Trees and Shadow]] (supports scouting).

As well as rituals in Imperial Lore, there have also been changes to these [[Urizen lore]] rituals: [[Aspect of the Mountain]], [[Peregrine and Ichimos]], and [[Raise the Dragonsworn Cohort]] (all now explicitly support the guarding action), [[Unleash the Beasts Within]] (the magnitude has increased to 16, and the enchantment now supports the campaigning action).

These changes have also affected a few rituals that are not in either Imperial lore or Urizen lore. Specifically, [[Accoutrements of War]] (supports campaigning, no longer provides green iron), and ''Weaver at the Web'' (supports scouting actions).

We've also introduced a new ritual, [[Feast of Heroes]], a [[Summer magic]] enchantment that supports military units taking a [[Military unit#Questing|questing]] action.

As always, if your character has mastered a ritual that has changed you can email [mailto:admin@profounddecisions.co.uk admin@profounddecisions.co.uk] and we'll free up the mastered ritual slot for you.

==Assurances ==
* '''13/03/2025'''
* '''Updated 26/03/2025'''
We have added [[Ritual_theory#Agreement|assurances]] and [[eternal|eternals]] to the pages of a number of rituals. This is a result of the [[Unfettered Mind]] having been instructed to [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_Conclave_sessions#Concord_:_Study_Rituals|investigate]] the ritual [[Dripping Echoes of the Fen]] by the Imperial Conclave, and the continuation of the order's efforts. Any member of the order can roleplay that they were part of this research; appropriate stories might involve tracking across the Empire, careful discussion with scholars, or negotiations with isolated covens for snippets of information.
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Balanced Scales of Lann]]
*[[Carve the Crystal Guardian]]
*[[Challenge the Iron Duke]]
*[[Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust]]
*[[Conclave of Trees and Shadow‎‎]]
*[[Crystalline Focus of Aesh]]
*[[Dripping Echoes of the Fen]]
*[[Ephisis' Scale]]
*[[Fire in the Blood]]
*[[Forge the Wooden Fastness]]
*[[Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae]]
*[[Gift of Knowledge]]
*[[Kimus' Glaring Eye]]
*[[Lions of Phoenix Reach]]
*[[Prowess of the Golden Magician]]
*[[Pallid Flesh of the Dead King]]
*[[Quickening Cold Meat]]
*[[Sift the Dreamscape's Sands]]
*[[Sorin's Chastising Touch]]
*[[Sorin's Rite of Agony]]
*[[Swim Leviathan's Depth]]
*[[The Basalt Citadel]]
*[[Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court]]
*[[Whispering Shadow Courtiers]]</div>

==Realms and their Inhabitants==
* '''25/01/2025'''
We've done an overhaul of the [[realm]] and [[eternal]] pages adding examples and further details about each of the realms and the powers and restrictions of eternals. We have also added the [[Inhabitants of the realms]] page which goes into detail about the various creatures that live in each of the realms.

==Links on the Tactical Map==
* '''29/12/2024'''
We've added links to each territory - and some important areas like the Semmerlak or the Bay of Catazar - to the [[Map - Coloured Territories|coloured territories]] map page. It is now possible to click on an area of the map to be taken to the specific territory's page.

==Names of the Chain==
* '''05/12/2024'''
We've swapped the names of star #1 and star #5 on [[the Chain]]. The writer had confused his left and right and got the anchor at the wrong end of the constellation.

==Arcane Gambit and Ilium==
* '''15/10/2024'''
We've updated [[Thief's Arcane Gambit]] and the [[Ilium#Removing_a_Permanent_Effect|ilium]] page to detail how an [[enchantment]] that has been made permanent with [[ilium]] can be moved by that Night ritual. The magnitude required is based on the total amount of ilium that could/should have been used to make the enchantment permanent without any [[opportunity]] being taken into account.

==Throne Judgement==
* '''15/10/2024'''
We've added a note to [[the Throne]], providing them explicitly with the ability to raise a [[judgement]] [[The Throne#Member of the Assembly of Nine|in the Assembly of Nine only]] in the event they do not control a [[congregation]].

==Assignment==
* '''10/09/2024'''
We have updated the power of [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Assignment|assignment]] to set down that a motion to assign a territory is always raised as an administrative motion by the Speaker for the Senate.

==Veto==
* '''31/08//2024'''
We have updated [[veto]] to remove the ambiguity about when a veto held over from the previous event ends. We have put a fixed end point, 10pm on Saturday night. The [[Rules_update_2024#Veto|rules update]] page contains the OOC reasoning and the IC justification for this edit.

==Proxies and Resigning==
* '''22/08/2024'''
We have added an entry to the [[Proxy#Restrictions|restrictions]] of what a proxy can do. It is not possible for a proxy to resign on behalf of the title holder as that is not a power of a specific Imperial title.

==Maps of Otkodov==
* '''19/08/2024'''
We have added a note that was missing to the [[Otkodov]] page making clear that the Empire only has a strategic map of [[Verthandi]]. When the first spy network was created the entirety of Otkodov was mapped in error. To gain access to strategic maps of the other territories of the Thule additional [[spy network|spy networks]] would need to be constructed and [[Military_unit#Scout_an_Area|supported]] in the normal fashion.

==Senate Voting==
* '''19/08/2024'''
We have updated the [[Senate motion]] page to remove an option for secret voting. We've removed it because it hadn't been used in years if ever, because supporting it logistically would have been a massive hassle, but mostly because it runs contrary to the major design elements of Empire around the operation of politics within the game.

==Audio recordings==
* '''09/08/2024'''
We have updated the [[photography]] rules to remove the option to make audio recordings at events. On further consideration we were convinced that audio recording was much closer to filming and should follow the same rules and guidelines. As a general rule of thumb we want to minimise intrusion: we permit people to take photographs, but that is the limit.

==Black Plateau Template==
* '''24/07/2024'''
We have changed the formatting for the Black Plateau template that we use to increase readability and in an attempt to avoid eyestrain. It has changed from black text on a grey background to white text on a black background.

==Fleet Great Work Restrictions==
* '''13/07/2024'''
We've added a note to the [[Great work]] page making clear that a great work that supports [[fleet|fleets]] can only be built in a region with the coastal [[Region qualities|quality]].

==Whispers through the Black Gate==
* '''25/06/2024'''
We've added a line to the [[Whispers_through_the_Black_Gate#OOC_Elements|OOC elements]] of [[Whispers through the Black Gate]] to add a little clarity to what happens if you want to summon the spirit of a dead NPC.

==Sung and their Counsel==
* '''22/06/2024'''
We've made a couple of tiny changes to the [[Sung]] page, to provide more context for the kind of mysteries that the eternal encourages you to probe and look into and those mysteries she prefers to stay hidden. We've coupled this with a set of updates to the main ritual that draws on Sung's power [[Clear Counsel of the Everflowing River]].

We've decided to change the way we respond to queries to Sung to try and provide more useful information going forwards. We want to keep some of the enigmatic quality of the responses, which some of those players casting the ritual currently enjoy - but we want to make it easier to get more useful insight, guidance and wisdom from the ritual.

To help us do that we've changed the way we'll be responding to the ritual going forwards. We created a set of guidelines for the style of responses that we'll give to the different kinds of questions we've been getting up to now. Hopefully this means that where we can provide some useful information or clues to players about a plot we'll be able to continue to do that, but where Sung can't or won't give an answer we'll be able to respond in a way that makes clear why that is the case.

The goal with these changes is to make the ritual more useful to players but also make it easier for us to produce the responses. We want to emphasise the roleplaying interaction with Sung - but allow the eternal more freedom to give out more useful information when it exists.
==Martial Titles==
* '''10/06/2024'''
We have added [[Captain of the Throne Guard]] to the list of martial titles because of their duties to defend the Throne. There is no requirement to pick a skilled fighter for the role - it has many other duties besides fighting - but it is acceptable for the Throne to include such considerations when picking who they want for the Throne Guard.

==Savagery and Fire on the Water==
* '''05/06/2024'''
We have updated the declaration of [[interdiction]] from [[385YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction_%3A_Savagery_of_Armies|Autumn Equinox 385YE]] to include the ritual [[Fire on the Water]] and added a note to the page for the ritual. This was missed at the time as being a ritual that was covered by the interdiction.

==Endorsement==
* '''05/06/2024'''
We have updated [[endorsement]] to make clear that you cannot use it to permit a sorcerer to carry out an act of magic that is illegal for them to do. Endorsement cannot be used to undermine Conclave itself, so it Conclave has declared someone a sorcerer, it's not possible to supersede that with endorsement.

==Guiding an Order==
* '''03/06/2024'''
We have formalised how [[Concord#Guiding_an_Order|guiding an order]] using a Declaration of [[Concord]] works. It now requires 20 mana crystals directly from the [[Conclave_vault#The_Font|Font]] and can only be used as a result of an opportunity, unless specified otherwise. It continues to require the use of one of the order's two declarations.

==Territory Curses==
* '''03/06/2024'''
We've made several changes to ritual curses that work on the [[territory]] level. All such curses now explicitly have the chance to have unexpected effects depending on where and when they are cast. We've added a section to the [[curse]] page detailing this. There have also been other changes made to several specific curses.
* [[Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence]] has increased in magnitude to 30 (previously 15), and now inflicts a fixed penalty on mana sites. We also removed the lethargy and depression [[roleplaying effect]] element.
* [[Naeve's Twisting Blight]] has increased in magnitude to 30 (previously 15), and now inflicts a set 72 ring penalty on a farm rather than the previous 50% penalty.
* [[Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea]] places a 2 rank penalty on fleets, and no longer harms navies moving through the target territory.
* [[Thunderous Deluge]] reduces resource production by two ranks rather than a percentage.
* [[Rivers of Life]] and [[Rivers Run Red]] have remained the same but we've added boxes discussing some of the unique peculiarities of the rituals.
* [[Winter's Ghosts]] affects all resources save [[congregation|congregations]], but inflicts a fixed amount of damage to production rather than a percentage.
* [[Mountain Remembers Its Youth]] does not harm armies that move through the territory. Its effects apply to mines and forests as well as farms, and inflict a fixed amount of damage to production rather than a percentage.
* [[Thunderous Tread of the Trees]] requires a region with the forest quality (it no longer works on marshes). It no longer affects armies passing through the territory, and reduces production of all personal resources in the territory except fleets.
* [[The Flower is Withered on the Stalk]] remains unchanged but we added a boxout laying out more clearly the limitations of the curse.

==Pronunciation Guide==
* '''29/05/2024'''
We have deleted the pronunciation guide page from the wiki. Anyone who has a query on how we pronounce something is welcome to email [mailto:plot@profounddecisions.co.uk plot@profounddecisions.co.uk] to ask.

==Fire Safety==
* '''29/05/2024'''
We have updated the [[Site_safety#Pyrotechnics|site safety]] page with updated rules for the limited use of small pyrotechnics at events.

==Dedication==
* '''28/05/2024'''
We've made a minor edit to the [[Dedication#Dreams|dreams]] section of the [[dedication]] skill to replace "priest of the Way" with "a priest who is not dedicated to a specific virtue". The former wording was a holdover from the period where dedication was linked to the assembly a priest was part of. The new wording makes in explicit that the ability to pick any Virtue for oracular dreams is for priests that are not dedicated.

==Senatorial Elections==
* '''23/05/2024'''
We have updated [[Dawn leadership]] to add confirmation that nobles must be physically present in the Glory Square unless there are any accessibility issues that make that difficult. In that case our team will make whatever accommodations are needed to support a player.

We've updated [[Wintermark_political_leadership|Wintermark leadership]] to change the duration of the election from one hour to half an hour. This is based on feedback that candidates were unduly having to wait around much longer than the election practically needed.

We've updated the [[Varushka leadership]] to better describe how it works in practice and to make clear that the right of witness does apply to the part of the meeting dedicated to picking the senator.

We've updated the [[League leadership]] to remove the requirement not to exchange bonds before the start of the election. This was unenforceable in practice and needlessly restrictive. Empire is meant to be a deeply political game and we'd like players to have the first half of the summit to engage in as much roleplaying as they want over the exchange of voting bonds.

==Warding Rituals==
* '''14/04/2024'''
We have added an OOC note to the rituals that ward an area to make clear that you must inform a ref about it before you pass through the [[Sentinel Gate]] and get the props you are planning on using checked. The affected rituals are :
* [[Hold Back Frozen Hunger]]
* [[Retreat to the White Caves]]
* [[There Is No Welcome Here]]
* [[Wardens of the Black Waste]]

==Imperial Orcs==
* '''11/04/2024'''
We've made extensive updates to the [[Imperial Orcs]] pages, primarily related to the introduction of [[sept|septs]]. This also touches on a number of other elements including the introduction of a new group archetype (the coterie) and changes to the way ancestors work. Many pages now have additional information on them, but the biggest changes are:
* Addition of the six septs: [[Ethengraw]], [[Illarawm]], [[Sannite]], [[Sunstorm]], [[Tamazi]], and [[Yerende]]
* Revision of the [[Imperial Orcs religious beliefs]] page
* Addition of [[Imperial Orcs culture and customs#Septs|septs]] to the [[Imperial Orcs culture and customs]] page.
* Addition of [[Imperial Orcs magical traditions#Spiritweaving|Spiritweaving]] to the [[Imperial Orcs magical traditions]] page.
* We've removed the Imperial Orcs lineage and species page as the information on that page was now redundant.
New characters can select their sept during character creation. Existing characters can change their sept by emailing [mailto:plot@profounddecisions.co.uk plot@profounddecisions.co.uk]. You can also change sept during play by engaging in the [[Imperial Orcs religious beliefs#The Living Bridge|appropriate ceremony]] then going to GOD.
==League Orcs==
* '''08/04/2024'''
We have updated [[the League]] brief to incorporate new material relevant to playing an [[orc]] in [[the League]], reflecting current developments. It is now possible for players creating a new character in the League to choose whether they are playing an orc or a human.

As part of the change we've made a number of updates to several League pages:
* [[The League|Introduction]]
* [[The League people|The people]]
* [[The League culture and customs|Culture and customs]]
* [[The League look and feel|Look and feel]]
* [[The League history|History]]
* [[The League religious beliefs|Religious beliefs]]
* [[The League magical traditions|Magical traditions]]

==Cold Sun==
* '''04/03/2024'''
We've added a new wiki page for [[Cold Sun]], the cruelly impassive eternal of the Day realm whose forces are currently threatening a number of locations in the Empire. While this is mostly a campaign update, we've included it here because we have taken the winter to tinker with some of the stats of the heralds involved to try and make them more interesting and engaging to fight against, so there are some rules changes. Also, in the past there has been some confusion over the abilities of the heralds of Cold Sun. They are very much not [[Calls#Monstrous_Creatures|monstrous creatures]] so they take the effects of all calls that hit them legitimately, including the effects of [[weakness]]. There is no indication that looting heralds of Cold Sun will result in any kind of curse, nor are they able to reflect back calls. There was some confusion early on due to the way that the brief was delivered before the first block of skirmishes at E3 2023. We have taken all steps possible to try to ensure that this doesn't happen again. Part of the reason for us presenting this information here as clearly as possible is to ensure that those going on skirmishes can have some idea of what they might be up against.

==Sanctioned Events==
* '''21/02/2024'''
We've made some changes to the language around sanctioned events. Previously, "sanctioned event" included both any event taking place in the continuity of the Empire campaign world, and specifically events containing plot elements. We've explicitly renamed the kind of event with plot, NPCs, and combat as a "plot event", leaving "sanctioned event" to refer to all events not run by Profound Decisions that are considered part in the Empire campaign.

We've also added a section of additional guidance on [[Sanctioned_event_advice#Communication_Magic|Communication Magic]] at sanctioned events. While it can't be used to speak to off-stage NPCs in the wider world, it is possible for the creators of a plot event to use certain types of communication magic within the context of their plot.
==Tisanes of the Labyrinth==
* '''17/02/2024'''
We've changed [[Usher's Decoction]] and [[Tisanes of the Labyrinth#Waywalker's Suffusion|Waywalker's Suffusion]] to be [[Potion#Tonics|tonics]]. This means their effects cannot be stacked with each other.

==Aspect magic==
* '''16/02/2024'''
We've changed the name of the magical tradition formerly known as ''totem magic'' to [[aspect magic]] as it more accurately reflects the function of that tradition. We have also taken the opportunity to change the term for calling on aspects of mundane animals in magic to [[Aspect_magic#Beast_Magic|beast magic]] rather than ''spirit animals''.

==Liao Ceremony Cooperation==
* '''14/02/2024'''
We've edited the [[Religious skills#Cooperation|cooperation]] section on the [[religious skills]] page to make it clear that it is [[dedication]] and not membership of a [[Assembly#The_Virtue_Assemblies|virtue assembly]] that determines who a character can perform a ''virtue ceremony'' in cooperation with. Now that it is possible for a character to be dedicated to one virtue, but a member of a different Virtue assembly through the use of the preaching [[Congregation#Downtime options|downtime option]], the original wording was open to misinterpretation.

==Synod Votes and Lay Members==
* '''14/02/2024'''
We've removed the reference to "appropriate virtue assembly" from the [[Sinecure#Synod_Votes|Sinecure]] page, with regard to people who are not members of the [[Synod]] gaining votes. Since the introduction of [[Congregation#Downtime_Options|preaching]] as the method for determining Virtue assembly membership, there is no way for someone without a [[congregation]] to be part of a Virtue assembly, and someone with a congregation is already a member of the Synod.

==Veto==
* '''14/02/2024'''
On the [[Senate]] page, we've changed the word "exercised" for "submitted" and added a line making it clear the usual [[Veto#Timing|timing]] rules apply in the event the veto is being submitted following the Senate session on Sunday.

==Medium Armour==
* '''17/01/2024'''
We've made some changes to the names of certain [[:Category:Medium Armour|medium armour]] to avoid confusion since the [[Rules_update_2022#Armour|change]] to what counts as different types of armour. This has had no effect on the mechanical effect of the magic items.<br>

''Mithril Shirt'' is now [[Bloodamber Hauberk]]<br>
''Tombsteel Guardian'' is now [[Tombshroud Guardian]]<br>
''Wardensweave Scale'' is now [[Wardensweave]]<br>
''Runemail'' is now [[Runebound Ward]]<br>
''Splint Mail'' is now [[Cerulean Protector]]<br>
''Mediator's Mail'' is now [[Scrivener's Guard]]

In addition we have also changed ''Oathkeeper'' to [[Vowkeeper]] and ''Alderman's Edge'' to [[Alder's Edge]]

==Secrets of Skilful Artifice==
* '''11/01/2024'''
We've made some changes to [[Secrets of Skilful Artifice]]. The donor [[Crafting skills#Artisan|artisan]] now chooses what skill to share via the ritual, and may choose to share nothing. This partly resolves some inconsistencies with how the knowledge the ritual shares was determined, and better defines how it works with Runesmith's Law and similar effects.

==Runesmith's Law==
* '''3/1/2023'''
We've updated both [[Wintermark_economic_interests#Runesmith.27s_Law|Runesmith's Law]] and [[Secrets of Skilful Artifice]] to make it clear that using magic to temporarily share knowledge of how to make a unique Wintermark magic item triggers the geas not to share this knowledge. The result is that the artisan donating the knowledge to someone outside their nation permanently loses access to Runesmith's Law.

==Farms and Businesses==
* '''14/12/2023'''
We've added a line to both [[Farm#Production|farm]] and [[Business#Production|busniess]] resources to make it clearer that the income they provide represents disposable income rather than being the sum total of their seasonal production. Expenses, lifestyle, and taxes all exist below the abstraction layer.
==Regalia==
* '''11/12/2023'''
We have added a section on the [[New Imperial titles]] page which explains how the Imperial Senate can add [[New_Imperial_titles#Regalia|regalia]] to a title.
==Ossium Opportunity==
* '''31/08/2023'''
We've made a slight alteration to the [[Culling_the_threat#Dripping_Echoes|Culling the threat]] wind of fortune in the section about creating a permanent magical fortress in the Drownbark Forest. We've made it clear that the "no upkeep" element of the permanent magical fortress is part of the [[opportunity]], and not a standard part of making a magical fortress permanent. The precise mechanics of creating a permanent magical fortress would be determined on case by case basis.
==Appraisal==
* '''08/08/2023'''
Now the [[Senate]] can perform ''two'' [[appraisal|appraisals]] each season, we've added [[Appraisal#The_Prognosticators_Office|a note]] to the power as to how the Imperial Auditor will proceed if both name the same researcher.
==Recognition==
* '''25/07/2023'''
We have added a new use for the judgement of [[Recognition]]; allowing the [[Assembly#General_Assembly|General Assembly]] to recognise someone as an explicitly false exemplar or paragon. A judgement of recognition used in this way can only be raised in the General Assembly and always requires a greater majority to pass.

==Spiral Strategy==
* '''24/07/2023'''
The [[Spiral]] page has been tweaked slightly, naming the [[Spiral#The_Passes|Apulian Way]] as the connection between the territory and the Grendel nation, and adding a [[Spiral#Strategic_Considerations|Strategic Considerations]] section that summarises the geographical complications in the territory. Apart from naming the southern pass, nothing has actually changed we've just made it more explicit.

==Imperial Inquisitor==
* '''0707/2023'''
We've made a slight amendment to the responsibilities of the Imperial Inquisitor to make clear that they are part of the ''inquisitorial court''.

==Thief's Arcane Gambit==
* '''04/07/2023'''
We've added a line to [[Thief's Arcane Gambit]] that specifies that the "legitimate target" for the ritual is also affected by any specific restrictions around willingness in the original enchantment. If the original enchantment can only be used on a willing target, it can only be moved to a willing target.

==Inspirational Locations==
* '''02/07/2023'''
We have replaced the old rules for inspirational tombs with some new rules for [[inspirational location|inspirational locations]]. The new rules cover using true liao to create inspirational memorials for exemplars and paragons as well as using it to consecrate a sacred sites like the Kallavesa Marshes. The new rules provide a detailed framework that lays out how characters do this - what steps are needed in-character and what the outcome will be at each stage. We've provided more explanation for the changes and why we've made them in the [[rules update 2023]] page.

==Sentinel Gate==
* '''01/07/2023'''
We have removed references to getting a traumatic wound if you travel back too late through the sentinel gate. Implementation of this rule was always spotty at best and it violated some of our core design principles in the way it confused in-character and out-of-character objectives. We don't want players to return through the gate late, because it plays havoc with the schedule that everyone, players and ourselves, are relying on. Most participants implicitly appreciate this and make the best effort possible to return to Anvil before the gate begins to close. Traumatic wounds are intended to lead to further roleplaying for the participants who receive them, they are not meant to punish participants for taking the wrong action. Empire tries as hard as possible to avoid mixing in-character and out-of-character consequences in that way.

==FIRST AID==
* '''01/07/2023'''
We've changed the MAN DOWN call to [[Calls#FIRST_AID|FIRST AID]]. We've made this change for two reasons, one is that we and many of our players are no longer comfortable with such a clearly gendered call. The other reason is that over the years, a few players have developed a bad habit of using the call in-character when someone gets wounded. We've replaced the call with FIRST AID - a clear call asking for the first aid team to provide assistance.

We understand that many of participants will continue to use MAN DOWN in emergency situations, precisely because it is the instinctive thing to shout in an emergency. That is absolutely fine, and everyone should treat the call ''exactly'' as if they had called FIRST AID. We expect it to take some years to drop the old call in favour of the new one and we would much rather participants shouted either call quickly than pause to think. The hobby has been using the man down call for decades and we do not want to compromise safety while we transition away from its use at Empire.

==Searching==
* '''29/06/2023'''
We have removed the option in the rules to carry out a real search when searching a character. Previously it was possible to do a real search, but only if both parties agreed. We've removed this option as it's not compatible with the wider system where we discourage this kind of physical contact.

==Art of the Deal==
* '''22/06/2023'''
We've changed the name of the Art of the Deal ritual to [[Winds of Fortune]]. Art of the Deal is still an alternate name for the ritual, but the main entry and all references on magic items use the new name.

==Golden Ramparts==
* '''21/06/2023'''
We've updated the [[Golden Ramparts]] with an [[Golden Ramparts#Assurance|assurance]], related to the Rod and Shield, that has been helpfully uncovered by a scholar at the Icy Crag of the Eternal Sun.

==Druj Miasma==
* '''16/06/2023'''
We've updated the [[Druj miasma]] page, especially with reference to miasma pillars, so that it is less focused on information gained after the liberation of Reikos.

==Cruelty==
* '''14/06/2023'''
Building on the commentary we added to the [[Iron Helms]] army page [[Iron_Helms#Composition|on cruelty]], we added the word "needless" to the [[Varushka#What the Varushkans are not|what the Varushkans are not]] section on the [[Varushka]] page.

==Magic Quality==
* '''04/06/2023'''
We've explicitly added a note that the ritual targeting ability of an army with the [[Army_qualities#Magic|magic quality]] can also target a region or fortification within a territory.

==Haunted Quality==
* '''03/06/2023'''
We've decided to remove the ''Haunted'' [[army qualities|army quality]]. There are no armies with this quality, and after extensive discussion we don't believe we would ever allow any future army to have it, either as a quality or an enchantment.

==Farm Diversification==
* '''31/05/2023'''
Updated the [[Farm#Diversification|diversification]] section on the [[farm]] page to make it clearer that "herb" means one of the standard five magical herbs. Any opportunity that grants "herbs" will always mean the herbs gathered from a standard [[herb garden]] unless it explicitly says otherwise.

==Wolves of Winter==
* '''26/05/2023'''
The magnitude of the ritual ''Wolves of Winter'' has been increased in line with our recent changes to rituals that affect the downtime campaign. The ritual is not in Imperial lore, but the database has been adjusted to reflect this change.

==Whispers through the Black Gate==
* '''20/05/2023'''
We've added a note to the [[Whispers_through_the_Black_Gate#Option|special liao option]] on the [[Whispers through the Black Gate]] ritual to make it explicit that the option is not available to orc casters.

==Throne Appointment==
* '''17/05/2023'''
We've edited the part of the [[The_Throne#Appointment|Throne appointment]] that talks about changing support around and when the election ends inconclusively. The previous wording was a little misleading.

==Navarr Warlocks==
* '''16/05/2023'''
We've changed the word "warlock" on the [[Navarr]] page. The word was very misleading and intended to be a synonym for "magician", which is what we have replaced it with.

==Commonwealth History==
* '''10/05/2023'''
We've changed the year of the formation of the [[Commonwealth#History|Commonwealth]] from 120YE to 105YE so that it is consistent with the background of [[Emperor Frederick]].

==Throne Election==
* '''05/05/2023'''
Appointment of a Throne is [[Senate_motion#Constitutional_Vote|constitutional vote]]. We've made it more explicit that the [[Assembly of the Nine]], as well as the [[General Assembly]], can [[veto]] the election of [[the Throne]]. We've also added that one of the first things every Throne does is ratify their own appointment.

==Marsh Commissions==
* '''19/04/2023'''
We've added a note to the [[commission]] page to indicate that the [[Commission#Marshes|problem of building on marshes]] has become permanent.

==Dreams in the Witch House==
* '''14/04/2023'''
We've added a note to [[Dreams in the Witch House]] inviting players to e-mail us before the event with information about territories they intend to scry so that we are more likely to have a response ready.

==Conjunctions==
* '''12/04/2023'''
We've updated the wiki to make it clear that characters who are nominated by the civil service to [[Sentinel_Gate#Prognostication|oversee a conjunction]] can delegate that authority to another character and that they are not expected to go on the conjunction if they don't want to do so. Any player who doesn't want to oversee a conjunction can contact plot@profounddecisions.co.uk to have the responsibility shifted to another character.

==Endorsement==
* '''08/04/2023'''
Clarified the limits of [[endorsement|endorsing]] deals with eternals. An endorsement cannot support a deal made with an eternal that is under [[Alignment#Enmity|enmity]] ''at the time the deal is made''. Amity or Neutrality cannot be retroactively applied.

==Divination Rituals==
* '''06/04/2023'''
We've made matching updates to [[Clear Counsel of the Everflowing River]] and [[Combing the Beach]], Both rituals now require an effigy to perform, and that the question posed be submitted the previous night. The response to the ritual now comes when it is performed, rather than some time afterwards. You can find more details about the change on the [[Rules update 2023#Divination Ritual Updates|Rules update]] page.

==Shuttle Service==
* '''06/04/2023'''
We have taken the decision not to charge for the [[Dadford_Road_Campsite#Banbury_Shuttle_Service|shuttle service in 2023]]. We have no plans to charge for the shuttle in the future if the costs to run the service remain similar.

==Regio and Portals==
* '''05/04/2023'''
We made some adjustments to [[detect magic]] and [[operate portal]] to lay out their functionality when it comes to detecting and identifying [[regio]] and the portals that lie within them. We included in operate portal the mechanics of accessing the Hall of Worlds (copied from the regio page), given how commonly that spell effect is used by magicians.

==Military Rituals==
* '''31/03/2023'''
We've made several updates to rituals that involve [[Army|armies]] and [[fortification|fortifications]]. The [[Rules_update_2023#Military_Rituals|Rules Update 2023]] page goes through these changes in detail. The rituals affected are [[Knights of Glory]], [[Bound by Common Cause]], [[Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae]], [[Forge the Wooden Fastness]], [[Dripping Echoes of the Fen]], [[The Basalt Citadel]], [[Golden Ramparts]] and [[Stone's Unyielding Defiance]].

We've also modified [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]], [[Quickening Cold Meat]], and the non-Imperial ritual '''Footsteps of the Fallen''' to change the [[roleplaying effects]] experienced by the [[general]] targeted by the [[enchantment]].

==Resources and Conquered Territories==
* '''31/03/2023'''
We've changed the way [[fleet|fleets]] and [[military unit|military units]] interact with the [[Resource#Conquered_Territories|conquered territory]] rules. Previously these two resources had been exempt from the penalty for being in a conquered territory; we've removed that exemption. You can read more about this change in the [[Rules_update_2023#Military_Units_and_Fleets|rules update]].

==Venom==
* '''31/03/2023'''
We've clarified the [[Calls#VENOM|VENOM]] call to make it explicit that if you are [[Combat#Dying|dying]] and have less than thirty seconds to live when you are hit by venom, then you should continue with your current count - gaining the venom condition ''never'' increases the time remaining if you were already dying.

==Spring Rituals==
* '''23/03/2023'''
The effects of [[Fan the Flame of New Life]] have been significantly changed, and we've removed the '''Midwife's Recourse''' ritual from the game. Discussion of and explanation for these changes can be found on the [[Rules_update_2023#Spring_Rituals|Rules update 2023]]page. We also added a medicine section to the [[Technology#Medicine|Technology]] page, and a section on the [[Healing in Empire#Pregnancy and childbirth|healing in Empire]] page.

==COVID Safety==
* '''14/03/2023'''
We have updated the [[entry requirements]] and the rules for [[COVID safety]] for our events in 2023.

==Bow Safety==
* '''14/03/2023'''
We have overhauled the rules for [[bow safety]] at Empire. Please make sure you read and understand the new rules if you use a bow or crossbow at any point at the events.

==Blood of the Hydra==
* '''14/03/2023'''
[[Blood of the Hydra]] has been amended to make it explicit that it is intended for the treatment of limbs ruined by effects such as [[Calls#CLEAVE|CLEAVE]] or the like. It cannot be used to regrow internal or damaged organs, and is only useful for traumatic wounds when explicitly called out. Damaged internal organs are very much intended to be in the purview of the [[Surgical skills#Physick|physick]], and regenerating or replacing them magically is a much more significant use of magic than simply repairing a limb ruined by a sword. '''(23/03/2023)''' Further discussion of this change can be found [[Rules_update_2023#Reasoning:_Blood_of_the_Hydra|here]].

==Chimes of Annulment==
* '''14/03/2023'''
We've changed the casting time on [[Chimes of Annulment]] to be 2 minutes rather than 5, to bring it in to line with other rituals.

==Knight-protector Declination==
* '''10/03/2023'''
We've added a note to the [[Knight-protector#Appointment|Knight-protector]] [[Imperial title]] about what happens if someone wins the tourney but declines to take the title.

==Vital Strength of the Earth==
* '''09/03/2023'''
We've corrected an error in [[Vital Strength of the Earth]] which had the increased magnitude for additional targets at 5, rather than 24.

==Lineage in Play==
* '''08/03/2023'''
We added some material about gaining (and losing) lineage after character creation. There's a section on the [[lineage#Gaining_lineage_in_play|lineage]] page, and sections on each of the individual lineage pages in the ''Imperial (lineage)'' sections.

==Liao and PLV==
* '''08/03/2023'''
Additional information about [[Liao#True Liao|true liao]] has been added to the [[liao]] page. We've also added a new page laying out the procedures and mechanics involved in having a [[past life vision]].

==Card Wording==
* '''02/03/2023'''
We've added a line to the rules about [[Game_items#Cards|cards]] pointing out that when a game item card and the rules on the wiki differ, the rules take precedence. Usually this is because a card was printed during an earlier iteration of the rules.

==Auras==
* '''01/03/2023'''
We've made a few updates to the [[aura]] page. [[Aura#Durable Auras|Durable auras]] are now auras that last indefinitely unless replaced, and we've specified [[Aura#Strong Auras|strong auras]] as being auras with a strength higher than one. We've also explicitly called out that the [[insight]] skill does [[Aura#Virtue|not reveal]] which (if any) virtue or malign spiritual presence an aura is tied to. Finally, we've added a section giving some information about [[Aura#Spontaneous Auras|spontaneous auras]] to the page.

==Booking IC Spaces==
* '''28/02/2023'''
We've added the facility for characters to book IC spaces at the event - the Hub, Hall of Worlds, Military Council and Senate - when not in use for official business. We've added a section to the page on [[Anvil#Booking_Civil_Service_Spaces|Anvil]] to explain how this works and how to make a booking.

==Dreams in the Witch House==
* '''24/02/2023'''
We've edited the description of the ritual effect for [[Dreams in the Witch House]] to bring it more into line with the way the ritual is actually working in the field.

==Eye of the High Places==
* '''24/02/2023'''
We've removed the requirement for this ritual to be performed in a powerful Day [[regio]], to bring it into line with [[Eyes of the Sun and Moon]] and [[Dreams in the Witch House]].

==Align the Celestial Net==
* '''24/02/2023'''
We've made a slight tweak to [[Align the Celestial Net]] to bring it into line with [[Wind of Mundane Silence]]. Neither ritual can be performed by a coven that is drawing on the power of the target [[regio]] to allow them to cast the ritual.

==Army Enchantments==
* '''23/02/2023'''
We've changed the casting time of rituals that target Imperial Armies to 10 minutes, with the new rule about using the Imperial regio to reduce the casting time to 5 minutes. So far the affected rituals are [[Bound by Common Cause]], [[Brotherhood of Tian]], [[Why Sulemaine Walked Away From The Baker]], [[Eyes of the Hills]], and [[Mystic_scrolls_of_Estavus#Machines_of_Destruction|Machines of Destruction]].This brings them into line with the other army enchantment rituals.

==Longer Rituals==
*'''23/02/2023'''
We've added an additional power to the [[Regio#The Imperial Regio|Imperial Regio]]. Any ritual with a casting time of at least 10 minutes can be cast in 5 minutes instead when using the Imperial regio. We're updating existing ritual pages to include a reminder of this effect. We've added a note to the "imperial enchantments" ([[Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths]], [[Hallow of the Green World]], and [[Wondrous Forests of the Night]]) to indicate that they do not have their casting time reduced by the Imperial regio.

==Phial of the Sun / Bloodcloak==
* '''22/02/2023'''
We've updated the rules text for the [[Phial of the Sun]] and [[Bloodcloak]] [[magic items]] to make it explicit that they only duplicate the effect of the five traditional magical [[herb|herbs]]; [[Bladeroot]], [[Cerulean Mazzarine]], [[Imperial Roseweald]], [[Marrowort]], and [[True Vervain]]. While other substances might be described as herbs, they are distinct from the five herbs used by [[Surgical skills#Physick|physicks]] that these magic items can replicate.

==Navarr Are Not...==
* '''15/02/2023'''
We've added a new bullet point to [[Navarr#What_the_Navarr_are_not|What the Navarr are not]] making it clear that while the [[Navarr]] are merciless toward their enemies, they are just as law abiding as any other Imperial nation.

==Conclave Changes==
* '''11/02/2023'''
We've made extensive changes to the [[Conclave]]. This touches on the way a [[Conclave session]] is organised, all the [[declaration|declarations]], and almost all of the [[Imperial title|titles]] associated with the Conclave, as well as [[the Throne]]. Rather than repeat them here, you can find a summary of the changes on the [[Rules_update_2023#Conclave_Changes|Rules update 2023]] page.

==Advisor on the Vallorn==
* '''11/02/2023'''
As part of the updates to the [[Conclave]], we've removed the power of the [[Advisor on the Vallorn]] to raise a free [[Declaration]] of [[Interdiction]].

==Unstoppable and Pretending to be Dead==
* '''19/01/2023'''
We've edited the rules for [[Heroic_skills#Unstoppable|Unstoppable]]. We haven't change the rules, but we've tried to make the intent behind the skill use clearer. We've also rolled in some points from the [[Rules FAQ]] as having information about a skill in two places can be unhelpful.

At the same time, we've made the rule about pretending to be dead or dying more prominent by moving it to the section of the rules dealing with [[Combat#Dying|dying]].

==Operating Portals==
* '''11/01/2023'''
We've made a few minor edits to [[operate portal]] and related effects (specifically the [[Ambassadorial Gatekeeper]] ritual) to make it clearer that you can't bring along additional living creatures even if they are [[combat#Dying|dying]] or [[Combat#Terminal|terminal]].

We've also added a note to the [[Knight-protector#Banner_of_the_Season|Banner of the Season]] power of the [[Knight-protector]] [[Imperial title]] that the Summer Banner is specifically more potent than the others, as there had been some confusion around the fact the item is notably different to the other three.

==Necessary Details==
* '''27/09/2022'''
We added a note to the [[Commission#Necessary_Details|necessary details]] section on the [[commission]] page making it explicit that in the absence of details about the cost of a commission, the civil service will always assume it is the minimum size allowed for such a commission.

==Accoutrements of War==
* '''16/08/2022'''
We've added a boxout to the [[Mystic_scrolls_of_Estavus#Accoutrements_of_War|Accoutrements of War]] ritual making it clearer that the special production granted by the [[enchantment]] ''only'' applies to paid work, not to every action under the independent action dropdown.

==Cardinals and Assemblies==
* '''15/09/2022'''
We've added a note to the [[cardinal]] page in the [[Cardinal#Appointment|appointment]] section reinforcing the idea that a cardinal must be a member of the [[Assembly#The_Virtue_Assemblies|assembly]] they lead. Changing assembly (perhaps through [[Congregation#Downtime_Options|preaching]] in downtime) means the cardinal forfeits their title. Likewise, someone without a [[congregation]] who gains membership of an assembly through the votes granted by a [[sinecure]] cannot become cardinal because as soon as they do, they lose their former [[Imperial title]] and no longer meet the criteria to be cardinal. Both are very edge cases, but are worth bearing in mind.

==Imperial Enchantments==
* '''15/09/2022'''
We've adjusted the magnitude of the three [[:Category:Imperial Enchantment|Imperial enchantments]] up from 160 to 200. In-character magical scholars believe this is due to the increasing size of the Empire, and might have been heralded by a [[A_yellow_star_hung#A_Light_that_Never_Goes_Out|subtle conjunction]] of the esoteric [[Astronomancy#Constellations|constellations]] of [[the Key]] and [[the Lock]] during the Autumn Equinox. Out-of-character this is because we want to keep these rituals challenging, and the former magnitude is no longer as difficult to achieve as it was when the game began.

We also took the opportunity to change how [[Hallow of the Green World]] works. Previously the coven had to choose which herb the herb gardens would create. This is because when we first created these rituals we didn't have the ability to add random herbs to resources. Now that we do, we've update the ritual to work a little bit more like [[Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths]] and [[Wondrous Forests of the Night]] whose bonus production is set by the base resource rather than being chosen.

==Cruel Quality==
* '''06/09/2022'''
In July, we made a change to the [[Army qualities#Cruel|Cruel]] quality which we forgot to document at the time. Rather than an army with this quality automatically revealing it to everyone in a territory, it is only noticeable when it actively takes the [[Army_qualities#Cruel|Merciless Assault]] order. This change was made to bring the description of the quality into line with how it was actually working in terms of the downtime campaign.

==Clear Lens and Shadowed Glass==
* '''04/09/2022'''
We've removed the line "''A detect magic spell may occasionally reveal if there is specific, additional information in a specific location''" from both [[Clear Lens of the Eternal River]] and [[Shadowed Glass of Sung]] because it was misleading; our intention was to allow some space for plot writers to create specific results from these rituals for their plots taking place on Anvil, but this has proved to be impractical.

==Parliament of Owls==
* '''04/09/2022'''
We've updates the [[Raven_Seer#Parliament_of_Owls|Parliament of Owls]] power of the [[Raven Seer]] to make it clear there is only one copy of this ritual text and the Raven Seer is expected to hand it to their successor.

==Briar Bark==
* '''04/09/2022'''
We've made a slight update to [[Briar#Patches_of_bark|patches of bark]] on the [[briar]] page. "While tree bark can come in a variety of colours and textures, briar bark is rough, and predominantly brown."

==Shroud of Fog and Ravens==
* '''19/08/2022'''
As noted in the '''[[Of_earth_and_sky#Game_Information|Of earth and sky]]''' wind of war, we're removing the ritual ''Shroud of Fog and Ravens'' from the game. Unfortunately, this ritual is completely incompatible with Empire's magic theory and was a remnant from the very first years of the game before we had nailed down all these elements. As a consequence we are removing this ritual. Any character who has it mastered will now have an empty "slot" for mastering new rituals. The in-character explanation is that the recent conjunction of the Lock has rendered the ritual unworkable, taking away whatever strange power it relied on. We will continue to reject attempts to create similar effects in this realm using arcane projections; it is not possible to enchant armies in this way with [[Night magic]].

==Bright Lantern of Ophis==
* '''11/08/2022'''
We've added an additional line to the [[Bright_Lantern_of_Ophis#Performing_the_Ritual|performing the ritual]] section of [[Bright Lantern of Ophis]] to make it more clear that the ritual cannot be used to target other territories using the Anvil regio.

==Castellan of Spiral Castle==
* '''10/08/2022'''
We've corrected an error around the election of [[Castellan of Spiral Castle]] which suggested it would be appointed in Winter when the text indicates the appointment is (correctly) Autumn.

==Improving Opportunities==
* '''07/08/2022'''
We added a section to the page on [[opportunity|opportunities]] explaining that it's rarely possible to simply [[Opportunity#Amending._Improving.2C_and_Upgrading|improve a commission]] gained via an opportunity.

==Visions==
* '''03/08/2022'''
We've made it explicit that the visions received from [[Infusions_of_Feathers#Goosewhisper_Infusion|Goosewhisper Infusion]] and [[Signs and Portents]] are the same. If you experience one, you get the same vision from all other incidences of these kinds of visions for the rest of the event.

==Concedence==
* '''29/7/2022'''
The Constitutional Court have issued new guidance on the use of [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Concedence|concedence]] by the Imperial Senate. The new guidance grants national assemblies the right to veto a motion that cedes a region or territory assigned to that nation. This new guidance does not cover any concedence already passed by the Imperial Senate, it is not a retrospective change, it applies to any motion of Concedence passed by the Imperial Senate from Summer 384YE and onwards.

==Raising an Army==
* '''29/07/2022'''
We've amended the rules to make clear that you can only raise an army in a territory of that nation. Nobody has ever tried to raise an army somewhere else, but we wanted to be clear that that is not possible.

==Consecration==
* '''20/07/2022'''
We've updated the [[Consecration#Performance|performance]] section of the [[consecration]] skill to make it clearer that "letting a referee know in advance" means "during an event" rather than "prior to the event."

==Challenge the Iron Duke==
* '''14/07/2022'''
We've added a paragraph to the [[Challenge_the_Iron_Duke#OOC_Elements|out-of-character section]] of [[Challenge the Iron Duke]] to help players better manage their expectation of the kind of challenge or boon the ritual might provide.

==Abrogation==
* '''13/07/2022'''
We've updated the [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Abrogation|abrogation]] power of the Senate to make it clearer that when a [[commission]] is abrogated the exact effects depend on the nature of the structure affected, but generally result in the loss of any production following the summit where the motion is passed.

==Preaching and Virtue==
* '''13/07/2022'''
The Imperial Senate [[384YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Amend_membership_of_virtue_assemblies|voted]] during the Spring Equinox to change how membership of a [[Assembly#The_Virtue_Assemblies|Virtue Assembly]] was determined from relying solely on [[dedication]] to use of the new ''[[Congregation#Downtime Options|preach]]'' downtime option. We've updated the [[congregation]] and [[Assembly]] pages appropriately, as well as adding additional information to [[Synod#History|history of the Imperial Synod]], [[Imperial_Orcs_religious_beliefs#Membership_of_the_Virtue_Assemblies|Imperial Orcs religious beliefs]] and [[preachers]] pages. There are also a number of minor edits to other pages talking about the Virtue assemblies to reflect the changes.

==IC Tents==
* '''12/07/2022'''
We have discovered that the range of tents marketed as Oxford Canvas has grown to include a small number of tents that don't meet our minimum requirements for the in-character field because the colour and thickness of the material they are made from looks too much like plastic. We've clarified the [[Costume|rules]] to make clear that these types of tent are not allowed because of this.

We do understand that the tents are appealing because they are cheap and light, but we have to have a cut-off at some point otherwise we would have to allow any tent in the IC area.

We've created an amnesty to allow these ultra-light sandstone bell tents to be used for the remainder of 2022 to remove any immediate need to change.

==Naga Scales==
* '''06/07/2022'''
We've added a line to [[Naga#Scaled_Skin|scaled skin]] under naga reminding players to be sensitive to real-world considerations when choosing the colour scheme for their scales.

==Artisan's Oil==
* '''05/07/2022'''
We've changed the time required to use [[Artisan's Oil]] to ten seconds on the wiki, to bring it in line with what the majority of the item cards say.

==Ephisis' Scale==
* '''24/06/2022'''
We've made a few tweaks to [[Ephisis' Scale]], primarily around managing expectations and being more explicit about what will, and will not, be considered by the ritual effect.

==Mage Armour Masks==
* '''22/06/2022'''
We've added "''mask''" to the standard pieces that count toward a suit of [[Weapons_%26_armour#Mage_Armour|mage armour]].

==Plenipotentiary==
* '''22/06/2022'''
We've added a line to the [[archmage]] power of [[Archmage#Plenipotentiary|plenipotentiary]] to make it clearer that the more specific a message is, the more likely it is to result in [[Archmage#Parley|parley]].

==Drawing the Penumbral Veil==
* '''10/06/2022'''
We've updated the [[Piercing Light of Revelation]] ritual to make it explicit that the ritual does not automatically reveal the magnitude of a shroud on a territory.

==Fane==
* '''03/06/2022'''
We added a note that the new [[fane]] commission can currently be built only by the [[Senate]] or a title that can commission ''anything''. This is both because it is a specific, new kind of commission, and because it uses the Senate power of [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Concedence|concedence]].

==Penumbral Watcher==
* '''03/06/2022'''
We've changed the [[Penumbral_Watcher#Shadow_Well|Shadow Well]] power of the [[Penumbral Watcher]] so that it is a "magical effect" that targets an allied [[spy network]] rather than a "territory enchantment" to better reflect how it actually works. If it ''was'' an enchantment on the territory, it would be obvious to the Empire's enemies, and could be removed with any territory enchantment they cared to place themselves.

==Brass Coast Tally==
* '''01/06/2022'''
Following on from a statement of principle in the Brass Coast National Assembly, we've [[384YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_fortune#Sails_of_Fire|changed]] how the [[Tally of the Votes]] is done for Brass Coast national positions appointed through the Bourse. It's no longer required that a character engage in privateering to vote for such titles; ownership of a [[fleet]] resource is sufficient.

==Anointing and informed consent==
* '''01/06/2022'''
We've (again) updated [[anointing]]. A target does not need to be aware of what virtue they are being anointed with, but they ''must'' be aware that your ceremony is an anointing that will create a personal aura on them.

==Vallornspawn Husk Insight==
* '''29/05/2022'''
We've added a section to the [[vallornspawn husk]] page relating to use of the [[insight]] ceremony. It talks about the [[Vallornspawn_husk#Insight|contradictory results]] received when using the ceremony on bodies animated by the vallorn.

==Election Schedule==
* '''25/05/2022'''
We've [[New_Imperial_titles#Term|updated the wiki]] to make clear that the civil service set what event a title is elected on, if the title is reappointed each year. In practice titles have usually worked this way anyway - for example Bourse seats are all done together and so forth, but we have made clear that new Imperial titles are subject to this rule in all cases. We've done this because we need to be able to spread elections out through the year for the smooth running of the game.

==Sinecure==
* '''13/05/2022'''
Added a small section to the [[sinecure]] page explaining how [[sinecure#production|production]] of resources works.

==Titles, Tenure, and Ownership==
* '''12/05/2022'''
We've made some edits to the way [[tenure]] works for [[Imperial title|Imperial titles]], along with a short box-out explaining the reasons for the change. We've also added a new section called [[Imperial_title#Ownership|ownership]] which is intended to help manage the expectation of players who gain Imperial titles during the game.

==Dedication==
* '''11/05/2022'''
We've updated the overview of the [[Dedication#Overview|dedication]] page to remove an incorrect reference to only priests who are undedicated being able to remove a dedication.


==Imperial Orc Wayleave==
* '''18/04/2022'''
Fixed the error on the Imperial Orc Wayleave that had them only able to commission once a year. While the title is appointed in the Autumn Equinox it can announce one commission each season.

==Foam and Trees==
* '''17/04/2022'''
We've added the line "The civilian population of a territory will certainly be affected by this ritual" to both [[Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea]] and [[Thunderous Tread of the Trees]].

==Mountain Remembers Its Youth==
* '''17/04/2022'''
We've made it clearer that [[Mountain Remembers Its Youth]] affects fortifications alongside Imperial armies as this wasn't clear from the effect text.

==Rivers Run Red / Rivers of Life==
* '''14/04/2022'''
We've added a line "''The civilian population of a territory will certainly be affected by this ritual.''" to the [[Rivers Run Red]] and [[Rivers of Life]] rituals to make it clear that these rituals will have an effect on the civilian population of a territory, not only the Imperial armies there.

==Hand of the Maker and Stamps==
* '''13/04/2022'''
We've updated [[Hand of the Maker]] to make it explicit that the special message used with [[Call Winged Messenger]] can be evaluated with this ritual as it has a Profound Decisions ID number.

==COVID Safety==
* '''24/03/2022'''
We've updated the wiki with our [[COVID safety]] measures for our events this year. Our plan is to review these measures and update many of them on the run up to each event on the basis of current conditions.

==Sinecure Production==
* '''23/03/2022'''
We've updated the [[sinecure]] page to make it clear that you still gain the production even if you didn't attend the event.

==Conduct Overhaul==
* '''20/03/2022'''
We have rewritten the Profound Decisions [[conduct]] policy. The page on [[conduct]] defines the rules that we expect all participants to follow, [[reporting a conduct problem]] provides information on the process for reporting any issue you have, and [[sanctions]] describes the steps we can take in response. We have also updated the text for the [[must-avoid policy]] to reflect the new changes. There is a description of the key changes and some of the reasoning on our [[Rules_update_2021#Conduct_Overhaul|rules update 2022]] page.

==Sutannir==
* '''17/03/2022'''
We have added a new wiki page devoted to the [[sutannir]], [[archetype|archetypal]] Freeborn priest who focuses on encouraging celebration and festivities. We've also updated [[the Brass Coast religious beliefs]] page with new information to complement the updates to the sutannir page.

==Public Auction==
* '''24/02/2022'''
We've significantly reduced the scale and scope of the public auctions carried out by civil servants at events. From now on, the auction will be restricted to lots of bourse resources, the bourse seats themselves, and a dose of true liao. A more detailed explanation of the changes and reasoning are [[Rules update 2021|presented here]].

==Sanctioned Events==
* '''07/02/2022'''
We've made several edits to our [[sanctioned events]] page, splitting some of the information onto a separate [[Sanctioned event advice]] page aimed at organisers. The main changes are around the definitions of sanctioned event styles, and the rule that all sanctioned events take place in the same chronological order in-character that they do out-of-character.

==Downtime Roleplaying and Coronavirus==
* '''27/01/2022'''
We removed the relaxed rules about online roleplaying during lockdown from the wiki, and edited references to them. The normal rules about roleplaying [[online]] and in [[downtime]] are now back in full effect.

==Wind of Mundane Silence==
* '''26/01/2022'''
We've removed the idea that the [[Wind of Mundane Silence]] can only be used to affect a powerful [[regio]]. The ritual will destroy ''any'' regio it is performed at.

==Fish People==
* '''16/01/2022'''
We've added a note to the [[Merrow]] page under "[[Merrow#What they are not|what they are not]]" to indicate that they are not fish people.

==Emphasising Agramant==
* '''13/01/2022'''
We’ve made a change to the setting we want to let you know about. From this point forward, the eternal who has been primarily known by the name Wendigo will be more commonly known as [[Agramant]]. Likewise we're changing the name of the Wendigo's Bargain item to [[Agramant's Bargain]].

We are not changing anything else about the character or tendencies of this eternal, but we are de-emphasising the name Wendigo. Agramant has always been one of Wendigo's names - so we've chosen to emphasise it as the "preferred" name for the eternal on the wiki from now on.

We've done this for several reasons. We've been aware for a while of some concerns about the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo origin of the name], and what that implies for our use of the eternal. We’ve reflected on that feedback and noted that while many of the other eternals make references (at variable subtlety levels) to literary, mythological, or gaming sources, Wendigo was the only one we know of with a name that is directly featured in a real-world belief system. There are no eternals called Hades, Hel, or Balor for example.

For the time being, the name Wendigo will remain one of Agramant’s less-widely used sobriquets. We'd like people to adopt this de-emphasising approach over time rather than treating this as a retcon or sudden break - for example, we know that many characters have written a lot of material about this eternal. It isn't suddenly off brief or wrong to use the original name, and there's no need to reprint IC booklets that use the name Wendigo. The name will remain one of Agramant's less widely used soubriquets. From this point forward, the eternal who has been primarily known by the name Wendigo will be more commonly known as Agramant.

==Archiving Wiki Updates==
* '''12/02/2022'''
We archived wiki updates prior to 2019. The page had long since become unwieldy due to the sheer volume of entries, and in several cases the page listed updates that were out of date or superseded by later updates. Wiki updates prior to 2019 are now held on the [[Archive:Wiki_updates_to_2018|previous wiki updates]] page in the Archive namespace.

==Frequently Asked Questions==
* '''11/01/2022'''
We've made some edits to the [[General FAQ]], and deleted both the ''obscure questions'' and ''new player FAQ'' pages. Most of the questions covered by those pages have been folded into the remaining sections.

==Calls and Blows==
* '''03/11/2021'''
We've added some words to [[Calls]] to make it clear that you can only make one call with each blow you strike.

==Iron Qanat==
* '''26/10/2021'''
We've updated the [[Segura]] page to include the presence of the Iron Qanat; this has also required a note on the [[Construct Iron Qanat II]] Senate motion that the [[great work]] is in Sobral Grasses not Yellow Chase.

==Battle Safety==
* '''22/10/2021'''
We've made some edits to streamline the [[Combat safety#Battle Safety|Battle Safety]] section on the [[combat safety]] page.

==Heroic Skills==
* '''22/10/2021'''
We've added a line to the [[heroic skills]] overview reiterating that skills such as [[Heroic skills#Cleaving Strike|cleaving strike]], [[Heroic skills#Mortal Blow|mortal blow]] or [[Heroic skills#Mighty Strikedown|mighty strikedown]] cannot be used with [[Weapons_%26_armour#Implements|mage implements]].

==Illegal Orders==
* '''22/10/2021'''
We've added a short section to the [[general]] page about [[army orders]] that are in-character illegal and how they are handled.

==Orders that Break the Rules==
* '''22/10/2021'''
We've added a clarification to the [[army orders]] page about what happens if a general accidentally submits a set of orders that break the rules on war.

==Imperial Enchantments==
* '''13/10/2021'''
We've made some adjustments to the [[:Category:Imperial Enchantment|Imperial enchantments]] - [[Wondrous Forests of the Night]], [[Hallow of the Green World]], and [[Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths]]. The main change is to modify the ''effect'' of these rituals to better reflect how they actually operate - that they create powerful but unpredictable secondary effects as well as the more predictable effect on production of resources. We've also expanded their history a little in the ''description'' sections in the wake of the recent [[#Finalized Urizen Update|Urizen update]].

==Finalised Urizen Update==
* '''28/09/2021'''
We've finalised the Urizen update. Mostly this has meant removing the stubs from the pages but we've made a small number of changes to the content based on player feedback.
* The [[sword scholar]] section about [[Sword scholar#Costume|costume]] has been edited to remove unnecessary references and make it clearer what kind of weapons and armour the sword scholars favour.
* We modified some of the wording on the [[Urizen look and feel]] page to hopefully make it clearer
* We updated the [[costume]] page to make the wording around [[costume#Less Appropriate Costume|less appropriate]] and [[Costume#Inappropriate Costume|inappropriate]] costume clearer.
* We clarified the rules on guy ropes in the [[Costume#In-Character Tents|In-Character Tents]] section of the [[costume]] page.
* We modified the details of the [[Some_heavenly_music#Net_of_Gossamer_Chains|Net of Gossamer Chains]] ritual in the [[Some heavenly music]] wind of fortune
* We've moved the content regarding the Urizen Spring Festival to the [[Urizen culture and customs#Spring Flower Festival|culture and customs]] page.

==Privateering and Piracy==
* '''09/09/2021'''
We have added a note to the box-out about the privateering action on the [[fleet]] page to remind players that they cannot use this action to commit piracy against people the Empire is not at war with due to the [[Employ_Civil_Service_to_observe_Fleets|Civil Service observers]].

==Armour Coverage==
* '''09/09/2021'''
We have updated the armour rules to make clear that a full breastplate that covers the front only is sufficient to be classed as "covering the majority of the torso". This means it will provide extra hits provided your armour also covers one other location.

==Urizen Politics Update==
* '''07/09/2021'''
As part of our review of Urizen, we've changed the way the nation appoints [[senator|senators]]. You can read about the changes [[Urizen leadership#Leading a territory|here]] and a discussion of the reasons and in-character explanation for them can be found [[Rules_update_2021#Urizen_Elections|here]].

==Urizen Culture Update==
* '''07/09/2021'''
We've undertaken an extensive review of the Urizen pages on the wiki. Almost all the pages that form part of the Urizen brief have been updated. You can learn more about the reasoning for this and the way the changes are being handled in the [[Rules_update_2021#Urizen_Culture|Rules Update]]. A brief summary of the changes follows here.
* We've updated [[Urizen]], [[Urizen people]], [[Urizen culture and customs]], [[Urizen leadership]], [[Urizen economic interests]], [[Urizen religious beliefs]], [[Urizen military concerns]] and [[Urizen magical traditions]]
* We've greatly expanded the [[Urizen history]] page
* We've added significantly to the [[spire]] page and created an [[Urizen groups]] page (which will also serve as a template for similar pages in other nations)
* We've extensively overhauled [[Urizen look and feel]] in line with our new [[costume]] guidelines
* We've added or updated pages for all the Urizen archetypes: [[arbiter]], [[architect]], [[illuminate]], [[mage]], [[seer]], [[sentinel]], [[stargazer]], [[sword scholar]], [[torchbearer]], [[questor]]
* We've added the rituals placed into [[Urizen magical traditions#urizen lore|Urizen lore]]
* We've added a page for the historical figure [[Sulemaine]]
Some tweaks have been made (or are in the process of being made) to various pages that are connected to these changes.

==Costume==
* '''07/09/2021'''
We've completed rewritten the [[costume]] page to lay out clearer guidelines for the various ways costume is used at Empire.

==Vallorn Miasma==
* '''20/08/2021'''
Added a line of OOC explanation to the [[Vallorn#Vallorn miasma|vallorn miasma]] section of the [[vallorn]] page to make it explicit how exposure to the miasma works.

==Armour==
*'''2/7/2021'''
We have changed the [[Weapons & armour#Armour|classification and benefits provided by armour]] and introduced the [[Combat skills#Dreadnought|dreadnought]] skill. Please see the [[Rules_update_2021|2021 rules update]] for the explanation and reasoning behind the changes.

==Others Languages==
*'''28/06/2021'''
We've added a section to [[languages]] giving guidance on languages other than those currently placed in the setting which you can find [[Languages#Other_Languages|here]].

==Regio at Sanctioned Events==
* '''28/06/2021'''
We've added a section to the [[Sanctioned events]] guidance about [[regio]] which you can find [[Sanctioned_events#Regio|here]].

==Lineage Review==
* '''06/05/2021'''
We've completed the first stage of a review of the [[lineage]] pages. This stage has been largely cosmetic, removing bullet points and replacing them with linkable headings on the [[briar]], [[cambion]], [[changeling]], [[draughir]], [[merrow]] and [[naga]] pages.

One more significant change is that we have moved the "demeanour" trappings from the "physical trappings" section of each of the pages to the roleplaying section. This is in line with the requirement that to have lineage you must have a physical trapping.

In the case of merrow, we have also moved [[Merrow#Blue-green Hair|blue-green hair]] from being a minor trapping to being an "[[Merrow#Other_trappings|other trapping]]".

==Distil the Serpent's Stone==
* '''21/04/2021'''
We've corrected the magnitude on the [[Distil the Serpent's Stone]] page to match the correct magnitude on the database and in the rituals list. It should have been magnitude 100 rather than magnitude 70.

==Icons and Artistry==
* '''01/03/2021'''
We've removed the "Icons and Artistry" pages for each nation, and rolled that information into the individual Culture and Customs pages. In some cases this has meant moving some information from Look and Feel as well, or altering the layout of the page (for example we've reordered the information about art and history on the [[Wintermark culture and customs]] page to create two new subsections of [[Wintermark culture and customs|Scops]] and [[Wintermark culture and customs|Riddles]] while moving the discussion of music to the new [[Wintermark culture and customs|Icons and Artistry]] section).
* [[The_Brass_Coast_culture_and_customs#Icons_and_Artistry|The Brass Coast]]
* [[Dawn_culture_and_customs#Icons_and_Artistry|Dawn]]
* [[Highguard_culture_and_customs#Icons_and_Artistry|Highguard]]
* [[Imperial_Orcs_culture_and_customs#Icons_and_Artistry|Imperial Orcs]]
* [[The_League_culture_and_customs#Icons_and_Artistry|The League]]
* [[The_Marches_culture_and_customs#Icons_and_Artistry|The Marches]]
* [[Navarr_culture_and_customs#Icons_and_Artistry|Navarr]]
* [[Urizen_culture_and_customs#Icons_and_Artistry|Urizen]]
* [[Varushka_culture_and_customs#Icons_and_Artistry|Varushka]]
* [[Wintermark_culture_and_customs#Icons_and_Artistry|Wintermark]]

==Erawayugot and Skaftafell==
* '''23/02/2021'''
We've corrected an error with the regions of Otkodov where we'd erroneously labelled both a region of [[Verthandi]] and a region of Nithoggir as "Erawayugot". Bringing the wiki into line with the database, we've changed the name of the Erawayugot in Verthandi to Skaftafell and will update the maps appropriately.

==Military Units, Army Orders, and Enchantments==
* '''17/02/2021'''
We've added a line to [[Military_unit#Support_Army|Military units]] to make it more obvious how their strength interacts with orders given to, and enchantments placed on, the [[Army|armies]] they support.

==Still Waters, Running Deep==
* '''10/02/2021'''
We've adjusted the magnitude of the [[Still Waters, Running Deep]] ritual to be correct as near as we can tell. We have no idea why the magnitude was recorded in error.

==Burning Falcon==
* '''05/02/2021'''
We've adjusted the date of the destruction of the [[Burning Falcon]] army from 247YE to 248YE to remove a conflict with details of the [[campaigns of Emperor Guntherm]]. In-character this correction comes as result of some research performed by [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] scholar Bakar i Erigo (Tomas Marchington).

Shadowed boughs of twilight

2026-09-08T18:45:06Z

Noserenda: /* Participation : Dreams of Wisdom */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Autumn]]
<ic>
"Why Grandmother, what a big axe you have. Why don't you put it down?" said the wide-eyed child.

"All the better to cut the trees from our path child." the elderly woman replied with a smile.

“But, Grandmother, what heavy armour you have! Why don't you take it off?” asked the child in a voice full of concern.

“All the better to protect you and me both dear,” the old woman replied without skipping a beat.

At that point a foolish woodcutter appeared, stood just off to one side of the path. "Look out!", he shouted, "she's a mora!"

Thus revealed the wolf fell to the ground screaming and writhing in pain as feathers appeared all over it's body. A moment later it lept into the air, eager to fall on the helpless and devour them. The woodcutter stepped forwards eager to save them, but the monster hurled him aside in a heartbeat...

...whereupon Grandmother fell on it, and with one quick flick of her axe, she chopped that wicked creature's head clean off it's body.
</ic>
{{CaptionedImage|file=Dreamscape.jpg|caption=Fantastical dreams, and paths lost and tangled, these are the gifts of the Night realm.|align=left|width=400}}
==Overview==
[[Ossium]] has been part of [[Varushka]] for six years now, and what was once a wretched place clenched in the iron fist of the [[Druj]] is rapidly becoming one of the most prosperous territories in the Empire. Years of investment have paid off, with the vales here becoming stronger and richer with each season. Some of the finest Imperial [[forest|forests]] are found here, and it is also home to places like the [[Ossium#The_Palace_of_Orieb|Palace of Orieb]], the [[Keeper_of_the_Bonehives#The_Bone_Hives|Bone Hives]], and [[Cabalist_of_the_Hollow_Stone#Marshstand_Skerry|Marshstand Skerry]] that show what can be achieved when resources are taken from the masters of [[the Mallum]]. There is even some cautious trade with the [[orc|orcs]] of [[Otkodov]] who control the northern forests, although there is also a little friction from those who resent the presence of interlopers who are not Imperial in ''their'' territories. Then, a couple of years ago, another "wave of settlement" took place when [[Strategos_of_Navarr#Awstin's_Rest|Awstin's Rest]] wayhouse was built in [[Ossium#Nearweald|Nearweald]], bringing with it the families of [[Navarr]] keen to share their own culture and customs with their Varushkan neighbours and learn from them in turn.

All of this preamble sets the scene for what happens after the Summer Solstice. Magic of the [[Realms#Night|Wondrous Forest]] rises in isolated places across the territory, seeping out from beneath the trees, pooling in their shadows. It spreads quickly across the entire territory - - in both Imperial and Thule lands alike - bringing with it the unmistakable blessings of [[Night magic]] - blessings that have a regrettable tendency to be somewhat ''mixed''.
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Henri Rousseau - Le Rêve.jpg|align=right|width=400|caption=The Forests of the Night are wonderful - they contain wonders. They are also terrific - they beget terror.}}</div>
==Dark Dreams==
* '''People in Ossium this season experience vivid dreams full of strangeness and wonder'''
* '''Some of those dreams are dangerous and folk are injured or even disappear'''
* '''Characters in Ossium may choose to experience the last of these dreams in Anvil'''
Within a few nights of the Summer Solstice, [[Night magic]] creeps out from under the trees of Ossium. It brings strange dreams, and the influence of both the [[Realms#Night|Wondrous Forests]] and the [[inhabitants of the realms|creatures that live there]]. Each dream is as different as each dreamer, but as the season lengthens the commonalities between the night-time visions become apparent.

Not every dream is influenced by enchantment, but those that are, are very distinctive. They involve dark forests, and while they may feel familiar at first they quickly turn dark. Exploring them finds strange foliage - and in some cases trees give way entirely to stone halls supported by marble columns carved to resemble trees or great forests of titanic fungus. Sometimes northern pines are replaced with trees more suited to the jungles of [[Sumaah Republic|Sumaah]] or [[Asavea]], or waterloged willows and mangroves reminiscent of the [[Madruga#Siroc Bayou|Siroc Bayou]]. Some even dream of exploring vibrant forests of coral and anemone that are clearly deep under the sea despite the absence of anything approaching water around them.

Even stranger than the trees are the creatures that live there. Moths of all colours, ranging in size from the naturally familiar to creatures so immense one could imagine riding on their backs. Fabulous squirrels the size of dogs; scuttling little star-nosed monkey moles who shout mockery from the high boughs or try to engage visitors in unwise trades; talkative caterpillars longer than an arm; stealthy cats with fur the colour of night and polychromatic eyes; snakes that swim effortlessly through the air, shedding scales behind them, of music not skin.

Both fauna and flora might shift size, shape, or colour without warning but almost without fail they are beautiful and strange. While some fear sleep and seek to avoid the unknown mysteries of the enchantment, others embrace their nightly sojourn, eager to see what new splendours they will encounter.

There are clearly dangers here and everyone who experiences one of these dreams knows it. Yet the sleepers are not without protection. Every Varushkan knows that there are certain [[Varushka_religious_beliefs#The_Virtuous_Animals|virtuous animals]] that look after those under threat, or that come to the aid of the lost and the frightened. Unlike the peculiar, phantasmagorical creatures of the dreams, these guides and sentinels look entirely mundane, entirely normal, for all that some of them possess the power of speech. There are a number that are familiar - the spider and the squirrel; the goose, the bear, the boar and the hound; deer and eagle; hare, fox, cat, and rabbit; and of course the bees. There are a few that are less familiar - snakes that offer good advice, doughty oxen who face down too-wide smiling tricksters, rebellious otters, industrious beavers, placid [[Mundane_beasts#Dodo_Birds|dodo birds]] that caution against rushing off into the unknown half-cocked, and many more. Helpmates and companions, these creatures appear in dreams to guide the sleeper and keep them safe.

One danger seems omnipresent; those who experience many of these dreams speak of a stalking creature that they never quite catch a glimpse of but that they know is shadowing their dream quest. The signs of its presence and passage, and the sensation of its unseen presence, haunt many of the most sensitive dreamers. Some say it is clearly an unnaturally massive wolf, others describe it as a constricting serpent with a naked-bone skull for a head, others as a sleek black shark that glides silently through the coral, or a great brindled [[Mundane_beasts#Big_Cats|lion]] larger than anything found in the wild forests of [[Weirwater]]. Some sleepers awaken with wounds that cannot be easily explained - raked by claws, bitten, gored - and while the injuries can be treated easily enough they are still a cause for alarm. There are also about two dozen stories of actual disappearances as well. Such things are by no means unknown in Varushka at the best of times, but there is a different tenor to these particular nocturnal vanishments. Those who disappear always seem to be [[magical skills#Magician|magicians]], and they always vanish unnoticed while everyone is asleep. At first there is worry that this is the work of [[Night Below]] but it lacks many of the telltale marks of such an event. Some [[cabalists]] point to the disappearances that very occasionally accompany the [[enchantment]] ''[[Sift the Dreamscape's Sands]]'' and mutter to themselves.

But for all the mystery and apparent danger, the dreams are also sometimes helpful. Sleepers awaken from particularly vivid nocturnal experiences with their minds ringing with symbols and metaphors. A rare few manage to untangle the visions to get some sense of them - intentional or coincidental is hard to say - and again the cabalists suck their teeth and point to a known magic - ''[[Signs and Portents]]'' - and speculate on what might be gleaned when an entire territory of people experience it over the course of a season.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Bronimir Ranedzkah Pinewheel.jpg|caption='''Bronimir Ranedzkah Pinewheel''', Senator for Ossium|align=right|width=300}}

===Participation : Dreams===
* '''Any character living in or visiting Ossium this season will have experienced odd magical dreams'''
* '''Any character whose personal resource is in Ossium might gain additional benefits'''
Anyone who lives in Ossium or spends time there this season is encouraged to make up some dream experiences by using the above narrative as a guide, or perhaps looking at the ''Sift the Dreamscape's Sands'' ritual. As well as phantasmagorical nighttime adventures, and fairytale encounters with virtuous animals, you might have experienced the sensation of being hunted, or even woken with injuries reflective of a bestial attack. You may have had a particularly symbolic dream that forewarned you of a coming challenge, or helped you untangle a thorny problem, or even just nudged you into finding your glasses after they had been missing for several days.

Any character whose [[personal resource]] is based in Ossium - most likely either a Varushkan or a Navarr character - may choose to have had a deeper, more magical experience and find that the dreams linger a little into their time at Anvil. Provided they are either targetted by [[Signs and Portents]], or consume a dose of [[Infusions_of_Feathers#Goosewhisper_Infusion|Goosewhisper Infusion]] at some point during the day before going to sleep, they will again experience vivid dreams. This cannot be done by anyone who for whatever reason cannot dream, or for anyone using a different method to get magical dreams whether it is [[Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt]], ''Somnolent Wanderer'', or the dreams created with [[liao]] using the [[dedication]] skill. The next morning when they awaken they will enjoy a short-lived benefit:

* If they have the [[magical skills#Magician|magician]] skill, they can have two additional personal mana over their usual maximum. These points are the first spent, and once gone cannot be recovered.
* If they have the [[Heroic skills#Hero|hero]] skill, they can have one additional hero point. This is also temporary and is the first one spent and cannot be recovered.
* If they have both skills they must pick one benefit.
* If they have neither skill, they instead awaken with a source of [[Roleplaying_effects#Overcoming_Roleplaying_Effects|spiritual strength]] that will allow them to overcome any roleplaying effect that would cause them to become afraid or filled with despair (including the druj misamsa).
In each case, the benefit lasts until time out and can only be gained once. It ''cannot'' be used if you have benefitted from other downtime option related to your activities before the event, such as those provided by supporting an Imperial army.

While you benefit from this boon, you also experience a roleplaying effect: ''You occasionally catch sight of things that are clearly not real out of the corner of your eye; weird trees, strange animals. You may also experience visions of a particular virtuous animal accompanying you that nobody else can see or hear that responds when you speak to it and offers appropriate advice.''

There is one final option - if you choose to take this boon, the next time you sleep you may choose to vanish entirely. If you do this, simply don't go back into character after time-in the next day and when you have a moment go to GOD and mark your character "dead" on the system. In character, you have slipped away into dreams in the manner mentioned in ''Sift the Dreamscape's Sands''.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=WondrousForests.jpg|caption=The shadows beneath the boughs are deeper, and more dangerous.|align=right|width=300}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Mouse Ddawnswraig.jpg|caption='''Mouse Ddawnswraig''', Strategos of Navarr, oversees Awstin's Rest wayhouse.|align=right|width=300}}</div>

==Twisted Paths==
* '''Travellers in Ossium who leave the path find it all too easy to get lost'''
* '''Following the Autumn Equinox there will be opportunities to rescue or avenge people lost in the forests'''
* '''The ''Protect the Vales of Varushka'' venture provides different rewards in the coming season'''
There is however a darker side to this enchantment, and it is a serious concern in a place like Ossium. While dreamers wander phantasmal woodlands, waking folk have to contend with woodlands turned malignantly mysterious. Every area of trees, from a small copse to the great expanses of places such as [[Ossium#Echofell|Echofell]] becomes hard to navigate. Travellers easily find themselves becoming lost or turned around even in areas that would otherwise be familiar. Odd creatures, some similar to those seen in dreams but more threatening, are occasionally glimpsed. As long as everyone stays on the [[Varushkan_Road|roads]] everything is fine. Anyone who tries to cut through the wilderness however...

The obvious problem here is that people who get lost in the woods of Varushka are often never seen again and this certainly appears to be the case. For every band of hunters that recounts the seemingly miraculous assistance of a chirping sparrow who helped them find their way back to their vale, there is another that disappears into the woods and never returns. Or worse, sometimes they do return, shambling in the dead of night and trying to get back into the houses they once lived in, hungry to share their pitiful accursed state with their loved ones. The woods of Varushka are much more dangerous for the lost and the unwary than any amount of magical dream forests.

As the Autumn Equinox draws near, some of the missing parties or travellers are accounted for but most are not. With Winter approaching, those left behind are frantic to see their loved ones, friends, business partners, and neighbours brought back to safety or - if they have already fallen prey to the wolves - freed into death and/or avenged. Even at the best of times this would need a certain type of person to step up.

Following the Autumn Equinox any Varushkan or [[Dawn|Dawnish]] [[military unit]] that participates in the [[Venture#Protect_the_Vales_of_Varushka|Protect the Vales of Varushka]] [[venture]] will receive additional rewards from the frightened folk of the vales. As well as the standard production (90 rings, and five random measures or ingots for a standard military unit), each such unit will receive a consumable item from their adventures in the deep woods. These will include sanguine potions related to the [[Tolvoli Butcher|dubik]] such as ''Bloodvine Liquor'', ''Blackblood Thorn'', or ''Darkwine'', as well as the ''Elder's Gift'' created by the now-scattered [[Lean and athirst|trudniki]], and even [[vis#Heart's Blood|Heart's Blood]].

===Participation : Twisted Paths===
* '''Anyone living in or visiting Ossium may have gotten lost in even familiar woodlands'''
Anyone who lives in or visits Ossium will be aware of the dangers of the woodlands, and if appropriate to their characterisation they are encouraged to create stories of getting lost in familiar woods, encountering dangerous [[Varushkan_Monster#Wolves|wolves]], or knowing people who have been lost in the wilderness possibly forever. It is only woodlands that are rendered dangerous and people traversing [[Ossium#Bittershore|Bittershore]] or [[Ossium#Galath Fields|Galath Fields]] remain oblivious. The effects are also limited in scope - the larger the group of travellers the less likely it is anyone will get lost. Armies will have lost a few scouts or unwise sentries but it has no effect on their ability to pass through the territory for example.

The effects are particularly pronounced for people visiting the more out-of-the-way parts of the woodlands, such as those tending the [[Keeper_of_the_Bonehives#The_Bone_Hives|Bone Hives]] or anyone who takes care of a [[forest]] resource given they are often off the beaten path.
<div style="float:right; width: 275px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Sung001b.JPG |caption=Nothing can be said that can't be sung.|align=right|width=275}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Miroslav Dainovitch Temnavoda.jpg|caption='''Miroslav Dainovitch Temnavoda''', Grieftender of the Forgotten|align=right|width=275}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Sofonisba Amilcara of the City Below.jpg|caption='''Sofonisba Amilcara of the City Below''', Map to the City Below|align=left|width=275}}
{{HoverImage|Nathair Autumngale.jpg|Nathair Autumngale Shiny edition.jpg}}</div>

==Night Walkers==
* '''At least three Night eternals have focused their attention on Ossium with mixed results'''
* '''Another eternal, who was ''not'' invited, has nonetheless expressed approval for the enchantment'''
The enchantment on Ossium has other effects. Night regio are empowered, and in some cases regio connected to that realm that are normally too weak to be noticeable may open like late-blooming flowers able to affect the world. Encounters with heralds of the Night eternals, and the interests of those [[eternal]]s themselves, become more common. Three in particular have focused their attention on Ossium with mixed results.

===Shadow Singer===
* '''Heralds of Sung have walked the roads of Ossium singing and asking questions'''
* '''One of the heralds has presented a challenge to the Varushkan assembly'''
* '''They have also put forward an offer relating to the Field of Glory'''
The ''[[Sung|Rainbow Serpent]]'' can appear whimsical sometimes, even for an eternal of the Night realm. When the magic takes hold in Ossium, she sends her heralds to wander the Iron Roads, singing songs and collecting stories. They also ask two questions ''what is grief?'' and ''what does it mean to be forgotten?''. Her servants visit [[Strategos_of_Navarr|Awstin's Rest]] to spend time with the Navarr, explore [[Ossium#Lomaa|Lomaa]], [[Ossium#Ketsov|Ketsov]], and [[Ossium#Kostjyas_Respite|Kostjyas Respite]], and gather finally on the [[Ossium#Galath Fiends|Galath Fields]]. At the [[Grieftender of the Forgotten#Field of Glory|Field of Glory]] to be precise.

Once thirteen of the heralds have gathered at the Field of Glory, they spend an entire day and a night singing a ''threnody'' that weaves everything they have been told in the past few months into one intricate, unending ribbon of sorrow and remembrance. All those who hear it are filled with profound awareness of the bittersweet nature of life, and the sad truth that in time everything will be forgotten. The song ends on a hopeful note - that bad things are forgotten along with good things and that the things that matter last the longest. That grief gives way in time to acceptance and that the idea that everything passes eventually is a blessing as well as a curse.

The heralds then pack up and return whence they came - all save one. ''Threnody'' is also the name of the herald, a quiet creature with the aspect of a naga but who, when not singing, communicates in sign language. She communicates two offers from her mistress.

The first is for the Varushkan National Assembly and also the Navarr National Assembly. If they are prepared to tackle her questions - ''what is grief?'' and ''what does it mean to be forgotten?'' - then her mistress will consider their answers and if she finds that they contain truth or wisdom she will grant boons in recognition of their understanding of these mysteries. All they need to do is raise a [[statement of principle]] in their national assembly and answer one of the questions - but only one of them for each statement. Whichever statements get the highest margin in an assembly, she will take as the answer of the entire assembly.

The second matter concerns the Field of Glory itself. Grief, like joy and love, is a mystery. When the Fields were first recognised as a place for the forgotten to be remembered, there was [[Grieftender_of_the_Forgotten#Exploiting the Field of Glory|talk of a chapel]]. It would please the ''Lord of Illusions'' if that chapel were built. Provided the work was completed within a year - by the start of the Autumn Equinox 389YE - Sung would send one of her heralds each season to provide the Grieftender with two ''feather tokens'' that can each be used to smooth the way toward a performance of [[Secrets of the Soul's Desire]], [[Shadowed Glass of Sung]], and [[Clear Counsel of the Everflowing River]]. As long as Sung was not placed under the [[alignment#enmity|enmity]] of the Conclave, and as long as Varushka continued to use the chapel to honour the lost and the forgotten, the gift would continue. The civil service have confirmed that the opportunity to build the chapel still exists, and will remain available until the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE.

In a seperate matter, Sung has asked that '''Sofonisba Amilcara of the City Below''', the [[Map to the City Below]], '''Nathair Autumngale''', the [[Singer of the Silence]], and '''Ceslev of the Circle of Zulgan Tash''' (or one of their covenmates) help the assemblies consider her questions, and determine if her offer regarding the chapel is acceptable.

Finally the herald has a peculiar personal message for the '''Martiza of the Circle of Zulgan Tash'''. The ''Moon Moth'' has no knowledge of the ones she seeks, but names are like colours, and everyone sees them differently. If the Martiza asks of this matter of the ''Night Singer'' when next they meet, then she must throw her history into the river and together they will see what floats. Then she will know the truth of what she fears.

The herald treats all three messages with equal weight, and having delivered them, departs after her fellows.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">[[file:Sadogua001d.webp|align=right|width=250]]{{CaptionedImage|file=Diras.png|title=Rune: Diras|align=right}}</div>

===''Not'' Father of Bats===
* '''The Towers of Zulgan Task are labouring under the effects of a curse of some kind'''
* '''The soldiers of the garrison appear to have forgotten they work there'''
The [[Ossium#Towers_of_Zulgan_Tash|Towers of Zulgan Tash]] were drawn from the Night realm in an act of consummate magic performed by the eponymous coven of Varushkan cabalists. As many magicians know, they "stole" the fortification from the realm of the [[Sadogua|Brother of Wizards]], binding them to the marshes of the Drownbark Forest using a great stake of pure star metal (and anchoring it with the star metal found in the waters of the old marsh). The towers are [[fortification#garrison|garrisoned]] by Varushkan soldiers, who keep a [[vigilance|vigilant]] eye on both the borders with the Mallum and with the Thule-claimed forests to the north.

About a month after the Summer Solstice, the vales of Ossium realise that it has been some time since anyone saw anyone from the Towers of Zulgan Tash. Given the way the enchantment interferes with travel, which have already become apparent, the assumption is that something like that has happened. But another three weeks pass and people begin to worry. Especially when soldiers known to be part of the garrison start turning up at their homes, often homes they haven't lived in in years, across the territory with no recollection of the Towers of Zulgan Tash or their duties there. So a party of schlacta and wardens sets off to the site of the Towers to make sure nothing has gone wrong.

Something has gone wrong.

The towers are wrapped in silken cobwebs of impossible quantity, and the entire tower appears to have been overrun by little multi-legged creatures similar to many-eyed crustaceans or armoured spiders. They run away from what is now clearly a rescue party, but wickedly launch surprise attacks and ambushes whenever they think they can get someone alone. They don't kill people though; rather they attack their memories. The garrison of the Towers of Zulgan Tash isn't dead. It isn't even missing. It's just that the soldiers have mostly forgotten what they are meant to be doing. Some have forgotten the outside world even exists; others have apparently deserted simply because they failed to remember they had a duty to perform.

The critters aren't particularly dangerous in small numbers, but when a dozen or more get together they can cause nasty bites. Worse, if they can take someone unawares they can start poisoning their memories. In the end, it takes a month or more to clear them out of the Towers of Zulgan Tash. Fortunately, the wardens and schlacta receive some unexpected assistance as the Autumn Equinox gets closer. A cadre of battle-wizards with iridescent mage armour and staffs of twisted beggarwood appear one evening to support the Varushkans, and to deliver some helpful advice. They deny it but they are clearly servants of the Brother-of-Wizards; as one points out they ''can't'' be friends of the Black Wyrm because he is still amazingly pissed off with the Varushkans and so would never send any of his little wizards to help them out, would he?

They turn out to be moderately useful, and seem to take a particularly grim joy in stamping on the spider creatures whenever they get the chance. They also confirm the suspicions of the wardens - this is the work of a creature of the Night realm but not the Globbersnotch himself. Rather this is a symptom of something happening in the Night realm, in the demesne of the Father of Bats. The creatures were able to slip through into the mortal world here - in defiance of the [[alignment#enmity|enmity]] of the Conclave - because of the connection that still exists between the Towers (which the heralds call the ''Whistling Strand''), the nearby [[regio]], and the Wondrous Forests. The other side of the regio is safe now, so no more should come through, but the wardens reckon that the main factor allowing them to reach Ossium was probably the enchantment.
====Forgotten Garrison====
* '''The garrison of the Towers of Zulgan Tash has dropped to 0'''
* '''It will not start recovering naturally until the curse lying over it is removed'''
* '''Removing the curse requires Piercing Light of Revelation cast at magnitude 60'''
* '''Once the curse is removed the garrison will begin to recover naturally'''
The Towers are clearly under a curse, one that is showing no signs of going away on its own. The wardens on the ground assessing the situation say they think a [[Piercing Light of Revelation]], cast at magnitude sixty and targeting the towers, will destroy the webs and kill most if not all of the weird critters - which they think might be particularly vicious [[inhabitants of the realms#boggarts|boggarts]]. Fortunately, the fortification is in an Imperial territory and should be reachable from the Anvil regio.

They don't ''think'' it will damage the Towers themselves - they are physically present after all - but it's not impossible there may be some damage given their origin. But without this kind of dramatic action the only thing to do will be to wait for the cobwebs to fade and there's no indication they are going to do so by themselves.

The garrison of the Towers of Zulgan Tash is currently zero, and it will not start recovering until the curse is removed. At that point it will receive natural resupply, which can be speeded up by any of the usual means ([[mithril]] or an enchantment such as [[Bells of Silver and Brass]]). The problem isn't that the garrison is dead - it's that they have mostly forgotten they ''are'' a garrison and it will take time or magic to round them back up and treat the damage to their memories the spiders have inflicted.
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Crucible.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>

===Great Serpent===
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Cede the Palace of Orieb'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Concedence|Concedence]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Drownbark Forest, Ossium</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' None</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' 3 months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Concedes the Palace of Orieb to Azoth
* Removes all existing benefits and causes the Palace to produce three crystal fire and an arcane projection each season
* Removes all existing opportunities related to the Palace
</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:''' Azoth has made it a condition that the title "Apothecary of Orieb" ''not'' be abrogated as part of this motion; it claims it will restore the palace after one year</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Autumn Equinox Only</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''Azoth has an interest in the Palace of Orieb'''
Heralds of the [[Azoth]] have also been seen in the territory, most notably slithering in and out of the [[Apothecary_of_Orieb#Palace_of_Orieb|Palace of Orieb]]. The palace is known to contain peculiar arrangements that seem to be "[[Apothecary_of_Orieb#Shrines_at_Orieb|shrines]]", intended to allow the Druj ghulai to secure [[vis]] from each of the six realms in return for what amount to sacrifices. Given recent [[synod]] concerns about [[idolatry]], it's not a surprise that the activity here has caused some concern. Not least from '''Konstantin Rabovich Bolotnikov'', the [[Apothecary of Orieb]] themselves apparently. At the moment only one of these "shrines" is active - and its patron is the ''Crucible'' itself, the [[Azoth]].

As night magic settles over Ossium, heralds of Azoth pop up at the Palace of Orieb and are a little surprised that people are not happy to see them. Taking it in their stride, they quickly work out what the problem is and after seeking a little "inspiration through madness" (talking to their boss), they adjust the proposal they were going to make and come up with a completely new one.

If the Empire is game, they can hand the entire place over to Azoth for a period of one year. The Crucible will spend that time running a number of exciting experiments, using the easy proximity of regio connected to all five of the "lesser" [[realms]] and the surfeit of herbs that grow there - and most especially the [[realmsroot]]. This would require the Senate to use a [[senate motion]] to [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Concedence|concede]] the Palace, but Azoth promises that at the end of the year it would return it to the Empire. While it has uses for a palace full of herbs and apothecary tools it isn't greedy. After a year its experiments will be complete and it will restore the palace to the Empire. Obviously the place will be transformed, but even Azoth can't predict how. All it can say with certainty is that its unlikely the regio will survive the experiments it has in mind, and so any problems with future idolatry will be well-and-truly dealt with. Other than that, and the fact there will definitely still ''be'' a Palace of Orieb... anything could happen. That's part of the fun!

Under normal circumstances conceding a commission automatically abrogates any title associated with it; Azoth has made it a requirement of their offer that this ''not'' take place. It does not want to "rob" the Apothecary of Orieb, and each season while it is in control of the place it will provide an [[arcane projection]] to the Apothecary of Orieb that will allow them to infuse realmsroot with the essence of one of the realms. It will do this in the "order of the colloquium" because that is what its heralds suggest (that is, the order in which the [[archmage|archmages]] are called on to [[Arcane_Colloquium#Format|speak]]). When someone points out there are six realms and only four seasons in a year, the heralds wave it away.

During the time Azoth controls the Palace, the Apothecary will not be able to purchase herbs, realmsroot, or vis. Instead Azoth will simply provide them with three [[vis#Crystal Fire|crystal fire]] in thanks for their (presumed) assistance.
====Shut it Down====
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Remove the Shrines'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' [[Commission#Altering_an_Existing_Commission|Alteration]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Drownbark Forest, Ossium</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 108 crowns in labour</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' 3 months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Removes the ability to equip the Palace of Orieb with shrines that provide vis</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Ongoing</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The Senate could use a commission to remove the idolatrous elements of the Palace of Orieb'''
* '''They could alternatively abrogate the Apothecary of Orieb and let the palace fall into ruin'''
After discussion with the magistrates, it appears that the "shrines of Orieb" are a legal nightmare. While only one set of them are active, the entire way they are set up is clearly in breach of the law of [[idolatry]]. Having visited the area themselves, they have prepared guidance on the matter that would allow the Palace to be brought inline with Imperial law. It would require [[Commission#Altering_an_Existing_Commission|altering the commission]] to remove the idolatrous elements which will require a commission, a [[Senate motion]], 108 crowns, and take three months. At the end of that time any potential for the Palace to have shrines specifically used to get vis from eternals will be removed but the palace itself will be left intact.

Alternatively, of course, the Senate could just abrogate the title and leave the palace to fall into ruin. This would still require a senate motion, but would not have any other costs. It might be seen as throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but it will resolve the situation.
<div style="float:right; width: 275px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=AgramantArt.jpg|caption=""More of this kind of thing please!."|align=right|width=275}}</div>

===Blood on the Snow===
* '''Agramant has registered approval of the enchantment'''
[[Agramant]] is not an eternal of the Night realm and has no business having any opinion at all on the enchantment settled over Ossium. However, he ''is'' included on some rosters of sovereigns and it seems that makes him feel he can express his enthusiastic support for the magic that has been worked here. The servant (its not clear if its a herald or not) that delivers the message has to shout it at the walls of [[Ossium#Kostjyas_Respite|Kostjyas Respite]] while cheerfully dodging arrows. The message amounts to "''Voice of the Pines, He-who-calls-the-lost-to-feast, heartily approves of this ritual because people who get lost in the woods of Varushka either gain wisdom or provide a meal for someone stronger than they are.''" The herald goes on to request that the next such casting take place so that it will affect the Winter months when many predators risk going hungry, and if possible use Winter magic so that ''Blood-on-the-Snow'' can have as much fun as his fellow sovereigns.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Varushkan Monsters.jpg|caption=There are monsters in Varushka, and that includes Ossium.|align=left|width=275}}
Message delivered, the messenger disappears into the darkness. There is no way of telling if this was a herald that had defied the Conclave's enmity (very unlikely indeed), a human servant of Agramant (possible), or someone with no connection to Blood-on-the-Snow trying to stir up trouble.

==Dark Powers==
* '''Eternals of the Night realm are not the only inhuman powers responding to the enchantment on Ossium'''
The wolves of Ossium are only one facet of the dangers of this formerly Druj territory. There are of course any number of left-behind traps rusting away in the middle of nowhere eager to crack unwary bones or strand a traveller tens of miles from any help as the night closes in. There's also all kinds of venomous creatures or mundane predators that will think nothing of bringing painful death to anyone lost in their woods. All of this pales into insignificance next to the greater threat woven through Varushkan society. The [[Varushkan_Monster#Sovereigns|sovereigns]].
===Dark Waters===
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=In The Lake.jpg|caption=Dho'uala is a [[Varushkan_Monster#Sovereigns|sovereign]] who claims the entire [[the Semmerlak|Semmerlak]], and the rivers that flow into and from it, as her domain.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
* '''The enchantment has touched the edges of the Semmerlak and the realm of Dho'uala'''
* '''The Journeyman Towers have dealt with the threat of the lake sovereign'''
* '''The Watcher of the Semmerlak will receive 2 wains of mithril from the boyars of Drownbark Forest'''
Dark forests call to dark powers. The enchantment on Ossium touches the shores of [[the Semmerlak]] and the domain of the sovereign [[Dho'uala]]. Within a few weeks of the Summer Solstice, there is some indication that '' She-Who-Keeps-What-She-Catches'' has noticed the minor intrusion and is preparing to respond to it. Her sodden servants are spotted in the [[Ossium#Drownbark_Forest|Drownbark Forest]] and those who get lost there invariably find themselves emerging from the woods onto the shores of the lake (assuming they emerge at all). Fortunately for everyone, the [[Watcher of the Semmerlak]] '''Romand Reinetova Remislav''' and the assorted [[guiser]]s, [[volhov]] and [[mountebanks]] that work alongside the [[Less_welcome_tenants#Wards_and_Bargains|Journeymage Towers]] are on the case. Most of these relatively minor incursions are dealt with through negotiation but when they can't be resolved without violence the protectors of the Semmerlak prove more than equal to the task. As thanks, a few of the grateful boyars of Drownbark have put their hands in their pockets and made arrangements to provide the Watcher with a small gift to demonstrate their regard - two of the wains of [[mithril]] that are their [[Vale_of_the_Sunless_Depths#Special|allotment]] from the [[Vale of the Sunless Depths]].

===Shadow Garden===
* '''Dubik have become more active in Ossium this season'''
* '''Forests in Ossium will suffer a one rank penalty in the coming season due to the Dubik'''
* '''Such forests will instead receive additional resources harvested from the bloodthirsty monsters'''
* '''There is an opportunity to gather dubik for ''harvest'' but it may go unpleasantly wrong'''
As the enchantment takes root, it becomes apparent that it is not the only thing blooming in Ossium during the late Summer and early Autumn. Travellers in Drownbark Forest, Echofell, and [[Ossium#Nearweald|Nearweald]] report multiple encounters with the vampiric ''dubik''. They appear in wooded areas in small numbers, and there are sightings of more of them lurking along the edges of less-travelled paths and the outskirts of isolated vales. A type of [[Varushkan_Monster#Wolves|wolf]], they take the form of animate plant-like creatures that thirst for human blood. They have an ability to mimic human speech, and seek to draw unwary travellers off the road so they may feast. The enchantment plays right into their hands. While they are not appearing in sufficient numbers to try and overwhelm a vale, there are still enough of them to make people nervous. Unsubstantiated reports say they may also be gathering in Bonewood and Webwood as well.

The main threat they represent is to those who control [[forest]] resources in the territory. Whether composed of [[beggar's lye|beggarwood]], harvested for [[ambergelt]], host to the beautiful winged [[iridescent gloaming|butterflies]], or with roots dug deep into soil rich in [[dragonbone]] the enchantment seems to be drawing the dubik to them like bees to flowers. There have been a few incidents, and there are likely to be more as Winter draws closer and the nights get longer. Monsters are not a new threat for the people of Varushka, and wardens, sellswords, and questing-nights aplenty to [[Venture#Protect_the_Vales_of_Varushka|protect]] the more isolated forests but it will not be an easy winter.

Following the Autumn Equinox, every [[forest]] in [[Ossium]] (whether Varushkan or Navarr) will produce 2 fewer measures of base material due to the depredations of dubik. It is not all bad news; fighting off the dubik mean that every such forest will instead receive a ''blackblood thorn'' or a dose of ''bloodvine liquor''.
====Bloody Harvest====
* '''The ritual ''Verdant Bounty of the Twilight Bayou'' will attract larger numbers of dubik to a forest'''
* '''This would cause more disruption to the forest but provide more opportunity to harvest the dubik'''
* '''If too many forests are enchanted in this way it would damage Kurstrozi's Lumbermill'''
Some forest owners may want to go further though. Any forest in Ossium enchanted with [[Verdant Bounty of the Twilight Bayou]] will be absolutely irresistable to the dubik in the territory. They will gather in numbers and attack the forest. Instead of the usual increase to production that the ritual applies, it will instead produce ''four'' fewer measures but receive ''five'' ''blackblood thorn'' or ''bloodvine liquor'' to its production. There is a potential side effect though - if more than half the forests currently in Ossium are enchanted in this way it will focus the dubik on those forests. Any forest that ''isn't'' enchanted with the ritual will not be attacked, receiving its usual production with neither losses nor increases.

Unfortunately, focusing the dubik in the territory into areas of naturally high industry, will also result in damage to [[Ossium#Kurstrozi's_Lumbermill|Kurstrozi's Lumbermill]], the [[great work]] that provides a significant boost to the production of Ossium's forests. Until the start of the Autumn Equinox 389YE the lumbermill will not provide any measures to forests - instead each one will receive either a ''blackblood thorn'' or some ''bloodvine liquor'' as they continue to experience problems with the dubik. Causing trouble for the Lumbermill could have other impacts as well - [[Come_together#Where_It_Comes|there are plans to make use of the Lumbermill]] which could ''not'' be pursued while it was plagued with dubik.

The civil service cannot provide accurate numbers easily but they estimate that between Varushka and Navarr, there are at least a hundred individuals attending Anvil this summit who operate a forest. If fifty individuals receive ''Verdant Bounty of the Twilight Bayou'' it will be enough to drive the dubik into a frenzy, draw them away from forests that haven't been enchanted , and damage Kurstozi's Lumbermill.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Zoria.jpg|caption=Paragon of [[Wisdom]], who commanded beasts to serve.|align=right|width=500}}
==Dreams of Wisdom==
* '''Dedicates of Wisdom who have visited the Maze of Zoria may have experienced revelatory dreams'''
* '''The dreams come wherever they are in the Empire or beyond - not just to those in Ossium'''
Part of the power of the [[Guardian of the Maze of Zoria]] is to empower [[Mime_each_lonely_word#The_Naming_of_the_Beasts|The Naming of the Beasts]]. Precisely what that is and how it works is a spiritual mystery, but it often takes the form of dreams - sleeping or sometimes even waking - in which animals representing the virtues bring knowledge to the [[Wisdom|Wise]].

As the enchantment is rippling over Ossium, a very different ripple is spreading out across the Empire. [[Dedication|Dedicates]] of [[Wisdom]] who have made a pilgrimage to the [[Guardian_of_the_Maze_of_Zoria#The_Maze_of_Zoria|Maze of Zoria]] experience strange dreams of their own that don't seem to be caused by the Night magic in the north-east but nonetheless are clearly connected to it. These dreams contain revelations - warnings - of dark powers. Of sovereigns. Of the source of the dubik, and of the false-friend who even now spreads poison on the roads of Varushka.
===''The'' Dubik===
* '''''The'' Dubik is apparently loose in Ossium'''
* '''The sovereign is the font of the lesser creatures that share one of its names'''
* '''It is a horrible spirit that corrupts and poisons woodland and vegetation'''
Those [[dedication|dedicated]] to Wisdom, especially those who have made a pilgrimage to the [[Guardian_of_the_Maze_of_Zoria#The_Maze_of_Zoria|Maze of Zoria]], report dream encounters with white-pelted squirrels and small pale-feathered birds crowned with crimson that provide an unpleasant explanation as to why [[#Shadow Garden|dubik are spreading across Ossium]].

The magical creatures whisper a secret to those able to listen - ''the'' Dubik, which is also called ''Odech the Wanderer'', ''That Which Walks Among the Boughs'', the ''Death of Grass'', ''Thorn-that-thirsts'', ''Venomroot'', ''Ghost-of-the-Dead-Forest'', ''Thornroots'', ''Bloody Rose'', ''Death-that-waits'', ''Moontree'', and ''Summer's Bane'' among others - has returned to Varushka. The Dubik, the progenitor of the creatures that share its name, always appears as a creature of wood and leaf, but it is actually a bodiless spirit that can move as a wind. Sometimes it slumbers, like a tree in Winter, but when it wakes it follows a pattern, It finds a plant - usually a tree - one that has stood proud and strong for many years - and it leeches the life from it, possessing it, transforming it into a vessel for its vile consciousness. It cannot move - not without outside assistance - but it squats somewhere in some out of the way place and it waits. It births dubik, who go out into the world to seek the blood of the living. Sometimes it draws to it those poisoned by hate, or jealousy, or bitterness. It stings them with its thorns, and a little of its malice takes root within their spirits and slowly spreads through them, granting them boons but ultimately turning them into living tools of its spiteful design. It also creates other servants - it can use a fraction of its essence to craft servants from plants that died of poison and send them out to bring ruin and misery.

Finding Odech the Wanderer is a daunting task. The sparrows sing that it is ''one tree in a forest'', that there is something in its essential nature that allows it to hide as long as it is surrounded by living plants. Magic will not find it - and the squirrels whisper that [[Zoria]] herself could not find its location with her [[divination|divinations]], no matter how long she looked. She wondered if perhaps the true secret of ''Thorn-that-thirsts'' is that it is the ghost of a dead [[weirwood]] tree, and that it enjoys all the protections that a living tree might have.

Even if it is found, like any sovereign it probably cannot be destroyed while Varushka persists. It's body can be destroyed, but that frees it to move as a spirit and find a new host to poison and inhabit, and the only thing one can say with certainty is that host will be far, far away from where the last one died. The only good news is that after it moves as spirit, it inevitably slips into slumber. Indeed, say the little birds and the ivory squirrels in the dreams of the wise, it has slept away the last few years in the [[Tolvoli_Butcher#Tolvoli_Slaughterhouse_and_the_Heart_of_the_Tempest|Heart of the Tempest]], and called its children around it. Now though, it has awoken again and the enchantment on Ossium has drawn it to that place to take up its new body and begin the new season of its cycle of misery.

There is more of course - the Dubik is said to have been the creator of the Crown of the Dark Forest, or at least arranged for it to come into Varushkan hands - but those stories are for another time. For now it is enough to know that the Dubik is awake, and it is somewhere in Ossium.
===Stranger on the Road===
{{CaptionedImage|file=mora.jpeg|caption=Take care when fighting monsters, lest you become a monster yourself.|align=right|width=400}}
* '''The Stranger apparently walks the roads of Varushka'''
* '''It is a source of creatures that appear as mortals but are actually monsters'''
* '''It corrodes bonds of trust and corrupts people into performing terrible deeds'''
* '''Unlike the vast majority of monsters it can travel along the roads of Varushka - albeit with certain caveats'''
At the Spring Equinox, the Guardian of the Maze of Zoria '''Illya Nikovitch Volkov''', proposed an odd [[statement of principle]] to the Wisdom assembly. It was supported with a [[greater majority]]. At first there was a lot of discussion and very little happened, but following the Summer Solstice something blossoms in the hearts of the Wise and not just in Varushka. Dedicates of Wisdom who have ever made a pilgrimage to the Maze of Zoria dream of hounds with red eyebrows and of imperious geese - and sometimes these dreams come when they are wide awake. Both the dogs and the birds bear a warning to anyone prepared to listen.

The Stranger is a dark power of Varushka, and it is ''Pleasing Face''. It is ''You Are Not Who You Are'', and the ''Wicked Storyteller'', and ''Do-not-take-my-hand'', the ''False Friend'', the ''Smiling Mask''. It is ''Wolf-on-the-inside'', and ''Fellow Traveller'', and ''Uncanny Companion''. It rarely appears in the stories of Varushka in a recognisable form because it is always, always in disguise. The [[Varushkan Monster#Mora|mora]] are either its children, or creatures it has twisted to its purpose. The trudnik were its creations - warped and twisted by boons they should not have asked for into the horrors they became, empowered with glamours that let them pass as human. That uncanny child that turned out to be a twisted stump full of spiders that came out of Ossium with the freed slaves all those years ago? A pawn of the Stranger. It is fundamentally the danger that looks like a friend, the false sanctuary, the trap that closes when one feels safe.
{{SOP|statement=The Guardian of the Maze of Zoria calls for the aid of the wise ones of the Empire. The Maze of Zoria has proven in the past to be a conduit of knowledge regarding magical beings such as the sovereigns of Varushka. Come to the Maze of Zoria, together we shall discern the nature of the creature behind the face-peelers. This creature is known as "The Stranger", "The First One", or less commonly "The Smiling One". Let us learn of this threat to our Empire together.|by=Illya Nikovitch Volkov|vote=Greater Majority 328-0|when=Spring Equinox 388YE|size=small}}

It is the only dark power of Varushka that can travel by the roads, but when it does so it is bound to harm none and present only a pleasing face. It cannot hurt anyone who travels with it - and they often do not realise the horror that walks alongside them - unless they somehow invite it to do so. It is an echo of this essence that causes the mora to act as if they are simple travellers until someone breaches the bonds of hospitality, that let the trudnik masquerade as innocent draughir until their hosts or guests gave them the opening to attack. What it can do, however, is use words as weapons. It can poison those who listen to it tell its tales or offer its friendly advice, and if they accept its twisted words and act on them, it lures them into its service. The worst of its servitors are those that look to all eyes as if they are just normal folk, but whose spirits and minds are rotten and twisted. The wolves who are "hairy on the inside" - who stab their friends in the back, hack their parents with axes without warning, poison a meal for no reason. Not all random acts of inexplicable cruelty and violence are the doing of the Stranger, but many are.

Uncanny Companion can be bargained with, and as long as it is in its fair seeming its boons may be dangerous but they will be true. If it is ''not'' in its fair seeming form, then the boons it offers are curses that will drag those who accept them to their doom. The problem is that it is often not possible to tell simply by looking at it whether it is truly fair or just pretending to be. One of its strangest elements is that it tells the truth. When it is wearing its friendly seeming it never lies, but it allows people to deceive themselves by interpreting its words the way they want to. Always and always, it works to corrode trust. To make people suspicious of strangers who could be their friends, to drive wedges between loyal companions, to sow distrust of honest merchants and virtuous folk.

The hounds and the geese whisper one last secret - it is the roads of Varushka that are its domain even though paradoxically it cannot directly harm anyone who uses them. The roads promise safety, but that safety is constrained by rules, and it is this tension that grants the Stranger and its servants their power.
<div style="float: right; width: 200px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Wisdom.png|width=250px}}</div>
Why is this relevant? Because like the Dubik, the Stranger is in Ossium as the Autumn Equinox begins, walking the roads in its favoured guise of a storyteller who spins yarns that encourage people to monstrous action. And, say the magical beasts, its current intent is to tear apart the tenuous alliance between the Thule and the Varushkans. Not the treaty - it doesn't care about that - but to find any bit of common ground and poison it with words and bloodshed.

===Participation : Dreams of Wisdom===
* '''Anyone dedicated to Wisdom who has in-character made a pilgrimage to the Maze of Zoria might have dreamt of the sovereigns'''
Part of the power of the [[Guardian of the Maze of Zoria]] is to empower [[Mime_each_lonely_word#The_Naming_of_the_Beasts|The Naming of the Beasts]] and that is what has happened here. Anyone dedicated to Wisdom who has visited the Maze of Zoria may have experienced the revelatory dreams mentioned here, whether they are in Varushka or not.
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><box>'''Counting the Sovereigns'''
<p>For the last [[Mime_each_lonely_word#OOC_Note_on_Sovereigns|few years]] we have been slowly adding more information about the primary sovereigns of Varushka to the wiki. [[Night Below]], [[Dho'uala]], and the [[Charnel Lord]] have their own pages and there is also information about the [[Tales_of_the_Howling_Queen|Howling Queen]] and the [[Rat King of Temeschwar]]. With the information here about ''the Dubik'', and ''the Stranger'' that list is largely complete (unless something awful lurks in the [[Forest of Ulnak]] which is by no means impossible). We intend to add full pages for the last four as soon as we can. </p>

<p>There is one other being that is listed alongside the sovereigns of Varushka - the eternal [[Agramant]]. While he is not a creature ''of'' Varushka he is known to have a particular interest in the place, but also to operate there in a much more clandestine and subtle fashion than he does elsewhere. Why this is the case, and what it means for Varushkans in general, is not clear.</p></box></div>

==The Dark Power Problem==
* '''Large scale magic used in Varushka will invariably affect the monsters that live there as well as the mortals'''
Rituals that create territory-wide effects - enchantments and curses alike - always do certain things. They might also do additional things depending on the circumstances in the territory where they are cast, but the effects are unpredictable. There are [[Varushkan Monster|monsters]] in Varushka, and while they are not an omnipresent threat by any means they are certainly not tamed. Any large-scale magic that targets a Varushkan territory will impact not only the Thule - who can at least be reasoned with - but also the wolves, sovereigns and other entities that lurk in those territories, who cannot.

Imperial Enchantments by contrast are rarely focused enough to have a significant impact on the sovereigns of Varushka or their creatures. Yet even here there is a little bit of risk. An Imperial curse that made the dead walk for example could easily create significantly more problems in Varushka.

Before anyone asks, it isn't possible to make an arcane projection that targets a territory but circumvents this problem. The only way to avoid or mitigate the problem is to create the arcane projection ''carefully'' and give thought to what its effects, and especially roleplaying effects, might do to a monster.
<div style="clear:right; float: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=thulebanner1.jpeg|title=Thule banner iconography|width=300}}</div>
{{CaptionedImage|file=Kindra Surefoot.jpg|caption='''Kindra Surefoot''', Ambassador to Otkodov|align=left|width=250}}

==Ten Shadows==
* '''The Thule are not happy'''
* '''They have not yet demanded any reparations for losses in their part of Ossium but may still plan to do so'''
* '''If the Conclave endorses the enchantment it will make it difficult for Imperial law to become involved'''
The Thule, through their ambassador ''Runa, Who-Speaks-for-the-Dragons-Undivided'', have expressed significant dissatisfaction with the enchantment that has also shrouded the [[Ossium#Bonewood|Bonewood]] and [[Ossium#Webwood|Webwood]] - especially as they are in the middle of negotiations with the [[Ambassador to Otkodov]] to determine how to [[The_little_things#Outstretched_Hands|proceed in the future]]. They have [[The_little_things#The_Parting_Shot|let it be known]] that they expect the Empire to identify and deal with these reckless individuals responsible. Whether they do or not, the orcs of Otkodov will certainly be considering whether to draw on the [[Ratify Thule Treaty Spring 387YE|treaty]] that says either side can ''resolve any breaches of the law by the citizens of one nation in the lands of the other through diplomatic channels and in mutual respect.''

Given that the Thule-controlled parts of Ossium are two areas of wild forest, and that if there are any roads there they will be perfunctory at best and used for the transport primarily of weirwood and armies, there is little doubt they will have experienced some significant difficulties with the effect of this enchantment - even if they will also have had all the benefits of incredible dreams and occasional flashes of prophecy.

There is no suggestion that the enchantment is in any way illegal, it's not a crime to annoy the Thule. The [[Conclave]] could choose to [[endorsement|endorse]] the casting of the enchantment, which would ensure that the coven involved was shielded from any legal consequences. If that happens, the Thule would instead demand that the Conclave itself make amends for their losses.
==Further Reading==
* [[Ossium]]

* [[Guardian of the Maze of Zoria]]
* [[Varushkan Monster]]
* [[Mime_each_lonely_word#The_Naming_of_the_Beasts|The Naming of the Beasts]]

Domain expansion

2026-09-07T13:19:53Z

Noserenda: /* Claim */

[[Category: 388YE Autumn]][[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:Highest Calling]]
<ic>"Ashvale? I don't want to live in a place called Ashvale"

"You're too picky by far. There's good farming land there now by all accounts. The Jotun have cleared the forests, and opened it up. A Marcher could stake a claim to some of that land and set up their own household. Get their first, you could end up steward of the whole territory. That sounds pretty good to me."

"I still don't like the name, it just sounds miserable. Like everyone's dead and gone to ash."

"We do have a territory called ''Mourn''wold, you know. And beside we'll all end up as Ash when it's our time. Or Oak, or Beech. Or whatever. I can think of worse fates."

"That's exactly my point! Living there would be a constant reminder of your fate. One day you'll die and end up as an Ash tree."

"Well it's better than living in the Sarangrave."</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 500px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Nation-marches-texture.jpg|align=left|caption=[[The Marches]] has officially existed in its current form, give or take, since the reign of [[Empress Teleri]]. Arguably these four regions have been Marcher land since long before the Empire was even a dream of an idea.|width=500}}</div>
==Overview==
* '''The Marcher assembly nears the end of its highest calling'''
* '''The Imperial Breadbasket now covers all four Marcher territories'''
{{SOP|statement=Our Highest Calling is completing this season. By Autumn, the Breadbasket network will be established across every Marcher territory; and it turns to the Ambitious and Wise amongst our folk to devise what ways this monument to the Marcher National Pride of practicality could do even more. With the Mournwold home to the Singing Caves, the Empire's most productive mithril mine; with the return to prominence of the tradition of the smiths; with the establishment of the new tradition of offering to billet vising armies; with one eye to the forever - war with the Jotun; and with another eye to Liath's Heart next door and the coming Final Battle with the vallorn: the Marcher Assembly reckons that if the Dawnish can have a fancy magic castle that can resupply armies, we can do better. The Breadbasket has supported feeding armies - let's go further, and feed, clothe, arm, and armour any soldier looking to join an Imperial army.|by=Ursula Smith, Marcher National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 186-0|when=Summer 388YE|size=small}}
While other nations struggle on, the Marchers have got the harvest in. They have completed their highest calling and successfully [[Expand_Breadbasket_into_Mournwold|expanded]] the [[The_Marches_economic_interests#The_Imperial_Breadbasket|Imperial Breadbasket]] into [[Mournwold]]. There's no time for rest however... as ever Marcher knows, the reward for a good job is more work. It was ever thus.

Keen not to let the grass grow under anyone's feet, '''Ursula Smith''' is looking to make good use of the remaining time now the Breadbasket is properly sorted. With the backing of the Marcher Assembly, she's got a few ideas on what Marchers could be doing next. For the first while in a good time, the [[Bregasland|Bregas]] are feeling good about the future thanks to the tidal wave of Imperial steel that swept through [[Mitwold]] and now [[Mud, blood, and manacles|promises victory]] in the Dour Fens. It's time for hard-working folk to build on these successes. After-all - you don't own it unless you can defend it...

==Strive==
<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Overton Smithy'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' [[Edifice]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Overton, Mournwold</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 30 thrones</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' Three months </td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Upkeep:''' 10 thrones</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:'''
* Establishes smelters, smithies and forges around the Singing Caves to resupply Imperial forces
* The Singing Caves would no longer provide 28 wains of mithril each season
* The title holder could still purchase additional mithril each season
* The Caves would provide a thousand points of additional resupply split between every army resupplying there
</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the end of Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''There is a proposal to convert the Singing Caves to resupply Imperial armies'''
* '''The Caves would no longer produce mithril each season, though it could still be bought by the seat holder'''
* '''The Caves would provide a thousand points of resupply spread between Imperial armies resupplying in the territory at the caves'''
The [[Singing Caves]] is one of the most lucrative [[mithril]] seats in the whole Empire, especially when the holder attracts additional labourers with extra payment. Nearly six years ago it was made a Marcher national position elected by tally of the votes and has stayed as such ever since, at least while it remained in Imperial hands. At the behest of the national assembly, the local [[Mournwold#The_ruins_of_Overton|Overtonians]] (or ''Tunnys'') have been putting their heads together as to how they might use it to compete with the prestige of the [[Weirwater#Spiral_Castle|Spiral Castle]].

There'll be no castle built there; any marcher who'd want such needless grandeur would need their head wobbled. But there's nothing wrong with an honest blacksmith's forge. Or two. Or a dozen for that matter.

Plans are put together to establish an industrial district around the caves. Smelters and smithies, fires and forges. They artisans would take the mithril produced each season and quickly turn it into the arms and armour needed to support Imperial Armies. A little investment is needed to get things up and running, but not much. A simple commission costing thirty thrones and a seasons work is all it would take. That would be enough to establish a community of blacksmiths and artisans around the caves and a town would soon spring up thereafter.

If that happened, then each season, any Imperial [[army]] that was in Mournwold could issue orders to resupply at the Singing Caves. There would be a thousand points of resupply split between all the armies that did so. The Caves would have the same upkeep of 10 thrones per season as they do now, but they wouldn't automatically produce mithril for the title holder any more. All that would be directed to resupplying the armies. The seat holder wouldn't lose out completely though - they could still [[Singing Caves#Attract mine workers|hire additional miners]] to dig out some extra mithril each season for their own use.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Knowledgeable_Citizen.jpg|align=right|caption=Natalia "the Falcon" Barossa of [[the League]] is the current [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies]].|width=250}}</div>

==Toil==
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Amend title of Quartermaster general'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Amendment</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Makes the Quartermaster General a Marcher national position, elected by the tally of the votes
* Assigns the income of the Singing Caves to the Quartermaster
* Allows the Quartermaster to purchase additional mithril each season</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The title of Quartermaster General could be combined with the Singing Caves'''
* '''The position would be a Marcher national position with the legal powers of the current Quartermaster General and the powers of the Singing Caves'''
Setting up forges all round the caves is efficient, provided that there are enough armies to resupply there. However the Alders of Overton suggest that there is a better way to ensure that the mithril goes where it's most needed. The [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies]] has the power to resupply Imperial armies, why not put the mithril in their hands? Or better yet, put the Quartermaster general in ''Mournwold's'' hands, which amounts to the same thing really.
<div {{float}}><quote by="Marcher Proverb">The best soil is thirsty soil.</quote></div>
The [[Urizen|Urizeni]] (as much as some folk are loathe to admit it) are widely considered to be the foremost practitioners of ritual magic in the Empire, and apparently that's good enough to let them have control the position of [[Warmage]]. Since it's the Marches that feed the Imperial armies, why shouldn't they choose who gets to be Quartermaster?

If the Quartermaster General is made a Marcher national position, then it could be given the custodianship of the Singing Caves. The Imperial Senate could use a [[Senate motion]] to combine the position of Quartermaster General with the custodian of the Singing Caves to make a single title that was appointed by the Marchers using [[Tally of the Votes]]. It would have all the legal powers of the current Quartermaster General but it would also receive 28 wains of mithril each season and could spend money to acquire more, just as the current custodian of the Caves does.

==Claim==
* '''A few Marchers have started eyeing the neighbouring territory of Ashvale and pondering its future'''
* '''The Marcher National Assembly could pass a mandate laying claim to the territory to create an opportunity to claim a stake there'''
* '''The mandate would create a deep-seated expectation that the nation would be given the territory if they did the hard work to take it'''
Completing the Imperial Breadbasket and [[Mud,_blood,_and_manacles#Bregasland|taking Bregasland back]] from the [[Jotun]] means the Marchers can now support five armies. Which is all well and good, but where's it gonna be based? Where will it call home? A Marcher army ought to come from ''somewhere'', it ought to be for ''somewhere''. Good cider takes good apples, as folk say. Technically, there's no requirement for a new Marcher army to be bound to the land the way the others are, but the vows the Marcher generals swore have not done the nation any harm in the minds of many. Traditions have to start somewhere.
<div {{float}}><quote by="Marcher Proverb">You can't enjoy the biscuits if you don't have the flour.</quote></div>
If it's to have a territory of it's own then where? More than one experienced hand has been looking over the border into [[Liathaven]] (not bloody "Ashvale" or whatever the Jarls want to call it nowadays) and noticing just how much effort the Jotun have been putting into slash-and-burn to create another source of food for their war machine. Now, they've not done a bad job to be fair, but if the Marches got their hands on the newly fertile regions of [[Liathaven]], well, they'd certainly manage a better harvest than any thrall could manage even before they expanded the Breadbasket to cover it.

Over the past few years, it is Marcher lands than have faced the brunt of the back and forth invasions and counter-campaigns in the west while attention has been focused in the east on the eradication of the [[Druj]]. Most Marchers wont deny that that's a worthy goal, but many feel as if they are owed for having their lands be used as sandbags while attention was focused elsewhere. A decent crack at Liathaven seems a fair reward, say some.

{{Mandate|mandate=Those who pick the apples get first taste of the cider! We send {named priest} with 50 doses of liao to declare our intent to be the ones to till the fields of Liathaven, first with the butts of our bills and then with the plough. Strive, toil, and claim the just rewards of your labours.|assembly=Marcher National Assembly}}

If this Mandate is enacted, then it will create an [[opportunity]] for the Marchers to focus their efforts on conquering Liathaven once Bregasland is secure. There would be a chance for the nation to break ground on taking the territory from the Jotun and claiming it for the Empire and in doing so staking their claim to it. It used to be a Navarr territory, years ago, but there have been no Navarr living there for years now and the territory has changed out of all recognition. Of course there's still a bloody vallorn in it, but Marchers know how a thing or two about pruning themselves.

The mandate wouldn't have any legal impact on the ability of the [[Senate]] to assign the territory to any Imperial nation if it were conquered, but it would rouse an expectation across the Marchers that they'd get first crack at it. Marchers are fair minded though - or so they tell themselves. Those who pick the tree get first taste of the cider, so while the Marches would be staking their claim on the land, they'd respect any nation it was assigned to that had been clearly seen to put in as much or more effort into the conquest than the Marchers had. But if the Senate awarded it to a nation who did less work in the campaign than the Marchers, then folks would absolutely be up in arms about it.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Liathaven_Impressions.png|align=right|caption=Liathaven is under Jotun dominion but there are other factions at play there as well.|title=Map is for novelty purposes only and should not be used to attempt to scry the territory. Artist cannot be held liable for any distress caused by attempts to do so.|width=400}}

==Not You==
* '''The Imperial map of Liathaven no longer functions for purposes of scrying'''
* '''A new map will need to be created'''
Nothing is ever easy however. A renewed interest in Liathaven has brought something unexpected to the fore. The map Imperial magicians rely on to [[divination|scry]] Liathaven with rituals such as [[Eyes of the Sun and Moon]] no longer appears to be effective. This last happened two years ago when [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] [[Madruga]] was [[Where_the_river_rises#A_New_Territory|transfigured]] by tumultuous magics. It seems that the Jotun campaign to transform Liathaven into a land more suited to their needs, aided by the industrious [[inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] of the [[Estavus|City of Fire and Stone]], have caused existing maps to depart too significantly from the reality on the ground. This will remain the case until Imperial maps can be updated, and will likely effect ''everyone'' who has a map of Liathaven with the possible exception of the Jotun - who are not particularly given to scrying on a large scale anyway.

The lack of a map will not make it any harder to conquer Liathaven, but there are still risks. The Empire cannot take for granted that the territory is exactly as they remember it, and what [[Axe-bite_and_ploughshare|reliable intelligence]] they do have is around eighteen months out of date. A few things appear certain - there is still a [[vallorn]] in Liathaven. It is still dominated by the Jotun. There are still [[Feni]] there, but since the Empire withdrew its troops in 387YE they seem to have fallen silent. Other than that, there are no certainties.

Creating a new map is straightforward but will consume both time and resources. The tried and trusted way to do it is to create a [[spy network]], and send sufficient [[military unit|scouts]] to fully explore the territory. Until then, rituals that rely on a representative map of Liathaven cannot target the territory. At least a detailed strategic map will also provide a guide to how the territory has changed under the four years of Jotun dominion.

==Fruits==
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=SkywiseGralka.jpg|align=right|caption=Skywise Gralka, whose words have mobilised the Imperial Orcs assembly.|width=250}}</div>
* '''News of the statement of principle in the Imperial Orc Assembly demanding the Marcher Assembly return the bodies from Grave Wood has inflamed tensions in the area'''
* '''If the Marcher Assembly tells the Imperial Orc Assembly where to take their demands, it'll will make them popular with local people'''
* '''A diplomatic solution would require an appraisal to identify a way to recover the Orc bodies without disturbing the other graves'''
The trees in Ashvale are not the only trees on people's mind at the moment. In Spring this year, there was a [[Old_blue_banners_dancing#The_Forest_Endures|minor miracle in Bregasland]] when a forest sprung up over night, claiming the bodies of nearly three thousand dead soldiers with it. Marchers, Jotun, Imperial Orcs, Freeborn, Wintermarkers - they're all feeding the soil now. The bodies of almost everyone slain in the battle were lost to the earth as the trees shot up. Hungry soil pulled them down to as the roots took hold and the branches spread. Of course there are some folk who say it was some kind of Spring magic run amok, but that's clearly daft talk. Course it was Spring magic run amok - but it was ''also'' a bloody miracle. Irrefutable proof of what Marchers have always known - that when you die you come back as a tree for your next life. While people have never really thought about what happens to other people who did, the Wintermarkers and the Freeborn and the Unshackled all lost their lives fighting on Marcher soil, so it's not that surprising that they came back as trees as well, when you think about it.
{{SOP|statement=In a single day they died. In a single night they became a forest exactly where they fell. There is not such thing as orc wood. The soldiers of the Autumn Hammers who went to the Graven March to earn their legend and in death become ancestors. NOT TO BE PLANTED AS SEEDS. The Imperial Orc National Assembly demand the Marcher Assembly return the bones of our people back to be interred in our lands.|by=Gralka, Imperial Orc Assembly|when=Summer Solstice 388YE|vote= 62-0 {{GM}}}}
As far as many Marchers are concerned, Grave Forest, is a testimony to the [[Loyalty]] of the people who died fighting for the Marchers and the Empire. Let the Highborn have their dead stone tombs... the Marchers have living trees to remember with which to remember their family and their friends. And trees are clearly better than mausoleums anyway - you can't pick apples from a tomb can you?

But nothing dries faster than a tear, and there are clearly some folk who are not happy about it. The Imperial Orc Assembly has ''demanded'' that the Marcher Assembly return the bones of their people. And since then, more than a few Imperial orcs have turned up and been poking around the woods and asking questions. Bounders even caught two orcs heading towards the new woods with axes and shovels - which caused a nasty scene when they were turned back.

If it were just a case of giving back the remains of the orcs who Loyally gave their lives fighting for the Marchers, then most folk would be minded to let the orcs tear up the forest to recover the bones. Their people are trees now - but if they want to kill them again, that's on them. The problem is that there are hundreds and hundreds of Marchers souls in that forest, and there's no way to know whose trees is whose. And even if there was, it's a forest - the trees roots are intermingled like wickerwork. Every time you cut one tree down and dig it up, you'll take another two more with it.

It's not universal, but many Marchers genuinely believe that the trees of Grave Forest are the reincarnated souls of their former countrymen. And more than a few of them think there's Jotun, Wintermark, Freeborn and Imperial Orc souls reincarnated in the trees as well. The Imperial Orcs might claim they don't reincarnate, but they don't know everything about orc souls do they? Marcher Orcs say they ''do'' reincarnate, so who's to say that Imperial Orcs don't reincarnate when they're in Marcher lands? These claims might not persuade an [[Urizen|Urizeni]] [[questor]] or a [[Highguard|Highborn]] [[wayfarer]], but it's more than enough for some folk here.
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Appraise Grave Wood'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' [[Appraisal]] </td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:'''
* Appropriate wording instructing the civil service to look for a practical solution to the problems posed by Grave Wood</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Would create an opportunity to recover the bodies of the fallen orcs without disturbing the graves of the fallen Marchers</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
Either way, there's a ''lot'' of indignation from people that the Imperial Orcs are demanding the Marcher Assembly tear up Grave Wood. A few calmer heads point out that that's not what Gralka's judgement actually says, but whatever the truth of the matter, all eyes are on the Assembly. You don't own it unless you can defend it, as the saying goes. So what is the Marcher Assembly going to do about defending Grave Rock?

All eyes are going to be on the Marcher Assembly this summit, more than usual, to see what they have to say about this. It's hard to see what they can do that won't make the situation worse however. An appropriately barbed Marcher retort to the Orc Assembly will win the monks and friars a lot of goodwill with folk - it'll reassure them, that the Assembly cares about the nation's beliefs and traditions and is ready to stand up and defend them. Anything less will not go down well, and a statement calling on people to let the orcs cut Grave Wood down will be as popular as manure in the milking pail.
<div {{float}}><quote by="Marcher Proverb">The answer lies in the soil.</quote></div>
If the Assembly gives the Imperial Orcs their marching orders, that will win them the goodwill of a lot of Marchers but it's unlikely to do much for diplomacy between the two nations. An alternative might be, to find a solution to let the Imperial Orcs recover their dead without disturbing the graves of the fallen Marchers. The problem is that nobody can think of a good way to do that. But an [[appraisal]] would - if people are ''serious'' about this, then that is the one thing guaranteed to identify a possible solution. Might not be cheap, or easy, or quick, but easy come, worth less as folks say.
==Further Reading==
* [[The highest calling]]
* [[Liathaven]] - A review of Imperial knowledge about Liathaven

*[[Old_blue_banners_dancing#The_Forest_Endures|Old blue banners dancing]] - 388YE Spring wind of war involving magical chaos and trees

Domain expansion

2026-09-07T13:18:30Z

Noserenda: /* Claim */

[[Category: 388YE Autumn]][[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:Highest Calling]]
<ic>"Ashvale? I don't want to live in a place called Ashvale"

"You're too picky by far. There's good farming land there now by all accounts. The Jotun have cleared the forests, and opened it up. A Marcher could stake a claim to some of that land and set up their own household. Get their first, you could end up steward of the whole territory. That sounds pretty good to me."

"I still don't like the name, it just sounds miserable. Like everyone's dead and gone to ash."

"We do have a territory called ''Mourn''wold, you know. And beside we'll all end up as Ash when it's our time. Or Oak, or Beech. Or whatever. I can think of worse fates."

"That's exactly my point! Living there would be a constant reminder of your fate. One day you'll die and end up as an Ash tree."

"Well it's better than living in the Sarangrave."</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 500px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Nation-marches-texture.jpg|align=left|caption=[[The Marches]] has officially existed in its current form, give or take, since the reign of [[Empress Teleri]]. Arguably these four regions have been Marcher land since long before the Empire was even a dream of an idea.|width=500}}</div>
==Overview==
* '''The Marcher assembly nears the end of its highest calling'''
* '''The Imperial Breadbasket now covers all four Marcher territories'''
{{SOP|statement=Our Highest Calling is completing this season. By Autumn, the Breadbasket network will be established across every Marcher territory; and it turns to the Ambitious and Wise amongst our folk to devise what ways this monument to the Marcher National Pride of practicality could do even more. With the Mournwold home to the Singing Caves, the Empire's most productive mithril mine; with the return to prominence of the tradition of the smiths; with the establishment of the new tradition of offering to billet vising armies; with one eye to the forever - war with the Jotun; and with another eye to Liath's Heart next door and the coming Final Battle with the vallorn: the Marcher Assembly reckons that if the Dawnish can have a fancy magic castle that can resupply armies, we can do better. The Breadbasket has supported feeding armies - let's go further, and feed, clothe, arm, and armour any soldier looking to join an Imperial army.|by=Ursula Smith, Marcher National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 186-0|when=Summer 388YE|size=small}}
While other nations struggle on, the Marchers have got the harvest in. They have completed their highest calling and successfully [[Expand_Breadbasket_into_Mournwold|expanded]] the [[The_Marches_economic_interests#The_Imperial_Breadbasket|Imperial Breadbasket]] into [[Mournwold]]. There's no time for rest however... as ever Marcher knows, the reward for a good job is more work. It was ever thus.

Keen not to let the grass grow under anyone's feet, '''Ursula Smith''' is looking to make good use of the remaining time now the Breadbasket is properly sorted. With the backing of the Marcher Assembly, she's got a few ideas on what Marchers could be doing next. For the first while in a good time, the [[Bregasland|Bregas]] are feeling good about the future thanks to the tidal wave of Imperial steel that swept through [[Mitwold]] and now [[Mud, blood, and manacles|promises victory]] in the Dour Fens. It's time for hard-working folk to build on these successes. After-all - you don't own it unless you can defend it...

==Strive==
<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Overton Smithy'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' [[Edifice]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Overton, Mournwold</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 30 thrones</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' Three months </td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Upkeep:''' 10 thrones</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:'''
* Establishes smelters, smithies and forges around the Singing Caves to resupply Imperial forces
* The Singing Caves would no longer provide 28 wains of mithril each season
* The title holder could still purchase additional mithril each season
* The Caves would provide a thousand points of additional resupply split between every army resupplying there
</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the end of Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''There is a proposal to convert the Singing Caves to resupply Imperial armies'''
* '''The Caves would no longer produce mithril each season, though it could still be bought by the seat holder'''
* '''The Caves would provide a thousand points of resupply spread between Imperial armies resupplying in the territory at the caves'''
The [[Singing Caves]] is one of the most lucrative [[mithril]] seats in the whole Empire, especially when the holder attracts additional labourers with extra payment. Nearly six years ago it was made a Marcher national position elected by tally of the votes and has stayed as such ever since, at least while it remained in Imperial hands. At the behest of the national assembly, the local [[Mournwold#The_ruins_of_Overton|Overtonians]] (or ''Tunnys'') have been putting their heads together as to how they might use it to compete with the prestige of the [[Weirwater#Spiral_Castle|Spiral Castle]].

There'll be no castle built there; any marcher who'd want such needless grandeur would need their head wobbled. But there's nothing wrong with an honest blacksmith's forge. Or two. Or a dozen for that matter.

Plans are put together to establish an industrial district around the caves. Smelters and smithies, fires and forges. They artisans would take the mithril produced each season and quickly turn it into the arms and armour needed to support Imperial Armies. A little investment is needed to get things up and running, but not much. A simple commission costing thirty thrones and a seasons work is all it would take. That would be enough to establish a community of blacksmiths and artisans around the caves and a town would soon spring up thereafter.

If that happened, then each season, any Imperial [[army]] that was in Mournwold could issue orders to resupply at the Singing Caves. There would be a thousand points of resupply split between all the armies that did so. The Caves would have the same upkeep of 10 thrones per season as they do now, but they wouldn't automatically produce mithril for the title holder any more. All that would be directed to resupplying the armies. The seat holder wouldn't lose out completely though - they could still [[Singing Caves#Attract mine workers|hire additional miners]] to dig out some extra mithril each season for their own use.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Knowledgeable_Citizen.jpg|align=right|caption=Natalia "the Falcon" Barossa of [[the League]] is the current [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies]].|width=250}}</div>

==Toil==
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Amend title of Quartermaster general'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Amendment</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Makes the Quartermaster General a Marcher national position, elected by the tally of the votes
* Assigns the income of the Singing Caves to the Quartermaster
* Allows the Quartermaster to purchase additional mithril each season</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The title of Quartermaster General could be combined with the Singing Caves'''
* '''The position would be a Marcher national position with the legal powers of the current Quartermaster General and the powers of the Singing Caves'''
Setting up forges all round the caves is efficient, provided that there are enough armies to resupply there. However the Alders of Overton suggest that there is a better way to ensure that the mithril goes where it's most needed. The [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies]] has the power to resupply Imperial armies, why not put the mithril in their hands? Or better yet, put the Quartermaster general in ''Mournwold's'' hands, which amounts to the same thing really.
<div {{float}}><quote by="Marcher Proverb">The best soil is thirsty soil.</quote></div>
The [[Urizen|Urizeni]] (as much as some folk are loathe to admit it) are widely considered to be the foremost practitioners of ritual magic in the Empire, and apparently that's good enough to let them have control the position of [[Warmage]]. Since it's the Marches that feed the Imperial armies, why shouldn't they choose who gets to be Quartermaster?

If the Quartermaster General is made a Marcher national position, then it could be given the custodianship of the Singing Caves. The Imperial Senate could use a [[Senate motion]] to combine the position of Quartermaster General with the custodian of the Singing Caves to make a single title that was appointed by the Marchers using [[Tally of the Votes]]. It would have all the legal powers of the current Quartermaster General but it would also receive 28 wains of mithril each season and could spend money to acquire more, just as the current custodian of the Caves does.

==Claim==
* '''A few Marchers have started eyeing the neighbouring territory of Ashvale and pondering its future'''
* '''The Marcher National Assembly could pass a mandate laying claim to the territory to create an opportunity to claim a stake there'''
* '''The mandate would create a deep-seated expectation that the nation would be given the territory if they did the hard work to take it'''
Completing the Imperial Breadbasket and [[Mud,_blood,_and_manacles#Bregasland|taking Bregasland back]] from the [[Jotun]] means the Marchers can now support five armies. Which is all well and good, but where's it gonna be based? Where will it call home? A Marcher army ought to come from ''somewhere'', it ought to be for ''somewhere''. Good cider takes good apples, as folk say. Technically, there's no requirement for a new Marcher army to be bound to the land the way the others are, but the vows the Marcher generals swore have not done the nation any harm in the minds of many. Traditions have to start somewhere.
<div {{float}}><quote by="Marcher Proverb">You can't enjoy the biscuits if you don't have the flour.</quote></div>
If it's to have a territory of it's own then where? More than one experienced hand has been looking over the border into [[Liathaven]] (not bloody "Ashvale" or whatever the Jarls want to call it nowadays) and noticing just how much effort the Jotun have been putting into slash-and-burn to create another source of food for their war machine. Now, they've not done a bad job to be fair, but if the Marches got their hands on the newly fertile regions of [[Liathaven]], well, they'd certainly manage a better harvest than any thrall could manage even before they expanded the Breadbasket to cover it.

Over the past few years, it is Marcher lands than have faced the brunt of the back and forth invasions and counter-campaigns in the west while attention has been focused in the east on the eradication of the [[Druj]]. Most Marchers wont deny that that's a worthy goal, but many feel as if they are owed for having their lands be used as sandbags while attention was focused elsewhere. A decent crack at Liathaven seems a fair reward, say some.

{{Mandate|mandate=Those who pick the apples get first taste of the cider! We send {named priest} with 50 doses of liao to declare our intent to be the ones to till the fields of Liathaven, first with the butts of or bills and then with the plough. Strive, toil, and claim the just rewards of your labours.|assembly=Marcher National Assembly}}

If this Mandate is enacted, then it will create an [[opportunity]] for the Marchers to focus their efforts on conquering Liathaven once Bregasland is secure. There would be a chance for the nation to break ground on taking the territory from the Jotun and claiming it for the Empire and in doing so staking their claim to it. It used to be a Navarr territory, years ago, but there have been no Navarr living there for years now and the territory has changed out of all recognition. Of course there's still a bloody vallorn in it, but Marchers know how a thing or two about pruning themselves.

The mandate wouldn't have any legal impact on the ability of the [[Senate]] to assign the territory to any Imperial nation if it were conquered, but it would rouse an expectation across the Marchers that they'd get first crack at it. Marchers are fair minded though - or so they tell themselves. Those who pick the tree get first taste of the cider, so while the Marches would be staking their claim on the land, they'd respect any nation it was assigned to that had been clearly seen to put in as much or more effort into the conquest than the Marchers had. But if the Senate awarded it to a nation who did less work in the campaign than the Marchers, then folks would absolutely be up in arms about it.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Liathaven_Impressions.png|align=right|caption=Liathaven is under Jotun dominion but there are other factions at play there as well.|title=Map is for novelty purposes only and should not be used to attempt to scry the territory. Artist cannot be held liable for any distress caused by attempts to do so.|width=400}}

==Not You==
* '''The Imperial map of Liathaven no longer functions for purposes of scrying'''
* '''A new map will need to be created'''
Nothing is ever easy however. A renewed interest in Liathaven has brought something unexpected to the fore. The map Imperial magicians rely on to [[divination|scry]] Liathaven with rituals such as [[Eyes of the Sun and Moon]] no longer appears to be effective. This last happened two years ago when [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] [[Madruga]] was [[Where_the_river_rises#A_New_Territory|transfigured]] by tumultuous magics. It seems that the Jotun campaign to transform Liathaven into a land more suited to their needs, aided by the industrious [[inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] of the [[Estavus|City of Fire and Stone]], have caused existing maps to depart too significantly from the reality on the ground. This will remain the case until Imperial maps can be updated, and will likely effect ''everyone'' who has a map of Liathaven with the possible exception of the Jotun - who are not particularly given to scrying on a large scale anyway.

The lack of a map will not make it any harder to conquer Liathaven, but there are still risks. The Empire cannot take for granted that the territory is exactly as they remember it, and what [[Axe-bite_and_ploughshare|reliable intelligence]] they do have is around eighteen months out of date. A few things appear certain - there is still a [[vallorn]] in Liathaven. It is still dominated by the Jotun. There are still [[Feni]] there, but since the Empire withdrew its troops in 387YE they seem to have fallen silent. Other than that, there are no certainties.

Creating a new map is straightforward but will consume both time and resources. The tried and trusted way to do it is to create a [[spy network]], and send sufficient [[military unit|scouts]] to fully explore the territory. Until then, rituals that rely on a representative map of Liathaven cannot target the territory. At least a detailed strategic map will also provide a guide to how the territory has changed under the four years of Jotun dominion.

==Fruits==
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=SkywiseGralka.jpg|align=right|caption=Skywise Gralka, whose words have mobilised the Imperial Orcs assembly.|width=250}}</div>
* '''News of the statement of principle in the Imperial Orc Assembly demanding the Marcher Assembly return the bodies from Grave Wood has inflamed tensions in the area'''
* '''If the Marcher Assembly tells the Imperial Orc Assembly where to take their demands, it'll will make them popular with local people'''
* '''A diplomatic solution would require an appraisal to identify a way to recover the Orc bodies without disturbing the other graves'''
The trees in Ashvale are not the only trees on people's mind at the moment. In Spring this year, there was a [[Old_blue_banners_dancing#The_Forest_Endures|minor miracle in Bregasland]] when a forest sprung up over night, claiming the bodies of nearly three thousand dead soldiers with it. Marchers, Jotun, Imperial Orcs, Freeborn, Wintermarkers - they're all feeding the soil now. The bodies of almost everyone slain in the battle were lost to the earth as the trees shot up. Hungry soil pulled them down to as the roots took hold and the branches spread. Of course there are some folk who say it was some kind of Spring magic run amok, but that's clearly daft talk. Course it was Spring magic run amok - but it was ''also'' a bloody miracle. Irrefutable proof of what Marchers have always known - that when you die you come back as a tree for your next life. While people have never really thought about what happens to other people who did, the Wintermarkers and the Freeborn and the Unshackled all lost their lives fighting on Marcher soil, so it's not that surprising that they came back as trees as well, when you think about it.
{{SOP|statement=In a single day they died. In a single night they became a forest exactly where they fell. There is not such thing as orc wood. The soldiers of the Autumn Hammers who went to the Graven March to earn their legend and in death become ancestors. NOT TO BE PLANTED AS SEEDS. The Imperial Orc National Assembly demand the Marcher Assembly return the bones of our people back to be interred in our lands.|by=Gralka, Imperial Orc Assembly|when=Summer Solstice 388YE|vote= 62-0 {{GM}}}}
As far as many Marchers are concerned, Grave Forest, is a testimony to the [[Loyalty]] of the people who died fighting for the Marchers and the Empire. Let the Highborn have their dead stone tombs... the Marchers have living trees to remember with which to remember their family and their friends. And trees are clearly better than mausoleums anyway - you can't pick apples from a tomb can you?

But nothing dries faster than a tear, and there are clearly some folk who are not happy about it. The Imperial Orc Assembly has ''demanded'' that the Marcher Assembly return the bones of their people. And since then, more than a few Imperial orcs have turned up and been poking around the woods and asking questions. Bounders even caught two orcs heading towards the new woods with axes and shovels - which caused a nasty scene when they were turned back.

If it were just a case of giving back the remains of the orcs who Loyally gave their lives fighting for the Marchers, then most folk would be minded to let the orcs tear up the forest to recover the bones. Their people are trees now - but if they want to kill them again, that's on them. The problem is that there are hundreds and hundreds of Marchers souls in that forest, and there's no way to know whose trees is whose. And even if there was, it's a forest - the trees roots are intermingled like wickerwork. Every time you cut one tree down and dig it up, you'll take another two more with it.

It's not universal, but many Marchers genuinely believe that the trees of Grave Forest are the reincarnated souls of their former countrymen. And more than a few of them think there's Jotun, Wintermark, Freeborn and Imperial Orc souls reincarnated in the trees as well. The Imperial Orcs might claim they don't reincarnate, but they don't know everything about orc souls do they? Marcher Orcs say they ''do'' reincarnate, so who's to say that Imperial Orcs don't reincarnate when they're in Marcher lands? These claims might not persuade an [[Urizen|Urizeni]] [[questor]] or a [[Highguard|Highborn]] [[wayfarer]], but it's more than enough for some folk here.
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Appraise Grave Wood'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' [[Appraisal]] </td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:'''
* Appropriate wording instructing the civil service to look for a practical solution to the problems posed by Grave Wood</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Would create an opportunity to recover the bodies of the fallen orcs without disturbing the graves of the fallen Marchers</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
Either way, there's a ''lot'' of indignation from people that the Imperial Orcs are demanding the Marcher Assembly tear up Grave Wood. A few calmer heads point out that that's not what Gralka's judgement actually says, but whatever the truth of the matter, all eyes are on the Assembly. You don't own it unless you can defend it, as the saying goes. So what is the Marcher Assembly going to do about defending Grave Rock?

All eyes are going to be on the Marcher Assembly this summit, more than usual, to see what they have to say about this. It's hard to see what they can do that won't make the situation worse however. An appropriately barbed Marcher retort to the Orc Assembly will win the monks and friars a lot of goodwill with folk - it'll reassure them, that the Assembly cares about the nation's beliefs and traditions and is ready to stand up and defend them. Anything less will not go down well, and a statement calling on people to let the orcs cut Grave Wood down will be as popular as manure in the milking pail.
<div {{float}}><quote by="Marcher Proverb">The answer lies in the soil.</quote></div>
If the Assembly gives the Imperial Orcs their marching orders, that will win them the goodwill of a lot of Marchers but it's unlikely to do much for diplomacy between the two nations. An alternative might be, to find a solution to let the Imperial Orcs recover their dead without disturbing the graves of the fallen Marchers. The problem is that nobody can think of a good way to do that. But an [[appraisal]] would - if people are ''serious'' about this, then that is the one thing guaranteed to identify a possible solution. Might not be cheap, or easy, or quick, but easy come, worth less as folks say.
==Further Reading==
* [[The highest calling]]
* [[Liathaven]] - A review of Imperial knowledge about Liathaven

*[[Old_blue_banners_dancing#The_Forest_Endures|Old blue banners dancing]] - 388YE Spring wind of war involving magical chaos and trees

Domain expansion

2026-09-07T13:17:42Z

Noserenda:

[[Category: 388YE Autumn]][[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:Highest Calling]]
<ic>"Ashvale? I don't want to live in a place called Ashvale"

"You're too picky by far. There's good farming land there now by all accounts. The Jotun have cleared the forests, and opened it up. A Marcher could stake a claim to some of that land and set up their own household. Get their first, you could end up steward of the whole territory. That sounds pretty good to me."

"I still don't like the name, it just sounds miserable. Like everyone's dead and gone to ash."

"We do have a territory called ''Mourn''wold, you know. And beside we'll all end up as Ash when it's our time. Or Oak, or Beech. Or whatever. I can think of worse fates."

"That's exactly my point! Living there would be a constant reminder of your fate. One day you'll die and end up as an Ash tree."

"Well it's better than living in the Sarangrave."</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 500px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Nation-marches-texture.jpg|align=left|caption=[[The Marches]] has officially existed in its current form, give or take, since the reign of [[Empress Teleri]]. Arguably these four regions have been Marcher land since long before the Empire was even a dream of an idea.|width=500}}</div>
==Overview==
* '''The Marcher assembly nears the end of its highest calling'''
* '''The Imperial Breadbasket now covers all four Marcher territories'''
{{SOP|statement=Our Highest Calling is completing this season. By Autumn, the Breadbasket network will be established across every Marcher territory; and it turns to the Ambitious and Wise amongst our folk to devise what ways this monument to the Marcher National Pride of practicality could do even more. With the Mournwold home to the Singing Caves, the Empire's most productive mithril mine; with the return to prominence of the tradition of the smiths; with the establishment of the new tradition of offering to billet vising armies; with one eye to the forever - war with the Jotun; and with another eye to Liath's Heart next door and the coming Final Battle with the vallorn: the Marcher Assembly reckons that if the Dawnish can have a fancy magic castle that can resupply armies, we can do better. The Breadbasket has supported feeding armies - let's go further, and feed, clothe, arm, and armour any soldier looking to join an Imperial army.|by=Ursula Smith, Marcher National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 186-0|when=Summer 388YE|size=small}}
While other nations struggle on, the Marchers have got the harvest in. They have completed their highest calling and successfully [[Expand_Breadbasket_into_Mournwold|expanded]] the [[The_Marches_economic_interests#The_Imperial_Breadbasket|Imperial Breadbasket]] into [[Mournwold]]. There's no time for rest however... as ever Marcher knows, the reward for a good job is more work. It was ever thus.

Keen not to let the grass grow under anyone's feet, '''Ursula Smith''' is looking to make good use of the remaining time now the Breadbasket is properly sorted. With the backing of the Marcher Assembly, she's got a few ideas on what Marchers could be doing next. For the first while in a good time, the [[Bregasland|Bregas]] are feeling good about the future thanks to the tidal wave of Imperial steel that swept through [[Mitwold]] and now [[Mud, blood, and manacles|promises victory]] in the Dour Fens. It's time for hard-working folk to build on these successes. After-all - you don't own it unless you can defend it...

==Strive==
<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Overton Smithy'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' [[Edifice]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Overton, Mournwold</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 30 thrones</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' Three months </td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Upkeep:''' 10 thrones</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:'''
* Establishes smelters, smithies and forges around the Singing Caves to resupply Imperial forces
* The Singing Caves would no longer provide 28 wains of mithril each season
* The title holder could still purchase additional mithril each season
* The Caves would provide a thousand points of additional resupply split between every army resupplying there
</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the end of Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''There is a proposal to convert the Singing Caves to resupply Imperial armies'''
* '''The Caves would no longer produce mithril each season, though it could still be bought by the seat holder'''
* '''The Caves would provide a thousand points of resupply spread between Imperial armies resupplying in the territory at the caves'''
The [[Singing Caves]] is one of the most lucrative [[mithril]] seats in the whole Empire, especially when the holder attracts additional labourers with extra payment. Nearly six years ago it was made a Marcher national position elected by tally of the votes and has stayed as such ever since, at least while it remained in Imperial hands. At the behest of the national assembly, the local [[Mournwold#The_ruins_of_Overton|Overtonians]] (or ''Tunnys'') have been putting their heads together as to how they might use it to compete with the prestige of the [[Weirwater#Spiral_Castle|Spiral Castle]].

There'll be no castle built there; any marcher who'd want such needless grandeur would need their head wobbled. But there's nothing wrong with an honest blacksmith's forge. Or two. Or a dozen for that matter.

Plans are put together to establish an industrial district around the caves. Smelters and smithies, fires and forges. They artisans would take the mithril produced each season and quickly turn it into the arms and armour needed to support Imperial Armies. A little investment is needed to get things up and running, but not much. A simple commission costing thirty thrones and a seasons work is all it would take. That would be enough to establish a community of blacksmiths and artisans around the caves and a town would soon spring up thereafter.

If that happened, then each season, any Imperial [[army]] that was in Mournwold could issue orders to resupply at the Singing Caves. There would be a thousand points of resupply split between all the armies that did so. The Caves would have the same upkeep of 10 thrones per season as they do now, but they wouldn't automatically produce mithril for the title holder any more. All that would be directed to resupplying the armies. The seat holder wouldn't lose out completely though - they could still [[Singing Caves#Attract mine workers|hire additional miners]] to dig out some extra mithril each season for their own use.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Knowledgeable_Citizen.jpg|align=right|caption=Natalia "the Falcon" Barossa of [[the League]] is the current [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies]].|width=250}}</div>

==Toil==
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Amend title of Quartermaster general'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Amendment</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Makes the Quartermaster General a Marcher national position, elected by the tally of the votes
* Assigns the income of the Singing Caves to the Quartermaster
* Allows the Quartermaster to purchase additional mithril each season</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The title of Quartermaster General could be combined with the Singing Caves'''
* '''The position would be a Marcher national position with the legal powers of the current Quartermaster General and the powers of the Singing Caves'''
Setting up forges all round the caves is efficient, provided that there are enough armies to resupply there. However the Alders of Overton suggest that there is a better way to ensure that the mithril goes where it's most needed. The [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies]] has the power to resupply Imperial armies, why not put the mithril in their hands? Or better yet, put the Quartermaster general in ''Mournwold's'' hands, which amounts to the same thing really.
<div {{float}}><quote by="Marcher Proverb">The best soil is thirsty soil.</quote></div>
The [[Urizen|Urizeni]] (as much as some folk are loathe to admit it) are widely considered to be the foremost practitioners of ritual magic in the Empire, and apparently that's good enough to let them have control the position of [[Warmage]]. Since it's the Marches that feed the Imperial armies, why shouldn't they choose who gets to be Quartermaster?

If the Quartermaster General is made a Marcher national position, then it could be given the custodianship of the Singing Caves. The Imperial Senate could use a [[Senate motion]] to combine the position of Quartermaster General with the custodian of the Singing Caves to make a single title that was appointed by the Marchers using [[Tally of the Votes]]. It would have all the legal powers of the current Quartermaster General but it would also receive 28 wains of mithril each season and could spend money to acquire more, just as the current custodian of the Caves does.

==Claim==
* '''A few Marchers have started eyeing the neighbouring territory of Ashvale and pondering its future'''
* '''The Marcher National Assembly could pass a mandate laying claim to the territory to create an opportunity to claim a stake there'''
* '''The mandate would create a deep-seated expectation that the nation would be given the territory if they did the hard work to take it'''
Completing the Imperial Breadbasket and [[Mud,_blood,_and_manacles#Bregasland|taking Bregaland back]] from the [[Jotun]] means the Marchers can now support five armies. Which is all well and good, but where's it gonna be based? Where will it call home? A Marcher army ought to come from ''somewhere'', it ought to be for ''somewhere''. Good cider takes good apples, as folk say. Technically, there's no requirement for a new Marcher army to be bound to the land the way the others are, but the vows the Marcher generals swore have not done the nation any harm in the minds of many. Traditions have to start somewhere.
<div {{float}}><quote by="Marcher Proverb">You can't enjoy the biscuits if you don't have the flour.</quote></div>
If it's to have a territory of it's own then where? More than one experienced hand has been looking over the border into [[Liathaven]] (not bloody "Ashvale" or whatever the Jarls want to call it nowadays) and noticing just how much effort the Jotun have been putting into slash-and-burn to create another source of food for their war machine. Now, they've not done a bad job to be fair, but if the Marches got their hands on the newly fertile regions of [[Liathaven]], well, they'd certainly manage a better harvest than any thrall could manage even before they expanded the Breadbasket to cover it.

Over the past few years, it is Marcher lands than have faced the brunt of the back and forth invasions and counter-campaigns in the west while attention has been focused in the east on the eradication of the [[Druj]]. Most Marchers wont deny that that's a worthy goal, but many feel as if they are owed for having their lands be used as sandbags while attention was focused elsewhere. A decent crack at Liathaven seems a fair reward, say some.

{{Mandate|mandate=Those who pick the apples get first taste of the cider! We send {named priest} with 50 doses of liao to declare our intent to be the ones to till the fields of Liathaven, first with the butts of or bills and then with the plough. Strive, toil, and claim the just rewards of your labours.|assembly=Marcher National Assembly}}

If this Mandate is enacted, then it will create an [[opportunity]] for the Marchers to focus their efforts on conquering Liathaven once Bregasland is secure. There would be a chance for the nation to break ground on taking the territory from the Jotun and claiming it for the Empire and in doing so staking their claim to it. It used to be a Navarr territory, years ago, but there have been no Navarr living there for years now and the territory has changed out of all recognition. Of course there's still a bloody vallorn in it, but Marchers know how a thing or two about pruning themselves.

The mandate wouldn't have any legal impact on the ability of the [[Senate]] to assign the territory to any Imperial nation if it were conquered, but it would rouse an expectation across the Marchers that they'd get first crack at it. Marchers are fair minded though - or so they tell themselves. Those who pick the tree get first taste of the cider, so while the Marches would be staking their claim on the land, they'd respect any nation it was assigned to that had been clearly seen to put in as much or more effort into the conquest than the Marchers had. But if the Senate awarded it to a nation who did less work in the campaign than the Marchers, then folks would absolutely be up in arms about it.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Liathaven_Impressions.png|align=right|caption=Liathaven is under Jotun dominion but there are other factions at play there as well.|title=Map is for novelty purposes only and should not be used to attempt to scry the territory. Artist cannot be held liable for any distress caused by attempts to do so.|width=400}}

==Not You==
* '''The Imperial map of Liathaven no longer functions for purposes of scrying'''
* '''A new map will need to be created'''
Nothing is ever easy however. A renewed interest in Liathaven has brought something unexpected to the fore. The map Imperial magicians rely on to [[divination|scry]] Liathaven with rituals such as [[Eyes of the Sun and Moon]] no longer appears to be effective. This last happened two years ago when [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] [[Madruga]] was [[Where_the_river_rises#A_New_Territory|transfigured]] by tumultuous magics. It seems that the Jotun campaign to transform Liathaven into a land more suited to their needs, aided by the industrious [[inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] of the [[Estavus|City of Fire and Stone]], have caused existing maps to depart too significantly from the reality on the ground. This will remain the case until Imperial maps can be updated, and will likely effect ''everyone'' who has a map of Liathaven with the possible exception of the Jotun - who are not particularly given to scrying on a large scale anyway.

The lack of a map will not make it any harder to conquer Liathaven, but there are still risks. The Empire cannot take for granted that the territory is exactly as they remember it, and what [[Axe-bite_and_ploughshare|reliable intelligence]] they do have is around eighteen months out of date. A few things appear certain - there is still a [[vallorn]] in Liathaven. It is still dominated by the Jotun. There are still [[Feni]] there, but since the Empire withdrew its troops in 387YE they seem to have fallen silent. Other than that, there are no certainties.

Creating a new map is straightforward but will consume both time and resources. The tried and trusted way to do it is to create a [[spy network]], and send sufficient [[military unit|scouts]] to fully explore the territory. Until then, rituals that rely on a representative map of Liathaven cannot target the territory. At least a detailed strategic map will also provide a guide to how the territory has changed under the four years of Jotun dominion.

==Fruits==
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=SkywiseGralka.jpg|align=right|caption=Skywise Gralka, whose words have mobilised the Imperial Orcs assembly.|width=250}}</div>
* '''News of the statement of principle in the Imperial Orc Assembly demanding the Marcher Assembly return the bodies from Grave Wood has inflamed tensions in the area'''
* '''If the Marcher Assembly tells the Imperial Orc Assembly where to take their demands, it'll will make them popular with local people'''
* '''A diplomatic solution would require an appraisal to identify a way to recover the Orc bodies without disturbing the other graves'''
The trees in Ashvale are not the only trees on people's mind at the moment. In Spring this year, there was a [[Old_blue_banners_dancing#The_Forest_Endures|minor miracle in Bregasland]] when a forest sprung up over night, claiming the bodies of nearly three thousand dead soldiers with it. Marchers, Jotun, Imperial Orcs, Freeborn, Wintermarkers - they're all feeding the soil now. The bodies of almost everyone slain in the battle were lost to the earth as the trees shot up. Hungry soil pulled them down to as the roots took hold and the branches spread. Of course there are some folk who say it was some kind of Spring magic run amok, but that's clearly daft talk. Course it was Spring magic run amok - but it was ''also'' a bloody miracle. Irrefutable proof of what Marchers have always known - that when you die you come back as a tree for your next life. While people have never really thought about what happens to other people who did, the Wintermarkers and the Freeborn and the Unshackled all lost their lives fighting on Marcher soil, so it's not that surprising that they came back as trees as well, when you think about it.
{{SOP|statement=In a single day they died. In a single night they became a forest exactly where they fell. There is not such thing as orc wood. The soldiers of the Autumn Hammers who went to the Graven March to earn their legend and in death become ancestors. NOT TO BE PLANTED AS SEEDS. The Imperial Orc National Assembly demand the Marcher Assembly return the bones of our people back to be interred in our lands.|by=Gralka, Imperial Orc Assembly|when=Summer Solstice 388YE|vote= 62-0 {{GM}}}}
As far as many Marchers are concerned, Grave Forest, is a testimony to the [[Loyalty]] of the people who died fighting for the Marchers and the Empire. Let the Highborn have their dead stone tombs... the Marchers have living trees to remember with which to remember their family and their friends. And trees are clearly better than mausoleums anyway - you can't pick apples from a tomb can you?

But nothing dries faster than a tear, and there are clearly some folk who are not happy about it. The Imperial Orc Assembly has ''demanded'' that the Marcher Assembly return the bones of their people. And since then, more than a few Imperial orcs have turned up and been poking around the woods and asking questions. Bounders even caught two orcs heading towards the new woods with axes and shovels - which caused a nasty scene when they were turned back.

If it were just a case of giving back the remains of the orcs who Loyally gave their lives fighting for the Marchers, then most folk would be minded to let the orcs tear up the forest to recover the bones. Their people are trees now - but if they want to kill them again, that's on them. The problem is that there are hundreds and hundreds of Marchers souls in that forest, and there's no way to know whose trees is whose. And even if there was, it's a forest - the trees roots are intermingled like wickerwork. Every time you cut one tree down and dig it up, you'll take another two more with it.

It's not universal, but many Marchers genuinely believe that the trees of Grave Forest are the reincarnated souls of their former countrymen. And more than a few of them think there's Jotun, Wintermark, Freeborn and Imperial Orc souls reincarnated in the trees as well. The Imperial Orcs might claim they don't reincarnate, but they don't know everything about orc souls do they? Marcher Orcs say they ''do'' reincarnate, so who's to say that Imperial Orcs don't reincarnate when they're in Marcher lands? These claims might not persuade an [[Urizen|Urizeni]] [[questor]] or a [[Highguard|Highborn]] [[wayfarer]], but it's more than enough for some folk here.
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Appraise Grave Wood'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' [[Appraisal]] </td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:'''
* Appropriate wording instructing the civil service to look for a practical solution to the problems posed by Grave Wood</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Would create an opportunity to recover the bodies of the fallen orcs without disturbing the graves of the fallen Marchers</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
Either way, there's a ''lot'' of indignation from people that the Imperial Orcs are demanding the Marcher Assembly tear up Grave Wood. A few calmer heads point out that that's not what Gralka's judgement actually says, but whatever the truth of the matter, all eyes are on the Assembly. You don't own it unless you can defend it, as the saying goes. So what is the Marcher Assembly going to do about defending Grave Rock?

All eyes are going to be on the Marcher Assembly this summit, more than usual, to see what they have to say about this. It's hard to see what they can do that won't make the situation worse however. An appropriately barbed Marcher retort to the Orc Assembly will win the monks and friars a lot of goodwill with folk - it'll reassure them, that the Assembly cares about the nation's beliefs and traditions and is ready to stand up and defend them. Anything less will not go down well, and a statement calling on people to let the orcs cut Grave Wood down will be as popular as manure in the milking pail.
<div {{float}}><quote by="Marcher Proverb">The answer lies in the soil.</quote></div>
If the Assembly gives the Imperial Orcs their marching orders, that will win them the goodwill of a lot of Marchers but it's unlikely to do much for diplomacy between the two nations. An alternative might be, to find a solution to let the Imperial Orcs recover their dead without disturbing the graves of the fallen Marchers. The problem is that nobody can think of a good way to do that. But an [[appraisal]] would - if people are ''serious'' about this, then that is the one thing guaranteed to identify a possible solution. Might not be cheap, or easy, or quick, but easy come, worth less as folks say.
==Further Reading==
* [[The highest calling]]
* [[Liathaven]] - A review of Imperial knowledge about Liathaven

*[[Old_blue_banners_dancing#The_Forest_Endures|Old blue banners dancing]] - 388YE Spring wind of war involving magical chaos and trees

All I can do

2026-09-01T14:44:27Z

Noserenda: /* A Proud Basilica */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Autumn]]
<ic>
Tibisi stalked back and forth across the hardwood floor of the small study. Pacing helped her gather her thoughts - useful in this case as she was eager to explain her idea to her exarch. "It's a simple idea really, but the donations we are collecting could be used to support the new basilica."

Saul hated to cut it, but Tibisi would never let him get a word in edgeways if he didn't. "You don't think the Council will agree to throw their support behind it - not even for a few seasons?" he asked.

She stopped pacing, pondering the question as if it was the first time she'd considered. Saul knew that wouldn't be the case though, she never came to him with an idea without considering every alternative first.

"I don't... " she shook her head to underline her point. "They never have - I don't think they ever will. Not until the Grand Inspiration is finished at the very least."

"It would only need to be for a year," Saul pointed out, "then they could go back to funding the Grand Inspiration."

"We've just committed to completing the Grand Inspiration in that year. It's our highest calling."

Saul couldn't resist it. "In that case, why would we support anything else? If it's our highest calling, surely everying should be directed to that?"

Tibisi threw her exarch a mock sneer. He was not being helpful and they both knew it. "Because it's our ''highest'' calling exarch, not our ''only'' calling. Now do you want to hear my idea or not?"</ic>
==Overview==
<div {{floatleft}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=Loud Gull.jpg|caption=The city-state of Beoraidh continues to seek diplomatic and economic ties with the Empire, among others.|align=right|width=500}}</div>
* '''The people of Beoraidh are recognised as foreigners by the Senate'''
* '''They continue to seek trade and diplomatic ties with both the Empire and the Grendel'''
* '''They have accepted the patronage of the Sarcophan Delves'''
* '''The ambassador to Beoraidh is the Highborn Melkior of Balthazar's Vineyard'''
{{Diplomacy|nation=[[Mareave#Beoraidh|Beoraidh]]|status=Foreigner|port=Currently none.|ambassador= Melkior of Balthazar's Vineyard of [[Highguard]]|counterpart=[[Ambassador_to_Beoraidh#Beoraidh_Ambassador|Rubhart Kaltrin]]}}
[[Mareave#Beoraidh|Beoraidh]] was once the stronghold of the [[Grendel]] ''Salt-Lord Ehsan'' and his supporters. When the Empire moved to invade Mareave, Ehsan declared independence from the [[Grendel]] and sued for peace with the Empire. The city itself and the neighbouring region of [[Mareave#Sinfoyard|Sinfoyard]] are recognised as a neutral state by the Senate; a free port where both Imperial and Grendel merchants are welcome. The canny diplomat has also secured the [[All_the_night-tide#Beoraidh|protection]] of the ''bedelaar huisbaas'' of the [[Sarcophan Delves]]. Anyone attacking Beoraidh - Grendel, Imperial, or otherwise - will incur the wrath of the Delves, their warships, and their economic sanctions.

Investment in the city appears to be proceeding apace. In Spring, the General Assembly upheld a [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_6|statement of principle]] raised by the Ambassador themselves, '''Melkior of Balthazar's Vineyard'''. Elevated by the [[Cardinal of Loyalty]], '''Dagon Barossa''', it called on the faithful to assist in the completion and future operation of the [[A_knock_at_the_door#Prosperity|Basilica of the Way]] in the independent city. Then, during the Summer Solstice '''Bloodcrow Rasp''', [[Senator]] for [[Skarsind]] persuaded the Senate to go forward with [[Invest in Beoraidh Docks|investment in the docks]] of Beoraidh. Initial reports are that some money has been raised, but that the required wains of [[weirwood]] are still waiting to be delivered. The city-state is enthusiastic about this development, and the benefits they are confident it will bring themselves and their Imperial neighbours. A second motion to [[appraisal|appraise]] ways the Empire could [[388YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Appraise_Imperial_Support_for_Beoraidh_Colosseum|support the colosseum]] there failed to meet with Senate approval, but Ambassador Melkior has apparently offered assurances that this is only a temporary setback.

During the Autumn Equinox, the Ambassador to Beoraidh will receive an additional briefing prepared by the civil service. This briefing will be published following the summit.
<div style="float: right; margin-left: 20px; max-width: 500px; min-width: 350px; clear: right;">{{SOP|statement=The city state of Beoraidh may be small, but it represents a powerful opportunity for the spreading of The One True Way, the likes of which has ne'er before been seen. Our neighbours have marked off their land and opened their arms to a Basilica of the Way in the heart of their grand city. Amidst travellers and traders from all countries and walks of life, a shining beacon to our faith shall stand, built in the style of our Unshackled siblings and their fervent and beautiful expression of belief. We, the General Assembly of the Synod, note the opportunity that the construction of this Basilica offers, and urge the faithful of the Empire to do all they can to assist in its completion and future operation.|by=Melkior of Balthazar's Vineyard, General Assembly|vote=Upheld 1635-204|when=Spring 388YE|size=small}}</div>
==A Proud Basilica==
<div style="width: 350px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Basilica of the Way in Beoraidh'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Sinecure</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Beoraidh, Mareave</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 40 [[white granite]], 20 [[mithril]], 216 crowns labour costs, 20 Thrones land purchase</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' Six months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Limitations:''' No building progress can take place until the agreed 20 Thrones is delivered</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:'''
* If commissioned by an orc, 108 crowns in labour cost provided by Beoradhi investors
* An Imperial army enchanted with Bound by Common Cause could provide 108 crowns in labour costs
* If invited in the commission the weavers of Culwich will replace the need for mithril with ingots of weltsilver and measures of iridescent gloaming. The Cat's Graces could reduce the number needed.
* The Steward of the Ossuary could redirect the benefits of the Grand Ossuary to support the basilica, removing the benefits for six months and providing 10 wains of white granite
* The Aghnayadh Apothecaries will remove the entire cost to purchase the land if the Senate devolves the power to determine the legality of potions, drugs, and narcotics to the Imperial Apothecaries Guild</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Standard. Unless something changes, available until the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Creates an impressive structure in Beoraidh
* Represents the largest religious structure in the city
* Establishes the title ''Preacher of Beoraidh'''
* Creates the ''Preach the Way in Beoraidh'' congregation opportunity
* While it might be damaged or captured it would take significant effort over time to actually tear the structure down</td></tr>
</table>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightGreen;">'''Preacher of Beoraidh'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Type:''' Imperial Synod</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Appointment:''' General Assembly</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Powers:''' Receives 23 crowns income each season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Responsibilities:''' To ensure the Temple of the Way in Beoraidh is preaching to the people; make decisions relating to the temple; deal with any threats to the temple or followers of the Way in Beoraidh</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The General Assembly has approved creation of a basilica of the Way in the city of Beoraidh'''
* '''This has refreshed the opportunity, and provided potential new avenues to provide the materials'''
The [[A_knock_at_the_door#Prosperity|proposals]] put forward at the Spring Equinox laid out two possible commissions to honour the way in Beoraidh. The General Assembly favours the larger, more ambitious plan for a splendid basilica rather than a more modest temple. Since the judgement was upheld, groups have come forward with ideas for what could be done to support the funding and construction of a the basilica, with one surprising offer even coming from within the city-state itself.

As mentioned in the original proposal, the traders and merchants of Beoraidh are still keen to gain favour with the Empire and as such will donate gifts and offer subsidies that will cut the not inconsiderable 27 Thrones labour costs of actually building the basilica in half, ''provided'' it is commissioned by an [[orc]]. The choice to construct a temple with less [[Edifice#Grandeur|grandeur]] is still available of course, but the opportunities presented here are '''only''' available if the Empire chooses to build the basilica.

===Soldiers and Labour===
* '''An army enchanted with ''Bound by Common Cause'' could provide half of the labour for the basilica'''
* '''The army would need to take a defensive order in the territory and would need to be eligible for natural resupply'''
* '''If a campaign occurred in Mareave that season, the army would not support the commission'''
''Elsbeth di Sarvos'' has suggested that one of the Imperial [[army|armies]] could support the effort by providing some of the labour necessary to construct such a fine and splendid basilica. ''Elsbeth'', mercenary and long-term supporter of the Empire's armies, bemoans the fact that it couldn't be achieved in one season, but has confirmed with the [[civil service]] that if an army were enchanted with [[Bound by Common Cause]], it would contribute 108 crowns over the season. While the Beoraidh ambassador Rubhart Kaltrin is a little sceptical of the matter, he is confident that as long as everything remains above board there should be no problem with Imperial soldiers working the construction project within the city - although the Empire would presumably not cry foul should the Grendel undertake any kind of similar efforts in the free city.
<div style="float: right; max-width: 200px; margin-left: 10px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Cat's Graces Sodality.png|caption=The sodality exists to support and promote creatives, providing opportunities to exhibit their talents.|align=right|width=250}}{{CaptionedImage|file=NationBannerDawn.jpg|caption=The weavers of Dawn are some of the finest practitioners of the arts of tapestry in the Empire, rivalled only by their peers in Varushka.|align=right|width=250}}</div>
The general would need to issue a [[Army_orders#Defending|defensive order]] and make clear in their orders that the army were to aid in the construction efforts. The only downside is that if fighting were to break out during the season, the army would not be able to support the construction - which may be a major problem should the Grendel [[Salt_lions|abandon their current defensive stance]] in favour of an aggressive one.
===Tapestries and Grace===
* '''A Dawnish weaver cabal has offered their support by creating tapestries in place of mithril pillars'''
* '''The motion or announcement to construct the basilica could call on the aid of the Weavers of Culwich'''
* '''Weltsilver and iridescent gloaming could be used instead of mithril'''
The ''Weavers of Culwich'' are a prolific [[weaver cabal]] from eastern [[Weirwater]]. [[Weirwater#Culwich|Culwich]] produces some of the best flax and wool in the Empire, and the weavers make excellent use of it, creating works of beauty that are sought after across the Empire. The weavers are not strangers to the call of Virtue, having previously answered the [[Dog_days_are_over#A_Shortage_of_Songwrights|call]] of the Dawnish Assembly to look inwards following the conquest of the Barrens. Now, they have welcomed the call of the General Assembly and have offered their skills to help spread the Way.

The Weavers of Culwich are well-versed in the use of [[weltsilver]] alloys and in the dyes produced with [[iridescent gloaming]]. The cabal have offered to create tapestries and wall-hangings depicting moments of Virtue to accentuate the grandeur of the basilica in place of the mithril that was originally planned. Instead of requiring mithril, the basilica would need a total of 400 ingots of weltsilver and 400 measures of iridescent gloaming. Rather than shining metal, beautiful vibrant tapestries would provide a feast for the eyes for any who visited. The cost is steep, at least in terms of ingots and measures, but additional support is also available in the form of the Empire's newest [[Imperial sodality]].

If the [[Cat's Graces]] choose to use their power to [[Cat%27s_Graces#Refine_Commission|refine the commission]] immediately after it has been approved by the Senate, then they can encourage the artists of the Empire to help the Weavers of Culwich create works of beauty to accentuate its grandeur. That would reduce the number of of ingots and measures required to 300 weltsilver and 300 iridescent gloaming, as virtuosos from across the Empire were drawn to Dawn and Mareave to help create the beautiful art. ('''OOC Note:''' if that happens, then any player who has an appropriate piece of art depicting a virtuous scene can email a copy to {{plot}}, and we'll add it to the page for the basilica and credit their character accordingly).

===Faith and Finance===
<div style="float: right; max-width: 200px; margin-left: 10px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Vardas Sentinels Tower.png|caption='''Vardas Sentinels Tower''', Steward of the Ossuary|align=right|width=300}}{{CaptionedImage|file=NBHighguard.jpg|width=200}}</div>
* '''The Benefactors Council could provide 12 wains a season towards the construction of the basilica in Beoraidh'''
* '''The Steward of the Ossuary could support the project for six months and provide the equivalent of 10 wains of white granite'''
* '''If the Grand Ossuary were put to this use, the Steward of the Ossuary would gain a seasonal income of four doses of liao'''
One obvious possibility for helping to fund the project would be for the [[Highguard_economic_interests#Benefactors'_Council|Benefactors Council]] to throw their support behind the new Basilica. That could provide a steady stream of wains - almost certainly enough to ensure the commission could be built in good time. Of course it would mean pausing their support for the [[Construct_Grand_Inspiration_of_the_Way|Grand Inspiration of the Way]] for a year, which is a tall order, not least because completing the great commission is the nation's [[The highest calling|highest calling]].

If they are not available, then ''Tibisi of Shelah's Bounty'', one of the [[Steward of the Dead|Stewards of the Dead]] who tends the [[Reikos#The_Grand_Ossuary|Grand Ossuary]] of [[Reikos]] has pointed out that there are other donations that could be employed for this purpose. Currently those donations are used to provide financial support for congregations across Reikos, but they could be directed to help establish the basilica in Beoraidh.

The [[Steward of the Ossuary]], currently '''Vardas Sentinels Tower''', could make an announcement to [[Steward_of_the_Ossuary#Distribution_of_the_Grand_Ossuary|distribute]] the donations in support of the new basilica. Doing so would stop any benefit to the [[congregation|congregations]] of Reikos for six months, but would instead see the money used to purchase ten wains of white granite and other supplies to be shipped to Beoraidh.

''Tibisi'' has pledged that if this is done, his chapter will provide the Steward of the Ossuary with four doses of [[liao]] going forward, in recognition of the steps they have taken to "''spread the One True Way''".
===Apothecaries and Land===
* '''The Aghnayadh Apothecaries ask the Senate to delegate the power of interdicting narcotics to the Apothecaries Guild
* '''The syndicate will provide five thrones towards the land purchase
<div style="float: right; max-width: 200px; margin-left: 10px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Apothecaries Guild.png|caption=The sodality exists to represent and support the interests of apothecaries and herbalists within the Empire.|align=right|width=250}}</div>
The ''Aghnayadh Apothecaries'' is a prosperous syndicate of [[Surgical skills#Apothecary|apothecaries]] and [[Surgical skills#Physick|physicks]] in the city-state; established by an uncle of Lord of Salt Ehsan. Their prestige has been greatly enhanced over the last year, and they have absorbed most of the smaller concerns in the city. Visitors to Beoraidh with an interest in such things believe this is due to agreements made with counterparts in the [[Sarcophan Delves|Delves]]. They have unexpectedly come forward to help the Empire with the purchase of the land required to actually start work on the basilica.

The syndicate apparently has considerable interest in the [[Imperial Apothecaries Guild]] and what the [[Imperial sodality]] could do for relations between the Empire and the city-state. They are keen to work with the sodality in the future, and apparently have a fair amount of wealth at their disposal. They are prepared to purchase the land needed to build the basilica, and lease it back to the Empire for one ring a season in rent. This would remove the 20 Thrones needed to purchase the land from Eshan, but they can only do so at the invitation of whoever commissions the construction - Eshan won't sell the land while the Empire is still considering the opportunity to build on it. There is, of course, a catch. They will only do this if the Senate devolve the power to determine the legality of potions, drugs, and narcotics to the Imperial Apothecaries Guild. It's rare for the Senate to actually make a drug illegal, but it does seem to hint at the kind of business the Aghnayadh Apothecaries want to do with the Empire.

==Espionage==
<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Expand Regario Dossier'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Senate motion</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' The motion must indicate whether the remit of the Regario Dossier is to spy on Beoraidh itself, or only on visitors</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 12 Thrones</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Places agents in Beoraidh able to contribute to the [[Regario_Dossier#Annual_Report|annual report]] provided to the Regario Dossier</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' One year (until the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE)</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The Senate could extend the remit of the Regario Dossier to cover Beoraidh'''
* '''This would also provide information about nations trading in Beoraidh, especially the Grendel'''
Ambassador Kaltrin has responded to Melkior's request relating to a way to gather information from the docks of Beoraidh. He concurs that traders gossip, especially when they are on land for the first time in months. Such information is valuable to everyone, and he mentions as an aside that the Sarcophan and the Grendel both know the value of gently plying visiting mariners for information. Beoraidh itself, of course, remains strictly neutral in such matters, but as long as gossip-mongers and those keeping their ear to the ground are discreet and don't break any laws it is no concern to Ehsan, Lord of Sand, who learns what about visitors to the city-state.

All of this is a politically deniable way of saying that the Empire is welcome to send spies to Beoraidh to keep an eye on the Grendel and the Sarcophan (and indeed anyone else visiting the city) as long as they don't rock the boat or threaten the good thing that Ehsan and his supporters have going on. And as long as they keep their noses out of Ehsan's own business, of course.
<div style="float: right; max-width: 300px; margin-left: 10px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Albrecht von Holberg.jpg|caption='''Albrecht von Holberg''', Custodian of the Regario Dossier|align=right|width=450}}
</div>
Should the [[Senate]] wish to do so they could extend the [[Regario_Dossier#Annual_Report|Regario Dossier]] to cover Beoraidh. It would require a [[Senate motion]] and 12 Thrones to recruit suitable agents and help them secure positions in the city-state. As part of the motion the Senate would need to determine the remit of these nations - should they focus their efforts on visitors only or should they also work to find out more about Beoraidh itself? The former is unlikely to draw undue attention from the folk of Beoraidh itself, but the latter risks angering Ehsan and his court if the presence of such agents is discovered.

Regardless, the presence of agents loyal to the Regario Dossier here would provide a useful way to gather information about the [[Grendel]] and the [[Bay_of_Catazar#The_Broken_Shore_and_Attar|Broken Shore]]. Mind you, the Regario Dossier has been having problems with agent retention of late, so the Senate may not wish to risk throwing good money at this.
{{Beoraidh links}}

All I can do

2026-09-01T14:35:51Z

Noserenda: /* A Proud Basilica */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Autumn]]
<ic>
Tibisi stalked back and forth across the hardwood floor of the small study. Pacing helped her gather her thoughts - useful in this case as she was eager to explain her idea to her exarch. "It's a simple idea really, but the donations we are collecting could be used to support the new basilica."

Saul hated to cut it, but Tibisi would never let him get a word in edgeways if he didn't. "You don't think the Council will agree to throw their support behind it - not even for a few seasons?" he asked.

She stopped pacing, pondering the question as if it was the first time she'd considered. Saul knew that wouldn't be the case though, she never came to him with an idea without considering every alternative first.

"I don't... " she shook her head to underline her point. "They never have - I don't think they ever will. Not until the Grand Inspiration is finished at the very least."

"It would only need to be for a year," Saul pointed out, "then they could go back to funding the Grand Inspiration."

"We've just committed to completing the Grand Inspiration in that year. It's our highest calling."

Saul couldn't resist it. "In that case, why would we support anything else? If it's our highest calling, surely everying should be directed to that?"

Tibisi threw her exarch a mock sneer. He was not being helpful and they both knew it. "Because it's our ''highest'' calling exarch, not our ''only'' calling. Now do you want to hear my idea or not?"</ic>
==Overview==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Loud Gull.jpg|caption=The city-state of Beoraidh continues to seek diplomatic and economic ties with the Empire, among others.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
* '''The people of Beoraidh are recognised as foreigners by the Senate'''
* '''They continue to seek trade and diplomatic ties with both the Empire and the Grendel'''
* '''They have accepted the patronage of the Sarcophan Delves'''
* '''The ambassador to Beoraidh is the Highborn Melkior of Balthazar's Vineyard'''
{{Diplomacy|nation=[[Mareave#Beoraidh|Beoraidh]]|status=Foreigner|port=Currently none.|ambassador= Melkior of Balthazar's Vineyard of [[Highguard]]|counterpart=[[Ambassador_to_Beoraidh#Beoraidh_Ambassador|Rubhart Kaltrin]]}}
[[Mareave#Beoraidh|Beoraidh]] was once the stronghold of the [[Grendel]] ''Salt-Lord Ehsan'' and his supporters. When the Empire moved to invade Mareave, Ehsan declared independence from the [[Grendel]] and sued for peace with the Empire. The city itself and the neighbouring region of [[Mareave#Sinfoyard|Sinfoyard]] are recognised as a neutral state by the Senate; a free port where both Imperial and Grendel merchants are welcome. The canny diplomat has also secured the [[All_the_night-tide#Beoraidh|protection]] of the ''bedelaar huisbaas'' of the [[Sarcophan Delves]]. Anyone attacking Beoraidh - Grendel, Imperial, or otherwise - will incur the wrath of the Delves, their warships, and their economic sanctions.

Investment in the city appears to be proceeding apace. In Spring, the General Assembly upheld a [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_6|statement of principle]] raised by the Ambassador themselves, '''Melkior of Balthazar's Vineyard'''. Elevated by the [[Cardinal of Loyalty]], '''Dagon Barossa''', it called on the faithful to assist in the completion and future operation of the [[A_knock_at_the_door#Prosperity|Basilica of the Way]] in the independent city. Then, during the Summer Solstice '''Bloodcrow Rasp''', [[Senator]] for [[Skarsind]] persuaded the Senate to go forward with [[Invest in Beoraidh Docks|investment in the docks]] of Beoraidh. Initial reports are that some money has been raised, but that the required wains of [[weirwood]] are still waiting to be delivered. The city-state is enthusiastic about this development, and the benefits they are confident it will bring themselves and their Imperial neighbours. A second motion to [[appraisal|appraise]] ways the Empire could [[388YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Appraise_Imperial_Support_for_Beoraidh_Colosseum|support the colosseum]] there failed to meet with Senate approval, but Ambassador Melkior has apparently offered assurances that this is only a temporary setback.

During the Autumn Equinox, the Ambassador to Beoraidh will receive an additional briefing prepared by the civil service. This briefing will be published following the summit.
<div style="float: right; margin-left: 20px; max-width: 500px; min-width: 350px; clear: right;">{{SOP|statement=The city state of Beoraidh may be small, but it represents a powerful opportunity for the spreading of The One True Way, the likes of which has ne'er before been seen. Our neighbours have marked off their land and opened their arms to a Basilica of the Way in the heart of their grand city. Amidst travellers and traders from all countries and walks of life, a shining beacon to our faith shall stand, built in the style of our Unshackled siblings and their fervent and beautiful expression of belief. We, the General Assembly of the Synod, note the opportunity that the construction of this Basilica offers, and urge the faithful of the Empire to do all they can to assist in its completion and future operation.|by=Melkior of Balthazar's Vineyard, General Assembly|vote=Upheld 1635-204|when=Spring 388YE|size=small}}</div>
==A Proud Basilica==
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Basilica of the Way in Beoraidh'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Sinecure</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Beoraidh, Mareave</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 40 [[white granite]], 20 [[mithril]], 216 crowns labour costs, 20 Thrones land purchase</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' Six months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Limitations:''' No building progress can take place until the agreed 20 Thrones is delivered</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:'''
* If commissioned by an orc, 108 crowns in labour cost provided by Beoradhi investors
* An Imperial army enchanted with Bound by Common Cause could provide 108 crowns in labour costs
* If invited in the commission the weavers of Culwich will replace the need for mithril with ingots of weltsilver and measures of iridescent gloaming. The Cat's Graces could reduce the number needed.
* The Steward of the Ossuary could redirect the benefits of the Grand Ossuary to support the basilica, removing the benefits for six months and providing 10 wains of white granite
* The Aghnayadh Apothecaries will remove the entire cost to purchase the land if the Senate devolves the power to determine the legality of potions, drugs, and narcotics to the Imperial Apothecaries Guild</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Standard. Unless something changes, available until the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Creates an impressive structure in Beoraidh
* Represents the largest religious structure in the city
* Establishes the title ''Preacher of Beoraidh'''
* Creates the ''Preach the Way in Beoraidh'' congregation opportunity
* While it might be damaged or captured it would take significant effort over time to actually tear the structure down</td></tr>
</table>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightGreen;">'''Preacher of Beoraidh'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Type:''' Imperial Synod</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Appointment:''' General Assembly</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Powers:''' Receives 23 crowns income each season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Responsibilities:''' To ensure the Temple of the Way in Beoraidh is preaching to the people; make decisions relating to the temple; deal with any threats to the temple or followers of the Way in Beoraidh</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The General Assembly has approved creation of a basilica of the Way in the city of Beoraidh'''
* '''This has refreshed the opportunity, and provided potential new avenues to provide the materials'''
The [[A_knock_at_the_door#Prosperity|proposals]] put forward at the Spring Equinox laid out two possible commissions to honour the way in Beoraidh. The General Assembly favours the larger, more ambitious plan for a splendid basilica rather than a more modest temple. Since the judgement was upheld, groups have come forward with ideas for what could be done to support the funding and construction of a the basilica, with one surprising offer even coming from within the city-state itself.

As mentioned in the original proposal, the traders and merchants of Beoraidh are still keen to gain favour with the Empire and as such will donate gifts and offer subsidies that will cut the not inconsiderable 27 Thrones labour costs of actually building the basilica in half, ''provided'' it is commissioned by an [[orc]]. The choice to construct a temple with less [[Edifice#Grandeur|grandeur]] is still available of course, but the opportunities presented here are '''only''' available if the Empire chooses to build the basilica.

===Soldiers and Labour===
* '''An army enchanted with ''Bound by Common Cause'' could provide half of the labour for the basilica'''
* '''The army would need to take a defensive order in the territory and would need to be eligible for natural resupply'''
* '''If a campaign occurred in Mareave that season, the army would not support the commission'''
''Elsbeth di Sarvos'' has suggested that one of the Imperial [[army|armies]] could support the effort by providing some of the labour necessary to construct such a fine and splendid basilica. ''Elsbeth'', mercenary and long-term supporter of the Empire's armies, bemoans the fact that it couldn't be achieved in one season, but has confirmed with the [[civil service]] that if an army were enchanted with [[Bound by Common Cause]], it would contribute 108 crowns over the season. While the Beoraidh ambassador Rubhart Kaltrin is a little sceptical of the matter, he is confident that as long as everything remains above board there should be no problem with Imperial soldiers working the construction project within the city - although the Empire would presumably not cry foul should the Grendel undertake any kind of similar efforts in the free city.

The general would need to issue a [[Army_orders#Defending|defensive order]] and make clear in their orders that the army were to aid in the construction efforts. The only downside is that if fighting were to break out during the season, the army would not be able to support the construction - which may be a major problem should the Grendel [[Salt_lions|abandon their current defensive stance]] in favour of an aggressive on.
===Tapestries and Grace===
<div style="float: right; max-width: 250px; margin-left: 10px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Cat's Graces Sodality.png|caption=The sodality exists to support and promote creatives, providing opportunities to exhibit their talents.|align=right|width=250}}{{CaptionedImage|file=NationBannerDawn.jpg|caption=The weavers of Dawn are some of the finest practitioners of the arts of tapestry in the Empire, rivalled only by their peers in Varushka.|align=right|width=250}}</div>
* '''A Dawnish weaver cabal has offered their support by creating tapestries in place of mithril pillars'''
* '''The motion or announcement to construct the basilica could call on the aid of the Weavers of Culwich'''
* '''Weltsilver and iridescent gloaming could be used instead of mithril'''
The ''Weavers of Culwich'' are a prolific [[weaver cabal]] from eastern [[Weirwater]]. [[Weirwater#Culwich|Culwich]] produces some of the best flax and wool in the Empire, and the weavers make excellent use of it, creating works of beauty that are sought after across the Empire. The weavers are not strangers to the call of Virtue, having previously answered the [[Dog_days_are_over#A_Shortage_of_Songwrights|call]] of the Dawnish Assembly to look inwards following the conquest of the Barrens. Now, they have welcomed the call of the General Assembly and have offered their skills to help spread the Way.

The Weavers of Culwich are well-versed in the use of [[weltsilver]] alloys and in the dyes produced with [[iridescent gloaming]]. The cabal have offered to create tapestries and wall-hangings depicting moments of Virtue to accentuate the grandeur of the basilica in place of the mithril that was originally planned. Instead of requiring mithril, the basilica would need a total of 400 ingots of weltsilver and 400 measures of iridescent gloaming. Rather than shining metal, beautiful vibrant tapestries would provide a feast for the eyes for any who visited. The cost is steep, at least in terms of ingots and measures, but additional support is also available in the form of the Empire's newest [[Imperial sodality]].

If the [[Cat's Graces]] choose to use their power to [[Cat%27s_Graces#Refine_Commission|refine the commission]] immediately after it has been approved by the Senate, then they can encourage the artists of the Empire to help the Weavers of Culwich create works of beauty to accentuate its grandeur. That would reduce the number of of ingots and measures required to 300 weltsilver and 300 iridescent gloaming, as virtuosos from across the Empire were drawn to Dawn and Mareave to help create the beautiful art. ('''OOC Note:''' if that happens, then any player who has an appropriate piece of art depicting a virtuous scene can email a copy to {{plot}}, and we'll add it to the page for the basilica and credit their character accordingly).
===Faith and Finance===
<div style="float: right; max-width: 250px; margin-left: 10px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Vardas Sentinels Tower.png|caption='''Vardas Sentinels Tower''', Steward of the Ossuary|align=right|width=300}}{{CaptionedImage|file=NBHighguard.jpg|width=200}}</div>
* '''The Benefactors Council could provide 12 wains a season towards the construction of the basilica in Beoraidh'''
* '''The Steward of the Ossuary could support the project for six months and provide the equivalent of 10 wains of white granite'''
* '''If the Grand Ossuary were put to this use, the Steward of the Ossuary would gain a seasonal income of four doses of liao'''
One obvious possibility for helping to fund the project would be for the [[Highguard_economic_interests#Benefactors'_Council|Benefactors Council]] to throw their support behind the new Basilica. That could provide a steady stream of wains - almost certainly enough to ensure the commission could be built in good time. Of course it would mean pausing their support for the [[Construct_Grand_Inspiration_of_the_Way|Grand Inspiration of the Way]] for a year, which is a tall order, not least because completing the great commission is the nation's [[The highest calling|highest calling]].

If they are not available, then ''Tibisi of Shelah's Bounty'', one of the [[Steward of the Dead|Stewards of the Dead]] who tends the [[Reikos#The_Grand_Ossuary|Grand Ossuary]] of [[Reikos]] has pointed out that there are other donations that could be employed for this purpose. Currently those donations are used to provide financial support for congregations across Reikos, but they could be directed to help establish the basilica in Beoraidh.

The [[Steward of the Ossuary]], currently '''Vardas Sentinels Tower''', could make an announcement to [[Steward_of_the_Ossuary#Distribution_of_the_Grand_Ossuary|distribute]] the donations in support of the new basilica. Doing so would stop any benefit to the [[congregation|congregations]] of Reikos for six months, but would instead see the money used to purchase ten wains of white granite and other supplies to be shipped to Beoraidh.

''Tibisi'' has pledged that if this is done, his chapter will provide the Steward of the Ossuary with four doses of [[liao]] going forward, in recognition of the steps they have taken to "''spread the One True Way''".
===Apothecaries and Land===
<div style="float: right; max-width: 250px; margin-left: 10px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Apothecaries Guild.png|caption=The sodality exists to represent and support the interests of apothecaries and herbalists within the Empire.|align=right|width=250}}</div>
* '''The Aghnayadh Apothecaries ask the Senate to delegate the power of interdicting narcotics to the Apothecaries Guild
* '''The syndicate will provide five thrones towards the land purchase
The ''Aghnayadh Apothecaries'' is a prosperous syndicate of [[Surgical skills#Apothecary|apothecaries]] and [[Surgical skills#Physick|physicks]] in the city-state; established by an uncle of Lord of Salt Ehsan. Their prestige has been greatly enhanced over the last year, and they have absorbed most of the smaller concerns in the city. Visitors to Beoraidh with an interest in such things believe this is due to agreements made with counterparts in the [[Sarcophan Delves|Delves]]. They have unexpectedly come forward to help the Empire with the purchase of the land required to actually start work on the basilica.

The syndicate apparently has considerable interest in the [[Imperial Apothecaries Guild]] and what the [[Imperial sodality]] could do for relations between the Empire and the city-state. They are keen to work with the sodality in the future, and apparently have a fair amount of wealth at their disposal. They are prepared to purchase the land needed to build the basilica, and lease it back to the Empire for one ring a season in rent. This would remove the 20 Thrones needed to purchase the land from Eshan, but they can only do so at the invitation of whoever commissions the construction - Eshan won't sell the land while the Empire is still considering the opportunity to build on it. There is, of course, a catch. They will only do this if the Senate devolve the power to determine the legality of potions, drugs, and narcotics to the Imperial Apothecaries Guild. It's rare for the Senate to actually make a drug illegal, but it does seem to hint at the kind of business the Aghnayadh Apothecaries want to do with the Empire.

==Espionage==
<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Expand Regario Dossier'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Senate motion</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' The motion must indicate whether the remit of the Regario Dossier is to spy on Beoraidh itself, or only on visitors</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 12 Thrones</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Places agents in Beoraidh able to contribute to the [[Regario_Dossier#Annual_Report|annual report]] provided to the Regario Dossier</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' One year (until the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE)</td></tr>
</table>
{{CaptionedImage|file=Albrecht von Holberg.jpg|caption='''Albrecht von Holberg''', Custodian of the Regario Dossier|align=right|width=450}}
</div>
* '''The Senate could extend the remit of the Regario Dossier to cover Beoraidh'''
* '''This would also provide information about nations trading in Beoraidh, especially the Grendel'''
Ambassador Kaltrin has responded to Melkior's request relating to a way to gather information from the docks of Beoraidh. He concurs that traders gossip, especially when they are on land for the first time in months. Such information is valuable to everyone, and he mentions as an aside that the Sarcophan and the Grendel both know the value of gently plying visiting mariners for information. Beoraidh itself, of course, remains strictly neutral in such matters, but as long as gossip-mongers and those keeping their ear to the ground are discreet and don't break any laws it is no concern to Ehsan, Lord of Sand, who learns what about visitors to the city-state.

All of this is a politically deniable way of saying that the Empire is welcome to send spies to Beoraidh to keep an eye on the Grendel and the Sarcophan (and indeed anyone else visiting the city) as long as they don't rock the boat or threaten the good thing that Ehsan and his supporters have going on. And as long as they keep their noses out of Ehsan's own business, of course.

Should the [[Senate]] wish to do so they could extend the [[Regario_Dossier#Annual_Report|Regario Dossier]] to cover Beoraidh. It would require a [[Senate motion]] and 12 Thrones to recruit suitable agents and help them secure positions in the city-state. As part of the motion the Senate would need to determine the remit of these nations - should they focus their efforts on visitors only or should they also work to find out more about Beoraidh itself? The former is unlikely to draw undue attention from the folk of Beoraidh itself, but the latter risks angering Ehsan and his court if the presence of such agents is discovered.

Regardless, the presence of agents loyal to the Regario Dossier here would provide a useful way to gather information about the [[Grendel]] and the [[Bay_of_Catazar#The_Broken_Shore_and_Attar|Broken Shore]]. Mind you, the Regario Dossier has been having problems with agent retention of late, so the Senate may not wish to risk throwing good money at this.
{{Beoraidh links}}

Forward into depthless dark

2026-08-27T10:52:28Z

Noserenda:

[[Category:Winds of War]][[Category:388YE Autumn]][[Category:Military Council]]
<div {{floatleft}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=Into depthless dark.jpg|align=left|caption=Here is the heart of the Druj; black and twisted and filled with hate and fear.|width=500}}</div>
==Wicked Effigies and Twisted Monuments==
The Salt Flats of Sanath are the true heartlands of the Druj. Broad plains criss-crossed by dark waterways. The ground is sodden, and the further east toward the sea one travels, the more marshy the land becomes. The forests common to the rest of the Mallum have mostly been cleared here, by centuries of ravenous industry. Only in the south-west is there any great woodland - the [[Salt Flats of Sanath#Lower Saarnath|lowland valleys]] and the high [[Salt Flats of Sanath#Upper Saarnath|plateau]] that each form half of the lands jointly called the Saarnath.
__TOC__
It rains almost constantly here, or so it seems. Even when it is not actively raining, the air is thick with moisture. The ground can turn slick and treacherous without warning, even in the valleys of Saarnath where the marshes of Sarangrave give way to broad-leafed rainforest. Visibility drops precipitously, a far cry from the relatively open sight-lines of the marshes and the flats to the south-west. Only the [[Navarr]] and the [[Varushka|Varushkans]] are really at home here, but even they must beware of overconfidence. The Druj know these woods better than they do after all.

Thick as the air can be, the [[Druj miasma|miasma]] is thicker, perhaps thicker than the Empire has ever encountered it. It has had generations to take root, to smother hope and ambition, to grind deep into the mud those unfortunate enough to be enslaved by the Druj. It preys on the minds of many soldiers, an insidious urge growing daily to simply give up, to turn back, to surrender, to cower. It requires constant vigilance by the captains, and by each soldier for their comrades, to keep the enervating atmosphere at bay.

The weather worsens as Summer wanes, and with the almost constant rain comes the [[curse]] of [[Spring magic]]. A fragment of [[Rivers of Life|healing power]] falls with every drop, bringing burgeoning life without constraint, without reason or caution. No wounds, save the most egregious, will last the night. Death comes only to those unfortunate enough to fall far from their lines, or to those who are the victims of swift execution. The familiar magic flows everywhere, in all the water in the Sarangrave, and it protects barbarian and Imperial invader alike. It also touches the plants and creatures of the Mallum with supernatural vitality, but driving some of them to the edge of frenzy.

And what creatures they are! The Empire has heard of them, encountered them in the eastern forests from time to time, but just as this is the heartland of the Druj so it is home to the [[Arkad#Hupul|deathstinger]], and the [[Arkad#Hupul|green forest scorpion]], and the awful serpentine [[Arkad#Kallad|coiled shrike]]. These creatures seem to have little fear of humans or orcs, and are ambitious enough to try and prey upon them when the opportunity presents itself. Imperial soldiers quickly learn to fear the droning buzz of ebon-and-scarlet wasps the size of doves, the cold horror of awakening to discover a razor-clawed insect with its tail already poised to strike exploring the interior of their tent, the yell of surprise that quickly gives way to agonised screaming as a friend is condemned to a terrible death at the fangs of an arboreal assassin. The Rivers of Life do little to purge venom, or cure the poison that burns through the belly of those foolish enough to eat the ripe fruit from the wrong tree.

Into this land of death come the Imperial armies, ready to strike against the core of the Druj. They will have their work cut out for them in the months to come, but if they can seize victory... what a thing ''that'' would be!
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;">
<quote by="Sebastián Fawnwood, General of the Gryphons Pride">My glorious pride. You have bided your time, but now is our opportunity for what we were made for. Conquest. The salt flats of Sanath is our destination, for this is the beginning of the end for the Druj. With our warbanner reforged, it has been named the Pride of the Gryphons. It will be raised high enough that the Druj will see who brings their end. Be Vigilant. Be Glorious. Be the pride of Dawn.</quote>
<quote by="Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco, General of the Lions of Adelmar">Lions, three years ago I first came to Anvil a woman in pain. Like so many, the Druj had taken everything from me. Like so many, they continued to take our past, our present, our future. Our Gui, our Isaac, our Scout. Their ideology of hatred thrives in the dark and they wish to make monsters of us all. They wish to teach us to be scared of the dark. Let us make them fear the light. May we be the flame the innocent are drawn to as a Beacon of Safety. May our banners show that Courage and Loyalty drives us. May the sound of our roar carry far across the Salt Flats. May the Druj know this sound heralds their end, learn those banners mean those hurt will be saved, learn that flame is Ambition to bring glory with Elodian's Hammersmiths and the majesty of the Lion of Summer. Learn the monster they tried to create, became the lioness that will bring a death to the Druj. Whatever it takes. One day, the Druj will be a bedtime story told of our glory. Let us be the authors.</quote>
<quote by="Cadwell Waystone, General of the Black Thorns">Navarr will serve the Empire in Loyalty, regardless of the theatre of war. The Druj are broken, a scorpion backed into a corner, but their story is still a danger. The Buruk Tepel will fall, their armies laid low by the virtue of Imperial steel and we will free the slaves of the Mallum. Act in loyalty, fight with courage and serve with pride.</quote>
<quote by="Mercia Questor's View, General of the Quiet Step">Navarr, now is the time to hit the Druj where it hurts. We march on Lower Sanath. I may not be who you expected in command but I will see Neve's ambition for this army fulfilled. Whatever it takes. Our cousins in Varushka will take care of our home. Let the citizens of Therunin look to this beacon and away from the arms of Agramant. For those who came before. For those who come after.</quote>
<quote by="Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was, General of the Citadel Guard">Sentinels, Consider the Drowned Man. There comes a point in some fights when you are so much better than your opponent that victory seems inevitable. Your foe does not comprehend that they have lost, for they still stand, still fight. They lack your foresight, your arete, and you must simply walk them through the dance steps of their demise. In that moment it can be tempting to show mercy, even pity your foe. Worse, one can lose focus, looking to the next conflict. The Empire has made this mistake before. This is how the Druj still blight the world. Mercy is weakness - The task is not done until it is done. We begin the end. Make for Lower Saarnath. With Spring's might and Summer knights we soften Leen, bringing ruin to the Beacon of Iskrid. We must not relent until the last of the Buruk-Tepel are marched through Anvil and relieved of the burden of their vile, poisonous heads.</quote>
<quote by="Jaromir Ostrovyn Kostka, General of the Northern Eagle">Eagle of the North, I return to you now to guide our path to the last conquest of the Druj. We go to the Sydathian Fens, striding unseen as we hunt for our foe's weakness. To you, Surut, Schlacta of the Roaring Hearth, I present my curiosity to your bargain and welcome your wisdom in bringing bright ruin to old and rotten things. Before us stand wicked effigies and twisted monuments to a dying power, symbols of a strength that has left the heart and limbs of this sickened beast of a nation. We shall make a beacon of them, a sign to our embattled cousins and fearful foes alike that soon all here will be changed by Imperial will. Forward now, into this depthless dark, for herein we shall raise the torches that shall light the way to a better world.</quote></div>
==Who Brings Their End==
Five armies march out of northern Sarangrave, through the [[Sarangrave#Turan Flats|Turan Flats]] into the Sanath. This is the [[A_walk_in_shadow|second time]] the Empire has ventured into Sanath, and the situation in the south is very different to that they encountered in the north three years ago.

The [[Black Thorns]] and the [[Citadel Guard]] are already in place, and they are quickly joined by the [[Gryphon's Pride]], the [[Lions of Adelmar]] and the [[Quiet Step]] from [[Ossium]], and [[Semmerholm]], and [[Zenith]]. The Quiet Step bring word that the [[Axos|Axou]] of [[Sarangrave#Thornfen|Thornfen]] are mobilizing for their [[Skull beneath the skin|advance]] up to the Fens of Varreth. They will hopefully keep the path into the Salt Flats open to Imperial baggage trains, rather than devoured by ravening [[Quickening Cold Meat|Winter spirits]].

When they arrive, these five are met by the [[Northern Eagle]] who are already in position. The Varushkans have been busy in the Salt Flats for some time now, laying the groundwork for this invasion. There are few forces anywhere in the Empire that can match the Northern Eagle when it comes to [[Army qualities#Elusive|mastery]] of the wild forest, the sodden marsh, the rough dark hill. For the last six months they have been engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse with the Druj defenders of the Saarnath, avoiding any attempt to trap them or bring them to battle, and patiently putting their plans in motion.

The captains of the Eagle report an unqualified success; they have collapsed strategically chosen passes and bridges across the southern Salt Flats, destroying carefully selected caches and otherwise putting their guerrilla training to good use. This will not impede the armies of the Druj, who can carry their supplies with them, and resupply from baggage trains but for the [[fortification#garrison|garrisons]] of the Druj [[fortification|fortifications]] - the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#The_Witness|Witness]], the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Spires_of_Rarckan|Spires of Rarckan]], and the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Beacon_of_Iskrid|Beacon of Iskrid]] - it is a different matter. This season, those garrisons are unable to intervene in Lower Saarnath, occupied clearing the damage the Northern Eagle has inflicted, limited by their ability to move provisions into the forests of the south. The Empire will still have a fight on its hand, but the forces the barbarians can bring to bear will be limited to their armies - armies already battered from fighting in Sarangrave and the [[Forest of Ulnak]], armies that have still not fully recovered.

The Northern Eagle have laid the groundwork, but they are not finished with the Druj. Not by a long chalk. The Varushkan soldiers are already planning their next strike against the Mallum, and the planning and execution of their strategy requires all their attention. They are still able to provide a bounty of valuable scouting reports, marking out the areas the Imperial armies should avoid, as well as places they may want to target. Then they disappear back into the rainforest. Their fight this season is very different to that of the conquerors here to fight the Druj openly; it remains to be seen what punishment they have in mind for the barbarians in the coming months.

It is for the Gryphon's Pride to step into the breach. [[Army_qualities#Conquering|Conquest]] is their calling after all, and they press forward with a single overriding goal - to seize Lower Saaranth from the Druj and drive the armies of the Mallum before them. They lead the way, a solid spear-strike deep into enemy territory. They are closely supported by the [[Army_qualities#Cunning|cunning]] of the Quiet Step, who focus their efforts on setting ambushes and luring enemies into traps. They remain mobile, taking advantage of every weakness in the enemy strategy to attack from the flanks. Their tactics are unorthodox but effective - poison and venom, targeting healers, magicians, and supplies. They kill without mercy, and perhaps in some way the Druj might even respect them for it.

For the most part the other Imperial armies take a more conservative approach. For those who have fought the Druj before, this caution seems the wisest course. The barbarians are fond of traps and Imperial soldiers have paid a harsh price for their overconfidence too many times in the past. The Black Thorns push forward [[Army orders#Steady Conquest|patiently]], prioritising the preservation of Imperial lives over the pursuit of victory. The Lions of Adelmar complement this painstaking approach; they [[Army qualities#Guardian|stand staunchly with their allies]] wherever they are engaged, shields ready to block the arrows of the Druj, swords unsheathed and eager to fight alongside their comrades. Selfless and courageous, many are the Navarri and Urizeni who will owe their lives to the Dawnish once this campaign is over.

With the Lions also march a cohort of the [[Knights of Glory]]. They are captained by the fearsome ''Elodian'', resplendent in mighty panoply of runebound steel and leading a glorious warband of hammer-smiths no less powerfully accoutred. The unstoppable blows these heavy warriors strike with their great mauls send barbarians sprawling, or smash them into trees, and both their heavy armour and these terrible strikes serves as a perfect complement to the tactics of the Lions. Whispers suggest that the runic knights have been sent personally by their [[Eleonaris|Queen]] to fight with the Lions, and rumour speculates that there may be something more than friendship between the ''Lady of Pennants'' and the general.

Then, at last, the Citadel Guard. The [[sentinel|sentinels]] and the battlefield magicians of Urizen are there beside their allies whenever battle is joined but their goal is clearly somewhere else. They focus on support and strengthening the soldiers of the other nations and their aid is valuable in seizing land from the Druj but actually ''fighting'' the barbarians is of secondary importance. While their soldiers fight, their [[coven|covens]] work together on of rituals intended to gather magical power and direct it toward this unseen goal. As Summer fades the leaves on the great broad-leafed trees in their vicinity turn brown and red and yellow faster than they have any right to do so. As if something primal was being redirected in some way, out of the forests and toward... somewhere else.

There are [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] of the [[Realms#Summer|Summer realm]] with the Urizeni as well - proud ''Dindrayne'' of the feather-brow. A war-witch with a staff of adamant, she commands a cohort of elfin heroes in mithril chain, who enthusiastically fight alongside the sentinels against the Druj. With them are a score of trumpeters, who rouse the spirits of the soldiers they fight alongside, urging them to acts of heroism and glory that are sometimes at odds with the more sober mien of the people of the southern peaks. Their commander, however, remains with the covens further back behind the lines - an uncommon position for a champion of the ''Lion of Summer''.

As well as magical allies, the armies of the Empire are supported by more than twelve thousand strength at arms lead by [[military unit|Imperial captains]], many of whom bear [[enchantment|enchantments]] of their own. The vast majority fight with the Citadel Guard, and while those versed in the arts of war are at the forefront of the campaign alongside the sentinels and battle-wizards, those with even a smattering of [[Magical_skills#Realm_Lore|realm lore]] - especially the lore of [[Spring magic|Spring]] - are stationed further back supporting and protecting the covens. The 'Guard regularly dispatch these auxiliaries on missions deep into Druj territory, to capture resources or secure access to certain location at critical moments.

A strong force, then, bound together by bonds of [[Loyalty]] and [[Pride]], of the love of comrades, and of a singular purpose: the destruction of the Druj.
<gallery heights=150 mode="packed-hover">
QuietStep Colour.png
NorthernEagle Colour.png
CitadelGuard Colour.png
BlackThorns Colour.png
GryphonPride Colour.png
LionsAdelmar Colour.png
</gallery>

==Scorpion in a Corner==
That unity is not found among the barbarians of the Mallum. Even something as straightforward as a singular purpose is somewhat lacking. One would think the Druj armies would be brought together by the desperate need to keep control of as much of the Salt Flats as they can, but they show no sign of it. The armies come to defend Lower Saarnath, its true, but they do so piecemeal and that gives the Imperial armies an advantage.

The first major force to engage the Empire are the [[Druj_armies#White_Lions|White Lions]]. Named for the large venomous ants that build great nests on the Salt Flats, they are perhaps the most disciplined of all the armies of the Mallum. Some of their troops are already in Lower Saarnath, hunting the Northern Eagle, and they quickly raise a warning once it is clear the Empire has come in force. They avoid direct confrontation with the Imperial forces wherever possible, at least until the rest of the defenders start to arrive. It seems they have accepted unwise boons of [[Winter magic]], likely from the ''[[Agramant|Wastewalker]]''. Wounds that should kill them barely slow them down, but when they fall they die quickly. Worse, they are riven by a terrible hunger; there are disturbing scenes where warriors of the White Lions abandon their own defence to cut strips of warm flesh from the fallen - enemies and friends alike. There are handfuls of bloodthirsty [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] - pale white walkers more beast than human or orc - among their number who urge them on to greater and greater excess. For all this apparent madness, however, when they are able to think clearly the White Lions prove to be a persistent and responsive threat to the Empire, seemingly always in position to counter Imperial tactics.

Over the first few weeks of the campaign, the [[Druj_armies#Hidden Widow|Hidden Widow]], the wild warriors of the treacherous [[Druj_armies#Jagged Claws|Jagged Claws]], and the twisted [[Druj_armies#Red Lizard|Red Lizard]] filter in to join the defence of Lower Saarnath. They are forced to approach through the marshes of [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Beladrarsh|Beladrarsh]], and by all accounts receive little assistance from the Skinweaver sept that rule that rich territory. No doubt the wealthy Skinweavers are too busy making preparations for their own survival to see the Druj armies as anything other than a wall of meat between them and the invading humans. Last to arrive are the [[Druj armies#Black Wind|Black Wind]], and for once they seem less interested in [[Army_qualities#Cruel|tormenting]] the armies of the Empire and more in simply trying to stem the flood of Imperial soldiers into the Salt Flats. It is easy to forget that they hate the Druj for what they did to their people - and sometimes hard to bear that they loathe the Empire even more.

The Urizeni quickly note that none of these armies seem to bear enchantments, and that there is a distinct lack of magical wards at least in the south. This is certainly not the traditional way the Druj make war - especially in defence. Speculation runs like wildfire - has the loss of the [[Druj armies#Tainted Basilisk|Tainted Basilisk]] and the disappearance of the cowardly [[Druj lore#Ghulai|Ghulai]] of the [[Sarangrave#Palace_of_the_Sleepers|Palace of the Sleepers]] gutted the magical capabilities of the Druj? Or is it simply that the resources they have are focused elsewhere? Is there some other shoe waiting to drop? Is there a magical trap here, hidden behind the trees, shrouded from the eyes of the magicians and witches and [[vate|vates]]?
<div {{float}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=Dancing scorpions.jpg|align=left|width=400}}</div>
==Make Monsters of Us All==
If the Druj are bad when they invade, they are ten times worse when forced on the defensive. Yet the air of desperation here in the dripping woods of Lower Saarnath is different, somehow. There is a tremor of fear in the people of the Mallum, it seems. They rely on purely defensive tactics, seeking to turn their admittedly superior knowledge of the terrain into advantage wherever possible. They still skirmish, but their attacks are much more focused on singular objectives - driving ''this'' specific band of knights away from a defensible position, overrunning ''this'' specific hospital and then retreating, killing ''these'' scouts and then fleeing without even taking the time to string their corpses up from the trees.

Afraid they might be, but they refuse to cede anything that the Empire does not wrest from their tight grasp. It is challenging for the Imperial armies to bring their weight of numbers to bear against the Druj in the confines of the rainforest; hard for them to force a large-scale confrontation when often visibility is reduced to a score of meters in every direction. When it is not the trees alone, it is the ever-present rain, or the thick, warm mists that rise on the rare occasions when the sun peaks out behind the dark clouds for a few hours. The woods favour the Druj tactics of ambush and surprise, which must be accounted for whenever the Empire advances.

Still the Druj ''are'' outnumbered though, and arguably outclassed. Again, though, it is the ability of the Empire's armies to trust one another than proves the greatest advantage. The Lions of Adelmar and the Quiet Step employ strategies specifically designed to aid their allies, to work with their comrades in other armies and nations. The sentinels of the Citadel Guard are adept at deploying their force where it will offer the greatest support, and then moving to another position as the ebb and flow of battle shifts. In contrast there are reports of warriors of the Jagged Claw intentionally abandoning their Red Lizard "allies" in the middle of an engagement, their deaths serving to cover a flanking manoeuvre and hasty retreat. There are incidents where the Hidden Widow are left in an exposed position by the Black Wind just to lure a band of thorns into a trap that closes around the Navarr too late to save their "comrades".

As one Dawnish troubadour marching with the Lions says, it isn't so much that the Druj are intentionally turning on one another, but rather than they seem utterly incapable of seeing anyone outside their immediate circle as being ''people'' at all. Rivals or pawns to be used to their own advantage, in the pursuit of their own ambitions or their own survival. A people culturally incapable of feeling the bonds of fellowship, utterly alien to the understanding of love that the Lions hold at the centre of their philosophy.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Sebastián Fawnwood.jpg|caption='''Sebastián Fawnwood''' (centre), General of the Gryphon's Pride|align=left|width=250}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Dame Katelyn.jpg|caption='''Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco''', General of the Lions of Adelmar|align=left|width=250}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Cadwell Waystone.png|caption='''Cadwell Waystone''', General of the Black Thorns|align=left|width=250}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Neve Agra.jpg|caption='''Neve Agra''', General of the Quiet Step|align=left|width=250}}
</div>

==Handfuls of Dust==
A month after the fighting begins, the Empire encounters serious magical resistance. The Gryphons Pride and the Black Thorns have pushed a little ahead of their allies, driving north-east where the land slopes upward toward the great plateau of Upper Saarnath. A major force of White Lions, supported by warriors of the Hidden Widow, attempt a pincer movement and fighting erupts among the trees. At first it seems that the Pride and the Thorns cannot fail to achieve victory, but then a third force joins the fighting.

They are not an army, or even really a garrison, but rather a force of perhaps a hundred or so hooded orcs with bows and barbed spears. The Thorns identify them as [[Arkad#Vikari|Vikari]] although their banner is unfamiliar - that of a skeletal serpent similar to the coiled shrike favoured by the Kallad. This, reason the Navarr, must be the Vileshrike sept from the Dripping Tor. They are some distance from home, presumably on the orders of the rumoured ghulai ''Graknuz Acidtouch''. They are not alone, however.

With the Vileshrikes are a hundred or so beings that seem to be heralds of the [[Realms#Night|Night realm]], similar to those encountered a few months ago by Imperial champions fighting [[alongside the Earthquake Drummers]] in the Forest of Ulnak. Scarecrow-like, in billowing black robes, it is easy at first to mistake them for [[Druj_lore#Tortured_souls|tortured souls]]. Yet these creatures have never been mortal; there is nothing beneath their robes save animate darkness, shadows that seem to seep through the empty eye-holes of the featureless masks they wear. The merest touch of these awful phantoms [[Calls#Weakness|weakens]] the strongest knight, draining away their will to fight and overwhelming them with fear and terror. Their weapons assail the mind as well as the body, creating magical wounds that confuse the confident thorns leaving them riven with self-doubt and uncertainty. A few are armed with terrible pole-arms that drown their foes in [[paralysis|paralysing]] wells of phantasmal horror, leaving them as easy picking for the rest of the barbarians alongside who they fight.

The Vileshrikes - if that is who this is - don't especially coordinate their attacks with the two armies but rather take advantage of their attack to cover an assault of their own. The battle-magicians are clearly experienced fighting alongside their unnatural allies - they [[entangle|bind]] a likely target long enough for the fluttering-robed things to descend on them and assail their spirit. The Rivers of Life does nothing to bolster the broken will to fight, it cannot heal the terrible nightmares that assail those injured by the creatures' weapons, nor offer protection from the sucking quagmire of doubt that overwhelms the doughtiest warrior.

It doesn't help that these vikari are obviously backed by significant magical resources - enough for some of their number to unleash great wails that weaken enemies and allies alike, or terrifying atonal hymns that [[Calls#CURSE|curse]] Imperial soldiers with a growing delirium that takes hold hours after the fighting when they think themselves safe.

It's hard to say for certain how much difference this additional force of Druj makes to the overall battle; for all their magical prowess Vileshrike Vikari and terrorizing Night held alike are as vulnerable as any magician to [[Calls#IMPALE|arrows and mighty blows]], can be put to flight with a [[Calls#CLEAVE|solid strike]] from a skilled fighter. They also seem to have little stomach for a long fight. They expend their magic quickly, it seems, and then fall back while the White Lions and the Hidden Widow still clash with the Pride and the Thorns.

The Imperial advance is turned back that day, although the Pride and the Thorns manage to lead some of the more bloodthirsty Druj into an ambush set by the Quiet Step. Less than a week later, with the Lions and the Step to back them up, the two Imperial armies return and the Navarr and Dawnish are victorious. They continue to push through the Salt Flats, and the further north-east they travel the more common and vicious fighting with the Vileshrikes becomes.

Whoever the Vileshrikes are, whoever their allies are, they do not fight anywhere else in Lower Saarnath; only in the north-east. They also seem to be the source of a peculiar magical effect, a curse of some kind, that is slowly settling over the southern Salt Flats. Soldiers begin to report an increasing number of horrific dreams, and those standing watch at the darkest hours of the night claim to spot hooded figures watching them from the shadows who they ''know'' are filled with poisonous hate. It doesn't seem to be an enchantment; perhaps this mysterious ghulai is drawing on other sources of power to do... whatever they are doing.

Despite all this, the Druj are forced to retreat again and again. As the season draws on, as the Quiet Step and the Lions of Adelmar come within sight of the location marked out by Imperial scouts as the ''Dripping Tor''. It lies in the depths of the forest, far from any other settlement, but it has been identified by the Northern Eagle as a key strategic location to control. When the armies arrive, however, they find the Tor... missing. In its place looms an impenetrable grove of massive, clearly supernatural trees. When any Imperial soldier gets within a mile of the rough location, thick mists boil out of the ground and seethe in the air, creating impenetrable curtains of grey and white. Those who do not turn back soon regret it - scouts report encounters with unspeakable horrors in the depths of the mists. Some who brave the fog are left shattered in mind and spirit, raving about ''eyes'' and ''claws'' and ''the terrible soft music''. Others do not return at all.

The decision is made to give the area a wide berth. None of the armies here are in a position to try and penetrate whatever ward is in place, and there are still Druj to be fought. A watch is set by the Quiet Step, and the Empire turns its attention elsewhere. At least there are no further attacks by the Vileshrikes and their unnatural allies, once the armies reach the Tor.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Jaromir Ostrovyn Kostka.jpg|caption='''Jaromir Ostrovyn Kostka''', General of the Northern Eagle, leads the Varushkans in subtle infiltration of the Salt Flats.|align=left|width=250}}
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==For Those Who Come After==
In the end, there is no single decisive battle in the valleys of Lower Saarnath, only a string of engagements spread out through the woodlands. There are relatively few Druj settlements here - and they are poorly prepared for attack by Imperial soldiers. Unless the Druj armies are present, these scattered arboreal villages and logging camps swiftly fall to the Empire. Even where the Druj defenders are present, it is usually not enough to stop the Empire seizing them anyway. Usually.

Ultimately the Empire is victorious, smashing through the Druj defences and forcing the armies to retreat. Lower Saarnath is captured in its entirety, and the Imperial forces regroup to consider their next move. The Rivers of Life help to blunt the slaughter on both sides, but when the final tally is made it is still sobering. A thousand Imperial lives lost in the woodlands to the Druj. It is scant consolation that, thanks in particular to the presence of so many Imperial captains, the barbarians seem to have paid a much steeper price. It is difficult to say how ''much'' of a price as always, but even with their purely defensive strategy the Druj have ''suffered'' this season.

As Autumn approaches, armies on both sides take stock and consider their next moves; but then -

Then something unexpected happens.
==What Brings Their End==
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{{CaptionedImage|file=Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was.jpg|caption='''Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was''', General of the Citadel Guard, has unleashed the devastating power of Spring magic on the Druj capital.|align=left|width=250}}
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For three months, the Citadel Guard have been gathering strength, working carefully crafted rituals in each Spring [[regio]] they encounter, weak or strong. They have been studying the flows of [[mana site|mana]] across Lower Saarnath, sending out small bands of diviners and sentinel defenders to learn more about the way power pools across the Salt Flats. A week before the Autumn Equinox, their work is completed.

While it takes time to prepare, and set in motion, the [[Highest_discipline#Technique_of_the_Transcendent_Claw|Technique of the Transcendent Claw]] is not subtle in its effects. At sunrise, the sky turns black, boiling with storm clouds. The rain turns torrential, driven by howling gales. Lightning strikes willy-nilly not only across the valleys of Lower Saarnath but across the entire southern reach of the Salt Flats. Tents are torn up into the sky, unwary folk thrown flat in the mud, branches are ripped from ancient trees creating stark openings in the canopy. Imperial soldiers are at least partially prepared, but it takes the Druj mostly by surprise.

Then, the sole elfin trumpeter that accompanies the Urizen magicians sounds a single terrible note that, impossibly, is heard throughout the lower valleys. It isn't part of the working, but it seems the knights of Eleonaris have a good sense for the dramatic... and this magic is certainly ''dramatic''.

Far away from the Imperial attackers and the Druj defenders, in one of the poorest parts of the sprawling city of [[Salt Flats of Sanath#Leen|Leen]] itself stands the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Beacon_of_Iskrid|Beacon of Iskrid]], a fortification garrisoned not by orcs but by humans under the banner of the self-styled ''Prince Tristain the Golden.'' A long way from the fighting, in a city that no doubt still imagines itself beyond the reach of the Empire. That dream is shattered, decisively.

With a deafening peal of thunder, audible all the way back to Lower Saarnath, a cascade of thunderbolts rains from the sky over Leen. The gale force winds become even stronger, battering the stones of the Beacon with the force of ten Winter storms, then twenty, then thirty. The rain pours in sheets, eating away at the mortar that holds the stones together, at the foundations that allow it to stand. The destruction is not limited to the fortification itself; the surrounding buildings are likewise stricken with this devastating, hungry tempest called by the highest arts of the Urizeni magicians. A tornado reaches down from the heavens, down toward the earth, and as it comes the lightning ignites something within it and it becomes a conflagration despite the monsoon deluge.

The Druj of Leen speak in whispered, terrified tones of spirits within those winds, awful shapes of water and wind and fire that somehow poured ''out'' of the tornado. Creatures of the Spring realm, following this consummate magical working into the mundane world for a short time, tearing at the Beacon with the single-minded hatred creatures of the Primal Forest have for all construction. Were they really there, or do the Druj imagine them in the chaos and ruin that attends upon the power unleashed by the Citadel Guard?

And then the weather starts to clear... the tumultuous downpour turns back to ''just'' heavy rain. The winds lessen, ceasing entirely for a moment before returning again at more normal speed. Smoke rises from the rainforest, but the fires find no purchase in the soaking wood. The lightning ceases, the thunder stills, the clouds part and the wan Autumn sun shines through.

It shines on the uncertain faces of the Imperial soldiers, it shines on the satisfied and tired faces of the Urizeni masters, it shines on the terrified faces of the Druj. It shines also, sadly, on the Beacon of Iskrid. The [[fortification#bastion|bastion]] leans dangerously to the side, barely standing. The upper ramparts have been torn away, as if gouged by some mighty claw, and scattered with lethal force into the city below. It looks for all the world as if the slightest push would send it tumbling into the streets of Leen, crushing everything in its path. It is almost entirely devastated... almost.

The Beacon still stands - the power of the ''Onrushing Storm'' was perhaps blunted by the rival resonances of life and healing in the rainwaters of Sanath this season - but only just. And while it may have avoided destruction by a hair's breadth, the people of Leen cannot fail to understand what has just happened. The [[Druj_lore#Buruk_Tepel|Buruk Tepel]], the rulers of the Druj, who imagined themselves safe in their great city have been presented with a potent illustration of just how vulnerable they are. The Druj are ''afraid''.

==Game Information==
<div style="float: right; max-width: 400px; margin-right: 10px;">{{HoverImage|Salt Flats of Sanath Regions.png|SaltFlatsBasic.png}}</div>
===Salt Flats of Sanath===
* '''The Empire has claimed Lower Saarnath
* '''The Northern Eagle prevented any of the Druj fortifications in Sanath participating in the fight and gave the region the under threat quality
* '''The Beacon of Iskrid has been devastated by Urizen magic but still stands - just
* '''The Dripping Tor appears to be hidden behind a powerful shroud of Night magic
As the Autumn Equinox approaches the Imperial forces in Sanath have claimed the region of Lower Saarnath. The Vileshrikes hidden in the north-east clearly intend to resist Imperial control, but it is not clear how much magic they may be able to bring to bear.

Thanks to the Northern Eagle, the garrisons of the three Druj fortifications were unable to operate in Lower Saarnath this season. That benefit ends with the Autumn Equinox - the remaining garrisons will be able to participate in the campaign as normal going forward. They also provided the [[Region_qualities#Under_Threat|under threat]] quality to Lower Saarnath, but that quality has also faded as the Autumn Equinox dawns. The Eagle are in Sanath, but they did not participate directly in the campaign this season. Instead they are arranging another strike against the Druj using their [[Army qualities#Elusive|elusive]] quality.

The Beacon of Iskrid was assailed by the Urizeni using their Technique of the Transcendent Claw. All casualties the army caused were targeted specifically against the Beacon, ignoring the usual reduction in damage done to a bastion. The presence of many military units, and the Knights of Glory, both help this technique have a significant impact. Even the Quiet Step ''Cunning'' strategy works to increase the damage to the Beacon (but only by increasing the casualties caused directly by the army; as with all army orders it doesn't increase the casualties caused by military units or enchantments). It is also worth noting that this effect [[Limits_of_magic#Damaging_Fortifications|cannot be created]] with ritual magic - the direct damage to a fortification is the result of a [[Highest_discipline#Technique_of_the_Transcendent_Claw|unique technique]] that requires an entire season of campaigning in a given territory by an army including powerful magicians who perform dozens of individual rituals before it has any effect.

Only military units supporting the Citadel Guard receive a share of the Imperial Guerdon; other military units receive nothing.

===Strategic Considerations===
* '''Dripping Tor is concealed beneath a powerful shroud of Night magic
* '''It is not possible to move between Uper Saarnath and Leen Rarckan
The Vileshrike stronghold of ''Dripping Tor'' is concealed behind a potent shroud of [[Night magic]], similar in effect to [[Vale of Shadows]]. According to the witches and vates who accompanied the armies into that part of the valleys, it appears to have been performed at magnitude 120 - representing a serious challenge to Imperial magicians who want to remove it. Still, a suitably potent [[Piercing Light of Revelation]] cast at the [[Regio#The_Imperial_Regio|Imperial regio]] could be [[Army_qualities#Magic|channeled]] through the [[general]] of the [[Citadel Guard]] but it will require a magnitude of 240 to bring the effect down. If left undisturbed, the shroud will last until the start of the Summer Solstice 389YE. Other methods might exist to penetrate this magical defence.

If the shroud is removed, the Vileshrike sept could be destroyed by an Imperial army send specifically to root them out. This would need to be done at the same summit the shroud was pierced, or the sept will be able to scatter into the wild places of the Salt Flats and potentially remain as a threat to Imperial forces in the territory. They are not a significant campaign force however; while the army would need to take an attacking order and be busy for an entire season, they would suffer no appreciable damage.

It is not immediately apparent from the map, but Imperial scouts have confirmed what the original spy network used to map the Salt Flats only suggested. It is not possible for an [[army]] to move between [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Upper_Saarnath|Upper Saarnath]] and [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Leen_Rarckan|Leen Rarckan]] (or vice versa) without an opportunity.

===Participation: Citadel Guard===
<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">[[File:SpringRune.jpg|267px]]</div>
* '''Military units fighting with the Citadel Guard have participated in the working of the Onrushing Storm
Any character whose military unit supported the Citadel Guard this season is free to roleplay their involvement in the performance of the ''Technique of the Resplendent Claw''. This may have involved protecting Urizeni magicians, but might also have involved scouting into other regions of the southern Salt Flats to find specific resources, escorting a coven to a hidden Spring regio, or raiding a specific mana site to shift the flows of mana in a direction that helps support the destructive magic ultimately unleashed against the Beacon of Iskrid. Magicians might have helped with the rituals cast - working with ritual masters from their own nation to perform supportive rituals. An Urizeni magician versed in Spring lore might even have been one of those involved in the final magical workings that lead to the assault on the Beacon. You are also free to roleplay that you fought alongside the sentinels and other soldiers striving to conquer Lower Saarnath instead, of course.

While the army was enchanted with [[Knights of Glory]], the presence of the heralds has not had any noticeable affect on either the military units supporting the army, nor on the soldiers of the army itself.
===Participation: Lions of Adelmar===
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=EleonarisArt.jpg|caption=Regal, noble, and terrible in anger; Eleonaris is the Lion of Summer and her soldiers bear many of her traits.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
* '''The Lions of Adelmar continue not being able to take the cautious advance or give ground orders'''
* '''Any character whose military unit fought alongside the Lions of Adelmar may be inspired by the Knights of Glory'''
The Lions of Adelmar are accompanied into the Salt Flats by [[Knights of Glory|supernatural warriors]] led by the war-smith ''Elodian''. The presence of the knights continues to [[Even_darkness_must_pass#Sarangrave|exert influence over]] the Dawnish army. The Lions of Adelmar cannot take the [[Army orders#Cautious Advance|Cautious Advance]] or [[Army orders#Give Ground|Give Ground]] orders until a year has passed - even if Dawn were to put aside their [[Dawn_military_concerns#Army_Orders|commitment]] to Glory.

The heavily armoured champions that fight under the banner of ''Elodian'' have relished the experience of battling the Druj alongside the Lions of Adelmar, and not been shy about expressing their approval. The warriors from the Field of Glory take every opportunity to inspire the glorious soldiers of the army. A character whose military unit supported the Lions of Adelmar this season may choose to have been impacted by the experience of battling in close proximity to the glorious heralds.

If you are a Dawnish character whose military unit supported the Lions of Adelmar this season, or the general of the army itself, you may choose to gain a magical boon from the runic war-smiths. To claim this boon you must mark your armour, shield, or a visible part of your body with one or more of the so-called [[Runes#Runes of Summer|Runes of Summer]] - [[Feresh]], [[Jotra]], [[Tykonus]], or [[Verys]]. The boon counts as an [[enchantment]] on your character. As long as at least one of these runes are present, the [[Combat_skills#Dreadnought|dreadnought]] skill provides you with two additional hits, and whenever you use the [[heroic skills#Unstoppable|unstoppable]] skill you regain two additional hits.

If anyone uses [[Detect_magic#Discern_Enchantment|discern enchantment]] on you, you'll need to let the referee know that you are under the effect of a magnitude 7 Summer enchantment, and that you bear the ''mark of runemarked prowess''.

As well as the game benefits, the aura creates a [[roleplaying effects|roleplaying effect]]: ''You feel a strong urge to fight valiantly to support your friends, family, and especially your loved ones. Anyone offending or upsetting someone you care about causes a wave of burning anger to boil up inside you making it hard not to immediately confront them. If you lose your temper it is very hard not to give in to the urge to beat whoever offended you or your ally until they are incapacitated or they unconditionally surrender. At the same time, whenever you feel cherished or appreciated, the sensations are significantly increased to the point where you may experience a moment of rare bliss.''

The boon can be removed [[Enchantment#Removing_Enchantments|as normal]] - “overwritten” with a new enchantment - and will have faded by the start of the Winter Solstice.

===Participation: Bad Dreams===
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Diras.png|title=Rune: Diras|align=right}}</div>
* '''Something is causing particularly bad dreams in Lower Saarnath
Any character whose military unit supported any of the armies in the Salt Flats of Sanath this season may have experienced unsettling dreams. Nightmares are not uncommon when one is exposed to the Druj miasma, but these are a step above what veterans of the Mallum, or of the fight to liberate Zenith, have reported. Nightmares caused by the miasma tend to vary between individuals as much as any other dreams, but there is a suspicious commonality of elements in many of these odd dreams.

They involve being pursued or threatened in familiar places that are twisted with mud and water, or the presence of marsh-dwelling flora or fauna. Horrible phantasmal shapes eventually invade these places, or catch up with a fleeing dreamer, and begin to drown them or smother them. Dreamers awaken terrified, short of breath, and convinced that there is something leaning over them trying to steal their breath, crush their chests, or throttle them in their sleep. Nothing is physically present, and there are no signs of either intruders or assailants.

There is no benefit to doing so, but anyone who has experienced these dreams is encouraged to start the Autumn Equinox without any [[heroic skills#Hero|hero points]] or [[magical skills#magician|personal mana]]. They can still recover hero points and mana as normal - either by getting a good nights sleep at Anvil or by taking advantage of a magical method of recovery such as a [[potion]], or an [[enchantment|enhanted]] area such as [[Herthfire's Hospitality]] or [[Chamber of Delights]].

==Battle Opportunity : What Dreams Must Come==
* '''There is an opportunity for a battle in the Salt Flats of Sanath this season
Imperial prognosticators have identified a major conjunction of the sentinel gate leading to a location in north-eastern Lower Saarnath. They believe it allows an opportunity to clear some kind of supernatural blockage that will spell doom for the Beacon of Iskrid, and may have some bearing on whatever malign power of the [[Realms#Night realm|Night realm]] is loose in the region.

Forward into depthless dark

2026-08-27T10:50:23Z

Noserenda: /* Make Monsters of Us All */

[[Category:Winds of War]][[Category:388YE Autumn]][[Category:Military Council]]
<div {{floatleft}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=Into depthless dark.jpg|align=left|caption=Here is the heart of the Druj; black and twisted and filled with hate and fear.|width=500}}</div>
==Wicked Effigies and Twisted Monuments==
The Salt Flats of Sanath are the true heartlands of the Druj. Broad plains criss-crossed by dark waterways. The ground is sodden, and the further east toward the sea one travels, the more marshy the land becomes. The forests common to the rest of the Mallum have mostly been cleared here, by centuries of ravenous industy. Only in the south-west is there any great woodland - the [[Salt Flats of Sanath#Lower Saarnath|lowland valleys]] and the high [[Salt Flats of Sanath#Upper Saarnath|plateau]] that each form half of the lands jointly called the Saarnath.
__TOC__
It rains almost constantly here, or so it seems. Even when it is not actively raining, the air is thick with moisture. The ground can turn slick and treacherous without warning, even in the valleys of Saarnath where the marshes of Sarangrave give way to broad-leafed rainforest. Visibility drops precipitously, a far cry from the relatively open sight-lines of the marshes and the flats to the south-west. Only the [[Navarr]] and the [[Varushka|Varushkans]] are really at home here, but even they must beware of overconfidence. The Druj know these woods better than they do after all.

Thick as the air can be, the [[Druj miasma|miasma]] is thicker, perhaps thicker than the Empire has ever encountered it. It has had generations to take root, to smother hope and ambition, to grind deep into the mud those unfortunate enough to be enslaved by the Druj. It preys on the minds of many soldiers, an insidious urge growing daily to simply give up, to turn back, to surrender, to cower. It requires constant vigilance by the captains, and by each soldier for their comrades, to keep the enervating atmosphere at bay.

The weather worsens as Summer wanes, and with the almost constant rain comes the [[curse]] of [[Spring magic]]. A fragment of [[Rivers of Life|healing power]] falls with every drop, bringing burgeoning life without constraint, without reason or caution. No wounds, save the most egregious, will last the night. Death comes only to those unfortunate enough to fall far from their lines, or to those who are the victims of swift execution. The familiar magic flows everywhere, in all the water in the Sarangrave, and it protects barbarian and Imperial invader alike. It also touches the plants and creatures of the Mallum with supernatural vitality, but driving some of them to the edge of frenzy.

And what creatures they are! The Empire has heard of them, encountered them in the eastern forests from time to time, but just as this is the heartland of the Druj so it is home to the [[Arkad#Hupul|deathstinger]], and the [[Arkad#Hupul|green forest scorpion]], and the awful serpentine [[Arkad#Kallad|coiled shrike]]. These creatures seem to have little fear of humans or orcs, and are ambitious enough to try and prey upon them when the opportunity presents itself. Imperial soldiers quickly learn to fear the droning buzz of ebon-and-scarlet wasps the size of doves, the cold horror of awakening to discover a razor-clawed insect with its tail already poised to strike exploring the interior of their tent, the yell of surprise that quickly gives way to agonised screaming as a friend is condemned to a terrible death at the fangs of an arboreal assassin. The Rivers of Life do little to purge venom, or cure the poison that burns through the belly of those foolish enough to eat the ripe fruit from the wrong tree.

Into this land of death come the Imperial armies, ready to strike against the core of the Druj. They will have their work cut out for them in the months to come, but if they can seize victory... what a thing ''that'' would be!
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;">
<quote by="Sebastián Fawnwood, General of the Gryphons Pride">My glorious pride. You have bided your time, but now is our opportunity for what we were made for. Conquest. The salt flats of Sanath is our destination, for this is the beginning of the end for the Druj. With our warbanner reforged, it has been named the Pride of the Gryphons. It will be raised high enough that the Druj will see who brings their end. Be Vigilant. Be Glorious. Be the pride of Dawn.</quote>
<quote by="Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco, General of the Lions of Adelmar">Lions, three years ago I first came to Anvil a woman in pain. Like so many, the Druj had taken everything from me. Like so many, they continued to take our past, our present, our future. Our Gui, our Isaac, our Scout. Their ideology of hatred thrives in the dark and they wish to make monsters of us all. They wish to teach us to be scared of the dark. Let us make them fear the light. May we be the flame the innocent are drawn to as a Beacon of Safety. May our banners show that Courage and Loyalty drives us. May the sound of our roar carry far across the Salt Flats. May the Druj know this sound heralds their end, learn those banners mean those hurt will be saved, learn that flame is Ambition to bring glory with Elodian's Hammersmiths and the majesty of the Lion of Summer. Learn the monster they tried to create, became the lioness that will bring a death to the Druj. Whatever it takes. One day, the Druj will be a bedtime story told of our glory. Let us be the authors.</quote>
<quote by="Cadwell Waystone, General of the Black Thorns">Navarr will serve the Empire in Loyalty, regardless of the theatre of war. The Druj are broken, a scorpion backed into a corner, but their story is still a danger. The Buruk Tepel will fall, their armies laid low by the virtue of Imperial steel and we will free the slaves of the Mallum. Act in loyalty, fight with courage and serve with pride.</quote>
<quote by="Mercia Questor's View, General of the Quiet Step">Navarr, now is the time to hit the Druj where it hurts. We march on Lower Sanath. I may not be who you expected in command but I will see Neve's ambition for this army fulfilled. Whatever it takes. Our cousins in Varushka will take care of our home. Let the citizens of Therunin look to this beacon and away from the arms of Agramant. For those who came before. For those who come after.</quote>
<quote by="Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was, General of the Citadel Guard">Sentinels, Consider the Drowned Man. There comes a point in some fights when you are so much better than your opponent that victory seems inevitable. Your foe does not comprehend that they have lost, for they still stand, still fight. They lack your foresight, your arete, and you must simply walk them through the dance steps of their demise. In that moment it can be tempting to show mercy, even pity your foe. Worse, one can lose focus, looking to the next conflict. The Empire has made this mistake before. This is how the Druj still blight the world. Mercy is weakness - The task is not done until it is done. We begin the end. Make for Lower Saarnath. With Spring's might and Summer knights we soften Leen, bringing ruin to the Beacon of Iskrid. We must not relent until the last of the Buruk-Tepel are marched through Anvil and relieved of the burden of their vile, poisonous heads.</quote>
<quote by="Jaromir Ostrovyn Kostka, General of the Northern Eagle">Eagle of the North, I return to you now to guide our path to the last conquest of the Druj. We go to the Sydathian Fens, striding unseen as we hunt for our foe's weakness. To you, Surut, Schlacta of the Roaring Hearth, I present my curiosity to your bargain and welcome your wisdom in bringing bright ruin to old and rotten things. Before us stand wicked effigies and twisted monuments to a dying power, symbols of a strength that has left the heart and limbs of this sickened beast of a nation. We shall make a beacon of them, a sign to our embattled cousins and fearful foes alike that soon all here will be changed by Imperial will. Forward now, into this depthless dark, for herein we shall raise the torches that shall light the way to a better world.</quote></div>
==Who Brings Their End==
Five armies march out of northern Sarangrave, through the [[Sarangrave#Turan Flats|Turan Flats]] into the Sanath. This is the [[A_walk_in_shadow|second time]] the Empire has ventured into Sanath, and the situation in the south is very different to that they encountered in the north three years ago.

The [[Black Thorns]] and the [[Citadel Guard]] are already in place, and they are quickly joined by the [[Gryphon's Pride]], the [[Lions of Adelmar]] and the [[Quiet Step]] from [[Ossium]], and [[Semmerholm]], and [[Zenith]]. The Quiet Step bring word that the [[Axos|Axou]] of [[Sarangrave#Thornfen|Thornfen]] are mobilizing for their [[Skull beneath the skin|advance]] up to the Fens of Varreth. They will hopefully keep the path into the Salt Flats open to Imperial baggage trains, rather than devoured by ravening [[Quickening Cold Meat|Winter spirits]].

When they arrive, these five are met by the [[Northern Eagle]] who are already in position. The Varushkans have been busy in the Salt Flats for some time now, laying the groundwork for this invasion. There are few forces anywhere in the Empire that can match the Northern Eagle when it comes to [[Army qualities#Elusive|mastery]] of the wild forest, the sodden marsh, the rough dark hill. For the last six months they have been engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse with the Druj defenders of the Saarnath, avoiding any attempt to trap them or bring them to battle, and patiently putting their plans in motion.

The captains of the Eagle report an unqualified success; they have collapsed strategically chosen passes and bridges across the southern Salt Flats, destroying carefully selected caches and otherwise putting their guerilla training to good use. This will not impede the armies of the Druj, who can carry their supplies with them, and resupply from baggage trains but for the [[fortification#garrison|garrisons]] of the Druj [[fortification|fortifications]] - the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#The_Witness|Witness]], the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Spires_of_Rarckan|Spires of Rarckan]], and the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Beacon_of_Iskrid|Beacon of Iskrid]] - it is a different matter. This season, those garrisons are unable to intervene in Lower Saarnath, occupied clearing the damage the Northern Eagle has inflicted, limited by their ability to move provisions into the forests of the south. The Empire will still have a fight on its hand, but the forces the barbarians can bring to bear will be limited to their armies - armies already battered from fighting in Sarangrave and the [[Forest of Ulnak]], armies that have still not fully recovered.

The Northern Eagle have laid the groundwork, but they are not finished with the Druj. Not by a long chalk. The Varushkan soldiers are already planning their next strike against the Mallum, and the planning and execution of their strategy requires all their attention. They are still able to provide a bounty of valuable scouting reports, marking out the areas the Imperial armies should avoid, as well as places they may want to target. Then they disappear back into the rainforest. Their fight this season is very different to that of the conquerors here to fight the Druj openly; it remains to be seen what punishment they have in mind for the barbarians in the coming months.

It is for the Gryphon's Pride to step into the breach. [[Army_qualities#Conquering|Conquest]] is their calling after all, and they press forward with a single overriding goal - to seize Lower Saaranth from the Druj and drive the armies of the Mallum before them. They lead the way, a solid spear-strike deep into enemy territory. They are closely supported by the [[Army_qualities#Cunning|cunning]] of the Quiet Step, who focus their efforts on setting ambushes and luring enemies into traps. They remain mobile, taking advantage of every weakness in the enemy strategy to attack from the flanks. Their tactics are unorthodox but effective - poison and venom, targeting healers, magicians, and supplies. They kill without mercy, and perhaps in some way the Druj might even respect them for it.

For the most part the other Imperial armies take a more conservative approach. For those who have fought the Druj before, this caution seems the wisest course. The barbarians are fond of traps and Imperial soldiers have paid a harsh price for their overconfidence too many times in the past. The Black Thorns push forward [[Army orders#Steady Conquest|patiently]], prioritising the preservation of Imperial lives over the pursuit of victory. The Lions of Adelmar complement this painstaking approach; they [[Army qualities#Guardian|stand staunchly with their allies]] wherever they are engaged, shields ready to block the arrows of the Druj, swords unsheathed and eager to fight alongside their comrades. Selfless and courageous, many are the Navarri and Urizeni who will owe their lives to the Dawnish once this campaign is over.

With the Lions also march a cohort of the [[Knights of Glory]]. They are captained by the fearsome ''Elodian'', resplendent in mighty panoply of runebound steel and leading a glorious warband of hammer-smiths no less powerfully accoutred. The unstoppable blows these heavy warriors strike with their great mauls send barbarians sprawling, or smash them into trees, and both their heavy armour and these terrible strikes serves as a perfect complement to the tactics of the Lions. Whispers suggest that the runic knights have been sent personally by their [[Eleonaris|Queen]] to fight with the Lions, and rumour speculates that there may be something more than friendship between the ''Lady of Pennants'' and the general.

Then, at last, the Citadel Guard. The [[sentinel|sentinels]] and the battlefield magicians of Urizen are there beside their allies whenever battle is joined but their goal is clearly somewhere else. They focus on support and strengthening the soldiers of the other nations and their aid is valuable in seizing land from the Druj but actually ''fighting'' the barbarians is of secondary importance. While their soldiers fight, their [[coven|covens]] work together on of rituals intended to gather magical power and direct it toward this unseen goal. As Summer fades the leaves on the great broad-leafed trees in their vicinity turn brown and red and yellow faster than they have any right to do so. As if something primal was being redirected in some way, out of the forests and toward... somewhere else.

There are [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] of the [[Realms#Summer|Summer realm]] with the Urizeni as well - proud ''Dindrayne'' of the feather-brow. A war-witch with a staff of adamant, she commands a cohort of elfin heroes in mithril chain, who enthusiastically fight alongside the sentinels against the Druj. With them are a score of trumpeters, who rouse the spirits of the soldiers they fight alongside, urging them to acts of heroism and glory that are sometimes at odds with the more sober mien of the people of the southern peaks. Their commander, however, remains with the covens further back behind the lines - an uncommon position for a champion of the ''Lion of Summer''.

As well as magical allies, the armies of the Empire are supported by more than twelve thousand strength at arms lead by [[military unit|Imperial captains]], many of whom bear [[enchantment|enchantments]] of their own. The vast majority fight with the Citadel Guard, and while those versed in the arts of war are at the forefront of the campaign alongside the sentinels and battle-wizards, those with even a smattering of [[Magical_skills#Realm_Lore|realm lore]] - especially the lore of [[Spring magic|Spring]] - are stationed further back supporting and protecting the covens. The 'Guard regularly dispatch these auxiliaries on missions deep into Druj territory, to capture resources or secure access to certain location at critical moments.

A strong force, then, bound together by bonds of [[Loyalty]] and [[Pride]], of the love of comrades, and of a singular purpose: the destruction of the Druj.
<gallery heights=150 mode="packed-hover">
QuietStep Colour.png
NorthernEagle Colour.png
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==Scorpion in a Corner==
That unity is not found among the barbarians of the Mallum. Even something as straightforward as a singular purpose is somewhat lacking. One would think the Druj armies would be brought together by the desperate need to keep control of as much of the Salt Flats as they can, but they show no sign of it. The armies come to defend Lower Saarnath, its true, but they do so piecemeal and that gives the Imperial armies an advantage.

The first major force to engage the Empire are the [[Druj_armies#White_Lions|White Lions]]. Named for the large venomous ants that build great nests on the Salt Flats, they are perhaps the most disciplined of all the armies of the Mallum. Some of their troops are already in Lower Saarnath, hunting the Northern Eagle, and they quickly raise a warning once it is clear the Empire has come in force. They avoid direct confrontation with the Imperial forces wherever possible, at least until the rest of the defenders start to arrive. It seems they have accepted unwise boons of [[Winter magic]], likely from the ''[[Agramant|Wastewalker]]''. Wounds that should kill them barely slow them down, but when they fall they die quickly. Worse, they are riven by a terrible hunger; there are disturbing scenes where warriors of the White Lions abandon their own defence to cut strips of warm flesh from the fallen - enemies and friends alike. There are handfuls of bloodthirsty [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] - pale white walkers more beast than human or orc - among their number who urge them on to greater and greater excess. For all this apparent madness, however, when they are able to think clearly the White Lions prove to be a persistent and responsive threat to the Empire, seemingly always in position to counter Imperial tactics.

Over the first few weeks of the campaign, the [[Druj_armies#Hidden Widow|Hidden Widow]], the wild warriors of the treacherous [[Druj_armies#Jagged Claws|Jagged Claws]], and the twisted [[Druj_armies#Red Lizard|Red Lizard]] filter in to join the defence of Lower Saarnath. They are forced to approach through the marshes of [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Beladrarsh|Beladrarsh]], and by all accounts receive little assistance from the Skinweaver sept that rule that rich territory. No doubt the wealthy Skinweavers are too busy making preparations for their own survival to see the Druj armies as anything other than a wall of meat between them and the invading humans. Last to arrive are the [[Druj armies#Black Wind|Black Wind]], and for once they seem less interested in [[Army_qualities#Cruel|tormenting]] the armies of the Empire and more in simply trying to stem the flood of Imperial soldiers into the Salt Flats. It is easy to forget that they hate the Druj for what they did to their people - and sometimes hard to bear that they loathe the Empire even more.

The Urizeni quickly note that none of these armies seem to bear enchantments, and that there is a distinct lack of magical wards at least in the south. This is certainly not the traditional way the Druj make war - especially in defence. Speculation runs like wildfire - has the loss of the [[Druj armies#Tainted Basilisk|Tainted Basilisk]] and the disappearance of the cowardly [[Druj lore#Ghulai|Ghulai]] of the [[Sarangrave#Palace_of_the_Sleepers|Palace of the Sleepers]] gutted the magical capabilities of the Druj? Or is it simply that the resources they have are focused elsewhere? Is there some other shoe waiting to drop? Is there a magical trap here, hidden behind the trees, shrouded from the eyes of the magicians and witches and [[vate|vates]]?
<div {{float}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=Dancing scorpions.jpg|align=left|width=400}}</div>
==Make Monsters of Us All==
If the Druj are bad when they invade, they are ten times worse when forced on the defensive. Yet the air of desperation here in the dripping woods of Lower Saarnath is different, somehow. There is a tremor of fear in the people of the Mallum, it seems. They rely on purely defensive tactics, seeking to turn their admittedly superior knowledge of the terrain into advantage wherever possible. They still skirmish, but their attacks are much more focused on singular objectives - driving ''this'' specific band of knights away from a defensible position, overrunning ''this'' specific hospital and then retreating, killing ''these'' scouts and then fleeing without even taking the time to string their corpses up from the trees.

Afraid they might be, but they refuse to cede anything that the Empire does not wrest from their tight grasp. It is challenging for the Imperial armies to bring their weight of numbers to bear against the Druj in the confines of the rainforest; hard for them to force a large-scale confrontation when often visibility is reduced to a score of meters in every direction. When it is not the trees alone, it is the ever-present rain, or the thick, warm mists that rise on the rare occasions when the sun peaks out behind the dark clouds for a few hours. The woods favour the Druj tactics of ambush and surprise, which must be accounted for whenever the Empire advances.

Still the Druj ''are'' outnumbered though, and arguably outclassed. Again, though, it is the ability of the Empire's armies to trust one another than proves the greatest advantage. The Lions of Adelmar and the Quiet Step employ strategies specifically designed to aid their allies, to work with their comrades in other armies and nations. The sentinels of the Citadel Guard are adept at deploying their force where it will offer the greatest support, and then moving to another position as the ebb and flow of battle shifts. In contrast there are reports of warriors of the Jagged Claw intentionally abandoning their Red Lizard "allies" in the middle of an engagement, their deaths serving to cover a flanking manoeuvre and hasty retreat. There are incidents where the Hidden Widow are left in an exposed position by the Black Wind just to lure a band of thorns into a trap that closes around the Navarr too late to save their "comrades".

As one Dawnish troubadour marching with the Lions says, it isn't so much that the Druj are intentionally turning on one another, but rather than they seem utterly incapable of seeing anyone outside their immediate circle as being ''people'' at all. Rivals or pawns to be used to their own advantage, in the pursuit of their own ambitions or their own survival. A people culturally incapable of feeling the bonds of fellowship, utterly alien to the understanding of love that the Lions hold at the centre of their philosophy.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Sebastián Fawnwood.jpg|caption='''Sebastián Fawnwood''' (centre), General of the Gryphon's Pride|align=left|width=250}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Dame Katelyn.jpg|caption='''Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco''', General of the Lions of Adelmar|align=left|width=250}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Cadwell Waystone.png|caption='''Cadwell Waystone''', General of the Black Thorns|align=left|width=250}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Neve Agra.jpg|caption='''Neve Agra''', General of the Quiet Step|align=left|width=250}}
</div>

==Handfuls of Dust==
A month after the fighting begins, the Empire encounters serious magical resistance. The Gryphons Pride and the Black Thorns have pushed a little ahead of their allies, driving north-east where the land slopes upward toward the great plateau of Upper Saarnath. A major force of White Lions, supported by warriors of the Hidden Widow, attempt a pincer movement and fighting erupts among the trees. At first it seems that the Pride and the Thorns cannot fail to achieve victory, but then a third force joins the fighting.

They are not an army, or even really a garrison, but rather a force of perhaps a hundred or so hooded orcs with bows and barbed spears. The Thorns identify them as [[Arkad#Vikari|Vikari]] although their banner is unfamiliar - that of a skeletal serpent similar to the coiled shrike favoured by the Kallad. This, reason the Navarr, must be the Vileshrike sept from the Dripping Tor. They are some distance from home, presumably on the orders of the rumoured ghulai ''Graknuz Acidtouch''. They are not alone, however.

With the Vileshrikes are a hundred or so beings that seem to be heralds of the [[Realms#Night|Night realm]], similar to those encountered a few months ago by Imperial champions fighting [[alongside the Earthquake Drummers]] in the Forest of Ulnak. Scarecrow-like, in billowing black robes, it is easy at first to mistake them for [[Druj_lore#Tortured_souls|tortured souls]]. Yet these creatures have never been mortal; there is nothing beneath their robes save animate darkness, shadows that seem to seep through the empty eye-holes of the featureless masks they wear. The merest touch of these awful phantoms [[Calls#Weakness|weakens]] the strongest knight, draining away their will to fight and overwhelming them with fear and terror. Their weapons assail the mind as well as the body, creating magical wounds that confuse the confident thorns leaving them riven with self-doubt and uncertainty. A few are armed with terrible pole-arms that drown their foes in [[paralysis|paralysing]] wells of phantasmal horror, leaving them as easy picking for the rest of the barbarians alongside who they fight.

The Vileshrikes - if that is who this is - don't especially coordinate their attacks with the two armies but rather take advantage of their attack to cover an assault of their own. The battle-magicians are clearly experienced fighting alongside their unnatural allies - they [[entangle|bind]] a likely target long enough for the fluttering-robed things to descend on them and assail their spirit. The Rivers of Life does nothing to bolster the broken will to fight, it cannot heal the terrible nightmares that assail those injured by the creatures' weapons, nor offer protection from the sucking quagmire of doubt that overwhelms the doughtiest warrior.

It doesn't help that these vikari are obviously backed by significant magical resources - enough for some of their number to unleash great wails that weaken enemies and allies alike, or terrifying atonal hymns that [[Calls#CURSE|curse]] Imperial soldiers with a growing delirium that takes hold hours after the fighting when they think themselves safe.

It's hard to say for certain how much difference this additional force of Druj makes to the overall battle; for all their magical prowess Vileshrike Vikari and terrorizing Night held alike are as vulnerable as any magician to [[Calls#IMPALE|arrows and mighty blows]], can be put to flight with a [[Calls#CLEAVE|solid strike]] from a skilled fighter. They also seem to have little stomach for a long fight. They expend their magic quickly, it seems, and then fall back while the White Lions and the Hidden Widow still clash with the Pride and the Thorns.

The Imperial advance is turned back that day, although the Pride and the Thorns manage to lead some of the more bloodthirsty Druj into an ambush set by the Quiet Step. Less than a week later, with the Lions and the Step to back them up, the two Imperial armies return and the Navarr and Dawnish are victorious. They continue to push through the Salt Flats, and the further north-east they travel the more common and vicious fighting with the Vileshrikes becomes.

Whoever the Vileshrikes are, whoever their allies are, they do not fight anywhere else in Lower Saarnath; only in the north-east. They also seem to be the source of a peculiar magical effect, a curse of some kind, that is slowly settling over the southern Salt Flats. Soldiers begin to report an increasing number of horrific dreams, and those standing watch at the darkest hours of the night claim to spot hooded figures watching them from the shadows who they ''know'' are filled with poisonous hate. It doesn't seem to be an enchantment; perhaps this mysterious ghulai is drawing on other sources of power to do... whatever they are doing.

Despite all this, the Druj are forced to retreat again and again. As the season draws on, as the Quiet Step and the Lions of Adelmar come within sight of the location marked out by Imperial scouts as the ''Dripping Tor''. It lies in the depths of the forest, far from any other settlement, but it has been identified by the Northern Eagle as a key strategic location to control. When the armies arrive, however, they find the Tor... missing. In its place looms an impenetrable grove of massive, clearly supernatural trees. When any Imperial soldier gets within a mile of the rough location, thick mists boil out of the ground and seethe in the air, creating impenetrable curtains of grey and white. Those who do not turn back soon regret it - scouts report encounters with unspeakable horrors in the depths of the mists. Some who brave the fog are left shattered in mind and spirit, raving about ''eyes'' and ''claws'' and ''the terrible soft music''. Others do not return at all.

The decision is made to give the area a wide berth. None of the armies here are in a position to try and penetrate whatever ward is in place, and there are still Druj to be fought. A watch is set by the Quiet Step, and the Empire turns its attention elsewhere. At least there are no further attacks by the Vileshrikes and their unnatural allies, once the armies reach the Tor.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Jaromir Ostrovyn Kostka.jpg|caption='''Jaromir Ostrovyn Kostka''', General of the Northern Eagle, leads the Varushkans in subtle infiltration of the Salt Flats.|align=left|width=250}}
</div>

==For Those Who Come After==
In the end, there is no single decisive battle in the valleys of Lower Saarnath, only a string of engagements spread out through the woodlands. There are relatively few Druj settlements here - and they are poorly prepared for attack by Imperial soldiers. Unless the Druj armies are present, these scattered arboreal villages and logging camps swiftly fall to the Empire. Even where the Druj defenders are present, it is usually not enough to stop the Empire seizing them anyway. Usually.

Ultimately the Empire is victorious, smashing through the Druj defences and forcing the armies to retreat. Lower Saarnath is captured in its entirety, and the Imperial forces regroup to consider their next move. The Rivers of Life help to blunt the slaughter on both sides, but when the final tally is made it is still sobering. A thousand Imperial lives lost in the woodlands to the Druj. It is scant consolation that, thanks in particular to the presence of so many Imperial captains, the barbarians seem to have paid a much steeper price. It is difficult to say how ''much'' of a price as always, but even with their purely defensive strategy the Druj have ''suffered'' this season.

As Autumn approaches, armies on both sides take stock and consider their next moves; but then -

Then something unexpected happens.
==What Brings Their End==
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{{CaptionedImage|file=Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was.jpg|caption='''Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was''', General of the Citadel Guard, has unleashed the devastating power of Spring magic on the Druj capital.|align=left|width=250}}
</div>
For three months, the Citadel Guard have been gathering strength, working carefully crafted rituals in each Spring [[regio]] they encounter, weak or strong. They have been studying the flows of [[mana site|mana]] across Lower Saarnath, sending out small bands of diviners and sentinel defenders to learn more about the way power pools across the Salt Flats. A week before the Autumn Equinox, their work is completed.

While it takes time to prepare, and set in motion, the [[Highest_discipline#Technique_of_the_Transcendent_Claw|Technique of the Transcendent Claw]] is not subtle in its effects. At sunrise, the sky turns black, boiling with storm clouds. The rain turns torrential, driven by howling gales. Lightning strikes willy-nilly not only across the valleys of Lower Saarnath but across the entire southern reach of the Salt Flats. Tents are torn up into the sky, unwary folk thrown flat in the mud, branches are ripped from ancient trees creating stark openings in the canopy. Imperial soldiers are at least partially prepared, but it takes the Druj mostly by surprise.

Then, the sole elfin trumpeter that accompanies the Urizen magicians sounds a single terrible note that, impossibly, is heard throughout the lower valleys. It isn't part of the working, but it seems the knights of Eleonaris have a good sense for the dramatic... and this magic is certainly ''dramatic''.

Far away from the Imperial attackers and the Druj defenders, in one of the poorest parts of the sprawling city of [[Salt Flats of Sanath#Leen|Leen]] itself stands the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Beacon_of_Iskrid|Beacon of Iskrid]], a fortification garrisoned not by orcs but by humans under the banner of the self-styled ''Prince Tristain the Golden.'' A long way from the fighting, in a city that no doubt still imagines itself beyond the reach of the Empire. That dream is shattered, decisively.

With a deafening peal of thunder, audible all the way back to Lower Saarnath, a cascade of thunderbolts rains from the sky over Leen. The gale force winds become even stronger, battering the stones of the Beacon with the force of ten Winter storms, then twenty, then thirty. The rain pours in sheets, eating away at the mortar that holds the stones together, at the foundations that allow it to stand. The destruction is not limited to the fortification itself; the surrounding buildings are likewise stricken with this devastating, hungry tempest called by the highest arts of the Urizeni magicians. A tornado reaches down from the heavens, down toward the earth, and as it comes the lightning ignites something within it and it becomes a conflagration despite the monsoon deluge.

The Druj of Leen speak in whispered, terrified tones of spirits within those winds, awful shapes of water and wind and fire that somehow poured ''out'' of the tornado. Creatures of the Spring realm, following this consummate magical working into the mundane world for a short time, tearing at the Beacon with the single-minded hatred creatures of the Primal Forest have for all construction. Were they really there, or do the Druj imagine them in the chaos and ruin that attends upon the power unleashed by the Citadel Guard?

And then the weather starts to clear... the tumultuous downpour turns back to ''just'' heavy rain. The winds lessen, ceasing entirely for a moment before returning again at more normal speed. Smoke rises from the rainforest, but the fires find no purchase in the soaking wood. The lightning ceases, the thunder stills, the clouds part and the wan Autumn sun shines through.

It shines on the uncertain faces of the Imperial soldiers, it shines on the satisfied and tired faces of the Urizeni masters, it shines on the terrified faces of the Druj. It shines also, sadly, on the Beacon if Iskrid. The [[fortification#bastion|bastion]] leans dangerously to the side, barely standing. The upper ramparts have been torn away, as if gouged by some mighty claw, and scattered with lethal force into the city below. It looks for all the world as if the slightest push would send it tumbling into the streets of Leen, crushing everything in its path. It is almost entirely devastated... almost.

The Beacon still stands - the power of the ''Onrushing Storm'' was perhaps blunted by the rival resonances of life and healing in the rainwaters of Sanath this season - but only just. And while it may have avoided destruction by a hair's breadth, the people of Leen cannot fail to understand what has just happened. The [[Druj_lore#Buruk_Tepel|Buruk Tepel]], the rulers of the Druj, who imagined themselves safe in their great city have been presented with a potent illustration of just how vulnerable they are. The Druj are ''afraid''.

==Game Information==
<div style="float: right; max-width: 400px; margin-right: 10px;">{{HoverImage|Salt Flats of Sanath Regions.png|SaltFlatsBasic.png}}</div>
===Salt Flats of Sanath===
* '''The Empire has claimed Lower Saarnath
* '''The Northern Eagle prevented any of the Druj fortifications in Sanath participating in the fight and gave the region the under threat quality
* '''The Beacon of Iskrid has been devastated by Urizen magic but still stands - just
* '''The Dripping Tor appears to be hidden behind a powerful shroud of Night magic
As the Autumn Equinox approaches the Imperial forces in Sanath have claimed the region of Lower Saarnath. The Vileshrikes hidden in the north-east clearly intend to resist Imperial control, but it is not clear how much magic they may be able to bring to bear.

Thanks to the Northern Eagle, the garrisons of the three Druj fortifications were unable to operate in Lower Saarnath this season. That benefit ends with the Autumn Equinox - the remaining garrisons will be able to participate in the campaign as normal going forward. They also provided the under threat quality to Lower Saarnath, but that quality has also faded as the Autumn Equinox dawns. The Eagle are in Sanath, but they did not participate directly in the campaign this season. Instead they are arranging another strike against the Druj using their [[Army qualities#Elusive|elusive]] quality.

The Beacon of Iskrid was assailed by the Urizeni using their Technique of the Transcendent Claw. All casualties the army caused were targeted specifically against the Beacon, ignoring the usual reduction in damage done to a bastion. The presence of many military units, and the Knights of Glory, both help this technique have a significant impact. Even the Quiet Step ''Cunning'' strategy works to increase the damage to the Beacon (but only by increasing the casualties caused directly by the army; as with all army orders it doesn't increase the casualties caused by military units or enchantments). It is also worth noting that this is effect [[Limits_of_magic#Damaging_Fortifications|cannot be created]] with ritual magic - the direct damage to a fortification is the result of a [[Highest_discipline#Technique_of_the_Transcendent_Claw|unique technique]] that requires an entire season of campaigning in a given territory by an army including powerful magicians who perform dozens of individual rituals before it has any effect.

Only military units supporting the Citadel Guard receive a share of the Imperial Guerdon; other military units receive nothing.

===Strategic Considerations===
* '''Dripping Tor is concealed beneath a powerful shroud of Night magic
* '''It is not possible to move between Uper Saarnath and Leen Rarckan
The Vileshrike stronghold of ''Dripping Tor'' is concealed behind a potent shroud of [[Night magic]], similar in effect to [[Vale of Shadows]]. According to the witches and vates who accompanied the armies into that part of the valleys, it appears to have been performed at magnitude 120 - representing a serious challenge to Imperial magicians who want to remove it. Still, a suitably potent [[Piercing Light of Revelation]] cast at the [[Regio#The_Imperial_Regio|Imperial regio]] could be [[Army_qualities#Magic|channeled]] through the [[general]] of the [[Citadel Guard]] but it will require a magnitude of 240 to bring the effect down. If left undisturbed, the shroud will last until the start of the Summer Solstice 389YE. Other methods might exist to penetrate this magical defence.

If the shroud is removed, the Vileshrike sept could be destroyed by an Imperial army send specifically to root them out. This would need to be done at the same summit the shroud was pierced, or the sept will be able to scatter into the wild places of the Salt Flats and potentially remain as a threat to Imperial forces in the territory. They are not a significant campaign force however; while the army would need to take an attacking order and be busy for an entire season, they would suffer no appreciable damage.

It is not immediately apparent from the map, but Imperial scouts have confirmed what the original spy network used to map the Salt Flats only suggested. It is not possible for an [[army]] to move between [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Upper_Saarnath|Upper Saarnath]] and [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Leen_Rarckan|Leen Rarckan]] (or vice versa) without an opportunity.

===Participation: Citadel Guard===
<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">[[File:SpringRune.jpg|267px]]</div>
* '''Military units fighting with the Citadel Guard have participated in the working of the Onrushing Storm
Any character whose military unit supported the Citadel Guard this season is free to roleplay their involvement in the performance of the ''Technique of the Resplendent Claw''. This may have involved protecting Urizeni magicians, but might also have involved scouting into other regions of the southern Salt Flats to find specific resources, escorting a coven to a hidden Spring regio, or raiding a specific mana site to shift the flows of mana in a direction that helps support the destructive magic ultimately unleashed against the Beacon of Iskrid. Magicians might have helped with the rituals cast - working with ritual masters from their own nation to perform supportive rituals. An Urizeni magician versed in Spring lore might even have been one of those involved in the final magical workings that lead to the assault on the Beacon. You are also free to roleplay that you fought alongside the sentinels and other soldiers striving to conquer Lower Saarnath instead, of course.

While the army was enchanted with [[Knights of Glory]], the presence of the heralds has not had any noticeable affect on either the military units supporting the army, nor on the soldiers of the army itself.
===Participation: Lions of Adelmar===
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=EleonarisArt.jpg|caption=Regal, noble, and terrible in anger; Eleonaris is the Lion of Summer and her soldiers bear many of her traits.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
* '''The Lions of Adelmar continue not being able to take the cautious advance or give ground orders'''
* '''Any character whose military unit fought alongside the Lions of Adelmar may be inspired by the Knights of Glory'''
The Lions of Adelmar are accompanied into the Salt Flats by [[Knights of Glory|supernatural warriors]] lead by the war-smith ''Elodian''. The presence of the knights continues to [[Even_darkness_must_pass#Sarangrave|exert influence over]] the Dawnish army. The Lions of Adelmar cannot take the [[Army orders#Cautious Advance|Cautious Advance]] or [[Army orders#Give Ground|Give Ground]] orders until a year has passed - even if Dawn were to put aside their [[Dawn_military_concerns#Army_Orders|commitment]] to Glory.

The heavily armoured champions that fight under the banner of ''Elodian'' have relished the experience of battling the Druj alongside the Lions of Adelmar, and not been shy about expressing their approval. The warriors from the Field of Glory take every opportunity to inspire the glorious soldiers of the army. A character whose military unit supported the Lions of Adelmar this season may choose to have been impacted by the experience of battling in close proximity to the glorious heralds.

If you are a Dawnish character whose military unit supported the Lions of Adelmar this season, or the general of the army itself, you may choose to gain a magical boon from the runic war-smiths. To claim this boon you must mark your armour, shield, or a visible part of your body with one or more of the so-called [[Runes#Runes of Summer|Runes of Summer]] - [[Feresh]], [[Jotra]], [[Tykonus]], or [[Verys]]. The boon counts as an [[enchantment]] on your character. As long as at least one of these runes are present, the [[Combat_skills#Dreadnought|dreadnought]] skill provides you with two additional hits, and whenever you use the [[heroic skills#Unstoppable|unstoppable]] skill you regain two additional hits.

If anyone uses [[Detect_magic#Discern_Enchantment|discern enchantment]] on you, you'll need to let the referee know that you are under the effect of a magnitude 7 Summer enchantment, and that you bear the ''mark of runemarked prowess''.

As well as the game benefits, the aura creates a [[roleplaying effects|roleplaying effect]]: ''You feel a strong urge to fight valiantly to support your friends, family, and especially your loved ones. Anyone offending or upsetting someone you care about causes a wave of burning anger to boil up inside you making it hard not to immediately confront them. If you lose your temper it is very hard not to give in to the urge to beat whoever offended you or your ally until they are incapacitated or they unconditionally surrender. At the same time, whenever you feel cherished or appreciated, the sensations are significantly increased to the point where you may experience a moment of rare bliss.''

The boon can be removed [[Enchantment#Removing_Enchantments|as normal]] - “overwritten” with a new enchantment - and will have faded by the start of the Winter Solstice.

===Participation: Bad Dreams===
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Diras.png|title=Rune: Diras|align=right}}</div>
* '''Something is causing particularly bad dreams in Lower Saarnath
Any character whose military unit supported any of the armies in the Salt Flats of Sanath this season may have experienced unsettling dreams. Nightmares are not uncommon when one is exposed to the Druj miasma, but these are a step above what veterans of the Mallum, or of the fight to liberate Zenith, have reported. Nightmares caused by the miasma tend to vary between individuals as much as any other dreams, but there is a suspcious commonality of elements in many of these odd dreams.

They involve being pursued or threatened in familiar places that are twisted with mud and water, or the presence of marsh-dwelling flora or fauna. Horrible phantasmal shapes eventually invade these places, or catch up with a fleeing dreamer, and begin to drown them or smother them. Dreamers awaken terrified, short of breath, and convinced that there is something leaning over them trying to steal their breath, crush their chests, or throttle them in their sleep. Nothing is physically present, and there are no signs of either intruders or assailants.

There is no benefit to doing so, but anyone who has experienced these dreams is encouraged to start the Autumn Equinox without any [[heroic skills#Hero|hero points]] or [[magical skills#magician|personal mana]]. They can still recover hero points and mana as normal - either by getting a good nights sleep at Anvil or by taking advantage of a magical method of recovery such as a [[potion]], or an [[enchantment|enhanted]] area such as [[Herthfire's Hospitality]] or [[Chamber of Delights]].
==Battle Opportunity : What Dreams Must Come==
* '''There is an opportunity for a battle in the Salt Flats of Sanath this season
Imperial prognosticators have identified a major conjunction of the sentinel gate leading to a location in north-eastern Lower Saarnath. They believe it allows an opportunity to clear some kind of supernatural blockage that will spell doom for the Beacon of Iskrid, and may have some bearing on whatever malign power of the [[Realms#Night realm|Night realm]] is loose in the region.

Forward into depthless dark

2026-08-27T10:49:45Z

Noserenda: /* Handfuls of Dust */

[[Category:Winds of War]][[Category:388YE Autumn]][[Category:Military Council]]
<div {{floatleft}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=Into depthless dark.jpg|align=left|caption=Here is the heart of the Druj; black and twisted and filled with hate and fear.|width=500}}</div>
==Wicked Effigies and Twisted Monuments==
The Salt Flats of Sanath are the true heartlands of the Druj. Broad plains criss-crossed by dark waterways. The ground is sodden, and the further east toward the sea one travels, the more marshy the land becomes. The forests common to the rest of the Mallum have mostly been cleared here, by centuries of ravenous industy. Only in the south-west is there any great woodland - the [[Salt Flats of Sanath#Lower Saarnath|lowland valleys]] and the high [[Salt Flats of Sanath#Upper Saarnath|plateau]] that each form half of the lands jointly called the Saarnath.
__TOC__
It rains almost constantly here, or so it seems. Even when it is not actively raining, the air is thick with moisture. The ground can turn slick and treacherous without warning, even in the valleys of Saarnath where the marshes of Sarangrave give way to broad-leafed rainforest. Visibility drops precipitously, a far cry from the relatively open sight-lines of the marshes and the flats to the south-west. Only the [[Navarr]] and the [[Varushka|Varushkans]] are really at home here, but even they must beware of overconfidence. The Druj know these woods better than they do after all.

Thick as the air can be, the [[Druj miasma|miasma]] is thicker, perhaps thicker than the Empire has ever encountered it. It has had generations to take root, to smother hope and ambition, to grind deep into the mud those unfortunate enough to be enslaved by the Druj. It preys on the minds of many soldiers, an insidious urge growing daily to simply give up, to turn back, to surrender, to cower. It requires constant vigilance by the captains, and by each soldier for their comrades, to keep the enervating atmosphere at bay.

The weather worsens as Summer wanes, and with the almost constant rain comes the [[curse]] of [[Spring magic]]. A fragment of [[Rivers of Life|healing power]] falls with every drop, bringing burgeoning life without constraint, without reason or caution. No wounds, save the most egregious, will last the night. Death comes only to those unfortunate enough to fall far from their lines, or to those who are the victims of swift execution. The familiar magic flows everywhere, in all the water in the Sarangrave, and it protects barbarian and Imperial invader alike. It also touches the plants and creatures of the Mallum with supernatural vitality, but driving some of them to the edge of frenzy.

And what creatures they are! The Empire has heard of them, encountered them in the eastern forests from time to time, but just as this is the heartland of the Druj so it is home to the [[Arkad#Hupul|deathstinger]], and the [[Arkad#Hupul|green forest scorpion]], and the awful serpentine [[Arkad#Kallad|coiled shrike]]. These creatures seem to have little fear of humans or orcs, and are ambitious enough to try and prey upon them when the opportunity presents itself. Imperial soldiers quickly learn to fear the droning buzz of ebon-and-scarlet wasps the size of doves, the cold horror of awakening to discover a razor-clawed insect with its tail already poised to strike exploring the interior of their tent, the yell of surprise that quickly gives way to agonised screaming as a friend is condemned to a terrible death at the fangs of an arboreal assassin. The Rivers of Life do little to purge venom, or cure the poison that burns through the belly of those foolish enough to eat the ripe fruit from the wrong tree.

Into this land of death come the Imperial armies, ready to strike against the core of the Druj. They will have their work cut out for them in the months to come, but if they can seize victory... what a thing ''that'' would be!
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;">
<quote by="Sebastián Fawnwood, General of the Gryphons Pride">My glorious pride. You have bided your time, but now is our opportunity for what we were made for. Conquest. The salt flats of Sanath is our destination, for this is the beginning of the end for the Druj. With our warbanner reforged, it has been named the Pride of the Gryphons. It will be raised high enough that the Druj will see who brings their end. Be Vigilant. Be Glorious. Be the pride of Dawn.</quote>
<quote by="Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco, General of the Lions of Adelmar">Lions, three years ago I first came to Anvil a woman in pain. Like so many, the Druj had taken everything from me. Like so many, they continued to take our past, our present, our future. Our Gui, our Isaac, our Scout. Their ideology of hatred thrives in the dark and they wish to make monsters of us all. They wish to teach us to be scared of the dark. Let us make them fear the light. May we be the flame the innocent are drawn to as a Beacon of Safety. May our banners show that Courage and Loyalty drives us. May the sound of our roar carry far across the Salt Flats. May the Druj know this sound heralds their end, learn those banners mean those hurt will be saved, learn that flame is Ambition to bring glory with Elodian's Hammersmiths and the majesty of the Lion of Summer. Learn the monster they tried to create, became the lioness that will bring a death to the Druj. Whatever it takes. One day, the Druj will be a bedtime story told of our glory. Let us be the authors.</quote>
<quote by="Cadwell Waystone, General of the Black Thorns">Navarr will serve the Empire in Loyalty, regardless of the theatre of war. The Druj are broken, a scorpion backed into a corner, but their story is still a danger. The Buruk Tepel will fall, their armies laid low by the virtue of Imperial steel and we will free the slaves of the Mallum. Act in loyalty, fight with courage and serve with pride.</quote>
<quote by="Mercia Questor's View, General of the Quiet Step">Navarr, now is the time to hit the Druj where it hurts. We march on Lower Sanath. I may not be who you expected in command but I will see Neve's ambition for this army fulfilled. Whatever it takes. Our cousins in Varushka will take care of our home. Let the citizens of Therunin look to this beacon and away from the arms of Agramant. For those who came before. For those who come after.</quote>
<quote by="Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was, General of the Citadel Guard">Sentinels, Consider the Drowned Man. There comes a point in some fights when you are so much better than your opponent that victory seems inevitable. Your foe does not comprehend that they have lost, for they still stand, still fight. They lack your foresight, your arete, and you must simply walk them through the dance steps of their demise. In that moment it can be tempting to show mercy, even pity your foe. Worse, one can lose focus, looking to the next conflict. The Empire has made this mistake before. This is how the Druj still blight the world. Mercy is weakness - The task is not done until it is done. We begin the end. Make for Lower Saarnath. With Spring's might and Summer knights we soften Leen, bringing ruin to the Beacon of Iskrid. We must not relent until the last of the Buruk-Tepel are marched through Anvil and relieved of the burden of their vile, poisonous heads.</quote>
<quote by="Jaromir Ostrovyn Kostka, General of the Northern Eagle">Eagle of the North, I return to you now to guide our path to the last conquest of the Druj. We go to the Sydathian Fens, striding unseen as we hunt for our foe's weakness. To you, Surut, Schlacta of the Roaring Hearth, I present my curiosity to your bargain and welcome your wisdom in bringing bright ruin to old and rotten things. Before us stand wicked effigies and twisted monuments to a dying power, symbols of a strength that has left the heart and limbs of this sickened beast of a nation. We shall make a beacon of them, a sign to our embattled cousins and fearful foes alike that soon all here will be changed by Imperial will. Forward now, into this depthless dark, for herein we shall raise the torches that shall light the way to a better world.</quote></div>
==Who Brings Their End==
Five armies march out of northern Sarangrave, through the [[Sarangrave#Turan Flats|Turan Flats]] into the Sanath. This is the [[A_walk_in_shadow|second time]] the Empire has ventured into Sanath, and the situation in the south is very different to that they encountered in the north three years ago.

The [[Black Thorns]] and the [[Citadel Guard]] are already in place, and they are quickly joined by the [[Gryphon's Pride]], the [[Lions of Adelmar]] and the [[Quiet Step]] from [[Ossium]], and [[Semmerholm]], and [[Zenith]]. The Quiet Step bring word that the [[Axos|Axou]] of [[Sarangrave#Thornfen|Thornfen]] are mobilizing for their [[Skull beneath the skin|advance]] up to the Fens of Varreth. They will hopefully keep the path into the Salt Flats open to Imperial baggage trains, rather than devoured by ravening [[Quickening Cold Meat|Winter spirits]].

When they arrive, these five are met by the [[Northern Eagle]] who are already in position. The Varushkans have been busy in the Salt Flats for some time now, laying the groundwork for this invasion. There are few forces anywhere in the Empire that can match the Northern Eagle when it comes to [[Army qualities#Elusive|mastery]] of the wild forest, the sodden marsh, the rough dark hill. For the last six months they have been engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse with the Druj defenders of the Saarnath, avoiding any attempt to trap them or bring them to battle, and patiently putting their plans in motion.

The captains of the Eagle report an unqualified success; they have collapsed strategically chosen passes and bridges across the southern Salt Flats, destroying carefully selected caches and otherwise putting their guerilla training to good use. This will not impede the armies of the Druj, who can carry their supplies with them, and resupply from baggage trains but for the [[fortification#garrison|garrisons]] of the Druj [[fortification|fortifications]] - the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#The_Witness|Witness]], the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Spires_of_Rarckan|Spires of Rarckan]], and the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Beacon_of_Iskrid|Beacon of Iskrid]] - it is a different matter. This season, those garrisons are unable to intervene in Lower Saarnath, occupied clearing the damage the Northern Eagle has inflicted, limited by their ability to move provisions into the forests of the south. The Empire will still have a fight on its hand, but the forces the barbarians can bring to bear will be limited to their armies - armies already battered from fighting in Sarangrave and the [[Forest of Ulnak]], armies that have still not fully recovered.

The Northern Eagle have laid the groundwork, but they are not finished with the Druj. Not by a long chalk. The Varushkan soldiers are already planning their next strike against the Mallum, and the planning and execution of their strategy requires all their attention. They are still able to provide a bounty of valuable scouting reports, marking out the areas the Imperial armies should avoid, as well as places they may want to target. Then they disappear back into the rainforest. Their fight this season is very different to that of the conquerors here to fight the Druj openly; it remains to be seen what punishment they have in mind for the barbarians in the coming months.

It is for the Gryphon's Pride to step into the breach. [[Army_qualities#Conquering|Conquest]] is their calling after all, and they press forward with a single overriding goal - to seize Lower Saaranth from the Druj and drive the armies of the Mallum before them. They lead the way, a solid spear-strike deep into enemy territory. They are closely supported by the [[Army_qualities#Cunning|cunning]] of the Quiet Step, who focus their efforts on setting ambushes and luring enemies into traps. They remain mobile, taking advantage of every weakness in the enemy strategy to attack from the flanks. Their tactics are unorthodox but effective - poison and venom, targeting healers, magicians, and supplies. They kill without mercy, and perhaps in some way the Druj might even respect them for it.

For the most part the other Imperial armies take a more conservative approach. For those who have fought the Druj before, this caution seems the wisest course. The barbarians are fond of traps and Imperial soldiers have paid a harsh price for their overconfidence too many times in the past. The Black Thorns push forward [[Army orders#Steady Conquest|patiently]], prioritising the preservation of Imperial lives over the pursuit of victory. The Lions of Adelmar complement this painstaking approach; they [[Army qualities#Guardian|stand staunchly with their allies]] wherever they are engaged, shields ready to block the arrows of the Druj, swords unsheathed and eager to fight alongside their comrades. Selfless and courageous, many are the Navarri and Urizeni who will owe their lives to the Dawnish once this campaign is over.

With the Lions also march a cohort of the [[Knights of Glory]]. They are captained by the fearsome ''Elodian'', resplendent in mighty panoply of runebound steel and leading a glorious warband of hammer-smiths no less powerfully accoutred. The unstoppable blows these heavy warriors strike with their great mauls send barbarians sprawling, or smash them into trees, and both their heavy armour and these terrible strikes serves as a perfect complement to the tactics of the Lions. Whispers suggest that the runic knights have been sent personally by their [[Eleonaris|Queen]] to fight with the Lions, and rumour speculates that there may be something more than friendship between the ''Lady of Pennants'' and the general.

Then, at last, the Citadel Guard. The [[sentinel|sentinels]] and the battlefield magicians of Urizen are there beside their allies whenever battle is joined but their goal is clearly somewhere else. They focus on support and strengthening the soldiers of the other nations and their aid is valuable in seizing land from the Druj but actually ''fighting'' the barbarians is of secondary importance. While their soldiers fight, their [[coven|covens]] work together on of rituals intended to gather magical power and direct it toward this unseen goal. As Summer fades the leaves on the great broad-leafed trees in their vicinity turn brown and red and yellow faster than they have any right to do so. As if something primal was being redirected in some way, out of the forests and toward... somewhere else.

There are [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] of the [[Realms#Summer|Summer realm]] with the Urizeni as well - proud ''Dindrayne'' of the feather-brow. A war-witch with a staff of adamant, she commands a cohort of elfin heroes in mithril chain, who enthusiastically fight alongside the sentinels against the Druj. With them are a score of trumpeters, who rouse the spirits of the soldiers they fight alongside, urging them to acts of heroism and glory that are sometimes at odds with the more sober mien of the people of the southern peaks. Their commander, however, remains with the covens further back behind the lines - an uncommon position for a champion of the ''Lion of Summer''.

As well as magical allies, the armies of the Empire are supported by more than twelve thousand strength at arms lead by [[military unit|Imperial captains]], many of whom bear [[enchantment|enchantments]] of their own. The vast majority fight with the Citadel Guard, and while those versed in the arts of war are at the forefront of the campaign alongside the sentinels and battle-wizards, those with even a smattering of [[Magical_skills#Realm_Lore|realm lore]] - especially the lore of [[Spring magic|Spring]] - are stationed further back supporting and protecting the covens. The 'Guard regularly dispatch these auxiliaries on missions deep into Druj territory, to capture resources or secure access to certain location at critical moments.

A strong force, then, bound together by bonds of [[Loyalty]] and [[Pride]], of the love of comrades, and of a singular purpose: the destruction of the Druj.
<gallery heights=150 mode="packed-hover">
QuietStep Colour.png
NorthernEagle Colour.png
CitadelGuard Colour.png
BlackThorns Colour.png
GryphonPride Colour.png
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</gallery>

==Scorpion in a Corner==
That unity is not found among the barbarians of the Mallum. Even something as straightforward as a singular purpose is somewhat lacking. One would think the Druj armies would be brought together by the desperate need to keep control of as much of the Salt Flats as they can, but they show no sign of it. The armies come to defend Lower Saarnath, its true, but they do so piecemeal and that gives the Imperial armies an advantage.

The first major force to engage the Empire are the [[Druj_armies#White_Lions|White Lions]]. Named for the large venomous ants that build great nests on the Salt Flats, they are perhaps the most disciplined of all the armies of the Mallum. Some of their troops are already in Lower Saarnath, hunting the Northern Eagle, and they quickly raise a warning once it is clear the Empire has come in force. They avoid direct confrontation with the Imperial forces wherever possible, at least until the rest of the defenders start to arrive. It seems they have accepted unwise boons of [[Winter magic]], likely from the ''[[Agramant|Wastewalker]]''. Wounds that should kill them barely slow them down, but when they fall they die quickly. Worse, they are riven by a terrible hunger; there are disturbing scenes where warriors of the White Lions abandon their own defence to cut strips of warm flesh from the fallen - enemies and friends alike. There are handfuls of bloodthirsty [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] - pale white walkers more beast than human or orc - among their number who urge them on to greater and greater excess. For all this apparent madness, however, when they are able to think clearly the White Lions prove to be a persistent and responsive threat to the Empire, seemingly always in position to counter Imperial tactics.

Over the first few weeks of the campaign, the [[Druj_armies#Hidden Widow|Hidden Widow]], the wild warriors of the treacherous [[Druj_armies#Jagged Claws|Jagged Claws]], and the twisted [[Druj_armies#Red Lizard|Red Lizard]] filter in to join the defence of Lower Saarnath. They are forced to approach through the marshes of [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Beladrarsh|Beladrarsh]], and by all accounts receive little assistance from the Skinweaver sept that rule that rich territory. No doubt the wealthy Skinweavers are too busy making preparations for their own survival to see the Druj armies as anything other than a wall of meat between them and the invading humans. Last to arrive are the [[Druj armies#Black Wind|Black Wind]], and for once they seem less interested in [[Army_qualities#Cruel|tormenting]] the armies of the Empire and more in simply trying to stem the flood of Imperial soldiers into the Salt Flats. It is easy to forget that they hate the Druj for what they did to their people - and sometimes hard to bear that they loathe the Empire even more.

The Urizeni quickly note that none of these armies seem to bear enchantments, and that there is a distinct lack of magical wards at least in the south. This is certainly not the traditional way the Druj make war - especially in defence. Speculation runs like wildfire - has the loss of the [[Druj armies#Tainted Basilisk|Tainted Basilisk]] and the disappearance of the cowardly [[Druj lore#Ghulai|Ghulai]] of the [[Sarangrave#Palace_of_the_Sleepers|Palace of the Sleepers]] gutted the magical capabilities of the Druj? Or is it simply that the resources they have are focused elsewhere? Is there some other shoe waiting to drop? Is there a magical trap here, hidden behind the trees, shrouded from the eyes of the magicians and witches and [[vate|vates]]?
<div {{float}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=Dancing scorpions.jpg|align=left|width=400}}</div>
==Make Monsters of Us All==
If the Druj are bad when they invade, they are ten times worse when forced on the defensive. Yet the air of desperation here in the dripping woods of Lower Saarnath is different, somehow. There is a tremor of fear in the people of the Mallum, it seems. They rely on purely defensive tactics, seeking to turn their admittedly superior knowledge of the terrain into advantage wherever possible. They still skirmish, but their attacks are much more focused on singular objectives - driving ''this'' specific band of knights away from a defensible position, overrunning ''this'' specific hospital and then retreating, killing ''these'' scouts and then fleeing without even taking the time to string their corpses up from the trees.

Afraid they might be, but they refuse to cede anything that the Empire does not wrest from their tight grasp. It is challenging for the Imperial armies to bring their weight of numbers to bear against the Druj in the confines of the rainforest; hard for them to force a large-scale confrontation when often visibility is reduced to a score of meters in every direction. When it is not the trees alone, it is the ever-present rain, or the thick, warm mists that rise on the rare occasions when the sun peaks out behind the dark clouds for a few hours. The woods favour the Druj tactics of ambush and surprise, which must be accounted for whenever the Empire advances.

Still the Druj ''are'' outnumbered though, and arguably outclassed. Again, though, it is the ability of the Empire's armies to trust one another than proves the greatest advantage. The Lions of Adelmar and the Quiet Step employ strategies specifically designed to aid their allies, to work with their comrades in other armies and nations. The sentinels of the Citadel Guard are adept at deploying their force where it will offer the greatest support, and then moving to another position as the ebb and flow of battle shifts. In contrast there are reports of warriors of the Jagged Claw intentionally abandoning their Red Lizard "allies" in the middle of an engagement, their deaths serving to cover a flanking manoeuvrer and hasty retreat. There are incidents where the Hidden Widow are left in an exposed position by the Black Wind just to lure a band of thorns into a trap that closes around the Navarr too late to save their "comrades".

As one Dawnish troubadour marching with the Lions says, it isn't so much that the Druj are intentionally turning on one another, but rather than they seem utterly incapable of seeing anyone outside their immediate circle as being ''people'' at all. Rivals or pawns to be used to their own advantage, in the pursuit of their own ambitions or their own survival. A people culturally incapable of feeling the bonds of fellowship, utterly alien to the understanding of love that the Lions hold at the centre of their philosophy.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Sebastián Fawnwood.jpg|caption='''Sebastián Fawnwood.jpg''' (centre), General of the Gryphon's Pride|align=left|width=250}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Dame Katelyn.jpg|caption='''Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco''', General of the Lions of Adelmar|align=left|width=250}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Cadwell Waystone.png|caption='''Cadwell Waystone''', General of the Black Thorns|align=left|width=250}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Neve Agra.jpg|caption='''Neve Agra''', General of the Quiet Step|align=left|width=250}}
</div>
==Handfuls of Dust==
A month after the fighting begins, the Empire encounters serious magical resistance. The Gryphons Pride and the Black Thorns have pushed a little ahead of their allies, driving north-east where the land slopes upward toward the great plateau of Upper Saarnath. A major force of White Lions, supported by warriors of the Hidden Widow, attempt a pincer movement and fighting erupts among the trees. At first it seems that the Pride and the Thorns cannot fail to achieve victory, but then a third force joins the fighting.

They are not an army, or even really a garrison, but rather a force of perhaps a hundred or so hooded orcs with bows and barbed spears. The Thorns identify them as [[Arkad#Vikari|Vikari]] although their banner is unfamiliar - that of a skeletal serpent similar to the coiled shrike favoured by the Kallad. This, reason the Navarr, must be the Vileshrike sept from the Dripping Tor. They are some distance from home, presumably on the orders of the rumoured ghulai ''Graknuz Acidtouch''. They are not alone, however.

With the Vileshrikes are a hundred or so beings that seem to be heralds of the [[Realms#Night|Night realm]], similar to those encountered a few months ago by Imperial champions fighting [[alongside the Earthquake Drummers]] in the Forest of Ulnak. Scarecrow-like, in billowing black robes, it is easy at first to mistake them for [[Druj_lore#Tortured_souls|tortured souls]]. Yet these creatures have never been mortal; there is nothing beneath their robes save animate darkness, shadows that seem to seep through the empty eye-holes of the featureless masks they wear. The merest touch of these awful phantoms [[Calls#Weakness|weakens]] the strongest knight, draining away their will to fight and overwhelming them with fear and terror. Their weapons assail the mind as well as the body, creating magical wounds that confuse the confident thorns leaving them riven with self-doubt and uncertainty. A few are armed with terrible pole-arms that drown their foes in [[paralysis|paralysing]] wells of phantasmal horror, leaving them as easy picking for the rest of the barbarians alongside who they fight.

The Vileshrikes - if that is who this is - don't especially coordinate their attacks with the two armies but rather take advantage of their attack to cover an assault of their own. The battle-magicians are clearly experienced fighting alongside their unnatural allies - they [[entangle|bind]] a likely target long enough for the fluttering-robed things to descend on them and assail their spirit. The Rivers of Life does nothing to bolster the broken will to fight, it cannot heal the terrible nightmares that assail those injured by the creatures' weapons, nor offer protection from the sucking quagmire of doubt that overwhelms the doughtiest warrior.

It doesn't help that these vikari are obviously backed by significant magical resources - enough for some of their number to unleash great wails that weaken enemies and allies alike, or terrifying atonal hymns that [[Calls#CURSE|curse]] Imperial soldiers with a growing delirium that takes hold hours after the fighting when they think themselves safe.

It's hard to say for certain how much difference this additional force of Druj makes to the overall battle; for all their magical prowess Vileshrike Vikari and terrorizing Night held alike are as vulnerable as any magician to [[Calls#IMPALE|arrows and mighty blows]], can be put to flight with a [[Calls#CLEAVE|solid strike]] from a skilled fighter. They also seem to have little stomach for a long fight. They expend their magic quickly, it seems, and then fall back while the White Lions and the Hidden Widow still clash with the Pride and the Thorns.

The Imperial advance is turned back that day, although the Pride and the Thorns manage to lead some of the more bloodthirsty Druj into an ambush set by the Quiet Step. Less than a week later, with the Lions and the Step to back them up, the two Imperial armies return and the Navarr and Dawnish are victorious. They continue to push through the Salt Flats, and the further north-east they travel the more common and vicious fighting with the Vileshrikes becomes.

Whoever the Vileshrikes are, whoever their allies are, they do not fight anywhere else in Lower Saarnath; only in the north-east. They also seem to be the source of a peculiar magical effect, a curse of some kind, that is slowly settling over the southern Salt Flats. Soldiers begin to report an increasing number of horrific dreams, and those standing watch at the darkest hours of the night claim to spot hooded figures watching them from the shadows who they ''know'' are filled with poisonous hate. It doesn't seem to be an enchantment; perhaps this mysterious ghulai is drawing on other sources of power to do... whatever they are doing.

Despite all this, the Druj are forced to retreat again and again. As the season draws on, as the Quiet Step and the Lions of Adelmar come within sight of the location marked out by Imperial scouts as the ''Dripping Tor''. It lies in the depths of the forest, far from any other settlement, but it has been identified by the Northern Eagle as a key strategic location to control. When the armies arrive, however, they find the Tor... missing. In its place looms an impenetrable grove of massive, clearly supernatural trees. When any Imperial soldier gets within a mile of the rough location, thick mists boil out of the ground and seethe in the air, creating impenetrable curtains of grey and white. Those who do not turn back soon regret it - scouts report encounters with unspeakable horrors in the depths of the mists. Some who brave the fog are left shattered in mind and spirit, raving about ''eyes'' and ''claws'' and ''the terrible soft music''. Others do not return at all.

The decision is made to give the area a wide berth. None of the armies here are in a position to try and penetrate whatever ward is in place, and there are still Druj to be fought. A watch is set by the Quiet Step, and the Empire turns its attention elsewhere. At least there are no further attacks by the Vileshrikes and their unnatural allies, once the armies reach the Tor.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Jaromir Ostrovyn Kostka.jpg|caption='''Jaromir Ostrovyn Kostka''', General of the Northern Eagle, leads the Varushkans in subtle infiltration of the Salt Flats.|align=left|width=250}}
</div>

==For Those Who Come After==
In the end, there is no single decisive battle in the valleys of Lower Saarnath, only a string of engagements spread out through the woodlands. There are relatively few Druj settlements here - and they are poorly prepared for attack by Imperial soldiers. Unless the Druj armies are present, these scattered arboreal villages and logging camps swiftly fall to the Empire. Even where the Druj defenders are present, it is usually not enough to stop the Empire seizing them anyway. Usually.

Ultimately the Empire is victorious, smashing through the Druj defences and forcing the armies to retreat. Lower Saarnath is captured in its entirety, and the Imperial forces regroup to consider their next move. The Rivers of Life help to blunt the slaughter on both sides, but when the final tally is made it is still sobering. A thousand Imperial lives lost in the woodlands to the Druj. It is scant consolation that, thanks in particular to the presence of so many Imperial captains, the barbarians seem to have paid a much steeper price. It is difficult to say how ''much'' of a price as always, but even with their purely defensive strategy the Druj have ''suffered'' this season.

As Autumn approaches, armies on both sides take stock and consider their next moves; but then -

Then something unexpected happens.
==What Brings Their End==
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{{CaptionedImage|file=Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was.jpg|caption='''Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was''', General of the Citadel Guard, has unleashed the devastating power of Spring magic on the Druj capital.|align=left|width=250}}
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For three months, the Citadel Guard have been gathering strength, working carefully crafted rituals in each Spring [[regio]] they encounter, weak or strong. They have been studying the flows of [[mana site|mana]] across Lower Saarnath, sending out small bands of diviners and sentinel defenders to learn more about the way power pools across the Salt Flats. A week before the Autumn Equinox, their work is completed.

While it takes time to prepare, and set in motion, the [[Highest_discipline#Technique_of_the_Transcendent_Claw|Technique of the Transcendent Claw]] is not subtle in its effects. At sunrise, the sky turns black, boiling with storm clouds. The rain turns torrential, driven by howling gales. Lightning strikes willy-nilly not only across the valleys of Lower Saarnath but across the entire southern reach of the Salt Flats. Tents are torn up into the sky, unwary folk thrown flat in the mud, branches are ripped from ancient trees creating stark openings in the canopy. Imperial soldiers are at least partially prepared, but it takes the Druj mostly by surprise.

Then, the sole elfin trumpeter that accompanies the Urizen magicians sounds a single terrible note that, impossibly, is heard throughout the lower valleys. It isn't part of the working, but it seems the knights of Eleonaris have a good sense for the dramatic... and this magic is certainly ''dramatic''.

Far away from the Imperial attackers and the Druj defenders, in one of the poorest parts of the sprawling city of [[Salt Flats of Sanath#Leen|Leen]] itself stands the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Beacon_of_Iskrid|Beacon of Iskrid]], a fortification garrisoned not by orcs but by humans under the banner of the self-styled ''Prince Tristain the Golden.'' A long way from the fighting, in a city that no doubt still imagines itself beyond the reach of the Empire. That dream is shattered, decisively.

With a deafening peal of thunder, audible all the way back to Lower Saarnath, a cascade of thunderbolts rains from the sky over Leen. The gale force winds become even stronger, battering the stones of the Beacon with the force of ten Winter storms, then twenty, then thirty. The rain pours in sheets, eating away at the mortar that holds the stones together, at the foundations that allow it to stand. The destruction is not limited to the fortification itself; the surrounding buildings are likewise stricken with this devastating, hungry tempest called by the highest arts of the Urizeni magicians. A tornado reaches down from the heavens, down toward the earth, and as it comes the lightning ignites something within it and it becomes a conflagration despite the monsoon deluge.

The Druj of Leen speak in whispered, terrified tones of spirits within those winds, awful shapes of water and wind and fire that somehow poured ''out'' of the tornado. Creatures of the Spring realm, following this consummate magical working into the mundane world for a short time, tearing at the Beacon with the single-minded hatred creatures of the Primal Forest have for all construction. Were they really there, or do the Druj imagine them in the chaos and ruin that attends upon the power unleashed by the Citadel Guard?

And then the weather starts to clear... the tumultuous downpour turns back to ''just'' heavy rain. The winds lessen, ceasing entirely for a moment before returning again at more normal speed. Smoke rises from the rainforest, but the fires find no purchase in the soaking wood. The lightning ceases, the thunder stills, the clouds part and the wan Autumn sun shines through.

It shines on the uncertain faces of the Imperial soldiers, it shines on the satisfied and tired faces of the Urizeni masters, it shines on the terrified faces of the Druj. It shines also, sadly, on the Beacon if Iskrid. The [[fortification#bastion|bastion]] leans dangerously to the side, barely standing. The upper ramparts have been torn away, as if gouged by some mighty claw, and scattered with lethal force into the city below. It looks for all the world as if the slightest push would send it tumbling into the streets of Leen, crushing everything in its path. It is almost entirely devastated... almost.

The Beacon still stands - the power of the ''Onrushing Storm'' was perhaps blunted by the rival resonances of life and healing in the rainwaters of Sanath this season - but only just. And while it may have avoided destruction by a hair's breadth, the people of Leen cannot fail to understand what has just happened. The [[Druj_lore#Buruk_Tepel|Buruk Tepel]], the rulers of the Druj, who imagined themselves safe in their great city have been presented with a potent illustration of just how vulnerable they are. The Druj are ''afraid''.

==Game Information==
<div style="float: right; max-width: 400px; margin-right: 10px;">{{HoverImage|Salt Flats of Sanath Regions.png|SaltFlatsBasic.png}}</div>
===Salt Flats of Sanath===
* '''The Empire has claimed Lower Saarnath
* '''The Northern Eagle prevented any of the Druj fortifications in Sanath participating in the fight and gave the region the under threat quality
* '''The Beacon of Iskrid has been devastated by Urizen magic but still stands - just
* '''The Dripping Tor appears to be hidden behind a powerful shroud of Night magic
As the Autumn Equinox approaches the Imperial forces in Sanath have claimed the region of Lower Saarnath. The Vileshrikes hidden in the north-east clearly intend to resist Imperial control, but it is not clear how much magic they may be able to bring to bear.

Thanks to the Northern Eagle, the garrisons of the three Druj fortifications were unable to operate in Lower Saarnath this season. That benefit ends with the Autumn Equinox - the remaining garrisons will be able to participate in the campaign as normal going forward. They also provided the under threat quality to Lower Saarnath, but that quality has also faded as the Autumn Equinox dawns. The Eagle are in Sanath, but they did not participate directly in the campaign this season. Instead they are arranging another strike against the Druj using their [[Army qualities#Elusive|elusive]] quality.

The Beacon of Iskrid was assailed by the Urizeni using their Technique of the Transcendent Claw. All casualties the army caused were targeted specifically against the Beacon, ignoring the usual reduction in damage done to a bastion. The presence of many military units, and the Knights of Glory, both help this technique have a significant impact. Even the Quiet Step ''Cunning'' strategy works to increase the damage to the Beacon (but only by increasing the casualties caused directly by the army; as with all army orders it doesn't increase the casualties caused by military units or enchantments). It is also worth noting that this is effect [[Limits_of_magic#Damaging_Fortifications|cannot be created]] with ritual magic - the direct damage to a fortification is the result of a [[Highest_discipline#Technique_of_the_Transcendent_Claw|unique technique]] that requires an entire season of campaigning in a given territory by an army including powerful magicians who perform dozens of individual rituals before it has any effect.

Only military units supporting the Citadel Guard receive a share of the Imperial Guerdon; other military units receive nothing.

===Strategic Considerations===
* '''Dripping Tor is concealed beneath a powerful shroud of Night magic
* '''It is not possible to move between Uper Saarnath and Leen Rarckan
The Vileshrike stronghold of ''Dripping Tor'' is concealed behind a potent shroud of [[Night magic]], similar in effect to [[Vale of Shadows]]. According to the witches and vates who accompanied the armies into that part of the valleys, it appears to have been performed at magnitude 120 - representing a serious challenge to Imperial magicians who want to remove it. Still, a suitably potent [[Piercing Light of Revelation]] cast at the [[Regio#The_Imperial_Regio|Imperial regio]] could be [[Army_qualities#Magic|channeled]] through the [[general]] of the [[Citadel Guard]] but it will require a magnitude of 240 to bring the effect down. If left undisturbed, the shroud will last until the start of the Summer Solstice 389YE. Other methods might exist to penetrate this magical defence.

If the shroud is removed, the Vileshrike sept could be destroyed by an Imperial army send specifically to root them out. This would need to be done at the same summit the shroud was pierced, or the sept will be able to scatter into the wild places of the Salt Flats and potentially remain as a threat to Imperial forces in the territory. They are not a significant campaign force however; while the army would need to take an attacking order and be busy for an entire season, they would suffer no appreciable damage.

It is not immediately apparent from the map, but Imperial scouts have confirmed what the original spy network used to map the Salt Flats only suggested. It is not possible for an [[army]] to move between [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Upper_Saarnath|Upper Saarnath]] and [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Leen_Rarckan|Leen Rarckan]] (or vice versa) without an opportunity.

===Participation: Citadel Guard===
<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">[[File:SpringRune.jpg|267px]]</div>
* '''Military units fighting with the Citadel Guard have participated in the working of the Onrushing Storm
Any character whose military unit supported the Citadel Guard this season is free to roleplay their involvement in the performance of the ''Technique of the Resplendent Claw''. This may have involved protecting Urizeni magicians, but might also have involved scouting into other regions of the southern Salt Flats to find specific resources, escorting a coven to a hidden Spring regio, or raiding a specific mana site to shift the flows of mana in a direction that helps support the destructive magic ultimately unleashed against the Beacon of Iskrid. Magicians might have helped with the rituals cast - working with ritual masters from their own nation to perform supportive rituals. An Urizeni magician versed in Spring lore might even have been one of those involved in the final magical workings that lead to the assault on the Beacon. You are also free to roleplay that you fought alongside the sentinels and other soldiers striving to conquer Lower Saarnath instead, of course.

While the army was enchanted with [[Knights of Glory]], the presence of the heralds has not had any noticeable affect on either the military units supporting the army, nor on the soldiers of the army itself.
===Participation: Lions of Adelmar===
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=EleonarisArt.jpg|caption=Regal, noble, and terrible in anger; Eleonaris is the Lion of Summer and her soldiers bear many of her traits.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
* '''The Lions of Adelmar continue not being able to take the cautious advance or give ground orders'''
* '''Any character whose military unit fought alongside the Lions of Adelmar may be inspired by the Knights of Glory'''
The Lions of Adelmar are accompanied into the Salt Flats by [[Knights of Glory|supernatural warriors]] lead by the war-smith ''Elodian''. The presence of the knights continues to [[Even_darkness_must_pass#Sarangrave|exert influence over]] the Dawnish army. The Lions of Adelmar cannot take the [[Army orders#Cautious Advance|Cautious Advance]] or [[Army orders#Give Ground|Give Ground]] orders until a year has passed - even if Dawn were to put aside their [[Dawn_military_concerns#Army_Orders|commitment]] to Glory.

The heavily armoured champions that fight under the banner of ''Elodian'' have relished the experience of battling the Druj alongside the Lions of Adelmar, and not been shy about expressing their approval. The warriors from the Field of Glory take every opportunity to inspire the glorious soldiers of the army. A character whose military unit supported the Lions of Adelmar this season may choose to have been impacted by the experience of battling in close proximity to the glorious heralds.

If you are a Dawnish character whose military unit supported the Lions of Adelmar this season, or the general of the army itself, you may choose to gain a magical boon from the runic war-smiths. To claim this boon you must mark your armour, shield, or a visible part of your body with one or more of the so-called [[Runes#Runes of Summer|Runes of Summer]] - [[Feresh]], [[Jotra]], [[Tykonus]], or [[Verys]]. The boon counts as an [[enchantment]] on your character. As long as at least one of these runes are present, the [[Combat_skills#Dreadnought|dreadnought]] skill provides you with two additional hits, and whenever you use the [[heroic skills#Unstoppable|unstoppable]] skill you regain two additional hits.

If anyone uses [[Detect_magic#Discern_Enchantment|discern enchantment]] on you, you'll need to let the referee know that you are under the effect of a magnitude 7 Summer enchantment, and that you bear the ''mark of runemarked prowess''.

As well as the game benefits, the aura creates a [[roleplaying effects|roleplaying effect]]: ''You feel a strong urge to fight valiantly to support your friends, family, and especially your loved ones. Anyone offending or upsetting someone you care about causes a wave of burning anger to boil up inside you making it hard not to immediately confront them. If you lose your temper it is very hard not to give in to the urge to beat whoever offended you or your ally until they are incapacitated or they unconditionally surrender. At the same time, whenever you feel cherished or appreciated, the sensations are significantly increased to the point where you may experience a moment of rare bliss.''

The boon can be removed [[Enchantment#Removing_Enchantments|as normal]] - “overwritten” with a new enchantment - and will have faded by the start of the Winter Solstice.

===Participation: Bad Dreams===
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Diras.png|title=Rune: Diras|align=right}}</div>
* '''Something is causing particularly bad dreams in Lower Saarnath
Any character whose military unit supported any of the armies in the Salt Flats of Sanath this season may have experienced unsettling dreams. Nightmares are not uncommon when one is exposed to the Druj miasma, but these are a step above what veterans of the Mallum, or of the fight to liberate Zenith, have reported. Nightmares caused by the miasma tend to vary between individuals as much as any other dreams, but there is a suspcious commonality of elements in many of these odd dreams.

They involve being pursued or threatened in familiar places that are twisted with mud and water, or the presence of marsh-dwelling flora or fauna. Horrible phantasmal shapes eventually invade these places, or catch up with a fleeing dreamer, and begin to drown them or smother them. Dreamers awaken terrified, short of breath, and convinced that there is something leaning over them trying to steal their breath, crush their chests, or throttle them in their sleep. Nothing is physically present, and there are no signs of either intruders or assailants.

There is no benefit to doing so, but anyone who has experienced these dreams is encouraged to start the Autumn Equinox without any [[heroic skills#Hero|hero points]] or [[magical skills#magician|personal mana]]. They can still recover hero points and mana as normal - either by getting a good nights sleep at Anvil or by taking advantage of a magical method of recovery such as a [[potion]], or an [[enchantment|enhanted]] area such as [[Herthfire's Hospitality]] or [[Chamber of Delights]].
==Battle Opportunity : What Dreams Must Come==
* '''There is an opportunity for a battle in the Salt Flats of Sanath this season
Imperial prognosticators have identified a major conjunction of the sentinel gate leading to a location in north-eastern Lower Saarnath. They believe it allows an opportunity to clear some kind of supernatural blockage that will spell doom for the Beacon of Iskrid, and may have some bearing on whatever malign power of the [[Realms#Night realm|Night realm]] is loose in the region.

Forward into depthless dark

2026-08-27T10:48:26Z

Noserenda: /* What Brings Their End */

[[Category:Winds of War]][[Category:388YE Autumn]][[Category:Military Council]]
<div {{floatleft}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=Into depthless dark.jpg|align=left|caption=Here is the heart of the Druj; black and twisted and filled with hate and fear.|width=500}}</div>
==Wicked Effigies and Twisted Monuments==
The Salt Flats of Sanath are the true heartlands of the Druj. Broad plains criss-crossed by dark waterways. The ground is sodden, and the further east toward the sea one travels, the more marshy the land becomes. The forests common to the rest of the Mallum have mostly been cleared here, by centuries of ravenous industy. Only in the south-west is there any great woodland - the [[Salt Flats of Sanath#Lower Saarnath|lowland valleys]] and the high [[Salt Flats of Sanath#Upper Saarnath|plateau]] that each form half of the lands jointly called the Saarnath.
__TOC__
It rains almost constantly here, or so it seems. Even when it is not actively raining, the air is thick with moisture. The ground can turn slick and treacherous without warning, even in the valleys of Saarnath where the marshes of Sarangrave give way to broad-leafed rainforest. Visibility drops precipitously, a far cry from the relatively open sight-lines of the marshes and the flats to the south-west. Only the [[Navarr]] and the [[Varushka|Varushkans]] are really at home here, but even they must beware of overconfidence. The Druj know these woods better than they do after all.

Thick as the air can be, the [[Druj miasma|miasma]] is thicker, perhaps thicker than the Empire has ever encountered it. It has had generations to take root, to smother hope and ambition, to grind deep into the mud those unfortunate enough to be enslaved by the Druj. It preys on the minds of many soldiers, an insidious urge growing daily to simply give up, to turn back, to surrender, to cower. It requires constant vigilance by the captains, and by each soldier for their comrades, to keep the enervating atmosphere at bay.

The weather worsens as Summer wanes, and with the almost constant rain comes the [[curse]] of [[Spring magic]]. A fragment of [[Rivers of Life|healing power]] falls with every drop, bringing burgeoning life without constraint, without reason or caution. No wounds, save the most egregious, will last the night. Death comes only to those unfortunate enough to fall far from their lines, or to those who are the victims of swift execution. The familiar magic flows everywhere, in all the water in the Sarangrave, and it protects barbarian and Imperial invader alike. It also touches the plants and creatures of the Mallum with supernatural vitality, but driving some of them to the edge of frenzy.

And what creatures they are! The Empire has heard of them, encountered them in the eastern forests from time to time, but just as this is the heartland of the Druj so it is home to the [[Arkad#Hupul|deathstinger]], and the [[Arkad#Hupul|green forest scorpion]], and the awful serpentine [[Arkad#Kallad|coiled shrike]]. These creatures seem to have little fear of humans or orcs, and are ambitious enough to try and prey upon them when the opportunity presents itself. Imperial soldiers quickly learn to fear the droning buzz of ebon-and-scarlet wasps the size of doves, the cold horror of awakening to discover a razor-clawed insect with its tail already poised to strike exploring the interior of their tent, the yell of surprise that quickly gives way to agonised screaming as a friend is condemned to a terrible death at the fangs of an arboreal assassin. The Rivers of Life do little to purge venom, or cure the poison that burns through the belly of those foolish enough to eat the ripe fruit from the wrong tree.

Into this land of death come the Imperial armies, ready to strike against the core of the Druj. They will have their work cut out for them in the months to come, but if they can seize victory... what a thing ''that'' would be!
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;">
<quote by="Sebastián Fawnwood, General of the Gryphons Pride">My glorious pride. You have bided your time, but now is our opportunity for what we were made for. Conquest. The salt flats of Sanath is our destination, for this is the beginning of the end for the Druj. With our warbanner reforged, it has been named the Pride of the Gryphons. It will be raised high enough that the Druj will see who brings their end. Be Vigilant. Be Glorious. Be the pride of Dawn.</quote>
<quote by="Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco, General of the Lions of Adelmar">Lions, three years ago I first came to Anvil a woman in pain. Like so many, the Druj had taken everything from me. Like so many, they continued to take our past, our present, our future. Our Gui, our Isaac, our Scout. Their ideology of hatred thrives in the dark and they wish to make monsters of us all. They wish to teach us to be scared of the dark. Let us make them fear the light. May we be the flame the innocent are drawn to as a Beacon of Safety. May our banners show that Courage and Loyalty drives us. May the sound of our roar carry far across the Salt Flats. May the Druj know this sound heralds their end, learn those banners mean those hurt will be saved, learn that flame is Ambition to bring glory with Elodian's Hammersmiths and the majesty of the Lion of Summer. Learn the monster they tried to create, became the lioness that will bring a death to the Druj. Whatever it takes. One day, the Druj will be a bedtime story told of our glory. Let us be the authors.</quote>
<quote by="Cadwell Waystone, General of the Black Thorns">Navarr will serve the Empire in Loyalty, regardless of the theatre of war. The Druj are broken, a scorpion backed into a corner, but their story is still a danger. The Buruk Tepel will fall, their armies laid low by the virtue of Imperial steel and we will free the slaves of the Mallum. Act in loyalty, fight with courage and serve with pride.</quote>
<quote by="Mercia Questor's View, General of the Quiet Step">Navarr, now is the time to hit the Druj where it hurts. We march on Lower Sanath. I may not be who you expected in command but I will see Neve's ambition for this army fulfilled. Whatever it takes. Our cousins in Varushka will take care of our home. Let the citizens of Therunin look to this beacon and away from the arms of Agramant. For those who came before. For those who come after.</quote>
<quote by="Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was, General of the Citadel Guard">Sentinels, Consider the Drowned Man. There comes a point in some fights when you are so much better than your opponent that victory seems inevitable. Your foe does not comprehend that they have lost, for they still stand, still fight. They lack your foresight, your arete, and you must simply walk them through the dance steps of their demise. In that moment it can be tempting to show mercy, even pity your foe. Worse, one can lose focus, looking to the next conflict. The Empire has made this mistake before. This is how the Druj still blight the world. Mercy is weakness - The task is not done until it is done. We begin the end. Make for Lower Saarnath. With Spring's might and Summer knights we soften Leen, bringing ruin to the Beacon of Iskrid. We must not relent until the last of the Buruk-Tepel are marched through Anvil and relieved of the burden of their vile, poisonous heads.</quote>
<quote by="Jaromir Ostrovyn Kostka, General of the Northern Eagle">Eagle of the North, I return to you now to guide our path to the last conquest of the Druj. We go to the Sydathian Fens, striding unseen as we hunt for our foe's weakness. To you, Surut, Schlacta of the Roaring Hearth, I present my curiosity to your bargain and welcome your wisdom in bringing bright ruin to old and rotten things. Before us stand wicked effigies and twisted monuments to a dying power, symbols of a strength that has left the heart and limbs of this sickened beast of a nation. We shall make a beacon of them, a sign to our embattled cousins and fearful foes alike that soon all here will be changed by Imperial will. Forward now, into this depthless dark, for herein we shall raise the torches that shall light the way to a better world.</quote></div>
==Who Brings Their End==
Five armies march out of northern Sarangrave, through the [[Sarangrave#Turan Flats|Turan Flats]] into the Sanath. This is the [[A_walk_in_shadow|second time]] the Empire has ventured into Sanath, and the situation in the south is very different to that they encountered in the north three years ago.

The [[Black Thorns]] and the [[Citadel Guard]] are already in place, and they are quickly joined by the [[Gryphon's Pride]], the [[Lions of Adelmar]] and the [[Quiet Step]] from [[Ossium]], and [[Semmerholm]], and [[Zenith]]. The Quiet Step bring word that the [[Axos|Axou]] of [[Sarangrave#Thornfen|Thornfen]] are mobilizing for their [[Skull beneath the skin|advance]] up to the Fens of Varreth. They will hopefully keep the path into the Salt Flats open to Imperial baggage trains, rather than devoured by ravening [[Quickening Cold Meat|Winter spirits]].

When they arrive, these five are met by the [[Northern Eagle]] who are already in position. The Varushkans have been busy in the Salt Flats for some time now, laying the groundwork for this invasion. There are few forces anywhere in the Empire that can match the Northern Eagle when it comes to [[Army qualities#Elusive|mastery]] of the wild forest, the sodden marsh, the rough dark hill. For the last six months they have been engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse with the Druj defenders of the Saarnath, avoiding any attempt to trap them or bring them to battle, and patiently putting their plans in motion.

The captains of the Eagle report an unqualified success; they have collapsed strategically chosen passes and bridges across the southern Salt Flats, destroying carefully selected caches and otherwise putting their guerilla training to good use. This will not impede the armies of the Druj, who can carry their supplies with them, and resupply from baggage trains but for the [[fortification#garrison|garrisons]] of the Druj [[fortification|fortifications]] - the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#The_Witness|Witness]], the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Spires_of_Rarckan|Spires of Rarckan]], and the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Beacon_of_Iskrid|Beacon of Iskrid]] - it is a different matter. This season, those garrisons are unable to intervene in Lower Saarnath, occupied clearing the damage the Northern Eagle has inflicted, limited by their ability to move provisions into the forests of the south. The Empire will still have a fight on its hand, but the forces the barbarians can bring to bear will be limited to their armies - armies already battered from fighting in Sarangrave and the [[Forest of Ulnak]], armies that have still not fully recovered.

The Northern Eagle have laid the groundwork, but they are not finished with the Druj. Not by a long chalk. The Varushkan soldiers are already planning their next strike against the Mallum, and the planning and execution of their strategy requires all their attention. They are still able to provide a bounty of valuable scouting reports, marking out the areas the Imperial armies should avoid, as well as places they may want to target. Then they disappear back into the rainforest. Their fight this season is very different to that of the conquerors here to fight the Druj openly; it remains to be seen what punishment they have in mind for the barbarians in the coming months.

It is for the Gryphon's Pride to step into the breach. [[Army_qualities#Conquering|Conquest]] is their calling after all, and they press forward with a single overriding goal - to seize Lower Saaranth from the Druj and drive the armies of the Mallum before them. They lead the way, a solid spear-strike deep into enemy territory. They are closely supported by the [[Army_qualities#Cunning|cunning]] of the Quiet Step, who focus their efforts on setting ambushes and luring enemies into traps. They remain mobile, taking advantage of every weakness in the enemy strategy to attack from the flanks. Their tactics are unorthodox but effective - poison and venom, targeting healers, magicians, and supplies. They kill without mercy, and perhaps in some way the Druj might even respect them for it.

For the most part the other Imperial armies take a more conservative approach. For those who have fought the Druj before, this caution seems the wisest course. The barbarians are fond of traps and Imperial soldiers have paid a harsh price for their overconfidence too many times in the past. The Black Thorns push forward [[Army orders#Steady Conquest|patiently]], prioritising the preservation of Imperial lives over the pursuit of victory. The Lions of Adelmar complement this painstaking approach; they [[Army qualities#Guardian|stand staunchly with their allies]] wherever they are engaged, shields ready to block the arrows of the Druj, swords unsheathed and eager to fight alongside their comrades. Selfless and courageous, many are the Navarri and Urizeni who will owe their lives to the Dawnish once this campaign is over.

With the Lions also march a cohort of the [[Knights of Glory]]. They are captained by the fearsome ''Elodian'', resplendent in mighty panoply of runebound steel and leading a glorious warband of hammer-smiths no less powerfully accoutred. The unstoppable blows these heavy warriors strike with their great mauls send barbarians sprawling, or smash them into trees, and both their heavy armour and these terrible strikes serves as a perfect complement to the tactics of the Lions. Whispers suggest that the runic knights have been sent personally by their [[Eleonaris|Queen]] to fight with the Lions, and rumour speculates that there may be something more than friendship between the ''Lady of Pennants'' and the general.

Then, at last, the Citadel Guard. The [[sentinel|sentinels]] and the battlefield magicians of Urizen are there beside their allies whenever battle is joined but their goal is clearly somewhere else. They focus on support and strengthening the soldiers of the other nations and their aid is valuable in seizing land from the Druj but actually ''fighting'' the barbarians is of secondary importance. While their soldiers fight, their [[coven|covens]] work together on of rituals intended to gather magical power and direct it toward this unseen goal. As Summer fades the leaves on the great broad-leafed trees in their vicinity turn brown and red and yellow faster than they have any right to do so. As if something primal was being redirected in some way, out of the forests and toward... somewhere else.

There are [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] of the [[Realms#Summer|Summer realm]] with the Urizeni as well - proud ''Dindrayne'' of the feather-brow. A war-witch with a staff of adamant, she commands a cohort of elfin heroes in mithril chain, who enthusiastically fight alongside the sentinels against the Druj. With them are a score of trumpeters, who rouse the spirits of the soldiers they fight alongside, urging them to acts of heroism and glory that are sometimes at odds with the more sober mien of the people of the southern peaks. Their commander, however, remains with the covens further back behind the lines - an uncommon position for a champion of the ''Lion of Summer''.

As well as magical allies, the armies of the Empire are supported by more than twelve thousand strength at arms lead by [[military unit|Imperial captains]], many of whom bear [[enchantment|enchantments]] of their own. The vast majority fight with the Citadel Guard, and while those versed in the arts of war are at the forefront of the campaign alongside the sentinels and battle-wizards, those with even a smattering of [[Magical_skills#Realm_Lore|realm lore]] - especially the lore of [[Spring magic|Spring]] - are stationed further back supporting and protecting the covens. The 'Guard regularly dispatch these auxiliaries on missions deep into Druj territory, to capture resources or secure access to certain location at critical moments.

A strong force, then, bound together by bonds of [[Loyalty]] and [[Pride]], of the love of comrades, and of a singular purpose: the destruction of the Druj.
<gallery heights=150 mode="packed-hover">
QuietStep Colour.png
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==Scorpion in a Corner==
That unity is not found among the barbarians of the Mallum. Even something as straightforward as a singular purpose is somewhat lacking. One would think the Druj armies would be brought together by the desperate need to keep control of as much of the Salt Flats as they can, but they show no sign of it. The armies come to defend Lower Saarnath, its true, but they do so piecemeal and that gives the Imperial armies an advantage.

The first major force to engage the Empire are the [[Druj_armies#White_Lions|White Lions]]. Named for the large venomous ants that build great nests on the Salt Flats, they are perhaps the most disciplined of all the armies of the Mallum. Some of their troops are already in Lower Saarnath, hunting the Northern Eagle, and they quickly raise a warning once it is clear the Empire has come in force. They avoid direct confrontation with the Imperial forces wherever possible, at least until the rest of the defenders start to arrive. It seems they have accepted unwise boons of [[Winter magic]], likely from the ''[[Agramant|Wastewalker]]''. Wounds that should kill them barely slow them down, but when they fall they die quickly. Worse, they are riven by a terrible hunger; there are disturbing scenes where warriors of the White Lions abandon their own defence to cut strips of warm flesh from the fallen - enemies and friends alike. There are handfuls of bloodthirsty [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] - pale white walkers more beast than human or orc - among their number who urge them on to greater and greater excess. For all this apparent madness, however, when they are able to think clearly the White Lions prove to be a persistent and responsive threat to the Empire, seemingly always in position to counter Imperial tactics.

Over the first few weeks of the campaign, the [[Druj_armies#Hidden Widow|Hidden Widow]], the wild warriors of the treacherous [[Druj_armies#Jagged Claws|Jagged Claws]], and the twisted [[Druj_armies#Red Lizard|Red Lizard]] filter in to join the defence of Lower Saarnath. They are forced to approach through the marshes of [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Beladrarsh|Beladrarsh]], and by all accounts receive little assistance from the Skinweaver sept that rule that rich territory. No doubt the wealthy Skinweavers are too busy making preparations for their own survival to see the Druj armies as anything other than a wall of meat between them and the invading humans. Last to arrive are the [[Druj armies#Black Wind|Black Wind]], and for once they seem less interested in [[Army_qualities#Cruel|tormenting]] the armies of the Empire and more in simply trying to stem the flood of Imperial soldiers into the Salt Flats. It is easy to forget that they hate the Druj for what they did to their people - and sometimes hard to bear that they loathe the Empire even more.

The Urizeni quickly note that none of these armies seem to bear enchantments, and that there is a distinct lack of magical wards at least in the south. This is certainly not the traditional way the Druj make war - especially in defence. Speculation runs like wildfire - has the loss of the [[Druj armies#Tainted Basilisk|Tainted Basilisk]] and the disappearance of the cowardly [[Druj lore#Ghulai|Ghulai]] of the [[Sarangrave#Palace_of_the_Sleepers|Palace of the Sleepers]] gutted the magical capabilities of the Druj? Or is it simply that the resources they have are focused elsewhere? Is there some other shoe waiting to drop? Is there a magical trap here, hidden behind the trees, shrouded from the eyes of the magicians and witches and [[vate|vates]]?
<div {{float}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=Dancing scorpions.jpg|align=left|width=400}}</div>
==Make Monsters of Us All==
If the Druj are bad when they invade, they are ten times worse when forced on the defensive. Yet the air of desperation here in the dripping woods of Lower Saarnath is different, somehow. There is a tremor of fear in the people of the Mallum, it seems. They rely on purely defensive tactics, seeking to turn their admittedly superior knowledge of the terrain into advantage wherever possible. They still skirmish, but their attacks are much more focused on singular objectives - driving ''this'' specific band of knights away from a defensible position, overrunning ''this'' specific hospital and then retreating, killing ''these'' scouts and then fleeing without even taking the time to string their corpses up from the trees.

Afraid they might be, but they refuse to cede anything that the Empire does not wrest from their tight grasp. It is challenging for the Imperial armies to bring their weight of numbers to bear against the Druj in the confines of the rainforest; hard for them to force a large-scale confrontation when often visibility is reduced to a score of meters in every direction. When it is not the trees alone, it is the ever-present rain, or the thick, warm mists that rise on the rare occasions when the sun peaks out behind the dark clouds for a few hours. The woods favour the Druj tactics of ambush and surprise, which must be accounted for whenever the Empire advances.

Still the Druj ''are'' outnumbered though, and arguably outclassed. Again, though, it is the ability of the Empire's armies to trust one another than proves the greatest advantage. The Lions of Adelmar and the Quiet Step employ strategies specifically designed to aid their allies, to work with their comrades in other armies and nations. The sentinels of the Citadel Guard are adept at deploying their force where it will offer the greatest support, and then moving to another position as the ebb and flow of battle shifts. In contrast there are reports of warriors of the Jagged Claw intentionally abandoning their Red Lizard "allies" in the middle of an engagement, their deaths serving to cover a flanking manoeuvrer and hasty retreat. There are incidents where the Hidden Widow are left in an exposed position by the Black Wind just to lure a band of thorns into a trap that closes around the Navarr too late to save their "comrades".

As one Dawnish troubadour marching with the Lions says, it isn't so much that the Druj are intentionally turning on one another, but rather than they seem utterly incapable of seeing anyone outside their immediate circle as being ''people'' at all. Rivals or pawns to be used to their own advantage, in the pursuit of their own ambitions or their own survival. A people culturally incapable of feeling the bonds of fellowship, utterly alien to the understanding of love that the Lions hold at the centre of their philosophy.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Sebastián Fawnwood.jpg|caption='''Sebastián Fawnwood.jpg''' (centre), General of the Gryphon's Pride|align=left|width=250}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Dame Katelyn.jpg|caption='''Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco''', General of the Lions of Adelmar|align=left|width=250}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Cadwell Waystone.png|caption='''Cadwell Waystone''', General of the Black Thorns|align=left|width=250}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Neve Agra.jpg|caption='''Neve Agra''', General of the Quiet Step|align=left|width=250}}
</div>
==Handfuls of Dust==
A month after the fighting begins, the Empire encounters serious magical resistance. The Gryphons Pride and the Black Thorns have pushed a little ahead of their allies, driving north-east where the land slopes upward toward the great plateau of Upper Saarnath. A major force of White Lions, supported by warriors of the Hidden Widow, attempt a pincer movement and fighting erupts among the trees. At first it seems that the Pride and the Thorns cannot fail to achieve victory, but then a third force joins the fighting.

They are not an army, or even really a garrison, but rather a force of perhaps a hundred or so hooded orcs with bows and barbed spears. The Thorns identify them as [[Arkad#Vikari|Vikari]] although their banner is unfamiliar - that of a skeletal serpent similar to the coiled shrike favoured by the Kallad. This, reason the Navarr, must be the Vileshrike sept from the Dripping Tor. They are some distance from home, presumably on the orders of the rumoured ghulai ''Graknuz Acidtouch''. They are not alone, however.

With the Vileshrikes are a hundred or so beings that seem to be heralds of the [[Realms#Night|Night realm]], similar to those encountered a few months ago by Imperial champions fighting [[alongside the Earthquake Drummers]] in the Forest of Ulnak. Scarecrow-like, in billowing black robes, it is easy at first to mistake them for [[Druj_lore#Tortured_souls|tortured souls]]. Yet these creatures have never been mortal; there is nothing beneath their robes save animate darkness, shadows that seem to seep through the empty eye-holes of the featureless masks they wear. The merest touch of these awful phantoms [[Calls#Weakness|weakens]] the strongest knight, draining away their will to fight and overwhelming them with fear and terror. Their weapons assail the mind as well as the body, creating magical wounds that confuse the confident thorns leaving them riven with self-doubt and undertainty. A few are armed with terrible pole-arms that drown their foes in [[paralysis|paralysing]] wells of phantasmal horror, leaving them as easy picking for the rest of the barbarians alongside who they fight.

The Vileshrikes - if that is who this is - don't especially coordinate their attacks with the two armies but rather take advantage of their attack to cover an assault of their own. The battle-magicians are clearly experienced fighting alongside their unnatural allies - they [[entangle|bind]] a likely target long enough for the fluttering-robed things to descend on them and assail their spirit. The Rivers of Life does nothing to bolster the broken will to fight, it cannot heal the terrible nightmares that assail those injured by the creatures' weapons, nor offer protection from the sucking quagmire of doubt that overwhelms the doughtiest warrior.

It doesn't help that these vikari are obviously backed by significant magical resources - enough for some of their number to unleash great wails that weaken enemies and allies alike, or terrifying atonal hymns that [[Calls#CURSE|curse]] Imperial soldiers with a growing delerium that takes hold hours after the fighting when they think themselves safe.

It's hard to say for certain how much difference this additional force of Druj makes to the overall battle; for all their magical prowess Vileshrike Vikari and terrorizing Night held alike are as vulnerable as any magician to [[Calls#IMPALE|arrows and mighty blows]], can be put to flight with a [[Calls#CLEAVE|solid strike]] from a skilled fighter. They also seem to have little stomach for a long fight. They expend their magic quickly, it seems, and then fall back while the White Lions and the Hidden Widow still clash with the Pride and the Thorns.

The Imperial advance is turned back that day, although the Pride and the Thorns manage to lead some of the more bloodthirsty Druj into an ambush set by the Quiet Step. Less than a week later, with the Lions and the Step to back them up, the two Imperial armies return and the Navarr and Dawnish are victorious. They continue to push through the Salt Flats, and the further north-east they travel the more common and vicious fighting with the Vileshrikes becomes.

Whoever the Vileshrikes are, whoever their allies are, they do not fight anywhere else in Lower Saarnath; only in the north-east. They also seem to be the source of a peculiar magical effect, a curse of some kind, that is slowly settling over the southern Salt Flats. Soldiers begin to report an increasing number of horrific dreams, and those standing watch at the darkest hours of the night claim to spot hooded figures watching them from the shadows who they ''know'' are filled with poisonous hate. It doesn't seem to be an enchantment; perhaps this mysterious ghulai is drawing on other sources of power to do... whatever they are doing.

Despite all this, the Druj are forced to retreat again and again. As the season draws on, as the Quiet Step and the Lions of Adelmar come within sight of the location marked out by Imperial scouts as the ''Dripping Tor''. It lies in the depths of the forest, far from any other settlement, but it has been identified by the Northern Eagle as a key strategic location to control. When the armies arrive, however, they find the Tor... missing. In its place looms an impenetrable grove of massive, clearly supernatural trees. When any Imperial soldier gets within a mile of the rough location, thick mists boil out of the ground and seethe in the air, creating impenetrable curtains of grey and white. Those who do not turn back soon regret it - scouts report encounters with unspeakable horrors in the depths of the mists. Some who brave the fog are left shattered in mind and spirit, raving about ''eyes'' and ''claws'' and ''the terrible soft music''. Others do not return at all.

The decision is made to give the area a wide berth. None of the armies here are in a position to try and penetrate whatever ward is in place, and there are still Druj to be fought. A watch is set by the Quiet Step, and the Empire turns its attention elsewhere. At least there are no further attacks by the Vileshrikes and their unnatural allies, once the armies reach the Tor.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Jaromir Ostrovyn Kostka.jpg|caption='''Jaromir Ostrovyn Kostka''', General of the Northern Eagle, leads the Varushkans in subtle infiltration of the Salt Flats.|align=left|width=250}}
</div>
==For Those Who Come After==
In the end, there is no single decisive battle in the valleys of Lower Saarnath, only a string of engagements spread out through the woodlands. There are relatively few Druj settlements here - and they are poorly prepared for attack by Imperial soldiers. Unless the Druj armies are present, these scattered arboreal villages and logging camps swiftly fall to the Empire. Even where the Druj defenders are present, it is usually not enough to stop the Empire seizing them anyway. Usually.

Ultimately the Empire is victorious, smashing through the Druj defences and forcing the armies to retreat. Lower Saarnath is captured in its entirety, and the Imperial forces regroup to consider their next move. The Rivers of Life help to blunt the slaughter on both sides, but when the final tally is made it is still sobering. A thousand Imperial lives lost in the woodlands to the Druj. It is scant consolation that, thanks in particular to the presence of so many Imperial captains, the barbarians seem to have paid a much steeper price. It is difficult to say how ''much'' of a price as always, but even with their purely defensive strategy the Druj have ''suffered'' this season.

As Autumn approaches, armies on both sides take stock and consider their next moves; but then -

Then something unexpected happens.
==What Brings Their End==
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{{CaptionedImage|file=Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was.jpg|caption='''Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was''', General of the Citadel Guard, has unleashed the devastating power of Spring magic on the Druj capital.|align=left|width=250}}
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For three months, the Citadel Guard have been gathering strength, working carefully crafted rituals in each Spring [[regio]] they encounter, weak or strong. They have been studying the flows of [[mana site|mana]] across Lower Saarnath, sending out small bands of diviners and sentinel defenders to learn more about the way power pools across the Salt Flats. A week before the Autumn Equinox, their work is completed.

While it takes time to prepare, and set in motion, the [[Highest_discipline#Technique_of_the_Transcendent_Claw|Technique of the Transcendent Claw]] is not subtle in its effects. At sunrise, the sky turns black, boiling with storm clouds. The rain turns torrential, driven by howling gales. Lightning strikes willy-nilly not only across the valleys of Lower Saarnath but across the entire southern reach of the Salt Flats. Tents are torn up into the sky, unwary folk thrown flat in the mud, branches are ripped from ancient trees creating stark openings in the canopy. Imperial soldiers are at least partially prepared, but it takes the Druj mostly by surprise.

Then, the sole elfin trumpeter that accompanies the Urizen magicians sounds a single terrible note that, impossibly, is heard throughout the lower valleys. It isn't part of the working, but it seems the knights of Eleonaris have a good sense for the dramatic... and this magic is certainly ''dramatic''.

Far away from the Imperial attackers and the Druj defenders, in one of the poorest parts of the sprawling city of [[Salt Flats of Sanath#Leen|Leen]] itself stands the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Beacon_of_Iskrid|Beacon of Iskrid]], a fortification garrisoned not by orcs but by humans under the banner of the self-styled ''Prince Tristain the Golden.'' A long way from the fighting, in a city that no doubt still imagines itself beyond the reach of the Empire. That dream is shattered, decisively.

With a deafening peal of thunder, audible all the way back to Lower Saarnath, a cascade of thunderbolts rains from the sky over Leen. The gale force winds become even stronger, battering the stones of the Beacon with the force of ten Winter storms, then twenty, then thirty. The rain pours in sheets, eating away at the mortar that holds the stones together, at the foundations that allow it to stand. The destruction is not limited to the fortification itself; the surrounding buildings are likewise stricken with this devastating, hungry tempest called by the highest arts of the Urizeni magicians. A tornado reaches down from the heavens, down toward the earth, and as it comes the lightning ignites something within it and it becomes a conflagration despite the monsoon deluge.

The Druj of Leen speak in whispered, terrified tones of spirits within those winds, awful shapes of water and wind and fire that somehow poured ''out'' of the tornado. Creatures of the Spring realm, following this consummate magical working into the mundane world for a short time, tearing at the Beacon with the single-minded hatred creatures of the Primal Forest have for all construction. Were they really there, or do the Druj imagine them in the chaos and ruin that attends upon the power unleashed by the Citadel Guard?

And then the weather starts to clear... the tumultuous downpour turns back to ''just'' heavy rain. The winds lessen, ceasing entirely for a moment before returning again at more normal speed. Smoke rises from the rainforest, but the fires find no purchase in the soaking wood. The lightning ceases, the thunder stills, the clouds part and the wan Autumn sun shines through.

It shines on the uncertain faces of the Imperial soldiers, it shines on the satisfied and tired faces of the Urizeni masters, it shines on the terrified faces of the Druj. It shines also, sadly, on the Beacon if Iskrid. The [[fortification#bastion|bastion]] leans dangerously to the side, barely standing. The upper ramparts have been torn away, as if gouged by some mighty claw, and scattered with lethal force into the city below. It looks for all the world as if the slightest push would send it tumbling into the streets of Leen, crushing everything in its path. It is almost entirely devastated... almost.

The Beacon still stands - the power of the ''Onrushing Storm'' was perhaps blunted by the rival resonances of life and healing in the rainwaters of Sanath this season - but only just. And while it may have avoided destruction by a hair's breadth, the people of Leen cannot fail to understand what has just happened. The [[Druj_lore#Buruk_Tepel|Buruk Tepel]], the rulers of the Druj, who imagined themselves safe in their great city have been presented with a potent illustration of just how vulnerable they are. The Druj are ''afraid''.

==Game Information==
<div style="float: right; max-width: 400px; margin-right: 10px;">{{HoverImage|Salt Flats of Sanath Regions.png|SaltFlatsBasic.png}}</div>
===Salt Flats of Sanath===
* '''The Empire has claimed Lower Saarnath
* '''The Northern Eagle prevented any of the Druj fortifications in Sanath participating in the fight and gave the region the under threat quality
* '''The Beacon of Iskrid has been devastated by Urizen magic but still stands - just
* '''The Dripping Tor appears to be hidden behind a powerful shroud of Night magic
As the Autumn Equinox approaches the Imperial forces in Sanath have claimed the region of Lower Saarnath. The Vileshrikes hidden in the north-east clearly intend to resist Imperial control, but it is not clear how much magic they may be able to bring to bear.

Thanks to the Northern Eagle, the garrisons of the three Druj fortifications were unable to operate in Lower Saarnath this season. That benefit ends with the Autumn Equinox - the remaining garrisons will be able to participate in the campaign as normal going forward. They also provided the under threat quality to Lower Saarnath, but that quality has also faded as the Autumn Equinox dawns. The Eagle are in Sanath, but they did not participate directly in the campaign this season. Instead they are arranging another strike against the Druj using their [[Army qualities#Elusive|elusive]] quality.

The Beacon of Iskrid was assailed by the Urizeni using their Technique of the Transcendent Claw. All casualties the army caused were targeted specifically against the Beacon, ignoring the usual reduction in damage done to a bastion. The presence of many military units, and the Knights of Glory, both help this technique have a significant impact. Even the Quiet Step ''Cunning'' strategy works to increase the damage to the Beacon (but only by increasing the casualties caused directly by the army; as with all army orders it doesn't increase the casualties caused by military units or enchantments). It is also worth noting that this is effect [[Limits_of_magic#Damaging_Fortifications|cannot be created]] with ritual magic - the direct damage to a fortification is the result of a [[Highest_discipline#Technique_of_the_Transcendent_Claw|unique technique]] that requires an entire season of campaigning in a given territory by an army including powerful magicians who perform dozens of individual rituals before it has any effect.

Only military units supporting the Citadel Guard receive a share of the Imperial Guerdon; other military units receive nothing.

===Strategic Considerations===
* '''Dripping Tor is concealed beneath a powerful shroud of Night magic
* '''It is not possible to move between Uper Saarnath and Leen Rarckan
The Vileshrike stronghold of ''Dripping Tor'' is concealed behind a potent shroud of [[Night magic]], similar in effect to [[Vale of Shadows]]. According to the witches and vates who accompanied the armies into that part of the valleys, it appears to have been performed at magnitude 120 - representing a serious challenge to Imperial magicians who want to remove it. Still, a suitably potent [[Piercing Light of Revelation]] cast at the [[Regio#The_Imperial_Regio|Imperial regio]] could be [[Army_qualities#Magic|channeled]] through the [[general]] of the [[Citadel Guard]] but it will require a magnitude of 240 to bring the effect down. If left undisturbed, the shroud will last until the start of the Summer Solstice 389YE. Other methods might exist to penetrate this magical defence.

If the shroud is removed, the Vileshrike sept could be destroyed by an Imperial army send specifically to root them out. This would need to be done at the same summit the shroud was pierced, or the sept will be able to scatter into the wild places of the Salt Flats and potentially remain as a threat to Imperial forces in the territory. They are not a significant campaign force however; while the army would need to take an attacking order and be busy for an entire season, they would suffer no appreciable damage.

It is not immediately apparent from the map, but Imperial scouts have confirmed what the original spy network used to map the Salt Flats only suggested. It is not possible for an [[army]] to move between [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Upper_Saarnath|Upper Saarnath]] and [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Leen_Rarckan|Leen Rarckan]] (or vice versa) without an opportunity.

===Participation: Citadel Guard===
<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">[[File:SpringRune.jpg|267px]]</div>
* '''Military units fighting with the Citadel Guard have participated in the working of the Onrushing Storm
Any character whose military unit supported the Citadel Guard this season is free to roleplay their involvement in the performance of the ''Technique of the Resplendent Claw''. This may have involved protecting Urizeni magicians, but might also have involved scouting into other regions of the southern Salt Flats to find specific resources, escorting a coven to a hidden Spring regio, or raiding a specific mana site to shift the flows of mana in a direction that helps support the destructive magic ultimately unleashed against the Beacon of Iskrid. Magicians might have helped with the rituals cast - working with ritual masters from their own nation to perform supportive rituals. An Urizeni magician versed in Spring lore might even have been one of those involved in the final magical workings that lead to the assault on the Beacon. You are also free to roleplay that you fought alongside the sentinels and other soldiers striving to conquer Lower Saarnath instead, of course.

While the army was enchanted with [[Knights of Glory]], the presence of the heralds has not had any noticeable affect on either the military units supporting the army, nor on the soldiers of the army itself.
===Participation: Lions of Adelmar===
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=EleonarisArt.jpg|caption=Regal, noble, and terrible in anger; Eleonaris is the Lion of Summer and her soldiers bear many of her traits.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
* '''The Lions of Adelmar continue not being able to take the cautious advance or give ground orders'''
* '''Any character whose military unit fought alongside the Lions of Adelmar may be inspired by the Knights of Glory'''
The Lions of Adelmar are accompanied into the Salt Flats by [[Knights of Glory|supernatural warriors]] lead by the war-smith ''Elodian''. The presence of the knights continues to [[Even_darkness_must_pass#Sarangrave|exert influence over]] the Dawnish army. The Lions of Adelmar cannot take the [[Army orders#Cautious Advance|Cautious Advance]] or [[Army orders#Give Ground|Give Ground]] orders until a year has passed - even if Dawn were to put aside their [[Dawn_military_concerns#Army_Orders|commitment]] to Glory.

The heavily armoured champions that fight under the banner of ''Elodian'' have relished the experience of battling the Druj alongside the Lions of Adelmar, and not been shy about expressing their approval. The warriors from the Field of Glory take every opportunity to inspire the glorious soldiers of the army. A character whose military unit supported the Lions of Adelmar this season may choose to have been impacted by the experience of battling in close proximity to the glorious heralds.

If you are a Dawnish character whose military unit supported the Lions of Adelmar this season, or the general of the army itself, you may choose to gain a magical boon from the runic war-smiths. To claim this boon you must mark your armour, shield, or a visible part of your body with one or more of the so-called [[Runes#Runes of Summer|Runes of Summer]] - [[Feresh]], [[Jotra]], [[Tykonus]], or [[Verys]]. The boon counts as an [[enchantment]] on your character. As long as at least one of these runes are present, the [[Combat_skills#Dreadnought|dreadnought]] skill provides you with two additional hits, and whenever you use the [[heroic skills#Unstoppable|unstoppable]] skill you regain two additional hits.

If anyone uses [[Detect_magic#Discern_Enchantment|discern enchantment]] on you, you'll need to let the referee know that you are under the effect of a magnitude 7 Summer enchantment, and that you bear the ''mark of runemarked prowess''.

As well as the game benefits, the aura creates a [[roleplaying effects|roleplaying effect]]: ''You feel a strong urge to fight valiantly to support your friends, family, and especially your loved ones. Anyone offending or upsetting someone you care about causes a wave of burning anger to boil up inside you making it hard not to immediately confront them. If you lose your temper it is very hard not to give in to the urge to beat whoever offended you or your ally until they are incapacitated or they unconditionally surrender. At the same time, whenever you feel cherished or appreciated, the sensations are significantly increased to the point where you may experience a moment of rare bliss.''

The boon can be removed [[Enchantment#Removing_Enchantments|as normal]] - “overwritten” with a new enchantment - and will have faded by the start of the Winter Solstice.

===Participation: Bad Dreams===
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Diras.png|title=Rune: Diras|align=right}}</div>
* '''Something is causing particularly bad dreams in Lower Saarnath
Any character whose military unit supported any of the armies in the Salt Flats of Sanath this season may have experienced unsettling dreams. Nightmares are not uncommon when one is exposed to the Druj miasma, but these are a step above what veterans of the Mallum, or of the fight to liberate Zenith, have reported. Nightmares caused by the miasma tend to vary between individuals as much as any other dreams, but there is a suspcious commonality of elements in many of these odd dreams.

They involve being pursued or threatened in familiar places that are twisted with mud and water, or the presence of marsh-dwelling flora or fauna. Horrible phantasmal shapes eventually invade these places, or catch up with a fleeing dreamer, and begin to drown them or smother them. Dreamers awaken terrified, short of breath, and convinced that there is something leaning over them trying to steal their breath, crush their chests, or throttle them in their sleep. Nothing is physically present, and there are no signs of either intruders or assailants.

There is no benefit to doing so, but anyone who has experienced these dreams is encouraged to start the Autumn Equinox without any [[heroic skills#Hero|hero points]] or [[magical skills#magician|personal mana]]. They can still recover hero points and mana as normal - either by getting a good nights sleep at Anvil or by taking advantage of a magical method of recovery such as a [[potion]], or an [[enchantment|enhanted]] area such as [[Herthfire's Hospitality]] or [[Chamber of Delights]].
==Battle Opportunity : What Dreams Must Come==
* '''There is an opportunity for a battle in the Salt Flats of Sanath this season
Imperial prognosticators have identified a major conjunction of the sentinel gate leading to a location in north-eastern Lower Saarnath. They believe it allows an opportunity to clear some kind of supernatural blockage that will spell doom for the Beacon of Iskrid, and may have some bearing on whatever malign power of the [[Realms#Night realm|Night realm]] is loose in the region.

Imperial Orcs groups

2026-08-04T15:14:58Z

Noserenda: /* Bloodcrows */

{{stub}}
==Overview==
There are many important groups in the Imperial Orcs. Despite the number, only a comparative handful are involved in the affairs of the Empire (that is, attend the seasonal summits at Anvil). Their influence can wax and wane, and involvement in Imperial affairs is not always a reflection of their prominence within the nation itself. This page presents in-character information about the groups that attend, or have attended, [[Anvil]] — the kind of thing that someone who asked about them might uncover from talking to their peers. In each case, the information is provided by the players and edited before being put on the wiki.

The majority of groups listed here are made up of player-characters. You should not create a character who is part of a group, or has personal history with one, without first clearing it with the appropriate players. You should also check before including other players' groups in your background. The background team are unlikely to approve a background that significantly impacts or involves another player character group without their permission. There are also a handful of prominent NPC groups included for completeness, but they are not intended for use by player characters.
__NOTOC__
==Skarsind==
===Ashborn===
{{CaptionedImage|file=Ashborn.jpg|caption=Ashborn|align=right|width=150}}
* '''Location:''' Skogei Glens
* '''Symbol:''' An ash tree ablaze with the Hirmok rune shaped into the flames at the centre and a hammer on the trunk.
* '''Colours:''' Green accented with grey, brown and orange
* '''Warlord:''' Ashborn Vana
The Ashborn are fueled by the fires of Ambition. They believe that great deeds are the surest way to become an ancestor. Magical ability, military prowess, or devotion to the Way are all worthy ways to blaze a trail across the abyss and build a great pyre on the other side.

Flames birthed the Ashborn during the rebellion in the forests of Varushka. Once word of Thrace had reached the ears of the orcs enslaved in the logging camps, the fire was lit. That night, the sky turned a deep red, and the dark of the forest echoed with the sound of chains breaking under axes and screams of slavers. In the smoke that filled the air of the morning, the survivors made their escape into the woods. Smearing the ashes across their eyes, a symbol of remembrance for orcs that did not escape.

Once the Imperial orcs were accepted into the Empire, the Ashborn focused on Autumn magic. They fought for the Winter Sun and used the rituals taught to them by Urizen to bring victory. In more recent years, they’ve made a name for themselves for other things. Wielding strong magics in the coven, as well as having several of their members embroiled in various political houses of Anvil. The banner was integral in the formation of the [[Autumn Hammers]]. The Banner accepts orcs from any sept, provided their heart burns with the desire to get to work and make their legend.

===Bloodcrows===
{{CaptionedImage|file=ImperialOrcBloodcrow.jpg|title=They say the rivers of Varushka ran red where the Bloodcrows fought.|caption=Bloodcrows|align=right|width=150}}
*'''Insignia:''' Crow Skull, and in recent times a red Rhyv Rune etched on the skull head.
*'''Colours:''' Dark reds and Browns/white highlights
The Bloodcrows are one of the oldest legions. Their members are descendants of [[Varushka|Varushkan]] slaves, many with distant [[Druj]] and [[Thule]] ancestry. Like most Imperial Orcs, the Bloodcrows have almost no connection to the barbarian tribes but detractors point to an echo of the Druj bloodline in the battlefield cunning they display. During the Orc Rebellion it is said that the rivers of Varushka ran red with the blood with their kin and many, many humans. The Bloodcrows vowed to never forget. After the rebellion the Bloodcrows were led by a living legend, [[shamans|shaman]] named Fenrak who worked with Imperial magicians to help develop the modern orc approach to ritual magic. Ever since the Bloodcrows have been led by a so-called ''Shaman Lord'', and have made a particular practice of [[winter magic]].

The Bloodcrows strongly believe in the "old ways" (of [[Imperial_Orcs_religious_beliefs#Imperial_Orc_ancestors|Ancestors]] and the [[Imperial_Orcs_religious_beliefs#The Howling Abyss|Howling abyss]]). For this reason the Bloodcrows look to build their legend in the eyes of their Ancestors and their people, rather than to the teachings of the [[Synod]].

The Bloodcrow motto can vary and has traditionally been “''Our souls. Our minds. Our flesh. Our Empire''”, though variations exist such as “''Our souls, Our Way, Our Empire''”.

===Bonewall===
*'''Insignia:''' Bones in the form of the rune Tykonus
Founded by a visionary shaman of the Winter Sun, the Bonewall are dedicated to the soul of the orcish nation. They seek to bring [[the Way]] of Virtue and the Imperial Orc nation together, both by preaching [[The_Way#The_Paths_of_Virtue|the Virtues]] - the soul and centre of the Empire - to their fellows and by furthering understanding of the Orcish soul within the Synod and beyond.

Between summits, they are busy giving their extensive ossuary a more permanent home than the carts and tents it occupied before the Orcs were given Skarsind. The ossuary is a collection of bones of dead Imperial Orcs and records of their deeds, intended to aid future generations in communing with the ancestors.

The Bonewall are theologians first and foremost; many of them study the magic of Winter, but as a tool to further knowledge of death and the dead, rather than an end in itself.
{{CaptionedImage|file=ImperialOrcIrontide.jpg|title=Professional soldiers with heavy armour and shield who hate the Jotun.|caption=Irontide|align=right|width=150}}
===Irontide===
Formed immediately following the rebellion, by one of Thrace’s closest comrades - Irontide Sutin - the legion swore allegiance to the Empire, proudly displaying their banners in the Empire’s name. Irontide history tells that the famed Iron Banner of the legion was stained with a drop of [[Emperor Ahraz|Ahraz’]] blood, a symbol of their bond to the Empire. Largely hailing from [[Jotun]] stock during the rebellion, the Irontide still maintain a strong tradition of a warrior culture, the majority of the legion being made up from professional soldiers in heavy armour and carrying shields. The Irontide harbour a seething hatred for the Jotun, seeing them as the worst of the barbarian nations, and will stop at nothing to see them crushed whenever they can.

Following the death of [[Empress Britta]] they have proudly led the Summer Storm army from the front, providing generals to lead the army to this day. Fiercely loyal to the Empire, they live by simple rules of battle, preferring to sell their lives rather than those of their allies: “First in, last out”

===Redhands===
{{CaptionedImage|file=ImperialOrcRedhands.jpg|title=Each orc has only one life and the Redhands try to make that life last as long as possible.|caption=Redhands|align=right|width=150}}
*'''Colours:''' Orc browns with a red wrap on right hand and pennant of Red armoured hand in black and red
Redhands are the battle healers of the second army. Ready to pick up the fallen and return them to battle or patch them up to return home. They have spent significant time in the [[Mournwold]] supporting the army on the front lines. The Redhands have a broad objective of delivering medical assistance on the battlefield; the exact manner in achieving this is often down to the individual orc. Some are healers, magicians or bonesaws, who render aid to the injured. Some fight to push back the enemy so the fallen can be recovered, perhaps then standing over the healers as they revive their patients. A few are scouts, searching out the dying and alerting other Redhands to where their assistance is needed. Some simply fight with the Redhands knowing help is at hand should they themselves fall.

===Skywise===
{{CaptionedImage|file=ImperialOrcSkywise.jpg|title=It is time for the Imperial Orcs to uncover their own truths.|caption=Skywise|align=right|width=150}}
*'''Insignia:''' Single White Wing
A young banner of Imperial Orcs founded in Spring 379YE. The banner felt it was time for the Imperial Orcs to further explore their own history and discover missing pieces of the past for themselves rather than have their history told to them by others. It is their belief that by discovering their past, the Imperial Orcs could better understand the path to their nation’s future.

The Skywise are all magicians specializing in [[Day magic]], mastering information gathering spells such as [[Clear Lens of the Eternal River]], [[Skein of Years]], and other forms of divination. It is believed that the founder was the first Imperial Orc to master the spell Skein of Years and the banner are said to record the stories of the objects they have cast the spell upon and hold them in vast collections.

In recent times the Skywise have split their duties between their birth army of the Winter Sun and establishing a home in [[Skarsind]], in places known as the Iron Hearth and the former lands of the Sigehold Thane. Their shaman have also taken great pride in acting as conscience and good council to any who might seek their wisdom as well as offering guidance for those who hear the voices of their ancestors.

===Stormcrows===
{{CaptionedImage|file=ImperialOrcStormcrows.jpg|title=Reavers do not welcome the hand of the Generals.|caption=Stormcrows|align=right|width=150}}
The Stormcrows are a [[Imperial_Orcs_economic_interests#Reavers|reaving]] band of orcs, They are not soldiers; they chafe at the heavy hands of the army [[General|generals]]. Their ancestors spent their days being told what to do and it leaves a bitter taste in their mouths so for now they do as they please, They were given one life and they intend to use every aspect of it.

Some of their number hail from the legions and have turned away, others have heard the voice of an unknown ancestor urging them towards each other. They don't know the name of their shared ancestor but he has bought them together as a family, Their home has always been amongst each other aboard their fleet of ships, where they roam living the life of privateers or hunting supernatural beasts be it to fill a contract or because it feeds a desire.

The Stormcrows lean more towards the future and are willing to adapt and learn from their human brethren in the Empire, They also seek an active relationship with the Eternals through the Hall of the Worlds. Orc traditions are important to them but they know when change is for the better.

Amongst the banners fighters, the Stormcrow are filled with ritualists and healers often members are adept to filling in two or three of these roles. Almost everyone among their number can cast magic in some way. They support their family in their endeavours, are open-minded and will listen; they may not agree but everyone has the right to be heard. They also have [[preachers]] in their banner providing advice and insight into the Way.

They do not bind themselves with straight lines, rules and orders. They feel there is no wrong way to live a life as long as it is lived with pride, courage and to be ever vigilant, for subtle is the voice of corruption never will they fall to the heresy of freedom and luck. They have fought hard for all they are now and long may their wisdom prevail.

==Mareave==
===MemoryKeepers===
{{CaptionedImage|file=Memorykeepers.jpg|caption=MemoryKeepers|align=right|width=150}}
*'''Group:''' Coterie
*'''Location:''' Icarion
*'''Colours:''' Black and white
*'''Leader:''' Ikahn
The MemoryKeepers are a group that aims to be the font of ancestral knowledge, its archivists and seekers of a greater understanding. To them the knowledge about shamans, mystagogues, ancestors and their influence on us should be universally understood, explored and shared. Its ideals came from its founder MemoryKeeper Ikahn, who spent most of his life supporting his shamanic brother; documenting his behaviour and how his struggles could be lessened. Wishing that others not have to face the same struggles he’s had with their own loved ones and pass down his knowledge.

The coterie strives to increase Imperial knowledge on the ancestors and to benefit future generations. A home for those living with the ancestors, those wishing to study and learn more about them, to care for those who are overwhelmed by them and to educate others on the ancestors. The group is divided into two halves: ‘shamans’ and ‘guardians’. Members wear white stoles with designs intended to help outsiders identify their role.

"'‘What we learn now, will help who comes next.''"

===Sand Vipers===
{{CaptionedImage|file=Sand Vipers.jpg|caption=Sand Vipers|align=right|width=150}}
*'''Group:''' Legion
*'''Location:''' Eoradal
*'''Colours:''' Green and brown
*'''Leader:''' Sand Viper IKK
The Sandvipers were once a Druj tribe in the Forest of Ulnak, not mere subjects but true Druj, who lost out to rivals and were wiped out. The weak and the remnants of the tribe were sold to the Grendel, who threw them into the Coliseum at the port of Beoraidh in Mareave. They took part in the Venatio, the grand hunts in the coliseum, and fought large beasts for the entertainment of the crowds. Fighting creatures as varied as wild cats, wolves and drakes, to elephants, land sharks and war rhinos, and even a few mandowla. Many of the tribe perished, but some, the wiliest and canniest amongst them, survived to fight on as accomplished gladiators.

When the Empire sacked Beoraidh in Winter 382YE, '''Bloodcrow Morgor''' gathered members of the Sand Vipers into his arms and army. The legion travelled with him north, to the freezing cold lands of Skarsind. In the lands around the Skogei Glens, they settled and built a village. In 385YE, the legion was recognised as the Sannite sept, part of the Imperial Orcs but forever different to the Sunstorm; those who came from Thrace's rebellion.

When the Empire took Mareave, freeing more Sannites in the process, most of the legion moved back to Mareave and into Eoradal to find hidden places in the ruins and wood there to build a base and village.
<ic>
We strike from the shadows and fade away, <br>
We cut at the tendons to soften the prey, <br>
We wound and weaken, make them pay,<br>
Before we fall upon them and slay, slay, slay.

When the Empire found us we were but clay<br>
Taken from the place where the Grendel held sway <br>
Forged in fire, bile and venom so we can repay <br>
Loyal to the Empire, we are here to stay, stay, stay
</ic>

==Contributing==
Any player character group in the [[Imperial Orcs]] can submit an entry for this page. The entry should come from the out-of-character group leader and be emailed to [mailto:plot@profounddecisions.co.uk plot@profounddecisions.co.uk].

It should contain the following information:

* Group archetype (coterie, legion, reavers). If your group doesn't have one of these archetypes, it will be listed in the "other" section.
* Territory and region where the groups lands are physically located.
* A description of your groups [[Imperial_Orcs_hearth_magic#Insignia|insignia]], with an image if desired. Almost all legions have insignia, as do most coterie and reaving bands.
* If your group has specific colours, you can mention them here.
* The name of your [[warlord]] if you are a legion. If there is someone in your coterie or reaving band that serves as the in-character leader of the group, you can mention them and their title here

You should also include up to 250 words of description, detailing the kind of things that other characters might know about your group. Have a look at the description for a [[Imperial_Orcs_military_concerns#The_Legion|legion]], [[reaver|reavers]], and the [[Imperial_Orcs_leadership|leadership]] page for an overview on coteries for ideas on the kind of information that is useful. You should also include a few sentences of history, especially around the circumstances of the group's formation or origin.

Some other questions to consider include:
* If you are a legion, do you all serve with a particular [[Imperial_Orcs_military_concerns#Imperial_Armies|army]], and has that influenced your aims on the field?
* Are there one or more particular archetypes the group is particularly associated with? Are they focused around a particular [[sept]]? There is no requirement for, or expectation of, single sept groups, but does your group's ethos see a greater ratio of [[Tamazi]]?

Things to avoid include:
* Too much [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldbuilding worldbuilding] detail — this represents information other characters may know about your house. It's not a place to define elements of the game world
* Lists of character names — this isn't a place for getting your name on the wiki
* Too much emphasis on the past — while it's useful to have a few lines of history, what matters in Empire is what your group does on the field at events

It's possible to update the information on this page over time (for example if your leader changes) with an e-mail to [mailto:plot@profounddecisions.co.uk plot@profounddecisions.co.uk].
[[Category:Groups]]
[[Category:Imperial Orcs]]

Imperial Orcs economic interests

2026-08-04T13:24:38Z

Noserenda: /* Reavers */

==Overview==
Imperial Orcs see money as something that separates free citizens of the Empire from slaves. Perhaps more so than many humans they understand the freedom that comes with being able to buy and sell things freely. A number of the first generation were raised in [[The League|League cities]], and possessed a well-developed appreciation for the power that comes with wealth.

In keeping with their instinctual desire to be part of a group, however, many Imperial Orcs see a distinction between personal wealth - enough money to live in comfort - and the wealth of the legion - the wealth that comes from and is used to keep everyone in the legion well equipped, fit and capable of doing their jobs.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Bonesetter.jpg|caption=Bonesetters look to the health of their comrades, but their remit is much wider than that.|align=left|width=400}}
==Bonesetters==
Many legions pool the majority of their wealth and resources, using it to provide for the members of the legion on the basis of need. A warlord will usually appoint one or more individuals to look after a legion’s wealth. By tradition these people are called bonesetters and are usually trained apothecaries, physicks or both.

Bonesetters are expected to attend to the physical needs of the legion, but their remit runs well beyond this. Most bonesetters proactively work to enrich their legion, investing the legion’s resources as they see fit to try to increase the legion’s wealth. Bonesetters have no formal powers but they often broker deals for the skills of individual legion members or even the whole legion, if they are confident that their warlord will support them. A competent bonesetter who is working in the best interests of their legion can usually count on their support. Few Orcs want to annoy the individual whose responsibility it is to treat the wounded but more importantly, the genuine bonesetter is assumed to be making deals for the benefit of the entire legion.

Since the legions settled in [[Skarsind]], many bonesetters have set up their own brokerages, supporting the health and prosperity of their neighbours as well as their legion. One of the most prominent positions a bonesetter can aspire to is the [[Bonesetter of Torfast Trading Post]], responsible for overseeing the Imperial Orc trade hub that serves as the centre of the [[Northern trade network]].
==Reavers==
A handful of legions no longer maintain links with the armies. They have come to enjoy the freedom and wealth afforded by mercenary work. These groups, called reavers, support themselves by raiding, adventuring, and hiring themselves out as guards and escorts to merchants prepared to [[military unit#Paid Work|pay]] to secure the martial might of an [[orc]] [[military unit]]. With their income not tied to the vagaries of the [[Powers of the Imperial Senate#Guerdon|Imperial Guerdon]], or the strategies of the [[Military Council]], bands of reavers may quickly become wealthy.

Reavers are mostly tolerated by other Imperial Orcs; as often as not their wealth helps to enrich the Imperial Orc nation and thus can still claim to be serving the Empire in their way. The primary bone of contention used to be that reavers were often loyal to their own band first, and to the rest of the Imperial Orc nation and the Empire a distant second. However with Imperial Orcs legions increasingly abandoning the Summer Storm and the Winter Sun to follow the Guerdon, the distinction between the two groups is increasingly blurred.

Reaving is seen as a good way of life for those Orcs who chafe under the leadership or strict discipline of army life. Furthermore, the line between legions and reavers is easily crossed. Legions that find themselves unable to respect a general or the demands of the Military Council may up the reaving lifestyle, sometimes for years at a time. Reavers who become prosperous may enjoy the luxury of supporting one of the Imperial Orcs armies without concern for Guerdon shares, or as a route toward taking a more significant role in Imperial Orcs society.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Weavers Market.jpg|title=Orcs raised in the League possessed a well-developed appreciation for the power that comes with wealth|align=right|width=400}}

==Resources==
Until recently most Imperial Orcs favoured [[military unit|military units]] and only a few invested in [[herb garden|herb gardens]], [[mana site|mana sites]] or other static resources. Now that their dream of a homeland of their own has been realized, increasing numbers of them are moving there to take up stewardship of the valuable resources left by the departing Wintermarkers. They are swiftly proving themselves to be capable as [[farm|farmers]], [[business|business owners]] and more, and for the most part they are able to fill the many needs of their nation's people.

However most Imperial Orcs still regard [[mine|mines]] with a great deal of distaste and few Orcs can be convinced to work them. As a result the Imperial Orcs usually avoid them and those that do own them often have to hire Wintermarkers or other Imperial citizens to work them. The shortfalls in metals and other materials that the Imperial Orcs need were traditionally provided by reavers, but increased opportunities to [[Northern trade network|trade]] with other Imperial nations and even the Thule means that there are now more options available to ensure that an Imperial Orc can avoid the stigma of having to work a mine.

The [[Steward of the Mines of Gulhule]] in particular plays a role in keeping the [[Skarsind]] mines operational. This [[ministry]] involves ensuring that sufficient mine workers are employed to exploit the rich mineral wealth of the Skarsind mountains.

{{Imperial Orcs Links}}

[[Category:Imperial Orcs]]
[[Category:Archetype]]

388YE Summer Solstice Military Council orders

2026-07-29T21:37:22Z

Noserenda: /* Drakes */

==Overview==
The Military Council is the gathering of Imperial [[general|generals]] and [[General#Admiral|admirals]]. Individually, the generals have responsibility for the [[army orders|orders]] given to the [[army]] under their command, while the admirals provide the [[navy orders|orders]] for the [[navy|navies]]. A general commands a single [[army]], drawn from volunteers from their nation. Once a general is given their command, they have sole authority to [[army orders|order]] the army to [[army orders#Movement|move]] or [[army orders#Issuing Orders|attack]] as they choose. After each summit, the Civil Service quickly circulate the orders each general has given among Imperial citizens, allowing [[military unit]] captains to decide if they wish to commit their own force to [[Military_unit#Support_Army|support an army]], and if so which army to support.

During the Summer Solstice 388YE, the following orders were submitted by Imperial generals.
==The Brass Coast==
The Brass Coast have three armies: [[Burning Falcon]], [[Fire of the South]] and [[Red Wind Corsairs]]. They can support three armies.

===Burning Falcon===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=BurningFalcon Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Aracelis I Erigo
* '''Orders:''' The Drakes turn south as we turn west. The bonds of Loyalty turn over from nation to nation and through General to General freely given in our actions to another. As an Empire we fight to show the Jotun they cannot take with Impunity and that we answer their threat with standing together whether in Mitwod reclaiming as they quit our lands, or Bregasland where we will face their armies and their Fjorknaw. We are the Burning Falcon, empowered by the might of Summer. Where we tread, Triumph blazes
* '''Action:''' Triumphant Charge in [[Bregasland]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Ashen Flame and Sunlit Scepter enchanted the Burning Falcon with [[Knights of Glory]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will receive a share of the Guerdon.

===Fire of the South===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=TheFireoftheSouth Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Velasco i Guerra
* '''Orders:''' My Fire, we are to traverse this great Empire. In Loyalty once more we go to the support of the Imperial Orcs in Mareave. As we pass necropolis take heed of Exemplar Ahraz's Courage. When we stand united as an Empire little may stand in our way.
* '''Action:''' Forced March to [[Mareave]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Fountain's Whisper, Spire of the Auric Horizon and Storms End enchanted the Fire of the South with [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Red Wind Corsairs===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=RedWindCorsairs Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Joaquim i Erigo
* '''Orders:''' Corsairs we trade a swamp for a marsh in helping our Marcher Cousins reclaim Bregasland. The Lasambrians have stolen from our cousins so we commit to a Daring Riad to reclaim their wealth from the Jotun by Proxy. We must be especially vigilant for the stolen Dolmen that means so much to the North Fens. For the Empire! For the Marches!
* '''Action:''' Daring Raid on [[Bregasland]]
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

==Dawn==
Dawn have four armies: [[Eastern Sky]], [[Golden Sun]], [[Gryphon's Pride]] and [[Lions of Adelmar]]. They can support four armies.

===Eastern Sky===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=EasternSky Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Dame Aurum De Castellan
* '''Orders:''' My Sky, It was said that for many years when people looked east they would see only the smog and din of a ruined land. A place that couldn't be home. They said that the hearts & swords of the heroes willing to give their lives would not be enough. They were wrong. Now when they look, these are stars in the sky. Now it is a home once more - a Nova Aurora. It was claimed by each of you, points of light, hope inextinguishable. I'm glad the Beacon sees fit to recognise us now. These are my Final orders to you, my kin, my loves. For my Nation whomst I claim my Truest Love. I will not go far from you. I will be with you til my dying day, as soldier and Captain. But like the constellations I must shift and offer a new glow to guide you. There must always be a star to guide the Sky, after all. From shining the way through Zenith to crushing Druj skulls in the Barrens, I ask you to follow me into the fray one last time. Burn the skies above Mareave so that those beasts fear the stars forevermore. Remind them always that to rear their heads is to look forward to death. For Scout of the Eastern Sky. For Gui of Vexille. Death to the Druj. Long live the Warden Queen. Long live the Eastern Sky.
* '''Action:''' Traverse the Crossroads in [[Mareave]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Coven of Barabbas enchanted the Eastern Sky with [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will receive a share of the Guerdon.

===Golden Sun===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=GoldenSun Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Lord Daemon Mortére
* '''Orders:''' The Golden Sun stands where the Empire needs it most. Every oath deserves its shield. We will grinding advance into Bregasland. Out of fields of gold, through the Rushes and Ottermire. No enemy can sever what Loyalty has forged. For family, for the Marchers. We stand for the lore of their land. For the Empire. The Golden Sun will be a glorious arrow into the heart of our enemies. Secure the objective sun. For Gui.
* '''Action:''' Grinding Advance into [[Bregasland]]
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Gryphon's Pride===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=GryphonPride Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Sebastián Fawnwood
* '''Orders:''' My glorious pride. You have bided your time, but now is our opportunity for what we were made for. Conquest. The salt flats of Sanath is our destination, for this is the beginning of the end for the Druj. With our warbanner reforged, it has been named the Pride of the Gryphons. It will be raised high enough that the Druj will see who brings their end. Be Vigilant. Be Glorious. Be the pride of Dawn.
* '''Action:''' Push the Line in [[Salt Flats of Sanath]]
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Lions of Adelmar===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=LionsAdelmar Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco
* '''Orders:''' Lions, three years ago I first came to Anvil a woman in pain. Like so many, the Druj had taken everything from me. Like so many, they continued to take our past, our present, our future. Our Gui, our Isaac, our Scout. Their ideology of hatred thrives in the dark and they wish to make monsters of us all. They wish to teach us to be scared of the dark. Let us make them fear the light. May we be the flame the innocent are drawn to as a Beacon of Safety. May our banners show that Courage and Loyalty drives us. May the sound of our roar carry far across the Salt Flats. May the Druj know this sound heralds their end, learn those banners mean those hurt will be saved, learn that flame is Ambition to bring glory with Elodian's Hammersmiths and the majesty of the Lion of Summer. Learn the monster they tried to create, became the lioness that will bring a death to the Druj. Whatever it takes. One day, the Druj will be a bedtime story told of our glory. Let us be the authors.
* '''Action:''' Steel Roses on [[Salt Flats of Sanath]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Ashen Flame and Sunlit Scepter enchanted the Lions of Adelmar with [[Knights of Glory]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

==Highguard==
Highguard have four armies: [[Granite Pillar]], [[Pilgrim's Defiance]], [[Seventh Wave]] and [[Valiant Pegasus]]. They can support four armies.

===Granite Pillar===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=GranitePillar Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Sychar
* '''Orders:''' Soldiers of the Pillar - A nation of pirates and reavers seek to conquer our lands. Alongside our siblings, with whom we liberated the Mournwold, the Seventh Wave, we fight once more! Plant your shields in the sands, with your courage hold the line, and with our strategic Defence we shall make the Grendel pay dearly for every mistake they make, and teach them this hard lesson: what the Empire takes, it holds! For the Empire, for Salvation! For the Imperial Orcs who bled to reclaim Reikos! For the Virtuous dead, fight with Courage!
* '''Action:''' Strategic Defence of [[Mareave]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Fountain's Whisper, Spire of the Auric Horizon and Storms End enchanted the Granite Pillar with [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Pilgrim's Defiance===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=PilgrimsDefiance Colour.webp|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Eli of the Cenotaph
* '''Orders:''' Pilgrims remember Achilles of Damakan's Forge, exemplar of Prosperity. Achilles built up others so they could stand independent of his work giving them the tools to forge their own path. This season, pilgrimage to Damakan's Forge and the crucible of fate. Reminder of how Prosperity can transform even the most despoiled land and our role in that coming to pass.
* '''Action:''' Give Ground in [[Zenith]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Concordium of Pallas enchanted the Pilgrim's Defiance with [[Brotherhood of Tian]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Seventh Wave===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=SeventhWave Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Wildfyre of Balthazar’s Vineyard
* '''Orders:''' Remember why we wear the bell, we can commune with the dead. I want all my front line soldiers ringing as we stand. For when they come we see the faces of the dead. My knives, I send you out, you are my unconquered the greatest scouts of the Empire. Hunt the. I want their names, I want their orders. Sharp knives save lives and we shall save Mareave.
* '''Action:''' Guard the Gates in [[Mareave]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Coven of Barabbas enchanted the Seventh Wave with [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Valiant Pegasus===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=ValiantPegasus Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Zadok
* '''Orders:''' Two Years ago I ordered you to begin a crusade of liberation against the Jotun to free those labouring under barbarian yoke, starting in the Mourn. We inspired and aided the Oakleaf rebellion to free themselves. Then Bregasland fell, and our commitment to our crusade was renewed. Diversionary attacks North and South, the Reeds patience tested, a strike to one of the two hearts of their power, Keirheim, just barely thwarted. All this to make possible the conditions of this season, our return to Bregasland. We are fighting for Dominion, for the Liberty of the people of Bregasland; Accept no less than total victory. One day the Tyranny of Queens and Kings shall end and all people will be free to pursue virtue. We fell their rotten oaks one strike at a time.
* '''Action:''' Steady Conquest in [[Bregasland]]
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

==Imperial Orcs==
Imperial Orcs have three armies: [[Autumn Hammers]], [[Summer Storm]] and [[Winter Sun]]. They can support three armies.

===Autumn Hammers===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=AutumnHammers colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Ashborn Vana
* '''Orders:''' Hammers, this is the season we strike the Jotun and bind them. This is the season we invoke the contracts with the City of Lock and Bond. We have seen the Hunters walk among us and now we fight with them. Show the Jotun why the Lictors are known as the Punishers, more than that, show them why WE are The Hammers! Strike the blow, cripple them so they cannot flee from us. Have Pride in your strength.
* '''Action:''' Raise the Glass Labyrinth in [[Bregasland]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Linkforge Coven and The Eternal Family enchanted the Autumn Hammers with [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Summer Storm===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=SummerStorm Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Stormsteel Skorr
* '''Orders:''' Legionnaires, we have fought well defend our territory. It is now time to rest and train away from the front. We train so that we remain one of the best fighting forces in this Empire. This is a time to celebrate the wins we have had. If Skywise Rykana comes by, give him as many drinks as he waits. Remember those we have lost and those who have helped us. Let us call on the Ancestors in the pit and share with them our Pride and what we have achieved.
* '''Action:''' Solid Defence of [[Zenith]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Concordium of Pallas enchanted the Summer Storm with [[Brotherhood of Tian]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Winter Sun===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=WinterSun Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Sand Viper Ikk
* '''Orders:''' We return to Mareave. To fall upon the Grendel who try to take our home. Strike from the shadows and fade away. Listen to your ancestors. Wound the Grendel, weaken and make them pay. Mareave is Imperial. We are here to stay.
* '''Action:''' Hit and Run in [[Mareave]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Coven of Barabbas enchanted the Winter Sun with [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

==The League==
The League have three armies: [[Sparrows Reckoning]], [[Towerjacks]] and [[Wolves of War]]. They can support three armies.

===Sparrows Reckoning===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=SparrowsReckoning Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Albrecht Sanguineo
* '''Orders:''' Bravos of Tassato, soldiers of the League, heroes of the Empire we stand ready all swords sharpened, armour new and unblemished. Now we test them and ourselves against Jotun steel. We march to Bregasland at steady conquest to retake the homes of our Marcher siblings. We are named for our Empress, let your Pride in that legacy give you the strength to show the world that when the twin cities march to war no one can stand against us.
* '''Action:''' Steady Conquest in [[Bregasland]]
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Towerjacks===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=TowerJacks Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Gabriel Barossa
* '''Orders:''' The magic of Autumn flows amongst us this season. Fire up your forges, repair armour, sharpen blades and restring your bows. We will be ready to march.
* '''Action:''' Solid Defence of [[Zenith]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Concordium of Pallas enchanted the Towerjacks with [[Brotherhood of Tian]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Wolves of War===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=WolvesofWar Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Jean d'Apulian
* '''Orders:''' Let the pale imitations try. Here, loosed, are the world's finest mercenaries to meet such folly. Tell them, tell the Salt Lords, they may cast armies like coin to the four winds. We shall weather them like the tepid waves that they are. Audacity bought is no match for loyalty given. Now, let's be having them.
* '''Action:''' Grinding Advance into [[Mareave]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Coven of Barabbas enchanted the Wolves of War with [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

==The Marches==
The Marches have four armies: [[Bounders]], [[Drakes]], [[Strong Reeds]] and [[Tusks]]. They can support five armies.

===Bounders===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Bounders Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Fitzwilliam Thorn
* '''Orders:''' Jacks of the Bounders. Look into yourself and find your ambition, for there is work to be done. We go back to Bregasland with our Imperial cousins with us. Even the most impenetrable forest may fall one Jotun at a time
* '''Action:''' Steady Conquest in [[Bregasland]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Sail and Sight and The Eternal Family enchanted the Bounders with [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Drakes===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Drakes Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Alfred Houtman Fella
* '''Orders:''' Drakes, it is my honour to command you for the first time. The folk hero, Guildenstern gives me the strength to lead you and I shall not let him down. We head to Madruga, whilst Bregasland is returned to us by our friends, so too shall we return a home to those we share Loyalty with. Velasco, Aracelis, Joaquim, the Freeborn generals, our friends in Loyalty, have warned us of the magics of this land, be wary and be wise. Alongside Logan and the Starforged we shall perform an overwhelming assault into this land and return it to the Empire. Strength to our friends, strength to the Empire, strength to the Drakes, the first.
* '''Action:''' Overwhelming Assault on [[Madruga]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Coven of Barabbas enchanted the Drakes with [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Strong Reeds===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=StrongReeds Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Amberlain P. Black
* '''Orders:''' From the Rushes we rise from the reeds. Heed not the gnashing jaws and grasping hands of the unquiet Grey walkers, we are of the fens and reeds we are much part of the land as the are our rise neighbours. Seek out the Jotun, strike at them and push them back to Ottermire.
* '''Action:''' Rise from the Reeds in [[Bregasland]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Fountain's Whisper, Spire of the Auric Horizon and Storms End enchanted the Strong Reeds with [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Tusks===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Tusks Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Jack Ashton
* '''Orders:''' War is a vicious dog on a long chain. Too fucking long has it been let loose in our lands. Our homes. The time has come to chase the beast from our bounds. I say to you what I did before. Kill the invaders. Leave no Jotun Warrior alive to contest the claim. Make Balanced attack and liberate our home. P.S. if you see Stephen he's mine!!!
* '''Action:''' Balanced Attack on [[Bregasland]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Fountain's Whisper, Spire of the Auric Horizon and Storms End enchanted the Tusks with [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

==Navarr==
Navarr have three armies: [[Black Thorns]], [[Quiet Step]] and [[Star Forged]]. They can support four armies.

===Black Thorns===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=BlackThorns Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Cadwell Waystone
* '''Orders:''' Navarr will serve the Empire in Loyalty, regardless of the theatre of war. The Druj are broken, a scorpion backed into a corner, but their story is still a danger. The Buruk Tepel will fall, their armies laid low by the virtue of Imperial steel and we will free the slaves of the Mallum. Act in loyalty, fight with courage and serve with pride.
* '''Action:''' Steady Conquest in [[Salt Flats of Sanath]]
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Quiet Step===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=QuietStep Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Mercia Questor's View
* '''Orders:''' Navarr, now is the time to hit the Druj where it hurts. We march on Lower Sanath. I may not be who you expected in command but I will see Neve's ambition for this army fulfilled. Whatever it takes. Our cousins in Varushka will take care of our home. Let the citizens of Therunin look to this beacon and away from the arms of Agramant. For those who came before. For those who come after.
* '''Action:''' Whatever it Takes in [[Salt Flats of Sanath]]
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Star Forged===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=StarForged Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Logan Dusklight
* '''Orders:''' Soldiers of the Starforged, the time has come for you to take your place amongst the Proud armies of the Empire. You stand as a testament to the hard work of the brokers and artisans of our nation. as well as the support, kinship and sacrifice of the Imperial orcs, Varushka, Dawn and the Marches. Your ears must be ringing with the sounds of hammers, working day and night. But the work of making is not over yet. Parts of Madruga remain unworked, like metal drawn from a furnace. We must descend like a hammer from the heights of Hercynia to bring the wild lands into the embrace of the Empire. And it is in the crucible that we will truly be forged. As Star stood with Navarr and Thorn, so too will you stand with the Drakes, Tom Drakes ever-resourceful army. You are no stranger to the magic of Spring but beware the influence of Night. The land may shift or change or your eyes may deceive you. But if you trust in your allies and the Dance, you will not go astray. So I implore you, march forward, stand strong and show the Empire the strength you bring. Strength to the Empire. Strength to Navarr.
* '''Action:''' Overwhelming Assault on [[Madruga]]
* '''Enchantment:''' The Amber Forge and Twilight Forge enchanted the Star Forged with [[Find the Best Path]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

==Urizen==
Urizen have two armies: [[Argent Sword]] and [[Citadel Guard]]. They can support a single army.

===Argent Sword===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=ArgentSword Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer
* '''Orders:''' By the grace of Conclave, this season we train our new recruits! A mortal army would rest and recover, tell the stories of their actions and their virtue, and prepare for the seasons to come. Virtue is the Ambition of the soul, the currency of the exemplar, and the eternity of the the paragon. A season of virtuous discussion would see me well fed - but children of the Autumn realm, you are not like me! This season, while we are not fighting, we will be doing something you will enjoy. Under Mount Polus, the great mountain we call Kaspoena's Reach, there are riches to be found! This season let us sniff out the value beneath the mountain, within the crevasse at its feets. My foxes, lead the way! My minotaurs bring your picks! My spiders, be ready to evaluate what we find! We are bound by common cause - to seek the unspent coin of our mountain, to rejoice in the Prosperity of our industry, to enrich our tomorrows with the work of today.
* '''Action:''' Solid Defence of [[Zenith]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Concordium of Pallas enchanted the Argent Sword with [[Bound by Common Cause]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Citadel Guard===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=CitadelGuard Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was
* '''Orders:''' Sentinels, Consider the Drowned Man. There comes a point in some fights when you are so much better than your opponent that victory seems inevitable. Your foe does not comprehend that they have lost, for they still stand, still fight. They lack your foresight, your arete, and you must simply walk them through the dance steps of their demise. In that moment it can be tempting to show mercy, even pity your foe. Worse, one can lose focus, looking to the next conflict. The Empire has made this mistake before. This is how the Druj still blight the world. Mercy is weakness - The task is not done until it is done. We begin the end. Make for Lower Saarnath. With Spring's might and Summer knights we soften Leen, bringing ruin to the Beacon of Iskrid. We must not relent until the last of the Buruk-Tepel are marched through Anvil and relieved of the burden of their vile, poisonous heads.
* '''Action:''' Onrushing Storm in [[Salt Flats of Sanath]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Ashen Flame and Sunlit Scepter enchanted the Citadel Guard with [[Knights of Glory]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will receive a share of the Guerdon.

==Varushka==
Varushka have three armies: [[Boyar's Hasta]], [[Golden Axe]] and [[Northern Eagle]]. They can support four armies.

===Boyar's Hasta===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=BoyarsHasta Colour.webp|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Serafina Semenov
* '''Orders:''' My Hasta! Rest your boots - it's time to drink. Sit by the hearth, tell tales of your Courage. The Kracken. The Tower of the Skink. Thwarting the Druj. Enjoy the fruits of your labour. Enjoy the Boyarina's festival of Pride. But in the morning... I need your eyes sharp. This summit, Varushka lost one of the finest generals of our time. On her deathbed I told Alderei we would see out a final bequest. The Hasta will be spilling Thule blood when the time is right. We have words for those who mistake someone else's war as their opportunity. For those trying to push their boots on Varushkan land. And let it be known that when the time comes we will have spears for them too. Let us follow the footsteps left by Virtuous cousins that came before us.
* '''Action:''' Hospitality of the Boyars in [[Ossium]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Cabal Lyktan, Kaischa, The Brazen Tree and Unsettled Scales enchanted the Boyar's Hasta with [[Brotherhood of Tian]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Golden Axe===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=GoldenAxe Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Vojsuli Cherenkov
* '''Orders:''' Warriors of the Axe, this season we march to Therunin. We march to where the Iron Helms & Isaella's Dance paid the ultimate price. To where the bonds of Loyalty between Varushka and Navarr were deepened. For too long have the people of Therunin been cut off from our Empire. The dread gaze of Blood-on-the-Snow has turned to the people of Therunin offering false hope. We reject the lies of this Eternal! We march to show the people of Therunin that they are not forgotten. To the Navarr of Therunin, look to the east. We are coming.
* '''Action:''' Overwhelming Assault on [[Therunin]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Coven of Barabbas enchanted the Golden Axe with [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Northern Eagle===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=NorthernEagle Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Jaromir Ostrovyn Kostka
* '''Orders:''' Eagle of the North, I return to you now to guide our path to the last conquest of the Druj. We go to the Sydathian Fens, striding unseen as we hunt for our foe's weakness. To you, Surut, Schlacta of the Roaring Hearth, I present my curiosity to your bargain and welcome your wisdom in bringing bright ruin to old and rotten things. Before us stand wicked effigies and twisted monuments to a dying power, symbols of a strength that has left the heart and limbs of this sickened beast of a nation. We shall make a beacon of them, a sign to our embattled cousins and fearful foes alike that soon all here will be changed by Imperial will. Forward now, into this depthless dark, for herein we shall raise the torches that shall light the way to a better world.
* '''Action:''' Infiltrate in [[Salt Flats of Sanath]]
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

==Wintermark==
Wintermark have three armies: [[Bloodcloaks]], [[Green Shield]] and [[Narwhal's Spear]]. They can support four armies.

===Bloodcloaks===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=BloodCloak Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Tager Defender of the Fallen Tyrshalt
* '''Orders:''' Bloodcloaks, we go to Bregasland to recover those we have lost and will lose reclaiming the homes of the Marchers. Find the trinkets on the limbs of the trees that sprung up on this blood-soaked beachhead. We collect them to return them to the families of these heroes so their stories can be told and their memories shall survive the cold of night. We are Winterborn and the cold doesn't compromise. All heroes have a name, no matter which nation.
* '''Action:''' Recover the Lost in [[Bregasland]]
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Green Shield===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=GreenShields Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Iron Osric
* '''Orders:''' A red sky after battle day, Bleeds broad beyond the brae; What fields, what fallen friends are they, What fires fade o'er far away? What spears stood stout in storm and shout, What banners broke and burned? What voices, valiant, call me out, To rounds from which we turned? That was the ground of gathered might, Of kin in clash and cry, The steadfast shields, a woman bright, Whose blade sang swift and high. O iron hours and embered eve, O dust and drum and flame, The hands I held, that I've had to leave, Yet thrill to speak their name. Good battle days 'neath shining star, Are loath to lose their lustre, Naught after else their joy can mar, Nor break the band we muster.
* '''Action:''' Fight with Honour in [[Bregasland]]
* '''Enchantment:''' Ashen Flame and Sunlit Scepter enchanted the Green Shield with [[Knights of Glory]].
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.

===Narwhal's Spear===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Narwhal's Spear.webp|align=right|width=200}}</div>
* '''General:''' Determination of Ice Kaisa
* '''Orders:''' We are to be a dance of cunning to claim what is before us. Let us weave our way through the lines carrying messages between our many allies. Be the Vigilant eyes and ears that inform every step forward. Seek the flanks and guide the Jotun's path into our Imperial victory.
* '''Action:''' Seek the Foe in [[Bregasland]]
* '''Guerdon:''' Military units supporting this army will not be rewarded by the Imperial Senate.
==Summary==
<table class='wikitable sortable BourseTable'>
<tr><th class='headersort' tabindex='0' role='columnheader button' title='Sort ascending'>Army</th><th class='headerSort' tabindex='0' role='columnheader button' title='Sort ascending'>Nation</th><th class='headerSort' tabindex='0' role='columnheader button' title='Sort ascending'>Start</th><th class='headerSort' tabindex='0' role='columnheader button' title='Sort ascending'>Destination</th><th class='headerSort' tabindex='0' role='columnheader button' title='Sort ascending'>Action</th></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Golden Sun|Golden Sun]]</td><td>Dawn</td><td>Mitwold</td><td>Bregasland</td><td>Grinding Advance</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Valiant Pegasus|Valiant Pegasus]]</td><td>Highguard</td><td>Mitwold</td><td>Bregasland</td><td>Steady Conquest</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Autumn Hammers|Autumn Hammers]]</td><td>Imperial Orcs</td><td>Mitwold</td><td>Bregasland</td><td>Raise the Glass Labyrinth</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Burning Falcon|Burning Falcon]]</td><td>The Brass Coast</td><td>Upwold</td><td>Bregasland</td><td>Triumphant Charge</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Red Wind Corsairs|Red Wind Corsairs]]</td><td>The Brass Coast</td><td>Madruga</td><td>Bregasland</td><td>Daring Raid</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Sparrows Reckoning|Sparrows Reckoning]]</td><td>The League</td><td>Tassato</td><td>Bregasland</td><td>Steady Conquest</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Bounders|Bounders]]</td><td>The Marches</td><td>Mournwold</td><td>Bregasland</td><td>Steady Conquest</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Strong Reeds|Strong Reeds]]</td><td>The Marches</td><td>Bregasland</td><td>Bregasland</td><td>Rise from the Reeds</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Tusks|Tusks]]</td><td>The Marches</td><td>Kallavesa</td><td>Bregasland</td><td>Balanced Attack</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Bloodcloaks|Bloodcloaks]]</td><td>Wintermark</td><td>Mitwold</td><td>Bregasland</td><td>Recover the Lost</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Green Shield|Green Shield]]</td><td>Wintermark</td><td>Mitwold</td><td>Bregasland</td><td>Fight with Honour</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Narwhal's Spear|Narwhal's Spear]]</td><td>Wintermark</td><td>Kallavesa</td><td>Bregasland</td><td>Seek the Foe</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Star Forged|Star Forged]]</td><td>Navarr</td><td>Hercynia</td><td>Madruga</td><td>Overwhelming Assault</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Drakes|Drakes]]</td><td>The Marches</td><td>Mitwold</td><td>Madruga</td><td>Overwhelming Assault</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Eastern Sky|Eastern Sky]]</td><td>Dawn</td><td>Semmerholm</td><td>Mareave</td><td>Traverse the Crossroads</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Granite Pillar|Granite Pillar]]</td><td>Highguard</td><td>Sarangrave</td><td>Mareave</td><td>Strategic Defence</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Seventh Wave|Seventh Wave]]</td><td>Highguard</td><td>Zenith</td><td>Mareave</td><td>Guard the Gates</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Winter Sun|Winter Sun]]</td><td>Imperial Orcs</td><td>Zenith</td><td>Mareave</td><td>Hit and Run</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Fire of the South|Fire of the South]]</td><td>The Brass Coast</td><td>Madruga</td><td>Mareave</td><td>Forced March</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Wolves of War|Wolves of War]]</td><td>The League</td><td>Mareave</td><td>Mareave</td><td>Grinding Advance</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Boyar's Hasta|Boyar's Hasta]]</td><td>Varushka</td><td>Sarangrave</td><td>Ossium</td><td>Hospitality of the Boyars</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Gryphon's Pride|Gryphon's Pride]]</td><td>Dawn</td><td>Ossium</td><td>Salt Flats of Sanath</td><td>Push the Line</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Lions of Adelmar|Lions of Adelmar]]</td><td>Dawn</td><td>Semmerholm</td><td>Salt Flats of Sanath</td><td>Steel Roses</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Black Thorns|Black Thorns]]</td><td>Navarr</td><td>Sarangrave</td><td>Salt Flats of Sanath</td><td>Steady Conquest</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Quiet Step|Quiet Step]]</td><td>Navarr</td><td>Zenith</td><td>Salt Flats of Sanath</td><td>Whatever it Takes</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Citadel Guard|Citadel Guard]]</td><td>Urizen</td><td>Sarangrave</td><td>Salt Flats of Sanath</td><td>Onrushing Storm</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Northern Eagle|Northern Eagle]]</td><td>Varushka</td><td>Salt Flats of Sanath</td><td>Salt Flats of Sanath</td><td>Infiltrate</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Golden Axe|Golden Axe]]</td><td>Varushka</td><td>Sarangrave</td><td>Therunin</td><td>Overwhelming Assault</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Pilgrim's Defiance|Pilgrim's Defiance]]</td><td>Highguard</td><td>Bastion</td><td>Zenith</td><td>Give Ground</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Summer Storm|Summer Storm]]</td><td>Imperial Orcs</td><td>Mareave</td><td>Zenith</td><td>Solid Defence</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Towerjacks|Towerjacks]]</td><td>The League</td><td>Mareave</td><td>Zenith</td><td>Solid Defence</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[#Argent Sword|Argent Sword]]</td><td>Urizen</td><td>Mareave</td><td>Zenith</td><td>Solid Defence</td></tr>
</table>

[[Category:Military Council]]
[[Category:Recent History]]
[[Category:388YE Summer]]

Warriors' Gate

2026-07-22T21:22:21Z

Noserenda: /* Securing Allies */

<ic>Vladimir shaded his eyes, and watched as the Suaq tried again to show the half a dozen orcs how to slide their feet in such a way that their wooden skies slid across the surface of the snow. One of the warriors made such a hash of it they actually managed to snap the ski somehow. The Varushkan shook his head ruefully, and went back to strapping his much more practical snowshoes to his sturdy boots. Skiing was fine for getting from a high place to a low place, but he had no patience for cross-country skiing and did not envy the Wintermark hunter their job of trying to teach a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs from the arid plains of Mareave the best way to do so.

His cousin Estragon was still talking, annoyingly. Vladimir had been trying to tune him out, with only minimal success. He loved his cousin, most likely, but his voice could cut wood when he started off on one of his drawn-out tirades about something he was passionate about. Right now he was complaining about the decision the leader of their band had made to come and look at Tsirku. Illyana had been quite fired up when she'd heard the call to arms from Rosanna Vtrachenich and immediately insisted they bring their wagons to the arse-end of the Empire.

"... and its not even as if there are any sovereigns here!" Estragon finished, as if that was his trump card.

Vladimir finished strapping himself up, stood, and whacked his cousin around the back of the head.

"What was that for!", demanded Estragon, outraged.

"If you don't know I'm not going to tell you," said Vladimir, making sure the wooden snow-goggles he'd bought during their visit to Hunter's Hall were tied securely in place. "There may not be sovereigns, you dolt, but what there ''probably'' is, is a thousand years of untouched wealth buried under all this snow just waiting for someone to rip it up and take it home."

He glanced over at Estragon, who was rubbing the back of his head with a surly expression on his face.

"Honestly," sighed the big wagon raider. "Sometimes I wonder if you are even a Varushkan, cousin" </ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 350px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Snowy wastes.jpg|align=left|caption=Tsirku is a cold and desolate wasteland.|width=2000}}</div>
==Overview==
* '''The first steps have been taken to explore the wilderness of Tsirku'''
The frozen wasteland of Tsirku to the north of Sermersuaq is truly ''terra incognita'' as the old [[Asavean Archipelago|Asaveans]] would have it. [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil|Last season]] a bold endeavour was set in motion to explore the unknown land, to learn more of what lies in its trackless tundra and ice fields, and if possible to make it part of Wintermark.

The first preliminary steps into Tsirku have been a resounding success. A large number of [[Wintermark|Winterfolk]], and a single band of [[Navarr]], challenged the Northern Lights, the eternal storm of Sydanjaa, and the dangers of the wastes. Slowly they have begun to build a picture of this enigmatic, vast stretch of land that lies between the Empire, the [[Jotun]], the [[Thule]], and who-knows-what else. Meanwhile a large number of Winterfolk and some [[Dawn|Dawnish]] adventurers pushed into Tsirku, [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku is Enticing|seeking adventure]], and seeing what treasures might lie in the boundless wastes.

==Warriors Gate==
* '''Scouts and adventurers have explored the region of Warriors Gate
* '''They have identified several landmarks but the region is mostly snow-blown tundra
<div {{float}}>
<table class='wikitable mw-collapsed mw-collapsible sortable'><tr><th>Citizen</th><th>Banner</th><th>Nation</th></tr>
<tr><td>Powell Open-Skies</td><td>Open Skies</td><td>Navarr</td></tr>
<tr><td>Aaro</td><td>Bloodforge Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Aelson Dunhearth</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Aengel Dunn</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ailfryn Issigsbarn</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ailsa</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Alwyn Croft</td><td>The Winter Wolfborn</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Arja Riftweaver</td><td>House Gerís</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Artic</td><td>The Winter Wolfborn</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Blaidd Sinan</td><td>House Gerís</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Bronn Dunwolf</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Calvayne</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ceolmund Dreth</td><td>End’s Hearth</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ciara</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Dart Orias</td><td>Hall Stonesworn</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Duwana</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Eahlstan Yarricson</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Elgar Angusson Krakenring</td><td>Kraken's Vanguard</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Eodin Swiftstride</td><td>Shield Wolves</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Finn ulson</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Gerrick Wind Ward's Guardian</td><td>Kraken's Vanguard</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ghelwyn</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Guthelm Fleetfoot</td><td>Eira Spire</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Guthrum Bjorning</td><td>Bjornholt</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Hazen Marking</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Kaisa</td><td>Shield Wolves</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Kara</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Kraxis Asherson</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Loki</td><td>Shield Wolves</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Miguel Oakshotte</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Nerian Hererinc</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Oona</td><td>Stormspire</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Quintaras Halivor</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Rek Martinez Dunqueza</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Reu'Hrokr</td><td>Corvenhal</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Rolf Boarson</td><td>Shield Wolves</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Runik Frostborn</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Seht Ravenson of Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Sylvi</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Tarn Myreson</td><td>Hall Stonesworn</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Theomere Swiftstride</td><td>Shield Wolves</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Tostig</td><td>Corvenhal</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Tyburn Natkysset</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ulfric Ursine</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ulric Baersonling</td><td>Corvenhal</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Utread Broadmeadow</td><td>The Winter Wolfborn</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Utred Tiberiuson</td><td>Shield Wolves</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Vidor Broadmeadow</td><td>The Winter Wolfborn</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Witgast Dunning</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Yorrick</td><td>Kraken's Vanguard</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Yrsir</td><td>Stormspire</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
</table></div>
Tsirku isn't impossible to map, as such, but there are a large number of challenges that need to be overcome. One is that [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Big|Tsirku is big]] - meaning that unlike a traditional [[spy network]] scouts cannot hope to explore the entire place in a single season. With the Summer Solstice approaching, then, the Winterfolk (and their Navarr ally) have mostly explored a single region, which is named ''Warriors Gate''.

Warriors Gate lies north of Suaq Fount and takes its name from the fact that it is the gateway to Tsirku, and that the path of those who walk into Sydanjaa passes through it. It is cold - even with Summer approaching it is significantly colder than northern Sermersuaq. Snowfalls are not uncommon, and water regularly freezes overnight. Yet it is by no means barren. In the south particularly there are areas of scrubby grass, heather, and hardy thornbushes. A few bent trees grow here, and where their roots spread there are oases of life. Pale hares, equally pale foxes, wolves, and even the occasional massive snow bear are found here. There are also huddles of the massive white [[Mundane_beasts#Dire_Beasts|dire penguins]] native to the north-west of the Empire here, in numbers hitherto unknown. They provide good eating for those brave enough to hunt them.

The place is also a cornucopia of unfamiliar plants and berries growing here - treasures of Tsirku that are unfamiliar to southern explorers. It's not that the place is ''lush'' precisely, more that the plants that survive here are hardy and perhaps possessed of some additional virtue. A few magicians speculate that the threads of mana here, left to flow freely without tampering by human or orc, infuse the landscape. Others point to the baleful influence of the Northern Lights, while still others note that this wasteland may be touched by the magic of the [[realms]] in ways that settled lands are not. Finally, a few suggest that it is just that the most dangerous locations tend to be the most rich - they point to [[Varushka]] and [[Otkodov]] as examples of this and the wealth of the wild [[the Barrens|Barrens]].

Warriors Gate is flat, and has comparatively few significant geographical features. There is a frozen lake here in the northern part of the region called the ''Lake of Sighs'', which is frozen solid nine months of the year. The "pilgrims' trail" to Sydanjaa passes over the ice of the lake. There is also a scrubby forest in the east of the region dubbed ''Courtier's Wood'' because the hardy trees that make it up are bent over like bowing diplomats. Beggarwood is found in profusion here, along with patches of [[bladeroot]], but there are also reports of odd creatures like furred spiders the size of wolves that move around in the place. They scurry away from explorers, and nobody gets more than a glimpse of them, but they may prove to be a danger.

There is no Jotun or Thule presence here. The sole sign that anyone other than Winterfolk pilgrims has ever been here is only a short distance across the border of Sermersuaq - a trilithon of white stone carved with stylised depictions of mammoths, hares, penguins, and deer as well as symbols of Summer. It puts the Navarr who see it immediately in mind of the [[Hercynia#The_Gate_of_Summer|Gate of Summer]] in [[Hercynia]]. The monument is dubbed the ''Gate of Winter'', and like the structure in the south it has absolutely no magic associated with it.

The only other common feature are cairns - four of them - that mark a kind of trail that wends north through Warriors Gate. Most of the stones that mark these cairns come from the local area, but a few have been carried from further afield. Many are marked with [[runes]], and in amongst them are odd relics such as long-rusted blades, animals of carved bone, scraps of fabric hung as flags, and the like. These are pilgrim cairns, created over the centuries by those taking the long walk from Sermersuaq to Sydanjaa. Even the beasts of Agramant do not interfere with these monuments.
===Claiming Warriors Gate===
* '''Warriors Gate has been explored but is too inhospitable for an army to claim it for the Empire'''
* '''The Citadel of the Warm Hearth would anchor the exploration and an Imperial claim to the region'''

[[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Trackless|Tsirku is trackless]], barren, and vast. Armies cannot conquer regions of this wasteland, and attempting to do so would result in significant casualties just due to the cold. However, the explorers identify several locations in the region where the ''Citadel of the Warm Hearth'' proposed by ''Firebird Eorling'' could be built. All that is required is a [[commission]], and a massive investment of [[white granite]] and [[mithril]]. If the citadel were completed, there would be an opportunity to "conquer" Warriors Gate and begin the ultimate ambition of bringing the wasteland under control of Wintermark.

Previously, there was insufficient knowledge about the region to allow such a castle - or indeed anything else - to be built. Now sites have been found, and the shape of the region is known, the [[opportunity]] is there to establish an anchor for Wintermark's expansion and further exploration.
{{CaptionedImage|file=ArchmageSummer.jpg|caption='''Mirella of the Twisted Rose''', Archmage of Summer|align=right|width=300}}
The citadel is a serious endeavour in and of itself, but some [[runesmith|runesmiths]] suggest that it might be possible to secure assistance from the spirits of the realms. Both [[Cathan Canae]] and [[Adamant]] would have reasons to offer their aid - the former because the citadel represents a profound test of fortitude and the beginning of a glorious conquest, the latter because a massive castle of white granite in an impossible location is just the kind of thing the ''King Under the Mountain'' likes.

Of course eternals rarely offer their aid without a cost, and given the current attitudes of the [[Synod]] to trafficking with the eternals it ''might'' be better to go it alone. But perhaps the [[Archmage of Summer]] '''Mirella of the Twisted Rose''' could be persuaded to use their power of [[Archmage#Plenipotentiary|plenipotentiary]] to help Wintermark engage with the eternals?

==Summer in Tsirku==
* '''There are three regions that might be explored next'''
* '''The Imperial Spymaster determines which region to explore next'''
From Warriors Gate there are three ways the exploration could proceed.
* Westward, toward [[Tromsa]], lies a region that preliminary exploration identifies as "''barren, windswept, with wide and unsettling skies''". It's likely that Lake Nutjuitoq extends into this area, and there may be a connection to the [[Sea of Snow]] given that there must be ''some'' way for the great sea beasts to reach the [[Sermersuaq#The_Grave_of_the_Giants|Grave of the Giants]]. The ''hylje'' have [[Beneath_a_moonless_sky#As_Semersuaq_strode|offered aid]] in exploring this region, should Wintermark wish to avail themselves of it.
* Eastward, towards [[Otkodov#Urdur|Urdur]] lies a region described as "''rocky, with scattered trees, that feels ominous''". It's possible that the region actually abuts Urdur and if it does that increases the likelihood of some kind of Thule presence there.
* Northward, towards [[Sermersuaq#Sydanjaa|Sydanjaa]] is a region described as "''icy, covered in snow, with vicious looking chasms''". It doesn't seem that Sydanjaa extends ''into'' this region, but it is one that those walking that way would pass through.
The decision on where to focus exploration after the Summer Solstice lies with the [[Imperial Spymaster]], although they may receive counsel from the people of Wintermark. At the very least, the Imperial Spymaster should let the Wintermark people know which direction to head in, and the best way to do that would be to address their muster during the Summer Solstice. The Wintermark egregores should be able to arrange such an opportunity for them.

Notably, the season of exploration following the Summer Solstice will be the last before the weather [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Barren|begins to turn]]. After the Autumn Equinox, until the Spring Equinox, the strength required to gain any information from the Tsirku spy network is doubled (something that might make the aid offered by the hylje particularly valuable).

==Dangers and Hunters==
* '''Creatures of ''Blood-on-the-Snow'' threaten explorers in Warriors Gate
Warriors Gate is indeed dangerous. Explorers here are passing through a [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_the_Wasteland|wasteland]] unprotected by the [[alignment#enmity|wards of the Conclave]]. Specifically, every warband has a story of encountering what can only be beasts or [[inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] from the demesne of [[Agramant|Blood-on-the-Snow]]. They include black-eyed, emaciated white bears, skin hanging like damp cloth over their twisted bones, that speak with human voices; viciously grinning snaggle-toothed humans and orcs garbed in suspicious leather and blood-soaked fur who offer aid to lost or hungry travellers; and at least one massive creature combining the worse elements of forest ape, wolverine, and stag that simply stands a short distance away from an encampment and watches the explorers with cold, dead eyes.

Fortunately, steps have been taken to mitigate the risks of the creatures of the [[Realms#Winter|eternal Wasteland]]. Following the advice of the [[Wintermark_military_concerns#Banner-bearers|banner-bearers]] of Wintermark, the [[Senate]] has [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Amend_Banner-bearer_of_Atkonaroq|expanded]] the [[Banner-bearer_of_Atkonaroq#Responsibilities|responsibilities]] of the [[Banner-bearer of Atkonaroq]]. They now contribute their expertise, and the support of the [[Banner-bearer_of_Atkonaroq#Hall_of_the_Hunters|Hall of the Hunters]] towards protecting the explorers of Tsirku from the threat of Agramant's beasts.

One of the first "points of interest" in Warriors Gate discovered by the explorers are a pair of [[regio]] in different parts of the region that are clearly claimed by ''Blood-on-the-Snow''. Both sites are marked by rocks and ice protrusions that weep a horrible, thick, blood-like substance familiar to those who remember the [[Anyone_but_you#The_Bleeding_Ice|Bleeding Ice]] discovered in [[Sermersuaq#Tanikipari|Tanikipari]] by the [[Shuttered Lantern]] three years ago. These powerful Winter regio are guarded by dozens of servants of the ''Wastewalker'', and are clearly the "staging posts" for the creatures that he sends south to bedevil northern Sermersuaq.

There's also reports of the fallen [[thane]], [[Anyone_but_you#Wemba_the_Bloody|Wemba the Bloody]], whose spirit snapped when the Jotun claimed his hall in Atalaq. Now a cannibal who has sworn to eat only the flesh of his defeated enemies, he and his warband are clearly using these regio to commune with Agramant and receive his boons. The two sites are dubbed the ''Bloody Teeth'' and the ''Treachers Dagger'' by scouts. The explorers aren't able to get close to them, but they're able to mark their locations.

The new responsibilities of the Banner-bearer of Atkonaroq provide a possible way to try and deal with the two regio. Bands of heroes use the Hall of Hunters as their base from which to [[Venture#Hunt_the_Suaq_Wastes|Hunt the Suaq Wastes]]. The [[venture]] is only available to Wintermark and bold [[Dawn|Dawnish]] captains, and there are fewer and fewer beasts actually ''in'' Sermersuaq to hunt. However, this presents an opportunity.

{{Mandate|mandate=The servants of Agramant gather in Warriors Gate and must be dealt with. We send the Banner-bearer of Atkonaroq with 25 doses of liao to lead heroes and glory-seekers alike to face the dangers of (the Bloody Teeth/Treachers Dagger) and drive them back from whence they came.|assembly=Wintermark National Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted, it will focus the efforts of the ''Hunt the Suaq Wastes'' [[venture]] on taking the fight to the servants of Agramant at the named regio. Provided at least 5,000 strength supports the venture after the Summer solstice, the servants of Agramant there will be scattered and an opportunity to permanently sever the regio will be provided.

The Bloody Teeth is clearly a source of [[Vis#Heart's Blood|Heart's Blood]], similar to the Bleeding Stone. If this target is chosen, a standard military unit will receive three pawns of Winter vis in place of the rewards they would usually get, with [[military unit#upgraded|upgraded]] or [[enchantment|enchanted]] resources gaining more.

''Treachers Dagger'' however is where Wemba the Bloody and their entourage were last seen, and is where the mortal servants of the eternal seem to be congregated. In this case, military units will each receive a ribbon for an enchanted item seized from the slain enemies in place of the standard rewards for the venture.

If the mandate is enacted this season, and the raid is successful, an opportunity to attack the other regio may be presented at the Autumn Equinox, along with an opportunity to use the [[Sentinel Gate]] to deal with the regio permanently.

The only people not ''entirely'' enthused about this are a handful of [[maggot|maggots]] who point out that if the Banner-bearer of Atkonaroq is successful at destroying the two regio, they'll be basically putting themselves out of a job. The ''Feast of Famine'' will still be a threat to folk exploring the north - these are surely far from the only regio that are available to the eternal - but there'll be no more monsters coming south to attack Sermersuaq. Which will spell the end for the venture to ''Hunt the Suaq Wastes'' and potentially the entire purpose of the Banner-bearer.

==Securing Allies==
* '''Wintermark has begun sharing their expertise in surviving arctic conditions with the rest of the Empire
* '''The Smokehouse of Atalaq is providing food to explorers in the wasteland
The task of mastering Tsirku is [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Comprehensible|truly ambitious]], and Wintermark is unlikely to achieve it on its own. During the Spring Equinox, the Wintermark Assembly sought allies from the other Imperial nations. They [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_48|sent]] '''Thritt''', themselves a banner-bearer, to encourage those familiar with the cold and the arctic conditions of Tsirku to share their knowledge with the rest of the Empire. Captains, explorers, trappers, trackers, and travellers have all begun to take advantage of this offer, learning how to deal with the frigid conditions north of Sermersuaq.

At the same time '''Hildelith Kaukosdottir''' [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_126|arranged further support]] by encouraging the farmers of Wintermark to provide [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Comprehensible|surplus provisions]], suitable for use in Tsirku, to those scouting the wastes. As such, each season a strength of 500 will be committed to the scouting network. It isn't enough to operate the network by itself, but it will bolster efforts in the north. More importantly for some, though, it means that anyone taking part in the endeavour has a ready supply of compact, easy to carry, nutritious food that can give them the strength to push through the hostile landscape. This comes at the cost, however, of removing the usual benefits provided by the [[Write_the_lines#Hunt_of_the_North|Smokehouse of Atalaq]] - it will no longer provide additional production to the [[farm|farms]] of Sermersuaq.

==Siglings and Guides==
{{SOP|statement=We in Varushka understand the importance of building roads into the unknown. In this regard we in the Varushkan National Assembly support our little siblings in Wintermark and their exploration of the unknown wastes of Tsirku.|by=Rosanna Vtrachenich, Varushkan Assembly|vote=Greater Majority 208-30|when=Spring Equinox 388YE|size=small}}
{{SOP|statement=The Imperial Orc nation accepts the wisdom of the northern folk. Teach us the ways of snow and climb, let us learn from those who came before us. Varushka and Wintermark be our guide as we share your journey into Tsirku.|by=Skywise Gralka, Imperial Orcs Assembly|vote=Greater Majority 60-0|when=Spring Equinox 388YE|size=small}}
* '''The Imperial Orcs and Varushka passed statements of principle pledging support for Wintermark
* '''Champions from both nations can take part in the Adventure in Tsirku venture
* '''The Varushkan has an opportunity to contribute by helping explore and exploit the wastes
* '''The Imperial Orcs are focused on their highest calling
Two nations responded with [[statement of principle|statements of principle]] - [[Varushka]] and the [[Imperial Orcs]]. The main consequence at the moment is that the opportunity to ''Adventure in Tsirku'' is now available to [[military unit|captains and champions]] of those two nations, alongside the Winterfolk and the people of Dawn. The Varushkans are already experienced in the kind of conditions they might find in Tsirku, and the expertise shared by Wintermark mean that the Imperial Orcs can embrace this adventure nearly as effectively as the more practiced explorers.

While the aid of the Unshackled is appreciated, the efforts of the Imperial Orcs are currently focused on their [[All_I_ask_of_you|highest calling]] - to explore the ancestors and spiritual beliefs of other septs who are not part of the Empire. There is some hope that once they have finished their own ambitious undertaking, they will still be enthusiastic about helping in the north. It's likely that the endeavour will not be complete any time soon, after all.

Varushka on the other hand does not ''have'' a highest calling. Like Wintermark, it rejects the idea of such things, and so it is free to encourage virtue where it wishes. The words of Rosanna Vtrachenich strike a chord with many who learn of them. The statement refers to the historical connection between Wintermark and Varushka - as [[People of the North]] lays out, the Suaq, Kallavesi, and ancient Ushkan folk likely are branches of the same family, and the Vard are the elder siblings to the Steinr. Their history has not always been peaceful, but perhaps more than any other Imperial nations there is a connection between the two. Indeed, before the recent arrival of the Imperial Orcs and the Thule, they even shared a border (for good and ill).

{{Mandate|mandate=There are old ties between the people of Varushka and those of Wintermark; we are cousins to Suaq and Kallavesa and siblings to the Steinr. They seek to master Tsirku, and we are wise in the ways of taming dangerous lands. We send (named priest) with 100 doses of liao to urge the folk of Varushka to remember our old bonds, and to help our cousins secure their future.|assembly=Varushkan National Assembly}}

If this mandate is passed, it will inspire the people of Varushka to offer their help to the people of Wintermark in their exploration of Tsirku. There will be an [[opportunity]] at the Autumn Equinox for members of the nation to support the exploration with a particular eye towards sharing expertise with supernatural threats, and locating resources to exploit. However, the mandate also holds within it an assertion that [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Wintermark|Tsirku is Wintermark]] - recognising their claim to the land. Should it ever be necessary to do so, the people of Varushka will expect their assembly to support that claim.

However, for the next year, the idea of mastering the wasteland and its resources, exploring its dangers, and working beside Wintermark will excite and inspire the people of the nation. Any further attempt to move the people of the nation to support some other grand endeavour will have no effect until a full year has passed.

==Whispered Opposition==
* '''The Whisper Gallery offers an opportunity for those who wish to interfere in the exploration of Tsirku'''
* '''The ''Snap rope and foil explorers'' scouting venture allows military units to oppose the exploration'''
* '''In return they receive treasures and potentially wonders of the wasteland and Night vis'''
* '''Taking this action is a crime, should an individual be found out, but evidence will be difficult to find'''
* '''Only those who have made themselves known to the Whisper Gallery will be invited to snap rope and foil explorers'''
* '''Any military unit that takes this action will be listed alongside the other explorers'''

Nothing is ever easy, of course. [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Secret|Tsirku is secret]], full of things unknown in the Empire. Arguably, full of things no living mortal has ''ever'' laid eyes on. The warnings of ''[[Sung|Night Singer]]'' and the ''[[Sadogua|Brother of Wizards]]'' last season spoke of opposition from the ''[[Whisper Gallery|Stewards of the Shadowed Throne]]'' who are apparently ''very'' unhappy to see Imperial scouts exploring Tsirku. It seems that with the first explorers penetrating the secrets of Tsirku, the ''Concilium of the Perjured Throne'' is prepared to take action.

Normally the [[Alignment#Enmity|enmity]] of the [[Conclave]] would keep the agents of the ''Cavalcade of Masks'' at bay but that protection does not extend to Tsirku. Fortunately, the baroque creature is attempting some over-complicated method of recruiting suitable allies which thus far is restricting its appeal. Perhaps to compensate for that, the eternal is increasing the rewards on offer.

Following the Summer Solstice select military units can participate in the ''Snap ropes and foil explorers'' [[Military_unit#Scouting|scouting ]][[venture]]. This venture is aimed at causing trouble for the explorers supporting the Imperial [[spy network]] in Tsirku.
Any military unit that takes it will be listed alongside those military units who are sincerely supporting efforts to understand Tsirku, but their effective strength will be ''subtracted'' from the amount achieved rather than added to it.

No military unit may take advantage of this opportunity unless they have made themselves known to the Whisper Gallery. If they do that, then they will be invited to take part.

Any military unit that takes part will receive a little guidance from the Whisper Gallery - they can offer aid to find secret things after all - meaning they will receive three ''treasures of the wasteland'' (consumables representing unique resources found in Tsirku) and three pawns of [[Vis#Crystal_Fire|crystal fire]] as a direct gift from the ''Ministers of the Chiaroscuran Palace''. A military unit that has an effective rank of at least 8 (counting enchantment and upgrades) will also receive assistance in finding a ''wonder of the wasteland'', a much rarer consumable.

It's notable that any military units taking the ''Snap ropes and foil explorers'' action will still suffer the same penalty to do so they would suffer when taking any ''other'' action in Tsirku - and in a way Wintermark's enthusiasm for securing allies has played a little into the hands of the Whisper Gallery by reducing those difficulties.

There is unfortunately no way to tell whether someone supporting the spy network is doing so honestly, or with nefarious intent. The civil service will continue to publish the list of who is working on the spy network, but everyone taking the ''Snap ropes and foil explorers'' action will appear alongside their less treacherous compatriots.

Obviously, taking boons from the Whisper Gallery in this fashion is a crime.

Warriors' Gate

2026-07-22T21:13:30Z

Noserenda: /* Warriors Gate */

<ic>Vladimir shaded his eyes, and watched as the Suaq tried again to show the half a dozen orcs how to slide their feet in such a way that their wooden skies slid across the surface of the snow. One of the warriors made such a hash of it they actually managed to snap the ski somehow. The Varushkan shook his head ruefully, and went back to strapping his much more practical snowshoes to his sturdy boots. Skiing was fine for getting from a high place to a low place, but he had no patience for cross-country skiing and did not envy the Wintermark hunter their job of trying to teach a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs from the arid plains of Mareave the best way to do so.

His cousin Estragon was still talking, annoyingly. Vladimir had been trying to tune him out, with only minimal success. He loved his cousin, most likely, but his voice could cut wood when he started off on one of his drawn-out tirades about something he was passionate about. Right now he was complaining about the decision the leader of their band had made to come and look at Tsirku. Illyana had been quite fired up when she'd heard the call to arms from Rosanna Vtrachenich and immediately insisted they bring their wagons to the arse-end of the Empire.

"... and its not even as if there are any sovereigns here!" Estragon finished, as if that was his trump card.

Vladimir finished strapping himself up, stood, and whacked his cousin around the back of the head.

"What was that for!", demanded Estragon, outraged.

"If you don't know I'm not going to tell you," said Vladimir, making sure the wooden snow-goggles he'd bought during their visit to Hunter's Hall were tied securely in place. "There may not be sovereigns, you dolt, but what there ''probably'' is, is a thousand years of untouched wealth buried under all this snow just waiting for someone to rip it up and take it home."

He glanced over at Estragon, who was rubbing the back of his head with a surly expression on his face.

"Honestly," sighed the big wagon raider. "Sometimes I wonder if you are even a Varushkan, cousin" </ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 350px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Snowy wastes.jpg|align=left|caption=Tsirku is a cold and desolate wasteland.|width=2000}}</div>
==Overview==
* '''The first steps have been taken to explore the wilderness of Tsirku'''
The frozen wasteland of Tsirku to the north of Sermersuaq is truly ''terra incognita'' as the old [[Asavean Archipelago|Asaveans]] would have it. [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil|Last season]] a bold endeavour was set in motion to explore the unknown land, to learn more of what lies in its trackless tundra and ice fields, and if possible to make it part of Wintermark.

The first preliminary steps into Tsirku have been a resounding success. A large number of [[Wintermark|Winterfolk]], and a single band of [[Navarr]], challenged the Northern Lights, the eternal storm of Sydanjaa, and the dangers of the wastes. Slowly they have begun to build a picture of this enigmatic, vast stretch of land that lies between the Empire, the [[Jotun]], the [[Thule]], and who-knows-what else. Meanwhile a large number of Winterfolk and some [[Dawn|Dawnish]] adventurers pushed into Tsirku, [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku is Enticing|seeking adventure]], and seeing what treasures might lie in the boundless wastes.

==Warriors Gate==
* '''Scouts and adventurers have explored the region of Warriors Gate
* '''They have identified several landmarks but the region is mostly snow-blown tundra
<div {{float}}>
<table class='wikitable mw-collapsed mw-collapsible sortable'><tr><th>Citizen</th><th>Banner</th><th>Nation</th></tr>
<tr><td>Powell Open-Skies</td><td>Open Skies</td><td>Navarr</td></tr>
<tr><td>Aaro</td><td>Bloodforge Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Aelson Dunhearth</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Aengel Dunn</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ailfryn Issigsbarn</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ailsa</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Alwyn Croft</td><td>The Winter Wolfborn</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Arja Riftweaver</td><td>House Gerís</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Artic</td><td>The Winter Wolfborn</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Blaidd Sinan</td><td>House Gerís</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Bronn Dunwolf</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Calvayne</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ceolmund Dreth</td><td>End’s Hearth</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ciara</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Dart Orias</td><td>Hall Stonesworn</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Duwana</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Eahlstan Yarricson</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Elgar Angusson Krakenring</td><td>Kraken's Vanguard</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Eodin Swiftstride</td><td>Shield Wolves</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Finn ulson</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Gerrick Wind Ward's Guardian</td><td>Kraken's Vanguard</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ghelwyn</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Guthelm Fleetfoot</td><td>Eira Spire</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Guthrum Bjorning</td><td>Bjornholt</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Hazen Marking</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Kaisa</td><td>Shield Wolves</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Kara</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Kraxis Asherson</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Loki</td><td>Shield Wolves</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Miguel Oakshotte</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Nerian Hererinc</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Oona</td><td>Stormspire</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Quintaras Halivor</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Rek Martinez Dunqueza</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Reu'Hrokr</td><td>Corvenhal</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Rolf Boarson</td><td>Shield Wolves</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Runik Frostborn</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Seht Ravenson of Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Sylvi</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Tarn Myreson</td><td>Hall Stonesworn</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Theomere Swiftstride</td><td>Shield Wolves</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Tostig</td><td>Corvenhal</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Tyburn Natkysset</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ulfric Ursine</td><td></td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ulric Baersonling</td><td>Corvenhal</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Utread Broadmeadow</td><td>The Winter Wolfborn</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Utred Tiberiuson</td><td>Shield Wolves</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Vidor Broadmeadow</td><td>The Winter Wolfborn</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Witgast Dunning</td><td>Dunhearth Hall</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Yorrick</td><td>Kraken's Vanguard</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
<tr><td>Yrsir</td><td>Stormspire</td><td>Wintermark</td></tr>
</table></div>
Tsirku isn't impossible to map, as such, but there are a large number of challenges that need to be overcome. One is that [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Big|Tsirku is big]] - meaning that unlike a traditional [[spy network]] scouts cannot hope to explore the entire place in a single season. With the Summer Solstice approaching, then, the Winterfolk (and their Navarr ally) have mostly explored a single region, which is named ''Warriors Gate''.

Warriors Gate lies north of Suaq Fount and takes its name from the fact that it is the gateway to Tsirku, and that the path of those who walk into Sydanjaa passes through it. It is cold - even with Summer approaching it is significantly colder than northern Sermersuaq. Snowfalls are not uncommon, and water regularly freezes overnight. Yet it is by no means barren. In the south particularly there are areas of scrubby grass, heather, and hardy thornbushes. A few bent trees grow here, and where their roots spread there are oases of life. Pale hares, equally pale foxes, wolves, and even the occasional massive snow bear are found here. There are also huddles of the massive white [[Mundane_beasts#Dire_Beasts|dire penguins]] native to the north-west of the Empire here, in numbers hitherto unknown. They provide good eating for those brave enough to hunt them.

The place is also a cornucopia of unfamiliar plants and berries growing here - treasures of Tsirku that are unfamiliar to southern explorers. It's not that the place is ''lush'' precisely, more that the plants that survive here are hardy and perhaps possessed of some additional virtue. A few magicians speculate that the threads of mana here, left to flow freely without tampering by human or orc, infuse the landscape. Others point to the baleful influence of the Northern Lights, while still others note that this wasteland may be touched by the magic of the [[realms]] in ways that settled lands are not. Finally, a few suggest that it is just that the most dangerous locations tend to be the most rich - they point to [[Varushka]] and [[Otkodov]] as examples of this and the wealth of the wild [[the Barrens|Barrens]].

Warriors Gate is flat, and has comparatively few significant geographical features. There is a frozen lake here in the northern part of the region called the ''Lake of Sighs'', which is frozen solid nine months of the year. The "pilgrims' trail" to Sydanjaa passes over the ice of the lake. There is also a scrubby forest in the east of the region dubbed ''Courtier's Wood'' because the hardy trees that make it up are bent over like bowing diplomats. Beggarwood is found in profusion here, along with patches of [[bladeroot]], but there are also reports of odd creatures like furred spiders the size of wolves that move around in the place. They scurry away from explorers, and nobody gets more than a glimpse of them, but they may prove to be a danger.

There is no Jotun or Thule presence here. The sole sign that anyone other than Winterfolk pilgrims has ever been here is only a short distance across the border of Sermersuaq - a trilithon of white stone carved with stylised depictions of mammoths, hares, penguins, and deer as well as symbols of Summer. It puts the Navarr who see it immediately in mind of the [[Hercynia#The_Gate_of_Summer|Gate of Summer]] in [[Hercynia]]. The monument is dubbed the ''Gate of Winter'', and like the structure in the south it has absolutely no magic associated with it.

The only other common feature are cairns - four of them - that mark a kind of trail that wends north through Warriors Gate. Most of the stones that mark these cairns come from the local area, but a few have been carried from further afield. Many are marked with [[runes]], and in amongst them are odd relics such as long-rusted blades, animals of carved bone, scraps of fabric hung as flags, and the like. These are pilgrim cairns, created over the centuries by those taking the long walk from Sermersuaq to Sydanjaa. Even the beasts of Agramant do not interfere with these monuments.
===Claiming Warriors Gate===
* '''Warriors Gate has been explored but is too inhospitable for an army to claim it for the Empire'''
* '''The Citadel of the Warm Hearth would anchor the exploration and an Imperial claim to the region'''

[[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Trackless|Tsirku is trackless]], barren, and vast. Armies cannot conquer regions of this wasteland, and attempting to do so would result in significant casualties just due to the cold. However, the explorers identify several locations in the region where the ''Citadel of the Warm Hearth'' proposed by ''Firebird Eorling'' could be built. All that is required is a [[commission]], and a massive investment of [[white granite]] and [[mithril]]. If the citadel were completed, there would be an opportunity to "conquer" Warriors Gate and begin the ultimate ambition of bringing the wasteland under control of Wintermark.

Previously, there was insufficient knowledge about the region to allow such a castle - or indeed anything else - to be built. Now sites have been found, and the shape of the region is known, the [[opportunity]] is there to establish an anchor for Wintermark's expansion and further exploration.
{{CaptionedImage|file=ArchmageSummer.jpg|caption='''Mirella of the Twisted Rose''', Archmage of Summer|align=right|width=300}}
The citadel is a serious endeavour in and of itself, but some [[runesmith|runesmiths]] suggest that it might be possible to secure assistance from the spirits of the realms. Both [[Cathan Canae]] and [[Adamant]] would have reasons to offer their aid - the former because the citadel represents a profound test of fortitude and the beginning of a glorious conquest, the latter because a massive castle of white granite in an impossible location is just the kind of thing the ''King Under the Mountain'' likes.

Of course eternals rarely offer their aid without a cost, and given the current attitudes of the [[Synod]] to trafficking with the eternals it ''might'' be better to go it alone. But perhaps the [[Archmage of Summer]] '''Mirella of the Twisted Rose''' could be persuaded to use their power of [[Archmage#Plenipotentiary|plenipotentiary]] to help Wintermark engage with the eternals?

==Summer in Tsirku==
* '''There are three regions that might be explored next'''
* '''The Imperial Spymaster determines which region to explore next'''
From Warriors Gate there are three ways the exploration could proceed.
* Westward, toward [[Tromsa]], lies a region that preliminary exploration identifies as "''barren, windswept, with wide and unsettling skies''". It's likely that Lake Nutjuitoq extends into this area, and there may be a connection to the [[Sea of Snow]] given that there must be ''some'' way for the great sea beasts to reach the [[Sermersuaq#The_Grave_of_the_Giants|Grave of the Giants]]. The ''hylje'' have [[Beneath_a_moonless_sky#As_Semersuaq_strode|offered aid]] in exploring this region, should Wintermark wish to avail themselves of it.
* Eastward, towards [[Otkodov#Urdur|Urdur]] lies a region described as "''rocky, with scattered trees, that feels ominous''". It's possible that the region actually abuts Urdur and if it does that increases the likelihood of some kind of Thule presence there.
* Northward, towards [[Sermersuaq#Sydanjaa|Sydanjaa]] is a region described as "''icy, covered in snow, with vicious looking chasms''". It doesn't seem that Sydanjaa extends ''into'' this region, but it is one that those walking that way would pass through.
The decision on where to focus exploration after the Summer Solstice lies with the [[Imperial Spymaster]], although they may receive counsel from the people of Wintermark. At the very least, the Imperial Spymaster should let the Wintermark people know which direction to head in, and the best way to do that would be to address their muster during the Summer Solstice. The Wintermark egregores should be able to arrange such an opportunity for them.

Notably, the season of exploration following the Summer Solstice will be the last before the weather [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Barren|begins to turn]]. After the Autumn Equinox, until the Spring Equinox, the strength required to gain any information from the Tsirku spy network is doubled (something that might make the aid offered by the hylje particularly valuable).

==Dangers and Hunters==
* '''Creatures of ''Blood-on-the-Snow'' threaten explorers in Warriors Gate
Warriors Gate is indeed dangerous. Explorers here are passing through a [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_the_Wasteland|wasteland]] unprotected by the [[alignment#enmity|wards of the Conclave]]. Specifically, every warband has a story of encountering what can only be beasts or [[inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] from the demesne of [[Agramant|Blood-on-the-Snow]]. They include black-eyed, emaciated white bears, skin hanging like damp cloth over their twisted bones, that speak with human voices; viciously grinning snaggle-toothed humans and orcs garbed in suspicious leather and blood-soaked fur who offer aid to lost or hungry travellers; and at least one massive creature combining the worse elements of forest ape, wolverine, and stag that simply stands a short distance away from an encampment and watches the explorers with cold, dead eyes.

Fortunately, steps have been taken to mitigate the risks of the creatures of the [[Realms#Winter|eternal Wasteland]]. Following the advice of the [[Wintermark_military_concerns#Banner-bearers|banner-bearers]] of Wintermark, the [[Senate]] has [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Amend_Banner-bearer_of_Atkonaroq|expanded]] the [[Banner-bearer_of_Atkonaroq#Responsibilities|responsibilities]] of the [[Banner-bearer of Atkonaroq]]. They now contribute their expertise, and the support of the [[Banner-bearer_of_Atkonaroq#Hall_of_the_Hunters|Hall of the Hunters]] towards protecting the explorers of Tsirku from the threat of Agramant's beasts.

One of the first "points of interest" in Warriors Gate discovered by the explorers are a pair of [[regio]] in different parts of the region that are clearly claimed by ''Blood-on-the-Snow''. Both sites are marked by rocks and ice protrusions that weep a horrible, thick, blood-like substance familiar to those who remember the [[Anyone_but_you#The_Bleeding_Ice|Bleeding Ice]] discovered in [[Sermersuaq#Tanikipari|Tanikipari]] by the [[Shuttered Lantern]] three years ago. These powerful Winter regio are guarded by dozens of servants of the ''Wastewalker'', and are clearly the "staging posts" for the creatures that he sends south to bedevil northern Sermersuaq.

There's also reports of the fallen [[thane]], [[Anyone_but_you#Wemba_the_Bloody|Wemba the Bloody]], whose spirit snapped when the Jotun claimed his hall in Atalaq. Now a cannibal who has sworn to eat only the flesh of his defeated enemies, he and his warband are clearly using these regio to commune with Agramant and receive his boons. The two sites are dubbed the ''Bloody Teeth'' and the ''Treachers Dagger'' by scouts. The explorers aren't able to get close to them, but they're able to mark their locations.

The new responsibilities of the Banner-bearer of Atkonaroq provide a possible way to try and deal with the two regio. Bands of heroes use the Hall of Hunters as their base from which to [[Venture#Hunt_the_Suaq_Wastes|Hunt the Suaq Wastes]]. The [[venture]] is only available to Wintermark and bold [[Dawn|Dawnish]] captains, and there are fewer and fewer beasts actually ''in'' Sermersuaq to hunt. However, this presents an opportunity.

{{Mandate|mandate=The servants of Agramant gather in Warriors Gate and must be dealt with. We send the Banner-bearer of Atkonaroq with 25 doses of liao to lead heroes and glory-seekers alike to face the dangers of (the Bloody Teeth/Treachers Dagger) and drive them back from whence they came.|assembly=Wintermark National Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted, it will focus the efforts of the ''Hunt the Suaq Wastes'' [[venture]] on taking the fight to the servants of Agramant at the named regio. Provided at least 5,000 strength supports the venture after the Summer solstice, the servants of Agramant there will be scattered and an opportunity to permanently sever the regio will be provided.

The Bloody Teeth is clearly a source of [[Vis#Heart's Blood|Heart's Blood]], similar to the Bleeding Stone. If this target is chosen, a standard military unit will receive three pawns of Winter vis in place of the rewards they would usually get, with [[military unit#upgraded|upgraded]] or [[enchantment|enchanted]] resources gaining more.

''Treachers Dagger'' however is where Wemba the Bloody and their entourage were last seen, and is where the mortal servants of the eternal seem to be congregated. In this case, military units will each receive a ribbon for an enchanted item seized from the slain enemies in place of the standard rewards for the venture.

If the mandate is enacted this season, and the raid is successful, an opportunity to attack the other regio may be presented at the Autumn Equinox, along with an opportunity to use the [[Sentinel Gate]] to deal with the regio permanently.

The only people not ''entirely'' enthused about this are a handful of [[maggot|maggots]] who point out that if the Banner-bearer of Atkonaroq is successful at destroying the two regio, they'll be basically putting themselves out of a job. The ''Feast of Famine'' will still be a threat to folk exploring the north - these are surely far from the only regio that are available to the eternal - but there'll be no more monsters coming south to attack Sermersuaq. Which will spell the end for the venture to ''Hunt the Suaq Wastes'' and potentially the entire purpose of the Banner-bearer.

==Securing Allies==
* '''Wintermark has begun sharing their expertise in surviving arctic conditions with the rest of the Empire
* '''The Smokehouse of Atalaq is providing food to explorers in the wasteland
The task of mastering Tsirku is [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Comprehensible|truly ambitious]], and Wintermark is unlikely to achieve it on its own. During the Spring Equinox, the Wintermark Assembly sought allies from the other Imperial nations. They [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_48|sent]] '''Thritt''', themselvs a banner-bearer, to encourage those familiar with the cold and the arctic conditions of Tsirku to share their knowledge with the rest of the Empire. Captains, explorers, trappers, trackers, and travellers have all begun to take advantage of this offer, learning how to deal with the frigid conditions north of Sermersuaq.

At the same time '''Hildelith Kaukosdottir''' [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_126|arranged further support]] by encouraging the farmers of Wintermark to provide [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Comprehensible|surplus provisions]], suitable for use in Tsirku, to those scouting the wastes. As such, each season a strength of 500 will be commited to the scouting network. It isn't enough to operate the network by itself, but it will bolster efforts in the north. More importantly for some, though, it means that anyone taking part in the endeavour has a ready supply of compact, easy to carry, nutritious food that can give them the strength to push through the hostile landscape. This comes at the cost, however, of removing the usual benefits provided by the [[Write_the_lines#Hunt_of_the_North|Smokehouse of Atalaq]] - it will no longer provide additional production to the [[farm|farms]] of Sermersuaq.

==Siglings and Guides==
{{SOP|statement=We in Varushka understand the importance of building roads into the unknown. In this regard we in the Varushkan National Assembly support our little siblings in Wintermark and their exploration of the unknown wastes of Tsirku.|by=Rosanna Vtrachenich, Varushkan Assembly|vote=Greater Majority 208-30|when=Spring Equinox 388YE|size=small}}
{{SOP|statement=The Imperial Orc nation accepts the wisdom of the northern folk. Teach us the ways of snow and climb, let us learn from those who came before us. Varushka and Wintermark be our guide as we share your journey into Tsirku.|by=Skywise Gralka, Imperial Orcs Assembly|vote=Greater Majority 60-0|when=Spring Equinox 388YE|size=small}}
* '''The Imperial Orcs and Varushka passed statements of principle pledging support for Wintermark
* '''Champions from both nations can take part in the Adventure in Tsirku venture
* '''The Varushkan has an opportunity to contribute by helping explore and exploit the wastes
* '''The Imperial Orcs are focused on their highest calling
Two nations responded with [[statement of principle|statements of principle]] - [[Varushka]] and the [[Imperial Orcs]]. The main consequence at the moment is that the opportunity to ''Adventure in Tsirku'' is now available to [[military unit|captains and champions]] of those two nations, alongside the Winterfolk and the people of Dawn. The Varushkans are already experienced in the kind of conditions they might find in Tsirku, and the expertise shared by Wintermark mean that the Imperial Orcs can embrace this adventure nearly as effectively as the more practiced explorers.

While the aid of the Unshackled is appreciated, the efforts of the Imperial Orcs are currently focused on their [[All_I_ask_of_you|highest calling]] - to explore the ancestors and spiritual beliefs of other septs who are not part of the Empire. There is some hope that once they have finished their own ambitious undertaking, they will still be enthusiastic about helping in the north. It's likely that the endeavour will not be complete any time soon, after all.

Varushka on the other hand does not ''have'' a highest calling. Like Wintermark, it rejects the idea of such things, and so it is free to encourage virtue where it wishes. The words of Rosanna Vtrachenich strike a chord with many who learn of them. The statement refers to the historical connection between Wintermark and Varushka - as [[People of the North]] lays out, the Suaq, Kallavesi, and ancient Ushkan folk likely are branches of the same family, and the Vard are the elder siblings to the Steinr. Their history has not always been peaceful, but perhaps more than any other Imperial nations there is a connection between the two. Indeed, before the recent arrival of the Imperial Orcs and the Thule, they even shared a border (for good and ill).

{{Mandate|mandate=There are old ties between the people of Varushka and those of Wintermark; we are cousins to Suaq and Kallavesa and siblings to the Steinr. They seek to master Tsirku, and we are wise in the ways of taming dangerous lands. We send (named priest) with 100 doses of liao to urge the folk of Varushka to remember our old bonds, and to help our cousins secure their future.|assembly=Varushkan National Assembly}}

If this mandate is passed, it will inspire the people of Varushka to offer their help to the people of Wintermark in their exploration of Tsirku. There will be an [[opportunity]] at the Autumn Equinox for members of the nation to support the exploration with a particular eye towards sharing expertise with supernatural threats, and locating resources to exploit. However, the mandate also holds within it an assertion that [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Wintermark|Tsirku is Wintermark]] - recognising their claim to the land. Should it ever be necessary to do so, the people of Varushka will expect their assembly to support that claim.

However, for the next year, the idea of mastering the wasteland and its resources, exploring its dangers, and working beside Wintermark will excite and inspire the people of the nation. Any further attempt to move the people of the nation to support some other grand endeavour will have no effect until a full year has passed.

==Whispered Opposition==
* '''The Whisper Gallery offers an opportunity for those who wish to interfere in the exploration of Tsirku'''
* '''The ''Snap rope and foil explorers'' scouting venture allows military units to oppose the exploration'''
* '''In return they receive treasures and potentially wonders of the wasteland and Night vis'''
* '''Taking this action is a crime, should an individual be found out, but evidence will be difficult to find'''
* '''Only those who have made themselves known to the Whisper Gallery will be invited to snap rope and foil explorers'''
* '''Any military unit that takes this action will be listed alongside the other explorers'''

Nothing is ever easy, of course. [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Secret|Tsirku is secret]], full of things unknown in the Empire. Arguably, full of things no living mortal has ''ever'' laid eyes on. The warnings of ''[[Sung|Night Singer]]'' and the ''[[Sadogua|Brother of Wizards]]'' last season spoke of opposition from the ''[[Whisper Gallery|Stewards of the Shadowed Throne]]'' who are apparently ''very'' unhappy to see Imperial scouts exploring Tsirku. It seems that with the first explorers penetrating the secrets of Tsirku, the ''Concilium of the Perjured Throne'' is prepared to take action.

Normally the [[Alignment#Enmity|enmity]] of the [[Conclave]] would keep the agents of the ''Cavalcade of Masks'' at bay but that protection does not extend to Tsirku. Fortunately, the baroque creature is attempting some over-complicated method of recruiting suitable allies which thus far is restricting its appeal. Perhaps to compensate for that, the eternal is increasing the rewards on offer.

Following the Summer Solstice select military units can participate in the ''Snap ropes and foil explorers'' [[Military_unit#Scouting|scouting ]][[venture]]. This venture is aimed at causing trouble for the explorers supporting the Imperial [[spy network]] in Tsirku.
Any military unit that takes it will be listed alongside those military units who are sincerely supporting efforts to understand Tsirku, but their effective strength will be ''subtracted'' from the amount achieved rather than added to it.

No military unit may take advantage of this opportunity unless they have made themselves known to the Whisper Gallery. If they do that, then they will be invited to take part.

Any military unit that takes part will receive a little guidance from the Whisper Gallery - they can offer aid to find secret things after all - meaning they will receive three ''treasures of the wasteland'' (consumables representing unique resources found in Tsirku) and three pawns of [[Vis#Crystal_Fire|crystal fire]] as a direct gift from the ''Ministers of the Chiaroscuran Palace''. A military unit that has an effective rank of at least 8 (counting enchantment and upgrades) will also receive assistance in finding a ''wonder of the wasteland'', a much rarer consumable.

It's notable that any military units taking the ''Snap ropes and foil explorers'' action will still suffer the same penalty to do so they would suffer when taking any ''other'' action in Tsirku - and in a way Wintermark's enthusiasm for securing allies has played a little into the hands of the Whisper Gallery by reducing those difficulties.

There is unfortunately no way to tell whether someone supporting the spy network is doing so honestly, or with nefarious intent. The civil service will continue to publish the list of who is working on the spy network, but everyone taking the ''Snap ropes and foil explorers'' action will appear alongside their less treacherous compatriots.

Obviously, taking boons from the Whisper Gallery in this fashion is a crime.

Survival

2026-07-21T22:12:28Z

Noserenda: /* Ritual Magic */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Summer]][[Category:Appraisal]]
<ic>
"On your left!" shouted Fan, locked in battle with an orc with sunflowers for eyes. Gav dodged, pivoted and counter-thrusted into the remains of one he had dispatched earlier and thought neutralised, before freeing Fan from the orc's clutches. "Cheers!" They took a moment to dust themselves off, before signalling to the herald of Irra Harah and the Waterwalkers they were escorting that it was safe to continue along the path away from the main fight.

"You'd think it'd get easier after all these years"

"Are you calling me difficult?"

"The vallorn, Fan! The vallorn! On your right!"

Fan leant backwards, as a jagged branch as thick as one of the pillars that held up her house back in Hercynia sailed within a hair's breadth of her face, fully cleaving one of the braids from her hair off. She responded with a javelin that made a satisfying ''crunch'' as it sank deep into the chest of the humongous vallornspawn that threw it.

"Yes, well, I suspect that this might in fact ''be'' the easy part Gav. The Tainted Basilisk have just given us the smallest taste of the battle that is to come."
</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 300px; clear: right; margin: 15px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Sun Chamber colour.png|align=right|width=500}}</div>
==Overview==
The [[Sun Chamber]] is the [[Imperial sodality]] formed of the Empire's newest citizens, those who represent the Empire's future. With them come fresh faces to Imperial politics, fresh ideas, and fresh opportunities. Last season, they chose to use their power to appraise an issue facing the Empire to look into how to protect the various vital pieces of Imperial infrastructure from the expansion of the [[vallorn]]. Joining them was [[Appraisal#Available_Prognosticators|Vainakoma Dawnstongue]] of the Prognosticator's office, who volunteered help co-ordinate their efforts.
<div {{float}}>
<quote by="Sun Chamber">When the vallorn expands it destroys all it touches. How might we protect resources, constructions and infrastructure in regions threatened by the vallorn? Perhaps using living weirwood, ritual magic or learning from our international neighbours, but go wild!</quote></div>
==The Known Unknowns==
The research is difficult, not because there is a shortage of options - but for the opposite reason. There are already a sea of resources available to those who wish to defend against the Vallorn. The Navarr have been working on this problem for a long, long time after all. Ultimately, there are few good solutions that do not require the heavy investment of the armies of the [[Military Council]], supplemented by well-placed [[Fortification|fortifications]] to hold back the ''Green Tide'' from being able to reach Imperial Infrastructure in the first place.

While a great deal is [[A thousand years of longing|already known about the vallorn]], there are also some questions that may well remain unanswered until the hearts are connected. The Empire has never seen a fully roused vallorn at full strength in the way that it will be when the final war truly begins; each one is likely to be qualitatively different. The extent to which they have been drained by the trods, the natural geography and the resources it will consume and weaponise in its wake will all make each one potentially slightly different in the way each Imperial Army is slightly different. It would be invaluable to know what the definitive strength of the vallorn was going to be, what qualities each heart might possess, but at present there is no way to find that out.

Perhaps the most dangerous unanswered question is whether, once a vallornheart has expanded and enveloped every region in a territory, it can then expand beyond the natural borders to threaten adjacent lands? There are two possible answers to that question which is distinctly unhelpful. In Axos, in Visokuma, the vallorn has expanded to fill the territory but has since become largely quiescent. There are occasional forays and attacks from the vallorn, but it doesn't surge out the way Imperial vallornhearts do when provoked or attacked. Perhaps when the vallorn is roused they will do likewise?

On the other hand the Visokuma vallorn does still try to expand - and that is before the vallorn has been roused. That rather suggests that it will become a lot more active once it is joined to the others - and that implies that the vallorn will expand beyond its starting territories. It would be good to know one way or the other what the actual answer is.

The problem is that there is simply no good way to answer these questions. The vallorn is a singular problem, unique to the Empire and the surrounding lands. There has never been a time when the vallorn was fully roused, not since the fall of Terunael at least. As a result, there is no obvious way to give definitive answers to such questions until it happens.

==Living Weirwood==
* '''The vallorn is known to avoid stands of weirwood trees'''
* '''The Empire could build a single civilian commission in size inside each weirwood grove'''
* '''Doing so would double the labour costs'''
* '''A commission would not function if the region was overrun by the vallorn, but it would not be destroyed'''
* '''A great work cannot be built inside a weirwood grove'''

From the studies the Sun Chamber have made, everyone agrees that stands of weirwood trees are unaffected by the vallorn. As it spreads, it grows round them, but they remain free of the miasma, and the growth never infests the ground where the weirwood trees take root.
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Weirwood Commission'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Any civilian commission except a great work</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Any single weirwood grove (bourse resource)</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' All regular labour costs are doubled</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' No change</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' If the region containing the commission is conquered by the vallorn the commission will be deactivated but not destroyed</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Freely available from now on</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:''' Only a single commission can be built in each weirwood grove
</td></tr>
</table></div>
Nobody has ever found a way to use this as a weapon, not yet at least. As soon as you cut the weirwood down to use it, it appears to lose the properties that make it resistant to the corruption of the vallorn. Crucially commissions built using weirwood are just as vulnerable to the vallorn as any other.

"But what if we build a commission in the grove?" asks one of the more enterprising members of the sodality. Nobody has ever tried such a thing before, probably because it would be too expensive, but it's possible. And in theory it would work - the weirwood trees would keep the vallorn at bay and whatever was enclosed by the grove would be safe.

Vainakoma confirms that it ''could'' be done. You can't put a fortification inside a weirwood grove, but the Empire could build a single [[Commission#Civilian_Commissions|civilian commission]] inside each substantial weirwood grove. Each weirwood bourse seat could be used to protect a single commission from the approaching menace.

There are two significant drawbacks. The first is cost - people don't build inside weirwood groves normally because of the costs. All the extra work involved, working round the existing trees and roots would double the labour cost of the construction from 3 crowns per wain to 6 crowns per wain.

The other issue is that the commission would be unlikely to continue to function if the region it was in was conquered by the vallorn. The building would not be destroyed, but if nobody can easily reach it, if it is literally surrounded by the vallorn, most commissions will still be inactive. But it wouldn't be destroyed and people could shelter there until they could be rescued.

Almost any civilian commission could be protected in this way with the exception of a [[great work]]. These structures traditionally stretch over the region and beyond, so they could not be built inside a grove of trees. The other limitation would be that only one commission per grove could be protected in this way.

==Ritual Magic==
* '''There are dozens of rituals that could be useful against the vallorn'''
* '''There are unlikely to be any new rituals that could help'''
* '''The Conclave could interdict the creation of new arcane projections'''
* '''The Summer Archmage could use plenipotentiary to ask Adamant to empower the Master of the Koboldi'''

There are dozens of rituals that will be essential when the vallorn is roused. Wards like [[Ward of the Black Waste]] and [[Wardens of the Black Waste]]. The recently codified [[Pillars of Adamant]] looks particularly useful for this. Rituals that [[Army#Rituals|enhance the strength of armies]] like [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]], [[Knights of Glory]] or [[Brotherhood of Tian]] will be incredibly important in the coming war. Rituals that [[Fortification#Rituals|enhance fortifications]] like [[Ramparts of Ashlar]] will be just as important as will rituals that summon fortifications like [[Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae]]

In theory it might be possible to create an [[arcane projection]] for a new ritual, but Vainakoma recommends against this approach in the ''strongest possible terms''. The problem is that every arcane projection requires 10 mana to create, and the majority of them fail. That is a massive cost in mana, resources that could have been spent attacking and defending against the vallorn with the tools the Empire already has. In the words of the notoriously cynic [[Scrutiny#Constitutional_Court|''Leontes the Scribe'']] - "If every mana crystal wasted on an arcane projection were piled up in front of me, we'd have enough mana to defeat the vallorn twice over." Trying to find a new arcane projection that will defeat the vallorn is like wishing on a star - the odds of finding anything new that is worth the cost are vanishingly small.

<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Interdict Arcane Projections'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Declaration Type:''' Interdiction</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Ban the creation of all new arcane projections until the vallorn is destroyed so that the mana is available for the war against the enemy.</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Makes it illegal for Imperial magicians to create arcane projections.</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Open-ended</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Constitution:''' The Court have confirmed this declaration would be constitutional.</td></tr>
</table></div>

That does present one opportunity that might help - albeit it, one that would be very difficult politically. The Sun Chamber could try to get the [[Conclave]] to [[interdiction|interdict]] the creation of new arcane projections. If magicians were forbidden from expending mana chasing new discoveries, they could instead devote all those resources to fighting the enemy. There will be plenty of time to wish on stars ''after'' the vallorn is defeated after all.
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Request access to adamant'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Plenipotentiary:''' Adamant</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Request negotiations with the King under the Mountain to provide supplies of adamant, the unbreakable stone, for the Master of the Koboldi</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Open-ended</td></tr>
</table></div>
While it isn't ritual magic exactly, there is one other option that could be useful. The [[Master of the Koboldi]] is able to construct impressive buildings with the support of the [[Adamant|King under the Mountain]] - but those buildings are constructed with a mix of white granite and regular stone. If the Master were able to employ adamant, the almost-unbreakable stone found in the Summer realm, they could build fortifications and other commissions that were all but resistant to the destructive power of the vallorn. The garrison could be destroyed, the area could be captured, but the fortification would still be standing.

Could ''Deep Dragon'' be persuaded to give the Master of the Koboldi access to supplies of adamant? The Summer Archmage would need to use a plenipotentiary to try to negotiate it, but there is no doubt the eternal ''could'' do it, if he could be persuaded.

==Neighbours==
* '''The Empire knows vastly more than all its neighbours about the vallorn and how to fight it'''

While it is an excellent idea to seek the counsel of the Empire's neighbours, it is important to be realistic about what might be achieved. The Empire knows considerably more about the vallorn than all its neighbours. Have the [[Grendel]] or the [[Iron Confederacy]] have ever even encountered the vallorn? It is clear the Druj only recently started to probe the menace and everything they know about it, they stole from Urizeni spires.

Still it is worth considering the approaches neighbours do use, just in case they reveal new ideas. After a quick consultation with Naomi of Virtue's Rest, the Sun Chamber summarises the current situation.

*'''Jotun''': The Jotun hold [[Ashvale]] (formerly Liathaven) in the West, and it seems that their natural military strength means they have little issue managing the occasional bursts of Vallornspawn that might emanate from Liath's Heart. It is reported that they secured a boon from [[Surut]] of [[the Thrice-cursed Court]] shortly after acquiring the territory. It remains unclear whether that was specifically to combat a threat from the vallorn or to merely to engage in more expedient deforestation.

*'''Thule''': The Thule have long-held [[Otkodov#Sküld|Sküld]], and use a version of [[Wither the Seed]] (though they claim theirs is "more efficient" compared to the "crude" imperial version) to keep the vallornheart of Emrys quiescent.

*'''Druj''': The heart of Bendol in the [[Sarangrave]] came to the Druj pre-contained with wards fashioned by the Terun (with a little help from [[Sadogua]]), and simply maintained the ancient wards (until recently).

*'''Axos''': Possibly inspired by the designs of the wards in the [[Sarangrave]], the Axou's methods of dealing with the vallorn of Cavan are [[Terunael_in_Axos#Part_One|well documented]] thanks to the [[Historical research|Department of Historical Research]] and the work of the [[Advisor on the Vallorn]] at the time, '''Siân Eternal'''.

Naomi is quick to point out that if the Empire can generate or maintain good relations with these powers (if not, perhaps, the Druj), treaties might be signed for mutual efforts to quell any damage that can be avoided. The Thule seem confident in their capabilities of containing the northernmost vallornheart, but having the garrison of the [[Sarangrave#Tower_of_the_Skink|Tower of the Skink]] provide aid in future entanglements with the vallorn of Bendol would undoubtedly be of great value.

After much consideration of the situation with their near neighbours, two things occur to the bright young minds of the Sun Chamber; both are regarding the strategy of containment employed by the Axos.

The Axos have allowed the vallorn to expand to fill the territory of [[Terunael_in_Axos#Venturing_into_Visokuma|Visokuma]], then surrounded the area with fortifications. This approach seems to work remarkably well for the Axos - albeit at great cost. It means they can't access the wealth and resources of the territory - but in return they suffer very little in the ways of attacks and what does occur is easily defeated by the fortifications they have built to ring the territory.

The problem that the sodality has spotted is that that strategy is going to fail badly if Visokuma is joined to the other vallornhearts. If that happens, the vallorn will come flooding out of the territory in force, quickly overrun the Axos fortifications, which are nothing like big enough to repel that kind of attack, wash over their completely insignificant military force, and every single one of them will be killed and eaten within a matter of a year or so at most. That will be a problem for the Empire, who will then have to deal with the Visokuma vallorn after it has devoured Axos, but it might be a problem for the Axou as well?

On the other hand, it does suggest an alternative strategy that might be employed. It's a bit controversial - a bit out of the ordinary, but isn't that what the Empire expects of the Sun Chamber after all? The sodality manifesto instructs them to ''"approach existing problems in new ways"''.

What if, instead of provoking the vallorn, instead of fighting it, instead of prodding it... the Empire adopted the Axou strategy. [[Miaren]] is fine, but the Empire could abandon [[Hercynia]], [[Brocéliande]], [[Sarangrave]], [[Liathaven]] and [[Therunin]]. Let the vallorn slowly expand to fill the territory, then build a few small fortifications around it to keep it contained, the way Axos do, then just... throw away the key?

It sounds a bit outré, but consider what could be achieved if the Empire wasn't constantly fighting the vallorn? Wasn't constantly preparing for an apocalyptic war against this enemy. Yes, they would lose some territory, but it would save thousands and thousands and thousands of lives. The Empire could focus on fighting the barbarians and securing its borders. Sceptics will argue it won't work, but the Axos have ''proved'' it works - it has worked just fine for them for close to a thousand years.
<div {{float}}>
<box>'''Tathenon's Blessing against the Spawn of Chaos'''<br>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Day; Magnitude 4/2;'''<br>
''Grants a character protection against vallorn miasma for the duration of a conjunction''<br>
At the completion of this ritual, the target is refreshed and purified by a light infusion of energies from the Day realm. They are protected from the worst effects of vallorn miasma. The target is not subject to the venomous effects of the vallorn miasma. They will not contract green lung, nor will they become a vallornspawn husk if they die while under this enchantment.

The target will experience a powerful roleplaying effect: they are more capable of clear, rational thought and working in an organised fashion with others to achieve their goals. They are also keenly aware of any imperfections or stains on their garments and feel an urge to keep them clean and well-presented.
</div>
</box>
</div>
Vainakoma confirms that such an approach would be theoretically possible, although he is not persuaded that it would be politically acceptable. Still, the appraisal did say to go wild. And the idea would remove the threat of the vallorn for good.

One less outrageous suggestion is to negotiate with the Thule to see if they might have some magic that could aid the Empire. The dragons have always been exceptionally cagey when discussing the vallorn with the Empire, but it turns out that two members of the sodality have become firm friends with a young warlock called ''Helgrindur of the Shining Eye'' and they happen to let slip that Tathenon has a ritual that provides the recipient with magical protection from the vallorn miasma. Apparently it is some kind of enchantment from the Day realm that stops the miasma from poisoning the target.

Of course Tathenon won't part with the ritual text for free, but it's not a powerful enchantment, so the Empire could just create their own. And the dragon will ''know'' that, so they'll have some idea of what it is worth. Presumably they would rather get something for a copy of the ritual text than nothing? Perhaps someone could speak with the Thule and enquire?

==From Theory to Practice==
Ultimately, it is clear that there will never be a "one size fits all" solution, other than that of the focused might of armies and fortifications. Instead, the acolytes of the Sun Chamber have compiled a list of extant opportunities to better prepare to defend from the malice of ''Terunael's Folly'' when it rears, as it did this season in the Sarangrave. Thanks to the ongoing [[Every path you know|highest calling]] of the Navarr, there is already much that could be done.

===Brocéliande===
This very season, the joint efforts of Navarr and the engineers of [[Holberg]] have resulted in a [[Viridian_nemesis#Holberg|plan]] to improve the defensibility of [[Brocéliande]], attracting the chaotoc energies of the Vallorn to a chosen battleground by nature will save other key infrastructure from damage.

===Sarangrave===
Similarly, the Navarr's [[Cup_of_choices|recent work with Urizen]] has resulted in a spate of opportunities that will help supplement the defence of key sites in the Territory. As mentioned previously in this report, the future relationship with the people of [[Axos]] will be pivotal to the eventual damage wrought in the east.

===Hercynia===
<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Fortify the Heartwood'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' [[Fortification]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Boar's Dell, Brocéliande</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 80 [[weirwood]], 240 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' 4 seasons</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the start of Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
Beyond building the [[Every_path_you_know#Beware_of_Dog|Grim Pyramid]], [[Hercynia]] remains somewhat undefended. While not a problem in recent years, the coming final battle against the Vallorn and the potential end of the [[Ratify_Thule_Treaty_Spring_387YE|Thule peace treaty]] in four years means that now may be a better time than ever to invest in preventative measures. The [[Heartwood of the Great Vale]] would be a significant loss if overrun by the Vallorn; while the seat would not be destroyed, losing access to its income would still be terrible. Some keen architectural students among the Sun Chamber put together a proposal to grow the weirwood of the place into a more natural fortification. If (and it is very much an if) the heart of Deer's Folly were to rouse, it is ''possible'' that a fortification constructed in this way ''might'' be more resistant to the Vallorn's horrifying embrace. In any case, it might be easier to find the weirwood than more white granite given the [[A_lasting_commitment|renewed fervour]] in completing the Grand Inspiration of the Way.

The Great Forest Orcs are masters at manipulating the growth and use of weirwood, and are no friends of the Vallorn. They have offered to help out if the Sun Chamber will agree to help them with a matter, which would reduce the construction costs by X weirwood and 3X crowns. Specifically, they are concerned about the alleged intent of the Navarr and the wider Empire to seek out the boons of the [[Surut|Ancestor Slayer]] as part of their war against the Vallorn and in doing so cause unspeakable desecration to the Great Forest. The Great FOrest Orcs trust the [[Navarr]] however, and if they are willing to [[Navarr_culture_and_customs#Tattoos_and_Vows|swear an oath]] via their national assembly that they will not engage in themselves, and will oppose Imperial use of the ''Hated One'' to deforest any regions with his fire.

Pride in the Marches

2026-07-21T18:49:33Z

Noserenda: /* Loyalty and Heresy */

[[Category:388YE Summer]][[Category:Winds of Fortune]]
<ic>"So William Guidenstern's a folk hero now. Like Tom Drake and Jonah Gold and what have you."

Pike stared at his rod but it obstinately refused to move. He'd readily agreed to come with Bridge for the day but he was starting to regret that decision. Bridget Fisher had three fat yellow perch in her basket while his looked like he'd spent the morning straightening daisies. It was always the same when the two went fishing, but it was still grating on him. "Says Who?" he demanded tersely.

"Says the Assembly. You know all the priests and everything, down at Anvil."

Bridget Fisher had an unremittingly sunny disposition. It was one of the things everyone liked about her. It was one of the things Pike liked about her. Still it was easy to be sunny when you'd caught your tea before the first rays of sun had appeared. It was midday now and he had a nagging feeling he was going hungry tonight. "What sort of folk hero goes around putting on airs and graces?" he groused.

"Airs and graces? Have you ever met our William? He wouldn't know a grace if it kicked 'im in the 'ead."

"Well, why dun't he call himself Bill then?" Pike demanded. It was a cheap jibe, but it suited his mood right now. "A proper Marcher name. Should be Bill Guildenstern shouldn't it? Anyway - what's he dun to be so impressive? Why's he a folk hero?"

"Star fell on him. Apparently."

Pike never could catch fish, but he could sense an opening at fifty paces. Bridget was on weak ground, time to press the attack. "Right, so ''Bill'' Guildenstern is up there with ''Thomas'' Drake who killed Alderei the Bleeding Fair and ''Jonathan'' Gold who didn't let dying stop him fighting for the Mourn because a star fell on his head? A bottle of dark ale fell on Drew Miller's head last week when that wonky shelf he put up collapsed on him. They gonna make him a folk hero?"

"It was his chest I think. And Jonah ain't short for Jonathan so that doesn't work. You're being ratty and you know it. ''William'' Guildenstern has done loads of other stuff. Loads of stuff. Oh shit." Bridget jumped to grab her rod before she could explain exactly what the loads of stuff were. It was jerking around like a frit pig.

"Unbelievable." was all Pike could say as he watched his best friend reel in a fish the length of her forearm.

"Nah it's true. He has. He's dun loads of stuff." Bridget knew perfectly well what Pike was unhappy about but she seemed to genuinely want to talk about Guildenstern for some reason.

"Well they should have told us what he's done then shouldn't they? And it better not turn out to be a shopping list of titles he's had. It'd better be things he'd dun, not things he's been. The point of saying someone is a folk hero is so everyone knows what being a hero looks like. It's so they know who to look up to. Who to help. Who to emulate. For that we got to know what they done. Or what they're doing."

"Who to emulate? Pike Bailer! Are you putting on airs and graces?" Bridget grinned at her old friend. She never won their arguments, but a chance to needle him was too good to pass up.

"I'm serious Bridge! If there's an honest to goodness folk hero around the place then it's a bloody good idea to let everyone know about it. Folk need a bit of good news right now, with Jotun in the marshes and everything else. That's the sort of thing gets people fired up. But we ain't got owt to be fired up about, if they don't tell us what he's a folk hero for."

Bridget dropped the large yellow fish into the empty basket. "You'll have to take this one," she apologised, "there's no room in my basket. C'mon lets get back. I'll tell you what William Guildenstern has done, and you can tell me what you're gonna do to "emulate" that."

It was just bloody typical of Bridget Fisher. This was why everyone liked her. Pike contemplated saying no but this was one argument he was not going to win. Not against the hero of Pike's Pond.
</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=NBMarches.jpg|align=left|width=300}}</div>
==Overview==
[[Pride]] in small things, [[Loyalty]] to great ones. That's what they always say when people talk about [[the Marches]]. But Pride in what? And Loyalty to what? That's the sort of thing [[The_Marches_history#The_Cousin's_War|people go to war over]] if you're not careful. There's a lot going on in the Marches on the way to the Summer Solstice, a lot to be proud of but also a lot to worry about. The reward for a good job is more work, and if you want a job done give it to someone who's busy, as they say.

It's time to take stock. Of the situation in [[Mitwold]]; worrisome developments in the Gullet; questions of folk heroes new and especially old; hauntings in [[Bregasland]]; and the overwhelming question of the large number of [[heresy|heretics]] in the Marches (also know as the Marcher [[orc]] population); and the scions of Red Walder who have apparently failed to get the message that ''now is not the time'', who are engaging in peculiarly targeted rowdiness that needs nipping in the bud before it spirals out of hand.

So let's start at the beginning, then, with the war in Mitwold...
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=RegionsofMitwold.png|caption=The households of Mitwold engage in feuding and bitter rivalry.|title=Regions of Mitwold|align=left|width=400}}</div>
==Mitwold Triumph==
* '''The Jotun have abandoned Mitwold in the face of the concerted counter-attack by the Empire'''
At the end of last year the [[Jotun]] barbarians [[Rose grow the rushes o'|broke into]] the territory of [[Mitwold]], seizing both [[Mitwold#Oddmire|Oddmire]] and [[Mitwold#Meade March|Meade March]] and pressing into [[Mitwold#The Meadows|The Meadows]]. At the end of last year, five Imperial armies fought to take back what had been conquered, culminating in the [[Where_the_slow_river_flows#The_Battle_of_Wayford|Battle of Wayford]] and the magical chaos that accompanied it. They reclaimed the Meadows, and drove the Lasambrian armies back across Meade March, but it was clear that the orcs intended to fight to keep what they had taken. Only the absence of the Jotun armies that had withdrawn north to [[Skallahn]] allowed the Empire their hard-fought victory. It was clear that if the Jotun contributed more of their forces to defend Mitwold - or to press east - Imperial armies would have a major fight on their hands.

The [[Military Council]] doubled down, with the [[Drakes]] (of course) at the forefront, supported by the [[Autumn Hammers]], the [[Bloodcloaks]], the [[Green Shield]], the [[Valiant Pegasus]], and the [[Golden Sun]]. More than ten thousand force of strength joined the Drakes, who also marched with the sungold banners of the [[Knights of Glory]] at their side, as did the Green Shield. With the [[fortification#garrison|garrison]] of [[Mitwold#Forte Fidelis|Forte Fidelis]] and the [[beater|beaters]] of [[the Marches]] beside them, they enacted a split strategy. While the Autumn Hammers and the Bloodcloaks took a defensive stance, the remaining four armies thrust into the heart of the Jotun held territory, seeking to force them back and reclaim the city of Meade and Odd's End.

They discovered the Lasambrian Jotun in full retreat. They had already abandoned their defence of Meade, and forced-marched westward back into Bregasland. From there, they swiftly withdrew south into [[Liathaven]] and there Imperial scouts lost track of them. The folk of the Marches might characterise their withdrawal as a cowardly rout, claiming they fled with their tails between their legs, but this is far from the truth. ''Abott Matilda'' of [[Old_ways#The_Ambition_of_Margaret_of_Meade|Becktunn Monastary]] told a different story. It was, she said, not as if the Lasambrians were running ''from'' something, but as if they were desperately running ''toward'' something. The most logical assumption is that news of the Iron Confederacy invasion of Reinos had reached them and they were returning to protect their homes.

Not every Jotun fled; some warbands stayed behind intentionally to seek out "a ruck" as the Marchers put it. Others were a little slow to get back across the borders with their ill-gotten loot. Yet the victory of the Empire was bought with a few skirmishes, rather than anything approaching a full-scale battle. On the one hand, few lives lost. A victory is a victory for the Marchers, land is land after-all - but some of their allies grumble that a triumph because the other side ran away is hardly heroic or glorious.
<gallery heights=175 mode="packed">
File:Drakes_Colour.png|link=388YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Drakes
File:GoldenSun_Colour.png|link=388YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Golden Sun
File:GreenShields_Colour.png|link=387YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Green Shields
File:AutumnHammers colour.png|link=387YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Autumn Hammers
File:BloodCloak Colour.png|link=387YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Bloodcloaks
File:ValiantPegasus_Colour.png|link=387YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Valiant Pegasus
</gallery>
===Tom Drake's Pride===
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Walls and Statue'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Meade March, Mitwold</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 25 white granite, and 75 crowns in labour</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' 3 months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Repairs the walls of Meade and creates a statue of Tom Drake in the heart of the city
* Improves the ''Drum Up Support'' order available to the Drakes
</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' One year. Until the end of the Spring Equinox 389YE, or until the general of the Drakes breaks their oath</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:''' This commission can be undertaken by the Mistress of Monuments despite the amount of white granite needed</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The people of Meade are Proud that their army and their allies have defeated the Jotun and liberated Meade'''
* '''An opportunity exists for the people of Meade to show their appreciation for the Drakes'''
* '''Investing in swift repair of the walls, and a statue of Tom Drake, will improve the ''Drum up Support'' order available to the Drakes'''
The ''Corazón'' and the Jotun champions between them have looted the heart and soul of the Marches, the city of Meade. They haven't gone out of their way to harm the city, or the people, because that isn't the Jotun way. But they haven't been shy about taking anything of value they can get their hands on. They raided the markets and the warehouses, tore open vaults, took any jewels they could find. They didn't go out of their way to steal old relics or documents - again not the Jotun way - and they've been scrupulous about avoiding anything that might be a burial ground. But the wealth of the city has been decimated. But not ruined.

The people of Meade are angry because they've been robbed and burgled, at swordpoint. But they are overjoyed to see the Imperial armies, with the Drakes marching before them. Tom Drake's beloved army, marching to free Meade from occupation, causes folk to put aside their cares and come out to line the walls and cheer, an inverse rough music. The soldiers that come to Meade, Marcher and otherwise, are showered not with rose petals but with food and drink and comfortable beds. They've lost almost everything valuable, but they've kept what is most precious to them - the Marcher spirit that no bandit can ever steal and no thief ever take from them.

The walls of Meade are broken in places, the gates destroyed, and the scars of the fight to defend the city from the Jotun are still visible. But walls, and gates, can be rebuilt, just as Prosperity can. Because the free people of the Marches can recover from any setback - especially when they have an example like Tom Drake's army to fill them with Pride. As in the Mournwold, as in Bregasland, the people of Mitwold take great Pride in the Loyalty shown them by the general of "their" army, and they are not shy about showing it.

The [[alder|alders]] of Meade don't come out and say it, but this is a great opportunity for the general of the Drakes to make a mark in history. Assessing the damage to the walls, it will require 16 wains of white granite to repair them; yet the alders also suggest that it is about time that someone built a proper statue commemorating the Drakes in Meade, or more specifically its founder Tom Drake. Nothing too extravagant - 9 wains ought to be enough to make a nice sculpture you could take the kiddies to see. The repairs and the statue represent a single [[commission]] that costs 25 white granite, and 75 crowns in labour, and would take three months to complete.

Despite the amount of white granite, the commission ''could'' be overseen by the [[Mistress of Monuments]], '''Ada Droon Drifting Bough'''. The actual statue of Tom Drake is the heart of the commission, the repairs to the city are vital but easily done once the materials are on hand. If the Mistress were to commission the repairs and the statue, the grateful folk of Meade would provide all the labour needed for the entire project - removing the requirement to provide any crowns.

Once the statue and repairs were complete, it would also stand as a monument to the Pride and Loyalty the people of the Marches feel towards their armies. As long as the statue stood, and remained in Imperial hands, the ''Drum Up Support'' order available to the Drakes would be significantly enhanced, providing a total of 500 natural resupply whenever they took the order in Marcher territory.

===The Taken Cup===
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Appraise foot-the-ball league'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Appraisal</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Appraise ways to implement some kind of foot-the-ball league</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' One year, until the start of the Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The Empire could appraise the creation of a foot-the-ball league to restore the sport's prestige'''
Meade was looted, but the Jotun had a purpose for that wealth beyond mere theft. Last season there was a report of a [[Where_the_slow_river_flows#Battle_Opportunity:_Plundered_Gold|treasure train]] full of stolen treasures from Meade and Wayford including [[Where_the_slow_river_flows#Objective:_Recover_the_Trophy|Beater trophy]], a symbol of Marcher pride. It's doubtful the Lasambrians realised what they had - it was just a shiny cup to them - but it's struck to the heart of what foot-the-ball means to people of Mitwold (and Upwold, truth be told). The foot-the-ball season has been cut short; even with the Jotun gone there's less enthusiasm for the game than there has been in a while. "''We were robbed,''" as one of the Wayford [[alder|alders]] put it, "''and we can make more coin. But we can't make another Beater's cup.''"

Which is fine as a sentiment if it were ''true''. The Marchers certainly can't replace the history and legacy of the Beater's cup, but they surely could order a new trophy. Truth be told the old one was widely regarded as somewhat cheap and tawdry in appearance. But what can be done about the enthusiasm for the foot-the-ball? Would some kind of grand league help? The League have their great game after all, but the problem with that, as one Marcher points out, is that all that messing around doing politics is neither ''great'' nor a ''game''. Maybe an appraisal is the answer.
{{CaptionedImage|file=FjorknaeSymbol.png|align=right|width=250}}
==Worrisome Gullet==
* '''The Jotun gave the stolen loot as tribute to the Fjorknae orcs
* '''Orc warships have turned up in the Gullet
* '''They are interfering with Marcher and Wintermark fleets
While sporting matters are a concern for the Marches, a bigger concern are the reports of exactly what the Corazón ''did'' with the treasure. There weren't many eyewitnesses, but it seems that the reason they were [[Where_the_slow_river_flows#Objective:_Return_the_Bounty_of_Meade|dragging it on a sled]] to make some formal gift to the folk of [[Sea_of_Snow#Fjorknae|Fjorknae]]. They met an honest-to-goodness fleet of ships at [[By_fountains,_by_fishes#Steward's_Landing|Steward's Landing]] and handed over the [[Technology#Runeboxes_and_Runebound_Chains|runebox]] full of stolen loot to what are described as "very nasty looking orcs in scale and chain". Marchers aren't great at judging such things in general, but the witnesses are confident that these orcs had ''ships'' and not ''boats''. Jotun with ships? Is such a thing even possible?

Not long before the Summer Solstice, it becomes clear that such a thing is indeed possible. Marcher captains engaged in [[Voyage#Raid_Kalsea's_Coastline|raiding Kalsea's coast]], and Winterfolk providing an [[Voyage#Escort_the_Fisherfolk_of_Westerhal|escort to the fisherfolk of Westerhal]] report fast moving ships with uniformly blood-red sails, crewed by armed and armoured orcs. Orcs who are definitely ''not'' Jotun thralls. The assumption is that they are Jotun, but the mere fact they seem to be at home on the sea raises questions as to whether they are true Jotun or represent some other sept the orcs have drawn on. They attack Marcher raiders, and engage with the Winterfolk escort, with clear enthusiasm for the fray that suggests a Jotun connection but they are utterly fearless of the sea of the Gullet. They even give the crews of captured or surrendered ships a version of "the Choice" - they can either lay down their weapons and become thralls, to be carried back to wherever the ships came from, or they can "fight the sea" - they're given a weapon and thrown overboard. These ships at least seem disinterested in making warriors of their defeated human foes, and there are disturbing reports of ''akhlut'' in the Gullet trailing behind the Fjorknae vessels that give the Winterfolk in particular pause.

Following the Summer Solstice, every Wintermark or Marcher fleet suffers a -2 rank penalty to ''Raid Kalsea's Coastline'', ''Escort the Fisherfolk of Westerhal'', or to [[fleet#trading|trade]] with the [[Faraden]] port of [[Foreign_ports#Caitun|Caitun]]. At the moment the presence of these ships is focused in the Gullet and the northern Sea of Snow - Marcher and Wintermark ships who sail fast and don't stop for anything are able to outrun the raiders.

These orcs on ships are also an unknown quality. A little over a year ago, the Senate commissioned [[Appraisal#Graciana i Lòpez i Guerra|Graciana i Lòpez i Guerra]] to look into ways that the [[Skallahn#The_Kongegőr|Kongegőr]] could [[A_bridge_too_far|be neutralized]]. The [[opportunity|opportunities]] she identified had a limited shelf-life anyway, but the addition of this new factor renders them moot. The attack on Skallahn brought the Empire within a hair's breadth of claiming [[Skallahn#Bjarkey|Bjarkey]], and the northern end of the Kongegőr. The Jotun are now awake to the very real threat of Imperial armies permanently separating their northern and southern Jarldoms.

Controlling either [[Skallahn#Bjarkey|Bjarkey]] or [[Hordalant#Alsterbo|Alsterbo]] is no longer a guarantee that the Kongegőr can be severed. It would certainly be possible to damage it, or to create a bottle-neck where Jotun forces trying to cross it would need to recover Imperial controlled region at either end, but to be sure of destroying the bridge permanently the Empire would need to control ''both'' ends. And if the Fjorknae are as comfortable fighting at sea as they appear to be, even that might not be enough.
===Fear the Unknown===
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Appraise Fjorknae intelligence'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Appraisal</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Appraise ways to find out more about the Fjorknae</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' One year, until the start of the Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Appraise response in the Gullet'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Appraisal</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Appraise ways to respond to the Fjorknae threat in the Gullet</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' One year, until the start of the Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The Empire knows nothing about the Fjorknae
* '''There are concerns that fighting on the Gullet will make the ''coral husk'' problem worse
The biggest obstacle to assessing the threat posed by the Fjorknae is that the Empire knows next to nothing about them. During their efforts to map the Sea of Snow, Imperial fleets did not cross the Blood Straits between Bryadvik and Fjorknae. The Empire knows there is what looks to be a huge island on the other side, and the assumption is that it is Jotun held. No landfall was made, although a handful of small settlements were visible from aboard ship, but they looked rough and primitive - crude buildings with slate walls and turf rooves. There were signs of industry, though, and vivid red flags that matched the colour of the ships' sails. Of course the banners also bore the image of a monstrous sea-beast of some kind, and so far that hasn't been seen on the ships in the Gullet.

There's also the worry raised by some of the gloomier sorts about the ''other'' problem the Gullet is having at the moment. Weird coral husks, that rise in the depths and come ashore to drag helpless victims into the surf. The Fjorknae are churning up the waters with violence and blood in a way that it has not been disturbed for centuries, if ever. Even the [[Asavean Archipelago|Asavean]] attempt to [[Harvest of infamy|destroy Meade]] was mostly fought on land or in the immediate vicinity of the city. Is it possible that the Fjorknae are going to rile up the coral horrors even more? They have been conspicuous by their absence for a little while now, and nobody is so addled by [[Malign_spiritual_presences#Hope|hope]] that they can imagine the problem has just... gone away.

At the moment, the Empire seems to have limited ability to find out more about what is going on in the Gullet and the threat the new orcs represent. A [[spy network]] or [[smugglers cove]] needs a certain proximity to the [[territory]] where it will be built that means Fjorknae is out of reach of the [[Imperial Spymaster]]. The [[Regario Dossier]] has no agents that could be assigned there - it's hard to imagine what they might look like - and the [[Shuttered Lantern]] would have no idea where to start.

The best suggestion as to what ''could'' be done is an appraisal. Either one to find out more about the Fjorknae, or to deal with the ships in the Gullet. These are two very different appraisals, in the opinion of the [[Appraisal#The_Prognosticators_Office|Prognosticator's Office]], and to do ''both'' would take two appraisals.

The other possibility lies with [[archmage#plenipotenatiry|plenipotentiary]] either from an [[archmage]] or given Autumn is coming up, from the [[Stone Smith]]. The challenge would be working out which [[eternal]] to ask about the orcs of Fjorknae and the ships in the Gullet. In the past, the [[Archmage of Night]] might have been able to invoke the [[Lashonar#Caucus_Forum|Caucus Forum]] to arrange a meeting with someone from the island, but that option is [[Monarchs_and_outcasts#Closed_Caucus_(Lashonar)|no longer available]]. Any other eternal will want something of value in exchange for their aid, assuming they have any to offer in the first place.
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Haunted Fen.png|caption=Some regions of Bregasland are spookier than others.|align=right|width=400}}</div>

==Bregasland==
* '''The Jotun remain in Bregasland
* '''The Strong Reeds are lying low in the territory, building their strength for a counterattack
* '''The Grey Walkers are spreading through Grey Fens to the chagrin of the invading orcs
Last season saw serious fighting in [[Bregasland]], with the Empire ultimately victorious and [[Bregasland#Graven_Rock|Graven Rock]] recovered from the Jotun. In the wake of their victory, the Empire pulled their troops out. All save the [[Strong Reeds]], who have slipped back into the fens and the rushes, and now [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Strong_Reeds|lie low]] waiting for another opportunity to strike. The assumption must have been that the Jotun would immediately move to recover Gravenmarch, but in the end... they don't.

There are still Jotun armies here, but they are braced for further Imperial efforts to reclaim Bregasland. In the absence of such attacks, the barbarians simply continue to consolidate their hold over the marshy territory. Although in the process they encounter problems they themselves have created. At the Spring Equinox, news reached the [[Military Council]] of ''Sunne Astar'' and a [[Old_blue_banners_dancing#Battle_Opportunity:_A_Broken_Rock|quixotic plan]] to drag one of the stones that make up the Ullsmere Rock [[The_Marches_hearth_magic#Dolmens|dolmen]] back to Hordalant to inspire the Howling Night. The Jotun achieved their plan, and as near as the Strong Reeds can tell, the left leg of the dolmen has already left Bregasland and is presumably being installed in the ''kirkje'' of the Howling Night.
{{CaptionedImage|file=StrongReeds_Colour.png|align=right|width=300}}
===Horror at Ullsmere Rock===
* '''The Grey Walkers haunt Grey Fens and seek to drive out all trespassers
* '''They are treating the Jotun as trespassers
* '''Unfortunately they are also treating everyone ''else'' as trespassers
What's unfortunate is that what it has left in its wake are a large number of [[Old_blue_banners_dancing#Objective:_Dismiss_the_Grey_Walkers|Grey Walkers]]. Shadow figures, clearly Marchers, wearing garb common in the fens hundreds of year ago, are draped in the tatters of funeral bindings. They slowly and silently seek out "trespassers" and drive them away. Hitting them with weapons causes them to dissipate... but a few minutes later they simple coalesce again a short distance away. They can be [[exorcism|exorcised]] individually, but there are a ''lot'' of them. Worse, some of them are clad for battle, deliver potent [[curse|curses]], and are much harder to deal with than the "lesser" spirits.

The good news is that right now, they are causing serious issues for the Jotun in [[Bregasland#Grey Fen|Grey Fen]]. The entire region has become [[Region_qualities#Haunted|haunted]] as the Grey Walkers have spread. The Jotun are no stranger to ghosts, but the ability of their warriors and ''godhi'' to deal with them is significantly lower than that of the Empire. The Grey Walkers are treating the orcs as intruders and trespassers, and slowly eroding the barbarian's control over the entire region. They don't seem to be extending beyond the Grey Fens themselves, at least, but that covers a very large area of marsh. There are Marcher households there, and they are likewise reporting harassment by these spectral creatures. True to form, the Jotun are actively ''protecting'' the households - just as they would any other thralls - but it's clear that they're struggling to keep a firm grasp on the Fens.
{{CaptionedImage|file=trilithon.png|align=right|width=250}}
===Get Off My Fen===
* '''The Jotun are slowly losing their grip on Grey Fen
* '''While this is causing problems for the Jotun, it will also be a problem for the Empire should they retake Bregasland
Something clearly needs to be done, but Grey Fens is currently a Jotun problem. If the Empire retakes Bregasland, however, it's going to become a Marcher problem pretty quickly. While Grey Fens remains under Jotun control, the Grey Walkers are a tenth of the way towards taking the region themselves. What this will mean is impossible to say - but if the region does fall under control of these spectral walkers the one thing it ''won't'' be is under Imperial control, making it that much harder for anyone to control the territory.

There is an effective force of 1,000 strength in Grey Fens - each season it will attempt to take control of the region. ''Any'' army that issues an appropriate [[Army_orders#Defending|defending]] order in the territory can prevent the ghosts gaining any headway, and an attacking order will drive the ghosts back and reassert control over the region (as long as it achieves sufficient victory points). But while the ''haunted'' quality remains, the ghosts will simply come back next season, and the season after, and keep trying to drive everyone out of Grey Fens. They don't take casualties (although they do inflict them), and anyone actively trying to stop them claiming Grey Fens will not be able to resupply that season.

Notably, the presence of these Grey Walkers is even messing with the magical elements of the territory. For some reason, any magical ward created in Grey Fens - [[Dripping Echoes of the Fen]] for example - will not impede the ghosts at all. They will continue to slowly but inexorably try to usurp control of the region, even as the enchantment has its normal effects for everyone else.

==Pride and Politics==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=William Guildenstern.jpg|caption='''William Guildenstern''', General of the Drakes|align=left|width=400}}</div>
* '''Two judgements of the Marcher assembly related to Pride in a way that resonates with the Marchers
Recently the Marcher Assembly passed two big judgements. The first was about Pride, celebrating a folk hero. It's received a broad welcome across the nation, a bit of good news in dark times. But people can't be Proud of someone unless they know what they're Proud of them ''for''. So they want to know what this folk hero has done to be singled out like that.

The second judgement is also a matter of Pride. Nearly two years ago now the [[Pride]] Assembly [[recognition|recognised]] the leaders of [[the Ore Hills Rebellion]] and then the [[386YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_5|General Assembly narrowly agreed]]. Now it's down to the Pride Assembly to see if they want to consecrate Rebellion's Ridge the new monument they've just built to remember folks by.

If that happens, it will be a lit match in a dry field. All the arguments about just who should be appointing senators will come boiling back to the surface.
===Holding Out For a Hero===
{{SOP|statement=William Guildenstern was recognised as a Marcher Folk Hero in 384YE. As my cousin Pipit Boon called out to our people in 385YE; "Let us sing his story for generations to come, across our territories." There is no better time than these - our homes under siege and our territories dividing - to draw Marchers to great Marcher deeds. As a Folk Hero walks among us as General of the Drakes, remember: Jonah Gold made weapons so fierce it turned a war's tide. Odd of Odd's End drained the Oddmire against the Marshwalker threat. Tom Drake struck down Alderei the Fair. William Guildenstern caught a falling star in his chest. All are Marchers, all fought our battles, all did deeds of great renown, all had rivals who would see them fail, and all are remembered in song.|by=Jedediah Boon, Marcher National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 152-20|when=Spring 388YE|size=small}}
* '''William Guildenstern has been recognised as a folk hero by the Marcher Assembly'''
* '''The Marches are eager to hear what act or acts he has done to be inspired by'''
* '''It is unclear what being recognised as a folk hero will actually ''do'', it will depend on what the act is'''
Most Marchers hold three things close to them: a favourite [[proverbs|proverb]], a patch of land they call home, and someone they look up to. Proverbs are important and an apt demonstration of [[Wisdom]]; they allow an important idea to be communicated with as few words as possible. A patch of land to call home is the foundation of every [[Marcher household]], the starting place for [[Loyalty]]. But someone to look up to can be important too; it lets people take [[Pride]] in the actions of their fellow Marchers, and inspires them to do great deeds themselves.

Last season, the Marcher Assembly upheld a [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_81|judgement]] raised by '''Jedediah Boon''' which echoed the [[385YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_115|call]] from '''Pipit Boon''' that '''William Guildenstern''', General of the [[Drakes]] and former Senator for [[Mournwold]], was a folk hero. The statement of principle called out several other folk heroes from the history of the Marches and the inspirational acts they had done. People are keen to hear more about this folk hero - and Friar Alyn asks that the Marcher Assembly use the coming summit to recognise the thing William Guildenstern has done that is most inspiring. Something that has been done that the Marchers can be inspired by and rally behind. When tales of Jonah Gold were spread of making weapons, it inspired the blacksmiths to focus on making blades for soldiers; when stories of Odd of Odd's End were spread, it led to beaters tracking marshwalkers and protecting settlements from them. If Guildenstern has done something that people be Proud of and rally behind it just [[opportunity|do some good]].
<quote by='Friar Alyn of Hay'>Inspirations are a lot like wheat. You need to harvest them when you can, and be aware that they might turn rotten.</quote>
Some nations have annals or chronicles to record their inspirations. Some assemblies have rolls or walls to mark theirs. ''Friar Alyn of Hay'' pours scorn on that idea. Marchers don't need to keep records of their folk heroes - what's the bloody point? If you have to write their name down to know who they are, then they're not much of a bloody hero are they? In the opinion of the friar, the best inspirations are fleeting. They represent the zeitgeist of the Marches at the height of summer, when the sun is high and there is time to have the proper chats without worrying about the weather.
===Rebellion's Ridge===
<div {{float}}>
{{SOP|statement=Three years ago, Meri stated on my behalf that we knew the importance of all Marchers working the land, that the Nation must consider the plight simmering over Mourn hillsides. The Pride Assembly agreed. The miners of the Mourn have worked their land for us. They have battled the Jotun, fought off the Howling Bear. They raised rebellions against tyranny twice, were the last ones standing against recent invaders. They work tirelessly to supply our armies, to build our Great Works, braving the Singing Caves and tearing its bounty from enemy hands. They have stood with our Nation since Marcher boots first met Mourn soil. So we too stand with them - we will not turn our backs another year not take their Loyalty to the Marchers, the Pride in their work for granted. We recognise their right to a voice in the leadership of the Mournwold, where the ore runs deep and so many of us have fought together, shoulder to shoulder.|by=Jedediah Boon, Marcher National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 208-22|when=Autumn 387YE|size=small}}</div>
* '''Rebellion's Ridge has been completed in the Mournwold'''
* '''A writ of consecration for the Leaders of the Ore Hills Rebellion on the great work would have consequences'''
* '''It would breathe new life into old arguments, long since buried, about who runs the Mournwold'''
During the Autumn Equinox 387YE, '''Alfred Aewulfson-Boon''', as the [[Bearer of an Imperial Wayleave]], commissioned the [[Construct_Rebellion%27s_Ridge|construction]] of Rebellion's Ridge. A [[great work]] in [[Mournwold#Ore Hills|Ore Hills]] dedicated to the [[Known_exemplars#Leaders_of_the_Ore_Hills_Rebellion|leaders of the Ore Hills Rebellion]]. These exemplars of [[Pride]] were [[386YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_5|recognised]] during the Winter Solstice 386YE as a group, in much the same way as [[the Marked]]. The exemplars were instrumental in [[the Ore Hills Rebellion|the Ore Hills Uprising]], and were identified as ringleaders and executed by the magistrates for their role in inciting, and in most cases participating in, the violence that marred Mournwold.

Now, [[Mournwold#Rebellion's_Ridge|Rebellion's Ridge]] stands completed. The finishing touches have been made, and the [[congregation|congregations]] of the Mourn will receive their first doses of [[liao]] at the Autumn Equinox. But what next? During the Autumn Equinox 387YE, the Marcher Assembly voted to uphold a [[387YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_98|judgement]] raised by '''Jedediah Boon''' which drew attention to the plight of the miners of the Mourn.
<div {{float}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=The Versatile Pickaxe.jpg|align=left|caption=Resentment between miners and farmers in Mournwold had been simmering for almost three centuries, until it finally kicked off in 326YE.|width=500}}</div>
If the Assembly chooses to pass a [[writ of consecration]] for Rebellion's Ridge, then it would inevitably reopen those old wounds. Miners work every bit as hard as farmers, nobody denies that, but they have no say in who speaks for them. That's what the Orehills Rebellion was all about. Power, who has it, and who doesn't. The miners demanded that the yeofolk share their power. When the yeofolk refused to let their power be diluted and their traditions lost, it ultimately resulted in bloodshed.

Folks are full of fond memories for the Rebellion now, but it was the most bitter fight imaginable at the time. Any move to consecrate Rebellion's Ridge will force the Mournwold to reckon with that struggle. You simply cannot draw inspiration from a bunch of Marchers who died fighting for something they believed in, without making everyone ask ''what were they fighting for?''. It'll fire up every single mine owner in the Mournwold with fresh demands for a change in how the the territory appoints its senator. And it won't just be the yeofolk who are worried - it'll make every Marcher who thinks traditions are important, worried about where all this is going.

Seriously contemplating a change in how the Mournwold elects its senator is ''absolutely guaranteed'' to open a sack full of angry kittens.
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Loyalty.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Pride.png|align=right|width=200}}
</div>

==Loyalty and Heresy==
{{SOP|statement=The scars of Whittle run deep. A people massacred due to zealotry. The Marchers know too well the risks of following your traditions. While the Marchers have no intent of undermining the Synod’s spiritual authority, the fact of the matter remains; A Marcher, A Marcher. Should the Synod proscribe the beliefs of the Marcher Orcs as heretical, the Marches as a whole will defend their neighbours as they would any other Marcher unduly persecuted. To echo the words of the First Empress: “You will take all of us, or none of us.” The Synod may make it’s choice.|by=Statement of Principle, Brother Luke, Marcher Assembly|vote=Greater Majority 146-50|when=Winter Solstice 388YE|size=small}}
* '''The priests of the Marches preach of Pride, inspiring both human and orc
* '''The folk of the Marches are mostly united - the Marcher orcs are Marchers
And talking of lit matches... At the Spring Equinox, the Marcher Assembly voted to uphold a [[387YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_13|judgement]] raised by '''Brother Luke''' with a [[greater majority]]. It called on the Marches to defend the [[Mournwold Orcs|Marcher orcs]] if things came to a head with the [[Synod]]. After the Summer Solstice, inspired by the statement, more than half the [[congregation|congregations]] in the Marches preached the importance of supporting the Marcher Orcs, and that any attack on them was the same as an attack on anyone else in the nation. "''Pride in small things,''" as the saying goes. The congregations who took this action used their liao to create suitable [[aura|auras]], but in return received gifts of recognition and support from Marcher Orcs and their allies.

It's been less direct than a mandate, but it's had the desired effect. If there was any doubt as to whether the Marcher Orcs are Marchers or not, it's been dispelled. If the Empire sends anyone to attack the Marcher Orcs for their beliefs, whether that be armies or magistrates, the folk of the Marches will resist. The argument that their beliefs mark them as heretics butters no mustard in Mournwold or elsewhere. The nation ''knew'' they believed in reincarnation when they embraced them; the [[egregore]] ''knew'' their beliefs were at odds with doctrine when they recognised them as Marchers. They are Marcher folk, and the general consensus in the Marches is that their belief in reincarnation is not a problem in a nation that firmly believes humans can be reincarnated as trees, or vermin.

When the Generals of the Marches swore their oaths to protect their territories, there was no equivocation about whether they would protect some Marchers and not others. If the Synod moves against the Marcher Orcs, the Marches will resist. With weapons to protect those who won't take them up themselves, if need be. And they will expect the generals to honour their oaths, and if need be fight the armies of the Empire to defend an attack against their own.

Not everyone is on board, but those who are not have the good sense to keep quiet about it. When challenged to explain how the beliefs of the Marcher Orcs can be reconciled with doctrine, one pugnacious Abbott turns the question around, and demands to know why nobody ever asks how Doctrine can be reconciled with the beliefs of the Marcher orcs? The ''only'' thing that brands the Marcher Orcs as heretics is the [[The_Doctrines_of_the_Faith#The_Doctrine_of_the_Howling_Abyss|Doctrine of the Howling Abyss]] that was created less than a decade ago based solely on the spiritual beliefs of the [[Imperial Orcs|Unshackled]] - and a belief that is challenged by septs of orcs all over the world.
===The Tom Drake Revelation===
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Hazelelponi.jpg|align=right|caption=Hazelelponi of the [[Highguard_groups#The_Shattered_Tower|Shattered Tower]] is the controversial [[Lepidean Librarian]] who commissioned the investigation into the life of Tom Drake.|width=400}}</div>
* '''Recent revelations regarding Tom Drake incline the folk of the Marches to view the state bodies of the Empire with scepticism
* '''Inspired by Pride and Loyalty, the human Marchers will defend the orc Marchers
The Marchers as a whole have no patience for people who give themselves airs and graces, but they take a quiet Pride in a number of folk from [[The Marches history|history]]. Among those they are proudest of is [[Life of Tom Drake|Tom Drake]], the original general of the Drakes who helped put the Military Council together. Recently, the [[Lepidean Librarian]] undertook an examination of [[Life of Tom Drake|Tom's life]], and the truths contained within were [[Life_of_Tom_Drake#Unacceptable_History|at odds]] with the popular historical version. Tom Drake fought ''against'' Brigit of Dourfell, and led the rebels. He was rightly recognised as an exemplar of [[Loyalty]], always willing to show it to those who deserved it, to the Marches, and to its people.

It's been quiet, but these historical revelations have spread quietly across the Marches and increased Marcher scepticism of what some see as "Imperial excesses". It's nothing like as dramatic as the problems in [[Bregasland]] in the wake of the Fishers - but there is a quiet, grass-roots belief that the Marcher dislike of people putting themselves above their peers extends to ''everyone''. Including, arguably, the Senate and the Synod. When push comes to shove, they ask themselves what Tom Drake would do, and the answer is usually some variation of "stand up and be counted", "be Proud and Loyal", and "tell the Empire to go... take itself away... if it comes to it."

===What This Means===
* '''The Empire risks a second Cousin's War if they persecute the Marcher Orcs for their beliefs
With these two key factors in mind, the only predictable outcome is that Marchers will defend their orc citizens against the Synod, the magistrates, or Imperial armies. What form this will take is not clear, it will depend on exactly what is tried. There are tens of thousands of Marcher orcs. Their willingness to pitch in, the fact they are never slow to contribute when there's a big project on, and their sheer ''enthusiasm'' for the Marches has won them a lot of friends even before the priests of the Marches spoke of the Pride of having them among their number. Then there's the lessons of Tom Drake, exemplar of Loyalty, who would ''never'' stand by and let the Empire declare war on his neighbours (or at least that's the current feeling).

This is obviously a problem. For an Imperial nation to reject the rule of law in this fashion - the Synod has the power to declare something heresy, which is a crime. The magistrates are expected to deal with criminals under the law.

What seems clear is that any move to condemn the Marcher Orcs as heretics is likely to trigger a conflict along the lines of the [[The_Marches_history#The_Cousin's_War|Cousin's War]], albeit with most of the Marches lining up against the rest of the Empire, and with those Marchers who regularly visit [[Anvil]] to represent their nation potentially caught in the middle.
===Pragmatism===
* '''Some Mournwold priests have proposed a "solution" to the problem
So far only one positive proposal has come out, and that's from the Marcher Orc spiritual leader and a couple of his old friends among the priests of the Mournwold. He proposes that while the Synod determines what is a crime, it's the Senate and the magistrates who decide what the punishment is. There are basically two punishments - death and fines. "So fine us," say the Mournwold priests. "Fine the orcs for their heretical beliefs. How about 5 Thrones a season that the Marcher Orcs continue to believe in reincarnation, and then maybe we can all get back on with sorting the harvest?" Obviously this is an outrage and the magistrates will do their nut. But a Senate motion to this effect would see 5 Thrones a season into the Imperial treasury, and its likely the Marcher Orcs might go higher if they had to especially if their human neighbours pitched in.

While this proposal seem ludicrous, it does highlight at least one potential avenue to try and deal with the problem represented by tens of thousands of Marchers that the Synod seem to deem to be heretics. Ultimately, the Synod does not operate in isolation within the Empire. Nobody is suggesting that the Senate alone can solve this problem, but at the end of the day it is the Senate that has the power to define the laws, and guide the magistrates as to the punishments that arise when those laws are broken. Perhaps some compromise can be reached?

==Rowdy Bandits (Conjunctions)==
* '''The scions of Red Walder are causing trouble in Mitwold
* '''Jyll Longleys is interfering with the Maiden Stone
* '''Dusty Cobb leads a gang to burn the Golden Fields of Hay
And finally ... the [[Rose_grow_the_rushes_o%27#Objective:_Kill_Red_Walder's_Descendants|scions of Red Walder]] are following in their forbear's footsteps and causing a brace of difficulties in Mitwold. Armed by Stephen of Sarcobe (and many Marchers spit when they say his name these days), there's rumours doing the rounds that they've ''also'' been empowered by the terrible Jack-in-Chains, the horror buried at the bottom of a well near [[Mitwold#Wayford|Wayford]]. Probably expecting the Empire to be busy fighting Marcher armies, two of them have collected rowdy mobs around themselves and set about causing trouble.

Something needs to be done, and fortunately the [[Sentinel Gate]] provides an opportunity for response to immediate problems. Frankly, it might be a bit of a relief to have problems that can be dealt with directly by sticking the boot into some wrong'uns.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Glistering.jpg|caption=The Champion of Prosperity fights for virtue.|align=right|width=350}}
===Apples First (Mitwold)===
* '''A gaggle of rowdy Marcher rebels are travelling to curse the Maiden Stone'''
* '''This skirmish is a [[Accessibility#Combat_Highly_Likely|combat highly likely]] encounter'''
* '''The ''Champion of Prosperity'' is [[Sentinel_Gate#Prognostication|responsible]] for stopping Jyll Longleys from cursing the Maiden Stone'''
{{NoInnocentsPresent}}
''Jyll Longleys'', daughter of the wicked old bandit Red Walder and former flax farmer, has been spotted [[Things_go_awry#Mitwold|once again]] in Mitwold. This time, in the [[Mitwold#Maiden Downs|Maiden Downs]], moving towards the Maiden Stone with fire in her eyes and plagued with tremendously bad luck, if rumours are to be believed. Jyll and her unruly band are travelling with purpose and are - according to hearsay, rumour, and the best guesses - going to "''fuck up''" the Maiden Stone. Whether this is by some unknown curse, malicious use of hearth magic, or they're just going to find some hammers on the way there, it will be bad if they aren't stopped.

The [[Champion of Prosperity]], '''Tom Appleseed''', is responsible for stopping Jyll Longleys before they reach the Maiden Stone. If they cannot be stopped, then it will have, at minimum, consequences for farms across the territory. The farms will be able to cope, but it will eat up the profits from the [[Keeper of the Breadbasket|Breadbasket]] in the territory for at least six months.
{{CaptionedImage|file=GoldenFields.jpg|caption=The golden fields of Hay are watched over by a [[#The Silent Giant|Silent Giant]].|align=right|width=350}}
===The Right Thing (Mitwold)===
* '''A gaggle of rowdy Marcher rebels are travelling to burn the Golden Fields of Hay'''
* '''This skirmish is a [[Accessibility#Combat_Highly_Likely|combat highly likely]] encounter'''
* '''The ''Keeper of the Golden Fields'' is [[Sentinel_Gate#Prognostication|responsible]] for stopping Dusty Cobb from setting Golden Fields alight'''
{{NoInnocentsPresent}}
''Dusty Cobb'', the old soldier turned monk who has once again taken up the mantle of bandit, has been spotted in the [[Mitwold#Golden_Downs|Golden Downs]], travelling towards Hay and its golden fields. Though frustrated by bad luck, the shriver of Red Walder has gathered a gaggle of Marcher rebels to them and is travelling with the intent of setting the Golden Fields of Hay alight with good old-fashioned flint and tinder.

The [[Keeper of the Golden Fields]], '''Nicolas Reaper''', is responsible for stopping Dusty Cobb from setting the Golden Fields alight. If they are not stopped, the [[Keeper_of_the_Golden_Fields#The_Silent_Giant|Silent Giant]] will no doubt suffer damage from the flames, significantly reducing its production of mana crystals until repaired.

Pride in the Marches

2026-07-21T18:43:28Z

Noserenda: /* Bregasland */

[[Category:388YE Summer]][[Category:Winds of Fortune]]
<ic>"So William Guidenstern's a folk hero now. Like Tom Drake and Jonah Gold and what have you."

Pike stared at his rod but it obstinately refused to move. He'd readily agreed to come with Bridge for the day but he was starting to regret that decision. Bridget Fisher had three fat yellow perch in her basket while his looked like he'd spent the morning straightening daisies. It was always the same when the two went fishing, but it was still grating on him. "Says Who?" he demanded tersely.

"Says the Assembly. You know all the priests and everything, down at Anvil."

Bridget Fisher had an unremittingly sunny disposition. It was one of the things everyone liked about her. It was one of the things Pike liked about her. Still it was easy to be sunny when you'd caught your tea before the first rays of sun had appeared. It was midday now and he had a nagging feeling he was going hungry tonight. "What sort of folk hero goes around putting on airs and graces?" he groused.

"Airs and graces? Have you ever met our William? He wouldn't know a grace if it kicked 'im in the 'ead."

"Well, why dun't he call himself Bill then?" Pike demanded. It was a cheap jibe, but it suited his mood right now. "A proper Marcher name. Should be Bill Guildenstern shouldn't it? Anyway - what's he dun to be so impressive? Why's he a folk hero?"

"Star fell on him. Apparently."

Pike never could catch fish, but he could sense an opening at fifty paces. Bridget was on weak ground, time to press the attack. "Right, so ''Bill'' Guildenstern is up there with ''Thomas'' Drake who killed Alderei the Bleeding Fair and ''Jonathan'' Gold who didn't let dying stop him fighting for the Mourn because a star fell on his head? A bottle of dark ale fell on Drew Miller's head last week when that wonky shelf he put up collapsed on him. They gonna make him a folk hero?"

"It was his chest I think. And Jonah ain't short for Jonathan so that doesn't work. You're being ratty and you know it. ''William'' Guildenstern has done loads of other stuff. Loads of stuff. Oh shit." Bridget jumped to grab her rod before she could explain exactly what the loads of stuff were. It was jerking around like a frit pig.

"Unbelievable." was all Pike could say as he watched his best friend reel in a fish the length of her forearm.

"Nah it's true. He has. He's dun loads of stuff." Bridget knew perfectly well what Pike was unhappy about but she seemed to genuinely want to talk about Guildenstern for some reason.

"Well they should have told us what he's done then shouldn't they? And it better not turn out to be a shopping list of titles he's had. It'd better be things he'd dun, not things he's been. The point of saying someone is a folk hero is so everyone knows what being a hero looks like. It's so they know who to look up to. Who to help. Who to emulate. For that we got to know what they done. Or what they're doing."

"Who to emulate? Pike Bailer! Are you putting on airs and graces?" Bridget grinned at her old friend. She never won their arguments, but a chance to needle him was too good to pass up.

"I'm serious Bridge! If there's an honest to goodness folk hero around the place then it's a bloody good idea to let everyone know about it. Folk need a bit of good news right now, with Jotun in the marshes and everything else. That's the sort of thing gets people fired up. But we ain't got owt to be fired up about, if they don't tell us what he's a folk hero for."

Bridget dropped the large yellow fish into the empty basket. "You'll have to take this one," she apologised, "there's no room in my basket. C'mon lets get back. I'll tell you what William Guildenstern has done, and you can tell me what you're gonna do to "emulate" that."

It was just bloody typical of Bridget Fisher. This was why everyone liked her. Pike contemplated saying no but this was one argument he was not going to win. Not against the hero of Pike's Pond.
</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=NBMarches.jpg|align=left|width=300}}</div>
==Overview==
[[Pride]] in small things, [[Loyalty]] to great ones. That's what they always say when people talk about [[the Marches]]. But Pride in what? And Loyalty to what? That's the sort of thing [[The_Marches_history#The_Cousin's_War|people go to war over]] if you're not careful. There's a lot going on in the Marches on the way to the Summer Solstice, a lot to be proud of but also a lot to worry about. The reward for a good job is more work, and if you want a job done give it to someone who's busy, as they say.

It's time to take stock. Of the situation in [[Mitwold]]; worrisome developments in the Gullet; questions of folk heroes new and especially old; hauntings in [[Bregasland]]; and the overwhelming question of the large number of [[heresy|heretics]] in the Marches (also know as the Marcher [[orc]] population); and the scions of Red Walder who have apparently failed to get the message that ''now is not the time'', who are engaging in peculiarly targeted rowdiness that needs nipping in the bud before it spirals out of hand.

So let's start at the beginning, then, with the war in Mitwold...
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=RegionsofMitwold.png|caption=The households of Mitwold engage in feuding and bitter rivalry.|title=Regions of Mitwold|align=left|width=400}}</div>
==Mitwold Triumph==
* '''The Jotun have abandoned Mitwold in the face of the concerted counter-attack by the Empire'''
At the end of last year the [[Jotun]] barbarians [[Rose grow the rushes o'|broke into]] the territory of [[Mitwold]], seizing both [[Mitwold#Oddmire|Oddmire]] and [[Mitwold#Meade March|Meade March]] and pressing into [[Mitwold#The Meadows|The Meadows]]. At the end of last year, five Imperial armies fought to take back what had been conquered, culminating in the [[Where_the_slow_river_flows#The_Battle_of_Wayford|Battle of Wayford]] and the magical chaos that accompanied it. They reclaimed the Meadows, and drove the Lasambrian armies back across Meade March, but it was clear that the orcs intended to fight to keep what they had taken. Only the absence of the Jotun armies that had withdrawn north to [[Skallahn]] allowed the Empire their hard-fought victory. It was clear that if the Jotun contributed more of their forces to defend Mitwold - or to press east - Imperial armies would have a major fight on their hands.

The [[Military Council]] doubled down, with the [[Drakes]] (of course) at the forefront, supported by the [[Autumn Hammers]], the [[Bloodcloaks]], the [[Green Shield]], the [[Valiant Pegasus]], and the [[Golden Sun]]. More than ten thousand force of strength joined the Drakes, who also marched with the sungold banners of the [[Knights of Glory]] at their side, as did the Green Shield. With the [[fortification#garrison|garrison]] of [[Mitwold#Forte Fidelis|Forte Fidelis]] and the [[beater|beaters]] of [[the Marches]] beside them, they enacted a split strategy. While the Autumn Hammers and the Bloodcloaks took a defensive stance, the remaining four armies thrust into the heart of the Jotun held territory, seeking to force them back and reclaim the city of Meade and Odd's End.

They discovered the Lasambrian Jotun in full retreat. They had already abandoned their defence of Meade, and forced-marched westward back into Bregasland. From there, they swiftly withdrew south into [[Liathaven]] and there Imperial scouts lost track of them. The folk of the Marches might characterise their withdrawal as a cowardly rout, claiming they fled with their tails between their legs, but this is far from the truth. ''Abott Matilda'' of [[Old_ways#The_Ambition_of_Margaret_of_Meade|Becktunn Monastary]] told a different story. It was, she said, not as if the Lasambrians were running ''from'' something, but as if they were desperately running ''toward'' something. The most logical assumption is that news of the Iron Confederacy invasion of Reinos had reached them and they were returning to protect their homes.

Not every Jotun fled; some warbands stayed behind intentionally to seek out "a ruck" as the Marchers put it. Others were a little slow to get back across the borders with their ill-gotten loot. Yet the victory of the Empire was bought with a few skirmishes, rather than anything approaching a full-scale battle. On the one hand, few lives lost. A victory is a victory for the Marchers, land is land after-all - but some of their allies grumble that a triumph because the other side ran away is hardly heroic or glorious.
<gallery heights=175 mode="packed">
File:Drakes_Colour.png|link=388YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Drakes
File:GoldenSun_Colour.png|link=388YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Golden Sun
File:GreenShields_Colour.png|link=387YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Green Shields
File:AutumnHammers colour.png|link=387YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Autumn Hammers
File:BloodCloak Colour.png|link=387YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Bloodcloaks
File:ValiantPegasus_Colour.png|link=387YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Valiant Pegasus
</gallery>
===Tom Drake's Pride===
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Walls and Statue'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Meade March, Mitwold</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 25 white granite, and 75 crowns in labour</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' 3 months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Repairs the walls of Meade and creates a statue of Tom Drake in the heart of the city
* Improves the ''Drum Up Support'' order available to the Drakes
</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' One year. Until the end of the Spring Equinox 389YE, or until the general of the Drakes breaks their oath</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:''' This commission can be undertaken by the Mistress of Monuments despite the amount of white granite needed</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The people of Meade are Proud that their army and their allies have defeated the Jotun and liberated Meade'''
* '''An opportunity exists for the people of Meade to show their appreciation for the Drakes'''
* '''Investing in swift repair of the walls, and a statue of Tom Drake, will improve the ''Drum up Support'' order available to the Drakes'''
The ''Corazón'' and the Jotun champions between them have looted the heart and soul of the Marches, the city of Meade. They haven't gone out of their way to harm the city, or the people, because that isn't the Jotun way. But they haven't been shy about taking anything of value they can get their hands on. They raided the markets and the warehouses, tore open vaults, took any jewels they could find. They didn't go out of their way to steal old relics or documents - again not the Jotun way - and they've been scrupulous about avoiding anything that might be a burial ground. But the wealth of the city has been decimated. But not ruined.

The people of Meade are angry because they've been robbed and burgled, at swordpoint. But they are overjoyed to see the Imperial armies, with the Drakes marching before them. Tom Drake's beloved army, marching to free Meade from occupation, causes folk to put aside their cares and come out to line the walls and cheer, an inverse rough music. The soldiers that come to Meade, Marcher and otherwise, are showered not with rose petals but with food and drink and comfortable beds. They've lost almost everything valuable, but they've kept what is most precious to them - the Marcher spirit that no bandit can ever steal and no thief ever take from them.

The walls of Meade are broken in places, the gates destroyed, and the scars of the fight to defend the city from the Jotun are still visible. But walls, and gates, can be rebuilt, just as Prosperity can. Because the free people of the Marches can recover from any setback - especially when they have an example like Tom Drake's army to fill them with Pride. As in the Mournwold, as in Bregasland, the people of Mitwold take great Pride in the Loyalty shown them by the general of "their" army, and they are not shy about showing it.

The [[alder|alders]] of Meade don't come out and say it, but this is a great opportunity for the general of the Drakes to make a mark in history. Assessing the damage to the walls, it will require 16 wains of white granite to repair them; yet the alders also suggest that it is about time that someone built a proper statue commemorating the Drakes in Meade, or more specifically its founder Tom Drake. Nothing too extravagant - 9 wains ought to be enough to make a nice sculpture you could take the kiddies to see. The repairs and the statue represent a single [[commission]] that costs 25 white granite, and 75 crowns in labour, and would take three months to complete.

Despite the amount of white granite, the commission ''could'' be overseen by the [[Mistress of Monuments]], '''Ada Droon Drifting Bough'''. The actual statue of Tom Drake is the heart of the commission, the repairs to the city are vital but easily done once the materials are on hand. If the Mistress were to commission the repairs and the statue, the grateful folk of Meade would provide all the labour needed for the entire project - removing the requirement to provide any crowns.

Once the statue and repairs were complete, it would also stand as a monument to the Pride and Loyalty the people of the Marches feel towards their armies. As long as the statue stood, and remained in Imperial hands, the ''Drum Up Support'' order available to the Drakes would be significantly enhanced, providing a total of 500 natural resupply whenever they took the order in Marcher territory.

===The Taken Cup===
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Appraise foot-the-ball league'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Appraisal</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Appraise ways to implement some kind of foot-the-ball league</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' One year, until the start of the Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The Empire could appraise the creation of a foot-the-ball league to restore the sport's prestige'''
Meade was looted, but the Jotun had a purpose for that wealth beyond mere theft. Last season there was a report of a [[Where_the_slow_river_flows#Battle_Opportunity:_Plundered_Gold|treasure train]] full of stolen treasures from Meade and Wayford including [[Where_the_slow_river_flows#Objective:_Recover_the_Trophy|Beater trophy]], a symbol of Marcher pride. It's doubtful the Lasambrians realised what they had - it was just a shiny cup to them - but it's struck to the heart of what foot-the-ball means to people of Mitwold (and Upwold, truth be told). The foot-the-ball season has been cut short; even with the Jotun gone there's less enthusiasm for the game than there has been in a while. "''We were robbed,''" as one of the Wayford [[alder|alders]] put it, "''and we can make more coin. But we can't make another Beater's cup.''"

Which is fine as a sentiment if it were ''true''. The Marchers certainly can't replace the history and legacy of the Beater's cup, but they surely could order a new trophy. Truth be told the old one was widely regarded as somewhat cheap and tawdry in appearance. But what can be done about the enthusiasm for the foot-the-ball? Would some kind of grand league help? The League have their great game after all, but the problem with that, as one Marcher points out, is that all that messing around doing politics is neither ''great'' nor a ''game''. Maybe an appraisal is the answer.
{{CaptionedImage|file=FjorknaeSymbol.png|align=right|width=250}}
==Worrisome Gullet==
* '''The Jotun gave the stolen loot as tribute to the Fjorknae orcs
* '''Orc warships have turned up in the Gullet
* '''They are interfering with Marcher and Wintermark fleets
While sporting matters are a concern for the Marches, a bigger concern are the reports of exactly what the Corazón ''did'' with the treasure. There weren't many eyewitnesses, but it seems that the reason they were [[Where_the_slow_river_flows#Objective:_Return_the_Bounty_of_Meade|dragging it on a sled]] to make some formal gift to the folk of [[Sea_of_Snow#Fjorknae|Fjorknae]]. They met an honest-to-goodness fleet of ships at [[By_fountains,_by_fishes#Steward's_Landing|Steward's Landing]] and handed over the [[Technology#Runeboxes_and_Runebound_Chains|runebox]] full of stolen loot to what are described as "very nasty looking orcs in scale and chain". Marchers aren't great at judging such things in general, but the witnesses are confident that these orcs had ''ships'' and not ''boats''. Jotun with ships? Is such a thing even possible?

Not long before the Summer Solstice, it becomes clear that such a thing is indeed possible. Marcher captains engaged in [[Voyage#Raid_Kalsea's_Coastline|raiding Kalsea's coast]], and Winterfolk providing an [[Voyage#Escort_the_Fisherfolk_of_Westerhal|escort to the fisherfolk of Westerhal]] report fast moving ships with uniformly blood-red sails, crewed by armed and armoured orcs. Orcs who are definitely ''not'' Jotun thralls. The assumption is that they are Jotun, but the mere fact they seem to be at home on the sea raises questions as to whether they are true Jotun or represent some other sept the orcs have drawn on. They attack Marcher raiders, and engage with the Winterfolk escort, with clear enthusiasm for the fray that suggests a Jotun connection but they are utterly fearless of the sea of the Gullet. They even give the crews of captured or surrendered ships a version of "the Choice" - they can either lay down their weapons and become thralls, to be carried back to wherever the ships came from, or they can "fight the sea" - they're given a weapon and thrown overboard. These ships at least seem disinterested in making warriors of their defeated human foes, and there are disturbing reports of ''akhlut'' in the Gullet trailing behind the Fjorknae vessels that give the Winterfolk in particular pause.

Following the Summer Solstice, every Wintermark or Marcher fleet suffers a -2 rank penalty to ''Raid Kalsea's Coastline'', ''Escort the Fisherfolk of Westerhal'', or to [[fleet#trading|trade]] with the [[Faraden]] port of [[Foreign_ports#Caitun|Caitun]]. At the moment the presence of these ships is focused in the Gullet and the northern Sea of Snow - Marcher and Wintermark ships who sail fast and don't stop for anything are able to outrun the raiders.

These orcs on ships are also an unknown quality. A little over a year ago, the Senate commissioned [[Appraisal#Graciana i Lòpez i Guerra|Graciana i Lòpez i Guerra]] to look into ways that the [[Skallahn#The_Kongegőr|Kongegőr]] could [[A_bridge_too_far|be neutralized]]. The [[opportunity|opportunities]] she identified had a limited shelf-life anyway, but the addition of this new factor renders them moot. The attack on Skallahn brought the Empire within a hair's breadth of claiming [[Skallahn#Bjarkey|Bjarkey]], and the northern end of the Kongegőr. The Jotun are now awake to the very real threat of Imperial armies permanently separating their northern and southern Jarldoms.

Controlling either [[Skallahn#Bjarkey|Bjarkey]] or [[Hordalant#Alsterbo|Alsterbo]] is no longer a guarantee that the Kongegőr can be severed. It would certainly be possible to damage it, or to create a bottle-neck where Jotun forces trying to cross it would need to recover Imperial controlled region at either end, but to be sure of destroying the bridge permanently the Empire would need to control ''both'' ends. And if the Fjorknae are as comfortable fighting at sea as they appear to be, even that might not be enough.
===Fear the Unknown===
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Appraise Fjorknae intelligence'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Appraisal</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Appraise ways to find out more about the Fjorknae</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' One year, until the start of the Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Appraise response in the Gullet'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Appraisal</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Appraise ways to respond to the Fjorknae threat in the Gullet</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' One year, until the start of the Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The Empire knows nothing about the Fjorknae
* '''There are concerns that fighting on the Gullet will make the ''coral husk'' problem worse
The biggest obstacle to assessing the threat posed by the Fjorknae is that the Empire knows next to nothing about them. During their efforts to map the Sea of Snow, Imperial fleets did not cross the Blood Straits between Bryadvik and Fjorknae. The Empire knows there is what looks to be a huge island on the other side, and the assumption is that it is Jotun held. No landfall was made, although a handful of small settlements were visible from aboard ship, but they looked rough and primitive - crude buildings with slate walls and turf rooves. There were signs of industry, though, and vivid red flags that matched the colour of the ships' sails. Of course the banners also bore the image of a monstrous sea-beast of some kind, and so far that hasn't been seen on the ships in the Gullet.

There's also the worry raised by some of the gloomier sorts about the ''other'' problem the Gullet is having at the moment. Weird coral husks, that rise in the depths and come ashore to drag helpless victims into the surf. The Fjorknae are churning up the waters with violence and blood in a way that it has not been disturbed for centuries, if ever. Even the [[Asavean Archipelago|Asavean]] attempt to [[Harvest of infamy|destroy Meade]] was mostly fought on land or in the immediate vicinity of the city. Is it possible that the Fjorknae are going to rile up the coral horrors even more? They have been conspicuous by their absence for a little while now, and nobody is so addled by [[Malign_spiritual_presences#Hope|hope]] that they can imagine the problem has just... gone away.

At the moment, the Empire seems to have limited ability to find out more about what is going on in the Gullet and the threat the new orcs represent. A [[spy network]] or [[smugglers cove]] needs a certain proximity to the [[territory]] where it will be built that means Fjorknae is out of reach of the [[Imperial Spymaster]]. The [[Regario Dossier]] has no agents that could be assigned there - it's hard to imagine what they might look like - and the [[Shuttered Lantern]] would have no idea where to start.

The best suggestion as to what ''could'' be done is an appraisal. Either one to find out more about the Fjorknae, or to deal with the ships in the Gullet. These are two very different appraisals, in the opinion of the [[Appraisal#The_Prognosticators_Office|Prognosticator's Office]], and to do ''both'' would take two appraisals.

The other possibility lies with [[archmage#plenipotenatiry|plenipotentiary]] either from an [[archmage]] or given Autumn is coming up, from the [[Stone Smith]]. The challenge would be working out which [[eternal]] to ask about the orcs of Fjorknae and the ships in the Gullet. In the past, the [[Archmage of Night]] might have been able to invoke the [[Lashonar#Caucus_Forum|Caucus Forum]] to arrange a meeting with someone from the island, but that option is [[Monarchs_and_outcasts#Closed_Caucus_(Lashonar)|no longer available]]. Any other eternal will want something of value in exchange for their aid, assuming they have any to offer in the first place.
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Haunted Fen.png|caption=Some regions of Bregasland are spookier than others.|align=right|width=400}}</div>

==Bregasland==
* '''The Jotun remain in Bregasland
* '''The Strong Reeds are lying low in the territory, building their strength for a counterattack
* '''The Grey Walkers are spreading through Grey Fens to the chagrin of the invading orcs
Last season saw serious fighting in [[Bregasland]], with the Empire ultimately victorious and [[Bregasland#Graven_Rock|Graven Rock]] recovered from the Jotun. In the wake of their victory, the Empire pulled their troops out. All save the [[Strong Reeds]], who have slipped back into the fens and the rushes, and now [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Military_Council_orders#Strong_Reeds|lie low]] waiting for another opportunity to strike. The assumption must have been that the Jotun would immediately move to recover Gravenmarch, but in the end... they don't.

There are still Jotun armies here, but they are braced for further Imperial efforts to reclaim Bregasland. In the absence of such attacks, the barbarians simply continue to consolidate their hold over the marshy territory. Although in the process they encounter problems they themselves have created. At the Spring Equinox, news reached the [[Military Council]] of ''Sunne Astar'' and a [[Old_blue_banners_dancing#Battle_Opportunity:_A_Broken_Rock|quixotic plan]] to drag one of the stones that make up the Ullsmere Rock [[The_Marches_hearth_magic#Dolmens|dolmen]] back to Hordalant to inspire the Howling Night. The Jotun achieved their plan, and as near as the Strong Reeds can tell, the left leg of the dolmen has already left Bregasland and is presumably being installed in the ''kirkje'' of the Howling Night.
{{CaptionedImage|file=StrongReeds_Colour.png|align=right|width=300}}
===Horror at Ullsmere Rock===
* '''The Grey Walkers haunt Grey Fens and seek to drive out all trespassers
* '''They are treating the Jotun as trespassers
* '''Unfortunately they are also treating everyone ''else'' as trespassers
What's unfortunate is that what it has left in its wake are a large number of [[Old_blue_banners_dancing#Objective:_Dismiss_the_Grey_Walkers|Grey Walkers]]. Shadow figures, clearly Marchers, wearing garb common in the fens hundreds of year ago, are draped in the tatters of funeral bindings. They slowly and silently seek out "trespassers" and drive them away. Hitting them with weapons causes them to dissipate... but a few minutes later they simple coalesce again a short distance away. They can be [[exorcism|exorcised]] individually, but there are a ''lot'' of them. Worse, some of them are clad for battle, deliver potent [[curse|curses]], and are much harder to deal with than the "lesser" spirits.

The good news is that right now, they are causing serious issues for the Jotun in [[Bregasland#Grey Fen|Grey Fen]]. The entire region has become [[Region_qualities#Haunted|haunted]] as the Grey Walkers have spread. The Jotun are no stranger to ghosts, but the ability of their warriors and ''godhi'' to deal with them is significantly lower than that of the Empire. The Grey Walkers are treating the orcs as intruders and trespassers, and slowly eroding the barbarian's control over the entire region. They don't seem to be extending beyond the Grey Fens themselves, at least, but that covers a very large area of marsh. There are Marcher households there, and they are likewise reporting harassment by these spectral creatures. True to form, the Jotun are actively ''protecting'' the households - just as they would any other thralls - but it's clear that they're struggling to keep a firm grasp on the Fens.
{{CaptionedImage|file=trilithon.png|align=right|width=250}}
===Get Off My Fen===
* '''The Jotun are slowly losing their grip on Grey Fen
* '''While this is causing problems for the Jotun, it will also be a problem for the Empire should they retake Bregasland
Something clearly needs to be done, but Grey Fens is currently a Jotun problem. If the Empire retakes Bregasland, however, it's going to become a Marcher problem pretty quickly. While Grey Fens remains under Jotun control, the Grey Walkers are a tenth of the way towards taking the region themselves. What this will mean is impossible to say - but if the region does fall under control of these spectral walkers the one thing it ''won't'' be is under Imperial control, making it that much harder for anyone to control the territory.

There is an effective force of 1,000 strength in Grey Fens - each season it will attempt to take control of the region. ''Any'' army that issues an appropriate [[Army_orders#Defending|defending]] order in the territory can prevent the ghosts gaining any headway, and an attacking order will drive the ghosts back and reassert control over the region (as long as it achieves sufficient victory points). But while the ''haunted'' quality remains, the ghosts will simply come back next season, and the season after, and keep trying to drive everyone out of Grey Fens. They don't take casualties (although they do inflict them), and anyone actively trying to stop them claiming Grey Fens will not be able to resupply that season.

Notably, the presence of these Grey Walkers is even messing with the magical elements of the territory. For some reason, any magical ward created in Grey Fens - [[Dripping Echoes of the Fen]] for example - will not impede the ghosts at all. They will continue to slowly but inexorably try to usurp control of the region, even as the enchantment has its normal effects for everyone else.

==Pride and Politics==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=William Guildenstern.jpg|caption='''William Guildenstern''', General of the Drakes|align=left|width=400}}</div>
* '''Two judgements of the Marcher assembly related to Pride in a way that resonates with the Marchers
Recently the Marcher Assembly passed two big judgements. The first was about Pride, celebrating a folk hero. It's received a broad welcome across the nation, a bit of good news in dark times. But people can't be Proud of someone unless they know what they're Proud of them ''for''. So they want to know what this folk hero has done to be singled out like that.

The second judgement is also a matter of Pride. Nearly two years ago now the [[Pride]] Assembly [[recognition|recognised]] the leaders of [[the Ore Hills Rebellion]] and then the [[386YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_5|General Assembly narrowly agreed]]. Now it's down to the Pride Assembly to see if they want to consecrate Rebellion's Ridge the new monument they've just built to remember folks by.

If that happens, it will be a lit match in a dry field. All the arguments about just who should be appointing senators will come boiling back to the surface.
===Holding Out For a Hero===
{{SOP|statement=William Guildenstern was recognised as a Marcher Folk Hero in 384YE. As my cousin Pipit Boon called out to our people in 385YE; "Let us sing his story for generations to come, across our territories." There is no better time than these - our homes under siege and our territories dividing - to draw Marchers to great Marcher deeds. As a Folk Hero walks among us as General of the Drakes, remember: Jonah Gold made weapons so fierce it turned a war's tide. Odd of Odd's End drained the Oddmire against the Marshwalker threat. Tom Drake struck down Alderei the Fair. William Guildenstern caught a falling star in his chest. All are Marchers, all fought our battles, all did deeds of great renown, all had rivals who would see them fail, and all are remembered in song.|by=Jedediah Boon, Marcher National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 152-20|when=Spring 388YE|size=small}}
* '''William Guildenstern has been recognised as a folk hero by the Marcher Assembly'''
* '''The Marches are eager to hear what act or acts he has done to be inspired by'''
* '''It is unclear what being recognised as a folk hero will actually ''do'', it will depend on what the act is'''
Most Marchers hold three things close to them: a favourite [[proverbs|proverb]], a patch of land they call home, and someone they look up to. Proverbs are important and an apt demonstration of [[Wisdom]]; they allow an important idea to be communicated with as few words as possible. A patch of land to call home is the foundation of every [[Marcher household]], the starting place for [[Loyalty]]. But someone to look up to can be important too; it lets people take [[Pride]] in the actions of their fellow Marchers, and inspires them to do great deeds themselves.

Last season, the Marcher Assembly upheld a [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_81|judgement]] raised by '''Jedediah Boon''' which echoed the [[385YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_115|call]] from '''Pipit Boon''' that '''William Guildenstern''', General of the [[Drakes]] and former Senator for [[Mournwold]], was a folk hero. The statement of principle called out several other folk heroes from the history of the Marches and the inspirational acts they had done. People are keen to hear more about this folk hero - and Friar Alyn asks that the Marcher Assembly use the coming summit to recognise the thing William Guildenstern has done that is most inspiring. Something that has been done that the Marchers can be inspired by and rally behind. When tales of Jonah Gold were spread of making weapons, it inspired the blacksmiths to focus on making blades for soldiers; when stories of Odd of Odd's End were spread, it led to beaters tracking marshwalkers and protecting settlements from them. If Guildenstern has done something that people be Proud of and rally behind it just [[opportunity|do some good]].
<quote by='Friar Alyn of Hay'>Inspirations are a lot like wheat. You need to harvest them when you can, and be aware that they might turn rotten.</quote>
Some nations have annals or chronicles to record their inspirations. Some assemblies have rolls or walls to mark theirs. ''Friar Alyn of Hay'' pours scorn on that idea. Marchers don't need to keep records of their folk heroes - what's the bloody point? If you have to write their name down to know who they are, then they're not much of a bloody hero are they? In the opinion of the friar, the best inspirations are fleeting. They represent the zeitgeist of the Marches at the height of summer, when the sun is high and there is time to have the proper chats without worrying about the weather.
===Rebellion's Ridge===
<div {{float}}>
{{SOP|statement=Three years ago, Meri stated on my behalf that we knew the importance of all Marchers working the land, that the Nation must consider the plight simmering over Mourn hillsides. The Pride Assembly agreed. The miners of the Mourn have worked their land for us. They have battled the Jotun, fought off the Howling Bear. They raised rebellions against tyranny twice, were the last ones standing against recent invaders. They work tirelessly to supply our armies, to build our Great Works, braving the Singing Caves and tearing its bounty from enemy hands. They have stood with our Nation since Marcher boots first met Mourn soil. So we too stand with them - we will not turn our backs another year not take their Loyalty to the Marchers, the Pride in their work for granted. We recognise their right to a voice in the leadership of the Mournwold, where the ore runs deep and so many of us have fought together, shoulder to shoulder.|by=Jedediah Boon, Marcher National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 208-22|when=Autumn 387YE|size=small}}</div>
* '''Rebellion's Ridge has been completed in the Mournwold'''
* '''A writ of consecration for the Leaders of the Ore Hills Rebellion on the great work would have consequences'''
* '''It would breathe new life into old arguments, long since buried, about who runs the Mournwold'''
During the Autumn Equinox 387YE, '''Alfred Aewulfson-Boon''', as the [[Bearer of an Imperial Wayleave]], commissioned the [[Construct_Rebellion%27s_Ridge|construction]] of Rebellion's Ridge. A [[great work]] in [[Mournwold#Ore Hills|Ore Hills]] dedicated to the [[Known_exemplars#Leaders_of_the_Ore_Hills_Rebellion|leaders of the Ore Hills Rebellion]]. These exemplars of [[Pride]] were [[386YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_5|recognised]] during the Winter Solstice 386YE as a group, in much the same way as [[the Marked]]. The exemplars were instrumental in [[the Ore Hills Rebellion|the Ore Hills Uprising]], and were identified as ringleaders and executed by the magistrates for their role in inciting, and in most cases participating in, the violence that marred Mournwold.

Now, [[Mournwold#Rebellion's_Ridge|Rebellion's Ridge]] stands completed. The finishing touches have been made, and the [[congregation|congregations]] of the Mourn will receive their first doses of [[liao]] at the Autumn Equinox. But what next? During the Autumn Equinox 387YE, the Marcher Assembly voted to uphold a [[387YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_98|judgement]] raised by '''Jedediah Boon''' which drew attention to the plight of the miners of the Mourn.
<div {{float}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=The Versatile Pickaxe.jpg|align=left|caption=Resentment between miners and farmers in Mournwold had been simmering for almost three centuries, until it finally kicked off in 326YE.|width=500}}</div>
If the Assembly chooses to pass a [[writ of consecration]] for Rebellion's Ridge, then it would inevitably reopen those old wounds. Miners work every bit as hard as farmers, nobody denies that, but they have no say in who speaks for them. That's what the Orehills Rebellion was all about. Power, who has it, and who doesn't. The miners demanded that the yeofolk share their power. When the yeofolk refused to let their power be diluted and their traditions lost, it ultimately resulted in bloodshed.

Folks are full of fond memories for the Rebellion now, but it was the most bitter fight imaginable at the time. Any move to consecrate Rebellion's Ridge will force the Mournwold to reckon with that struggle. You simply cannot draw inspiration from a bunch of Marchers who died fighting for something they believed in, without making everyone ask ''what were they fighting for?''. It'll fire up every single mine owner in the Mournwold with fresh demands for a change in how the the territory appoints its senator. And it won't just be the yeofolk who are worried - it'll make every Marcher who thinks traditions are important, worried about where all this is going.

Seriously contemplating a change in how the Mournwold elects its senator is ''absolutely guaranteed'' to open a sack full of angry kittens.
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Loyalty.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Pride.png|align=right|width=200}}
</div>

==Loyalty and Heresy==
{{SOP|statement=The scars of Whittle run deep. A people massacred due to zealotry. The Marchers know too well the risks of following your traditions. While the Marchers have no intent of undermining the Synod’s spiritual authority, the fact of the matter remains; A Marcher, A Marcher. Should the Synod proscribe the beliefs of the Marcher Orcs as heretical, the Marches as a whole will defend their neighbours as they would any other Marcher unduly persecuted. To echo the words of the First Empress: “You will take all of us, or none of us.” The Synod may make it’s choice.|by=Statement of Principle, Brother Luke, Marcher Assembly|vote=Greater Majority 146-50|when=Winter Solstice 388YE|size=small}}
* '''The priests of the Marches preach of Pride, inspiring both human and orc
* '''The folk of the Marches are mostly united - the Marcher orcs are Marchers
And talking of lit matches... At the Spring Equinox, the Marcher Assembly voted to uphold a [[387YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_13|judgement]] raised by '''Brother Luke''' with a [[greater majority]]. It called on the Marches to defend the [[Mournwold Orcs|Marcher orcs]] if things came to a head with the [[Synod]]. After the Summer Solstice, inspired by the statement, more than half the [[congregation|congregations]] in the Marches preached the importance of supporting the Marcher Orcs, and that any attack on them was the same as an attack on anyone else in the nation. "''Pride in small things,''" as the saying goes. The congregations who took this action used their liao to create suitable [[aura|auras]], but in return received gifts of recognition and support from Marcher Orcs and their allies.

It's been less direct than a mandate, but it's had the desired effect. If there was any doubt as to whether the Marcher Orcs are Marchers or not, it's been dispelled. If the Empire sends anyone to attack the Marcher Orcs for their beliefs, whether that be armies or magistrates, the folk of the Marches will resist. The argument that their beleifs mark them as heretics butters no mustard in Mournwold or elsewhere. The nation ''knew'' they believed in reincarnation when they embraced them; the [[egregore]] ''knew'' their beliefs were at odds with doctrine when they recognised them as Marchers. They are Marcher folk, and the general consensus in the Marches is that their belief in reincarnation is not a problem in a nation that firmly believes humans can be reincarnated as trees, or vermin.

When the Generals of the Marches swore their oaths to protect their territories, there was no equivocation about whether they would protect some Marchers and not others. If the Synod moves against the Marcher Orcs, the Marches will resist. With weapons to protect those who won't take them up themselves, if need be. And they will expect the generals to honour their oaths, and if need be fight the armies of the Empire to defend an attack against their own.

Not everyone is on board, but those who are not have the good sense to keep quiet about it. When challenged to explain how the beleifs of the Marcher Orcs can be reconciled with doctrine, one pugnacious Abbott turns the question around, and demands to know why nobody ever asks how Doctrine can be reconciled with the beliefs of the Marcher orcs? The ''only'' thing that brands the Marcher Orcs as heretics is the [[The_Doctrines_of_the_Faith#The_Doctrine_of_the_Howling_Abyss|Doctrine of the Howling Abyss]] that was created less than a decade ago based solely on the spiritual beliefs of the [[Imperial Orcs|Unshackled]] - and a belief that is challenged by septs of orcs all over the world.
===The Tom Drake Revelation===
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Hazelelponi.jpg|align=right|caption=Hazelelponi of the [[Highguard_groups#The_Shattered_Tower|Shattered Tower]] is the controversial [[Lepidean Librarian]] who commissioned the investigation into the life of Tom Drake.|width=400}}</div>
* '''Recent revelations regarding Tom Drake incline the folk of the Marches to view the state bodies of the Empire with skepticism
* '''Inspired by Pride and Loyalty, the human Marchers will defend the orc Marchers
The Marchers as a whole have no patience for people who give themselves airs and graces, but they take a quiet Pride in a number of folk from [[The Marches history|history]]. Among those they are proudest of is [[Life of Tom Drake|Tom Drake]], the original general of the Drakes who helped put the Military Council together. Recently, the [[Lepidean Librarian]] undertook an examination of [[Life of Tom Drake|Tom's life]], and the truths contained within were [[Life_of_Tom_Drake#Unacceptable_History|at odds]] with the popular historical version. Tom Drake fought ''against'' Brigit of Dourfell, and led the rebels. He was rightly recognised as an exemplar of [[Loyalty]], always willing to show it to those who deserved it, to the Marches, and to its people.

It's been quiet, but these historical revelations have spread quietly across the Marches and increased Marcher skepticism of what some see as "Imperial excesses". It's nothing like as dramatic as the problems in [[Bregasland]] in the wake of the Fishers - but there is a quiet, grass-roots belief that the Marcher dislike of people putting themselves above their peers extends to ''everyone''. Including, arguably, the Senate and the Synod. When push comes to shove, they ask themselves what Tom Drake would do, and the answer is usually some variation of "stand up and be counted", "be Proud and Loyal", and "tell the Empire to go... take itself away... if it comes to it."

===What This Means===
* '''The Empire risks a second Cousin's War if they persecute the Marcher Orcs for their beliefs
With these two key factors in mind, the only predictable outcome is that Marchers will defend their orc citizens against the Synod, the magistrates, or Imperial armies. What form this will take is not clear, it will depend on exactly what is tried. There are tens of thousands of Marcher orcs. Their willingness to pitch in, the fact they are never slow to contribute when there's a big project on, and their sheer ''enthusiasm'' for the Marches has won them a lot of friends even before the priests of the Marches spoke of the Pride of having them among their number. Then there's the lessons of Tom Drake, exemplar of Loyalty, who would ''never'' stand by and let the Empire declare war on his neighbours (or at least that's the current feeling).

This is obviously a problem. For an Imperial nation to reject the rule of law in this fashion - the Synod has the power to declare something heresy, which is a crime. The magistrates are expected to deal with criminals under the law.

What seems clear is that any move to condemn the Marcher Orcs as heretics is likely to trigger a conflict along the lines of the [[The_Marches_history#The_Cousin's_War|Cousin's War]], albeit with most of the Marches lining up against the rest of the Empire, and with those Marchers who regularly visit [[Anvil]] to represent their nation potentially caught in the middle.
===Pragmatism===
* '''Some Mournwold priests have proposed a "solution" to the problem
So far only one positive proposal has come out, and that's from the Marcher Orc spiritual leader and a couple of his old friends among the priests of the Mournwold. He proposes that while the Synod determines what is a crime, it's the Senate and the magistrates who decide what the punishment is. There are basically two punishments - death and fines. "So fine us," say the Mournwold priests. "Fine the orcs for their heretical beliefs. How about 5 Thrones a season that the Marcher Orcs continue to believe in reincarnation, and then maybe we can all get back on with sorting the harvest?" Obviously this is an outrage and the magistrates will do their nut. But a Senate motion to this effect would see 5 Thrones a season into the Imperial treasury, and its likely the Marcher Orcs might go higher if they had to especially if their human neighbours pitched in.

While this proposal seem ludicrous, it does highlight at least one potential avenue to try and deal with the problem represented by tens of thousands of Marchers that the Synod seem to deem to be heretics. Ultimately, the Synod does not operate in isolation within the Empire. Nobody is suggesting that the Senate alone can solve this problem, but at the end of the day it is the Senate that has the power to define the laws, and guide the magistrates as to the punishments that arise when those laws are broken. Perhaps some compromise can be reached?

==Rowdy Bandits (Conjunctions)==
* '''The scions of Red Walder are causing trouble in Mitwold
* '''Jyll Longleys is interfering with the Maiden Stone
* '''Dusty Cobb leads a gang to burn the Golden Fields of Hay
And finally ... the [[Rose_grow_the_rushes_o%27#Objective:_Kill_Red_Walder's_Descendants|scions of Red Walder]] are following in their forbear's footsteps and causing a brace of difficulties in Mitwold. Armed by Stephen of Sarcobe (and many Marchers spit when they say his name these days), there's rumours doing the rounds that they've ''also'' been empowered by the terrible Jack-in-Chains, the horror buried at the bottom of a well near [[Mitwold#Wayford|Wayford]]. Probably expecting the Empire to be busy fighting Marcher armies, two of them have collected rowdy mobs around themselves and set about causing trouble.

Something needs to be done, and fortunately the [[Sentinel Gate]] provides an opportunity for response to immediate problems. Frankly, it might be a bit of a relief to have problems that can be dealt with directly by sticking the boot into some wrong'uns.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Glistering.jpg|caption=The Champion of Prosperity fights for virtue.|align=right|width=350}}
===Apples First (Mitwold)===
* '''A gaggle of rowdy Marcher rebels are travelling to curse the Maiden Stone'''
* '''This skirmish is a [[Accessibility#Combat_Highly_Likely|combat highly likely]] encounter'''
* '''The ''Champion of Prosperity'' is [[Sentinel_Gate#Prognostication|responsible]] for stopping Jyll Longleys from cursing the Maiden Stone'''
{{NoInnocentsPresent}}
''Jyll Longleys'', daughter of the wicked old bandit Red Walder and former flax farmer, has been spotted [[Things_go_awry#Mitwold|once again]] in Mitwold. This time, in the [[Mitwold#Maiden Downs|Maiden Downs]], moving towards the Maiden Stone with fire in her eyes and plagued with tremendously bad luck, if rumours are to be believed. Jyll and her unruly band are travelling with purpose and are - according to hearsay, rumour, and the best guesses - going to "''fuck up''" the Maiden Stone. Whether this is by some unknown curse, malicious use of hearth magic, or they're just going to find some hammers on the way there, it will be bad if they aren't stopped.

The [[Champion of Prosperity]], '''Tom Appleseed''', is responsible for stopping Jyll Longleys before they reach the Maiden Stone. If they cannot be stopped, then it will have, at minimum, consequences for farms across the territory. The farms will be able to cope, but it will eat up the profits from the [[Keeper of the Breadbasket|Breadbasket]] in the territory for at least six months.
{{CaptionedImage|file=GoldenFields.jpg|caption=The golden fields of Hay are watched over by a [[#The Silent Giant|Silent Giant]].|align=right|width=350}}
===The Right Thing (Mitwold)===
* '''A gaggle of rowdy Marcher rebels are travelling to burn the Golden Fields of Hay'''
* '''This skirmish is a [[Accessibility#Combat_Highly_Likely|combat highly likely]] encounter'''
* '''The ''Keeper of the Golden Fields'' is [[Sentinel_Gate#Prognostication|responsible]] for stopping Dusty Cobb from setting Golden Fields alight'''
{{NoInnocentsPresent}}
''Dusty Cobb'', the old soldier turned monk who has once again taken up the mantle of bandit, has been spotted in the [[Mitwold#Golden_Downs|Golden Downs]], travelling towards Hay and its golden fields. Though frustrated by bad luck, the shriver of Red Walder has gathered a gaggle of Marcher rebels to them and is travelling with the intent of setting the Golden Fields of Hay alight with good old-fashioned flint and tinder.

The [[Keeper of the Golden Fields]], '''Nicolas Reaper''', is responsible for stopping Dusty Cobb from setting the Golden Fields alight. If they are not stopped, the [[Keeper_of_the_Golden_Fields#The_Silent_Giant|Silent Giant]] will no doubt suffer damage from the flames, significantly reducing its production of mana crystals until repaired.

A horn blast of victory

2026-07-21T12:45:53Z

Noserenda: /* A Hearty Meal (Conjunction) */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Summer]][[Category:Imperial Address]]
<ic>Cousins,

The Manticore was a sovereign - but no king, a mere monster of the twisted woods. He sought to drag Dawn from her siblings, from the warmth of the Imperial hearth.

He looked me in the eye, offered me his hand and said; “We could rule the ashes together.”

There is but one thing to say to monsters.

There is no welcome here.

On field that day shone armour and sword, rod and staff, their numbers untold. Among them we sing the songs of De Rondell, De Coeurderfer, Du Meravon, Griffinsong, De Ordraig. D’Fauntine, Cordraco, Mortere, Castellan, du Beste, the Twisted Rose, de Lagriffe, Fools, Reynauld, Brightwing, Charlatan, Lysander, Sepulchre, de Vere, Angleburr, Meliora, de Carsenere, Gildaryn, de Courtenay Wyldrose, de Licorne, de Coeurvelant, Orzel, Tallstag, du Lac, Ganderly, De Maur, du Froste, Summerstrong, de Jeunepen, and all others who stood for me on the list field. You have won your glory. And with it, mine. A horn blast of victory to shake the pillars of the earth.

To my cousins I say, these are not just my champions but yours. Champions of the Empire all. May their heraldry be raised upon the battlements of the Castle of Thorns for all to see and envy, that it may light the fire of Ambition and Courage in all who look upon it. Here are the knights who fought for Dawn’s place in the Empire, here are the knights who fought for you. And to those who cheered and yelled, to the physicks, and to those no longer with us who laid the path for us to walk, your efforts, your words, your memory will not be forgotten.

I also speak to the challengers. The black knights who sought to honour your nation’s tradition in Pride. Whatever your reasons may be, Virtuous and glorious the cause - your duty as challenger is done. You fought well and I commend you. I pledge to always meet the glorious standard you have held me to.

Dawn’s Queens hold a responsibility to their people. An oath that has echoed throughout the centuries, since before the First Empress took breath. An oath that your enemies will fall and your homes will be prosperous. Your nobles will know glory and your yeofolk will know good lives.

The Manticore promised the destruction of Dawn's foes but failed to understand what we already know. That when the Druj lie awake at night in their beds it is me whom they fear. It is our Empire.

I am your Emperor and the Queen of Dawn, and I will fulfil this oath. We will do what the pretender, that would-be-King, never could, because we stand as one Empire, with all ten nations behind us. We are strong because we are inextricable.

A newly affirmed Imperial Dawn has bent the knee. I implore you now, stand, Proud Dawnish. I call you to my side as we defeat our ancient enemy, to pen this final chapter in the story they have told since your predecessors drove the Ulvenkin from Semmerholm.

This war ends with us. The Druj empire will fall. Be my sword and shield, my banner, my gleaming lance, my magician’s art and troubadour’s horn. Shine as only the Dawnish can.

This season I would like to commend:<br>
Arsenio Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato for his years of exceptional service to the Conclave as Grandmaster of the Golden Pyramid.<br>
Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was for his monumental victory in Bloodwater Marsh and ongoing contribution to the Eastern Front.<br>
Olyvar of Esther's Sanctum for his peerless contributions to the Imperial Synod and the pride of lineaged citizens.<br>
Ingrid, Talon of the Mark, Atte Arrowtongue, Iron Osric, Avisena i Kharizmi i Guerra, Eva Siivarsdottir, Velasco i Guerra, Amberlain P Black, Orrick, Stormsteel Skorr, Redhand Frith, Florina i Sol-Devorador i Erigo and Vossk for taking the first successful steps on the path to diplomacy with the Jotun.

Inextricable. Indefatigable. Inevitable.<br>
Emperor Vesna<br>
Empress of the Hearth, Crowned in Thunder. <br>
Warden Queen of Dawn
</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 300px; clear: right; margin: 15px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Warden Queen of Dawn.jpg|align=right|width=500}}</div>
==Overview==
[[The Throne]] has the power to [[The_Throne#Address%20the%20Empire|nominate a single Imperial citizen who can deliver a message to the people of the Empire]] at each summit. [[Emperor Vesna]] has used their power to [[The_Throne#Address_the_Empire|address the Empire]], sending a message to all Imperial citizens.

The civil service ensure the message is heard by citizens across the Empire and beyond. Following their glorious victory and crowning as monarch of Dawn, the people of Dawn are [[The_matter_will_be_done#Victory_and_Defeat|eager to hear]] the words of their new queen. Word has spread far and wide of the extraordinary events of the Spring Equinox, the defeat and downfall of the manticore of the Untrod Groves and the grand force of black knights that took the field that day to fight for Dawn's glory.

Troubadours will sing of these events for a hundred years. People are hungry to hear more, so when the words of the Empress of the Hearth are carried to the Dawnish they take the message to their heart. It helps that she speaks to the longing the Dawnish have for finally ending the threat of the [[Druj]] once and for all. The glorious victory of the nobles who fought for the Queen of Dawn has stoked the [[Pride]] of the nation; now they are ready to fight her and finally bring about the end of the Druj.

==Charge!==
<div {{float}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=Call of the Queen.jpg|align=right|width=600}}</div>
* '''All Dawnish armies can take the ''triumphant charge'' order for the next year against the Druj'''
* '''No Dawnish armies can take the ''steady conquest'' order for the next year against the Druj'''
The call of the new monarch of Dawn is clear: the Druj must be defeated, once and for all. With Ossium, the Barrens, and now Sarangrave wrested from their control, the Mallum is smaller than it has ever been. Even now, the Thule push into the [[Forest of Ulnak]] is supported by Imperial mercenaries. All that remains is the [[Salt Flats of Sanath]]. A vast territory, where the miasma lies heavy over the land and its people. Where ancient fortifications with elite garrisons rise above the muck and filth of the territory. It is a foreboding land, twisted by centuries of Druj rule. But, as any herald of [[Kaela]] would be quick to point out, ''everything ends''.

The [[Northern Eagle]] has spent the last three months readying the territory, working to isolate [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Lower_Saarnath|Lower Saarnath]] from the garrisons so that an Imperial beachhead can be claimed with little in the way of resistance. Now, with the victory of Emperor Vesna the Hearthkeeper fresh in their hearts, the soldiers of Dawn are ready to charge into the Druj.

The soldiers of the [[Eastern Sky]], [[Golden Sun]], [[Gryphon's Pride]], and the [[Lions of Adelmar]] have been inspired by the glorious victory of those supporting the new Queen of Dawn. As a result of the epic triumph of Dawn's knights on the field of glory, Dawnish generals can all issue the order to make a [[Army_qualities#Glorious|triumphant charge]] in any region controlled by the Druj - all of the Salt Flats of Sanath; Deathsgate, The Bonewall, Ghul'thak Forest, Gloomsea, Grimfen Mire, and Shifting Basin in the [[Forest of Ulnak]]; and East Ashes, Lower Tarn Valley, Peakedge Song, and Upper Tarn Valley in [[Therunin]] - until the start of the Summer Solstice 389YE. This order is only available against a region held by the Druj; if a general issues an order for a triumphant charge against another enemy, it will default to a [[Army_orders#Balanced_Attack|balanced attack]].

Unfortunately, this inspiration to bring about the final destruction of the detestable Druj has also had an adverse consequence. Dawnish armies will be unable to take a [[Army_orders#Steady_Conquest|steady conquest]] against a region held by the Druj for the coming year - Dawnish soldiers eager to win glory in the Emperor's name simply cannot be held back this way. Their soldiers will fight normally against other enemies, but if a Dawnish general issues an order for a steady conquest against a Druj region, it will default to an [[Army_orders#Overwhelming_Assault|overwhelming assault]].

Of course, the Dawnish Assembly have made clear that the highest calling of the nation is the [[Love and monsters|fight against the vallorn]]. The idea of fighting two different foes at once is a challenging one, but for some, that only makes it more glorious.

==The Manse==
* '''The manse of the manticore could be given to ''Temperance of the Groves'' or any single Dawnish title'''
* '''It is available to be assigned by a simple majority vote of the Earl's Council at the coming summit'''

The great victory won by the nobles sworn to Empress Vesna has also seen the grand manse of the Earl of the Groves claimed by the Empire. The manor is an ancient pile, a sprawling, moss-clad construction that squats in the clearing at the centre of the woods. There are strong regio nearby, which certain eternals are rumoured to lay claims to - supposedly the same eternals who once held the Earl's favours. The work of the [[knight-protector|knights-protector]] saw these recovered by trials of endurance, strength, wit, and cunning. Those few yeofolk who served under the manticore have remained, tending to the manor and its extensive estate. Alyss Retainer, one of the first to pledge herself to the Earl and a loyal supporter of the vision of Dawn that he espoused, has worked hard over the last year to see that the manor was restored to some semblance of comfort.

It isn't clear, particularly, who ''owns'' this manor. There are rumours that the manticore may have named an heir as he lay dying, one '''Temperance of the Groves'''. Now styling themselves as Earl Temperance of the Groves, they may be the manticore's heir apparent, but Imperial law does not recognise the property rights of monsters. Lacking any definitive owner, the magistrates have determined that the manor is considered to be the property of Dawn. As such, it is for the Earl's Council to vote on what to do with the Manor of the Groves and the estate surrounding it.

There are countless options for the earls to choose from. The manor could be awarded to the [[Senator]] for the Barrens, granting them a prestigious estate in the centre of the territory. The manse is big enough to create luxurious apartments for the Senator and their guests, with rooms to spare for future [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Assignment|expansion]].

A [[knight-protector]] could be granted the manor to serve as a place to rest, recuperate, and ready themselves for defending the nation against the inhabitants of the realms. Or a [[general]] could make use of the estate and the accompanying buildings for the planning of grand strategy and the minutiae of warfare. In fact, any single Dawnish title could be granted the rights to dwell in the manse while they hold their position.

The alternative would be for the Earl's Council to recognise a claim by Temperance to be the new Earl of the Groves, by granting them the ownership of the manse. It would be a [[Resource#Campaign_Resource|wealthy estate]] for an earl to take control of, but it may allow the Earl to form a powerful new noble house in the Barrens. It will be a valuable asset for the nation, whoever ends up with it.

Of course, the choice could be made to do nothing with it. To turn away from the tale of the manticore and allow the wilds to reclaim the manse as it did in the long years of the Earl's slumber.

==Oaths==
* '''Empress Vesna's oath of office has been inscribed on the walls of the Forge of Bonds'''
During the Spring Equinox, the Loyalty Assembly voted to uphold a [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_50|judgement]] raised by '''Veikko Bondforger''', as the [[Keeper of Oaths]], that made note of the oath given by Empress Vesna. The oath has been engraved on the high walls of the [[Keeper_of_Oaths#Forge_of_Bonds|Forge of Bonds]].

<quote by="Oath of Office of Emperor Vesna">
I vow to stand side-by-side with my subjects and uphold what it means to be Imperial. I will recognise the virtue in struggle, service, and in hard choices made for the good of all. I will honour our oaths and treaties, act with virtue to all peoples, and extend the hand of friendship to those who would walk beside us. I will offer the hospitality of the hearth to the vulnerable, the disillusioned, and those who turn from us, and ensure that there is a place for all within the Empire. I vow to stand steadfast in the pursuit of strengthening this Empire, to place the needs of the Empire before my own, and to act with Courage, Wisdom, and Loyalty in all things so long as I am Emperor.
</quote>

Oaths are [[Winter_magic#Oaths_and_Wards|a powerful magic]], especially significant oaths that are sworn in front of witnesses. Misfortune and curses often follow those who break a solemn oath. Few understand this [[Varushka_hearth_magic#Oaths|better than the Varushkans]], so the Emperor will know the consequences of their action. It is a lengthy list, which is a danger in itself, but experienced magicians point out one element in particular. The oath not to break any treaties is one that could easily come back to haunt the Throne, and perhaps the whole Empire, if it were broken.

==Don't cry for me==
The death of the so-called "Earl" of the Groves has raised spirits across Dawn. Those who were outraged that this monster claimed to be Dawnish are delighted to see it get a fitting end, while those appalled by its monstrous nature are relieved it is dead. Even some of the manticore's followers are pleased by the glorious end to the story. Yet there is always a twist in the tail...

The manticore's sting is said to have possessed a dreadful quality - it sapped the living spirit from those affected by it, until all that was mortal in them died and their bodies became merely instruments of the manticore's will. Those poor unfortunates who fell victim in this manner were known as its ''vassals''. Now that the manticore is dead, one might have expected these vassals to perish but it seems that some bestial instinct still animates them. A horde of them began rampaging at the heart of the Untrod Groves shortly after the Spring Equinox. They're a dangerous threat but would have remained relatively contained to the Groves, but the manticore still has a few die-hard supporters and they have found a way to corral some of the vassals.

===Fangs for the Memories (Conjunction)===
* '''Vassals of the manticore have attacked the Rahvin trade outpost and stolen the mithril'''
* '''The conjunction offers a chance to slay the beast allowing the mithril to be reclaimed'''
* '''This skirmish is a [[Accessibility#Combat_Highly_Likely|combat highly likely]] encounter'''
* '''The ''Merchant of the Fangs'' is [[Sentinel_Gate#Prognostication|responsible]] for recovering the mithril'''
{{NoInnocentsPresent}}

Not everyone in the Gryphon's Pride has been happy with the efforts by Ser Guy, the outgoing general, to restore the reputation of the army in the wake of the attack on the [[Not_to_conquer#Rahvin|Rahvin]]. A number of bitter deserters - some who left the army after Archaivion Wolfborne met his end, and some last season when they were asked to defend Nesustak Forest - have gathered in the Barrens. They've decided to take matters into their own hands, and have corralled some of the vassals in order to slay a group of Rahvin bringing mithril to trade with the Merchant of the Fangs.

General Utmar of the Rahvin has sent word of the threat, imploring the Empire to do something. They will reward the Merchant of the Fangs with four wains of mithril if the vassals can be dealt with. If the vassals aren't dealt with then the Rahvin will have no mithril to sell in the coming season.

===Taste of Mettle (Conjunction)===
* '''Brutal supporters of the manticore have attacked Karass settlements in the Untrod Groves'''
* '''Earl Valerie Courcillon has denounced their actions and declared that they have failed their tests'''
* '''This skirmish is a [[Accessibility#Combat_Highly_Likely|combat highly likely]] encounter'''
* '''''Rhydian de Rondell'' is [[Sentinel_Gate#Prognostication|responsible]] for defeating the would-be knights'''
{{NoInnocentsPresent}}

House Courcillon was foremost amongst the brutal supporters of the manticore. Earl Valerie Courcillon has made it clear that she stands proudly for a Dawn that is red in tooth and claw. Notoriously, the Earl has recently been setting her knights-errant tests of mettle designed to test their martial prowess and cunning. She charged them with using tactics of baiting and harassment to provoke the members of the [[Not_to_conquer#Karass|Karass]] into attacking them. There's no sign that she's sorry about this, but it seems a group of these knights-errant, having found the line, have now stepped firmly over it. Three of them, Ser Perrivale, Ser Lissa, and Ser Richard have embraced the effects of the ritual [[Glory to the Sovereign]] and openly attacked and killed three members of the Karass.

They and their allies have driven off magistrates sent to arrest them and are threatening more attacks on the orcs of the Barrens. They, too, have managed to corral some of the ''vassals'' of the Earl to this wicked end. Earl Valerie appears to be outraged. This misses the point of her test ''entirely'' in her view; it is as much about outwitting the brutish orc as it is about seeing them attacked. She has publicly decried these errant knights and declared that they have failed her test.

There is a conjunction to Trading Way in the Carmine Fields. Earl Valerie has made a personal request that Rhydian de Rondell handle the matter. She was impressed by their steel at the Tourney for Dawn at Dusk and knows that they will share her contempt for these failed knights. Rhydian or their proxy, will need to arrange for a group of people to go through, attempt to reason with the knights and get them to lay down their arms. If they refuse to submit to Imperial justice, then lethal force is permissible to deal with the threat. Obviously the vassals need killing either way as they are a supernatural threat to all who dwell in the Barrens.

===A Hearty Meal (Conjunction)===
* '''Ser Gawain Amboise has stolen the heart of the manticore'''
* '''He intends to consume the heart on the grounds of the manse to invoke a powerful curse on the Barrens'''
* '''The curse will open the regio of the territory to heralds of Agramant'''
* '''This skirmish is a [[Accessibility#Combat_Highly_Likely|combat highly likely]] encounter'''
* '''The ''Knight-Protector of Winter'' is [[Sentinel_Gate#Prognostication|responsible]] for defeating the would-be knights'''
{{NoInnocentsPresent}}

One of the manticore's supporters, Ser Gawain Amboise, behaved quite strangely on his death. According to the reports of witnesses, when the manticore fell, Ser Gawain lept upon the corpse and cut out its heart. It was a highly suspicious act - by all accounts, he was clearly ''prepared'' for this eventuality. Ser Gawain and his weaver cabal, the Friends of the Good Knight, have been linked in rumour before to the [[Agramant|Horned Manticore]] himself, but there was little proof. The Knight-Protector of Winter had Gawain arrested at the summit, but lacked evidence that would definitively link him to the ''Abominable One''. The law that bans the disbursement, trade, sale, and consumption of the flesh of the sapient denizens of the mortal realm does ''not'' prohibit its harvesting and regrettably, the militia were forced to let him go.

In any event, Ser Gawain and his band of rogues appear to have decided to make things simple for their adversaries. Alyss Retainer, the erstwhile servant of the Manticore, reports that Ser Gawain came to her to try to enlist her aid. He plans to lay a curse on the Barrens with the aid of the power of the Manticore's heart. While she was sympathetic to the manticore's aims, she refuses to serve the Horned Manticore, and told Ser Gawain as much.

It seems Ser Gawain is pressing ahead with his plan. He intends to use the Winter regio in the grounds of the manor of the Earl of the Groves to take vengeance for the Manticore. By consuming its heart at the regio, he will unleash a powerful curse on the Barrens that will allow Agramant heralds to enter the territory freely, thwarting the [[Alignment#Enmity|wards]] of the [[Conclave]]. If he is not stopped, then more trouble is sure to follow. It is the responsibility of the [[Knight-protector|Knight-Protector of Winter]] to ensure this threat from ''the Whisperer'' is dealt with. Ser Gawain is protected by knights pledged to his weaver cabal, the Friends of the Good Knight, as well as the remainder of the Earl's errant ''vassals''.

<ic>
"It's over, then." Tristan spoke, breaking the silence of Alyss's thoughts. "What will we do now?" She turned to look at her brother, her eyes filled with sad resolve. "We bear his memory, Tristan. His memory, and that of King Penni. But... in the end, is this not what we wanted? Dawn's pride is restored to it. We face a new tomorrow with our brilliant Monarch." She smiled. "He was a monster, Tristan. A glorious monster. Yet monsters never succeed in the troubadour's tales. We have played our part, in this story that will last long after we are dead. Is that not enough? Is that not what it means to be a yeofolk bound to the Rose Throne? It is our duty to set the stage and ensure that our nobility have their entrances and their exits, their hour when it comes. We did that."

Her brother frowned. "You didn't answer my question, really. Practically speaking, what will we do now? Will you serve the Lady Temperance?" He gestured to the table of their cottage, where a piece of parchment lay. She glanced at it, then looked back to her brother, eyes wet. "Anka Karass still lives, does she not? I do not know that she can truly call herself noble while that is true... but she wishes to bear the manticore's legacy. I ''want'' to serve her..." Alyss shook her head. "It's not ours to accept her as a noble or not. That's - well. I don't know. But not for the likes of us. I'll keep the lights on at the manor, though, whatever happens. Stop those ne'er-do-wells like Ser Gawain mucking about. I'm Proud, Tristan. I won't apologise: not for any of it. Serving the manticore - that was real. It was true. It was - he was glorious. And I'll tell people that 'til I'm dead."
</ic>

{{Imperial Addresses}}

Keys of Enlightenment

2026-07-20T12:30:31Z

Noserenda: /* Sjördeyr */

[[Category:Wind of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Summer]][[Category:Foreign Nations]]
<ic>"Have they given any context for their query?"

Tipoa and the Cardinal had taken cover from the sun under a rainbow canopy in one of the gardens that spilled over the side of the High House of Wisdom. It was the hottest part of the day and even the jewelled hummingbirds were silent, resting beneath broad leaves. Only the raptors were active, playing their inscrutable lizard games and hunting beetles among the foliage.

"The Censor of Wood, Stone and Metal said it was a request from the Senator of Bastion. They say they are keen to learn more about the exemplar."

The Cardinal pondered for several moments, her attention apparently focused on the task of tending to one of her beast companions. Jormga as a snake easily as long as Tipoa was tall, and she had always disliked it. The serpent was lazy with age, six eyes closed contentedly as the Cardinal carefully rubbed its head and body with coarse sand. His only movement was to flicker his long forked tongue occasionally. In the wild the beasts were deadly hunters, but the Cardinal had hatched him herself, and he doted on her as much as any serpent could dote on anyone.

"To be fair," mused the Cardinal, "it is the nature of inspirational figures to inspire, so there is no reason not to share our stories with the Empire. I wonder if it has to do with a vision of past lives?"

"Would you like me to ask Oxtitocszin to enquire?" One of the smaller raptors had run up and stood staring curiously at her, flicking its blue and green feathers. She flicked a morsel of meat toward it, and it was quickly the centre of attention for three of its siblings.

"No need, I don't think. Traditionally the Imperial Synod is always very excited when someone experiences a vision of having been Sumaash, and cannot wait to tell us. So patience will tell us one way or another."

The Cardinal smiled, humourlessly.

"I do wonder sometimes why they seem to be so constantly surprised when they discover that their people have souls older than the Empire, or from another part of the world? Despite that revelation being the foundation of their entire Empire. And still it is an uncommon Imperial priest that asks about our ''own'' visions, and how they relate to folk from their history."

Tipoa nodded.

"I'll put something together but it will be challenging to know quite how much detail to go into."

"Ah!" said the Cardinal, eye twinkling. "I have a suggestion there. I was speaking to the Cardinal of Vigilance only this morning, and this enquiry comes at just the right time. How long has it been since you last visited the Empire, Utredare Tipoa?"

Tipoa felt her heart sink slightly. She could see the shape of the future and was not sure she was especially excited about it. Travelling to the Empire, especially at this time of year when the weather would be turning inhospitable, was not how she had planned to end the year. Especially with this apparent non-sequitur about the Cardinal of Vigilance.

"To talk about Sjördeyr, Cardinal? Or were you thinking of sending me in an more official capacity?"

The Cardinal didn't reply immediately, but a slow smile spread across her face as she continued to stroke the somnolent serpent in her lap.</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 400px; clear: left; margin: 15px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Sumaah_Raptors.jpg|align=left|caption=it's common for Sumaah citizens to keep small drakes as companions.|width=400}}</div>
==Overview==
* '''The Sumaah Republic is an empire devoted to an orthodox interpretation of the Way'''
* '''The Sumaah Republic remain allies of the Empire in the Liberty Pact
The [[Sumaah Republic]] are simultaneously allies of, and rivals to, the Empire. Their shared practice of the Way both provide them with common ground, and divides them over questions of orthodoxy. As founding members of the [[Liberty Pact]], their ties to the Empire have been strengthened, and they have been closely involved in bringing ruin to those involved in the abhorrent practice of slavery. At the moment they are focused on their [[Guide_the_spirit#Virtuous_War|war]] with the [[Asavean Archipelago]], but they remain committed to spreading the Way through the entire world. In gratitude for [[Two_suns_in_the_sunset#A_Bond_Between_Sailors|major aid]] from the Empire in repulsing an Asavean assault against the port of [[Foreign_ports#Zemeh|Zemeh]], the Sumaah have committed to sharing a dose of [[Liao#True Liao|true liao]] with the Empire every season "''until the Plenum falls and the Way is spread to the Archipelago''." Relations with the grateful Sumaash, which have been bumpy in the past, are now better than ever.
{{Nation|nation=[[Sumaah Republic]]|status=Foreigner|port=[[Sumaah_Republic_ports#Zemeh|Zemeh]]|ambassador=Accalon of [[Highguard]]}}
The Sumaah ambassador to the Empire is ''Oxtitocszin'', who holds the rank of Censor of wood, metal and stone and is a member of the High House of Pride (the Sumaah equivalent of the Pride Assembly, but with significantly more responsibility and leeway to pursue foreign diplomacy). They advise not just the Sumaah ''präster'', but the House of the People (the Sumaah equivalent of the Imperial Senate). By all accounts they are an even-handed, level-headed individual, and a devout practitioner of the Way.
==Mithril and White Granite==
* '''Sumaah is interested in the proposal the Empire might be able to provide resources to fight the Asaveans
* '''They are interested in mithril and weirwood
* '''The High House of Prosperity has arranged a boon from the City of Salt and Sail that can help transport significant numbers of wains
* '''Ambassador Oxtitocszin asks for Accalon to give them an idea of what kind of price will be required
<div style="float:right; width: 350px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Accalon5901.jpg|caption='''Accalon of Felix's Watch''', Ambassador to the Sumaah Republic|align=right|width=350}}</div>
Ambassaor Accalon has mentioned the possibility of providing assistance in the Sumaah war with the Plenum, and that the Empire may be able to send resources that would assist their efforts. Ambassador Oxtitocszin has taken counsel with the High Houses of Courage and Prosperity, and spoken to the Plenum, and suggests that if there is interest in helping Sumaah in their fight against the Asaveans, they would be interested in supplies of mithril and weirwood to supplement their own stocks of these precious materials. While the bulk of the materials would be used to reinforce and strengthen the armies of Sumaah, a portion would be provided to Sumaah allies in the Asavean Archipelago to help support their efforts to spread the Way and bring down the Plenum.

The High House of Prosperity understands that the Empire is rich in both materials, and that there is a considerable surplus available to purchase. The challenge however will be transporting the material - as the [[Drowned_in_tears#A_Gift_of_Pride|Stone Fleet]] indicated the risk of transporting such valuable and bulky materials over great distances is considerable.

However, partially inspired by the [[Satraps_of_the_Abyss|ongoing visit]] of Imperial prognosticator [[Appraisal#Lisane_de_Terresford|Lisane de Terresford]], a coven of magician-präster of the House of Prosperity have sought a slightly less risky solution. The ''Wandering Port'' - the ''Great Turtle'' also known as the ''City of Salt and Sail'' - is prepared to aid in the transportation of at least one hundred wains of weirwood and mithril - either or both - between the Empire and the Republic. There is theoretically no upper limit to how much they can help transport in this way. The offer has been negotiated until the end of the Winter Solstice 388YE; after that the opportunity will be gone.

However, before they can be taken anywhere, the wains must be secured. The Sarcophan do not imagine the Ambassador means to provide them with a gift, and the Censor of Wood and Stone wants to hear from their opposite number what kind of price will be required and what volume of wains would be available. Accalon has indicated they have contacts in the [[Bourse]]; presumably these can be leveraged to arrange a straightforward and Prosperous agreement?

==Sjördeyr==
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''The Life of Sjördeyr'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Historical Research</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Should clearly indicate it is an invitation to the High House of Prosperity to send scholars to teach about the paragon Sjördeyr</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' None additional</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Produces a historical research document relating to the paragon Sjördeyr</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' One yer; until the end of the Spring Equinox 389YE</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:''' Dependant on the Empire remaining on good terms with the Sumaah Republic</td></tr>
</table></div>
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Hazelelponi.jpg|align=right|caption=Hazelelponi of the [[Highguard_groups#The_Shattered_Tower|Shattered Tower]] raised the final peerless kinship mandate.|width=300}}{{CaptionedImage|file=Watt of Lambrook.jpg|caption='''Watt of Lambrook''', Minister of Historical Research|align=left|width=300}}</div>
* '''A short essay about the Sumaah paragon Sjördeyrhas been provided by Ambassador Oxtitocszin
* '''Either the Lepidean Library or the Department of Historical Research could host scholars from the Sumaah Republic if they wished to know more
Ambassador Oxtitocszin is a little surprised to be asked about the ''Sjördeyr'', but provides some information in the form of a short essay copied from a book of Sumaah inspirations.

In short, Sjördeyr is a Paragon and not an Exemplar as the Ambassador seems to believe. He is primarily known for inspiration around the importance of celebrating one's labours at least as hard as one worked to achieve them. One of the leaders of the Sumaah rebellion against the Asavean Satraps, he was a loud and persistent voice in opposition to slavery in general, and the wickedness of the Plenum, rather than just the plight of the Sumaah themselves. No great warrior himself, he strove to acquire the resources his people needed to cast off the yoke of the Satraps. In the process he dealt with many unsavoury folk, including some of the corrupt and venal Asaveans. According to the stories, however, so affable and charismatic was he that stories claim he was adept at recruiting others to aid the Sumaah cause, and allegedly he convinced a few of the Asaveans to secretly support the rebels against their own people.

After the Sumaah won their freedom, the flamboyant and passionate Sjördeyr was one of the visionaries who encouraged the people not to lose themselves in endless warfare but to build a Republic from the ashes of their oppression. His enduring inspiration meant that he was one of the first historical paragons recognised by the Sumaah when they embraced the Way and the path of Virtue, .

If the Empire wishes to know more, the ambassador is certain some Sumaah scholars can be convinced to travel to the Empire and spend time working with the [[Lepidean_Librarian#Lepidean_University|Lepidean University]] or the [[Historical_research#The_Department_of_Historical_Research|Department of Historical Research]]. Obviously, this would require either the [[Lepidean Librarian]] or the [[Minister of Historical Research]] (or the [[Senate]]) to commission the appropriate [[historical research]].

==Siblings in Spirit==
* '''The House of the People is discussing the Liberty Pact in light of the Commonwealth concerns'''
* '''Oxtitocszin advises that Sumaah fear their interests will suffer if the Empire and the Axiou can form a majority voting block'''
As the Summer Solstice approaches, the news that the [[Commonwealth]] is [[War_games#Commonwealth_Fury|considering leaving]] the [[Liberty Pact]] has reached Sumaah. Oxtitocszin restates part of the speech given by the präst ''[[Guide_the_spirit#Ripped_Away_(Necropolis)|Kauitalic]]'' after Imperial ship captains helped [[Two_suns_in_the_sunset#A_Bond_Between_Sailors|defend Zemeh]] against the Asaveans. "The Empire and the Republic are siblings - they may squabble and argue but they are united by bonds of Virtue that the Asaveans can never understand much less sever." Whatever happens in the coming months, that will not change, no matter how aggrieved the Commonwealth is.

But the Sumaah Ambassador also confirms that [[Forging_links#Pact_of_Broken_Chains|as mentioned last season]], the Republic is not sure what the point of the Liberty Pact is now. The House of People continues to discuss the matter, as do the High Houses of Virtue. They are broadly in agreement though that a Liberty Pact without the Commonwealth will not survive. No decision has been taken yet; the Houses take their time to consider such matters carefully and avoid rushing as the Empire well knows. However, there are clear concerns around the influence of the Axou should the pact be comprised of only three members able to vote. The ambassador doesn't come directly out and say it, but the fact that the Empire and the Axou could form a majority voting block and decide the issues between them is clearly an issue. Eventually they will take act but the Ambassador stresses that whatever happens, it should not be seen as a failure of the Pact, but rather as further proof that it has fulfilled its Ambition. For now though, they will continue to hold to the Liberty Pact as it stands.
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Pride.png|align=right|width=150}}{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly_General.png|align=right|width=150}}</div>
==Honour and War==
* '''The Sumaah will continue to send a dose of true liao to the Empire regardless of what happens
One final matter brought up by Oxtitocszin concerns the dose of [[liao#true liao|true liao]] the Council of Eight [[Two_suns_in_the_sunset#The_Just_Rewards_of_Your_Labours|set aside for the Empire]] each season. Until the Way is spread to the whole of the Asavean Archipelago, it will continue to be delivered to the [[Gatekeeper|Gatekeepers]] "''to bestow as they see fit on the virtuous of the Empire, in the name of that bond, forged in blood and salt, by the captains of the Empire''." Unless for some reason a state of war erupts again between the two great powers, the Sumaah gift to the Empire will continue.

There have however been concerns raised with Oxtitocszin regarding what might happen if the Gatekeepers were no longer [[Gatekeeper#Responsibilities|responsible]] for determining how true liao is distributed. If that were to happen, the High House of Pride would find another way to ensure their gift reached the Empire to be used in commemoration of the bonds between the two great nations. But as long as the Synod holds the Gatekeepers responsible for distributing the precious spiritual substance, it will continue to be delivered to them each season.
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Albrecht von Holberg.jpg|caption='''Albrecht von Holberg''', Custodian of the Regario Dossier|align=left|width=400}}
</div>
==Missing River==
* '''Agent Vassa, who normally oversees the Regario Dossier agents in Sumaah, has gone missing
* '''An urgent message from Zemeh suggests the Imperial espionage network there is being rolled up
* '''The Regario Dossier will ultimately need to decide whether to cooperate with any investigation or not
* '''Re-establishing the Vassa network without knowing what is going on may see more Imperial agents vanish
There is one other matter of concern from Sumaah, but it (probably) doesn't concern the Republic itself. A year ago the [[Regario Dossier]] - which among other things organises the Empire's espionage in foreign nations - [[Talking_to_friends#The_Factions_Listen|reassigned agents]] to investigate factions in the [[Asavean Archipelago]]. Each of the three agents studied a different faction, made a full report during the Spring Equinox [[Regario_Dossier#Annual_Report|as is traditional]]. As far as the Empire knows, three agents were reassigned and those three agents should now be back in their assigned posts.

Unfortunately, one of the agents does not appear to have made it back from Asavea. Agent Vassa normally oversees a small network of agents in [[Foreign_ports#Zemeh|Zemeh]] who report on the activities of the Sumaah Republic. Not only has Agent Vassa not resumed their post, but following the Spring Equinox the Imperial espionage network in Sumaah has "gone dark". A single ciphered message was received at the offices in [[Tassato#Tassato_Regario|Tassato Regario]] that appears to be genuine, claiming that several agents had died and several others vanished and that the writer themselves was in fear of their life and "in the wind." Cautious attempts to connect with the Vassa network to see what is up have yielded no response.

It's not unusual for agents to vanish, but for a whole network of agents to go quiet is a cause for alarm. There are three possibilities; the Sumaah Republic [[High House of Vigilance]] may have uncovered the Imperial agents in Zemeh. They have [[Price_of_prosperity#War_with_Sumaah|taken action]] against Imperial agents within their borders before, after all. Alternatively, the Asavean faction the Sumaah agents were involved in investigating might have attacked them, either in Asavea or when they returned to Sumaah. Finally, it the network might have unravelled due to the actions of a third, unknown enemy. That latter is the most worrying, of course.

Investigating what has happened represents something of a challenge. It will also require the cooperation of '''Albrecht von Holberg''' who holds the Regario Dossier. This cooperation is confirmed by the holder of the seat emailing {{plot}} after the event, before the end of downtime, indicating which if any methods of investigating the missing agents they have supported. Any they don't support will fail.
===Ambassadorial Concern===
* '''The Ambassador to the Republic could ask for help investigating the disappearance of Imperial citizens
* '''Doing so would certainly reveal the Vassa network to the High House of Vigilance
Ambassador Accalon could ask the Sumaah to investigate the disappearances, but doing so would certainly reveal that the missing Imperial citizens were spying on the Republic. There's no need to be specific here - there are few enough Imperial citizens going missing in Sumaah that the High House of Vigilance would be able to investigate what has happened. As long Albrecht von Holberg cooperates, the Sumaah will find out what happened... but it will make it impossible to re-establish effective spies in Zemeh for the next three years. If they don't cooperate, the Sumaah will know that there were spies but will have no useful information that could stop new agents being sent in. The holder of the seat can also use an email to ask that new agents be dispatched, once they are comfortable the situation is resolved.
===Asavean Factionalism===
* '''Contacting the faction the Vassa network was investigating may provide leads
* '''Doing so risks revealing to that faction (or factions) that they were being investigated by the Empire
Someone could contact the Asavean faction the agents were investigating, using the [[Call Winged Messenger|winged messenger]] address already supplied, but again that would almost certainly warn that faction that the Empire had been spying on them. Obviously without the aid of Albrecht von Holberg it will be difficult to know which faction the agents were dealing with. Just asking them ''all'' would make them ''all'' think they were being spied on.
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Rahmah i Darwisj i Erigo.jpg|caption='''Rahmah i Darwisj i Erigo''', Imperial Spymaster|align=left|width=400}}</div>
===Spies and Agents===
* '''The Imperial Spymaster could put together an investigation in Zemeh to track down what happened to the Vassa network agents
* '''Doing so needs the Spymaster to use their ability to announce a spy network, and would count as a commission
* '''Such a mission would provide a scouting venture to Imperial fleets - provided they were enchanted with Muffled Oar
* '''A mission will alert the High House of Vigilance that something is happening but as long as the Regario Dossier cooperates will not indicate what
The [[Imperial Spymaster]] and the [[Regario Dossier]] could liase on an operation together. During the Summer Solstice they could use their ability to [[Imperial_Spymaster#Networks_and_Coves|commission networks and coves]] to arrange support for a mission in Zemeh. This would require an [[announcement]], count as a [[commission]], but not require any [[weirwood]] or money. If it were done, following the Summer Solstice any [[the League|League]] [[fleet|ship-captain]] would be able to participate in a special [[Fleet#Scouting|scouting]] [[voyage]] aimed at uncovering events in Zemeh. If at least 3,000 strength were committed to the voyage, the facts about what has happened to Agent Vassa and their network, and who was behind it, would be uncovered. However, unless ''every'' ship that took part was under the effect of [[Muffled Oar]] or a similar [[Night magic]] [[enchantment]], the High House of Vigilance would be aware that ''something'' is going on even if they do not know exactly what. If Albrecht von Holberg doesn't cooperate with this action, it will achieve nothing other than to worry the Sumaah.
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=GMShutteredLantern.jpg|caption='''Tyburn Natkysset''' (right), Grandmaster of the Shuttered
Lantern|align=left|width=400}}</div>
===Hooded Lanterns===
* '''The Grandmaster of the Shuttered Lantern could take advantage of the outstanding invitation for an order to visit Sumaah
* '''If they do this it will use up the Conclave's opportunity, and ''only'' discover details of what is going on with the Vassa network agents
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: right;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Roshanwe.png|align=right|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=City of Locks.png|align=right|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Dark_Adapted_Eye_2.png|align=right|width=150}}</div>
There is an opportunity for the [[Shuttered Lantern]] order to [[Satraps_of_the_Abyss#Wisdom_of_the_Conclave|visit Sumaah]] this season, to explore how the Sumaah keep their people safe from dangerous eternals. Instead, when [[Grandmaster#Guiding_an_Order|guiding the order]] the [[grandmaster]] could instruct magicians to investigate the disappearance of the Imperial agents in Sumaah. If this were done, they would not uncover any useful information about Sumaah practices around eternals, but they would discover what had happened to the agents and who was responsible. Doing this would ''not'' attract the attention of the High House of Vigilance. Again, if Albrecht doesn't cooperate with this it will just prove to be a waste of time and the Shuttered Lantern will get ''nothing''.
===Eternal Plenipotential===
* '''The Archmages of Day, Autumn, or Night could enlist the aid of Roshanwe, Basileia Brazen, or the Whisper Gallery to find out more
* '''Doing so would require them to use their plenipotentiary power
Alternatively, there are several [[eternal|eternals]] who might be prevailed upon to offer assistance. While [[Sung]] and [[Leviathan]] might be questioned through ritual magic, it's not clear that would yield anything useful. Sung's answers are always mysterious, and while Leviathan might be able to explain what lead to the Vassa network being rolled up, it's doubtful he will be able to offer any insight into who did it. Among the remaining eternals, [[Roshanwe]], [[Basileia]], and the [[Whisper Gallery]] all have the potential to offer aid. Roshanwe is a seeker, and while it is rarely mentioned, spying and espionage ''are'' a form of seeking. The City of Locks are adept spies, and [[Basileia#The Five Pillars|the Surveyors' Cartel]] in particular has an interest in espionage. The Whisper Gallery are unpredictable, but they enjoy secrets and are generally not as opposed to spies and spying as they are to, say, [[Magpies|hunters of lost artefacts]] or [[Historical_research#The_Department_of_Historical_Research|scholars of lost lore]].

A [[Archmage#Plenipotentiary|plenipotentiary]] for any one of the three would be able to either provide an opportunity to learn more, or simply provide answers directly. In both cases, there is likely to be a price however. There's also a chance that the last two on the list might even be ''behind'' the disappearances. On the plus side, if they ''are'' they're unlikely to deny it if asked point-blank to look into it. This is the only approach that doesn't require the aid of Albrecht von Holberg; the eternals asked to look into the matter will work out what is going on as part of their investigation.

===Wheels and Windows===
* '''Re-establishing the Vassa network without knowing what is going on risks the new agents meeting the same fate as the old ones
* '''There is only a narrow window to uncover what has happened to the Vassa network
Regardless of what is done, the Regario Dossier is short of agents in the Sumaah Republic. The civil service advise caution though. If new agents are simply sent in to replace the old ones, there is no guarantee that whatever happened to Agent Vassa and their network will not just happen again, and at that point the Empire is just feeding espionage agents to unknown enemies.

There's also a narrow window to do something; unless wheels are set in motion at the Summer Solstice, the trail will be too cold for any useful information to be uncovered at all. After that, the only way to find anything useful will be to send more agents and hope they aren't killed before their annual report next year.
{{Sumaah Links}}

The brightest flame

2026-07-18T12:43:35Z

Noserenda: /* Participation: Highborn */

[[Category:388YE Summer]][[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:Peerless Kinship]]
<ic>"Look at Chalonsio, look at Rachensgrab!" Diraz's voice was rising as he warmed to his favourite subject.

"A triumph of the Ambitious and the Vigilant, to be sure." replied Anselm calmly.

"So you say, and yet both raids produced scores of spontaneous auras. Many of those auras were neither Ambitious nor Vigilant in nature."

"It is impossible to tell what Virtue a spontaneous aura is formed from. Miriam of the Cobalt Shield argues that spontaneous auras don't distinguish between the Virtues at all."

Anselm's host was in no mood to back down. "It's impossible to tell which Virtue an aura is part of with ''liao''. But it's as plain as your nose if you experience it. Many of those who went experienced auras of Freedom."

"Perhaps," Anselm conceded, "but we freed thousands of slaves. Perhaps it would be surprising if no aura of Freedom arose as a result."

"Right!" Diraz pounced on on the point. "So here is my question. Freeing the slaves of Chalonsio and Rachensgrab was, inarguably, the right thing to do. In that moment we were worthy to stand in Ahraz' shadow. If you had the chance to do it all over again, would you take it?"

"Without a moment's thought", replied Anselm, "slavery is a perversion of Virtue, it violates ''every'' tenet of Prosperity."

"And would you do it again knowing it would create auras of Freedom?" Diraz paused to let his point in sink in. "The Synod has proscribed Freedom. But if you free those people you will knowingly create scores of Freedom auras that the Synod has banned. Would you still do it, knowing your actions were spreading Freedom in their wake?"

Anselm paused for a moment to consider his reply, but Diraz didn't wait.

"You must consider, my learned friend, what is heterodoxy but the cradle of orthodoxy? What was the Revelation of the First Empress but heterodoxy to the Patricians that is now our orthodoxy"</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 240px; clear: left; margin: 10px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Nim of Ebon's Hall.jpg|align=left|caption=Nim of Ebon's Hall has called or Highguard to offer their peerless kinship to the people of the Brass Coast.|width=240}}</div>
==Overview==
In the tradition of the founding nation, the [[Highguard|Highborn]] have once again expressed their [[Highguard_religious_beliefs#Peerless_Kinship|peerless kinship]], this time under the leadership of '''Nim of Ebon's Hall''' to their cousins in [[the Brass Coast]]. More specifically, they have identified the [[On_the_road_ahead#City_of_Passions|ascendant Firebrand movement]] whose embers have been stoked by the [[mandate]] of '''Isario i Riqueza''' and the commissioning of the [[On_the_road_ahead#City_of_Wonders|City of Wonders]] as a potential cause for concern.

The arrival of the Highborn is preceded by the words of '''Lita i Nadir i Riqueza'''. They spread across the nation, calling for unity in the shared pursuit of driving the empire forward in virtue, morality and the ever-changing Way. As a result, the [[The_Brass_Coast_culture_and_customs#Hospitality|famously hospitable Freeborn]] throw open their doors and welcome their guests to [[Segura#Anduz|Anduz]]. The Highborn [[wayfarer|wayfarers]] and pilgrims who engage in peerless kinship have a warm temperament and an open mind. Centuries dedicated to spreading the Way has made them effective interlocutors. Their commitment to the Way is uncompromising but they embrace the idea that if you want to be heard, then first you have to listen. They are skilled at getting others to talk and patient enough to wait for the quiet before they speak their own mind.

Some fear the worst however; Lita suggested the Freeborn look to the example set by [[Guerra]], one of the three founders of the Brass Coast. It is a brave choice! Arguably the first firebrand, Guerra famously turned her back on the Highborn [[chapter|chapters]], accusing them of moral cowardice. She left [[Highguard_history#The_Diaspora|early Highguard]] in part because she wanted nothing to do with the chapters or their beliefs.

Still that was centuries ago and times have changed dramatically since then. Provided people have changed with them, everything should be fine.
<div style="display:grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px;">
{{SOPInner|statement=The Freeborn have a great opportunity ahead of them. By building the burning agora, the Firebrands will be revived and vigorous debate will begin in Anduz. This will spell a great era of discovery among the Freeborn, but they must remain Vigilant. The Highborn Assembly are well-posed to support the Firebrands in pushing the Way to excellence. There are no better partners in debate. In this, we provide our Peerless Kinship
|by=Nim, of Ebon's Hall, Highborn National Assembly|vote=250-12|when=Spring 388YE}}

{{SOPInner|statement=As we look to the foundation of the Burning Agora, and the rekindling of the Firebrands of our nation. Look to Guerra as your example. We urge our Firebrands to use their forum to push for social change, build bridges, and speak on how to drive the Coast and the Empire forward together in virtue, morality, and the ever-changing Way. We welcome our Highborn siblings to join our debate in Peerless Kinship |by=Lita i Nadir i Riqueza, Freeborn National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 158-0|when=Spring 388YE}}
</div>
<div style="float:left; width: 350px; clear: left; margin: 15px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=NBBrassCoast.jpg|align=left|caption=Along with Dust and Glass, Fire is one of the three mystical pillars of Freeborn spirituality.|width=500}}</div>
==The Nature of Fire==
{{SOP|statement=We prize freedom and disdain arrogance. We send Isario i Riqueza with 50 doses of liao to encourage the citizens of Segura to create a place to discuss doctrine and encourage free thinkers. Every being deserves to live the life they want in the manner they wish.|by=Isario i Riqueza, Freeborn National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 154-0|when=Spring 388YE}}
<div {{float}}><quote by="Hosea of the Winter's Lament"> ...it is fitting they call themselves firebrands, for I might as well try to influence the fire itself. I could feed this fire and watch the world burn, or smother it and embrace the cold darkness. The one thing I cannot do is change them. The flames will not part for me if I plunge my hands into the fire. These flames will not part for anyone.</quote>
</div>
The visiting Highborn are made welcome throughout Anduz, including at the hearths of the firebrands. Most are charged little for a meal and a seat at a table; it is clear their hosts welcome the opportunity to debate virtue and faith. Their guests are as eager to listen as they are to talk, but even so the talk goes long into the night, with both groups embracing the opportunity to discuss their favourite topics. Conversation flows like [[The_Brass_Coast_culture_and_customs#Syrah|syrah]], with matters of Virtue, faith and doctrine discussed, alongside Imperial politics. In fact, many firebrands are more interested in the declarations of the Conclave and the motions of Senate than they are in [[the Doctrines of the Faith]], more concerned with the actions of the [[Military Council]] and the decisions of [[the Throne]] than [[The_Way#The_Paths_of_Virtue|the paths of Virtue]].

These debates are charged and passionate; the wise would expect nothing less of the Freeborn, but their fervour stands out in a crowded room. The firebrands are as committed to their ideals, as any [[grey pilgrim]] who gave up everything to walk the [[trods]]. As zealous in their beliefs as any [[wayfarer]] risking everything to bring the Way to the world. They are possessed of a surplus of self-belief that provides a bottomless well of confidence and a determination to fight for their cause that would impress any [[cataphract]]. It is clear they agree with their guests on many things - and they disagree on just as many. Without the inspiring words of Lita i Nadir i Riqueza, the debates would have quickly turned to arguments and worse.
<div {{float}}><quote by="Felix of the Far Tower"> ...I fear if they come into their own, they will set the world on fire. Not out of wickedness, but out of righteousness. And woe betide what is wrong, for they will burn it from our Empire, like a surgeon cauterizing the wound. Just like their beloved Ahraz did, they will risk everything in their determination to make the Empire a better place.</quote></div>
The conversations are revealing. The people of the Coast are [[The_Brass_Coast|notoriously candid]], and urged on by their assembly, the firebrands have little reason to hold back. In that way the attempt to express peerless kinship has been a tremendous success - it paints a detailed picture of the firebrands to their Highborn guests and to their neighbours all across the Brass Coast.

What emerges is a group profoundly committed to their ideals. Their principles are as varied as their syrah, but there are some common strands woven into every rug in Anduz. What matters to these descendants of Guerra is not Virtue or doctrine. Most follow the seven Virtues of the Way, but they use Virtue to drive them to action, few of them see it as a goal in itself. There are precious few firebrands interested in encouraging [[Ambition]] or building up [[Pride]]. They appreciate [[Wisdom]], but they don't value it for its own sake. Some of them are likely blasphemers; it's hard to avoid the signs that more than a few firebrands are dedicated to [[Malign_spiritual_presences#Anarchy|Freedom]] or worse, but they are not interested in spreading auras or dedicating others to a false virtue.
<div {{float}}><quote by="Anselm of the Broken Mill"> ...the danger is not that they are committed to Freedom, though some undoubtedly are. But even they don't care about the malign aura of Freedom. What they care about is freedom, and for that they are willing to risk anything to achieve it.</quote></div>

What drives them, what animates most of them is ''politics''. There is no conformity - there are firebrand corsairs outraged by the Asavean and Jarmish practices of slavery who are convinced that the Senate should outlaw any contact with these people. But there are firebrand merchants furious at the decision of the Senate to damage their [[Prosperity]] by restricting their right to trade freely with anyone they meet. There are firebrand [[kohan]] outraged at what they see as the failure of [[Loyalty]] by the [[Military Council]] to protect their lands from the Lasambrians and firebrand [[hakima]] who think the Council should leave the nations of the West to their own [[Vigilance]] against the [[Jotun]] while they concentrate their resources wiping out the wicked [[Druj]].
<div {{float}}><quote by="Aban i Darez i Guerra"> ...just imagine if our leaders had the same fire in their belly as the firebrands? Would a firebrand have allowed Feroz to fall? They would sooner burn it to the ground than see our home in Grendel chains. We will not rise until we put that passion in service to our nation.</quote></div>
If the spirit of the firebrands could be harnessed by the nation without taming it, then it might serve the Brass Coast well. Many firebrands argue that the Coast has lost more than any other nation in recent times, with Feroz languishing under Grendel control for years and Madruga drowned in salt, an easy target for the Wreckers and the Asaveans. It is easy to blame events, but the firebrands blame the decisions of the Military Council and the Senate, arguing that is has been Imperial strategy to sacrifice the Coast to achieve victory elsewhere. [[Emperor Ahraz]] was a firebrand and while he famously didn't put the Freeborn nation first, he definitely did put Freeborn priorities first. Some would claim that it was his refusal to compromise those priorities that ultimately brought him down.

If the Highborn and Freeborn Assemblies had hoped to influence the burgeoning firebrand movement, then the peerless kinship has been an abject failure. The one thing the firebrands are ''not'', is people looking for guidance. They are driven by a passionate commitment to their ideals, they believe that the Empire is deeply imperfect and they are certain that they know how to fix it. They are every bit as utopian as an [[Urizen|Urizeni]] [[architect]], and just as confident that they are right, but they cleave to their ideals with a fervour that is rarely matched anywhere in the Empire. Peerless kinship is subtle and powerful, and together the Highborn and Freeborn assemblies can achieve a lot; but it is helpless in the face of a group whose certainty and conviction armour them against any argument.

Those who talk to the firebrands are at pains to stress there is no wickedness here, not even among those who likely bear false auras. They don't denigrate the Way, but they dislike the idea of being constrained by it. The risks that some see might never come to pass, at least not in the current generation. But sooner or later another Ahraz will emerge... and when that happens, they and their followers would throw caution to the fire in their desire to rid the Empire of wrongdoing. Nobody now denies that the first Freeborn Emperor [[The_Courage_of_Ahraz|changed the Empire for the better]], but he [[The_Orc_Rebellion|brought it to the brink of destruction to do it]]. That legacy is who the firebrands are and ''nothing'' will ever change that.
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right; margin: 15px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Fire_on_Water.png|caption=Most fires can be quenched, at least a little, by the application of water.|align=right|width=500}}</div>

==Cooling Off==
* '''If the Burning Agora is built, the firebrands will be restored to prominence in Freeborn society'''
* '''The Highborn could help build a bathhouse in Anduz to cool the spirits'''

The peerless kinship of the Highborn has shone a light on the views of the firebrands, but it can do nothing to change their nature. These are the heirs of Guerra, who led her people out of Highguard away from the corruption of the Patricians ''and'' the virtue of the chapters because she believed it was the right thing to do. Ahraz and his allies were the first to call themselves firebrands and whatever else he did, Ahraz is the only Throne in Imperial history to march on Anvil with a barbarian army at his back. It is the essential nature of a firebrand to be committed to their cause and there is little in this world that can shake them from it.

Right now the Freeborn are equally committed. Building the City of Wonders means creating the Burning Agora and that means raising the profile of the firebrands and restoring them to prominence in Freeborn society. The influence of the firebrands died with Ahraz and the bitter divisions that his fall from the Throne wrought. Building the City of Wonders means building the Agora and that means welcoming the firebrands back into public life, for better or for worse. The only way to change that now would be to abandon the plans for the new city of Anduz and pursue a different course. Perhaps a strongly worded statement by the General Assembly or the Assembly of the Way might convince the Freeborn to jump ship, but failing that, the outcome is inexorable.

Having talked with them at length, few people believe that the firebrands will be ''"pushing the Way to excellence"''. They will undoubtedly try to push ''the Empire'' to excellence, but few firebrands would be content to restrict their discussions to matters of Virtue and the Way. Frustrated that they are unable to find more ways to help, the Highborn pilgrims who have come to Anduz search for something that ''might'' offer. There is no way to restrain the spirits of the firebrands, but might there be a way to cool their tempers?

<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''The Anduz Pools'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Sinecure</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Anduz, Segura</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 12 white granite and 36 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' 1 season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Creates the title Keeper of the Anduz Pools</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:''' Does not require one of the Senate's limited commissions</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Opportunity ends if not commissioned before the end of Summer Solstice 387YE</td></tr>
</table>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightGreen;">'''Keeper of the Anduz Pools'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Type:''' Freeborn</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Appointment:''' National Assembly</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Powers:''' Receives 7 doses of liao and 7 crowns each season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Responsibilities:''' To oversee the pools and tend to the spiritual needs of those who visit them</td></tr>
</table></div>
''Felix of the Far Tower'', a modest chapterhouse dedicated to Prosperity and Ambition newly established in [[Reikos]] includes a number of skilled engineers in their ranks. They propose to construct a bathhouse in Anduz, a traditional Highborn affair with steam rooms, heated baths and cold plunge pools. Somewhere to wash off the dust from the road, but also a place to relax and let the heat of the day drain out of you. It won't put out the fire but who knows what good it might do?

The engineers are prepared to oversee the work, so it would not require one of the Senate's limited commissions provided it passed the Senate before the end of the coming Autumn Equinox. After that point, the engineers will have returned to Reikos and it will be too late. If it were built, the Freeborn National Assembly could the Keeper of the Anduz Pools each year. The Keeper would produce an income of 7 doses of liao and 7 crowns each season, from the grateful patrons of the pools.
<quote by="Emperor Vesna Borkovna Prochnost">False virtues must be rejected in all their forms. They bring destruction to our lives, souls and homes. I reject these malign forces, the synod rejects these malign forces, and so should you.</quote>
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly_Highborn.png|align=right|width=200}}</div>
==Participation: Highborn==
Any Highborn character can roleplay that they were part of the group the came to visit and debate with the firebrands. You must decide how you feel about this nascent movement, it is clear that their passion could serve the interests of the Brass Coast well, but the risks are apparent. The firebrands have no commitment to the Doctrines of the Way; they openly question the foundations of the faith and some propose radical changes that could split the Empire apart. They are largely unconcerned with consequences, if something is the right thing to do, then the firebrands believe it should be done and no matter if everything burns as a result. It is easy to enjoy the company of the firebrands, their passion and enthusiasm is infectious, but they are fixated on what could be and have little concerned for what might be lost to achieve it.

In both cases, you will have come away with the impression that the Firebrands are a disparate group of passionate idealists, who are likely to have increasing influence and impact on the Brass Coast in the coming years. Ultimately, those who came expecting a cult of anarchists left disappointed, or pleased, as the case may be. The modern Firebrands are certainly open to discussing the spiritual force of [[Malign_spiritual_presences#Anarchy|Freedom]], but they are more interested in discussing how the Empire might bring freedom to the world. There are many firebrands with novel takes on the seven true paths, their auras and the actual doctrines of the Synod, but in the end, most of them are actually more interested in the politics of the Empire than they are in matters of faith.

<quote by="Isaac di Sarvos">Ahraz shows us the necessity of Courage in facing wickedness and corruption not just in external foes to Humanity, but when it has become entrenched in our own societies ... Courage means to stand without quaking before evil, even when that evil is inside us and our allies.</quote>

==OOC Design Note==
The firebrand is an archetype that ultimately anyone can play. We will add it to the wiki after the burning agora is finished, at which point Freeborn players can officially update their characters if they want to do so. The archetype is intended to appeal to players who enjoy political conflict, who like to play characters that cause trouble, whether that is to fight for a cause or just to set the world on fire and watch it burn. Firebrands will usually find it easy to rally popular support in the Brass Coast, but how much impact that has will be down to the players who choose to play firebrands. We are confident that the more players embrace the ethos of the firebrand - to try to change the world and damn the consequences, the greater impact they will have. Ultimately it will come down to how players portray the archetype, if indeed anyone chooses to do so, and how other players react to them. As such, it is almost entirely beyond the capacity of a wind of fortune to influence that in the slightest.

Full circles

2026-07-17T17:37:52Z

Noserenda: /* Virtuous Friendship */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Summer]]
<ic>The servant - Marinus had been at pains to explain that they were definitely no slaves in his household and everyone working for him was fairly rewarded for their labours - placed a glazed clay bowl in front of Nevyn. It was three-quarters filled with clear water, and there were leaves floating in it. A tiny mote of panic began to grow in the Navarr vate. He had no idea what he was meant to do with it. Was it soup? It was cold - but there were cold soups, he knew. Should he use a spoon, or pick it up in his hands? Was he meant to eat the leaves? He'd accepted Marinus' invitation expecting another rough meal round a campfire such as they'd enjoyed while campaigning against Oblivion, not this sit-down meal with tables, and chairs, and bowls of... whatever this was.

Not for the first time he imagined that his brother in the Celestial Arch would have already looked up everything about Jarmish meal etiquette and know exactly what to do. He could feel Marinus' eyes on him, feel the amused expression on his face as the naga watched to see what he would do.

Someone kicked him in the ankle. It was the young woman sat across the table from him, and she had an exasperated expression on her face. When he looked over, she pointedly dipped her hands into the bowl in front of her and washed them. He shot her a quick smile, and she rolled her eyes at him before admonishing Marinus.

"Father, this is not how we treat guests in this house. You're being rude."

Marinus had the good grace to blush slightly, although it was barely visible on a face already speckled with cherry-red scales.

"You're right, Mirandir my sweet. I was just interested to see if our guest would recognise the custom."

Things clicked quickly into place for Nevyn then.

"Oh, it's like the Highborn tradition then," he said, laving his own hands in the cool water. There was an odd tingle, by no means unpleasant, presumably from the thick fleshy leaves. He looked around for something to dry his hands on that wasn't his trousers, but before he could find anything his neighbour handed him a little towel without really looking at him, still in conversation with the fellow to this left.

"It is indeed," Marinus agreed. "Although I think we have improved on it a little bit. The ''harilik aaloe'' secretes a sap that soothes the skin. My forbears were given to heavy work, and used the juice regularly to treat inflammation and blisters. Today it reminds us of their Prosperity and Ambition, and by sharing our towels as Calibir just did, it helps build the bonds of friendship and Loyalty. Every ceremony has a meaning if you pick away at it long enough. This one I have a particular fondness for - we took a tradition of the Highborn wayfarers, and made it our own without disrespecting its origin, and that should be a source of Pride for anyone."

Marinus' brow crinkled in mock outrage suddenly.

"However, my nephew is being unforgivably rude by not acknowledging you at our table, and he has been raised better than that."

The young man jumped, and spoke quickly in a Jarmish dialect, words falling over themselves in his haste. The Navarr picked out a few words - welcome, unity, words and deeds. The rest was a mishmash of syllables he would have struggled to untangle even if the lad had been speaking more slowly. Calibir looked to his uncle, who nodded, and then he went back to his conversation. Mirandir rolled her eyes again, as only a teenager can.

"So now you are welcome to my table and our fellowship," said Marinus, beaming. "Again mostly ceremonial, but it means that if anyone tries to kill you before we've finished eating I have to defend you even at the cost of my own life. And after the week we have had, fighting those murderous -" he said a word Nevyn hadn't learned yet that made Mirandir blush in her turn " - anyone who ''is'' unwise enough to interrupt our meal by trying to kill you is not going to live long enough to regret it."

Nevyn assumed his host was joking, but then realised he was deadly serious. He glanced quickly around the table, and while most of the rest of the family were busy talking and washing their hands, he saw steel in the gaze of Mirandir and a few of the others he knew were fluent in Imperial.

"Its the kind of thing my forbears took very seriously even before they knew words like ''Truduus'' or ''Julgus'' - Loyalty or Courage as you would say." Marinus chuckled self-deprecatingly. "But also my ancestors would never forgive me if I let a guest at our table be stabbed between the hand-washing and the coffee."

"Ancestors?" said Nevyn, furrowing his own brows slightly.

"A turn of phrase," said the Jarmish magician airily, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "But come, it is time for food. I've had my cook prepare any number of traditional dishes for you to try and while we're eating, you can tell me all about this new 'proscription' business you mentioned the other day before the ambush."

Three more servants began distributing bowls and plates groaning under the weight of brightly coloured foodstuffs Nevyn had never encountered before, and he silently hoped that he'd be too busy putting food in his mouth to fit his foot in it.</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=OrderSevenfoldPath.jpg|caption=The magicians of the Sevenfold Path build a bridge between the Conclave and the priests of the Synod - and now perhaps with priests even further afield.|align=left|width=300}}</div>
==Overview==
* '''The Sevenfold Path continue to support the fight against Cold Sun in Jarm
* '''They have made a major donation of liao to the Wayist priests of the Jarmish Convocation of Virtue
The situation in the [[Commonwealth]] and [[Principalities of Jarm|Jarm]] is tense, to say the least. Accusations fly back and forth about who precisely instigated the [[Cold war|incursion]] of [[Cold Sun]] in Lantir. The Empire is caught up in them, and Imperial magicians are being treated with additional suspicion in both nations.

Or rather, most of them are. The [[Sevenfold Path]] are in Jarm, helping to resist the advance of Cold Sun. As magicians known for their religious connections, they prompt a number of reactions from their peers. Many simply ignore their commitment to the Way - religion is after all considered a private matter for Jarmish folk. Others take every opportunity to challenge them, often motivated by bitterness about perceived insults or past attempts to overturn society. A small number enthusiastically welcome them and their aid, either because they have seen first hand what the ''[[Cold Sun#Heralds|scions]]'' can do or because they are already adherents of the Way.

It is this latter group that the Sevenfold Path magicians in Jarm made contact with [[Weaving_tangled_nets|last season]], and with whom some have continued to cultivate closer ties while around them the chaos of Cold Sun is matched by the chaos of international diplomacy.

there is some controversy closer to home. Magicians of the [[Sevenfold Path]] have been [[Weaving_tangled_nets#Sevenfold Path|active in Jarm]], offering support against Cold Sun and in the process

==Virtuous Friendship==
* '''The Sevenfold Path have made a significant donation of liao to the Convocation of Virtue
<div style="float:right; width: 175px; clear: right;">
[[File:Assembly Ambition.png]]
[[File:Assembly Courage.png]]
[[File:Assembly Loyalty.png]]
[[File:Assembly Pride.png]]
[[File:Assembly Prosperity.png]]
[[File:Assembly Vigilance.png]]
[[File:Assembly Wisdom.png]]
</div>
In the process of fighting Cold Sun, magicians of the Sevenfold Path have made friendly contact with the ''Convocation of Virtue''. They are a loose, informal fellowship of scholars from across Jarm dedicated to study of the seven virtues. Some of them trace their roots back to [[Highguard|Highborn]] [[wayfarer|wayfarers]] and [[Urizen|Urizeni]] [[illuminate|illuminates]] while others have more recent origins as converts of the Sumaah or in some cases the Sarcophan Delves. A wryly admit to having converted ''themselves'' - a handful cite the influence of poorly translated copies of the ''[[Seer_of_the_Gateway#Publication_2|Echoes of the Labyrinth]]'' as instrumental in leading them to their faith. While they came to the Way by disparate paths, and members regularly disagree with each other, they are drawn together by a fundamental belief in the power of the virtues, and the exaltation of the human spirit.

In pursuit of securing closer ties, a dramatic gift of liao was arranged by the Sevenfold Path during the Spring Equinox. The [[Conclave]] agreed that the [[Conclave order|order]] should [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Concord:_Sevenfold_Path_and_Convocation_of_Virtue|continue to provide their good example in Jarm]]. Unfortunately, there was a little controersy around the declaration itself. It was brought by '''Damiàn i Martàn i Erigo''' on behalf of the Sevenfold Path, rather than being raised by the Grandmaster '''Elagabala'''. The declaration still stands however, and has still had its effect, but the magistrates are investigating the situation as a potential [[List_of_Criminal_Offences#Crimes_against_the_Processes_of_the_State|subversion of the agencies of the state]].

Regardless, the liao was still collected and provided to the Convocation, and the Sevenfold Path remain engaged in Jarm despite the current political hullabaloo. Some of the liao will go towards creating virtuous auras to help in the fight against Cold Sun, but perhaps more importantly it will also allow the Convocation to [[consecration|consecrate]] their meeting houses, [[dedication|dedicate]] more priests, and spread the inspirational touch of the Way to their fellow pilgrims.
===Regarding the Convocation===
* '''The Sevenfold Path has learned more about the Convocation and its practices
Fighting alongside them against Cold Sun has given members of the Sevenfold Path more insight into the Convocation of Virtue. They certainly appear to represent the most organised and widespread followers of the Way in Jarm. They number both magicians and mundane citizens among their number, who view the virtues as a path toward not only enlightenment but also as guides to help them pursue their personal ambitions.

There are other notionally individual followers of the Way or even small sects spread across Jarm, but the Convocation regretfully describes them as closer to "cultists" than actual pilgrims. It's not uncommon for a group to adopt one or two of the virtues, for example, in a manner similar to the sects of the Axou, or to create their own garbled version of the [[Doctrines of the Faith]] that serve their particular agenda. There are other actual sects who follow the Way, but they are at odds with the Convocation as a whole, often insisting on a form of "ideological purity of faith" that the Convocation cannot embrace. There are even, apparently, a few cells of zealots drunk on the tents of [[Courage]] and [[Ambition]] who use criminal methods to attack the interests of the Princes, invariably leading to them meeting the same kind of end such groups would meet in the Empire. While their commitment to their interpretation of virtue is clear, they nonetheless cause real problems for those who don't share them but who look like them in the eyes of some of the suspicious Magician-Princes.

The Convocation is somewhat conservative in its beliefs, but has wholeheartedly embraced the [[The_Doctrines_of_the_Faith#The_Doctrine_of_Enlightenment|Doctrine of Enlightenment]]. They have extensively discussed the other Doctrinal changes the Empire has undertaken - but find that those relating to [[orc|orcs]] are broadly irrelevant to them. There are factions within the Convocation who are staunch abolitionists, wishing to see slavery ended in the Principalities for numerous reasons relating to [[Pride]], [[Prosperity]], and [[Ambition]]. Others see it as a necessary part of the Jarmish traditions, and point to the tenets of [[Pride]], [[Prosperity]], and [[Ambition]] as supporting the institution.

Unlike the Synods of the Empire and [[Sumaah Republic]], there are no formal ranks within the Convocation - nothing like a [[Cardinal]] for example. Individual sects may be a little more structured, particularly the larger ones, but even there their leaders more closely resemble [[the League|League]] [[bishop|bishops]] than any Synod title. When decisions need to be made, priests reach an agreement via debate, extensive letter-writing, and an annual meeting that takes place during the Winter Solstice each year. It's also interestingly rare for members of the Convocation to prioritise one virtue over the other six, and is often viewed as a sign that someone is straying from the path. One Sevenfold Path magician notes that if the Convocation of Virtue were to join the Imperial Synod, they would be solidly placed in the Assembly of the Way.

While the Convocation tends towards the scholarly, they are by no means passive. The level of proselytising varies from sect to sect, but many are committed to the ambition of sharing the virtues with anyone who will listen. Most Princes generally tolerate them - but by no means all. The Jarmish attitude to religion and faith as a purely personal matter protects them from censure, but some Princes closely identify the Convocation with the Imperial Synod and treat it with a significant degree of suspicion. There is always a threat of ''some'' kind of clampdown on the Convocation by the House of Princes - every time the Empire or Sumaah does something that annoys the Jarmish government concerns are raised about the pilgrims in the Principalities. Ultimately, though, it is the relaxed attitude to matters of faith that means nothing ever comes of this. To crack down on someone for their spiritual beliefs would not only set dangerous precedents, it would broadly be viewed as ''gauche'' by most of the people of Jarm.

It is however hard for the Sevenfold Path to shake the suspicion that the Convocation represents a specifically ''Jarmish'' approach to the Way. Its members don't deny that they share a religion with the Empire, but they don't look to either the Imperial Synod or the Sumaah Houses of the Way as their "leaders". They see themselves more as equals to the Synod and the Houses, laughable as that might appear. They are certainly keen to cultivate ties with the Sevenfold Path - who are after all magicians - and accept their aid in strengthening the faith in Jarm.

==Vasilisa the Pilgrim==
* '''The Convocation does not recognise paragons and exemplars
* '''They honour a figure called Vasilia the Pilgrim as their spiritual progenitor
* '''There is an opportunity to learn more about Vasilia using historical research
One figure who is referenced several times in discussion with the Convocation of Virtue is that of ''Vasilisa the Pilgrim''. Vasilisia is viewed as an inspirational figure by the Convocation of the Way. While the Convocation does not formally recognise any paragons or exemplars, they still honour inspirational figures. Stories of these figures are used as parables, as part of sermons or religious instruction, or sometimes to hide the teachings of the virtues in "plain sight" for a wider audience unaware of their religious underpinnings. Vasilisa is pretty universally respected by the priests of the Convocation, amny of whom speak of her with a degree of actual affection.

According to the stories told to the Sevenfold Path, Vasilia was a magician from northern Jarm who travelled across the early Principalities and beyond in a quest to understand the unknowable. She weighed and examined the many spiritual truths she encountered through the lens of her own beloved traditions, and took every opportunity to encourage others to do the same.

To the priests of Jarm, she is closely tied to their understanding of Pride - that shame is an anchor that drags one down; that the virtuous inspire others with their words and deeds so that they can see how to change their own lives; that every individual is fundamentally shaped by where they come from no matter how far they may travel from their homes; and that while one should never be ashamed to change one's mind, neither should one throw away the traditions and beliefs that makes someone who they are. She is also seen as a figure of great Wisdom - knowing that she did not know everything; embracing doubt over convenient certainty; carefully testing the claims of priests and spiritualists; listening sincerely to others with different experiences and opinions but never taking their words as gospel; putting together the building blocks of thought to create her own understanding of the world.

It all gets a little esoteric in places, but fundamentally Vasilia is seen by the Convocation as ultimately being their founder, even though she apparently lived and died long before the first missionaries brought the early inkling of the Way to Jarm. When challenged on this, they explain that she created a blueprint whereby Jarmish folk interested in matters of faith and spirit could engage with it without surrendering their identity as people of the Principalities. It was through her example that the original Convocation came together, and so they view her as their spiritual progenitor.
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Vasilia the Pilgrim and Jarmish inspiration'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Historical Research</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Should clearly indicate it is an invitation to the Convocation of Virtue to share stories of Vasilia the pilgrim, and their approach to inspirations</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' None additional</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Produces a historical research document relating to Vasilia the Pilgrim and Jarmish attitudes to paragons and exemplars</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' One yer; until the end of the Spring Equinox 389YE</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:''' Dependant on the Convocation of Virtue remaining well-inclined to the Sevenfold Path</td></tr>
</table></div>
A polite enquiry by one of the Sevenfold Path members indicates that the Convocation is absolutely open to . After some discussion, the proposal is that if either the [[Lepidean_Librarian#Lepidean_University|Lepidean University]] or the [[Historical_research#The_Department_of_Historical_Research|Department of Historical Research]] offer a formal invitation to members of the Convocation to visit the Empire to share their stories, they would happily share more about Vasilia the Pilgrim, and about their attitude to inspirational figures in general. Obviously, this would require either the [[Lepidean Librarian]] or the [[Minister of Historical Research]] (or the [[Senate]]) to commission the appropriate [[historical research]].
===Path of the Spirits===
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''House of the Pilgrim'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Coastal region on the Bay of Catazar</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 12 white granite, and 36 crowns in labour</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' 3 months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Provides hospitality to Jarmish pilgrims of the Way visiting the Empire</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the end of the Spring Equinox 389YE </td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:''' The commission must clearly indicate it is a place for Jarmish pilgrims of the Way to find hospitality</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The Convocation of Virtue proposes an edifice in the Empire to offer hospitality to visiting Jarmish pilgrims
The initial gift of liao is valuable, but it is only a start. After discussion, a proposal is put forward. It's currently... challenging... for Jarmish merchants to visit the Empire. There's some talk of arranging trade via Zemelslo but that doesn't feel especially efficient, given that it would be dependant on the winds of politics (which seem to be blowing in a distinctly unpredictable way at the moment). Likewise, any attempt to re-establish something along the lines of the Limitu Principality House of the Way would be utterly dependant on the patience of one Magician-Prince or another - and more importantly their entire families and all their successors.

What they would like is for the Sevenfold Path to arrange the creation of a pilgrim's shrine in the Empire - the ''House of the Pilgrim''. It would need to be constructed in a coastal region on the Bay of Catazar, with a clear mandate to welcome and offer hospitality to Jarmish pilgrims who wish to visit the various [[Inspirational_location|sites of virtue]] across the Empire, and to discuss the Way with their Imperial peers (by which they mostly mean the Sevenfold Path, but also enlightened members of the Synod). It needn't be anything expecially [[Edifice#Grandeur|grandiose]] - the Convocation is talking about an [[edifice]] using at least 12 wains of [[white granite]], that would take three months to build, and have a basic cost of 36 crowns in labour costs.

Ensuring Jarmish pilgrims were welcomed, free to meet with followers of the Way in the Empire, and perhaps most crucially, free to purchase liao, then it would create an avenue for the Sevenfold Path to strengthen ties with the Convocation. In return, the Convocation would provide the [[Sevenfold_Path#Conclave_vault|vault]] of the Seventfold Path with a number of Jarmish "star jewels" - one each of the ''Jewel of the Celestial Bowl'', the ''Jewel of the Celestial Eagle'', the ''Jewel of the Celestial Tower'', and the ''Jewel of the Celestial Spring''. These [[Magic_items#Talismans|talismans]] empower magicians to use their spells more frequently, and presumably would be useful to the members of the Order or their friends.

The edifice presents other opportunities, although not ones that are proposed by the Convocation directly. While the Jarmish priests don't request anything of significant grandeur, a larger edifice than the minimum suggested, especially one that incorporated either beautiful gardens (representing the inclusion of at least 5 wains of [[weirwood]]), or a library combining religious and magical ropics (representing the inclusion of at least 5 wains of [[mithril]]), or that was simply larger and more beautiful (representing more wains in general) could not help but impress the pilgrims.
==Blossoms of Virtue==
* '''The Sevenfold Path or the Empire could pursue closer ties with the Convocation
* '''The Grandmaster of the Sevenfold Path could guide their order to engage in discussion with the Convocation
* '''Some methods have been identified; others doubtless exist
Other ways to further impress the Convocation, and increase their enthusiasm for the Empire, would be if the finished edifice were to be [[Consecration#True_Liao|consecrated]] with [[liao#true liao|true liao]] by the [[Pride]] assembly, or if the [[Synod]] were to [[recognition|recognise]] ''Vasilisa the Pilgrim'' as an exemplar or paragon. It's impossible to predict what the outcome would be, but any of these approaches would certainly encourage friendship between the Convocation of Virtue and the Sevenfold Path - and potentially, ultimately, the Synod.

What doesn't seem to be on the cards at the moment is any personal contact with the Convocation. Their lack of titles and structure means that there is nobody "in charge" and while there are a number of respected scholars among them, none have so far put themselves forward. Some of the Sevenfold Path magicians believe this might be a form of precaution against censure; the more organised the Convocation becomes the easier it is to see it as a threat. Likewise, proof of "secret missives" flying back and forth between Imperial citizens and Jarmish followers of the Way risk providing grounds for the more xenophobic Princes to take action against the Convocation. For now, then, any approaches to the Convocation will need to be made with care, likely using tools such as Synod [[judgement|judgements]] and Conclave [[declaration|declarations]].
{{CaptionedImage|file=Elagabala Preaching.jpg|caption='''Elagabala ''', Grandmaster of the Sevenfold Path|align=right|width=450}}
The Sevenfold Path currently remains in Jarm, helping to fight Cold Sun. If the [[Grandmaster]] of the Sevenfold Path wished, they could use a [[Declaration]] to [[Concord#Guiding_an_Order|guide the order]] to further engage with the Convocation. As well as continuing to battle the ''scions'', magicians of the [[Conclave order|order]] would spend time with their Jarmish fellows and further explore their connection to the Way. The Grandmaster could name a specific question about the Convocations approach to spiritual matters, their opinion on specific doctrinal issues, the specific challenges facing them as followers of the Way in Jarm, or their attitude to touchy subjects such as slavery, orcs, or the ''magocracy''. This would have the usual costs, but would provide an entry in the Winds of Fortune for the Autumn Equinox detailing more about the chosen topic. Even if Jarm chose to eject the Conclave Orders, the information would still be gleaned before the order was forced to leave. Guiding the order in this way would incur the usual costs.

The civil service also urge caution. Drawing attention to the growing relationship between the Sevenfold Path and the Convocation - via discussing them in an [[Ambassador|Ambassadorial]] letter for example - could prove detrimental to the fragile ties being established. It could also cause problems for the Convocation, especially given the current situation in Jarm.
{{Jarm Links}}

Love and monsters

2026-07-13T20:51:19Z

Noserenda: /* Sphinges */

[[Category:388YE Summer]][[Category:Winds of Fortune]]
<ic>
"Yeah, but the new Queen says we need to stand with the Empire and destroy the Druj!" Isolde thumped the tavern table to emphasize the point.

Mathild did not look convinced. "It's very ''sensible''" he said, the emphasis on the last word revealing how he really felt. "But they're already beaten. We conquered Ossium. Then we conquered the Barrens. Now we've conquered Sarangrave. They're done - where's the glory in defeating a foe who can't fight back?" he asked.

Isolde screwed up her face. It was not the first time they had had this argument and it definitely wouldn't be the last. They'd been chewing this over for the best part of a week now but it was impossible. There was just no way they were going to agree.

"Yeah - that'll definitely be a glorious tale. In 385YE Dawn totally defeated the Druj, but got bored before it was over and went off to do other things leaving the Druj all the time in the world to rebuild. Yeah, it sounds so epic when you say it like that."

Now it was Mathild's turn to look aggrieved. "Ha ha. It's not about being bored of the Druj, it's about ''glory''. The Earl of Fools is calling for us to take the war to the vallorn. New horizons and all that! That's an enemy worth drawing our swords for. Defeating the vallorn - now that's glorious."

Isolde was still not convinced. "Fighting bushes and trees? Hows that glorious? The vallorn is a shit enemy, it just sits in the woods and doesn't do anything. Where's the glory in beating up a group of plants?"

"You should come down the Greenwood and see those "plants" in action. Anyway, they're going do magic on it - get all the vallorn armies to take the field together or something. Then we'll have a proper war on our hands. You wait and see - I promise you it will be glorious. That's what we should be preparing for. It's not like we can do both."

"Wait. What?" demanded a shocked Isolde.

"A proper war?" he responded quizzically, unsure of what he'd said that had caused the confusion.

"No, no, what you just said." She raised her hands to gesture the quote - "It's not like we can do both." That's what you said.

"Right, we'll it's not, is it? We can't fight both. Everyone says so."

Isolde was grinning now. "I've never met everyone, but whoever they are, I bet a gold crown they not Dawnish. Think about it... what would be more glorious than defeating the Druj ''and'' more glorious than defeating the vallorn?" She paused, but it was clearly rhetorical, "Defeating them both at the same time!" she finished.

Mathild roared with laughter and raised his tankard to his old friend. Maybe there was a way to settle this argument after all.
</ic>
<div style="float: left; width: 200px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Dawn.png|caption=The Assembly of Dawn has announced its highest calling; a glorious adventure to destroy the vallorn.|width=200px}}</div>
==Overview==
The Earl of Fools has convinced the Dawnish National Assembly that the fight against the Vallorn is the Highest Calling of Dawn. With the Barrens won and the Druj crumbling beneath the Empire's Anvil and the Thule's hammer, it makes sense to focus on the next threat to their prize. The Vallorn has not one but ''three'' hearts adjacent to the sprawling expanse of the Barrens - defeating it will be a glorious endeavour.

The idea of a great war against the vallorn is more than enough to stir the blood of the glorious.

<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: left;">{{SOPInner|statement=Barrens won, Dawn looks to Horizons new; And in Wisdom learns from Tales of our Past. Dawn must prepare its next Glorious fight; Aid all nations in fight against Vallorn. With Love, Glory, Virtue, all that Dawn is. Be the shield wall on which this foe shall break. Be the shining sword which the Empire wields. This is our Highest Calling.|by=Earl of Fools, Dawn Assembly|vote={{GM}} 376-166|when=Spring 388YE}}</div>

==Chimera==
* '''Dawn could create a grand monument in the Barrens to inspire citizens to fight the vallorn'''
* '''The edifice would require 75 wains of white granite, 225 crowns and would need a dose of true liao to consecrate it'''
* '''The monument would halve the cost to enlarge Dawnish armies until the vallorn is defeated'''
<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''The Vallorn's Demise'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Murderdale, The Barrens</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 75 [[white granite]], 225 crowns, one dose of true liao and 12 months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:''' Senate motion must include an appropriate figure for the statue to be of</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the start of Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Erects an enormous, inspiring statue
* Until the Vallorn is defeated, the costs to enlarge Dawnish armies are halved to 75 wains of mithril and 225 crowns
</td></tr>
</table>
</div>
How to defend the prize that is the Barrens against the threat of aggressive topiary? For Dawn, offence has always been the best defence. A grand monument in [[The_Barrens#Murderdale|Murderdale]], would move and inspire everyone who saw it, rallying them to the cause. To be truly effective it would need to be vast in scale, something with truly impressive grandeur and would need a Writ of Consecration and a precious dose of True Liao in addition to the wains and labour. But once complete it would create an awe-inspiring monument to rival the power and majesty of [[Morrow#The_Three_Watchers|the three watchers]].

Who, it is asked, could inspire such fervour into the hearts of the soldiers of Dawnish Armies? On whom should this grand monument be modelled? Should it be the [[Aspect_magic#Heraldic_Magic|Chimera]], the symbol of battlefield prowess? Adelmar the Lion, martial Exemplar of Ambition born in Dawn? The new Queen of Dawn herself, the Warden-Queen? Should the Senators involved need some advice on the matter, they might consider consulting the newly formed [[Cat's Graces]].

Once complete, the monument would cause of surge in volunteers looking to join Dawnish armies to fight the vallorn. Experienced soldiers who have long since retired from the army would return, looking for the glory of one last war against this ancient enemy. Until the vallorn is defeated and every vallornheart in the Empire knows of is destroyed, Dawnish armies would require half the usual costs to be enlarged - that is 75 mithril and 225 crowns.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Mordrain Sepulchre.jpg|caption='''Mordrain Sepulchre''' (in red), Knight of the Greenwood|align=left|width=250}}</div>
==Unicorns==
* '''The Dawnish Assembly could endorse the Vallornguard's leadership to allow military units of all nations to quest against the vallorn'''
* '''The Assembly could endorse the nation's crusade to claim Brocéliande to increase the rewards available from questing against the vallorn'''

The Highest Calling was not the first sign of Dawn's eagerness to test itself against the ''Folly of Terunael''. The [[Knight of the Greenwood]] was commissioned in Summer 384YE to coordinates and support Dawnish military units that [[Venture#Quest_Against_the_Vallorn|quest against the Vallorn]]. In recent years interest in the fight has fallen off, with around a dozen military units committed to the venture each season. But the clarion call from the Synod has transformed the situation, with interest climbing fivefold. The question is how to maintain or improve that?

The Constitutional Court offers one route. They have judged that the title [[Knight_of_the_Greenwood#Constitutional_Note|ought properly to be appointed by the Vallornguard]]. There is absolutely no requirement to follow the Court's ruling, but the Dawnish Assembly could embrace this decision if they wanted to throw their support behind the [[Imperial sodality]]. Most Dawnish folk understand that the war against the Vallorn will need every witch and warrior in the Empire to take up arms together, Dawn alone cannot defeat this enemy. Navarr have embraced the Vallornguard and given it their support, should Dawn now do likewise?

The Dawnish Assembly could enact the following mandate:

{{Mandate|mandate=The Virtuous build up their fellows. We send {named priest} with 75 liao to urge citizens of the Empire to come to Greenwood Manor to venture forth against the enemy. Let the Vallornguard lead us to glory!|assembly=Dawn National Assembly}}

If this mandate is passed, the civil service will raise an administrative motion at the next Senate session to amend the title to make it appointed by the Vallornguard. If that motion passes the Senate then the title would still be held by the Dawnish, it would become a national appointment - but it would be elected by vote of the sodality the next time it falls vacant. If the title is amended ''and'' the mandate is enacted, then it will open up Greenwood Manor to citizens of every nation. The venture to quest against the vallorn would become available to all military units.

Of course the Dawnish Assembly could take the opposite view. The new sodality has not yet proven its worth and besides it seems very focussed on victory. It's all well and good defeating the vallorn, but it will be a wasted opportunity if the coming war is not glorious. Who better than the Dawnish Assembly to ensure that whoever holds the title embraces the glory of battle with the vallorn?

The Dawnish Assembly could enact the following mandate:

{{Mandate|mandate=No price is too high to realise your dreams. We send {named priest} with 50 liao to remind the Dawnish that there is no fight more glorious than that against the Vallorn. Let us raise the banner of Dawn over Brocéliande!|assembly=Dawn National Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted, then it will permanently improve the rewards available. Every Dawnish military unit questing against the vallorn will gain rewards as if they are a rank higher and the Greenwood Knight's income will increase to ten measures of natural material and fourteen drams of herbs. Dawnish nobles will surge into Brocéliande and yeofolk will establish settlements in Boar's Dell. Of course it may take many years for the vallornheart to be destroyed, but once it is defeated, why shouldn't Dawn press its claim? Brocéliande has never been part of the Empire, and as the recent example with [[Sarangrave]] demonstrates, a territory can't be seen as Navarr lands just because it contains a vallornheart...

These Dawnish Assembly mandates are [[Mandate#Competing_Mandates|competing]].

==Sphinges==
* '''Gardens built for the war witches of Weaving in Astolat would allow Dawn to trade a college of magic for another army'''
* '''The next Dawn army would be formed from war witches trained at the Gardens'''
<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Gardens of the Sphinx'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Weaving, Astolat</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 10 mithril and 15 weirwood, 75 crowns, and 1 season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the start of Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Reduces Dawn's supply for colleges of magic by one
* Increases Dawn's supply for armies by one for an army
* Dawnish war witches would form the core of the next army Dawn raised
</td></tr>
</table>
</div>
The honest truth of the matter is that the roused Vallorn is going to be a fight unlike anything the Empire has ever seen. Titles, incomes, statues, inspiration, everything else helps; but at the end of the day there will need to be a marshalling of every person who can fight, to fight. Unlike their cousins in the west, Dawn is currently unable to support a fifth army, but the nation of Dawn is a place where nothing is impossible, a place of glory where dreams are given form.

The [[Dawn_magical_traditions#War_witches|war-witches]] of the nation have long looked at the [[Citadel Guard]] as an aspirational challenge. The Urizen are the only people who can rival their ability to apply devastating uses of magic to the battlefield in a focused manner. Currently, many of Dawns magical minds are keen to look at building a [[college of magic]], but if this capacity was sacrificed, aspiring magicians could be encouraged to become war witches and join the efforts against the vallorn

The Garden of the Sphinx would be an elaborate series of serene gardens built in Weaving, Astolat; both the centre of magical learning in Dawn and the birthplace of [[Adelmar the Lion]]. Named for the [[legendary beasts]] association with magic, it is a happy coincidence that sphinxes are traditionally mortal enemies of manticores. It would encourage the study and practice of war magic and incorporate a set of duelling arenas to allow war witches to test their skills against one another.

Once complete, Dawn would be able to raise an army capable of unleashing the power of magic on the battlefield. It would ensure that a cohort of capable war witches formed the core of the army. It would ''not'' be a [[Army_qualities#Magic|Magic]] army, but over time it could develop its own unique quality that reflected the prowess of the war witches.
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=EleonarisArt.jpg|align=left|width=250}}</div>

==Lions==
* '''A herald offers recommendations on the grandeur of a monument to the beneficence of the Queen of the Fields of Glory'''
* '''The Queen has summoned Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco to appear before her, with an entourage of troubadours, to her exploits and her plans'''
* '''If the meeting goes well, the Lion of Summer will offer the general her aid in the fight against the vallorn'''
Last season, [[Monarchs_and_outcasts#Gilded_Bouquet_(Eleonaris)|Elodian visited Anvil]] on business both personal and for his liege-lady. She was disappointed to hear about the doubt that has manifested itself in the hearts of the previously proud Highborn. But [[Eleonaris]] is apparently pleased to hear of plans to erect a grand triumph to celebrate their joint victory in the [[Sarangrave]]. A glorious [[edifice|frieze]] showing victorious Imperials fighting alongside elfin knights is entirely satisfactory. Of course anything raised in honour of a queen, should have the appropriate [[Edifice#Grandeur|grandeur]], a small statue is fine for a glorious yeofolk completing their [[Dawn_culture_and_customs#The_Test_of_Mettle|test of mettle]], but the ''Queen of the Fields of Glory'' will expect something in keeping with her status. Something the size of a tower would be adequate, but it would need to be bigger if the Empire want to impress on the Queen how grateful they are for her aid.

In any case, the denizens of the Summer Realm pay are pleased to hear that the next great campaign is to be led against the Vallorn. Elodian returned singing the praises of ''the greatest general in the Empire'', '''Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco''' of the [[Lions of Adelmar]]. So intrigued was she by the words of Elodian that she wishes to meet this great general ''in person'' at the coming solstice. At 14:00 on Saturday the ''Lady of Pennants'' will send one of her court to the Hall of Worlds to collect General Katelyn to escort her and half a dozen troubadours to engage in a discussion on the plans for this new war. After an exchange of gifts, the troubadours should regale the ''Sovereign in Scarlet and Gold'' of the great deeds of General Katelyn, and if the ''Lion of Summer'' is suitably impressed she will offer her aid in the coming fight against the ''Folly of Terunael''.

==Further Reading==
* [[The highest calling]] - 387YE Autumn wind of fortune introducing the highest calling

* [[Vallorn]]
* [[Vallornguard]]

User:Noserenda

2026-07-13T18:39:18Z

Noserenda:

Scott Anderson, SPAG, Sentinels Tower Mook #1 and Redcap with toilets to fill
{{CaptionedImage|file=Wayfinder.jpg |caption=Metal armour can be so slimming|width=200}}

Viridian nemesis

2026-07-06T12:42:51Z

Noserenda: /* Sarvos */

[[Category:388YE Summer]][[Category:Winds of Fortune]]
<ic>"Trade is the lifeblood of the Jewelled City. Ships dock here from all over the world. The Grendel like to think of themselves as masters of the Bay of Catazar, but the markets of Dubhtraig are barely twice the size of Trivento! Everything is for sale here. Everything the virtuous soul might desire and a little more besides."

"I don't see how that is going to help us." responded Gwyn, careful not to offend his host. He'd been warned that the Merchant Prince of the Amber Signets was given to self-aggrandisement, but he'd been advised that he held sway over a significant number of local merchants who would be good to have on hand. "The vallorn has no trade interests, no valuables. It has no interest in markets or trade, any more than it does in any other facet of civilisation."

Afredo blinked and then forced a smile back to his face. "You miss my point my friend. The point is that whatever you need for this war of yours, is available here. Materials, wains, mana, herbs, weapons, armour, even soldiers are for sale here. Well their swords at least. Tell me what the Vallornguard need to fight the enemy and we'll ensure it's available - for the right price."

Gwyn shrugged his shoulders a little bemused by the question. "I mean... everything... we need everything." Herbs to heal soldiers, crystals for magic, ingots and measures for magic items, there was no material in this or any realm that the Navarri have not found a way to use to fight their ancient foe.

The Merchant Prince smirked, though this time the smile was at least an honest one. "Very well" he replied, "everything it is then..."
</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 250px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Navarr.png|align=left|caption=The garden long-tended by the Navarr begins to bear fruit.|width=400}}</div>
==Overview==
The [[The highest calling|highest calling]] of the the [[Navarr]] is to share their long experience fighting the [[vallorn]] with other nations. Last season, they [[Cup_of_choices|chose to work]] with the people of [[Urizen]]; now the Navarr National Assembly has urged their people to embrace the citizens of [[the League]] to arm and armour then for the upcoming battle with the Doom of Terunael. Once again, the [[Loyalty]] Assembly has supported the cause, calling upon those whose heart drives them towards the destruction of ''Terun's Folly''.

The aid was welcomed by the League Assembly and so the Navarr find the cities of the League no less enthusiastic than the spires of Urizen. In conjunction with their guests, each city has come up with its own plan how best to prepare to fight the Vallorn.

<div style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr;">
{{SOPInner|statement=The Virtuous raise up their fellows. Any nation willing to raise arms and join the Vallornguard shall have our full support. We send Teleri Thornweaver with 50 doses of liao to lead our people in sharing everything we have with the League to prepare to finish the fight.|by=Teleri Thornweaver, Navarr National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 252-0|when=Spring 388YE}}

{{SOPInner|statement=The Virtuous raise up their fellows. Any nation willing to raise arms and join the Vallornguard shall have our full support. We send Leliel, Daughter of Armisael, with 25 doses of liao to lead our people in sharing everything we have with the League to prepare to finish the fight.|by=Leliel, Daughter of Armisael, Loyalty Assembly|vote=190-0|when=Spring 388YE}}

{{SOPInner|statement=We welcome and recognise the judgement by Navarr (54). We recognise their highest calling and we welcome their aid.|by=Francesca di Spiral, League National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 328-10|when=Spring 388YE}}</div>

==Holberg==
<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''The Boar's Hide'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:'''[[Fortification]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Boar's Dell, Broceliande</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 120 [[white granite]], 60 Mithril, 540 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' 6 seasons</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Upkeep:''' 20 thrones</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:'''
* Creates a level two fortification in Boar's Dell
* Increases the level of investment in mana sites in Broceliande by one while there is a vallorn heart in the territory
</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the start of Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''Holberg engineers propose the construction of a grand fortification in Broceliande that could take advantage of the trods to boost mana sites in the territory'''
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Actuallythebest001.png|align=right|width=250}}</div>
[[The_greatest_city_in_the_world|The Greatest City in the League]] lies to the north-east of [[Brocéliande|Broceliande]], and south of [[Otkodov#Sküld|Sküld]], two territories both infested with the vallorn. Initial proposals by some ambitious engineers has a [[weirwood]] and [[ilium]] causeway cutting across the Barrens to channel the Vallorn of [[Brocéliande#Terunael|Terunael]] itself into their territory, that they might fight in the shade of the monstrous [[Walls of Holberg]]. This plan was quickly abandoned as infeasible; fine in theory, ''way'' too expensive in practice.

If the vallorn won't go to Holberg, then Holberg will go to the vallorn. The engineers have a proposal for an enormous bastion built on the foundation's of Greenstead in [[Brocéliande#Boar's_Dell|Boar's Dell]]. Once roused, the vallorn by its nature will tend to be drawn to any substantial fortification, sending its full chaotic wroth at the structure until it is entirely subsumed in vines. Knowing that the vallorn is likely to attack any fortification first means the engineers can expect any substantial defences to become a focal point of the campaign as well as a place for Imperial [[military unit]] captains to assign their forces in the absence of an Imperial [[army]].
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><box><big>'''Regarding the Broch'''</big><br>While [[Brocéliande#the Broch|the Broch]] is already [[Construct Defence of the Broch|fortified]], the work was specifically done in such a way as to ''not'' rouse the ire of the vallorn. After all, [[Brocéliande#Black_Boughs|Black Boughs]] lies within the [[vallorn miasma|miasma]] itself and in a region utterly dominated by the ''Doom of Terunael''.</box></div>
There are some important consequences to consider. Firstly, the [[steading|steadings]] of Boar's Dell would face the brunt of the assault. They are Navarri, they have signed up to this, they have sworn oaths that they are committed to this, but one's home is one's home, nevertheless. Secondly, it is eye-wateringly expensive to create such a structure: even with the help of Holberg's finest engineers, they can't materialise wains out of the ether, as much as other nations may accuse the League of this from time to time.

With the collaboration of Holberg's engineers, the fortification could be completed in six seasons (barring the use of magic or other opportunities). Working closely with Navarr [[vate|vates]] provides a second advantage. By incorporating a significant amount of [[mithril]] into the design, it would harness also some of the chaotic energies being drawn out of the vallorn by the [[trods|trod network]] and channel it into local [[mana site|mana sites]]. That would provide a small but important benefit, providing more mana for the coming war, at least until the vallorn heart in [[Brocéliande#Terunael|Terunael]] is destroyed.

==Sarvos==
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''The Market of Everything'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' [[Ministry]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Cigno, Sarvos</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 16 wains, 48 crowns, 1 season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the start of Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Creates a Ministry for the Vallornguard
* Creates the title of ''Merchant-Prince of the Vallornguard''</td></tr>
</table>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightGreen;">'''Merchant-Prince of the Vallornguard'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Type:''' League national position</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Appointment:''' Vallornguard</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Powers:''' Receives support from Sarvoisi traders to acquire material to fight the Vallornguard</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Responsibilities:''' To help the Vallornguard acquire the materials needed to fight the vallorn</td></tr>
</table>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td colspan="2" style="background-color: LightYellow;">'''A Little Bit of Everything'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>150 rings</td><td>4 random materials, 6 random herbs, 3 mana crystals</td></tr>
<tr><td>370 rings</td><td>8 random materials, 12 random herbs, 6 mana crystals, </td></tr>
<tr><td>650 rings</td><td>12 random materials, 18 random herbs, 9 mana crystals,</td></tr>
<tr><td>1000 rings</td><td>16 random materials, 24 random herbs, 12 mana crystals, </td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''Sarvosi merchants propose commissioning a market of everything to help supply the Vallornguard with the resources to fight the vallorn'''
While Holberg claims to be the Greatest City in the League, their indignant rivals in [[Sarvos]] argue their city is the oldest and still the richest in the Empire. Trade flows across down the Gancio until it meets the [[Bay of Catazar]] at the docks of [[Sarvos#Cigno|Cigno]]. Ships put to port here that dock nowhere else in the Empire, buying and selling; rare metals from [[Varushka]], fine wines from [[Dawn]], or exotic goods from overseas. The city's proud boast is that anything that is for sale anywhere in the Empire can be found in the markets of Sarvos.

The question is how to employ that strength to bolster the Vallornguard and help prepare for the coming war. Plans are quickly drawn up for a grand market, something that can provide whoever the Vallornguard appoint with a bit of ''everything''. Anything that can be employed against the vallorn can be distributed as needed to the Vallornguard - the rest can be sold. In the minds of the [[merchant Prince|merchant princes]] of Sarvos, a good profit margin is the ultimate weapon.

==Tassato==
<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Vallornguard Military Academy'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Madeiras, Tassato</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 16 wains of white granite, 32 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' 1 season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' League armies with a general appointed by the Vallornguard can take the order to Stem the Green Tide</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the start of Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''Tassatan bravos propose building an academy that will allow League generals appointed by the Vallornguard to use Stem the Green Tide when defending'''
The Navarri who arrive in [[Tassato]] are greeted by a great deal of commotion as furious work is being done to speed the [[Army#Recruitment|mustering]] of the League's third [[army]]. It is a painful reminder that, more than anything else, what the vallornguard really need are armies. No matter how much planning is put in place, no matter how many fortifications are built, in the end it will always come down to steel weapons and steel will.

Most Tassatans learn to fight with rapier and buckler, the perfect weapons for a bravo who wants to cut a fine dash while bridge fighting. By contrast, the Navarr favour a more pragmatic fighting style when fighting the vallorn, one that makes use of [[venom]] whenever it is available. Training League soldiers in techniques for fighting the vallorn could pay dividends once the enemy attacks.

When the Vallorn is roused, and it ''will'' be roused, insist the visiting [[thorn|thorns]], there will need to be those who can stem the initial tsunami of chaotic energies before it might be driven back and permanently quelled. Constructing an appropriate academy, staffed by members of the Vallornguard, would allow League citizens to drill the kind of basic tactics needed to stand your ground in the face of a swarm of vallornspawn.

Once complete the Vallornguard Military Academy would allow any League army whose [[general]] was appointed by the Vallornguard, to take the '''Stem the Green Tide''' order when defending. There are no League armies that would be affected at present, but a [[Senate motion]] could be used to change the appointment method of a general to a vote of the Vallornguard at any time.

<box>'''Stem the Green Tide'''<br>
* '''Casualties suffered by this army from Vallorn are decreased by a fifth'''
* '''Victory points generated by this army against the Vallorn are increased by one tenth'''

Rapiers might suit the dark alleys of the League cities, but large heavy weapons, such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billhook bills], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zweih%C3%A4nder two-handed swords] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_(weapon) pikes] are the preferred choice for many professioanl soldiers in League free companies. These are dangerous weapons of war on any battlefield, but with the right training and the right leadership, League soldiers can deploy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_square pike square] to devastating effect against the vallornspawn allowing them to defend against the Vallorn's overwhelming and chaotic offensive, holding back the unending green tide.
</box>

==Temeschwar==
* '''Temeschwari bishops suggest a mandate to encourage League bravos to seek out opportunities to fight the enemy'''
The hard, ruthless people of [[Temeschwar]] are known for their pragmatism. Grand plans for mighty fortresses are all well and good, but they can take years to build. Better to ''get on with it'', in the minds of many Temeschwari - there's no time like the present for dealing with a threat. ''Marko von Vardstein'', a newly-minted [[bishop]] with a small church in one of the poorer parts of Temeschwar, has paired up with ''Livinnia'', a bravo known for wielding two axes and being a woman of extremely few words. The pair suggest that if the League are going to do this then the national assembly should encourage military units to start now, by pursuing any venture that could aid in the fight against the vallorn.

{{Mandate|mandate=In Ratibor's name, let us act! We send (named individual) with 50 doses of liao to encourage League bravos to take up arms against the Vallorn. If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing right now|assembly=League National Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted, then League military units will be able to take part in the [[Venture#Quest_Against_the_Vallorn|quest against the vallorn]] and [[Venture#Explore_the_ruins_of_Terunael|the exploration of the ruins of Terunael]] ventures, as well as any future ventures that deal with engaging the vallorn directly.

<div {{float}}><quote by="William Shakespeare, As You Like it">All the world's a stage,<br>
And all the men and women are merely players</quote></div>

==Spiral==
* '''Actors and troupe magicians in Spiral propose the creation of plays about the vallorn to inspire citizens'''
* '''Apulian merchants have donated five thrones as a prize for the best play, to be judged by vote of members of the Cat's Graces at the Autumn Equinox'''

There's a lot going on in [[Spiral#Apulus|Apulian]] right now, a running battle between cats and birds for control of the city streets and rooftops while soldiers comb the dark passages that lie beneath them. The visiting Navarri are welcomed with all due hospitality, but at first some Apulians question whether they have the time to offer any significant aid, given that the strange ''confluence'' of [[dramaturgy|dramaturgical]] [[Dramaturgy#The_Personae|personae]], [[Dramaturgy#The_Instruments|instruments]] and [[Dramaturgy#The_Thrones|thrones]] plays havoc with the city, causing inhabitants and visitors alike to get lost in the shifting streets.

Determined not to be outdone by the other cities, a troupe of actors and magicians proposes that dramaturgy might offer a way to combat the vallorn. Of course there needs to be fortifications and armies and supplies and such things, but none of those will help without the ''will to win'' and the ''belief'' that ''victory'' is ''possible'' (and so on). The biggest hurdle to victory they say, is not the threat of the vallorn but the belief that the Empire lacks the means to defeat it. People need to see the vallorn not as some implacable force that can only be contained at best, but as an enemy that can be defeated once and for all, just like the [[Druj]].

What is needed, they say, are plays and stories that present a new vision of the vallorn. The true power of dramaturgy lies not just in performing rituals calling on the personae and their accoutrements, but in using the power of drama to influence the way people think and believe. Good plays create a narrative that shapes the path of history. Of course critics of dramaturgy argue that it is the power of events that make some plays seem so pivotal, not unlike the way some magicians believe that the stars move in line with events rather than the other way round.

Proponents of the real power of dramaturgy have little time for such naysaying. They argue that creating plays and stories that tell of victory over the vallorn are a subtle but crucial step in making that outcome come about. Of course that raises the question of who will create the plays - such things are time-consuming and expensive. A few Navarr suggest the historical accounts of Navarr and Thorn or [[Megan Black Blood]] might form the basis for such a play, but not everyone thinks that is the best approach. Even the suggestion of dramatising recent triumphs such as [[382YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war#Immolation_.28Liathaven.29|that in Liathaven]] does not meet with enthusiasm.

The League actors are concerned that the old histories may focus too much on the fall and what was lost to the vallorn. Equally their suggestion that if the playwrights do use the historical accounts, they will need to be ''"sexed up a bit, to make it more dramatic"'' does not meet with universal approval by their Navarr guests.

As a compromise, the suggestion is that the [[387YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Establish_the_Cat's_Graces|recently established sodality, the Cat's Graces]] might hold a contest to find the best play about the vallorn. Something dramatic and engaging that will get people into the cheap seats but which sets the tone of an Empire engaging successfully with the vallorn. A purse is quickly assembled, 5 thrones for the winning entry, with the understanding of all who enter, that actors will tour the winning play and any other worthy entries, across the Empire.

Of course it will take time for playwrights to produce something that capture and transform the zeitgeist. It needn't be a full play - it could be a short performance piece, put on everywhere before the main attraction. It could be historical, provided it doesn't compromise being inspiring for too much stuffy "accuracy". After all, the goal is to move the hearts and minds of theatre-goers all over the Empire, not to educate historians and scholars.

The merchants of Apulian request the Cat's Graces sodality either arrange a suitable contest to identify a winning submission, or else find a way to choose the perfect playwright to commission a piece. Either way they offer a purse of five thrones to be awarded by the sodality at the Autumn Equinox, to the author of the play that best inspires people to embrace the idea of defeating the vallorn.

A copy of the play itself will also need to be provided, so that it can be distributed to troupes of actors across the League. Focusing the attention of the League's thespians and actors on the vallorn in this way may reap dividends, although they are likely to be subtle or unpredictable. With the support of the Cat's Graces, it will definitely encourage a surge of interest in depicting the fight against the vallorn on the stage, and in reframing it as a foe to be overcome rather than an insurmountable problem. It might all lead to nothing apart from some very enjoyable nights at the theatre, or it may actually achieve what the dramaturgical theorists claim it will and somehow shift Imperial attitudes to the Doom of Terunael.

==Further Reading==
* [[Cup of choices]] - 388YE Spring wind of fortune detailing the Navarr efforts to assist Urizen
* [[The highest calling]] - 387YE Autumn wind of fortune about the highest calling

* [[Vallorn]]

Viridian nemesis

2026-07-06T12:42:02Z

Noserenda: /* Holberg */

[[Category:388YE Summer]][[Category:Winds of Fortune]]
<ic>"Trade is the lifeblood of the Jewelled City. Ships dock here from all over the world. The Grendel like to think of themselves as masters of the Bay of Catazar, but the markets of Dubhtraig are barely twice the size of Trivento! Everything is for sale here. Everything the virtuous soul might desire and a little more besides."

"I don't see how that is going to help us." responded Gwyn, careful not to offend his host. He'd been warned that the Merchant Prince of the Amber Signets was given to self-aggrandisement, but he'd been advised that he held sway over a significant number of local merchants who would be good to have on hand. "The vallorn has no trade interests, no valuables. It has no interest in markets or trade, any more than it does in any other facet of civilisation."

Afredo blinked and then forced a smile back to his face. "You miss my point my friend. The point is that whatever you need for this war of yours, is available here. Materials, wains, mana, herbs, weapons, armour, even soldiers are for sale here. Well their swords at least. Tell me what the Vallornguard need to fight the enemy and we'll ensure it's available - for the right price."

Gwyn shrugged his shoulders a little bemused by the question. "I mean... everything... we need everything." Herbs to heal soldiers, crystals for magic, ingots and measures for magic items, there was no material in this or any realm that the Navarri have not found a way to use to fight their ancient foe.

The Merchant Prince smirked, though this time the smile was at least an honest one. "Very well" he replied, "everything it is then..."
</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 250px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Navarr.png|align=left|caption=The garden long-tended by the Navarr begins to bear fruit.|width=400}}</div>
==Overview==
The [[The highest calling|highest calling]] of the the [[Navarr]] is to share their long experience fighting the [[vallorn]] with other nations. Last season, they [[Cup_of_choices|chose to work]] with the people of [[Urizen]]; now the Navarr National Assembly has urged their people to embrace the citizens of [[the League]] to arm and armour then for the upcoming battle with the Doom of Terunael. Once again, the [[Loyalty]] Assembly has supported the cause, calling upon those whose heart drives them towards the destruction of ''Terun's Folly''.

The aid was welcomed by the League Assembly and so the Navarr find the cities of the League no less enthusiastic than the spires of Urizen. In conjunction with their guests, each city has come up with its own plan how best to prepare to fight the Vallorn.

<div style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr;">
{{SOPInner|statement=The Virtuous raise up their fellows. Any nation willing to raise arms and join the Vallornguard shall have our full support. We send Teleri Thornweaver with 50 doses of liao to lead our people in sharing everything we have with the League to prepare to finish the fight.|by=Teleri Thornweaver, Navarr National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 252-0|when=Spring 388YE}}

{{SOPInner|statement=The Virtuous raise up their fellows. Any nation willing to raise arms and join the Vallornguard shall have our full support. We send Leliel, Daughter of Armisael, with 25 doses of liao to lead our people in sharing everything we have with the League to prepare to finish the fight.|by=Leliel, Daughter of Armisael, Loyalty Assembly|vote=190-0|when=Spring 388YE}}

{{SOPInner|statement=We welcome and recognise the judgement by Navarr (54). We recognise their highest calling and we welcome their aid.|by=Francesca di Spiral, League National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 328-10|when=Spring 388YE}}</div>

==Holberg==
<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''The Boar's Hide'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:'''[[Fortification]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Boar's Dell, Broceliande</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 120 [[white granite]], 60 Mithril, 540 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' 6 seasons</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Upkeep:''' 20 thrones</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:'''
* Creates a level two fortification in Boar's Dell
* Increases the level of investment in mana sites in Broceliande by one while there is a vallorn heart in the territory
</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the start of Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''Holberg engineers propose the construction of a grand fortification in Broceliande that could take advantage of the trods to boost mana sites in the territory'''
<div style="float:right; width: 250px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Actuallythebest001.png|align=right|width=250}}</div>
[[The_greatest_city_in_the_world|The Greatest City in the League]] lies to the north-east of [[Brocéliande|Broceliande]], and south of [[Otkodov#Sküld|Sküld]], two territories both infested with the vallorn. Initial proposals by some ambitious engineers has a [[weirwood]] and [[ilium]] causeway cutting across the Barrens to channel the Vallorn of [[Brocéliande#Terunael|Terunael]] itself into their territory, that they might fight in the shade of the monstrous [[Walls of Holberg]]. This plan was quickly abandoned as infeasible; fine in theory, ''way'' too expensive in practice.

If the vallorn won't go to Holberg, then Holberg will go to the vallorn. The engineers have a proposal for an enormous bastion built on the foundation's of Greenstead in [[Brocéliande#Boar's_Dell|Boar's Dell]]. Once roused, the vallorn by its nature will tend to be drawn to any substantial fortification, sending its full chaotic wroth at the structure until it is entirely subsumed in vines. Knowing that the vallorn is likely to attack any fortification first means the engineers can expect any substantial defences to become a focal point of the campaign as well as a place for Imperial [[military unit]] captains to assign their forces in the absence of an Imperial [[army]].
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><box><big>'''Regarding the Broch'''</big><br>While [[Brocéliande#the Broch|the Broch]] is already [[Construct Defence of the Broch|fortified]], the work was specifically done in such a way as to ''not'' rouse the ire of the vallorn. After all, [[Brocéliande#Black_Boughs|Black Boughs]] lies within the [[vallorn miasma|miasma]] itself and in a region utterly dominated by the ''Doom of Terunael''.</box></div>
There are some important consequences to consider. Firstly, the [[steading|steadings]] of Boar's Dell would face the brunt of the assault. They are Navarri, they have signed up to this, they have sworn oaths that they are committed to this, but one's home is one's home, nevertheless. Secondly, it is eye-wateringly expensive to create such a structure: even with the help of Holberg's finest engineers, they can't materialise wains out of the ether, as much as other nations may accuse the League of this from time to time.

With the collaboration of Holberg's engineers, the fortification could be completed in six seasons (barring the use of magic or other opportunities). Working closely with Navarr [[vate|vates]] provides a second advantage. By incorporating a significant amount of [[mithril]] into the design, it would harness also some of the chaotic energies being drawn out of the vallorn by the [[trods|trod network]] and channel it into local [[mana site|mana sites]]. That would provide a small but important benefit, providing more mana for the coming war, at least until the vallorn heart in [[Brocéliande#Terunael|Terunael]] is destroyed.

==Sarvos==
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''The Market of Everything'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' [[Ministry]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Cigno, Sarvos</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 16 wains, 48 crowns, 1 season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the start of Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Creates a Ministry for the Vallornguard
* Creates the title of ''Merchant-Prince of the Vallornguard''</td></tr>
</table>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightGreen;">'''Merchant-Prince of the Vallornguard'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Type:''' League national position</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Appointment:''' Vallornguard</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Powers:''' Receives support from Sarvoisi traders to acquire material to fight the Vallornguard</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Responsibilities:''' To help the Vallornguard acquire the materials needed to fight the vallorn</td></tr>
</table>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td colspan="2" style="background-color: LightYellow;">'''A Little Bit of Everything'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>150 rings</td><td>4 random materials, 6 random herbs, 3 mana crystals</td></tr>
<tr><td>370 rings</td><td>8 random materials, 12 random herbs, 6 mana crystals, </td></tr>
<tr><td>650 rings</td><td>12 random materials, 18 random herbs, 9 mana crystals,</td></tr>
<tr><td>1000 rings</td><td>16 random materials, 24 random herbs, 12 mana crystals, </td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''Sarvosi merchants propose commissioning a market of everything to help supply the Vallornguard with the resources to fight the vallorn'''
While Holberg claims to be the Greatest City in the League, their indignant rivals in [[Sarvos]] argue their city is the oldest and still the richest in the Empire. Trade flows across down the Gancio until it meets the [[Bay of Catazar]] at the docks of [[Sarvos#Cigno|Cigno]]. Ships put to port here that dock nowhere else in the Empire, buying and selling; rare metals from [[Varushka]], fine wines from [[Dawn], or exotic goods from overseas. The city's proud boast is that anything that is for sale anywhere in the Empire can be found in the markets of Sarvos.

The question is how to employ that strength to bolster the Vallornguard and help prepare for the coming war. Plans are quickly drawn up for a grand market, something that can provide whoever the Vallornguard appoint with a bit of ''everything''. Anything that can be employed against the vallorn can be distributed as needed to the Vallornguard - the rest can be sold. In the minds of the [[merchant Prince|merchant princes]] of Sarvos, a good profit margin is the ultimate weapon.

==Tassato==
<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Vallornguard Military Academy'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Madeiras, Tassato</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 16 wains of white granite, 32 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' 1 season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' League armies with a general appointed by the Vallornguard can take the order to Stem the Green Tide</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the start of Summer Solstice 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''Tassatan bravos propose building an academy that will allow League generals appointed by the Vallornguard to use Stem the Green Tide when defending'''
The Navarri who arrive in [[Tassato]] are greeted by a great deal of commotion as furious work is being done to speed the [[Army#Recruitment|mustering]] of the League's third [[army]]. It is a painful reminder that, more than anything else, what the vallornguard really need are armies. No matter how much planning is put in place, no matter how many fortifications are built, in the end it will always come down to steel weapons and steel will.

Most Tassatans learn to fight with rapier and buckler, the perfect weapons for a bravo who wants to cut a fine dash while bridge fighting. By contrast, the Navarr favour a more pragmatic fighting style when fighting the vallorn, one that makes use of [[venom]] whenever it is available. Training League soldiers in techniques for fighting the vallorn could pay dividends once the enemy attacks.

When the Vallorn is roused, and it ''will'' be roused, insist the visiting [[thorn|thorns]], there will need to be those who can stem the initial tsunami of chaotic energies before it might be driven back and permanently quelled. Constructing an appropriate academy, staffed by members of the Vallornguard, would allow League citizens to drill the kind of basic tactics needed to stand your ground in the face of a swarm of vallornspawn.

Once complete the Vallornguard Military Academy would allow any League army whose [[general]] was appointed by the Vallornguard, to take the '''Stem the Green Tide''' order when defending. There are no League armies that would be affected at present, but a [[Senate motion]] could be used to change the appointment method of a general to a vote of the Vallornguard at any time.

<box>'''Stem the Green Tide'''<br>
* '''Casualties suffered by this army from Vallorn are decreased by a fifth'''
* '''Victory points generated by this army against the Vallorn are increased by one tenth'''

Rapiers might suit the dark alleys of the League cities, but large heavy weapons, such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billhook bills], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zweih%C3%A4nder two-handed swords] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_(weapon) pikes] are the preferred choice for many professioanl soldiers in League free companies. These are dangerous weapons of war on any battlefield, but with the right training and the right leadership, League soldiers can deploy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_square pike square] to devastating effect against the vallornspawn allowing them to defend against the Vallorn's overwhelming and chaotic offensive, holding back the unending green tide.
</box>

==Temeschwar==
* '''Temeschwari bishops suggest a mandate to encourage League bravos to seek out opportunities to fight the enemy'''
The hard, ruthless people of [[Temeschwar]] are known for their pragmatism. Grand plans for mighty fortresses are all well and good, but they can take years to build. Better to ''get on with it'', in the minds of many Temeschwari - there's no time like the present for dealing with a threat. ''Marko von Vardstein'', a newly-minted [[bishop]] with a small church in one of the poorer parts of Temeschwar, has paired up with ''Livinnia'', a bravo known for wielding two axes and being a woman of extremely few words. The pair suggest that if the League are going to do this then the national assembly should encourage military units to start now, by pursuing any venture that could aid in the fight against the vallorn.

{{Mandate|mandate=In Ratibor's name, let us act! We send (named individual) with 50 doses of liao to encourage League bravos to take up arms against the Vallorn. If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing right now|assembly=League National Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted, then League military units will be able to take part in the [[Venture#Quest_Against_the_Vallorn|quest against the vallorn]] and [[Venture#Explore_the_ruins_of_Terunael|the exploration of the ruins of Terunael]] ventures, as well as any future ventures that deal with engaging the vallorn directly.

<div {{float}}><quote by="William Shakespeare, As You Like it">All the world's a stage,<br>
And all the men and women are merely players</quote></div>

==Spiral==
* '''Actors and troupe magicians in Spiral propose the creation of plays about the vallorn to inspire citizens'''
* '''Apulian merchants have donated five thrones as a prize for the best play, to be judged by vote of members of the Cat's Graces at the Autumn Equinox'''

There's a lot going on in [[Spiral#Apulus|Apulian]] right now, a running battle between cats and birds for control of the city streets and rooftops while soldiers comb the dark passages that lie beneath them. The visiting Navarri are welcomed with all due hospitality, but at first some Apulians question whether they have the time to offer any significant aid, given that the strange ''confluence'' of [[dramaturgy|dramaturgical]] [[Dramaturgy#The_Personae|personae]], [[Dramaturgy#The_Instruments|instruments]] and [[Dramaturgy#The_Thrones|thrones]] plays havoc with the city, causing inhabitants and visitors alike to get lost in the shifting streets.

Determined not to be outdone by the other cities, a troupe of actors and magicians proposes that dramaturgy might offer a way to combat the vallorn. Of course there needs to be fortifications and armies and supplies and such things, but none of those will help without the ''will to win'' and the ''belief'' that ''victory'' is ''possible'' (and so on). The biggest hurdle to victory they say, is not the threat of the vallorn but the belief that the Empire lacks the means to defeat it. People need to see the vallorn not as some implacable force that can only be contained at best, but as an enemy that can be defeated once and for all, just like the [[Druj]].

What is needed, they say, are plays and stories that present a new vision of the vallorn. The true power of dramaturgy lies not just in performing rituals calling on the personae and their accoutrements, but in using the power of drama to influence the way people think and believe. Good plays create a narrative that shapes the path of history. Of course critics of dramaturgy argue that it is the power of events that make some plays seem so pivotal, not unlike the way some magicians believe that the stars move in line with events rather than the other way round.

Proponents of the real power of dramaturgy have little time for such naysaying. They argue that creating plays and stories that tell of victory over the vallorn are a subtle but crucial step in making that outcome come about. Of course that raises the question of who will create the plays - such things are time-consuming and expensive. A few Navarr suggest the historical accounts of Navarr and Thorn or [[Megan Black Blood]] might form the basis for such a play, but not everyone thinks that is the best approach. Even the suggestion of dramatising recent triumphs such as [[382YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war#Immolation_.28Liathaven.29|that in Liathaven]] does not meet with enthusiasm.

The League actors are concerned that the old histories may focus too much on the fall and what was lost to the vallorn. Equally their suggestion that if the playwrights do use the historical accounts, they will need to be ''"sexed up a bit, to make it more dramatic"'' does not meet with universal approval by their Navarr guests.

As a compromise, the suggestion is that the [[387YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Establish_the_Cat's_Graces|recently established sodality, the Cat's Graces]] might hold a contest to find the best play about the vallorn. Something dramatic and engaging that will get people into the cheap seats but which sets the tone of an Empire engaging successfully with the vallorn. A purse is quickly assembled, 5 thrones for the winning entry, with the understanding of all who enter, that actors will tour the winning play and any other worthy entries, across the Empire.

Of course it will take time for playwrights to produce something that capture and transform the zeitgeist. It needn't be a full play - it could be a short performance piece, put on everywhere before the main attraction. It could be historical, provided it doesn't compromise being inspiring for too much stuffy "accuracy". After all, the goal is to move the hearts and minds of theatre-goers all over the Empire, not to educate historians and scholars.

The merchants of Apulian request the Cat's Graces sodality either arrange a suitable contest to identify a winning submission, or else find a way to choose the perfect playwright to commission a piece. Either way they offer a purse of five thrones to be awarded by the sodality at the Autumn Equinox, to the author of the play that best inspires people to embrace the idea of defeating the vallorn.

A copy of the play itself will also need to be provided, so that it can be distributed to troupes of actors across the League. Focusing the attention of the League's thespians and actors on the vallorn in this way may reap dividends, although they are likely to be subtle or unpredictable. With the support of the Cat's Graces, it will definitely encourage a surge of interest in depicting the fight against the vallorn on the stage, and in reframing it as a foe to be overcome rather than an insurmountable problem. It might all lead to nothing apart from some very enjoyable nights at the theatre, or it may actually achieve what the dramaturgical theorists claim it will and somehow shift Imperial attitudes to the Doom of Terunael.

==Further Reading==
* [[Cup of choices]] - 388YE Spring wind of fortune detailing the Navarr efforts to assist Urizen
* [[The highest calling]] - 387YE Autumn wind of fortune about the highest calling

* [[Vallorn]]

Weakness

2026-07-01T18:50:00Z

Noserenda: /* Effects */

==Description==
This spell is a potent malediction that can neutralise the most powerful enemy champion or render an [[archmage]] as powerless as a raw recruit. The debilitation imposed by this spell is more than mere lack of strength - it is a potentially lethal curse. The victim cannot concentrate on even the simplest [[spellcasting|spell]], cannot inspire themselves to [[Heroic skills|heroic action]] and cannot use the powers of any [[magic items]] they are bonded to.

It is particularly insidious in that it does not go away naturally; it can be removed with [[Bladeroot|herbs]] by a skilled [[Surgical skills#Physick|physick]], or purged by a magician using the [[purify]] spell or a [[rituals|ritual]] such as [[Renewed Strength of the New Day]]. Otherwise, it lasts indefinitely.

==Casting==
{{Offensive Spell|1}}
==Effects==
You may call [[Calls#WEAKNESS|WEAKNESS]] against the target struck by your [[Weapons & armour#Implements|implement]].

WEAKNESS prevents the target from making any [[calls]] for any reason. In addition, they cannot use any [[heroic skills]], [[religious skills]], cast any spells or contribute to any rituals. Only skills, [[magic items]], or [[enchantment|enchantments]] that are "always on" will work (such as those that give you extra hits, wield a polearm, or fire a crossbow). They may otherwise move and fight normally.

You must assume that the target has taken the effect.

The effect lasts until cured by the [[purify]] spell, or a similar potion or magic.

==Sample Spellcasting Vocals==
* By what creeps, what crawls, by what does not; let all that grows recede and rot! - WEAKNESS
* Oh mist-filled pits, dark, dank, unclear; touch all before me with frost-fingered fear! - WEAKNESS
* Kyrop drain the strength from your bones - WEAKNESS!
* Drowned Shepherd drag you down in the darkness - WEAKNESS!
* By magic's might, be stripped of all your powers - WEAKNESS!
* May Winter's cold grip your hateful heart - WEAKNESS!
* The winds of winter reap your strength for their hosts! - WEAKNESS <small>Suggested by Lucas Palmer</small>

==Common Elements==
* '''Rune Magic:''' The rune of Weakness, [[Kyrop]] is unsurprisingly invoked in conjunction with this invocation.
* '''Astronomancy:''' The [[The Drowned Shepherd|Drowned Shepherd]], the astronomantic constellation associated with endings and with curses, is commonly invoked with the weakness spell.
* '''Dramaturgy:''' A [[Dawn|Dawnish]] witch might echo the terrifying roar of the [[Legendary_beasts#Chimera|chimera]], or the dire spirit of the [[Legendary_beasts#Sphinxes and Manticores|manticore]] when casting this spell.
* '''Other traditions:''' This spell has a strong resonance for the realm of Winter.
[[Category:Spells]]

Reikos

2026-06-23T22:30:11Z

Noserenda: /* The Grand Ossuary */

{{CaptionedImage|file=RegionsofReikos.png|caption=A peaceful place, once home to pleasure gardens and country estates, riven by war.|title=Regions of Reikos|align=left|width=540|height=300}}
== Overview ==
Reikos was once composed of sweeping plains with occasional patches of deciduous woodland or raised elevation. The only major woodlands outside of the [[Great Forest of Peytaht]] were in [[#Broken Ride|Broken Ride]], while only the south-eastern downs around [[#Chalcis Mount|Chalcis Mount]] really counted as being hills.

There have been settlements in [[#Riverwatch|Riverwatch]] and [[#Haros Water|Haros Water]] for over 400 years. While Reikos was only conquered in 56YE, the Highborn had established settlements along its southern borders long before the foundation of the Empire. The chapters along the banks of the Haros were known as some of the hardiest and best-versed in the arts of war; during the civil war they played a major role in helping the Virtuous Assembly plan individual engagements against the forces of the Patricians.

Before the [[Druj]] invaded, this formerly peaceful stretch of the Couros river was home to pleasure gardens, parks, and country estates. A [[Prosperity|prosperous]] [[territory]], the wealth of Reikos traditionally came from four places. Firstly, the [[#The Vigilant Swan|Vigilant Swan]] and the [[#The Great Forest at Reikos|Great Forest at Reikos]] produced quality stone and wood respectively, as well as highly sought after white granite and weirwood. Second, the [[Gardens of High Chalcis]] produced herbs sold all over the Empire. Third, the wide roads helped connect the [[Navarr]] in [[Therunin]] and the [[Urizen]] in [[Morrow]] with the rest of the Empire and several towns grew up to cater to the needs of merchants and pilgrims. Fourth, the beauty of Reikos itself made the territory wealthy - the great gardens, sweeping estates and peaceful surroundings made it a favourite place for Imperial citizens from across the Empire to convalesce after illness, or to spend time away from the cares of everyday life.

For centuries, the only real threat to the peace of Reikos came from the abominable inhabitants of the dark forest of [[Brocéliande]]. All of this changed in 367YE with the arrival of the Druj.

==Recent History==
The downfall of Reikos came from its border with the Great Forest of Peytaht. At its edges, the Great Forest is an abundant source of lumber; but its heart is wild and untamed. The long border with the dark forest was notoriously hard to defend, despite the efforts of [[Vigilance|vigilant]] [[Chapter|chapters]] such as the ''[[Highguard groups#Grey_Watchers_of_Peytaht|Grey Watchers of Peytaht]]'', but at least the forest was equally hostile to human and orc alike. When the [[Druj]] barbarians launched a surprise attack through the forest in 367YE, the Highborn were woefully unprepared for it. Those chapters on the edge of the forest that did not retreat were overwhelmed in the first few months of the attack.

The Druj quickly spread south, overwhelming the disorganised Imperial defences. The focus of the [[Military Council]] was elsewhere, and by the time the [[general|generals]] could coordinate their [[Army|armies]], the territory had already fallen. [[Emperor Hugh]] is said to have taken the loss of Reikos particularly badly, and campaigned to focus all Imperial resources on recovering it - unsuccessfully. The Military Council and the [[Senate]] had more pressing concerns facing a major mobilization of the [[Thule]] and the [[Jotun]].

Many [[Benefactor|benefactors]] were ruined in the attack, and many more are still struggling to restore their fortunes. The gardens, parks and pleasant villages of Reikos were largely unprepared to face the onslaught of the Druj, and hundreds died in the initial attacks before they were able to take refuge in the fortified [[Chapter|chapter houses]]. The presence of refugees complicated matters severely; several northern chapters fell prey to disease and starvation. The malicious tactics of the Druj served to make the situation even words - they regularly poisoned supplies; publicly tortured and displayed the horribly abused corpses of captured [[Highguard_military_concerns|guardians]] and [[Highguard_religious_beliefs|priests]]; crippled and maimed Highborn refugees then allowed them to flee so that their presence would further damage morale and absorb valuable medical supplies. Slowly but surely they pressed their advantage and drove the Highborn defenders southward.

Finally, in Autumn 377YE the Druj mounted a major offensive against the surviving Highborn chapters in [[#Riverwatch|Riverwatch]], [[#Haros|Haros]] and [[#Tabernacle|Tabernacle]]. The last regions of the territory fell beneath this assault, leaving only a scattered handfuls of fortified chapters as guttering beacons of hope in a sea of dread. it took some time for the Empire to rally after this defeat, but in Winter 378YE a combined Highborn and [[Navarr]] force [[378YE_Winter_Solstice_winds_of_war#The_garden_of_Highguard|crossed back into Reikos]] to begin the liberation. It was here that the Imperial soldiers gained first-hand experience of something that would later be referred to as the ''[[Druj miasma]]'' or the '' shroud of dread''.

After a few skirmishes and the [[379YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war#Blood_and_Stone|liberation of the Vigilant Swan]], the Druj forces in the area - represented by a single clan referred to as the Stone Toads, withdrew into the massive fortification they had built in the ruins of [[#High Chalcis|High Chalcis]]. They left guerrillas, traps and ambushers to harry the Imperial troops while they remained secure behind the great white granite walls of Urith Barath.
{{CaptionedImage|file=ShatteredGuardians.png|caption=Guardians of the Shattered Tower keep a watch on the borders of Highguard.|align=right|width=350}}
The territory was rejuvenated - and reconfigured - by a [[a season of mushrooms|wave of Spring magic]] that swept Reikos in early 380YE. The magic saw the restoration of great swathes of forest, and the eradication of much of the lingering taint of Druj occupation - but it was not without cost. Drawing on the power of the eternal [[Llofir]], the magic tore apart damaged and ruined structures without concern as to who had built them. The Highborn were able to protect some of their most valuable relics, but a great many damaged buildings were destroyed - including many chapterhouses. As the magic ebbed away, the eternal claimed the region of [[#Tamarbode|Tamarbode]] as its own demesne, until it was ultimately [[383YE_Summer_Solstice_winds_of_war#Destroying_Angels|forced to withdraw]] back to its own realm in the Summer of 383YE thanks to the combined efforts of the [[Towerjacks]], the [[Wolves of War]], and the garrison at ''Remember Exile''.

The establishment of the [[Gardens of High Chalcis]], coinciding as it did with the [[Iron_and_wine|coronation message]] of [[Empress Lisabetta]], has seen an influx of healers and doctors into the territory - triggering a drive to see Reikos established as the centre for the healing arts in the Empire.

In Summer 384YE a network of roads, tentatively dubbed "the Virtuous Roads" were [[Construct_White_Roads|commissioned]] by the Imperial Senate. Now the White Roads serve to link Reikos with both [[Necropolis]] and [[Reikos]]. They also provided a major boon to the [[farm|farms]] and [[business|businesses]] of the territory. In the Winter of 386YE, however, the Imperial Senate determined to [[386YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Levy_Tolls_on_White_Roads|levy tolls]] on traffic using the road, meaning they no longer increase the income of individual citizens but provide a significant boost to the Imperial Treasury, in part to pay for the war against the [[vallorn]].

==Major Features==
{{anchor|Urith Barath (High Chalcis)}}{{anchor|Urith Barath}}{{anchor|High Chalcis}}
===High Chalcis===
Prior to the Druj invasion, '''High Chalcis''' was one of the largest settlements in Highguard. Built on the hills of [[#Chalcis Mount|Chalcis Mount]], and famous for its beautiful gardens, the town was a centre for healing and the study of the [[Surgical skills#Apothecary|apothecary]] arts where the medical knowledge of the Empire was codified and expanded. The settlement fell to surprise attack in 367YE, the storehouses of knowledge raided, and the great Stone Toad fortress of '''Urith Barath''' built among the ruins. The Druj citadel fell to Imperial forces in Autumn 379YE, but little remained of the original town in the wake of the destruction. The [[A season of mushrooms|powerful Spring magic]] that washed away signs of Druj occupation devoured most of the remaining ruin.

In the wake of this destruction, [[Construct_Gardens_of_High_Chalcis|extensive work]] was undertaken to restore the town, and especially the Gardens that once surrounded it. New chapterhouses were established around the one structure still standing - the miraculously restored '''Shining Towers'''. These four beautiful towers appeared shortly after the destruction of the Druj citadel on the site of the old chapterhouse of the [[Highguard groups#The_Shattered_Tower|Shattered Tower]]. Returned at last from exile, the Shattered Tower claimed the towers as their new chapterhouse. They report that not only do the towers surround a weak Summer [[regio]], but that they seem to be composed of the legendary magical material [[Stalwart_Stand_on_Solid_Ground#The_Nature_of_Adamant|adamant]]. In some parts of the territory has become a symbol of the unbreakable will of the people of Reikos. In the gardens around the towers stands the [[Keeper of the Cox#Grove of Golden Cox|Grove of Golden Cox]], famed for its unique apple tree that produces [[vis#Golden Apples|Golden Apples]] rich with Summer [[vis]].

In the year since, the settlement has seen a remarkable spate of growth, heavily supported by Highborn exiles returning from [[Therunin#Peakedge_Song|Peakedge Stead]] in neighbouring [[Therunin]] and their [[Navarr]] allies. One of the more important structures is the beautiful [[Claviger_of_the_Basilica_of_Cora_Holdfast#Basilica_of_Cora_Holdfast|Basilica of Cora Holdfast]], completed shortly before the Autumn Equinox 381YE. Given that the [[Cora Holdfast|exemplar]] was of the [[Navarr]], it is perhaps only fitting that the basilica be built in High Chalcis.

While a great deal of work has gone into restoring the town, attention was also focused on restoring the bountiful [[Gardens of High Chalcis]] that once surrounded the settlement. Today, the [[great work]] they represent has been restored, and the Chalcis Hills once again bloom with a great bounty of healing herbs, providing a great boon to the physicks and apothecaries of Reikos.

=== The Sign of Tamar ===
This vast sigil incised into the plain in northern Reikos predates the first human settlements in Reikos. Created by digging long trenches in the earth, scholars have never been sure who constructed it, what purpose (if any) it served, or when precisely it was built. Scholars have paced out the sigil and drawn it, and declared it a humanoid figure that matches the constellation called [[The Drowned Shepherd]]. There is some evidence that the sign was part of, or contained, a very potent Spring [[regio]], possibly with an affinity for the darker and more destructive uses of [[Spring magic]]. If this is the case, its proximity to [[Brocéliande]] can surely be no coincidence.

Even before the coming of [[Llofir]] to [[#Tamarbode|Tamarbode]] there was no viewpoint nearby where the entire figure could be seen clearly. There has been a great deal of speculation as to who placed this sigil here, and whether there is any connection with the chalk figures of [[the Marches]]. Historians have also speculated extensively about how Tamar may have been, and why the region as a whole is called Tamarbode - it is assumed they were connected in some way with the original conquest of Reikos during the early Empire, but there are no records to support this or details of exactly who they may have been.

The eternal [[Llofir]] claimed the Sign of Tamar, as it claimed the whole of Tamarbode. The sigil itself disappeared beneath the enchanted forest that now covers the entire region. Even with the liberation of Tamarbode in 383YE, the earthworks that made up the sign continued to be overgrown and there is every chance it will simply be reclaimed by nature. When Llofir was driven back to the Spring realm, whatever powerful Spring magic was focused here disappeared. You can read more about the battle for the Sign of Tamar in the ''[[383YE_Summer_Solstice_winds_of_war#Destroying_Angels|Destroying Angels]]'' wind of war. In the Winter of 383YE, the Imperial Senate instructed the [[Appraisal#The_Prognosticators_Office|Prognosticator's Office]] to [[appraisal|appraise]] the Sign for potential use now that Llofir's hold over Tamarbode was broken. The results of that appraisal are detailed in the '''[[Signs and sigils]]''' wind of fortune.

=== The [[Great Forest at Reikos]] ===
The Great Forest at Reikos is a Bourse resource that covers the eastern hills of [[#Broken Ride|Broken Ride]]. Custodianship of the weirwood groves is an [[Imperial Title]] that brings with it a Seat on the [[Bourse]]. It produces 25 Imperial wains of weirwood every season; control is allocated to any Imperial citizen by open auction during the Winter Solstice.

=== The [[Vigilant Swan]]===
The Vigilant Swan is a Bourse resource located in [[#Riverwatch|Riverwatch]]. Custodianship of the Vigilant Swan is an [[Imperial Title]] that brings with it a Seat on the [[Bourse]]. It produces 25 Imperial wains of white granite every season. It is assigned to the [[Highguard|Highborn]] candidate who receives the most support from the Highguard owners of [[congregation]] resources.

During the Summer Solstice 386YE, the Senate [[Fortify Vigilant Swan|voted]] to fortify the Vigilant Swan as a result of an [[Metal_and_stone#Alabaster_and_Onyx_Swans|opportunity]] requested by the [[Archmage of Autumn]], '''Edmundo of Damakan's forge''', and the [[Conclave]]. The Swans of Alabaster and Onyx, handcrafted by the ''Manse of the Lionsmith'', are seven warrior-constructs in the shape of swan-like humanoids; one for each of the Virtues. They are armed, armoured, and infused with the spirit of a herald of Estavus, which allows them to think, talk, and wield battlefield magics. They serve as unceasing watchers, protecting the quarry, and prepared to fight to defend it when called upon.

===The Grand Ossuary===
{{CaptionedImage|file=Long Walk Home.jpg|title=The statue of Brother Gideon that stands in the Grand Ossuary is said by some to be his actual body, preserved forever by potent ritual magic.|caption=Not all those who fought to liberate Reikos lived to see it freed.|width=450|align=right}}
The Grand Ossuary stands in [[Reikos#Haros Water|Haros Water]], not far from the place where the settlement of Haros once stood. A square, stocky building of white stone, it is surrounded by a quiet park laid out with every attempt made to create a quiet atmosphere of contemplation and reflection. Within the structure itself, the dead of Reikos are interred or memorialised, and many relics of the past history of Reikos are kept here - primarily those from before the Druj invasion, but with at least a few connected to heroic deeds performed during the conquest, the occupation, and the later liberation. In particular, the top floor of the Ossuary contains a library where stories from the occupation are stored. Harrowing tales of despair and courage, they include many journals written by those who fell to the orcs.

Work on the Ossuary was already underway when the [[A season of mushrooms|great wave of Spring magic]] swept over the territory - magic that destroyed the remains of the dead as easily as it expunged the lingering mark of the Druj occupation. Only the desperate action of a dozen independent captains and their [[military unit|retinues]] prevented the Ossuary from being overwhelmed. Their names are all immortalized on a simple white granite plinth that stands just inside the main gates of the park. Without their intervention, the (apparently well-meaning) servants of Llofir would have completely devoured the history of Reikos alongside the lingering Druj taint.

Another monument of particular note stands in the Ossuary, and has become a point of pilgrimage for new settlers in Reikos. A statue of Brother Gideon of the Suns of Couros stands in the entrance hall of the Ossuary building proper. Gideon was instrumental in the creation of the Grand Ossuary of Reikos, but died before the work was completed. His memory will forever be linked to this great work, and to the [[Prosperity]] and [[Pride]] of the people of Reikos.
<div style="float:right; width: 500px;"><quote by="Ianthe, Highborn Assembly, Winter 380YE (greater majority)">Our assembly recognises the benevolent and saving Ambition and Loyalty of our departed Brother Gideon of the Suns of Couros in the creation of the Great Ossuary of Reikos. May his memory be forever linked to this Great Work and to the Prosperity and Pride of Reikos.</quote></div>
The Ossuary is a great work; donations are made by visitors which are distributed to the priests of Reikos to help them with their work guiding the future, and commemorating the past. Every [[Highguard|Highborn]] priest who operates a [[congregation]] in [[Reikos]] receives money from the donations. The ossuary is overseen by the [[Steward of the Ossuary]], especially when situations call for the [[Steward_of_the_Ossuary#Distribution_of_the_Grand_Ossuary|distribution]] of the bounty.

===Seminary of the Swan===
Raised a short distance from the [[#Vigilant Swan|Vigilant Swan]], this seminary stands on a small island in the middle of a shallow lake. Waters from the lake feed into the washing pools of the great white granite quarry, and were once the main breeding grounds for the swans that gave the Bourse seat its name. Poisoned by the Druj, the waters were slowly purified until they were safe to support life once again. New swans were brought to live in the waters, the previous birds having been butchered by the orc conquerors.

The Seminary of the Swan itself serves as a school for the training of [[magister|magisters]]. Built in a classical Highborn style, a number of smaller white granite buildings surround a single tall tower - Obadiah Spire - which provides the best view of the surrounding countryside. The Seminary ensures that students of a priestly background understand magic, while those of a more magical bent have a sufficiently Orthodox understanding of the Way.

It is an austere place of study, that demands much of its students and provides little in the way of comfort. To remove distractions the Students are forbidden to set foot on the mainland while they are engaged in their studies. The most common diversion for bored students is to take shallow boats out onto the lake. Eight boats are moored at a small quay beneath the seminary, each named by one of the "[[benefactor|Benefactors]] of Highguard" who helped complete the seminary.

The training of new magicians requires a regular supply of crystal mana, thus creating a steady stream of income for the mana sites of Reikos.
<div style="float:right; width: 750px; clear: right;"><ic>'''At the Hall of Lost Chapters'''<br>Pilgrims seeking solace in the lessons of the past first walk through a covered colonnade that winds through a park of a labyrinthine design. In the middle of the park stands a tall granite bell tower. The bells do not tell the time, but instead are sounded the time and day when each chapter had fallen to the Druj. Arriving at the main building, the visitors are greeted by an imposing portico with massive columns, giving weight to what lies beyond. Passing the entrance, the pilgrims enter a cloister dominated by a huge statue of a basilisk - the protector of the place.

On the north side, the cloister lies against a basilica that serves as a place for contemplation and meditation. The vast space inside is filled with large banners of all the chapters' symbols bound into a greater whole by the single endless steel chain that gives the hall its name. On the east side of the cloister, the Wing of Memory preserves the chapter relics and memorabilia that were recovered after Llofir’s season of mushrooms. Very little sound filters through from the outside, as if the building itself demands a quiet respect for the fallen. The wing also houses a large collection of scrolls, cared for by the archivists. The scrolls contain stories of the chapters, both grand and subtle, their culture and teachings, and their legacies. Opposite, in the Chamber of Murmurs, the stewards recite the names of the dead, without pause, day and night, and they do not repeat themselves for many days. The Hall of Lost Chapters safeguards the Pride of the nation; here the fallen chapters forever remain a part of Highguard.
<small>Original text contributed by Tomáš Zdeněkovič Pilař</small></ic></div>
===Remember Exile===
Completed just before the Autumn Equinox 381YE through the use of a potent enchantment, this fortification is built in [[#Broken Ride|Broken Ride]]. The massive citadel is positioned so as to keep a close watch on both the Great Forest, and on the threat of [[Brocéliande]] to the north-west - and to guard against any potential danger coming out of [[#Tamarbode|Tamarbode]].
===The Unbound Steel Hall (Ruined)===
Built shortly after Reikos was liberated from the Druj, the Unbound Steel Hall of Lost Chapters stood in [[#Riverwatch|Tabernacle]]. It was a place of pilgrimage, dedicated to the history of [[Chapter|chapters]] who have fallen in service of the Empire and the nation. It was a place of pilgrimage seeking lessons of the past. Unfortunately, it was an early casualty of the war against [[Cold Sun]], [[To_the_last_syllable#In_Bastion_and_Reikos|ruined]] by the [[eternal|eternal's]] ''[[Cold Sun#Scions|scions]]''.

Commissioned by '''Ella, Daughter of Zemira,''' of Reumah's Redoubt, using an [[Bearer of an Imperial Wayleave|Imperial Wayleave]] and financed by the Beneficent Order of Steel Chain in conjunction with several Highborn [[benefactor|benefactors]]. The [[opportunity]] to construct the Hall arose as a result of the [[In_brightest_day#The_Power_to_Exalt|inspiration]] following in the wake of powerful magic that washed across the Empire prior to the Winter Solstice 380YE. Built in the newly reborn town of [[#Riverwatch|Tabernacle]], the hall was located on the original high street in Tabernacle, covering multiple lots that were reduced to rubble during the invasion. The Unbound Steel Hall was for a time the largest structure currently standing on the site of the old settlement, and helped drive the rebuilding of the town.

==Regions==
===Broken Ride===
*'''Quality:''' Forest
The rolling woodlands of Broken Ride were regularly used for hunting and for training [[Unconquered]] recruits. Only a few scattered chapters were built here, such as [[Highguard groups#Grey_Watchers_of_Peytaht|Beacons Rock]] which stood on the very northernmost borders of Reikos. These isolated chapters were easy prey for the Druj when they invaded.

In 369YE, the woods were the site of the massacre at '''Exile'''. Built round a chapter of Unconquered who trained in the solitude provided by the deep woods, Exile was a hard place, and the Highborn there embraced many trials designed to harden the soul. They held out for three years before they were finally overrun. The Druj desecrated the dead, and used their remains to construct one of their grim shrines of fear and despair, responsible for helping to spread a foul [[Druj miasma|miasma]] over the entire territory.

In the last days of the siege, the choice to hold against overwhelming odds or leave with honour was given to all of the recruits, not a one of whom chose to leave. In battle, the Unconquered used to say: “Remember Exile. We will return” in memorial of fallen friends and mentors. Since the liberation, many have instead begun to say "Remember Exile. We will always return."

Today, the region is sparsely populated. The [[Great_Forest_at_Reikos|weirwood groves]] are still worked, and a [[#Remember Exile|fortification]] has recently been completed here. [[Reikos_Spoils_of_War#Broken_Ride_Blooms|Broken Ride Blooms]] still provides a bounty of [[Materials#Ambergelt|ambergelt]] to those brave enough to work the forest. A few scattered chapters have returned, many of them dedicated to keeping a [[Vigilance|Vigilant]] eye not only on the [[Great Forest of Peytaht]] to the north, but also on [[Brocéliande]] and [[#Tamarbode|Tamarbode]] to the west.

Nestled in the heart of the forest, a white granite [[Construct Monument to Silent Bell|pillar]] stands, crested with a bell missing its clapper. Engraved at its base are the words, "''To the [[Silent Bell (Sodality)|Sodality of the Silent Bell]], for their tireless work defending this Empire and furthering our knowledge of the Way''."

===Chalcis Mount===
*'''Quality:''' Hills
The gentle hills of Chalcis Mount are the site of [[#High Chalcis|High Chalcis]], and its eponymous [[Gardens of High Chalcis|garden]]. In some poems, they are called the ''Red Downs'' due to the distinctive hue of the [[Imperial Roseweald]] that grew profusely on their slopes - although in the wake of the Druj occupation the name has taken on sadder connotations. The Stone Toad clan built their citadel of Urith Barath here, and it was from that citadel that they ruled Reikos with an iron fist; the citadel is gone now.

Chalcis Mount has a noticeably high population of [[Navarr]] residents. Primarily inhabitants of [[Therunin#Peakedge Song|Peakedge Stead]] in [[Therunin]], the Navarr came to help establish the Gardens to show their gratitude for Highborn support in dealing with a threatened Druj invasion, but many have chosen to stay - at least for the time being. They have established a small settlement on the edge of the region no more than a days march from the steading.

Outside High Chalcis, the physicks and apothecaries are beginning to return. The [[Reikos_Spoils_of_War#Fields_of_Remembrance|Fields of Remembrance]] in particular stand as a reminder of the [[Courage]] of those who fought to defend, and to free, Reikos. Perhaps just as significantly, the [[mine]] known as the [[Reikos_Spoils_of_War#The_Wound_of_Chalcis|Wound of Chalcis]] is in business once again, drawing up fine quality [[materials#Weltsilver|weltsilver]] from the dark stone cliffs overlooking Therunin.

===Grey Charge===
*'''Quality:''' Forest
The wide plains of Grey Charge were avoided by the Druj themselves, but given over to the control of one of their brutal subject nations. The scattered chapterhouses were turned into twisted orc settlements, and the human populace reduced to the status of field slaves. After the liberation, the Spring magic devoured all the ruined chapters, villages, and [[farm|farms]] that once stood here leaving behind untouched forest. New chapters are being established here by the survivors, looking to the trees as a source of [[Prosperity]]. Already, farmland has been liberated from the clutch of the magically inspired woodlands - [[Reikos_Spoils_of_War#Grey_Watch_Grasses|Grey Watch Grasses]] weathered the storm of Spring magic reasonably untouched, and leads the way in providing food to the people of Reikos. The [[congregation]] known as [[Reikos_Spoils_of_War#Never_Again|Never Again]], formed by refugees in Bastion, is based here. They actively support rebuilding efforts across the entire territory.

===Haros Water===
Haros Water takes its name from the tributary of the Couros that runs through it. Similar to neighbouring [[#Riverwatch|Riverwatch]], Haros Water was made wealthy by a combination of prosperous farms and regular trade passing along the road and the river. The town of '''Haros''', once a major stopping point for trade passing through Reikos, was effectively destroyed during the liberation, and the [[a season of mushrooms|tide]] of [[Spring magic]] that followed after it. Most of the damage had already been done by the time the magic spread over the ruins - following a three day battle in the streets during Winter 378YE, the Druj [[379YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war#Blood_and_Stone|fired the town]], creating a conflagration that lasted through the night and saw the entire settlement reduced to ruins. The beautiful river gates of Haros, which once allowed daring forays by expert boatmen supporting the defenders, were reduced to broken fragments, standing as mute testimony to the loss of the last Imperial foothold in the territory.

Not everything is lost. A brave effort by several chapters managed to protect some remnants of the former town from the voracious appetite of [[Llofir]] and its agents. The ruins of the river gates in particular still stand, providing a memorial to those who died fighting to protect their homes. The only other structure still standing is now the tallest in the new town; the tower of [[Reikos_Spoils_of_War#Echoes_of_Wisdom|Echoes of Wisdom]] bell-makers business survived the fall of Haros, the Druj occupation, and the wave of [[Spring magic]] entirely untouched A new town is beginning to flourish around it, taking advantage of the influx of lumber from the new woodlands of [[#Grey Charge|Grey Charge]] and [[#Longshire|Longshire]]. The [[Highguard groups#The_Suns_of_Couros|Suns of Couros]] in particular have been active in re-establishing Haros. The [[Draughir]] chapter have established a new chapterhouse - a dim reflection of its previous splendour - and are encouraging other Highborn to participate in the rebuilding of Haros as a staging point for the settlement of western Reikos.

===Longshire===
*'''Quality:''' Forest
The plains of Longshire were not heavily settled even when Reikos was at its height; now that they are densely wooded this has not noticeably changed. During the occupation, the scattered chapters here were reduced to ruins and claimed by various barbarians. These unruly gangs of orcs squabbled among themselves, occasionally causing the Druj themselves to step in and make an example to restore order. Of particular note is the attack in 370YE when the Druj slaughtered every member of the clan living in the ruins of the old Granite Chain chapterhouse.

An ambitious band of Unconquered soon took residence in the ruins, exploiting the superstitious dread of the local orcs to maintain a hidden chapterhouse that helped coordinate the resistance in the western territory. Today the chapterhouse has been rebuilt by the surviving Unconquered. Working closely with the [[Master_of_the_School_of_Exorcism#The_School_of_Exorcism|School of Exorcism]] in [[#Riverwatch|Riverwatch]], the chapter works to help lay to rest the remaining wraiths that haunt Longshire and to provide support to new chapters establishing themselves amidst the new grown forests.

===Riverwatch===
The [[Vigilant Swan]] was the source of a great deal of prosperity for Riverwatch, but a significant amount also came from the [[farm|farms]] that sprawled across the wide, fertile plains north of the Haros river. As with [[#Haros Water|Haros Water]], the region was also made wealthy by trade passing along the road between [[Casinea]] and [[Sarvos]] in the east and the [[Navarr]] [[steading|steadings]] of [[Therunin]] to the west. Much of that trade passed through the town of '''Tabernacle''', a well-fortified triple-ringed settlement whose residents sprawled outside its walls in long years of peace. Riverwatch held out against the Druj for a decade, the last site of major resistance to the invaders, with constant skirmishing along its borders that saw the farms devastated and Tabernacle reduced to the status of an armed camp. Riverwatch was the last region of Reikos to fall to the Druj, and even then only after many months of sustained assault. While some chapters survived the fall of Tabernacle, the survivors were forced to retreat across the river to [[Bastion#Sybella_Cross|Sybella Cross]] in [[Bastion]]. A year of occupation saw Tabernacle reduced to mud-choked ruins scattered with lethal traps and deadfalls that would have taken months of careful work to locate and disarm. In the end, the town was swallowed by Llofir's wave of Spring magic, devoured by the earth itself, ruins and traps and all.

Today a village is slowly spreading around Riverwatch, named Tabernacle in memory of the town that once stood here. With trade caravans returning to the pre-occupation routes, the village is enjoying a little of its former prosperity. The re-establishment [[Reikos_Spoils_of_War#Tabernacle_Legacy_Claret|Tabernacle Legacy Claret]] in particular marked the beginning of the new prosperity; built over the extensive hidden cellars of the old vineyard, the wine produced here is said to have a particularly fine if bitter quality and has proved popular in several places damaged by war with the orcs. Further prosperity has been brought by a small family of respectable [[Faraden]] traders who have set up a small, permanent enclave in Tabernacle, trading herbs and wood with the citizens of Reikos as they serve as a hub for caravans trading into Therunin and [[Urizen]].

===Tamarbode===
*'''Quality:''' Forest
The desolate plains of Tamarbode were primarily known as the site of the enigmatic [[#The Sign of Tamar|Sign of Tamar]], and at least one chapter was dedicated to protecting and guarding the eerie earthworks. It was also home to a couple of fortified chapters on the borders of [[Brocéliande]], facing into the forests there and keeping a careful watch on the [[vallorn]] that slumbers fitfully at its heart. Contact with these chapters was lost when the last of them was overrun by Druj in 372YE. During the orc occupation, the region appeared to be under the control of an especially vicious Druj [[Druj#Magic|Ghulai]] nicknamed "''Greenmask''".

The region was never fully liberated from the Druj - even after the fall of Urith Barath, scattered orc warbands held out here for several months. In Summer 380YE, the great surge of Spring magic that began the rejuvenation of Reikos apparently began here, and the entire region was claimed by the eternal [[Llofir]]. Tamarbode became a primeval woodland that thrummed with unruly [[Spring magic]], and was largely unknown to Imperial forces. Indeed, there were indications that the woodland might be actively hostile to humans, possibly as a response to an [[380YE_Autumn_Equinox_winds_of_war#Our_Neighbour.27s_Field|abortive attempt]] by the [[Urizen]] [[Citadel Guard]] to drive out the eternal forces here.

In the end, a [[383YE_Summer_Solstice_winds_of_war#Destroying_Angels|combined operation]] by the Wolves of War and the Towerjacks ultimately destroyed the Castle of Ruin, and Llofir's Garden collapsed and was withdrawn into the Spring realm. While there is still a profusion of mushrooms and toadstools amid the trees here, the forests of Tamarbode now seem to be entirely natural in nature.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Cyrus12292.jpg|caption='''Cyrus, of Ebon's Hall''', Senator for Reikos|align=left|width=400}}
{{Senate Elections|Senator_for_Reikos|Territory=Reikos|Season=Spring}}

==OOC Notes==
* As of the end of the Summer Solstice 383YE, the Highborn control all the regions of Reikos, meaning it is an Imperial territory.
* The [[fortification]] of [[#Remember Exile|Remember Exile]] is a rank 2 fortification in [[#Broken Ride|Broken Ride]].
* The [[#The Vigilant Swan|Swans of Alabaster and Onyx]] are a rank 1 fortification in Riverwatch that only protect that region
* The [[Keeper of the Stand|Micah's Stand Wayhouse]] in Chalcis Mount allows Navarri characters to establish a [[Resource#Personal_Resource|personal resource]] in Reikos and gain the benefit of any [[great work]] in the territory without suffering the penalty for having a [[Resource#Resources_in_other_Nations|resource in another nation]].
* [[congregation|Congregations]] in the territory benefit from the [[#The Grand Ossuary|Grand Ossuary]] and produce 72 rings each season.
* [[Herb garden|Herb gardens]] in the territory benefit from the [[Gardens of High Chalcis]] and produce an extra 3 drams of [[True Vervain|true vervain]], 2 drams of [[Cerulean Mazzarine|cerulean mazzarine]], 1 dram of [[bladeroot]], 1 dram of [[Imperial Roseweald|Imperial roseweald]], and 1 dose of [[realmsroot]] each season.
* [[Mana site|Mana sites]] in the territory benefit from the [[#Seminary of the Swan|Seminary of the Swan]] and produce 36 rings each season.
* Prior to the [[a season of mushrooms|magic]] of Summer 380YE, several regions devastated by the Druj had the ''ruins'' quality. The powerful magic invoked over the territory removed these qualities as they removed the ruins themselves.
* While the majority of Reikos has been freed from the [[Druj miasma]] by a combination of hard work by Imperial forces and the powerful rejuvenating Spring magic that swept the territory in Spring and Summer 380YE, there are still some areas that suffer under its influence. They are for the most part isolated, hard-to-reach places immediately surrounding a miasma stone ('''OOC Note:''' these remaining areas exist primarily as a source of quests, or as inspiration for an individual player event, rather than as a threat to the territory as a whole).

[[Category:Highguard]]
[[Category:Gazetteer]]
[[Category:Imperial Territory]]

Saint of Bees

2026-06-09T23:33:10Z

Noserenda:

<div style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
{{SOP|statement= Our siblings in Varushka have called for Livardz to rise from the ashes. In <u>peerless kinship</u>, Highguard answers their call. In Loyalty, let all those who can be spared from their duties journey north to help erase the stain of the Cold Sun and support the pride and prosperity of Varushka, in accordance with judgement 80.|by=Sister Juliette of Balthazar's Vineyard, Highborn National|vote=Greater Majority 474-22|when=Winter Solstice 387YE|size=small}}
{{SOP|statement= Citizens of Varushka, the Varushkan children at Anvil have been investigating the lack of bees in Karov. Honey Bee of the Sovereign's Head asked the coven 'Moonlight Finds the Mountain Pass' to petition Sung for aid in this endeavour. As a result of this investigation, the National Assembly of Varushka urges all Prosperous citizens to aid in re-flowering Karov. Plant flowers, send seeds. Make Karov bloom again.|by=Sillya Nikovitch Volkov, Varushkan National|vote=Greater Majority 228-0|when=Winter Solstice 387YE|size=small}}</div>
<div style="float:left; width: 350px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Big Bee.jpg|align=left|caption=Bees are an important part of Varushkan culture.|title=We'll see who brings in more honey!|width=2000}}</div>
==Overview==
The stories of magical bees helping the virtuous in stories are, in a way, timeless. They were being told at bedsides and around campfires long before there was an Empire to speak of. Many Varushkan children grew up with the story of "the Good Tailor" where a swarm of bees helps a virtuous man create a wedding outfit for a cruel Boyar in a single night, both sparing the hero from death and delivering an ironic punishment to the tyrannical ruler who has grown lazy by stealing the labour of her people. Others recall with fondness being told the tale of "the Honey of Oloy" where an unassuming pot contains enough honey for the entire village to eat a spoonful a day during the Longest Winter, keeping everyone warm and healthy and strong enough to fight off rampaging wolves. A surprising number of wardens when asked about their calling mention the climax of that tale, when the bees join the villagers to fight off the thieving bandits lead by Old Wolf. There are dozens more like this - entertaining, but teaching valuable lessons about justice, happiness, working hard, sharing with those who deserve it, and other concepts that modern pilgrims would describe as [[Prosperity]].

So when, in the wake of the attack of Cold Sun, the bees of [[Karov]] began to go missing, it was a source of obvious alarm. Last year [[Appraisal#Naomi_of_Virtue's_Rest|Naomi of Virtue's Rest]] was commissioned to [[appraisal|appraise]] the [[Outside_the_wall|restoration of Delev]], and gave some consideration to [[Outside_the_wall#The_Bee_Question|the bee question]]. She did not reach a conclusion however, but did uncover disturbing reports that there were also fewer bees being encountered in [[Karov#Wieliczka|Wieliczka]], [[Karov#Kamienczka|Kamienczka]], and [[Karov#Skoremujac|Skoremujac]] as well as in [[Karov#Duzekani|Duzekani]] where the damage from the ''scions'' was greatest. In the months since, the folk of [[Karov#Malimorzi|Malimorzi]] have also reported seeing fewer and fewer bees, and as the Equinox approaches there are reports from [[Volodmartz#Livardz|Livardz]], [[Miekarova#Dupadealuri|Dupadealuri]], and [[Karsk#Kopevnost|Kopevnost]] of hives deserted and a marked dearth of little black-and-yellow fellows industriously visiting the spring flowers. The problem is spreading from Karov to the rest of Varushka.

Naomi was at a loss to explain what was happening, and suggested either a proposal from someone better versed in magic than she, or that the [[Conclave]] speak to an [[eternal]] about the matter. When the Highborn [[Sunrise over Livardz|arrive in Livardz]] to support the appraisal, they quickly learn of the bee-shaped hole in the Varushkan landscape. The National Assembly of that nation has already called out the urgent need to address the disappearance of the "Prosperous helpers" and given it seems that [[Appraisal#Graciana_i_Lòpez_i_Guerra|Graciana i Lòpez i Guerra]] has the matter of Volodmartz in hand, they turn their attention to a different problem. Bees, the lack thereof.

==Too Few Bees==
A few Highborn do look askance at the traditional virtuous animals. The argument of whether a beast can be virtuous or not has reached no firm conclusion. Many of those inclined to help in Varushka, however, take the view that the stories of the darkest nation teach virtue as often as not - they are parables and everyone knows that the bees mentioned in the stories are not ''real'' bees. Yet, at the same time, it's hard to deny that bees are industrious little creatures, tending flowers and creating honey that, in the eyes of the people who know them best, share the product of their hard work with those who in turn look after them, protect them from predators, and ensure their hives are well looked after. Perhaps there is more to the matter than just stories, even stories as inspirational as those Varushkan parents and grandparents tell their children?

It is when talking to some of those who know bees - real bees - best that a new picture starts to emerge. Since the disappearance of the bees began to spread, there has been a barely perceptible fall in the health of plants across Volodmartz. It's still subtle at the moment, but it is slowly getting worse. [[Herb garden|Herb gardens]] in particular have been experiencing a decline. The plants still grow, but each successive generation is a little less potent than the one before. It is also effecting [[farm|farms]] and [[forest|forests]], which a few economically minded Varushkans and Highborn predict may start to impact [[business|businesses]] that rely on such things if the problem continues.

There's no doubt among the Varushkans as to what is to blame - the problem started when Cold Sun invaded. While it is the goose and the spider that are more commonly associated with [[Vigilance]], there's evidence that bees are quite sensitive to danger especially anything related to shifts in the flow of mana through a territory. When the forces of Oblivion attacked, the bees fled or hid just as their human neighbours were doing in the face of the scions. Perhaps bees are [[Wisdom|Wise]] as well, muses one Highborn with an interest in botany. Regardless it seems clear that a quiet catastrophe is unfolding in Varushka, the extent of which has so far gone unmarked.

While not every Highborn thinks ascribing virtue to animals is a good thing, they are resolute in the belief that ''virtue is contagious''. Varushkans see bees as a symbol of prosperity, and symbols help shape peoples' approach to virtue. Restoring the bees to Karov - and hopefully stemming their decline in neighbouring territories - feels at least as important as dealing with the [[curse|curses]] left behind in the wake of Cold Sun's invasion. It might also be a good idea to look at the other places Cold Sun invaded, places where bees are less central in the minds of the citizens, and see if they are suffering a similar decline.

It is also worth noting that Highguard - especially the folk of Reikos - are not strangers to the idea of tending bees. While honey doesn't have the same prominent place in Highguard culture as it does in Varushka, it is by no means an unknown art. The Gardens of High Chalcis have several large bee hives that help tend the herbs there, and it is common for a chapter to collect honey from smaller hives on their grounds. Those who have experience with bees have much to talk about here in Varushka, when it comes to the art and science of working with bees and honey, and it is some of those beewise Highborn who know the stories of Kvetmir of the Bees who first make contact with the priests of Zoloto.

==Kvetmir of the Bees==
*
In northern Skoremujac, in the vale of Zoloto, lives a religious community dedicated to the inspiration of the [[Paragons and exemplars#exemplar|exemplar]] ''Kvetmir Kvetmirovic''. [[Recognition|Recognised]] by the Synod in the early reign of [[Empress Varkula]], Kvetmir Kvemirovic predates the Empire by at least two centuries. Their stories are not widely known - they are by no means [[Paragons_and_exemplars#Renowned_Exemplars|renowned]] - but the people of Zoloto keep their memory alive. Kvetmir is credited with revolutionising beekeeping and honey gathering during his life, and encouraging the keeping of bees as a way to ensure the health of a community beyond access to honey. He collected the "Golden Book" - a collection of folk stories about bees - copies of which can be found all over the Empire to this day although few realise it is the work of an exemplar. A practiced [[Surgical skills#Apothecary|apothecary]], he helped cultivate the use of honey in medicine to treat infection and burns. Even there he took the opportunity to inspire. He spoke in his letters about how hard he found the study of apothecary, being easily distracted and more inclined to spend his time watching bees than practicing his lessons. Hard work, he said, did not just mean hard labour. Any difficult task would bring rewards, and they would be all the sweeter the more arduous it was to achieve them.

He is also associated with two miracles. While travelling to a wedding, Kvetmir made a point of leaving little bowls of sugar water out for the bees each time his travelling party rested. When brigands sought to rob and murder the wedding party, the local bees protected Kvetmir and his family and blinded their assailants. When the "Bee Shepherd" was dying, all the bees in the surrounding area left their hives and came to the room where he lay. The story claims they came in such force they broke down the shutters, and covered him, keeping him warm in his final hour with their bodies quelling the chills that wracked him despite the physicks best efforts, allowing him to pass peacefully. Descendants of those same bees, by all accounts, continued to live in Zoloto up until the present day, and their honey (and the spirits distilled from it) built the vale into a prosperous and comfortable place to live.

Now, their bees too are departing. They invite Highborn to visit them to share what they know of bees, and working together a possible solution is discovered. The bees, say the bee tenders of Zoloto, are frightened. They have fled into the deep wilderness, and many of them have entered a state of torpor - similar to the way they cluster together in the Winter to keep one another warm. They need to be reassured that the danger has passed, and that their human allies will protect them if it returns. The inspiration of Kvetmir speaks not only of the rewards of hard work, but also of the need for those whose livelihood depends on living things - bees or trees or crops - to treat their plants and creatures with respect just as they would a labourer on their farm or a worker in their shop.

==Regal Beehives==
The beehives of Zoloto are large, beautiful, intricate structures of weirwood. They stand amidst fields of [[marrowort]], [[true vervain]], and [[imperial roseweald]] that the beekeepers tend with as much attention to detail as they do their bees. Every Solstice and Equinox, even in Winter, the people of the vale come together for a celebration honouring the hard work of their black-and-yellow labourers. Songs are sung, shallow bowls of sweet water laid out, and stories of the exemplar Kvetmir are told.

In the interests of bringing the bees back, the folk of Zoloto are more than happy to work with the Highborn to share their techniques for handling frightened bees, and also to share the plans for their hives. This represents a two-pronged attack on the problem. The first will need liao, and quite a bit of it. The second will need a commission, to build "regal beehives" to encourage the missing bees to return.

===Ceremonies of Prosperity===
With the priests of Zoloto, and after some discussion with wise ones and storytellers, it is determined that the [[wayfarer|wayfarers]] and [[grey pilgrim|gray pilgrims]] of Highguard will work with their Varushkan kin to propagate the ceremonies used by the community of Kvetmir Kvetmirovic through Karov and the neighbouring territories. These simply ceremonies involve songs about bees and hard work which are easy enough to record, but are used in conjunction with the [[Auras_of_Prosperity#Neither_Beg_Nor_Fear|consecration of Prosperity]], and the [[Auras_of_Prosperity#Hallowing_of_the_Grateful_Debtor|Hallowing of the Grateful Debtor]]. A [[mandate]] has been prepared to assist in this.

{{Mandate|mandate=The prosperity of our Varushkan kin is threatened by the harm done to the bees of Karov. With hard work, we can help them quell the fear that has overtaken their bees, and with the inspiration of Kvetmir Kvetmirovic renew trust between that symbol of Prosperity and the people of the vales. We send (named priest) with 50 doses of liao to spread auras of Prosperity, and to support the work of the vale of Zoloto to right what the Cold Sun has unbalanced.|assembly=Highborn National Assembly}}

If this mandate is passed, it will help spread the inspiration of Kvetmir Kvetmirovic, and the expertise of the beekeepers of Zoloto. This will prevent the situation with bees in Varushka getting worse, and will slowly encourage bees to take residence in their hives again. It will take at least a year, and bee populations are unlikely to recover completely, but it will ensure there is no measurable impact on the prosperity of southern Varushka, and no lasting damage to the Prosperity of herb gardens, farms, forests, or businesses.

===Regal Hives===
<div {{Float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Regal Hive'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' [[Great work]] </td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Malimorzi, Karov</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 60 weirwood, 240 crowns in labour</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' six months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Reverses the loss of bees in Varushka, restoring prosperity
* Provides a level of investment in herb gardens in the territory granting 1 dose each of true vervain, marrowort, and imperial roseweald to each garden
* Provides a boost to the Gradens of High Chalcis for a year granting 1 dose each of true vervain, marrowort, and imperial roseweald to each garden
* Allows similar regal hives to be built in other Varushkan territories </td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the end of the Winter Solstic 388YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''Regal hives could be built in Malimorzi in Karov to reverse the harms done to the bees of Karov'''
The beehives of Zoloto are truly impressive examples of the bee tenders arts which the vale folk claim were first built by exemplar Kvetmir himself. Hut sized structures of weirwood, surrounded by plentiful herb gardens and wild flowers alike, they house truly exceptional swarms of bees and produce some of the finest honey in Karov if not Varushka. These "regal beehives" are spoken of as being "fit for a Queen or an Empress" and they are even sometimes referred to as "Varkula's little palaces" in reference to the still-beloved [[Empress Varkula]].

After a great deal of discussion and theory, Highborn and Varushkan alike come to the conclusion that the best place to build a set of truly regal beehives would be [[Karov#Malimorzi|Malimorzi]]. Given that the problem of the bees is spreading into the neighbouring territories, this would represent a reasonably central spot from which to propagate the designs and encourage the bees that the danger has passed. Beekeepers could visit the site, as well as the vale of Zoloto, to share and discuss their techniques and learn from one another. The regal beehives would not only address the fear of the bees, but would reverse the trend. They would represent a level of investment in [[herb garden|herb gardens]] throughout the territory, as healthy bees industriously tend to flowering herbs and produce valuable honey. This level of investment would give every herb garden in Karov an additional dose each of marrowort, imperial roseweald, and true vervain each season.

There is nothing to prevent similar beehives being built in other Varushkan territories. While they wouldn't help stem the loss of bees - it is Karov where the problem originated after all - they would likewise cultivate large, healthy hives to help support the prosperity of the nation. Assuming there was no other great work benefiting herb gardens in the territory, they would have the same effect - additional herbs - for each herb garden.

Finally, once the regal beehives in Karov are completed, the Varushkan beekeepers suggest that in recognition of their hard work the bee tenders would come to Reikos and help propagate their knowledge. For a year following the completion of the regal beehives in Karov, the Gardens of High Chalcis would provide an additional dose of marrowort, true vervain, and imperial roseweald to every herb garden in Reikos.

==Letting the Bees Go==
* '''If the situation continues to decline it will impact the prosperity of Karov and eventually the whole of Varushka
* '''There are still opportunities to find other ways to reverse the disappearance of the bees
Right now, the dearth of bees is a matter for concern but only that. If the tide of bees deserting Varushka is not stemmed, however, the effects will begin to be felt more keenly. If nothing is done by the end of the Winter Solstice 388YE, then by next spring every herb garden and farm in Karov will have a -1 penalty to its production. By the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE, this penalty will have spread to forests and businesses in the territory as well. It's hard to say for certain at this stage, but events in neighbouring territories suggest that if the trend is not reversed it might spread disaster for the prosperity of the whole of Varushka.

Obviously, while the Highborn have worked with the Varushkans of Karov to address the situation through the lens of virtue, the proposals made by Naomi in the '''[[Outside_the_wall#The_Bee_Question|Outside the wall]]''' wind of fortune are still available. While its not clear that a new appraisal will achieve much beyond confirming that the Zoloto/Chalcis proposal will work, it could look at the root cause of the problem (the sunburned status of Duzekani). There are also several eternals that might be able to help. But the fact remains that time is running out. It's running out ''slowly''... but it is still running out.

==Kvetmir Kvetmirovic==
*
The exemplar who inspires the people of Zoloto, and whose influence is felt by beetenders across Varushka and beyond whether they know it or not, has mostly been forgotten. Since their recognition two centuries or more ago, they have mostly faded from memory. The folk of Zoloto offer their support to resolving the bee situation without demanding a price. Yet they are also clear that they would very much appreciate it if the inspiration of Kvetmir Kvetmirovic were to be renewed and they believe the people of Highguard, and their own National Assembly, could both support this ambition. They would like to see an [[inspirational location]] built in Karov to serve as a place of pilgrimage not only for Imperial beetenders, but for the Prosperous of the Empire who wish to learn of their quiet patron. They believe the lessons of industriousness, of treating your workplace and workers with respect and sharing the benefits of everyone's labour, are just as relevant today as they have always been.

A [[writ of consecration]] would allow the hives in the vale of Zoloto, or the regal hives they propose for Malimortz, to become such a place. It would require a dose of [[liao#True Liao|true liao]] of course, and the approval of the [[prosperity]] assembly. They cannot, obviously, predict what the effect would be but they point to the powerful symbolism of bees and Prosperity in Varushka, to the role of honey in medicine, and to the stories that Kvetmir Kvetmirovic cultivated the rare [[realmsroot]] alongside the more traditional herbs with he help of his bees. A writ of consecration would determine if any of these opportunities might be realised.

There is a note of caution among the Highborn however, at least some of the more cynical. The Synod has recently been "burned" by a pre-Imperial Varushkan inspiration. Before anyone starts proposing a writ of consecration, it might be best if the [[Minister of Historical Research]] or even better the [[Lepidean Librarian]] looked into the life and times, and the inspiration, of Kvetmir Kvetmirovic. It would not do to create a place of pilgrimage, an inspirational location, and only ''then'' discover that the storied Kvetmir ''also'' urged people to enact [[Malign_spiritual_presences#Vengeance|merciless retribution]] against people who put their honey on their scones in the wrong way, for example.

<box>'''<big>Bees in the real world</big>'''<br>Bees are pretty remarkable creatures, who've lived alongside humans for a very long time indeed. This plotline mirrors real world concerns about bees, and while that was mostly a coincidence based around the symbolism of bees in Varushka, there ''are'' real world concerns about falling bee populations. A fantasy live-roleplaying game isn't the best place to discuss a real world crisis, but if you are interested in learning more then this page [https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/our-tips-how-bee-friendly from the World Wildlife Federation] and this piece from Kew Gardens about [https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/keep-uk-bees-happy keeping UK bees happy] that might be of interest.</box>
[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Spring]]

Old blue banners dancing

2026-06-09T13:41:25Z

Noserenda: /* Objective: Recover the Ullsmere Rock */

[[Category:Recent History]] [[Category:388YE Spring]] [[Category:Military Council]]
<div style="float:left; width: 40%; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Blue Banners Dancing.jpg|caption=The beaters knock their bows; their arrows see no difference between bandit scoundrel and barbarian warrior.|align=left|width=6000}}</div>
==Dreams Come==
{{audio|link=https://youtu.be/MPFY9RvFDo0?si=Ly8F24AoqI7Emv16}}
Bregasland is a peculiar place, even those who live there rarely deny it. As the seasons turn, and the new year begins, there is a sense of disquiet uncoiling in the muddy waters. Bregas folk and Imperial soldiers alike speak of haunted sleep, of visions of something massive rising over the swamps. Sometimes it is a sky-scraping grey stone tower, topped with crenulations and pitted with arrow-slits, that leaves sleepers with a sense of being watched. Sometimes it is an actual mountain, mighty and snow topped, that looms over their dreams and brings with it a sense of insufferable ''weight'' that leaves sleepers exhausted when they wake. Sometimes it is a titanic tree, its branches stretching from horizon to horizon, great and green and immovable which leaves behind a lingering sense of strength and vitality in those who dream of it.
<div style="float:right; width: 350px; clear: right;"><quote by="Ashborn Vana, General of the Autumn Hammers">Hammers, we are needed far from here in the Marches. We return to Bregasland to defend them and push the Jotun out. Our wagons may not have the speed needed to reach Graven March alone but we will NOT be alone, we call upon the contracts with the City of Gold and Lead, to speed our way in a forced march. Let the marches hear us coming, sing our warchants, bolster their hearts with our loyalty we are returning to them.</quote>
<quote by="Aracelis I Erigo, General of the Burning Falcon">Where the Burning Falcons blaze the passion of the Empire follows. We meet the fire of the Marches, Amberlain in her oath sworn territory. We hit the Jotun with banners raised bold and Prideful. The waters of Bregasland could not stain our Freeborn colour last time and they never will as we stand with the Empire.</quote>
<quote by="Velasco i Guerra, General of the Fire of the South">Xenia was a flame of the Coast and in their light we shall burn bright. We will turn our tempest south. In Loyalty to the March. Prepare well and be fleet of foot. War is calling. Forward the Fire. For the souls of the lost. Summer comes with us.</quote>
<quote by="Fitzwilliam Thorn, General of the Bounders">Jacks of the Bounders. We have work to do this season. First I must recognise and thank Mary Birchsmith who not only steered the bounders through hard times but was also and still is my friend. This season we steady conquest into Gravenmarch, rushes and the Ottermire. We will take back what they took from us and make them realise the error in going into our land once again.</quote>
<quote by="Amberlain P. Black, General of the Strong Reeds">Reeds. Last season we rose from the Reeds and bloodied the noses of those Jotun dogs, and though many of us bled that day, they bled harder. No time to stop now though, friends, for our gardens are still full of pests. We will commit to a Grinding Advance forward with our allies to chase the pests from our land.</quote>
<quote by="Determination of Ice Kaisa, General of the Narwhal’s Spear">My Precious Soldiers, it is time for us to be both an example to the armies beside us, and in front. We agreed to a code of war, of honour and Heroism, one we will show how to fight with Virtue. The Strong Reeds stayed loyal to Bregasland and due to their cunning tactics, the Jotun grew restless. The Jotun then came with Stephen of Sarcombe, letting slaughter follow in their wake. Let the Ambitious and Courageous heroes we create here be the foundation of the talks due in the newly built meeting place.</quote></div>
Some are more disturbed by these dreams than others, anxious for what they might portend. Many who rise from their blankets beneath the sullen sky of Bregasland never experience them at all. At first the dreams seem scattered, but as the season progresses they become more common and more pronounced. From chance engagements it seems that it is not just Bregas and Imperial soldiers who are experiencing then, but their foes as well.

But at the end of the day, dreams are only dreams and cannot truly hurt you. Whatever happens in dreams is between your right eye and your left, as some Marchers put it. There is war in Bregasland, and weighed against that threat, what purchase can strange dreams find?

==The Ebb and Flow==
The Empire continues to fight in Gravenmarch, building on their successes last season. They press the advantage, but the Jotun will not give ground. They stand as immovable as stone against Imperial assault, matching blade with shield, and arrow with armour. The two sides, it seems, are evenly matched.
There is a burst of concern early on when Imperial scouts bring news of fifty thousand Jotun streaming back over Odd’s Way from Mitwold, but the new arrivals are here to replace, not reinforce. The Howling Night, the Iron Host, the Shield of the Mountain, and the Southern Bear remain behind to defend Bregasland; all the other Jotun depart the Fenlands as if pursued by the hellish hounds of the Winter realm.

The four armies out of Mitwold are joined by a fifth a week or so later - the Bear Who Swims comes out of the west in the wake of the departing armies and adds its strength to those already in place. The Bounders and the Strong Reeds push to take advantage of this chaos, but the Jotun leave few cracks in their defences for the Marcher soldiers to exploit. By the time reinforcements arrive, the Jotun are once again arrayed to face Imperial efforts to reclaim Bregasland.
==Things Change==
As the Jotun reorganise their strength, so too do the Empire. The Strong Reeds remain in Gravenmarch, of course, rallying the Bregas folk to resist the Jotun. The Bounders stay with them, adding bow and soft-footed beater to the ‘Reeds strength. The [[Bloodcloaks]] fall back to Hahnmark, while the [[Drakes]] answer the call of their people in Mitwold, swift to face the unexpected invasion of the home they are sworn to defend. Alone, the two remaining Marcher armies would likely be crushed by the Jotun - but they are not without reinforcements of their own.

As the Jotun armies race north, so the armies that until recently had been attacking in [[Skallahn]] move south. The Narwhal’s Spear are at the forefront, [[Army_qualities#Quick-Witted|seeking their foe]] in the marshes of the south, With them are the [[orc|orcs]] of the [[Autumn Hammers]], the [[Imperial Orcs|Unshackled]] drawing on their magical [[Army_qualities#Contracted|contracts]] with the [[Lictors]] to smooth their journey and let them keep pace with the fast-moving hunters of the ‘Spear. Only a short distance behind them, two [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] armies [[Army qualities#Fast|forced march]] half the length of the western Empire to battle. The [[Fire of the South]] burns brightly, but it cannot match the excitement of the [[Burning Falcon]], whose passionate intensity is all the greater for having been denied a ''true'' battle in Skallahn last season. Their fire is matched and reflected back by the [[Knights of Glory]] that march with them - ''Lady Moriamis'', golden-eyed warrior-poet, leads her cohort of warsingers, voices raised and drums pounding to inspire their allies to even greater acts of courage and audacity.

Six Imperial armies in Bregasland then, matched against five Jotun. Battling for Gravenmarch, beneath the silent gaze of the Graven rock.
==In the Shadow of the Grey Rock==
The two sides are well matched, at least at first. There are knights of the [[Realms#Summer|Summer realm]] fighting with the Southern Bear, whose fiery mien matches the intensity of the battle-musicians of Lady Moriamis. The raven-banner of ''Helma Skutasdóttir'' still flies in Ottery, her warband returning to their task of rooting out rebels among the Bregas. The standards of the Howling Bears are raised alongside the austere flags of Yantan Tethrason of Reinos - the former Lasambrian goatherd and their followers have acquitted themselves well during the invasion of Mitwold it seems. The three warbands have stayed in the south, while the rest accompany the Jotun forces racing west to [[Hordalant]].

The battle lines do not shift much, at least at first. The Empire pushes, but the Jotun hold. They clearly trust the Lasambrian forces in Mitwold to secure the eastern border of the Dour Fen, allowing them to bring most of their force to bear in the south. Not all of it though - they must maintain their presence in the rest of the marsh, must stand ready to deal with rebellious Bregas inspired by the presence of the Strong Reeds. It is not easy to fight back against the strength of the western orcs, with their boot on the necks of the yeofolk, but the Bregas endure.

A step back, a step forward. The Jotun aren’t pressing the Empire, content this season as the last to hold what they have taken, to keep them contained in Gravenmarch. The Shield of the Mountain take the lead here, ensuring that even if the Empire manage to gain any new ground they will [[Army_qualities#Hard_Bitten|pay for it]] in blood. Yet the Empire came to this battle knowing there would be a butcher’s bill to meet if they wanted to unseat the Jotun. The Strong Reeds lead the Imperial advance, grinding forward, crushing the barbarians who try to stand against them.

The fighting rages, in the shadow of Graven Rock and step by step the Jotun are forced to cede ground. But the cost! Thousands of Imperial soldiers fall to the Jotun; thousands of barbarians fall to the Empire. The Marchers maintain that Gravenmarch is the only dry land in the marshes, but this season the soil here is sodden with blood. Thirsty soil is good soil, say the Marchers. But soil ''this'' thirsty?
<fourpicture>
{{CaptionedImage|file=Amberlain7869.jpg||caption='''Amberlain P. Black''', General of the Strong Reeds|align=left|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Aracelis4339.jpg|caption='''Aracelis i Erigo''', General of the Burning Falcon|align=left|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=General Xenia.png|caption='''Xenia i Erigo''', former General of the Fire of the South|align=left|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=General Determination.png|caption='''Determination of Ice Kaisa''', General of the Narwhal's Spear|align=left|width=200}}
</fourpicture>

==The Mountain Rings==
The Jotun must know they are losing in Gravenmarch. A month before the Spring Equinox they have been pushed back to the edge of the Rushes. The western orcs do not relish fighting in the marshes, but they do not let their distaste weaken their resolve. With Graven Rock behind them, the Strong Reeds at the fore, the Bounders to their left and the Narwhal’s Spear at their right hand, the Imperial armies press one more time into the Rushes.

As they come, a roar goes up from the Jotun. ''"Ulvenwar!"'' they cry, and ''"Majastind!"'' and ''"Treefeller!"'' Some of the orcs, Autumn Hammers and Marcher orcs alike falter, as if a great weight has fallen on them, then rise filled with some inner strength. The coarse fur of the bear pelt at their shoulder, the tight bone helm of a beast’s head at their temples. Then the roar becomes louder and it is clear that it is not just coming from the Jotun. It is coming from all around, the thunder of stone on stone, coupled with the impossible drumbeat of the living earth itself.

Graven Rock is singing.

The noise goes on and on, rising in volume as the two armies clash. For some it is deafening, bringing with it a sense that the enemy cannot be defeated, that this challenge cannot be met. For others it is empowering, full of the assurance that the only way to lose is to give in to the fear of what lies ahead. The roar of Graven Rock echoes back and forth across the battlefield, ringing, ringing like a massive bell of stone. Sometimes, when one catches a glimpse of the rock out of the corner of an eye, it has become an immensity, a pinnacle of grey stone reaching so much higher than the usual fifty or so metres. Other times it resembles that odd dreamt-of tower.
The roar fades as suddenly as it arose, but the sensations it evoked linger as the battle rages on. The campaign so far has been bloody, but it is nothing to the battle here on the margins of the marsh, on the edge of the great fens of Bregas. Two implacable forces matched against each other, in the end it is the Empire that overcomes the obstacle presented to them by their foes. It is Imperial soldiers that push the Jotun back, force them to cede the field, force them to retreat north toward Sallow.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Fitzwilliam Thorn.jpg|caption='''Fitzwilliam Thorn''', General of the Bounders|align=right|width=350}}
They do not retreat far; but does it matter? Gravenmarch is Imperial. The Rushes are next, with the Empire ready to press on after the retreating orcs to show them the folly of trying to claim Bregasland from its people, from the Strong Reeds.

The battle, though, has raged for the entire day and night is falling. Horns and drums sound, warbands and cohorts regrouping, the situation being assessed. Soldiers turning to each other and asking what that noise was, what it portended. And that’s when the other unlooked for miracle - if miracle it is - occurs.
==The Forest Endures==
That final battle on the boundary of the Rushes has been the bloodiest of the entire campaign. Easily as many soldiers on both sides fell, as have fallen in the whole time since the Winter equinox. Perhaps three thousand in total, human and orc alike, lying on the thirsty earth or in bloody pools, pressed into the earth as if in a final embrace. It is dark, and there are more pressing issues than recovering the dead – there will be time tomorrow to count the cost and begin the mourning, even as others prepare to pursue the defeated yet unbowed Jotun.

As the sun falls beneath the mountains, the sky is clear above. The stars stare down, silently, on the butchers field. And as the stars come out there is a noise like… how to describe it. Like a cobweb being plucked? Like the hand of the wind caressing the reeds? Like the earth wakening from its slumber and sighing in delight at the touch of the sun? And beneath it a thrumming sound, the beat of a drum, quieter and more measured than the roar of Graven Rock. The sound of plants, growing. Trees, rising from the ground, undergoing years of growth in the space of an hour.

At first it is only a handful, but as [[the Oak]] rises in the sky, more and more trees push out of the soil. Oak and yew, ash and willow, along the border where the battle has raged. It soon becomes clear that these trees are not growing at random. Each grows from the place where a warrior has fallen - both barbarian and Imperial. Those bodies that have not been collected - the great majority of them at that - are lost to the earth as the trees grow. Pulled or pushed down into the soil as the roots dig down and the branches spread wide.

By midnight, a silent woodland covers the battlefield, here in the shadow of Graven Rock. By sunrise, the trees have spread further, new growth leaping from the graves of the fallen and out along the border between Graven March and the Rushes. As the first rays of the morning sun touch the first tree, the supernatural growth ends. A small forest now lies in western Gravenmarch, the oldest trees looking for all the world as if they have stood there for decades.
Some welcome this strange miracle, but the landskeepers who are present are less sanguine. They cast dark eyes towards the heavens, muttering about the Mountain and the Oak, about the sheer unnaturalness of these events and what they may hold for the future. Some cast an equally baleful eye to the south-east, toward [[Casinea]] and [[Anvil]], as they mutter among themselves.

But for most, this is a strange thing indeed, but not unprecedented in a world of magic, where the stars can touch the earth. There will be time to wonder at the trees when no Bregas labours under the Jotun yoke. And for the Marchers at least, the trees are fitting tribute to the dead - even if their allies from other Imperial nations might not agree…
<gallery heights=200 mode="packed">
File:AutumnHammers colour.png|link=387YE_Winter_Solstice_Military_Council_orders#Autumn Hammers
File:Bounders_Colour.png|link=387YE_Winter_Solstice_Military_Council_orders#Bounders
File:BurningFalcon_Colour.png|link=387YE_Winter_Solstice_Military_Council_orders#Burning Falcon
File:TheFireoftheSouth_Colour.png|link=387YE_Winter_Solstice_Military_Council_orders#Fire of the South
File:Narwhal's Spear.webp|link=387YE_Winter_Solstice_Military_Council_orders#Narwhal's Spear
File:StrongReeds_Colour.png|link=387YE_Winter_Solstice_Military_Council_orders#Strong Reeds
</gallery>

<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=RegionsofBregasland.png|align=right|width=300}}</div>
==Game Information==
* '''The Empire has liberated Gravenmarch and made some headway into the Rushes'''
* '''Unexpected magic has touched the battlefield on the edge of the Rushes'''
The Empire has liberated Gravenmarch, giving them a beachhead in the territory at last. The price has been high - almost three thousand soldiers have died to drive the Jotun out. The barbarians for their part have paid a lower price, given their strong defensive strategy, but they have lost at least two thousand of their own people.

There is now a woodland on the edge of the Rushes, raised in a single night by unexpected magic that does not seem to have been the result of a ritual enchantment. At the same time, there are strange resonances running through Graven Rock which the landskeepers suspect may be connected to the sudden forest. They’re confident that [[Eye of the High Places]] will discover more information, and are concerned about what these changes might portend.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=EleonarisArt.jpg|caption=Regal, noble, and terrible in anger; Eleonaris is the Lion of Summer and her soldiers bear many of her traits.|align=right|width=300}}</div>

==Participation : Fire of the South==
* '''The Fire of the South cannot take the cautious advance or give ground orders for the next year'''
* '''Any character whose military unit fought alongside the Fire of the South may be inspired by the Knights of Glory'''
The Fire of the South last fought alongside the Knights of Glory in [[Sarangrave]] during the Summer. As [[Even_darkness_must_pass#Sarangrave|mentioned then]], the use of Knights of Glory is having an unexpected effect on the armies relying on it. The Fire of the South cannot take the [[Army orders#Cautious Advance|Cautious Advance]] or [[Army orders#Give Ground|Give Ground]] orders until a year has passed - and with their use of the [[enchantment]] this season that clock has been reset.

On the other hand, ''Lady Moriamis'' and her warsingers take every opportunity to inspire the passionate soldiers of the Fire of the South, especially the [[kohan]]. A character whose military unit supported this army may choose to have been impacted by the experience of battling in close proximity to the glorious heralds of [[Eleonaris]].
* If you possess the [[heroic skills#hero|hero]] skill, you receive a bonus hero point during the Spring Equinox. This bonus increases their maximum number of hero points for the duration of the summit.
* If you do not have the hero skill, you receive a single temporary hero point which is lost once it is used. It will have faded entirely by the end of the Spring Equinox regardless.

Anyone who chooses to gain this benefit also experiences a roleplaying effect that lasts until the end of the Spring Equinox: ''You feel a strong urge to attempt great deeds that invite attention You take particular pleasure in approval and adulation, being overlooked or dismissed may cause you to lose your temper. If you enter battle you feel driven to prove your worth and show everyone your strength.''

==Battle Opportunity: A Broken Rock==
Campaigning in [[Bregasland]] has been focused in the east of the territory this season. After heavy fighting the Imperial armies have liberated Graven March and pushed the [[Jotun]] back, but the fate of the territory still hangs in the balance. The Empire have yet to reach the vast fenland expanses of the Grey Fens where the orcs patrol the dispersed settlements, ensuring those who labour are kept in line, and keeping a watch out for signs of infiltration by the [[Strong Reeds]].

On the edge of Drayham Mere is the found the Ullsmere Rock. A huge dolman, it has stood unmarked and unremarked for as long as anyone can remember. According to local legend it was erected centuries ago by visiting friars to ward the settlement from restless spirits. It clearly works well because there have never been any ghosts in the area that anyone can ever recall. As a result, sensible folk just leave the Rock be.

To date the Jotun had paid the Rock no more attention than the Bregas ever did, but that seems to have suddenly changed. Sunne Astar, a [[Elite_Jotun_characters#Ghodi|ghodi]] with a quixotic reputation, has gathered warriors from the Howling Night army and ordered them to drag the enormous stone all the way back to [[Hordalant#Vallorberg|Vallorberg]] in [[Hordalant|Hordalant]]. The ghodi claims the stone is a relic of [[Elite_Jotun_troops#Ulvenwar|Ulven]], and that the orc hero ''hurled'' it at a troll to kill the monster without being close enough to touch it.

Astar intends to take the stone back to Hordalant and place it in the Howling Night Kirkja sacred to Ulven in the belief that its power will inspire the army to new heights. It doesn't matter how unlikely any of Aster's story is, if the Jotun believe it, then there is good reason to think it might work. As if that weren't bad enough, it seems at least one legend about the Ullsmere Rock is true. Moving it, has broken the warding and restless shades, dubbed Grey Walkers by terrified locals, are already rising from the murky waters.

The civil service prognosticators have identified a conjunction of the Sentinel Gate that offers an opportunity to travel to ''Drayham Mere'' in the Grey Fens and put a stop to this.

===Objective: Recover the Ullsmere Rock===
<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; max-width: 500px;"><quote by="Sunne Astar, The Ears of Ulven">There in the deathly waters will we find it. The Rock of Ulvenwar, the great pillar of stone which mighty Ulven threw at the Doomed One to strike them down. Fear nor the waters of the marsh, nor the grey spirits that lie beneath them for she is with us. She commands us to claim the Ulven Rock and bear it to the kirkja that we might receive her blessings.</quote></div>

* '''Ghodi Aster has sent the Howling Night warriors to steal the Ullsmere Rock'''
* '''With the warding broken, shades are rising from the marshes'''
* '''Killing ghodi Aster will prevent the Howling Night army improving their quality'''
* '''Restoring the stone to its rightful location will curtail the haunting'''
* '''Grey Fens will gain the [[Region_qualities#Haunted|haunted]] quality if the stone is not restored'''

Sunne Astar, a ghodi who hears the voice of Ulven, has led a host of warriors to this remote village in the Grey Fens in search of the Ullsmere Rock. Astar believes the Rock was once a weapon, a relic of Ulven. They plan to drag it all the way back to Vallorborg in Hordalant. If the ghodi places the Rock in the kirkja to Ulven in Vallorborg then he will be able to improve the fighting spirit of the Howling Night army.

The Jotun have succeeded in pulling the stone out of the ground and have begun to drag it away from the area on a rudimentary sled. The Ullsmere Rock, is a massive block of hewn rock that is not possible to be moved without concerted effort. If the ghodi Sunne Aster is slain then it will put an end to the plan to upgrade the quality of the Howling Night army. If the Jotun are killed, or driven off, then citizens can return it to where it was originally placed. The sled is essential to shift the weighty cargo, and even then it will take six unarmed individuals to move it slowly back into position. Should one of those labouring on the sled be struck down or unable to contribute, then the party will have to wait until a full six are able to work together on the task.

Dragging the Rock back where it belong is half the battle. Once there, Marchers can use rough music to drive off the shades and restore the hearth magics that allow the Rock to ward the marshes. If the ''Ullsmere Rock'' is restored then the Grey Walkers will sink back into the waters of the Fens - if the stone is not returned then the dead will spread out across the bleak landscape and the Grey Fens will become [[Region_qualities#haunted|haunted]].

===Battle opportunity: Open relations with House Brawness===
* '''Friar Bloughton came her to try to tackle the shades but has been capture by the Jotun'''
* '''Rescuing the friar offers a chance to extend an olive branch to House Brawness'''
* '''If that happens, the nation could invite the household to come to Anvil to see if they can bury the hatchet'''

Friar Bloughton tends to the spiritual needs of House Brawness. He came to Drayham Mere to do what he could to exorcise the shades but was quickly captured by the Jotun. House Brawness were among Mathilda Fisher's closest supporters nearly five years ago and suffered at the hands of the magistrates as a result. Since then they have kept to their farm, avoiding trouble but there is still considerable resentment and the stench of rebellion still [[Bregasland#Rebellious|pools in the dank air of the North Fens]].

Rebellious or not, he's still a Marcher and he was still here helping when the Jotun took him. If the Friar can be rescued, it might be possible to convince him to get the rest of his household to talk to the nation. It won't be easy - his family have felt the heavy hand of [[Imperial law]] - but if he is brought back to Anvil and reasoned with, then he might amenable to opening discussions with the remains of his house. If that happens House Brawness will send representatives to Anvil at the Summer Solstice creating an opening to resolve the Rebellious spirit once and for all. Of course that assumes that the Marchers in Anvil are even remotely minded to treat with the Friar and his household, given their whole-hearted support for Mathilda Fisher.

One element that might help is the House Brawness banner depicting a Roaring Bear. This item was one of a number of items that were confiscated by the magistrates from the Brawness Household when they were tried. The Roaring Bear was an old barbarian banner that proudly hung in the house's hall for generations. It had a questionable aura at the time of the rebellion, but that has long since faded. Simple, of no expert design, and unlikely to ever have held an enchantment, it depicts a great bear roaring at the morning star. The trophy is thought to have been captured around the founding of the Empire as the unified Marcher nation drove back the Jotun from Bregasland, and new lands were claimed for the plough. Not a mighty war banner, but a memento of a house's arrival in a new land and symbol of what the household had won for themselves, Brawness would undoubtedly like it back.

===Objective: Dismiss the Grey Walkers===
* '''Shades are slowly escaping the binding of the Ullsmere Rock'''
* '''Priests can exorcise the shades to prevent them cursing those trespassing on their fields'''

With the toppling of the Rock, the fields and fenland surrounding Drayham are being beset by restless spirits. The shadowy figures, dubbed ''Grey Walkers'' by the locals, have not been seen in centuries. They are clearly Marchers, wearing garb common in the fens hundreds of year ago, and draped in the tatters of funeral bindings. The move slowly and without sound across the fields to seek out any who trespass on what was once their land and drive them forth. Whilst easily dispatched they simply dissipate into thin air, only to coalesce again several minutes and a short distance away. It is within the power of a skilled priest to ascertain the strength of a shade using the [[Insight| insight]] ceremony and to then [[Exorcism|exorcise the apparition]].

Several of the shades are clad for battle and retaining more faculties of their previous existence. These individuals can deliver a potent curse to those nearby that will slowly manifest over time. It is certain that these notable ''Grey Walkers'' will be more difficult to dismiss via exorcism, and may require priests to collaborate, draw on ritual powers, imbibed potions or use magical items to overcome the shades strength of will. The civil service prognosticators have prepared a separate briefing for the High Exorcist, currently Belial De Courtenay-Wyldrose, with more details on the shades, how best to combat them, and how exorcists can remove any curse inflicted by the Grey Walkers on citizens during the battle.

Whatever the grey walkers are, they don't appear to respond the way a ghost might. They don't talk, even when [[Voice for the Dead]] is cast on them. Exorcism appears to be the only way to drive them from this world.

===Battlefield threat: Curse of the Dead Meres===
* '''Several of the Grey Walkers will inflict potent curses on those they approach in battle'''
* '''They will denote this with a call of "[[Calls#CURSE|CURSE]]"'''
* '''If you are struck by a "CURSE" call then seek out a referee ''as you exit the battlefield'''''
* '''The curse will not manifest until you have seen a referee'''

The Grey Walkers surrounding the village of Drayham can inflict a powerful curse on those they strike or draw near to. The curse does not manifest immediately, often taking up to an hour before the effect becomes apparent. Anyone struck by a Grey Walker (using the call CURSE) should speak with a referee ''as they leave the battlefield'' and before exiting the Sentinel Gate. A referee will be stationed at the battlefield exit ready to brief any players that have been struck by the CURSE call.

===Battle participation: The Grey Walkers===
<box>
* '''There is an opportunity to monster as a Grey Walker'''
* '''The Battle Team are asking for up to 20 volunteers to assist in this role'''
* '''The role requires simple Marcher kit and a single one-handed weapon or rod'''
Up to 20 player volunteers can take on the role of a Grey Walker during the battle. You will need to arrive at Monster between 09:30 and 10:00, anyone arriving later will be asked to monster as normal. The role requires the volunteer to have simple Marcher kit, a gambeson or simple shirt is ideal, and to carry a one-handed weapon or rod; armour can be worn, but is not needed at all.
</box>

Other monstrous geographies

2026-06-09T13:24:42Z

Noserenda: /* Nesustak Forest */

[[Category:Recent History]] [[Category:388YE Spring]] [[Category:Military Council]]
<div style="float:left; width: 40%; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Monstrous Geographies.jpg|caption=Even without the Druj miasma there is plenty to fear in Sarangrave. The bottomless lakes and the creatures that dwell in their depths; the marshes and the woods that hide Druj assassins; and the shadow of the past that hangs over the entire wetland.|align=left|width=2000}}</div>
==The End of Winter==
The [[Rivers of Life]] flow through the [[Sarangrave]]. [[Spring magic]] in the clouds, in the streams, the ponds, in the water-bottles of the soldiers. In the Feverwater, in unplumbed depths of the lake of [[Sarangrave#Kroll|Kroll]]. They bring with them the promise of life, of wounds that will swiftly heal. They bring a threat as well - the blood-sucking, stinging insects of the Druj-corrupted wetlands swarm and bite in unprecedented numbers. There is a balance of a kind, though, to this indiscriminate magic. Wounds are less likely to fester in the filthy marshes, at least. Sickness less likely to spread. The rains of life fall on the just and the corrupt, equally.

The Druj have kept their stronghold in the south. The massive [[Sarangrave#Tower of the Skink|Tower of the Skink]] looms over the [[Sarangrave#Thornfen|Thornfen]]. The Marshlizard Clan remains the final sept of the Druj still holding out against Imperial armies. To the south of the titanic castle, the [[Axos|Axou]] of [[Axos#Gates_of_Ipotavo|Ipotavo]] continue their own assault. They batter the massive fortified gate from which the [[orc|orcs]] of [[the Mallum]] sent out their raiders to attack [[Axos#Axou Territories|Kabanja]]. The portal is firmly closed, at least for the moment.

Of the forces engaged with the Druj last season, only the [[Boyar's Hasta]], the [[Summer Storm]], and the [[Lions of Adelmar]] have remained. The [[Granite Pillar]] and the [[Golden Axe]] have pulled back to [[Dawn]], to recover perhaps from the horror of the Sarangrave. The [[Druj miasma]] still hangs heavily over the entire territory, of course, stronger and thicker than anywhere the Empire has encountered it before. It is no surprise that those who fight under such conditions need to fall back, to recover from wounds not just physical but spiritual as well.

In their place come the [[Eastern Sky]], [[Gryphon's Pride]], and [[Citadel Guard]] out of [[Semmerholm]], and the [[Navarr]] of the [[Quiet Step]] from [[Astolat]]. They pass swiftly through [[the Barrens#The Bleaks|the Bleaks]]; the Karass mark their passage silently, their faces unreadable. From there, across the [[Sarangrave#Turan Flats|Turan Flats]] to the wreck of Thornfen.

Last season, the Druj [[Fire_and_the_flood#Jarangir's_Levy|broke Jarangir’s Levy]], unleashing a flood that scattered attackers and defenders alike. The waters have subsided now, for the moment at least, but they have washed away the few roads, as well as wrecking farms and smaller settlements across the northern region. It is in the wake of that flood that the Empire renews its assault against the Tower of the Skink.

==Wall Like A Dam==
The Tower has weathered the joint Imperial and Axou attack so far. Even with their [[Fire_and_the_flood#Shield_of_Our_Ancestors|martial "necromantia"]], the ability of the allies to work together is limited thanks to the massive castle that lies between them. Spectral messengers still flit back and forth through the impassable hills, bearing messages and allowing the separate forces to coordinate, but it is no substitute for actually fighting together. The Empire, likewise, makes use of magic to help the disparate forces [[Clarity of the Master Strategist|adapt their strategies]] to the ever-shifting battlefield, and the wicked cunning of the Druj.
The garrison of the Tower itself is massive, well-equipped with potions and blade venoms, supported by the desperate residents of the fortress and those who fled the town of Sephals to that uncertain sanctuary. Five armies of the Empire move to lay siege to the place.
<div style="float: right; max-width: 40%; width: 600px; margin-left: 10px;">
<quote by="Dame Aurum De Castellan, General of the Eastern Sky">Soldiers of the Eastern Sky, we stand now before the tower of the Skink. Our path is clear: A Glorious charge to bring an end to the taint of the Mallum. We will pay a heavy price but I will be there at your side and I will be the first over the walls and the last out. Fight with courage, gird yourself in pride and look to your loyalty. Glory to Dawn and Glory to the Empire.</quote>
<quote by="Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco, General of the Lions of Adelmar">Our Lions of Adelmar, for nine months we have pushed into the Mallum, stood proud against the venoms of the Druj and had the Courage to not only take on their most vicious cruelties, but to keep pushing and to keep winning. Resolve yourselves, our work amidst the Druj is still at hand. May your Swords turn to claws as you rip and rend the tower's stone. Even in their cruel desperation, let us show them what a lioness can do. May the knights of the Summer realm who join us repeat our tales. Now, hold your Virtues at heart and hand, and let them guide you back into war again.</quote>
<quote by="Stormsteel Skorr, General of the Summer Storm">Legionnaires, last season we did well repelling the Druj from Sanath and the Tower of the Skink. This season we keep pushing to take that tower. Be vigilant, we do not know where we will find Druj In the Swamp. Eyes up and open. We are after the slave masters and true Druj, leave the slaves be. Be careful, keep pushing and use pit fights to keep spirits up. We can do this.</quote>
<quote by="Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was, General of the Citadel Guard">My earliest memory is of the lightstone in my bedroom failing. I thought the Druj were coming for me. My cousin, a few years older than me, had told us stories she'd heard about the Druj. I'd asked my mother about them, and she told me as she thought I could bear. I had to get out of bed, feeling through the dark, and down two flights of stairs to find the light. I thought monsters with poison knives were chasing me the whole way. For years, people - Young and old, human and orc, Urizen and Dawnish and Highborn and sept - have woken up in the night and thought the Druj were coming for them - and been right. The fear they spread is anathema to virtue. There is no place for them in Utopia. We stand halfway up the mountain of their destruction and must only finish the climb. Sentinels. If you would bring light to their darkness. If you would save every child terrified of the night. If you will climb this mountain with me. Consider the Drowned Man.</quote>
<quote by="Neve Agra, General of the Quiet Step">Quiet Step, we advance into the Sarangrave and engage Druj forces. Support allied lines, protect the forest and drive the enemy out. Use the terrain to strike fast and act with ambition. Do whatever it takes to secure victory. Sarangrave must be clear of Druj forces. For us, for Urizen, for the Empire to grow and flourish. Listen for the Whispers of the forest and the trods will guide those who move with purpose. If the wind shifts, heed its warning. If the silence deepens, Prepare. You are Navarr. You are the storm in the leaves, the shadows between the branches and the voice that answers intrusion with fury. Go to the Sarangrave and ensure that when this war is over, the forest still stands and our enemies do not.</quote></div>

The Eastern Sky are in the fore, leading the way for a great host of warbands under the command of Imperial [[military unit|captains, champions, and heroes]]. They are inspired by the [[Army_qualities#Favoured|favour]] of [[Eleonaris]], the [[Summer magic|Summer]] [[enchantment]] flowing through and around them guided by a half dozen courtiers from the demesne of the ''Queen of the Pennants''. Utterly committed to victory, no matter what it might cost, they pay a heavy price for their zeal even with the healing power of the waters this season.

Fortunately these knights of Dawn do not fight alone. The Lions of Adelmar are at their side, their shield raised, ready to [[Army_qualities#Guardian|guard]] their fellows from the barbed arrows and envenomed spears of the Druj. The favour of Eleonaris is with the Lions, as well. Under the command of the stag-headed Ser Helvennan fight a cohort of warriors from the [[Knights of Glory|Fields of Glory]]. Resplendent in gold-and-scarlet chain, the warriors of the Fields of Glory, they inspire all who battle the Druj this season, their wroth waxing greater and greater each time they encounter another sign of the corruption of the Mallum. Love and Glory together, at the heart of the fray, the bright banners of Dawn undimmed by the mud and blood that surround them.

Dawn at the heart then, against a grand stronghold of the Druj (and if there is an echo of [[Cost|that terrible battle]] two years past when the [[Hounds of Glory]] paid their ultimate price, it is spoken of with Pride). The Unshackled and the Urizen move more [[Army orders#Steady Conquest|steadily]], refusing to risk the lives of their soldiers more than necessary. Trapped like this, desperate, the tyrants of the Mallum are at their most cruel. They remain alert to the wiles of the Druj ensuring the stealthy guerrillas of the Sarangrave do not have leave to ravage the baggage trains or the flanks of the Imperial force.

The General of the Citadel Guard has invoked the stars, reminded the sentinels and war-magicians of the lesson of [[the Drowned Shepherd]]; that <i>things end</i>. That the Druj, ultimately will end - and if there are [[astronomancy|astronomancers]] who worry about the invocation of a [[Astronomancy#Constellations|constellation]] in such time they speak only in whispers with their heads close together. The constellation that many still remember was once called the Drowned Man is an omen of ending, and it is dangerous to assume one knows what ''exactly'' is going to end when it is invoked.

Finally, the Navarr of the Quiet Step. They are the storm in the leaves, fighting to ensure that the forest stands but the enemy does not. Where the Lions of Adelmar protect, the Navarr bring death. The cruel barbarity of the Druj is met with [[Army_qualities#Cunning|merciless cunning]], blow for blow. One cannot betray one’s enemies, after all. They exploit the forest and the marshes, not only in the Thornfen but in those other parts of Sarangrave where pockets of Druj assassins gather. A second war, quieter than the grand battle at the Tower of the Skink, is waged in the marshes this season.

The Tower alone would represent a significant threat to all the forces in the Sarangrave this season. Its garrison however is also supplemented by three Druj armies - the corrupt witches of the [[Druj_armies#Tainted Basilisk|Tainted Basilisk]], the desperate guerrillas of the [[Druj_armies#Hidden Snake|Hidden Snake]], and the relentless malice of the [[Druj_armies#Poison Crane|Poison Crane]]. These armies, their septs scattered, have nowhere to go; they <i>must</i> resist the Empire or risk dissolution.

And resist they do.

==The Battle of Sephals==
Sephals is a ramshackle, spreading town. The floodwaters released by the broken levies have not been kind to it. The <i>Path of the Tail</i>, the road that runs down toward town and tower, has been partially washed away. Regardless, that is the route the Empire follows. The Druj, again, launch a [[Army orders#Solid Defence|desperate defence]] of Sephals; they have not entirely finished moving the supplies of rice and grain and smoked meat out of the warehouses into the cellars of the Tower. In the past, the Druj have shown themselves more comfortable striking and withdrawing to attack from a different angle, from stealth, while their enemies are distracted. Here they have no such luxury, they must stand, and fight. The Poison Crane at least is prepared for the reality of being utterly outnumbered and outclassed; the Hidden Snake are experts at using the terrain to their advantage; the garrison of the Tower of the Skink know these streets, these defences, like nobody else. But there is only so much they can do. Perhaps if the Tainted Basilisk had been here to bring their magic to bear? But they are conspicuous by their absence.

The fighting rages across Sephals for two days before the Druj break. Their withdrawal is disorganised, closer to a rout than a retreat. As a final spit in the face, the Poison Crane try to start a fire in one of the abandoned grain stores, packed with flour, knowing it will spread quickly.

But even here the Druj are stymied. It begins to rain, just as the fire begins to spread. A thunderous downpour that not only extinguishes the flames, but restores attackers and defenders alike as the Empire attempts to mop up. The rain, after all, is full of cursed healing magic.

“Even the weather hates the Druj!” The joke spreads quickly, even as tired soldiers deal with their wounds and gather their fallen. It is grim humour, almost Varushkan, and not everyone laughs. The astronomancers of Urizen, the witches of Dawn, the vates of the Quiet Step, the spiritweavers and the oathwrights are less certain. They look to the skies, and the muttering becomes a murmur. Does anyone remember when people started calling the Drowned Man by a different name? Can anyone else feel the magic in the rain, stronger than it has any right to be? Where is this going to end?

This concerns are not dismissed, but what can be done with them? There is a town - a small city really - that must be administered. Several thousand orcs, a few hundred humans. The majority certainly slaves of the Druj but <i>all</i> of them? Even among the Druj, “slave” has different meanings as the [[Ossium#Ketsov|Ketsov]] or the [[Not_to_conquer#Menrothat|Menrothat]] or the [[Not_to_conquer#Karass|Karass]] could tell you. There are surely Druj among these wretched folk, and they introduce all the risk that come with allowing assassins and saboteurs to move around behind ones lines. If the [[Iron Helms]] were here some of them might make an unhelpfully pragmatic suggestion as to how to deal with that problem.

The Axou have been very clear about their plans - once they claim Thornfen they will simply evict every orc living there without exception. For now, the Empire cannot safely simply let them go. A part of the town is set aside for the surviving folk of the Mallum, with Summer Storm soldiers doing their best to maintain order and ensure the Druj that are surely among them do no harm. They can do little to prevent scores being settled, and it is a rare morning that passes without a dead body found floating face down in a pond or an open sewer, arms spread as they drift lazily in the currents.

==The Defence of Nesustak==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Centipede General.png|align=right|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=IrrahHurrah002a.png|align=right|width=240}}
There are folk in Sarangrave who might be able to offer some aid to the Imperial forces in Sephals, but their attention is unfortunately elsewhere. While the bulk of the Druj forces are corralled in Thornfen, the tyrants of the Mallum are always unpredictable. Not long after the Winter Solstice, a significant force made up of Banded Snake sept survivors and members of the Thornwasp clan isolated from Thornfen by [[Sarangrave#Bendol|Bendol]] and Imperial armies, attack the rebels of the [[Sarangrave#Nesustak_Forest|Nesustak Forest]]. Reinforced by supplies smuggled south from the Salt Flats, these counter-insurgents are hell bent of slaughtering as many of the rebels as they can. This is not an unfamiliar strategy by the Druj; they hate those who escape their clutches even more than they hate the Empire. So many times they have sought to make an example of those who throw off their yoke, in [[the Barrens]], in [[Ossium]], even in [[Holberg]]. This assault is no exception. It seems likely that they assume the Empire’s attention will be focused entirely in the south-east, at Thornfen. Their attack is double-pronged like an assassin’s blade. On hastily constructed rafts, surviving members of the Thornwasp paddle across the wide expanse of the Feverwater. The Banded Snake gather in secret in western Turan Flats and cross the river under cover of a moonless night.
<div style="float: right; max-width: 40%; width: 600px; margin-left: 10px;">
<quote by="Ser Guy of the Twisted Rose, General of the Gryphon’s Pride">Soldiers of the Pride! Three years ago, I stood with you as we marched forth through the mud and blood of the Steel Causeway and fell in behind the Hounds of Glory to break a dark and terrible bastion. The Hounds' story ended there, but the tale they began there on the Plains of Teeth finishes its next chapter this Winter. Now, the Tower of the Skink will fall in turn. Another monument to wickedness will be laid low. In seasons to come, the pillars will fall as well. The pall of dread and despair that hangs over this land will fade. But that is not our foremost duty. Not this time. If the Druj strike out we will answer them. But there is only one thing the free peoples of Sarangrave have asked for, of our Empire, and they have asked it of us. Make for Nesustak. We will reach out to the Bloodwater Spears and aid them in raising watchtowers to defend themselves. We will show them that the Empire are not the monsters that they think we are. Only we can do this. We are called and so we come. A new dawn is breaking over the Sarangrave. We will make flowers grow here, too.</quote></div>
The rebels are not caught sleeping; they are vigilant for counterattack from the Druj. Indeed, they are in the midst of preparing their own defences. Barricades and palisades to protect their rickety settlements; watch towers against the threat to their borders; armed patrols to root out the remaining threats of the land they have claimed. They are supported in this by a few dozen [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] of the [[Irra Harah|Shacklebreaker]], whose swift feet and keen senses prove invaluable at keeping the loose alliance of survivors united. Their boons of health, healing, and [[Calls#Shatter|war]] are equally welcome. Unfortunately, with the Druj attackers comes a small host of heralds of the <i>[[Arhallogen|Centipede General]]</i>, the <i>King of All Spiders</i>. This stealthy assault, set on murder and mayhem, clearly suits the temperament of the <i>Scorpion Queen</i> - and it can barely resist an opportunity to strike against those <i>Ward of the Young</i> seeks to aid.
Unfortunately, as they have so many times before in this war for the Sarangrave, the Druj have miscalculated.

The Gryphon’s Pride came down through the Barrens with the other armies, but it did not accompany them to Thornfen. Instead, they struck camp in the western Turan Flats, and sent heralds of their own - mortal heralds - into Nesustak Forest. Under the quiet gaze of Irra Harrah’s childer, a cautious negotiation took place on the banks of the river. By all accounts, the Bloodwater Spears, one of the renegade septs of former Druj subjects, have reached out to the Dawnish army for support and the general has answered. Unfortunately, there are also many among the rebels who see the arrival of a Dawnish army on their borders as a thing of terror rather than reassurance.

They have heard the stories of the Druj, of events in the Barrens, of the destruction of the [[Not_to_conquer#Vendarri|Vendarri]], the slaughter of the [[Not_to_conquer#Montanians|Montainians]], the brutal murders of the [[Not_to_conquer#The_Black_Wind|Black Wind]] and the attack by <i>this very army</i> against the rebel heroes under the old banner of Rahvin. They have been told over and over that everyone who ever trusted the Empire has paid the ultimate price for it. So they do not welcome five thousand armoured warriors, no matter if they come beneath a banner of parley or not. Some few yeofolk are allowed to cross into Nesustak, to offer their expertise in constructing defences, but no knight is invited to join them. It is arguably more than might be expected; the Empire is used to the hammer-blow of the Druj miasma but its presence and its constant subtle creeping fingers of suspicion and fear make it very difficult for people to trust one another. That these septs have been able to come together at all is little short of a miracle.

It would be easy for the Pride to crash across the river and force their will on the rebels of Nesustak, but their orders are clear. They are here to protect, not to conquer, and their presence in Turan will at least mean they are in position to intercept any attackers from the north.
{{CaptionedImage|file=GryphonPride_Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
Then the Druj attack, and the Gryphon’s Pride acts. The Druj clearly expected the Dawnish to leave the rebels to their fate; the Banded Snake are taken by surprise when the knights and war-witches erupt into the forest to their rear. They are caught between the anvil of the defenders and the hammer of Glory, smashed and broken and left with little recourse but to flee.

The Thornwasp from the south are more of a problem. As the knights march through Nesustak Forest, some of the rebels sadly scatter or seek to intercept them as an invading force. Wherever possible, the Dawnish seek to minimize losses to the confused warriors, their fellow defenders, but these people are <i>frightened</i>. Even with the words of the Bloodwater Spears, there are accidents to be grieved. Yet these accidents cannot risk slowing the Dawnish response.

The septs do their best to fight off the Thornwasp but they are not well armed, not as used to fighting as the tyrants of the Mallum even in their scattered state. Conversely, these ambushers are in no position to face the fury of an entire Dawnish army. At first they press inland, with some minor victories, but even so their actual aim - to slaughter the rebels - proves difficult to achieve. The heralds of Irra Harrah are no match for those of Arhallogen, but they do not attempt to fight. Instead, they serve as guides, getting people to safety - or helping defenders into positions where they can fight back.
{{CaptionedImage|file=GeneralGryphonsPride.png|caption='''Ser Guy of the Twisted Rose''' (centre), General of the Gryphon's Pride|align=right|width=400}}
When the Gryphon’s Pride reaches the shores of the Feverwater, the Druj who once claimed Bloodwater Marshes have nowhere to go. Those who take to their rafts are easy marks for archers - orc and human alike. Those who stand and fight are quickly slain. When the first heavy rains of Spring begin to fall, the shores of the Feverwater are choked with dead Druj, their blood staining the drowning waters muddy red.

After this, the rebels of Nesustak are more inclined to trust those who suggest the Pride is here to help not harm. Grudgingly, carefully, a detente is built. As the rains continue to beat down, the majority of the Dawnish forces withdraw back across the river to remain on watch but those who remain are, if not welcomed, at least tolerated. Few can deny that their aid has saved countless lives from the venom of the Druj, this time at least.

Yet there are also difficult questions asked. What does this mean in the long run? The Empire has conquered Sarangrave and given these lands to strangers from the south to be their domain. What does this mean for the people left in the marshes? How is this better than being the slaves of the Buruk-Tepel? These are orc lands, the homelands of the Bloodwater Spears and the rest. What happens if they do not accept this Imperial domination? Where will the Gryphon’s Pride be when it is the Empire’s warriors looking to kill the free orcs of the Sarangrave - of the Mallum? There are impassioned exchanges, arguments on both sides, but no resolution is reached. The forest is safe for now but what of the future?
<div style="float: right; max-width: 40%; width: 600px; margin-left: 10px;">
<quote by="Vasiliki Terricos, General of the Shield of Ipotavo">When Ipotavo was besieged, when Kaban was lost, the Druj took many of our beloved away as slaves and prisoners. Many assume them lost to the wicked wills of the Mallum. Yet the Sorcerer-Queen Ipotavo used to say: those who truly oppose the False Divinity with all their heart and all their soul and all their might are loyal even through hardship and misfortune. Though we know not whether our loved ones still dwell on this side of the abyssal dark of the Labyrinth, we fight as if they do. We will take the Tower, and every moment we fight to do so we will fight as if we will hold them, warm and living, in our arms once more: but between us and them are many Druj: they die, unmourned.</quote></div>
What of the future indeed…

==At the Gate of Despair==

Through curtains of rain the Imperial force marches south to the Tower. Few are prepared for the sheer size of the fortification; it spreads across the horizon occupying the space between the foothills connecting the Mallum and the lands of Axos to the south. Its towers are immense, dwarfing those of the Spires of the Dusk in their immensity. This is a chaotic structure of stone and weirwood, and mithril spikes, and ironbound ramparts. This is the last true stronghold of the Druj in Sarangrave, shouting defiance of the forces of virtue to the heavens.

Not that it is easy to feel for its size through the sheets of rain falling all around. Its towers scrape the clouds, but to be fair the clouds are very low at the moment weighed down with water. The banners of the lizard and the snake hang limp and bedraggled, soaked through, cheap dyes running down the wall in streams of sickly green and bloody red.

The walls are defended three ranks deep with Druj archers, but the rain makes it difficult for them to darken the sky any more than it already is. The Eastern Sky has great covered rams to manoeuvre into position, to assault the gates, but even they are a little taken aback at the sheer ''size'' of the things. Not of wood, not even weirwood, but of white granite these doors must need a team of slaves straining on a net of ropes to open and close. The rams of the Empire will struggle to do more than dent them.
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: left;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Aurum8565.png||caption=Dame Aurum De Castellan, General of the Eastern Sky|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Dame Katelyn.jpg|caption='''Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco''', General of the Lions of Adelmar|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Neve Agra.jpg|caption='''Neve Agra''', General of the Quiet Step|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was.jpg|caption='''Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was''', General of the Citadel Guard|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=EasternSky Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=LionsAdelmar Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=SummerStorm Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=QuietStep Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=CitadelGuard Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
</div>
A long siege suits the Druj better than the Empire, of course. The longer the Imperial forces are held here in Thornfen, the more time there is for the armies of the Mallum to rally their strength and return to squeeze them against the walls of the Tower, as the Banded Snake in Nesustak are being squeezed against the Feverwater by the Gryphon’s Pride.

A triumphant charge can only take an army so far; to simply rush the Tower of the Skink would be to throw lives away pointlessly. A council is convened to discuss how best to assault the castle, to defeat the enemy sheltered within. A single ranking Axou, a <i>Toxatai</i> war-necromantia, cousin of the Grand Ilarch of Ipotavo, has come at great risk through the foothills to attend in person.

As the rain pounds the canvas above their heads, captains and commanders argue back and forth, seeking some solution to the walls and the gate. The opportunity to starve the defenders out is there, but there is no telling how well provisioned they are to withstand such a siege. The presence of two extra armies inside must be putting their supplies under pressure, but how much is difficult to say. There were many storehouses in Sephals and most were empty by the time the Druj were forced to abandon their position there. Worse, the healing power of the waters of life will help maintain the strength of the Druj just as it maintains the strength of the Empire.

The heavy rains help, but also hinder. While it protects from long-range attacks, if it continues for much longer the Imperial armies risk becoming bogged down. And it shows little sign of letting up. Indeed, runners from the forces left behind in Sephals warn that the streets of the town are already starting to flood as the waters released from Jarangir’s Levy are deepened by a week of unrelenting rain.

In the end, the decision is made to try and take the Tower while the opportunity still remains. A second heavy battering ram is constructed. Rather than being made of wood, it is formed from a white granite column ripped from a Druj palace in Sephals, carried south through the downpour by orcs of the Summer Storm, and shaped by Urizeni engineers. At the last moment, a contingent of Navarr arrive from elsewhere in Sarangrave with a quartet of [[Great Forest Orcs]] freed from the weirwood grove in Whisperwood. They set to work shaping a weirwood frame to carry the ram, with the aid of their Navarr friends. The Boyar's Hasta contributes an amount of looted mithril armour and weapons which, when swiftly melted down by Dawnish smiths, serve to bind and reinforce it with the snarling face of a great maned lion.

The morning of the attack, the waters are already lapping at the walls of the Tower in places. The <i>Tail of the Skink</i> holds the marshwaters at bay - where it approaches the walls it is raised up in a manner that puts some in mind of <i>Otterway</i> back in [[Bregasland]]. The Druj know that this is the key moment, that they will have to face this attack and stand against it. The defenders continue to loose arrows, but the main source of danger are the catapults positioned atop the ramparts. Massive rocks hail down, interspersed with filth, dead bodies, and effluent. Some are bound in iron, but its clear the Druj supplies of catapult stones are also waning slightly. A few barrels of pitch are launched, but the rain quickly extinguishes their threat.

With the Eastern Sky at the forefront, the massive battering ram is slowly maneuvered into position. The armoured covering protects those within from missiles thrown from the walls, but the pounding of rocks and arrows almost drowns out that of the rain - almost. Again and again the great fist smashes against the northern gates of the Tower of the Skink. The defenders are not content to simply sit and trust to the sturdiness of their door however.

The Druj are monstrous, but they are cunning. It becomes clear that they have created their own ways to get troops into and out of the Tower. Without warning, two thousand warriors erupt out of the marshes to the east and west of the <i>Tail of the Skink</i>. They fall on the Imperial forces on the flanks, fighting with bloodthirsty ruthlessness. It quickly becomes apparent that there are hidden tunnels under the walls that emerge nearly a quarter mile from the fortification itself and that for days now, the defenders have been carefully moving their troops into position.

With the garrison come another thousand or so guerrillas of the Hidden Snake, and five hundred Poison Crane. All are equipped for killing, with venoms and poison, many dosed up on the battle-drugs the Druj call [[Double-sided_Blade#Warming_Armour|warspice]] and [[Double-sided_Blade#Weakning_Sun|corpse skin]] that grant near supernatural vitality but overwhelm the common sense and survival instinct of those who use them. This is a suicide attack, one aimed at breaking through the Empire's line to destroy the great ram.

As the assault begins, the skies ''truly'' open. The wind rises, howling around the ramparts, driving the rain almost horizontal. Fighters struggle in the mud, their footing suddenly treacherous on the rainslick ground. Visibility plummets, a massive battle between Empire and Druj, between virtue and hate, reduced to a hundred scattered skirmishes by the walls of water. Thunder rumbles, barely audible over the pounding of the rain. Yet the deafening beat of the ram is louder still, ringing out across the battlefield like the heartbeat of some terrible beast of war. Orc and human, Druj and Imperial, alike fall in the sucking mud and the rising tides, eyes and lungs choking with earth and drowning with filthy water.

And then, with the storm at its height, the lion-faced battering ram of stone and mithril hits something within the solid stone of the gate. A point of weakness that had endured for hundreds of years, since the doors were first raised. A fracture line buried in the rock where only a mighty blow would uncover it. Perhaps the terrible rhythm of the blows has weakened the gate. Perhaps it is something else. But whatever the reason, the hammering blow causes the stone first to crack and splinter, and then with a terrible roaring noise, to break.

Another blow, another, battering against that point of weakness, opening the hole, pounding through the feet-thick stone. The flaw exposed, the gate begins to fragment apart. A terrible cry of despair goes up from inside the Tower of the Skink. The door is falling! After centuries of defiance, one of the two great doors of the Tower of the Skink is falling!

The Lions of Adelmar are first through the breach, shields at the ready. Behind them, the soldiers of the Eastern Sky, and after them the rest of the Imperial forces pouring into the gatehouse of the Tower, as the waters of the flood poured over Jarangir’s Levy.

Outside and inside, bloody slaughter leaves waves of blood on the stone, that mix with the mud to create a grim quagmire. Another cry goes up, another cry of despair. The Quiet Step erupt from the forests of the east, Navarr spears tearing into the Druj attackers assailing the flanks of the army. With spell, and spear, and sword, and axe, and unbreakable shield, the Empire fights the Druj at the Tower of the Skink under the roaring heavens, amid the thundering rain.

The battle is not over simply because the gate has been breached. There are still two armies, and a garrison to match them, inside the castle who must be dealt with. There are screaming, fleeing orcs and humans in rags who will not fight. Sometimes the Druj use them to bait traps, or as shields of meat that cry and wail when forced toward the Empire’s soldiers. Even here there are traps, old and cunning, built into the stonework. Blades that snap from floor or ceiling if one moves the wrong way down a hall; walls that fall to allow defenders to attack from the side; chemicals that in a confined space blind or choke or assail the mind with terrible visions. All these and more the Druj have built into their home, driven by the fear that grips their own hearts. Fear of their enemies, of each other, making even their sanctuary a place where no-one is ever truly safe.

Then the Axou are there, fighting their own way through the defenders. A small, fast moving group has slipped through the halls and courtyards of the castle to take the southern gate. The guards slain, they have managed to throw it wide and let the blades of Ipotavo go to work on the tyrants of the Mallum.

Even here, the clarity granted by Day magic helps ensure that the attackers are able to mount the most efficient assault they can, preventing allies harming each other. For the better part of a day the fighting rages on and on, turning the Tower of the Skink into a charnel house. Whoever wins here, it will be Death that holds dominion when the day is done.

In the end, though, the day ''is'' done. The Tower of the Skink still stands, but the banners of the Empire, of Dawn and Navarr, Urizen and the Unshackled, are raised over its ramparts. The fighting is not over - there are still Druj here in the nooks and the crannies - but the battle is won. The Tower of the Skink has fallen to the Empire and their allies, and with it the Thornfen. And with that victory, the dominion of the Druj over the Sarangrave is brought to a conclusive end.

==Flight and Shadow==
The tower falls, the garrison scatters, but in the end the Poison Crane and the Hidden Snake are not entirely accounted for. They have taken significant losses, for sure, but the power of Spring magic protected them just as it did the Empire. When it is clear that the Tower is lost, many of the soldiers escape through the hidden tunnels beneath the fortification into the marshes. Scattered and hunted, they are forced to flee as best they can. They make their way north to the dubious safety of the Salt Flats, and they pay a heavy price for doing so. Easily another thousand Druj warriors fall as part of the rout, but in the end the armies manage to cross the border north through Kroll. It is a temporary sanctuary for the Druj; with the Sarangrave under the dominion of the Empire, they cannot help but begin to collapse. Soldiers will desert, no matter how much they fear the Buruk Tepel. The writing is on the wall for the armies of the Thornwasp, the Banded Snake, and the Marshlizard.

As in Sephals there is the question of what to do with the orcs and humans left behind in the Tower. The Axou do not want them; the Empire cannot trust them. Arguments break out almost immediately, as outside the rain begins to fall. Yet even these arguments take second place to a more pressing question.

Where are the magicians of the Tainted Basilisk?

==End of All Songs==
Last season the Druj [[Each_age_a_lens#The_Mallum|sent an ultimatum]] to the Empire from the city of Leen in the Salt Flats. Quit the Sarangrave, or the Tainted Basilisk will release the [[vallorn]] of [[Sarangrave#Béantal_Dol|Béantal Dol]]. It seemed inconceivable to many that even the Druj would do such a thing. Others questioned whether even the Tainted Basilisk could achieve such a thing. What would it profit them to destroy the Sarangrave, their own people, likely themselves? What would it profit them indeed.

Those who hoped the ghulai of the Tainted Basilisk might not be equal to the task of rousing Béantal Dol clung to false hope. These foul corrupted wizards have shown themselves not only capable, but willing to unleash the uncontrollable horror of the vallorn in Therunin. They have been exploring, examining, studying the matter for years - a pattern of odd encounters and inexplicable events slowly starting to come together into a skein of secrets and atrocity. They are also more than capable of moving through the Sarangrave under the shadow of [[Night magic]], avoiding those who might seek the stop them, bypassing the defences set against them. And it seems that this is exactly what they have done.
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<quote by="Serafina Semenov, General of the Boyar’s Hasta">Hasta! You have worked like the bee at summers head, watched like the Spider watches its web. Let's now use that vigilance to spy on the Druj, To see what vallorn waking tactics they may use. But before the road calls us, raise a tankard high to our cousins in Ossium slaying peelers where they lie. With Hounds Hall, new forces ride along our own, and the best heckle from me earns a throne. With Courage, there is not a line that cannot break, there is not a thing the Druj hold that we cannot take.</quote></div>
When Sephals fell, they were already in motion. An army of Druj [[Night magic#Obfuscation|obfuscated]] beneath a shroud. The thunderous rain must have seemed a boon to them, making it even easier for them to move east from Thornfen to the edges of Bendol. To where the great ring of Terunael warding stones holds in the floodtide of this ancient terror. A vallorn with the full power of [[Brocéliande]] or [[Axos#Axou Territories|Visokuma]], packed into a single region of verdant ruins.

Unmarked, the Tainted Basilisk come to Bendol and as the gates of the Tower of the Skink begin to splinter, they begin their terrible work.

Unmarked? Oh no, not wholly unmarked. For while the Gryphon’s Pride fought in Nesustak Forest, and the armies of the Empire assailed the Tower of the Skink, the Varushkan army of the Boyar’s Hasta wove its own strategy in the Sarangrave. Where the Navarr of the Quiet Step hunted the Druj, Varushkan scouts helped them uncover their boltholes and hidden lairs. In Nesustak they helped the Dawnish root out the assassins of the Thornwasp and the Banded Snake. And as the armies moved south it was their scouts and spies who warned of the threat from the Poison Crane and the Hidden Snake in time to allow the Quiet Step to reach the battlefield.
{{CaptionedImage|file=BoyarsHasta_Colour.webp|align=right|width=200}}
But mostly what they have been doing is watching for the Tainted Basilisk. Watching the eaves of Bendol. Watching the pathetic Grynbor as they honoured the aberration at the heart of Sarangrave. When the ghulai make their move, the Varushkans are ready to oppose them at every turn.

Observation indicates that the Tainted Basilisk have splintered as they moved, still hidden under their Night magic shroud. They spread their forces around the outskirts of Bendol, at key positions about the circumference of the warding stones. Their shroud protects them only while they are moving; the longer they stay in one place the easier it is to see where they are, to see the mists that hide them from prying eyes gather. When their agents reach the outskirts of Turan, the Boyar’s Hasta strike. A sudden ambush, a vicious fight of scouts and [[Arkad#Vikari|vikari]] that leaves most of the Druj dead. Most, but not all. Some of the ghulai are taken alive, interrogated, forced to reveal their intent.

They plan to breach the warding stones, to undo what the Terunael did in those last days after the disastrous ritual that brought the vallorn into being. They will unleash Béantal Dol, and it will wash across the Sarangrave, devouring armies and rebels alike. A fitting retribution, laughs one half-mad sorcerer. The folly of ancient humans, killing and consuming their distant heirs.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Serafina Semenov.jpg|caption='''Serafina Semenov''', General of the Boyar's Hasta|align=right|width=200}}
Immediately the Hasta start to move - sending messengers and mobilizing their forces to scour the outskirts of Bendol for more groups of ghulai. A second encampment is intercepted in Thornfen with the aid of the Navarr, but they are much better defended. As the Empire consolidates its hold on the Tower of the Skink, another battle erupts on the outskirts of the vallorn. The magicians of the Druj hold nothing back; unleashing spell and ritual alike to try and drive the Varushkans and the Navarr away. They are supported by Dawnish and Urizeni from Sephals, and together they risk everything to disrupt that final desperate ritual of destruction. [[Spring magic]], aimed at rending the ancient standing stones apart with the power of [[Spring magic#Ruin|ruin]].

In the end though, despite this valiant effort, it is too late to stop the Tainted Basilisk from achieving their goal. There is simply too much ground to cover, and the Druj have laid their plans too well. Even as they retreated from the Imperial advance, they left their agents behind to prepare for this unlooked-for day. Ghulai, vikkari, warriors of every Arkad, left behind on the outskirts of the vallorn itself to facilitate one final strike against the Empire should the defence of the Sarangrave fail. And fail it has.

Three days before the Spring Equinox, the deluge that has fallen uninterrupted from the cloud-choked sky since the liberation of Sephals ends as suddenly as it began. In that instant, every head in Sarangrave, no matter where they are in the marshlands, turns to look toward the heart of the territory. Whether arguing with Mallum orcs in Sephals, scouring the Tower of the Skink for remaining Druj, discussing the matter of freedom and security in the Nesustak Forest, or fretting about the Drowned Shepherd and the wisdom of invoking constellations in times such as this, everyone feels it. Like the air changes before a storm breaks, but this comes at the end of the storm. For a moment it overpowers even the banal humdrum thrum of the Druj miasma. An awareness in a split second of a profound finality, of an ending that has been waiting for a thousand years to come to fruition.

The last great working of the Terunael has been broken. The vallorn of Béantal Dol rises, shaking off the remnant of its chains. Fattened by months of Spring-infused waters, it stretches, rousing itself in a way it has never, ever done before since it was first trapped.

And it begins to spread.
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Regions of Sarangrave.png|caption=Sarangrave is mapped, but parts of the territory remain unknown.|align=right|width=400}}</div>

==Game Information : Dominion==
* '''The region of Thornfen, and the Tower of the Skink, have fallen
* '''An administrative motion related to their disposition will be raised during the Spring Equinox
* '''The Hidden Snake and Poison Crane have fled the territory taking serious casualties
* '''The remaining garrison of the Tower of the Skink has scattered across southern and eastern Sarangrave
The Empire has captured the region of Thornfen, and with it the Tower of the Skink. The entire territory save for the Nesustak Forest and Bendol are Imperial now. They achieved their goal with the aid of the Axou army of Ipotavo, and while that contribution was valuable it was relatively minor next to the impact of the Empire. There is an existing treaty with the Axou, signed when they joined the war in the Sarangrave, that indicates the intent to not contest Axou claim to Thornfen, including the Tower of the Skink, and the settlement Sephals. During the Spring Equinox, the Civil Service will raise an administrative motion during Friday evening Senate session to confirm that this is still their intent. This motion, if it passes, will be available for the Urizen assembly to [[veto]], as it effectively involves the concedence of a region under their control.

The Gryphon’s Pride spent the season defending, specifically offering aid to the rebels of the Nesustak Forest. Without their intervention, it is likely the rebels would have eventually repelled the attacking Druj but they would have suffered serious losses in the process. The Gryphon’s Pride ensured that the vicious Mallum septs were unable to enact their revenge, and while this has not lessened the rebels desire to see Sarangrave as a free land under their control it has helped to establish the Dawnish army as allies, albeit allies that many are still suspicious of.

The Boyar’s Hasta committed themselves to supporting the other armies, but specifically to watching for signs of the Tainted Basilisk. Thanks to their vigilance, the ghulai of the Druj magical army were only partially successful in their goal. Further details are discussed below.

The armies of the Hidden Snake and the Poison Crane were badly damaged during their defence of the Tower of the Skink, but not destroyed. They have managed to use the confusion to escape back to the Salt Flats of Sanath, but both armies took an additional 500 casualties each during their desperate retreat through Imperial-held Sarangrave, pursued and harried by the Empire. More troubling is the garrison of the Tower of the Skink. While the tower has fallen, and the garrison been seriously damaged, the orcs that make up the garrison have likewise managed to desert the sinking ship. As such Thornfen, Turan Flats, Kroll, and the Whisperwood have all gained the ‘’Outlaw Druj‘’ qualities. Until these outlaws are dealt with, any settlement of those regions are in danger. In addition, any commission built in the territory will have its labour costs increased by a fifth for each region under Imperial control with that quality.

==Game Information : Drowning==
* '''The Drowned Shepherd constellation has exerted unexpected influence in Sarangrave this season
* '''The name of the constellation has changed; nobody is sure where this change originates
This season, the influence of the [[The Drowned Shepherd|Drowned Shepherd]] constellation in Sarangrave has been unmistakable by those who know what to look for. It's unlikely that this is due to its invocation by the general of the Citadel Guard. More likely it is simply that events in the Sarangrave have foreshadowed a profound ending. The constellation is strongly associated with curses, and for all its perception as being generally helpful, [[Rivers of Life]] is still a [[curse]].

There are two elements to this influence that are worth noting. The first is that the constellation appears to have a new name; the Drowned Shepherd. Previously known as the Drowned Man, there has been a notable shift in awareness over the last few months. Much as with the way the understanding of the names of the stars has shifted over the last year or two, so too has awareness of its name shifted. It's up to individual characters how to respond to this. Some will continue to call it the Drowned Man, but this name will feel increasingly archaic and old fashioned. It won't impact magic to use either name, but the name on the wiki has been changed. Speculation about the difference between what a Drowned Man and a Drowned Shepherd symbolise is encouraged.

The other element is that the catastrophic rainstorm has caused water to rise all over the territory. In time that water may subside, but it has resulted in breached dams and ruined farms, herb gardens drowned, and even some structures collapsing. At the same time the unnatural vitality the Rivers of Life bring has been heightened - not only by preserving the lives of soldiers and civilians alike, but also resulting in an explosion in the population of creatures of the Sarangrave including bog octopuses, mosquitos, wasps, spiders, and other small fast-breeding creatures few of which are wholesome in their interactions with humans and orcs.

==Game Information : Béantal Dol==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Blood for Poppies.jpg|caption=The vallorn is the most monstrous of all geographies.|align=right|width=500}}
* '''The vallorn of Béantal Dol has been unleashed
* '''The Tainted Basilisk have been only partially successful and only two regions are seriously threatened
* '''There are opportunities to try and stem the flow of vallorn power in uptime and downtime following the event
* '''The warding stones that once surrounded Béantal Dol are gone
* '''The casualties caused by the vallorn expansion will not be affected by the vallorn miasma
The ghulai of the Tainted Basilisk have breached the circle of warding stones that contains the vallorn of Béantal Dol. Thanks to the Boyar’s Hasta their efforts have been only partially successful. Unfortunately, where the vallorn is concerned “partially successful” is still a significant threat.

Two regions are directly threatened by the expanding vallorn - Nesustak Forest and Bloodwater Marsh. Had the wards simply collapsed, the vallorn would have burst forth towards the nearby fortification, the Tower of the Skink. Sadly, this release is no accident. The magicians of the Tainted Basilisk have seized an [[opportunity]] to deliberately weaken the wards in such a way as to direct the threat against the Empire and the rebels and away from their allies. There is a single [[#Battle_Opportunities|narrow window]] to take action and save one region or the other from desolation.

The actions of the Boyar’s Hasta may still have saved the rest of the territory. They have managed to save most of the warding stones - not enough to hold the vallorn back, but enough to have a vital effect. The vallorn will wash over the stones, as it attempts to expand and in the process the magic that sustains them will be overwhelmed, and destroyed. By the start of the Summer Solstice, the warding stones will be no more - there is no way now to stop them being destroyed. However, they will serve to protect against the vallorn for one final time. In doing so they will absorb some of the devastating verdant power of the vallorn. By the start of the Summer Solstice, the vallorn of Béantal Dol will be to all intents and purposes a “normal” vallorn. It will still be disproportionately potent, but it will no longer present the threat of expanding to completely fill the Sarangrave that it previously did. That threat, like the warding stones, is ended.

What happens to Nesustak Forest and the Bloodwater Marshes, however, will depend on [[#Battle_Opportunities|what the Empire chooses to do]]…

The vallorn of Béantal Dol ''can'' be combatted following the Spring Equinox, but it will require a significant commitment of [[army|armies]] to prevent it consuming one or both of the threatened regions. Due to the long storing up of power, it will be attacking both regions separately with a strength of 30,000. To prevent it claiming the region and devouring almost everyone and everything in it, the Empire would need to ensure it did not get sufficient victory points to claim the region. If the vallorn is able to claim a toehold in the region, it would still be left with a quality similar to [[region qualities#Infested|infested]].

The good news - and there is some good news - is that the brave actions of the Boyar's Hasta and the destruction of the remaining warding stones means that the vallorn will become quiescent again after this season, whatever happens. In addition, the explosive speed with which the vallorn is unfolding into the two regions means that any downtime fighting will ''not'' be taking place under the influence of the [[vallorn miasma]].

==Participation : Power of the Druj==
* '''Any character whose military unit supported an army in Sarangrave this season will receive a lingering wound
Any character whose military unit supported an army fighting in the Sarangrave this season will receive a lingering [[Combat#Traumatic_Wounds|traumatic wound]] in their pack. These wounds represent serious injuries or lingering [[curse|curses]] sustained during the fighting that the [[Rivers of Life]] have been unable to restore. Some of these wounds are potentially lethal if they are not treated before the end of the Spring Equinox, so those bearing them may wish to consult a [[surgical skills#Physick|Physick]].
In addition, however, every military unit that fought in the Sarangrave this season has been in a position to secure a small trove of [[herb|herbs]] and [[potion|potions]], and potentially other things as well. If your character would not have approved of your soldiers taking things from the defeated Druj, you can simply drop these additional items back at GOD when you pick up your pack.

==Participation : Lions of Adelmar==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=EleonarisArt.jpg|caption=Regal, noble, and terrible in anger; Eleonaris is the Lion of Summer and her soldiers bear many of her traits.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
* '''The Lions of Adelmar continue not being able to take the cautious advance or give ground orders'''
* '''Any character whose military unit fought alongside the Lions of Adelmar may be inspired by the Knights of Glory'''
The Lions of Adelmar last fought alongside the Knights of Glory during the Summer. As [[Even_darkness_must_pass#Sarangrave|mentioned then]], the use of Knights of Glory is having an unexpected effect on the armies relying on it. The Lions of Adelmar cannot take the [[Army orders#Cautious Advance|Cautious Advance]] or [[Army orders#Give Ground|Give Ground]] orders until a year has passed - even if Dawn were to put aside their [[Dawn_military_concerns#Army_Orders|commitment]] to Glory.

On the other hand, stag-headed ''Ser Helvennan'' and their warriors from the Field of Glory take every opportunity to inspire the glorious soldiers of the Lions of Adelmar. A character whose military unit supported this army may choose to have been impacted by the experience of battling in close proximity to the glorious heralds of [[Eleonaris]].
* If you possess the [[heroic skills#hero|hero]] skill, you receive a bonus hero point during the Spring Equinox. This bonus increases their maximum number of hero points for the duration of the summit.
* If you do not have the hero skill, you receive a single temporary hero point, which is lost once it is used. It will have faded entirely by the end of the Spring Equinox, regardless.

Anyone who chooses to gain this benefit also experiences a roleplaying effect that lasts until the end of the Spring Equinox: ''You feel a strong urge to attempt great deeds that invite attention You take particular pleasure in approval and adulation; being overlooked or dismissed may cause you to lose your temper. If you enter battle, you feel driven to prove your worth and show everyone your strength.''

==Battle Opportunities: Twin Horrors==
* '''Two major conjunctions to Sarangrave have been identified for the Spring Equinox but the Military Council can take advantage of only one of them
<div><quote by="Moby Dick, Herman Melville">To the last I grapple with thee; From hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.</quote></div>
The legendary spite of the Druj admits no peer. Defeated and broken by grappling with the Empire's armies in the Sarangrave they mean to plunge the territory into chaos - they would rather see their ancient homelands consumed by the vallorn than be claimed by the Empire. A final stab aimed at the heart of the people they hate so much. The leaders of the Tainted Basilisk have risked everything, unleashing the vallorn to ensure that everyone goes down together.

==Nesustak Forest==
In Nesustak Forest, they have turned their ire on the septs that have betrayed the Druj by throwing off the shackles of their rule. This season they would have killed and slaughtered the rebels were it not for the timely intervention of the Gryphon's Pride. Their gloriously desperate defence placed a steel-clad wall of gleaming knights and robe-clad fearsome war witches around the rebels, stopping the Druj assault in its tracks. Shielded by the Dawnish soldiers Courage, heralds of [[Irra Harah|''Shackle Smasher'']] have worked tirelessly to save those they can.

There is a conjunction of the [[Sentinel Gate]] on the Saturday of the equinox that opens on the ''Feverbank Trees'' in Nesustak Forest. If offers a dangerous opportunity to try to save the region and the people who live here from the onrushing vallorn. Driven by hate, the Druj will not give up easily however - their forces are already in the area, determined to see the slaughter through to the bloody end.

===Objective: Ward the Feverbank Stones===
* '''The five ancient stones at ''Feverbank Trees'' that once held back the power of the vallorn are failing'''
* '''''Wardens of the Black Waste'' creates powerful wards against the vallorn that last for a season'''
* '''Each stone that is warded will reduce the strength of the vallorn pushing into Nesustak Forest this season by 6000'''

The five ancient stones that stand sentinel in ''Feverbank Trees'' have held back the power of this vallorn for hundreds of year. Created centuries ago by the Terunael people as their empire collapsed, they have been fatally weakened by the Druj creating an opening for the ancient enemy to escape through. The valiant defence by the Boyar's Hasta has created a narrow opening, offering a chance to weaken the roiling advance of the vallorn into Nesustak Forest before it can become an unstoppable flood.

While the magic of the stones is failing, they are still powerful winter totems, built to anchor a ward. Winter ritualists will need to cast [[Wardens of the Black Waste]] on each one of the ancient pillars. The stone will anchor the ritual, so fragile warding posts are not required, the ritual can simply target the pillar itself. This will also prevent the Druj from simply destroying the ward by scattering the post markers. The ritual will weaken any vallorn that approach nearby countering the spring magic that enervates them. Each warding placed upon the stones here will iteratively sap the strength of the encroaching vallorn mass, slowing the movements of giant ettercap and abominations, and draining the animating force that propels the vallornspawn onwards.

Each stone that is still warded at the end of the battle will reduce the strength of the vallorn heading northwards by 6000. If all five pillars are warded, then the full force of the vallorn threatening Nesustak Forest this coming season will be held back, before it returns to quiescence. This will enable Imperial forces to concentrate fully on the vallorn presence that is advancing southwards into the Bloodwater Marsh.

====Objective Threat: Druj Counter Rituals====
* '''Mages from the Tainted Basilisk threaten to counter any wardings'''
* '''They will seek to use a spring ritual to weaken any stone that has been restored'''
* '''The warded stones will need to be guarded, or the small covens hunted down and killed'''
* '''Detect magic can be used at any time to ascertain the status of a warding stone'''

Whilst the vast majority of the Tainted Basilisk's ritual covens have been utterly destroyed by unleashing the vallorn, scant few have survived and are now preparing to ensure that the army's final work is seen to the end. Everyone of the army's remaining ghulai and cicatrix ritualists have spread across the area, tasked with breaking the power of the Terunael magic, and allowing the vallorn to issue forth.

Once the Druj realise that the Empire is attempting to erect wards, they will direct any remaining ritualists to counter them. Druj ritualists will attempt to cast Spring rituals to overwhelm the wards on each stone, undoing the Empire's work. [[Detect magic]] can be cast on a stone at any time to check whether a ward is in place or not. If the ward is down then Warden of the Black Waste will need to be performed to restore it.

The surest way to prevent the Druj from countering Imperial efforts is to hunt down and eliminate these small ritual teams before they can become a threat.

===Objective: Break the Envenomed Claws===
* '''The ''Envenomed Claws'' vikari are one of the last remnants of the Tainted Basilisk army's leadership'''
* '''Killing or scattering this force will destroy any chance of the army holding together'''
* '''If the ''Claws'' are overrun, then the Tainted Basilisk will collapse, disbanding into scattered bands of Druj fighters'''

The vikari of the ''Envenomed Claws'' are leading the remnants of the army active to the north of the vallorn of Béantal Dol. Feared mage-fighters, they are known to employ all manner of blade poisons on their weapons, and travel with several of the sadistic kallad torturers among their number. Redwillow Paste and Oil of Blackthorn will be used with wild abandon, whilst even worse concoctions will be dispensed by the remaining tepel in a panicked frenzy.

The Envenomed Claws will be on the battlefield together, under a distinctive banner, along with key people that form an essential part of the leadership of the Tainted Basilisk. If the Empire can decisively engage the group and kill or scatter them, it will deal a devastating final blow to the Tainted Basilisk. Killing these prominent arkad fighters, the commanders, and any tepel with them, will seal the fate of the army. It will disband as the campaign season begins, breaking up into small units and warbands, all eager to go to ground. Individual bands under a charismatic or particularly cruel orc, will be a problem for Imperial heroes to deal with, but the military threat to Imperial armies will be ended.

===Battlefield Opportunity: Aid the Hares===
* '''Five Hares, heralds of Irra Harah are being hunted by the Druj'''
* '''These lively companions will be keen to offer assistance against the Druj, running messages and helping out those in dire need'''
* '''The Spring Archmage may claim a boon of Irra Harah if all five Hares survive the battle'''
[[Irra Harah|''Shacklebreaker'']] has sent his heralds to aid the rebels of Nesustak Forest. The ''Hares of the Desperate Folly'' are excitable, earnest, and incredibly persistent beings. They have been helping guide the lost and meek away from vicious blades and poisoned arrows. In response, the Druj have taken great delight in killing these servants of Irra Harah whenever they have been cornered.

There are five Hares on the battlefield that could aid the Empire. They will not engage in direct conflict with the wicked orcs, but they can help in other ways if asked. The fleeting may offer services running messages across the battlefield to distant captains, the fretful may offer healing magics to those in dire need, while the fearful may seek to enchant heroes of the Empire with magical powers.

If all five of the heralds survive the battle, then the [[Archmage of Spring]] can point out the service the Empire provided the next time they plenipotentiary the eternal. If the text of the plenipotentiary reminds Irra Harah that the Empire saved five of the Hares of the Desperate Folly, then the grateful eternal will create a boon to give the Archmage the next time they meet.

===Battlefield Environment: Miasma of despair===
* '''The entire battlefield is affected by an oppressive Druj miasma'''
* '''The miasma causes [[Calls#WEAKNESS|WEAKNESS]] unless you have a way to [[Roleplaying_effects#Overcoming_Roleplaying_Effects|overcome]] it'''

The entire area at ''Feverbank Trees'', is under the effect of the [[Druj miasma]], a pall of potent fear that blankets the lands the Druj claim dominion over. Anyone entering the area will need to protect themselves from the clawing dread or succumb to a weakening terror that creeps into their mind.

The primary effect of the miasma is that it [[Calls#WEAKNESS|weakens]] anyone exposed to it who does not have the ability to [[Roleplaying_effects#Overcoming_Roleplaying_Effects|overcome]] it. The easiest method to overcome the miasma is to receive an [[anointing]], but particularly [[Heroic_skills#Hero|heroic]] individuals, or those in possession of certain [[enchantment|enchantments]] or [[magic items]] may also be able to counteract the effect. In particular, those of the [[changeling]] [[lineage]] are able to fight the effects of the miasma, by only by becoming ''extremely'' angry - which can cause problems all its own.

==Bloodwater Marsh==
In Bloodwater Marsh, the plans of the Druj have been stymied by the actions of the [[Boyar's Hasta]]. Without their [[Vigilance]], the vallorn would have already escaped the bounds of its prison and the entire territory would now be at risk. Their actions slowed the Druj and made it harder for them to tear down the wards that imprison the vallorn in the ancient gaol of [[Sarangrave#Béantal_Dol|Béantal Dol]].

There is a conjunction of the [[Sentinel Gate]] on the Saturday of the equinox that opens at the ''Mantifent's Bier'' in Bloodwater Marsh. If offers a risky opportunity to try to save the region from the onrushing vallorn and rescue those who have been captured by the Druj. Maddened by fear, the Druj will never surrender - their soldiers are already here, determined to ensure that the fall of Sarangrave consumes everything.

===Objective: Strengthen the Mantifent Stones===
* '''The five ancient stones at ''Mantifent's Bier'' that once held back the power of the vallorn are failing'''
* '''''Wardens of the Black Waste'' creates powerful wards against the vallorn that last for a season'''
* '''Each stone that is warded will reduce the strength of the vallorn pushing into Bloodwater Marsh this season by 6000'''

The five ancient stones that stand sentinel in ''Mantifent's Bier'' have contained the power of this vallorn for hundreds of year. Created centuries ago by the Terunael people as their empire collapsed, they are threatened by the Druj. The actions of the Boyar's Hasta has checked the plans of the buruk tepel but they have only created a short delay. A small window has opened, just wide enough to offer a chance to stall the roiling advance of the vallorn into Bloodwater Marsh.

While the magic of the stones is failing, they are still powerful winter totems, built to anchor a ward. Winter ritualists will need to cast [[Wardens of the Black Waste]] on each one of the ancient pillars. The stone will anchor the ritual, so fragile warding posts are not required, the ritual can simply target the pillar itself. This will also prevent the Druj from simply destroying the ward by scattering the post markers. The ritual will weaken any vallorn that approach countering the spring magic that enervates them. Each warding placed upon the stones here will iteratively sap the strength of the encroaching vallorn mass, slowing the movements of giant ettercap and abominations, and draining the animating force that propels the vallornspawn onwards.

Each stone that is still warded at the end of the battle will reduce the strength of the vallorn heading southwards by 6000. If all five pillars are warded, then the full force of the vallorn threatening Bloodwater Marsh this coming season will be held back, before it returns to quiescence. This will enable Imperial forces to concentrate fully on the vallorn presence that is advancing southwards into the Nesustak Forest.

====Objective Threat: Druj Counter Rituals====
* '''Mages from the Tainted Basilisk threaten to counter any wardings'''
* '''They will seek to use a spring ritual to remove any ward raised on a stone'''
* '''The warded stones will need to be guarded, or the small covens hunted down and killed'''
* '''Detect magic can be used at any time to ascertain the status of a warding stone'''

Whilst the vast majority of the Tainted Basilisk's ritual covens have been utterly destroyed by unleashing the vallorn, scant few have survived and are now preparing to ensure that the army's final work is seen to the end. Everyone of the army's remaining ghulai and cicatrix ritualists have spread across the area, tasked with breaking the power of the Terunael magic, and allowing the vallorn to issue forth.

Once the Druj realise that the Empire is attempting to erect wards, they will direct any remaining ritualists to counter them. Druj ritualists will attempt to cast Spring rituals to overwhelm the wards on each stone, undoing the Empire's work. [[Detect magic]] can be cast on a stone at any time to check whether a ward is in place or not. If the ward is down then Warden of the Black Waste will need to be performed to restore it.

The surest way to prevent the Druj from countering Imperial efforts is to hunt down and eliminate these small ritual teams before they can become a threat.

===Objective: Shatter the Bilious Breath===
* '''The ''Bilious Breath'' vikari are one of the last remnants of the Tainted Basilisk army's leadership'''
* '''Killing or scattering this force will destroy any chance of the army holding together'''
* '''If the Breath are overrun, then the Tainted Basilisk will collapse, disbanding into scattered bands of Druj fighters'''

The capture of Tower of the Skink has broken the back of army and the Tainted Basilisk is close to collapse. With the deaths of many senior Buruk Tepel and the loss of the ritual covens that roused the vallorn, the vikari arkad of the ''Bilious Breath'' harbour the last few ritual covens capable of casting large battlefield rituals. Once battle is joined the covens will most certainly seek to cast [[Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague]] with their last reserves of mana then use the magic on massed troops. The ritual poses a serious threat to the forces of the Empire on the field, especially given the miasma that blankets the area.

The Bilious Breath will be on the battlefield together, under a distinctive banner, along with key people that form an essential part of the leadership of the Tainted Basilisk. If the Empire can decisively engage the group and kill or scatter them, it will deal a devastating final blow to the Tainted Basilisk. Without the leadership of the ''Breath's'' het and cicatrix then all sense of cohesion will quickly collapse. The army will disband as the campaign season begins, breaking up into small units and warbands, all eager to go to ground. Individual bands under a charismatic or particularly cruel orc, will be a problem for Imperial heroes to deal with, but the military threat to Imperial armies will be ended.

===Battlefield Opportunity: Rescue the Seers===
* '''Five Urizeni seers have been seized by the Druj while they were investigating the miasma pillars in the Bloodwater Marsh'''
* '''They have vital information on the location of the pillars anchoring the miasma in the region'''
* '''Rescuing the group of seers from the Druj will give the Empire a chance to deal with the miasma in Bloodwater Marsh'''

At the winter solstice the Urizeni National Assembly directed seers of their nation to find ways to gather knowledge and insights on the crushing pall of dread that blankets the Sarangrave. This is dangerous work with Druj forces still active in the territory. The Druj caught up with one group after they managed to find the location of the key pillars in the Bloodwater Marsh. They have been torturing their prisoners seeking to break their will, but thus far without success. The seers are together on the battlefield, if more than half the group can be rescued and returned to Anvil, then they the [[Civil Service|civil service]] will gather crucial information that will create an [[opportunity]] to deal with any pillars in the Bloodwater Marsh at the Summer Solstice.

===Battlefield Environment: Miasma of Despair===
* '''The entire battlefield is affected by an oppressive Druj miasma'''
* '''The miasma causes [[Calls#WEAKNESS|WEAKNESS]] unless you have a way to [[Roleplaying_effects#Overcoming_Roleplaying_Effects|overcome]] it'''

The entire area at ''Mantifent's Bier'', is under the effect of the [[Druj miasma]], a pall of potent fear that blankets the lands the Druj claim dominion over. Anyone entering the area will need to protect themselves from the clawing dread or succumb to a weakening terror that creeps into their mind.

The primary effect of the miasma is that it [[Calls#WEAKNESS|weakens]] anyone exposed to it who does not have the ability to [[Roleplaying_effects#Overcoming_Roleplaying_Effects|overcome]] it. The easiest method to overcome the miasma is to receive an [[anointing]], but particularly [[Heroic_skills#Hero|heroic]] individuals, or those in possession of certain [[enchantment|enchantments]] or [[magic items]] may also be able to counteract the effect. In particular, those of the [[changeling]] [[lineage]] are able to fight the effects of the miasma, by only by becoming ''extremely'' angry - which can cause problems all its own.

Camp planner

2026-06-05T22:25:06Z

Noserenda:

[[Category:Events]]
{{CaptionedImage|file=Camp planners.png|align=left|caption=Every camp needs a plan<br>Created by Dave Barnett with assets from [https://2minutetabletop.com/product/forest-glade/ 2minutetabletop.com]|width=500}}
==Overview==
Empire events are split into two areas, the out-of-character area which isn't used during the game where you can pitch any style of tent, and in-character area where the game takes place and where you can only pitch [[Costume#In-Character_Tents|an appropriate in-character tent]]. The in-character area is further sub-divided into ten distinct camps, one for each nation. If you are bringing an in-character tent, then you must camp with the other members of your nation.

Each nation has one or more camp planners, members of crew whose job is to plan the layout of each camp. Anyone who is planning to camp in the in-character area must contact the camp planner to let them know how many tents they are bringing and how large they are. The camp planners use this information to create a camp plan for each nation, indicating where all their nation's tents will go.

The camp planners publish the camp plan a week before the event. You must camp in the spot indicated on the plan. The camp planner will be available on Thursday and Friday before the event starts to provide help and guidance to find your spot if you need it.

<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; max-width: 400px; clear: right;">
<table class="wikitable">
<tr><th>Nation Facebook Group</th><th>Camp Planner Email</th></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/481197761897569/ The Brass Coast]</td><td>[mailto:brasscoast@profounddecisions.co.uk Trizz Eder<br>Harvey Meek]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/401633306545071/ Dawn]</td><td>[mailto:dawn@profounddecisions.co.uk Thomas Vero<br>Nathan Spalding]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/208819129244083/ Highguard]</td><td>[mailto:highguard@profounddecisions.co.uk Matt Lyons]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/158687267598665/ Imperial Orcs]</td><td>[mailto:imperialorcs@profounddecisions.co.uk Andy Seagull]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/459784360702068/ The League]</td><td>[mailto:league@profounddecisions.co.uk Aimee Scott<br>David Eastwood]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/146423572116922/ The Marches]</td><td>[mailto:marches@profounddecisions.co.uk Daisy Arrow]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/476962795649090/ Navarr]</td><td>[mailto:navarr@profounddecisions.co.uk Kit Stangroom<br>Rosemary Warner]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/470732939604433/ Urizen]</td><td>[mailto:urizen@profounddecisions.co.uk Luca Da Rè<br>David O'Neill]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/396355450407697/ Varushka]</td><td>[mailto:varushka@profounddecisions.co.uk Dave Barnett<br>David Miller]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/301940076567407/ Wintermark]</td><td>[mailto:wintermark@profounddecisions.co.uk James Gray<br>Bradley Carwardine]</td></tr>
</table>
</div>
==Camp Planning==
* '''If you wish to camp in-character, you must let the camp planner for your nation know'''
* '''Camp planners can be contacted on Facebook or by email'''
* '''The deadline for providing information is two weeks before the event begins'''
* '''You need to tell your camp planner the number and size of any tents you are hoping to bring'''
* '''You must let them know if the tents you are hoping to bring are required or optional'''
* '''Camp planners aim to publish the camp plan for the event one week before it begins'''
* '''Only contact your own nation's camp planner about the camp plan for the event'''
If you are hoping to pitch one or more tents in the in-character area at the event, you must let the camp planner for you nation know well beforehand. This may be as simple as filling in a row on a public spreadsheet, but it varies from nation to nation. You need to contact the camp planner, either on Facebook or by email, and let them know the number and size of any tents you are bringing.

Our camp planners are all members of the relevant nation Facebook group. They will post there 4-6 weeks before each event, to remind people to let them know what tents they are bringing. You can also contact them via their official Profound Decisions email accounts. All contact details are below.

If you are hoping to bring tents you want to pitch in the in-character area then you must let us know two weeks before the event to ensure that space is allocated for them. You will need to let your camp planner know which of the tents you are bringing are required and which are optional (see below) so that they can allocate the space available accordingly. The camp planners for each nation will publish a camping map on the nation's Facebook group one week before the event and will send this by email to anyone who requests it.

All our camp planners work together, collaboratively, to produce a single camp plan for the event. Please only contact your own nation camp planner about the camp plan. If there any issues that you think could affect neighbouring camps, then discuss those with your camp planner. They will share any relevant issues with the camp planning team.

==Optional and Required Tents==
* '''Required tents include all tents for roleplaying in and any tents that need to be on the IC field for any accessibility reason (mobility, fatigue, childcare, etc)'''
* '''Optional tents include any tents that could move to an OC field if required because they are just used for sleeping or storing equipment and aren’t needed for any accessibility reason'''
* '''You won’t be asked to justify or explain your choices - just mark your tent as optional or required with your camp planner'''
* '''If we run out of space, camp planners will move some or all of the sleeping tents labelled as optional to the adjacent overflow fields'''

There are [[Rules_update_2023#Site_Changes|new rules in operation]] for in-character camping in 2023. When you let your camp planner know what tents you are planning to bring, you must let them know which tents are required and which are optional. Required tents are all tents for roleplaying in and any tents that need to be on the in-character field for any accessibility reason (mobility, fatigue, childcare, etc). Optional tents include any tents that could move to an OC field if required because they are just used for sleeping or storing equipment and aren’t needed for any accessibility reason. You won’t be asked to justify or explain your choices - just let the camp planner know if the tent as optional or required as appropriate.

If we run out of space, then our camp planners will move some or all of the sleeping tents labelled as optional to the adjacent overflow fields. These fields are not in-character and don't form part of the Anvil game area, but they are adjacent to Anvil to keep walking distances to a minimum. If we only need to move a few tents, then we will ensure we aren't moving the same tents each time.

==Camp Setup==
* '''You must make sure you camp in the indicated area'''
* '''Your camp planner can show you the area that has been allocated for you to pitch your in-character tents when you arrive at the event'''
You must ensure that you keep your camp to the area designated by the camp planner. You can liaise with the camp planner once you arrive on site before you pitch any in-character tents to confirm where you should camp and how much room you have available.

==During the Event==
* '''All our camp planners play the event, in an emergency they can try to direct you to the most suitable member of our event crew'''
* '''Camp planning is a purely out-of-character responsibility, it has nothing to do with the character they play'''
All our camp planners are members of our site team. This means that they carry out their responsibilities before and after the event, '''not while the event is running'''. Once the event begins, they are just like every other participant who is playing the game. In an emergency your camp planner can try to direct you to the most suitable member of our event crew who can help, but the best place to get help is usually your nation [[egregore]], or a wandering referee, or to ask at GOD.

It is important to keep in mind that our camp planners are treated as players during the event. They are not NPCs and their out-of-character responsibilities as camp planners are completely separate from the in-character goals and objects of their characters. Please don't confuse the two and definitely don't try and offer them in-character bribes to get the spot you want!

==Camp Takedown==
* '''Camp planners will remind players pitching in the in-character area to clear their camp at the end of the weekend'''
* '''Your camp planner can provide advice on how to dispose of your rubbish and will have spare rubbish bags if you need them'''
You must make sure you clear all your rubbish at the end of the weekend and put it in one of the skips provided. Your camp planner will remind you to clear your camp before the end of the weekend. They can tell you where the skips are located and provide advice on the best way to dispose of your rubbish if you need any help. They also have spare refuse bags available if you need them to bag your rubbish.
==Accessibility==
* '''Please make sure your camp planner is aware of any accessibility needs you have'''
* '''Please make sure your camp planner is aware of any other out-of-character issues you have'''
* '''If your accessibility needs include electricity for a CPAP machine, please contact admin to let them know'''
Your camp position can have a huge impact on practical accessibility issues. Please make sure that your camp planner is aware of any accessibility needs that you have - they will do their best to take those into account when assigning you a camp position. Likewise if you have any other out-of-character issues that affect where you need to camp at the event, such as a conduct problem with another player, then you can speak to your camp planner and they will try to choose a suitable pitch accordingly. If for any reason you don't want to speak to your camp planner about your issue, then you can [[contact Profound Decisions|contact anyone]] at Profound Decisions to discuss the matter.

If you need electricity for CPAP machines or similar then please email [mailto:admin@profounddecisions.co.uk admin@profounddecisions.co.uk] and they will liaise with our electricians team to see what options we have.

==Collaboration==
* '''Our camp planners work together to collaborate to produce a single camp plan for the event'''
* '''Producing any camp plan inevitably involves a lot of compromises'''
* '''Please respect the hard work the camp planner do and the decisions they have taken'''
Our camp planners collaborate to create a single camp plan for the whole event. Their first priority is to ensure that the key out-of-character needs of our players are met, followed by the comfort and enjoyment of their nation as a whole. Inevitably, there are compromises that have to be made when placing tents, so not everyone can have the spot they want. You are welcome to submit requests and make suggestions but please respect the hard work the camp planners do. The camp plan, unless it affects your access requirements, is final.
==Current Camp Planners==
<fourpicture>
{{CaptionedImage|file=Trizz.jpeg|caption=The Brass Coast: Trizz Eder<br>email: [mailto:brasscoast@profounddecisions.co.uk brasscoast@profounddecisions.co.uk ]<br>Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/481197761897569/146423572116922/ The Brass Coast ]}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Harvey_Meek.jpg|caption=The Brass Coast: Harvey Meek<br>email: [mailto:brasscoast@profounddecisions.co.uk brasscoast@profounddecisions.co.uk ]<br>Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/481197761897569/146423572116922/ The Brass Coast ]}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=TomVero.jpg|caption=Dawn: Thomas Vero<br>email: [mailto:dawn@profounddecisions.co.uk dawn@profounddecisions.co.uk ]<br>Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/401633306545071/ Dawn ]}}

{{CaptionedImage|file=MattLyons.jpg|caption=Highguard: Matt Lyons<br>email: [mailto:highguard@profounddecisions.co.uk highguard@profounddecisions.co.uk ]<br>Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/208819129244083/ Highguard ]}}


{{CaptionedImage|file=RosemaryWarner.jpg|caption=Navarr: Rosemary Warner<br>email: [mailto:navarr@profounddecisions.co.uk navarr@profounddecisions.co.uk ]<br>Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/476962795649090/ Navarr ]}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Luca.jpg|caption=Urizen: Luca Da Rè<br>email: [mailto:urizen@profounddecisions.co.uk urizen@profounddecisions.co.uk ]<br>Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/470732939604433/ Urizen ]}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=DaveBarnett.jpg|caption=Varushka: Dave Barnett<br>email: [mailto:varushka@profounddecisions.co.uk varushka@profounddecisions.co.uk ]<br>Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/396355450407697/ Varushka ]}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=James.jpg|caption=Wintermark: James Gray<br>email: [mailto:wintermark@profounddecisions.co.uk wintermark@profounddecisions.co.uk ]<br>Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/301940076567407/ Wintermark ]}}
</fourpicture>

Court Reports

2026-06-05T10:07:53Z

Noserenda: /* Reports from 387YE */

[[Category:The Law]]
[[Category:The Empire]]
==Overview==
This page has the court reports for Anvil in recent years. These are updated with new court reports as time goes on. The most recent court report will also be available to read, pinned up in the Militia tent near the Hub.

==Reports from 387YE==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 40%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Winter Solstice 387YE Criminal Cases
|-
|Heresy||Yosephus Morningson was condemned by Raphael Barossa d'Apulian on the matter of Heresy, for statements made during Inquisition and for pamphlets and posters put up around Anvil.||Yosephus Morningson pled not guilty.||Found guilty by Chief Magistrate i Zuhri i Guerra.<br>Fined five thrones, and a Freezing Brand applied at accused's cost.||The statement attached to the brand is "I am a convicted Excessionist".
|-
|Treason||The accused confessed to casting both Merciless Wrath of the Reaver and Blood and Salt empowered with Siakha’s boon during the Spring Equinox 386.||Earl Edmund Reaver pled guilty, with a Loyalty clemency made by Emyr Redwood.||Found guilty by Magistrate Forrester, executed.||The minor benefits of the rituals against the Empire’s enemies, and the multiple breaches, outweighed the confession and the clemency plea.
|-
|Treason||The accused willingly took on Agramant’s Mark in Spring 387 following the offer of information useful for protecting the Empire. Following this, they received an anonymous note tipping them off to a meeting between Imperial magicians and Jotun thralls, with the suggestion that the Jotun would be given Imperial magic. The accused and Robin Blackthorne went to this meeting, and killed the Jotun thralls once everyone else had left. For this, they were vindicated by the Vigilance Assembly in Judgement 236 of Summer 387. When arrested, the accused possessed more vials of blood used to place the Mark.||Imperial Huntsmarshal Milos ‘Twig’ Durenovich Brekhunova pled guilty, with a clemency plea by Anatoly Paukov Zorkin on the virtue of Vigilance.||Found guilty by Chief Magistrate Karkovich, executed.||The magistrate accepted that the accused’s motivations lay in defending the Empire; however, at the point the boon was accepted, the nature and magnitude of the aid could not have been known. The magistrate considered that the very severe nature of the treason in consorting with Agramant outweighed the uncertain benefit at the time of the boon’s acceptance.
|-
|Murder||The accused killed Richard of Upwold after they both drew weapons and struck each other during a disagreement over a shared boundary to a barley field. The accused won the fight and then crushed his victim’s skull as he lay defenceless.||Henry of Upwold pled guilty with a Prosperity clemency by Savi Avvocato.||Found guilty by Chief Magistrate Karkovich, executed.||The clemency priest noted that the accused could have achieved their goals in a better way. The magistrate agreed, and determined that the plea did not meet the test of necessity.
|-
|Assault||The accused cut down Loaken of the Sentinel’s Tower during a fight he provoked by insulting his attacker. His attacker approached, armed, making threatening gestures and comments, and he defended himself.||Lord Tobias de Gauvain pled not guilty by way of self-defence.||Found not guilty by Magistrate i Zuhri i Erigo.||The next three cases contain additional context.
|-
|Mayhem||The accused cut off the ear of Lord Tobias de Gauvain subsequent to the above fight.||Loaken of the Sentinel’s Tower pled guilty.||Found guilty by Magistrate i Zuhri i Erigo. Fined two thrones.||
|-
|Theft||The accused stole the severed ear of Lord Tobias de Gauvain after a fight, and sold it to Arlandria of the Sentinel’s Tower.||Angelique Laval of House de Gauvain pled guilty, with clemency given by Tren Meals of House de Gauvain.||Found guilty by Magistrate i Zuhri i Erigo. Fined one and a half thrones.||
|-
|Handling Stolen Goods||The accused bought the severed ear of Lord Tobias de Gauvain after a fight, knowing it not to be the rightful property of the seller, Angelique Laval.||Arlandria of the Sentinel’s Tower pled not guilty.||Found guilty by Magistrate i Zuhri i Erigo. Fined two thrones.||
|-
|Heresy||The accused was condemned by Maarit Suvidottir for teaching orcs that they did not need Virtue, and in so doing denying the Doctrine of Enlightenment and the Doctrine of the Ancestors.||Bloodcrow Knott pled guilty.||Found guilty by Chief Magistrate i Zuhri i Guerra. Executed.||The accused gave a moving and compelling speech about the necessity of his actions, his lack of remorse, and was clear throughout the trial of his intent to continue his actions regardless of the consequence.
|-
|Blasphemy||The accused was condemned by Nim of Ebon’s Hall, Inquisitor of Wisdom, for concealing a Dedication to Freedom.||Gisli Baersson pled not guilty.||Found guilty by Magistrate Tiller. Fined thirty thrones, and a Freezing Brand to be maintained for the rest of Gisli’s life. The Magistrate also recommended a negative Testimony be placed on him.<br><br> The penalty was reviewed by the Chief Magistrates, and the duration of the Freezing Brand has been reduced to three years.||The accused argued at trial that simply bearing a Dedication did not meet the definition of Blasphemy, despite the clear guidance of the Magistracy that they would follow the Synod’s condemnations on what did or did not constitute any given religious crime.<br><br>The sentencing took account of the harm to those around the accused, and was found to be short of that required to justify the death penalty.
|-
|Treason||The accused was commanding on a minor conjunction of the Sentinel Gate. He healed and allowed to live several Druj injured by the Vallorn, and commanded others not to harm them. He allowed them to return to their people, where they would be able to recommence the fight against the Empire.||Earl Percival Summerstrong, Speaker of the Vallornguard pled guilty, with a Wisdom clemency.||Found guilty by Magistrate Tiller. No punishment was levied.||The Magistrate accepted that the accused had demonstrated excellent Wisdom by making use of the unexpected situation to discover ways in which the Druj fight against the Vallorn, which was the motivation for his actions. A necessary consequence of this was leaving some Druj alive, but this was not the goal of his act. When weighed against the benefits of his actions, the harm was much smaller in proportion. The clemency priest made strong representations as to the points of the Hero’s Burden.
|-
|Membership of an Illegal Organisation||The accused was the founder of the illegal organisation known as the Disciples of Sulemaine, and refused to abandon it or its path under any circumstance.||Severus of the Blinding Sun pled guilty.||Found guilty by Magistrate Tiller. Executed.||The accused did not have a priest to offer clemency, as he would only accept a clemency plea on the false virtue of Purity. The only person willing to deliver this plea was not a member of Synod, and so was ineligible.
<br><br>
Immediately following the execution, a spontaneous Consecration aligned with the accused’s professed beliefs arose on the tent where the trial and execution took place.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 40%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Autumn Equinox 387YE Criminal Cases
|-
|Murder||In Spring 387, two people antagonised Protectorate Quint with insulting artwork and assaulted him. Later, these individuals were in the Wonky Donkey, antagonising unidentified Highborn individuals in white and red, and were cut down by the Highborn. Irontide Ruka, a friend of Quint, saw this, and took the opportunity to execute one of the downed individuals; the Highborn executed the other.||Irontide Ruka pled guilty, with a Loyalty clemency plea made by Marco.||Found guilty by Chief Magistrate Karkovich, fined twenty thrones.||The penalty was reduced from execution, in consideration of the clemency plea, Ruka’s handing himself in immediately after the crime, and the severe provocation to Protectorate Quint.
|-
|Heresy||The accused was inquisited by Luca i Taziel i Riqueza, Cardinal of Prosperity, and admitted to being previously dedicated to the Virtue of Freedom. She also admitted to having dedicated others to Freedom.|| Hembeneth i Guerra pled guilty||Found guilty by Magistrate i Zuhri i Erigo, executed.||Hembeneth was inquisited and condemned in the Summer under [[387YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements#Judgement 149|Judgment 149]] and [[387YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements#Judgement 259|Judgement 259]].
|-
|Murder||The accused attacked Daniela Treval during the Summer Solstice 387, killing her. The accused asserted that they had been coerced into committing the offence, after threats were made against their friends.||John Shatterfoot of Eiraspire pled guilty, with a Loyalty clemency plea made by Amris Johan Merikovich.||Found guilty by Magistrate Sokolov, executed.||The magistrate accepted that the accused felt motivated by Loyalty and acknowledged the duress, but the murder of an Imperial citizen was not considered proportionate to the threats made, considering no attempt had been made to seek due process or assistance from the Magistrates or Militia.
|-
|Assault<br>Contempt of Court<br>Perverting the Course of Justice||The accused assaulted a Dawnish noble; then, at their trial, made every effort to disrupt their trial and prevent it from occurring. They were warned, fined for contempt, and when they continued to be disruptive were further warned that perverting justice carries the death penalty.||Gwillam<br>Aelfric of Dawn<br>both refused to enter any plea.||Found guilty by Magistrate Sokolov, executed.||The trial was incomplete as a result of the refusal of the defendants to allow it to continue. Magistrate Sokolov issued a summary verdict after making every effort to conduct the trial appropriately.
|-
|Murder||The accused murdered four people in Dunfirth, apparently while under the influence of a curse linked to a runemarked boulder.||Thurwolf Dunning pled guilty, with a clemency plea made by Veikko Bondforger.||Found guilty by Magistrate Tiller, executed.||The clemency plea focused on the apparent compulsion from the curse. The magistrate rejected the plea on the basis that Thurwolf showed awareness and decisionmaking ability.
|-
|Blasphemy<br>Abuse of Powers||The accused used True Liao to hallow a shield to the Virtue of Peace; in addition, he was dedicated at various times to each of the known False Virtues and produced a large number of hallowed items under these dedications.||Fintan Nighthaven pled guilty, with a clemency plea made by Rafael Barossa d’Apulian.||Found guilty by Chief Magistrate i Zuhri i Guerra. Executed.||Fintan was condemned in the Summer by [[387YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements#Judgement 260|Judgement 260]]. While the clemency plea was strong in many areas, it did not account for the totality of Fintan’s actions, and the raising priest for the condemnation emphasised the great harm done to the Empire and to the Synod’s authority by the accused’s actions.
|-
|Murder<br>(Attempted)||The accused attacked the Imperial Censor, Gaius Starfall i Riqueza, with apparent intent to kill. The accused offered no motivation for their actions.||Brawn of Dawn<br>Abraham<br>both pled guilty.||Found guilty by Magistrate Tiller, executed.||
|-
|Assault||Gisli Baersson was attacked by the accused, who claimed his motive was ‘boredom’ and ‘thrill-seeking’.||Julius i Rincon i Riqueza pled guilty.||Found guilty by Magistrate Tiller, fined 8 thrones and a Freezing Brand of Irremais to be applied at accused’s cost. Executed after stated refusal to pay any fine.||Julius was warned that refusal to engage with the punishment at all would likely lead to execution, but he continued to refuse to pay any fine at all and was executed.
|-
|Possession of controlled substance||The accused cooperated to brew the illegal poison The Crimson Gate, in order to poison a nest of Ettercaps in Therunin.||Gwynn Springseeker<br>Ilya Aethelwynn<br>Crenalin Oakvale<br>Aalin Oakvale<br>Franceslodi Tassato di Sarvos i Pesse<br>Atticus Reachingvine<br>Ursina i Garza i Guerra<br>Bertrand Gardener<br>Ascalla Maisa<br>Wren Embercast<br>Esme i Estrico i Erigo<br>all pled guilty with a Wisdom clemency plea by Pio i Vega i Riqueza.||Found guilty by Magistrate Farkas, fined one crown each.||The punishment was greatly reduced due to the nature of the crime being for the benefit of the Empire, and the strong clemency plea.
|-
|Possession of controlled substance||The accused cooperated to brew a number of illegal poisons in order to poison kraken eggs in Zenith during a major conjunction of the Sentinel Gate.||Fourteen citizens pled guilty, with clemency pleas by three priests.||Found guilty by Magistrate Farkas, fined five rings each.||These notes are incomplete, due to substantial water damage rendering them unreadable. If you are aware of the names of those convicted or offering clemency pleas, contact the Civil Service.

The Magistrate issued personal thanks and praise to the accused, on the basis of their excellent and difficult service in support of the Imperial interest in Zenith against the Druj.
|-
|Treason<br>Breaching Interdiction||The accused communicated with an eternal under enmity, the [[Whisper Gallery]], using an interdicted ritual that communicates with the Gallery, and were accused of making deals with the Gallery. Eliina did not cast the forbidden ritual, but knew about Bella’s actions and encouraged them. At the time, Eliina was Archmage of Night. Bella has since replaced her.||Bella Vincente d’Apulian<br>Eliina “Realm’s Visionary” Lailasdottir pled guilty, with a clemency plea for Bella made by Elagabala Netherwatch, Grandmaster Sevenfold Path, and a clemency plea for Eliina made by Dagon, Cardinal of Loyalty.||Found guilty by Magistrate Stillwater, fined 8 thrones collectively.||Although execution was considered, the clemency pleas were very strong and there was a successful argument that the contact was in service of saving the lives of Imperial citizens.

Eliina changed name and nation before the trial, but the name given is as it was at the time of the crimes and investigation.
|-
|Treason<br>Breaching Interdiction||The accused communicated with an eternal under enmity, the [[Agramant|Howler]], using an interdicted ritual that communicates with it. They subsequently responded to an invitation and met with it in an attempt to challenge it for a favour that was reportedly empowering the [[Hard to find#The Earl of the Groves|Earl of the Groves]]. No others witnessed this meeting, which took place in a Winter chamber, the ''Court of Desolation''. As such, the remaining events could not be verified. Staurakios paid an 'entry fee' of receiving a curse; Aletheia wagered her ability to love on a game to try and win the favour. Aletheia lost the game, and the chance to retrieve the favour. The accused were well aware in advance that their actions would be criminal, and handed themselves in immediately upon their return.||Staurakios of the Lighthouse that Was, Custodian of the Bleak Tower, pled guilty, with a clemency plea on the virtue of Vigilance by Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer, General of the Argent Sword.<br>Aletheia Wooder pled guilty, with a clemency plea on the virtue of Loyalty by Rafael Barossa d'Apulian.||Found guilty by Chief Magistrate i Zuhri i Guerra. Fined 20 thrones each and each given, at their own cost, a Freezing Brand with the phrase "I negotiated with Agramant".||The crime was extremely serious, and performed with full intent; execution was entirely possible. However, both clemency pleas were excellent, demonstrating how the accused had met each of the tests of the Hero's Burden, including exhausting all possible legal process - having been refused aid by the Archmage of Winter, and with the position of Knight-Protector of Winter being vacant, they were left with few options. The Magistrate found their account of what had gone on in the chamber to have no obvious falsehoods, and some elements, such as the curse, were verifiable. Questions remained about the urgency of their task, with the accused unable to fully substantiate their estimates of lives lost if they had failed to act, but their reasons remained compelling and so while their penalty was steep, they were not executed.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Civil Case
! scope="col" style="width: 35%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Parties
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Outcome
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Autumn Equinox 387YE Civil Cases
|-
|Contract dispute||The claimant engaged in a contract with the Artisans’ Guild by which he would deposit materials, which the Artisans’ Guild would pass on to an artisan, who would make a desired item. The artisan, Aspasia Netherwatch, did not deliver the item after receiving materials. Contractually, the Guild was not liable for the materials but were responsible for assisting Jacques in retrieving his materials from the artisan, potentially until the end of time due to the lack of an appropriate break-clause. Jacques wanted his materials back; the Guild wanted to be free of their obligation.||Jacques Damask, represented by Savi Avvocato<br>and<br>Xanthius Stormsend, representing the Artisans’ Guild||Chief Magistrate i Zuhri i Guerra assisted the parties in negotiating a settlement. Jacques agreed to discharge the Guild from its obligations to help him in exchange for 7 thrones and 2 crowns.||Savi Avvocato also claimed to be helping the Artisans’ Guild to rewrite its contracts for future work. Jacques did not seem concerned by potential conflicts of interest.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 40%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Summer Solstice 387YE Criminal Cases
|-
|Poisoning<br>Murder||The accused poisoned Jacko, an Academy tutor, during a potions class, with the Hunger of the Wolf. It took effect during a conjunction, and the students cut down Jacko; he then died from the poison. Students were deputised to investigate, and accused Laszlo von Holberg, who made a full confession.||Laszlo von Holberg pled guilty.||Found guilty by Magistrate i Zuhri i Erigo, executed.||The deputies Deerlah Yrhara, Inga Svensborn, and Oola Dunning, are commended for their investigative work.
|-
|Murder||The accused discovered that Earl Tadhg of House Gladewarden wrote to the Howling Queen in an effort to ′become a new Deadwood Knight′. The accused went with others to intervene and stop Tadhg, but the Earl attacked and although struck down vowed that he would not stop his efforts. The accused killed him to try and prevent this.|| Dorian Gryphontale pled guilty, with a clemency plea on the virtue of Loyalty made by the Earl of Fools.||Found guilty by Magistrate Stillwater, fined five thrones.||The circumstances of the situation fit the Hero's Burden very clearly, as well as being in the Imperial interest; the clemency plea was also very convincing and although the penalty for murder can be as high as execution, it was reduced to a fine.
|-
|Treason||The accused collaborated with the Jotun following the Bregasland invasion of 383-384YE, along with his family, informing on their neighbours. They were rewarded for this. He escaped from militia bringing him to trial in Winter 385. He handed himself in in return for Imperial heroes rescuing his family from Jotun captivity.||Sammy Clake pled guilty, with a clemency plea on the virtue of Loyalty made by Father Edmund of Barrowley Abbey.||Found guilty by Chief Magistrate Karkovich, executed.||Although the priest argued that when faced with a hard choice Sammy chose to protect his family, the magistrate determined that his actions caused disproportionate harm to his neighbours and to the Empire.<br>The magistrates deemed it not in the Imperial interest to prosecute the remaining Clakes.
|-
|Membership of an Illegal Organisation<br>Resisting Arrest<br>Assault || The accused confessed during an Inquisition to being a member of the Cult of the Falconer. They resisted arrest and stabbed Ethelfrith Sigeling.||Kaisa Sewn-Tongue pled guilty.||Found guilty by Chief Magistrate Karkovich, fined six thrones and four crowns; not paid, executed.||No priest was willing to plead clemency for the accused. Kaisa refused outright to pay the fine, and was executed as a result.
|-
|Membership of an Illegal Organisation||The accused confessed to being a member of the Cult of the Falconer.||Finn Starchaser pled guilty.||Found guilty by Chief Magistrate Karkovich, fined five thrones; not paid, executed.|| No priest was willing to plead clemency for the accused. Finn refused outright to pay the fine, and was executed as a result.
|-
|Assault||While standing in the Hub, the accused ferociously attacked an unarmed orc merchant from Beoraidh, a city of foreigners, following a verbal altercation.||Stonesworn Skegg pled guilty, with a clemency plea on the virtues of Loyalty and Pride made by Finna, Ambassador to the Grendel.||Found guilty by Magistrate Sokolov, fined one throne.||A charge of attempted murder was initially considered, due to the intensity of the attack, but was discarded because of inconsistencies in witness statements.<br>The Clemency plea argued that the accused was provoked, and was compelled by virtue to act, but the magistrate determined that the act lacked urgency, proportionality and the exhaustion of legal options. The fine was somewhat reduced due to the plea and the accused's extensive cooperation and lack of prior criminality.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Civil Case
! scope="col" style="width: 35%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Parties
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Outcome
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Summer Solstice 387YE Civil Cases
|-
|Inheritance||Laszlo Gulyas von Temeschwar bought the Regario Dossier in Spring 386YE for sixty thrones, but was killed in the Autumn of that year. Therefore a refund of fifteen thrones was due to his inheritor. Prince Marcus presented a will signed by Laszlo entitling the Sea Wolves to his estate, but Damiàn presented a contract signed subsequently by Laszlo entitling them to any refund due if Laszlo's term ended early. The signatures matched and both documents were deemed genuine.||Prince Marcus von Temeschwar of the Sea Wolves<br>and<br>Damiàn i Martàn i Erigo, Ambassador to Jarm||Chief Magistrate i Zuhri i Guerra judged that Laszlo's will entitled Prince Marcus to the money, but this could not be disentangled from the contractual obligation to Damiàn—so Prince Marcus also owed Damiàn fifteen thrones.||Prince Marcus requested that the Civil Service deliver the money directly to Damiàn in order to simplify the discharging of the debt.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 40%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Spring Equinox 387YE
|-
| Treason || The accused confessed to paying a ritualist, now deceased, to invoke Yaw'nagrah, an Eternal under enmity, to gain boons in a casting of Blessing of New Spring on her farm. The accused was also identified in a Silent Bell report. || Courgetta i Rincon i Guerra pled guilty with a clemency plea on the Virtues of Ambition, Pride and Prosperity by Emberic Ashsong || Found guilty by Chief Magistrate Karkovich, fined ten thrones. || The punishment was reduced from execution due to the Prosperous nature of the act, and the relatively low level of harm to the Empire.
|-
| Murder <br>(attempted) || The two accused, from Faraden, came to Anvil with a list of targets they admitted intending to kill, and heretical pamphlets on Justice to hand out. They attacked Jared, the Champion of Vigilance. || Zorilgo and Uildel of Faraden pled guilty. || Found guilty by Magistrate de Remourics, executed.
|-
| Murder || Ren Tanner was a captain of a military unit who participated in the illegal attack on the Rahvin at the Fangs one season ago. He was not present at that summit to be tried. The Court Reports from Winter 386YE have details of the attack. || Ren Tanner pled not guilty. || Found guilty by Magistrate Tiller, executed || Tanner claimed at trial that he was coerced by being threatened with Inquisition, and with a threat made against his life if he did not follow through with his oath of Loyalty. He also claimed genuine contrition and good character. The Magistrate judged that these matters, though meriting consideration, didn't justify reducing the sentence in light of the scale of the crime.
|-
| Subverting the Agencies of the State || The accused, who is the Captain of the Senate Guard, had ejected Solomon, Senator for Casinea, from the Senate because of an aura of unidentified origin. The Senator was thus deprived of the right to speak and vote for an entire session. || Arthur Bannerman, known as 'Bam Bam', pled guilty, with a clemency plea on the Virtue of Vigilance made by Vesna Borkovna Prochnost, the Throne, using the Mercy of the Empress. || Found guilty by Magistrate Tiller, fined twenty thrones. || This was judged to be one of the most serious cases of subverting the agencies of the state and thus required a heavy fine. Empress Vesna made a clemency plea citing Bannerman's virtuous motivations and the events leading up to this illegal ejection. It was found that this did not outweigh the crime, but did warrant a reduction of the fine from thirty thrones.
|-
| Subverting the Agencies of the State || In Winter 386YE, the Senators Hal Talbot and Johnny Tailor, as well as Ulrich, the proxy for Senator Bregasland, made several appointments after Mournwold was assigned to the Marches but before a Senator was elected. They incorrectly stated to the Civil Service that their decisions were unanimous. || Hal Talbot - Senator Mitwold, Johnny Tailor - Senator Upwold, and Ulrich all pled guilty. || Found guilty by Magistrate Tiller. Hal Talbot was fined one throne, Johnny Tailor was fined three thrones, Ulrich was fined five thrones. || The defendants claimed genuine error. This was accepted by the Magistrate and relatively low fines were issued in consequence. The accused received fines in proportion to their claimed levels of experience in the Senate.
|-
| Subverting the Agencies of the State || Due to an administrative error, the accused was able to submit a motion to Senate without it going through the proper channels for scrutiny. The error was found before Senate was in session. || Protectorate Thenrik, Legion Engineer, pled guilty. || Found guilty by Magistrate Tiller. Fined one throne. || Due to no significant advantage or disadvantage being given to anybody after the error was discovered, and the Magistrate being satisfied that this was a genuine error, a low fine was levied.
|-
| Subverting the Agencies of the State || At the summit of Winter 386YE, Senator Zenith struck down Pickers Goldleaf, Citizens' Voice, while Pickers was making use of his power in Senate. The title had been legitimately purchased, so this represented a denial of the rights of speaking associated with that title, by use of force. || Herminius of the House of the Wanderer, Senator Zenith, pled guilty with a clemency plea on the Virtue of Vigilance made by Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer. || Found guilty by Magistrate Tiller, fined five thrones. || This was an extremely serious case of Subversion, for which a high fine was warranted. A detailed clemency was given, citing Vigilance, in particular the impression that Goldleaf had claimed that he had not only committed treason but was about to commit further treason on leaving the Senate. The clemency also stated that the accused had reason to believe nobody else was taking the statement seriously, and that if he did not take action Goldleaf would be permitted to leave to conduct the further treason. Taking the clemency and context into account, the Magistrate reduced the fine down from twenty thrones.
|-
| Assault || The accused attacked Mel Bleak and other Spring ritualists for calling on the power of the Claw to enhance their rituals, having heard reports from the Astral Arcanist and Custodian of the Lost that such rituals were empowering a malign entity known as the Falconer. Conclave was at the time debating the interdiction of this practice, but the interdiction had not yet come into effect. || Bernard Dugdale and Artis Greyholm pled guilty, with a clemency plea on the virtue of Vigilance made by Kezandro i Riqueza. || Found guilty by Chief Magistrate i Zuhri i Guerra, fined two crowns each. || The fears of the accused seemed well-founded, and the clemency priest established timeliness, a lack of available legal process, and the proportionality of the action with a minimum of force used. The fine was halved from four crowns each.
|-
| Treason || The accused was alleged to have passed information to the Grendel, which led to a direct threat to the life of an Imperial citizen, Sorcha di Apulian. || Raine Tealeaf pled not guilty. || Found not guilty by Magistrate Tiller. || The evidence available was not strong enough to clearly show that Raine Tealeaf had committed treason, and there were no avenues available to pursue further evidence.
|-
| Assault <br>Resisting arrest || The accused was alleged to have assaulted passers-by on the road between the Wintermark and Navarr camps, fleeing into Navarr when pursued. He fought off Militia attempting to arrest him, and tried to escape many times once captured, amounting to four charges of assault and one of resisting arrest. || Tilla of House Ironclaw pled guilty with a clemency plea. || Found guilty of by Magistrate i Zuhri i Erigo, fined eight thrones and four crowns.<br> Tilla refused to pay the fine, and was executed. || The fine was very high because each time the accused was subdued, he made another effort to attack those around him. The Magistrate chose to compound the assault fines. After the verdict, the accused refused vehemently to pay the fine on principle, and clearly stated that he would never pay the fine, even when warned that this would lead to execution. <br><br> When he continued to refuse the fine, he was executed.
|-
|}

==Reports from 386YE==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 40%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Winter Solstice 386YE
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted with a blade Grud, Egregore of the Imperial Orcs, after the victim correctly predicted the death of the accused’s partner in battle. Bloodcrow Kren witnessed the assault. || Lady Griffinsbain, Egregore of Dawn pled guilty || Found guilty by Magistrate Brutus, fined two crowns || The fine was low because of the victim’s provocations.
|-
| Assault || The accused (a priest), and two other priests, performed an Insight on the victim, Hugh Farrier. They reported finding a strong Aura of Hate. Hugh became aggressive. The accused struck Hugh and ran away, before being cut down by other Marchers, Thomas Oak and Sebastian Shaw. || Stanus Emberclad pled not guilty || Found not guilty by Magistrate Brutus || The accused claimed self-defence based on the victim’s aggressive behaviour. The Magistrate accepted this argument.
|-
| Murder <br>(attempted) || The accused attacked Bernard Dugdale, Imperial Spymaster, in the Hall of Worlds, knocking him to the floor before stabbing him several times. He did not stop his attack until he was pulled away. The accused claimed that the Spymaster struck the first blow, and that he dropped his knife and retreated after downing the Spymaster, but was contradicted by witnesses Jim Cladpole and Linley Weaver. || Watt Lambrook pled not guilty || Found not guilty of an attempt to murder, but found guilty of assault, by Magistrate i Zuhri i Erigo, fined 2th || The Magistrate did not ultimately judge this to be a serious attempt to murder, because the attack happened in front of a number of capable witnesses. The fine was increased because this was the second time that the criminal had committed assault against the victim.
|-
| Murder || The accused, a Thule orc, confessed to murdering at least a dozen Imperial citizens over the last year in Sermersuaq, in order to serve the interests of Blood-on-the-Snow. He was caught because his group of magicians, the Dragon’s Talon, cooperated with members of the Vigilance assembly to investigate and trap him. Investigation allegedly revealed that he bore the Mark of his patron. He made a full confession of his crimes. || Frekki Shardbearer pled guilty || Found guilty of murder by Chief Magistrate i Zuhri i Guerra, executed || The accusers were not willing to name the individual who had detected the Mark of the Howler. However, the confession was full and comprehensive, and there did not appear to be any motive for the accused to invent or fabricate the confession.
|-
| Murder || The first accused, Jade, confronted the victim – Aramis du Froste, Senator Barrens – in the Glory Square. After a short conversation, she stabbed and then attempted to execute Senator Barrens, but was interrupted by the Fool of Glory trying to render assistance to the Senator. The second accused, Arnulf, attacked the Fool and a physick, Isolde, who had also come to help the Senator. This allowed Jade to make a second, successful attempt at slaying the Senator, after which the accused, both yeofolk of House Wolfborne, immediately sought Sanctuary nearby. || Jade and Arnulf both pled guilty with a clemency plea on the Virtue of Loyalty, presented by Pontius Emberclad, Curator of the White City Museum. || Both found guilty of murder by Magistrate Brutus, executed. || The plea for Jade was based on Loyalty to House Wolfborne, but lacked any substantial detail. In Arnulf’s clemency plea, based on Loyalty to Jade, it was argued that Arnulf did not directly attack the Senator, and was trying to defend Jade from those coming to aid the Senator. However, the Magistrate found that it was his efforts that gave Jade the opportunity to finish her murder, which was clearly visible to everyone around, and therefore Arnulf was regarded as a knowing and willing participant.
|-
| Murder || The accused - Archavion Wolfborne, General Gryphon's Pride - at Autumn 386 gave his army orders to attack the Rahvin sept at the Fangs mine in Bitter Strand, the Barrens. The Rahvin are foreigners and protected by Imperial law. Some Rahvin were killed in the attack, and the army orders were clear that Rahvin casualties were acceptable in claiming the mine. || Archavion Wolfborne, General Gryphon's Pride, pled guilty with a clemency plea on the Virtue of Vigilance presented by Kasimir Vukovitch von Temeschwar. || Found guilty of murder by Magistrate Tiller, sentenced to death. || The clemency plea, on Vigilance, had strengths. It was not enough to overcome the seriousness of the crime; it was undercut by the lack of urgency - there was no evidence of an imminent Rahvin attack - and by a failure to exhaust legal remedies, such as by seeking a Senate declaration of war. The condemned was offered immediate execution or death in battle. He chose the latter, and was killed in battle the following day.
|-
| Murder || The accused were all military unit captains who ordered their soldiers to support the Gryphon's Pride army in attacking the Rahvin at the Fangs mine in Bitter Strand, the Barrens. The Rahvin are foreigners and protected by Imperial law; by the time the Gryphon's Pride orders became public there was also an opportunity for Imperial captains to defend the Rahvin - therefore, these military units were also attacking Imperial citizens. Some Rahvin were killed in the attack, and the army orders were clear that Rahvin casualties were acceptable in claiming the mine. || Madoc, Roland, Sir Pelinal, and Ulfius, all of House Medwood, pled guilty with a single clemency plea on the virtue of Loyalty presented by Sir Decimus of House de Bastion. || Found guilty of murder by Magistrate Tiller, sentenced to death. || The clemency plea relied mainly on Loyalty to the nation following the guidance of the Earls' Council. However, there was no clear explanation why they ignored the two-season grace period suggested by the Council. They also argued that the army was already on the way, so they could not stop it - but this did not explain or justify joining in the attack. The condemned were offered immediate execution or death in battle. They chose the latter, and were killed in battle the following day.
|-
| Murder || The facts are as stated previously, in the case of House Medwood, above. || Vincent Larmallevés pled guilty with a clemency plea on the virtue of Prosperity presented by Pontius Emberclad, Curator of the White City Museum. || Found guilty of murder by Magistrate Tiller, sentenced to death. || The clemency plea, founded on Prosperity, was based on ideas of 'stolen' 'Imperial' mithril - although the mine had never been assigned by the Senate to any nation or as an Imperial seat - and on an unexplained precept that waiting would have 'cost Imperial lives'. The condemned was offered immediate execution or death in battle. He chose the latter, and was killed in battle the following day.
|-
| Murder || The facts are as stated previously, in the case of House Medwood, above. || Ancon, of House Wolfborne, pled guilty with a clemency plea on the virtue of Loyalty presented by Pontius Emberclad, Curator of the White City Museum. || Found guilty of murder by Magistrate Tiller, sentenced to death. || The clemency plea rested on personal Loyalty to General Gryphon’s Pride, who saved the accused’s life, after which he always supported the General and his army. However, there was no explanation for how the Rahvin posed a threat to the General for which this was a proportionate response, or why this personal Loyalty specifically justified murder. The condemned was offered immediate execution or death in battle. He chose the latter, and was killed in battle the following day.
|-
| Murder || The facts are as stated previously, in the case of House Medwood, above. || Ollanius Pius, of House Wolfborne, pled guilty with a clemency plea on the virtue of Vigilance presented by Pontius Emberclad, Curator of the White City Museum. || Found guilty of murder by Magistrate Tiller, sentenced to death. || The basis of the plea was that the accused believed the Rahvin had the mithril to equip an army, and there was no time to solve the issue with diplomacy, but could not explain why the army alone was insufficient and his personal military unit support was required. The condemned was offered immediate execution or death in battle. He chose the latter, and was killed in battle the following day.
|-
| Murder || The facts are as stated previously, in the case of House Medwood, above. || Owain, of House Wolfborne, pled guilty with a clemency plea on the virtue of Vigilance presented by Pontius Emberclad, Curator of the White City Museum. || Found guilty of murder by Magistrate Tiller, sentenced to death. || The basis of the plea was that it was necessary to deny resources to the enemy, citing the example of Berechiah, and that taking the mine and the mithril would ultimately save Imperial lives. However, the plea did
not justify the belief that the Rahvin, who were foreigners, were enemies of the Empire, nor that their actions would cause Imperial deaths. The condemned was offered immediate execution or death in battle. He chose the latter, and was killed in battle the following day.
|-
| Murder || The facts are as stated previously, in the case of House Medwood, above. || Dufenal Ash, of the Marches, pled guilty with no clemency. || Found guilty of murder by Magistrate Tiller, sentenced to death. || The condemned was offered immediate execution or death in battle. He chose execution.
|-
| Murder || The facts are as stated previously, in the case of House Medwood, above. || Eric, of House Orzel, pled guilty with a clemency plea on the virtue of Loyalty presented by Veikko Bondforger. || Found guilty of murder by Magistrate Tiller, sentenced to death. || The basis of the plea was personal loyalty to Archavion. The clemency priest noted that the crime was not proportionate to the situation, and that the accused had not attempted to seek legal recourse because he had a low regard for the political process. The condemned was offered immediate execution or death in battle. He chose the latter, and was killed in battle the following day.
|-
| Murder || The facts are as stated previously, in the case of House Medwood, above. || Lucius Pannonicus, of House Asterion, pled guilty with a clemency plea on the virtue of Loyalty presented by Pontius Emberclad, Curator of the White City Museum. || Found guilty of murder by Magistrate Tiller, sentenced to death. || The basis of the plea was personal
loyalty to Archavion. It justified the actions of the accused on the basis that the army was already on its way to attack the Rahvin, but failed to explain why the assistance of the accused’s military unit was necessary or why murder was a proportionate act. The condemned was offered immediate execution or death in battle. He chose the latter, and was killed in battle the following day.
|-
| Murder || The facts are as stated previously, in the case of House Medwood, above. || Lodwick Hardin, of Wintermark, pled guilty with a clemency plea that was subsequently withdrawn by the priest, Pontius Emberclad. || Found guilty of murder by Magistrate Tiller, sentenced to death. || The clemency plea was withdrawn after the accused attempted to flee the trial. He was not given the choice of execution or death in battle like the others tried alongside him; he was executed immediately.
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 40%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Autumn Equinox 386YE
|-
| Criminal damage <br>Theft || The accused handed themselves in having attempted to steal an item hallowed to a false virtue from the Cardinal of Ambition, Viviane Barossa di Tassato Regario. Their aim was to re-hallow this item to replace its aura with a virtuous one. || Lenarius Ankarien, Imperial Inquisitor, pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>No punishment. ||A clemency plea was made by Gaelen Embercast on the grounds of Loyalty. <br>The presiding magistrate accepted that the accused had acted in the Imperial interest, out of Loyalty to their friend and out of concern for her spiritual health and that of other followers of the Way, especially considering the oath made by the Cardinal to the Axou regarding the item.
|-
| Murder <br>(attempted) || Tao of the Marches employed Willem and Janeth Thatch to help him murder Skywise Gralka, Archmage Day. They shadowed Gralka, and in due course donned sackcloth masks, then attacked her, using at least one envenomed weapon. However, Archmage Day had previously noticed she was being followed, and had alerted the Militia, leading to the defeat and capture of the accused. <br>Willem and Janeth claimed in their defence that they were unaware that a crime was about to be committed, despite having put on masks to conceal their identities. || Tao of the Marches pleaded guilty with no clemency. Willem and Janeth Thatch both pleaded not guilty. || Guilty. <br> All were executed. <br> Tao rose up as a husk, and was immediately killed again. || The presiding magistrate discarded the defence offered by the accused, as they had shown clear signs of preparation and premeditation.
|-
| Murder <br>(attempted) || The accused attempted to murder Captain Cassie, Imperial Censor, several times, including (on the final occasion) just outside the Militia offices. When questioned the accused stated that they were under contract to kill the Censor. Furthermore, the accused stated a belief that the Censor was corrupt and deserved to die. They refused to reveal who contracted this assassination and said if given the opportunity they would try to kill her again. || Desbresa, of the Star Bar, pleaded guilty, with no clemency plea. || Guilty. <br>Executed. ||
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted Zadkiel de Coeurdefer with the intent of removing an item hallowed to the malign spiritual presence of Peace, purportedly out of concern for the victim’s spiritual health. Magistrate Sokolov supervised a weregild hearing between the two parties, with the accused, Vitore Von Temeschwar agreeing to pay a weregild of one throne to the victim. || Vittore von Temeschwar pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>One throne paid to the victim as a weregild. ||
|-
| Murder <br>(attempted) || The accused attacked Warrant Officer Orin of the Anvil Militia with an envenomed weapon, in an unprovoked attack, outside the offices of the Anvil Militia. || Jobb of Wintermark pleaded guilty with no clemency plea. || Guilty. <br>Executed. || Although the public nature of the attack meant that the victim was relatively unlikely to die, the use of an envenomed blade and the accused’s subsequent aggressive behaviour delayed timely medical intervention to the envenomed victim thus placing their life in jeopardy; the accused was therefore charged with attempted Murder rather than Assault.
|-
| Assault || The accused, Sulkavaris, the Wintermark Egregore, handed themself in and confessed to assaulting Grud-who-Thinks, the Egregore of the Imperial Orcs. The accused said they had argued with Grud because he had been spreading lies and false prophecies, causing great distress to the accused's sibling. The accused lost his temper and struck Grud with a weapon. || Sulkavaris pleaded guilty with no clemency plea. || Guilty. <br>Fined two crowns. ||
|-
| Murder || The accused, Agni Ashborn, confessed to poisoning Sicaro, Prince of the Crimson Reapers, on the Saturday of the Summer Solstice 386YE. She held a longstanding grudge against him because she held him responsible for the deaths of Gelert and Gaius Ashborn in battle, through his inaction. After killing Sicaro, she took his signet ring and sent a taunting message to the new Prince of the Crimson Reapers. || Agni Ashborn pleaded guilty without a clemency plea. || Guilty. <br>Executed.
|-
| Subverting the Agencies of the State <br>(attempted) <br>Trade of narcotics to the Iron Confederacy <br>(attempted) || The accused, Beauregarthe, attempted to prevent Ambassador Iron Confederacy, Tethros i Zuhri i Erigo, from meeting with two Suranni priests. When arrested, the accused was carrying a narcotic, but there was no evidence of any intent to carry it over the Suranni border. || Beauregarthe, a citizen of the Iron Confederacy, pleaded guilty to subversion, and not guilty to trade of narcotics. <br>A clemency plea for subversion was given on the grounds of Vigilance by Ira Ashes Blaze. || Found guilty of subversion and not guilty of trade in narcotics, by Chief Magistrate Karkovich. <br>Fined five thrones. || The clemency plea argued that the accused was acting to prevent a clear threat to the people they were looking after, which only they knew about, and so was compelled to act. However, it was not made clear how preventing the Ambassador from meeting with the Suranni was for the greater good.
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 40%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Summer Solstice 386YE
|-
| Subverting the Agencies of the State || At the Spring summit Skywise Tulva enlisted Redhand Tutt to impersonate a Priest, Redhand Ikis in order to obtain primacy on [[386YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_210|judgement #210]]. This judgement was to encourage those people based in Pakaanan’s Pass to evacuate from the threat of the Cold Sun. The evidence suggested that a few dozen lives were saved as a result. || Skywise Tulva pleaded guilty.<br> Redhand Tutt pleaded guilty. || Both were found guilty.<br>They were jointly fined thirty thrones and each subjected to a [[Freezing Brand of Irremais]] at their own expense. They were also denounced by the presiding magistrate. || A clemency plea was made on the grounds of Loyalty.<br>Magistrate Sokolov's denunciation was as follows: “I, Magistrate Kasimir Nikovitch Sokolov denounce this dishonest impersonation of a member of Synod, which affected the outcome of a judgement. To allow this to pass without sanction would undermine the bond of trust between the Civil Service and the Synod for it threatens the spiritual health of all followers of the Way. I request the Imperial Inquisitor to investigate the guilty with a view to an appropriate sanction or penance proportionate to the severity of their actions.”
|-
| Treason || The accused left Anvil through the Gate following a lead to obtain a weapon to use against the Deadwood Knight. On arrival they were met by a herald. Once it was ascertained that this was a herald of the Whisper Gallery, Velko and Ivana left immediately without further interaction. The remainder agreed each to share a secret with the Herald, in return for the location of the sword they sought. When they returned they handed themselves in and cooperated fully. At trial the accused agreed to share publicly the secrets they shared with the herald, both to ascertain the danger these secrets represented and to rob them of some of their value to the Whisper Gallery. || The accused all pleaded guilty. They were as follows: Velko Perovitch Razoradze, Twig, and Ivana Petara Vodjavic, all of Varushka; Lord Leonard Gildeson, Hypatia de Cendres, Alistair de Vere, Marigold Campaner, Aubin Gildaryn, Olwyn Pickle, and Oswald Hopper, all of Dawn. || Velko Perovitch Razoradze and Ivana Petara Vodjavic were found not guilty. The remainder were found guilty, and fined one throne each. || A clemency plea was made by Annabelle Cetelle on the grounds of Loyalty and Wisdom.<br>The magistrate found the accused to have acted Loyally and out of a sense of urgency and concern for the current and future victims of the Deadwood Knight.
|-
| Murder || Witnesses testified that the accused led a group to [[Miekarova#Miechernya|Miechernya]] in Winter 384YE, where they murdered a group of Varushkan wardens on a pre-arranged signal. A couple of seasons later, a Thule warlock used [[Whispers_through_the_Black_Gate|the Black Gate]] to summon the shade of one of the victims and questioned it in front of other witnesses, whereupon it reportedly confirmed this version of events. The accused argued both that they thought that these were Vyig rather than wardens, and that this situation had been engineered by the Thule as part of a plot. || Alderei the Fair, General of the Iron Helms, and Vedmid, of Carrion Vale, both pleaded not guilty. || Both were found not guilty. ||
|-
| Assault || The accused, Gideon Rookguard, and the victim, Sina Rookguard, were both out drinking together. The accused became upset when the victim picked him up to show her strength and he spilt his drink. He saw red and attacked her, stabbing her until she fell down in front of many witnesses. || Gideon Rookguard pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined four crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Timor of Ill Tidings on the grounds of Vigilance.
|-
| Treason || At the Autumn 385 summit Sally Thresher was in charge of a conjunction to go to Mitwold where a group of Siakha heralds were harassing locals to try and get them to fight. She received advice from Guildenstern that they would be able to leave unharmed if they did not agree to a fight. However, they were attacked and swiftly dropped despite not agreeing to a fight. Sally was given the choice to either have herself and all those with her devoured by the heralds or give her permission for them to hunt citizens in Mitwold. She gave her permission so that she and those that went with her could live. Immediately afterwards, she did everything she could to warn the Marches of the coming danger, and which undoubtedly saved many who would otherwise have died. The heralds killed 30 members of the Drakes and the entirety of the Wayford Wanderers foot-the-ball team. || Sally Thresher pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>No punishment was given. || A clemency plea was made by John Sawyer on the grounds of Loyalty.
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 40%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 20%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Spring Equinox 386YE
|-
| Blasphemy and heresy || The accused was condemned in Winter 385 ([[385YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_193|judgement #193]]) for publishing poetry and preaching on the subject of freedom in a manner judged to be blasphemous and heretical. The sentence was lenient, because of 1) the direction given by the condemning priest and 2) the evidence of actual harm caused was slight. || Kennett the Mummer pleaded guilty. || Guilty<br> Fined four thrones. || The condemning priest was Sam Wych-Elm. A clemency plea was made by Jedediah Boon on grounds of Pride.
|-
| Slavery || The accused presented an opportunity to the Military Council to purchase slaves for emancipation from the Grendel in Winter 385. This was in clear contravention of the law against purchasing non-imperial slaves. || Atraxes the Imperial War Scout pleaded guilty || Guilty<br> Fined ten thrones. || Atraxes had already stood down as War Scout
|-
| Subverting the Agencies of the State || The accused forced the Sentinel Gate for a minor conjunction without the permission of the person named responsible by the Civil Service, who was Mortarion Carver, Castellan of Spiral Castle. The skirmish in question was to defeat the *Broken Errant* and their warband, who were threatening Weirwater. The crime was witnessed by Algernon Berinore. The accused first asked the permission of the Castellan, and was refused, before passing through the Sentinel Gate regardless. The senator's clemency defence was weakened as he was unable to explain why he thought the defence organised by the Castellan would be insufficient. Given his clearly admitted intent, and the graveness of a senator illegally impinging on the rightful responsibilities of another, the crime was treated very seriously. || Ser Lucan Mortére, Senator Weirwater, pleaded guilty || Guilty<br> Fined fifteen thrones. || A clemency plea by Killian Mortére on grounds of Ambition
|-
| Assault (Leo), Assault and Mayhem (Tongs) || Syrio of la Berta Rossa, formerly of the family Barossa, was attacked by the two accused, when returning through the Sentinel Gate. Gabriel, Marcus and Rodrigo Barossa were also reported to be present. The victim was said to have sent Tongs a cursed necklace, causing her to commit harm to her loved ones. Tongs and Syrio attempted to fight each other; Leo Barossa made an effort to hold back Syrio while Gabriel Barossa tried to restrain Tongs. Leo was more successful, but only by attacking Syrio. Tongs struck down Syrio and carved a message into his arm, which persisted after healing. || Leo Barossa, Samantha 'Tongs' Barossa both pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Leo was fined one crown.<br>Tongs was fined ten thrones. || A clemency plea was made by Alfredo Barossa di Tassato on grounds of Loyalty.
|-
| Treason || The accused approached the proxy for the Grandmaster of the Unfettered Mind and requested a casting of the Spring ritual *Merciless Wrath of the Reaver*, with the Boon of Siakha. This was an offer made by the Maelstrom to grant additional effects to the ritual; however, the Empress of Sharks was under enmity and so the taking-up of such a boon would be treasonous. The accused returned the following day to make the request again, at which time the proxy Grandmaster was accompanied by two militia officers posing as coven members. Once the accused had paid over the mana crystals and tempest jade required for the ritual, he was arrested. He pled guilty, and under questioning at trial established that he had made no effort whatsoever to seek a legal route to perform the ritual; it was also established that he made no effort to seek alternate paths to Prosperity for himself or his military unit. He had clear advance warning from the Civil Service about the illegal nature of the ritual. Between this and his returning on the second day for the ritual, he had clear intent. As a result, he was sentenced to execution. || Whisper pleaded guilty .|| Guilty. <br>Death by execution. || A clemency plea was made by Rhisiart Dancewalker on grounds of Prosperity.
|-
| Murder || The accused were all involved in planning and organising a series of murders of Grendel rivals and subordinates of (then) Salt Lord Kaliact which took place in Spiral in Autumn and Winter 384YE. The purpose of these murders was to clear the way for Kaliact to make a treaty with the Senate for Spiral to rejoin the Empire. Kaliact was the originator of the plan, Lachlan presented the plan to the Imperial conspirators. The imperials all helped to plan or coordinate the two missions, with Andronikos also being present on the missions.<br> At trial the accused all argued that their actions, while illegal, were strongly in the Imperial interest and that it had resulted in the return of Spiral to the Empire. As a matter of law magistrates are required to take into account the Imperial interest as a factor in sentencing and accepted that the Imperial interest had been served in this case. It is to be noted that the leadership of the missions themselves, by Hector of Tropaion Citadel, were subject to significantly more judicial criticism due to the way in which they were actually carried out. || Merchant Prince Kaliact, Lachlan Apulian, Imperial Consul Jarrigk, Warmage Andronikos of the Lighthouse at Nikephoros, and Spyridonakes of the Lighthouse at Nikephoros all pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>They were collectively fined 30 thrones. || A clemency plea was made by Rafael Barossa using the Imperial favour to claim the mercy of the Empress on behalf of Jarrigk, Andronikos and Spyridonakes on the grounds of Ambition.<br>A clemency plea was made by Estella Lucati for Kaliact on the grounds of Ambition.<br>A clemency plea was made by Lepidina for Lachlan on grounds of Prosperity.
|-
|}

==Reports from 385YE==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Winter Solstice 385YE
|-
| Contravening a Declaration of Interdiction || The accused cast the interdicted ritual Whispering Shadow Courtiers at the request of her coven in Summer 385. She was not present at the Autumn summit but came to confess at the Winter summit. She cooperated fully and provided information on her coven. She did not complete any of the tasks set by the Whisper Gallery. || Cordelia Assumpta Cordina di Cello-Gribaldi pleaded guilty with no clemency. || Guilty<br> Fined one throne ||
|-
| Treason || The accused was selling sausages, some of which were poisoned and others which were made with human meat and cursed by Blood on the Snow. The accused confessed to being a cultist of this eternal, by the sobriquet of “Voice in the Pines”. || Alphonse di Sausage of Voice in the Pines pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined all the money in their possession (249 rings) and then executed.||
|-
| Contravening a Declaration of Interdiction || The accused made and used an interdicted item, a Shackle of the Unvirtuous in order to allow him to sleep without nightmares. If he had not done so he would not have been able to function or to serve his people. He had explored many other avenues to avoid this crime. || Konstantin Bolotinikov pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br> Fined two crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Martin Orchard
|-
| Aiding and abetting Slavery || Vuk the Wolfeater was investigated for handing over a child of his vale to his sovereign. Persuasive testimony was heard from the adopted parents of General Ash, a child who returned from the care of this sovereign, having had a strange and magical apprenticeship and upbringing. All accounts were that Ash was strongly raised in virtue – a powerful indication that the arrangement was not one of slavery. || Vuk the Wolfeater attended a witness hearing. || It was determined that there is no case to answer. ||
|-
| Treason || The two accused were variously involved in the planning, facilitating and casting of Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths. This ritual, as a known and predictable effect, greatly increases the ease with which Day heralds of eternals not under Enmity can enter the Empire. Both accused admitted that at the time of the casting they knew this would permit easier access for the heralds of Cold Sun, which had declared and demonstrated its intent to attack the Empire, but the casting proceeded nevertheless. The accused therefore ‘aided Eternals [...] to act against the interests of the Empire’, in accordance with the definition of Treason. <br>Evidence and expert testimony from multiple sources including Grandmaster Shuttered Lantern, Proxy Archmage Day and Imperial Seer demonstrated that the accused had ample warning of the threat, that the accused Archmage Day passed up opportunities to declare Enmity against the threat, and that the accused pushed ahead without heed to the grave risks. <br> Both accused were fully cooperative with the investigation. The accused Anthemius Netherwatch, the ritual coordinator, had demonstrated contrition through his actions following the casting, most notably in having a Declaration of Sorcery brought forward against himself. This was taken into consideration for his sentencing. <br> large number of other covens and magicians of Urizen participated in the casting. They were also investigated, but they were not tried as the Magistrate determined that due to the assurances of the accused, the participants’ responsibility did not rise above the level of negligence. <br>At the request of Magistrate Tuomisbarn, the presiding Magistrate, a Denunciation was delivered by Magistrate Abraham against the Conclave and its leadership. Under the terms of the Imperial Constitution the Conclave exists to ‘ensure the fit and proper use of magic.’ The Conclave appointed Gralka as Archmage of Day, and passed a declaration encouraging the casting of Omnihedron rituals. After Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths was cast, the Conclave elected not to endorse the casting of the ritual, but also elected not to replace the Archmage. Abraham highlighted Conclave’s unique constitutional exemption from Synod oversight and the roots of that exemption in the early Empire’s belief that its Magicians could be trusted to regulate their own affairs. Abraham reminded the assembled, speaking as the Head of the Constitutional Court, that this was an exemption that was subject to change should the Senate will it and the Throne approve it. || Skywise Gralka, Archmage of Day, pleaded guilty <br>Anthemius Netherwatch Custodian of the Lost, pleaded guilty || Both were found guilty. <br>Skywise Gralka, was sentenced to a fine of 150 thrones (to be paid by midday Saturday of the Spring Equinox).<br> Anthemius Netherwatch was sentenced to a fine of 30 thrones || A clemency plea was made by Herminius of the House of the Wanderer, Arbiter of the Four Winds, on grounds of Ambition for Skywise Gralka. A clemency plea was made by Rafael Barossa di Apulian, Grandmaster Sevenfold Path, for Anthemius Netherwatch on ground of Pride.
|-
| Appeal against conviction for Subverting the agencies of the State || The conviction of Bohemond De Rondell for Subverting the agencies of the State in Autumn 385 was overturned on appeal. He was prosecuted for refusing to attend his inquisition but in fact this was his second inquisition of that summit and so he was not required in law to attend. || Bohemond De Rondell || The fine of eight thrones returned. ||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Autumn Equinox 385YE
|-
| Assault || The accused struck Archibald Flowers of House Castellan leaving him injured and in need of medical attention. The strike was the culmination of a disagreement between them regarding the Iron Helms. || Christafano of House Castellan pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined five crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Decimus Heywood of House De Britia
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted Faewel Novoia after being insighted by him, striking him once with a spear. || Thane Skoll Shieldbane pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined four crowns. ||
|-
| Attempted Murder || The accused attempted to murder Landon Harcomb. His motive was his belief that the victim had been involved in the recent bourse auction in which the prices were fixed. He wanted to send a message to the bourse before their next auction. || Percy Blackleaf pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined twenty five thrones and a Freezing Brand of Irremais at own expense. || A clemency plea was made by Lindeer Thornheart on grounds of Vigilance
|-
| Murder || The accused assassinated Adòn 'The Mithril Man' Martàn in a front of a plethora of witnesses. They then ran to the Marches for sanctuary and assaulted their clemency priest before fleeing and then being arrested. || Winty and Wulf of Varushka both pleaded not guilty. || Guilty.<br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Mass murder || The accused organised two missions through the Sentinel Gate to murder a total of thirty five foreigners (Grendel). The first mission was to kill some Grendel slavers and rescue some slaves. The slaves were former Urizen children made into child soldiers. When they tried to bring the children back the children resisted and so they executed them. Following the mission Hector concealed what happened and swore the others to secrecy. He then organised a second mission to kill a rival of Salt Lord Kaliact and their associates. They did so, executing them all, including some unknown humans who attempted to run. Note: Investigations to identify and prosecute others who are culpable for these murders are in progress. || Hector of Tropaion pleaded guilty. || Guilty.<br>Death by execution. || A clemency plea was made on grounds of Vigilance, Courage and Loyalty.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Summer Solstice 385YE
|-
| Murder || The accused led a rescue mission into the Barrens to fight “tortured souls” – foreign humans twisted by the Druj. The accused expected to be able to take these people through the Sentinel Gate and when they could not ordered the execution of at least one foreigner who was under a powerful courage aura. Expert testimony from the High Exorcist confirmed that had the Druj recaptured the victim a dangerous force would have arisen. No punishment was levied because the magistrate judged that the accused had been placed in an impossible position. || Achseh of the Sentinel Tower and Jared of Sentinel Tower both pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>No punishment. || A clemency plea was made by Brother Jared
|-
| Mass murder || The accused was involved in a dispute with a family over a trinket. The accused bargained with a powerful magical entity in a lake in Weirwater to kill the person with the locket. However this deal lead to more and more deaths near the lake, ultimately killing everyone who remained in the town. || Arthur Fisher pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Theft || The first accused was caught by the militia while fleeing from the scene of their crime. They were found with a metallic apple in their possession that had been stolen from Owain Farkas. They implicated the second accused as having asked them to steal it. || (1) Brychan Stormbroke and (2) Trystan Whiteglade. Both pleaded guilty. || Guilty.<br>Brand Thornfang agreed compensation with the victim of one throne and the magistrate accepted this arrangement ||
|-
| Possession and supply of controlled substances or item || The accused and her coven performed the Ephisis' Scale ritual, which returned eight doses of an unknown substance. As is their normal practice, they auctioned the dose on the condition that the buyer identify the substance and report back. The buyer paid one throne and later identified the substance as Bite. Sofia turned herself in at the Summer Solstice and surrendered the remaining seven doses. || Sofia i Del'Toro i Riqueza pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined two thrones. || Sofia’s honesty provided the Militia with valuable information regarding a new source of Bite. The magistrates will provide her with a five throne reward.
|-
| Assault || The accused was bodyguarding Merchant Prince Kaliact when the victim, Ariadne approached too close to his principal. He warned her to step back but she did not (she was attempting issue a pronouncement of doom). He then struck her down by cleaving her leg in order to protect his principal. || Carado di Apulian pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined two crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Valentina Von Temeschwar on grounds of Loyalty
|-
| Murder || A group of Marchers and Highborn went to Bregasland to meet with Bushell Sykes, a known traitor and confidante of Mathilda Fisher. Sykes was expecting a fight but the group instead requested a parley. After speaking at length in an attempt to turn him against Fisher, Sykes motioned towards a weapon at his hip, having stated that either he died there or continued his war against the Empire. Sykes called out to the accused to “do it” and the accused killed him. The presiding magistrate’s view was that there was some uncertainty over the legal status of Sykes and so held a trial to openly examine the evidence. || General Amberlain P. Black pleaded guilty || Found guilty at trial but no punishment was levied. Post script: Sykes was designated as a barbarian prior to the Spring 385YE summit for fighting for the Jotun, so in law General Amberlain is considered not guilty. || A clemency plea was made by Edmund of Barrowby
|-
| Assault || The accused was hired by three unknown Dawnish men to cleave the leg of a citizen whom they had a grudge against. The accused cleaved him in both the torso and chest, and told him not to come back through the labyrinth before leaving him. || Aaron Thornweaver pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined one throne || A clemency plea was made by Neala Blackhawk on grounds of Vigilance
|-
| Treason || The accused contacted the Whisper Gallery in a ritual and consulted with the eternal. Beinon states he did not know what was happening, however a number of witnesses corroborated that he was present during the ritual and knew exactly what was happening. || (1) Mila Jellick and (2) Beinon Tanglehorn. <br>Mila pleaded guilty <br>Beinon pleaded not guilty. || Both were found guilty. <br>Mila Jellick was fined six thrones.<br>Beinon was sentenced to death by execution. || A clemency plea was made for Mila Jellick on grounds of Courage
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Spring Equinox 385YE
|-
| (1) Assault (twice) <br>(2) Subverting the agencies of the state, resisting arrest and contempt of court <br>(3) Subverting the agencies of the state, resisting arrest and contempt of court || During Marcher rough music at the Military Council Sam Wych was witnessed striking Constable Maximus of the Crystal Skies and Magistrate Avedon De Remourics with an implement, casting the paralyse spell. Allis Thorne and Sally Baker entered the Military Council and claimed right of witness. Allis is not a Synod member and has no right of witness. Sally and Allis were both excessively noisy, in breach of the legal requirements of witness. They were ordered to leave by the Herald of the Council. They refused to leave and told Magistrate Kuura Tuomisbarn to arrest them. Once they were arrested they were taken to the Militia tent where the rough music continued. They absconded in the confusion and evaded the pursuing militia long enough to claim sanctuary in the Marcher camp. Militia efforts to recover them after this time were rebuffed by the Marchers. Sam presented themself very late that night and the others the next day. || (1) Sam Wych pleaded guilty <br>(2) Allis Thorne pleaded guilty <br>(3) Sally Baker pleaded guilty to the first two charges and not guilty to contempt of court|| (1) Guilty. <br>Sentenced to a year long curse of the Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt (2) Guilty of the first two charges and not guilty of contempt of court <br>Sentenced to a year long curse of the Freezing Brand of Irremais (3) Guilty of the first two charges and not guilty of contempt of court. <br>Sentenced to a year long curse of the Freezing Brand of Irremais <br>They were all also fined 65 thrones for which they were jointly liable. || A clemency plea was made by Friar Rosemary Stamp on behalf of Sam Wych.<br> A clemency plea was made by Duncan Ashhill on behalf of Aliss Thorn.<br> A clemency plea was made by Jebediah Boon on behalf of Sally Baker<br>They were also required to pay the mana cost of their curses.
|-
| Supplying Bite and Treason (dealing with the Druj) || Following a lengthy undercover operation Lukash was arrested for dealing bite. When he was arrested a large amount of extremely incriminating correspondence between Lukash and the Vyig was found on his person. Lukash admitted being the leader of a group dealing bite. During the operation he had been witnessed leading this group and arranging for the purchase of bite. The correspondence showed that he was in League with both the Vyig and the Druj, and that the Vyig were using Drusila's Obelus as part of this arrangement. Lukash claimed that he was in fact working undercover for the militia all along. He claimed his handler was Victor, a former Head of Intelligence. However, Victor died many years ago and when challenged, Lukash admitted that he had not attempted to make contact with the militia during the intervening years. || Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar pleaded guilty to both charges. || Guilty. <br>Death by execution. || A clemency plea was made by Father Drakov on the grounds of Courage.
|-
| Possession of Bite || Nico was witnessed in possession of one dose of bite, given to him by Lukash. || Nico von Temeschwar of the Crimson Reapers pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined one throne ||
|-
| Dealing of Bite || A Cambion was selling bite in the Golden Goat in the League. The militia therefore followed up on this undercover. They purchased bite from the Cambion Aloysius di Sarvos of the league. The suspect revealed their supplier and returned with them for trial. || Aloysius di Sarvos and Julie, (last name not recorded, believed to be the sister of Patches). || Guilty<br>Each were fined two thrones. || A clemency plea was made on behalf of both on the grounds of Vigilance.
|-
| Contempt of Court || The Archmage refused to hand over a Crown of Agramant when ordered to do so. The crown is under interdiction due to the enmity of its maker. The basis of the clemency plea was that the crown was given during a parley with Wise Rangara and previously Rangara had blighted the Marches for spurning a gift, so voluntarily handing it over would risk similar consequences. The crown was removed from the Archmage and destroyed. || Ematius of the Library of Ankarien, Archmage of Winter, pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined one throne || A clemency plea was made by Martin Orchard on the grounds of Vigilance
|-
| Idolatry || The accused, a vate, went on a conjunction to provide advice regarding heralds. There was a herald of Tharim who was holding a number of Marchers. Their release was secured but the life of the herald was in jeopardy and the accused interceded in order to allow the herald to leave. In doing so the accused offered their soul to the herald. This was refused by the herald, but they said they would accept their service instead. || Morwenna Withered Rose pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Sentenced to a year long curse of the Freezing Brand of Irremais || The condemning priest was Silas of the Cenotaph. A clemency plea was made by Brynn Tendfallen on the grounds of Loyalty.
|-
|}

==Reports from 384YE==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Winter Solstice 384YE
|-
| Theft || The accused were contracted by the Di Tutamen family to go to Syrene’s Wisdom and collect magical water from there without leaving any witnesses. They collected a number of vials of water and while they were there rescued some miners who had been injured and trapped. They then reported what they had done to the militia. || Zoraida I Caballo and Corwyn I Cabello pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined three thrones || The fine was paid in compensation to the representative of the holder of Syrene’s Wisdom.
|-
| Murder || The accused executed a downed imperial citizen on the battlefield who was in the process of being arrested by the militia. This unknown citizen had been caught fighting alongside the Druj. There was no immediate threat posed by the victim and the Druj had already been pushed back from the immediate area. Furthermore the accused knew that the victim was an imperial citizen and acted anyway. || Finnan of Meliora in Dawn plead guilty || Guilty.<br> Fined 27 thrones which was paid into the Dawnish war chest via the egregore. || A clemency plea was made by Lady Caudine duLac on grounds of Vigilance
|-
| Sorcery and treason || The accused was caught working alongside the Druj in the Barrens. He said that he made a deal with the Druj to avoid death . In return he provided information of hidden Imperial holdouts in the Barrens and used his Winter magic against the Empire. The accused was declared a sorcerer by the Conclave in Winter 380YE. || Renée de Loire plead guilty. || Guilty.<br>Death by execution. || A clemency plea was made by Anabelle Beaugarden of House Castellan on grounds of Prosperity
|-
| Perverting the course of justice || The accused was witnessed interacting with the Whisper Gallery although it is unknown what was discussed. The accused’s memories relating to the Whisper Gallery were magically hidden or removed by either a Tulpa or ritual. The magistrate drew an adverse inference from the conduct of the accused - namely that they deliberately hid these memories to try to avoid justice. || Alfiar of Carta Noturno plead guilty || Guilty<br> Death by execution || A clemency plea was made by Genoveva Barossa di Tassato
|-
| Murder || The accused murdered a slave trader called Boriggard De Percy at a wedding outside of Anvil. The accused had arrested Boriggard after he admitted to trading slaves to the Druj. However, their position was overrun by Druj before he could be taken to the nearest magistrate. The accused was faced with the snap second decision to either let them go or execute them and chose the latter. || Gabriel Barossa plead guilty || Guilty.<br>Branded for a year with Freezing Brand of Irremais. || A clemency plea was made by Genoveva Barossa di Tassato
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Autumn Equinox 384YE
|-
| Idolatry || The condemned, an Asavean refugee, was accused of worshipping gods and refusing to convert to the way. The Court found that they had been private in their worship – just like the vast majority of foreigners present in the Empire. As no harm to the Empire was established, the punishment followed suit. || Legate Glaucia Heminia plead guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined one ring. || A clemency plea was made by Skywise Rykana on grounds of Wisdom<br>The [[384YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_31|condemnation]] was upheld during the Autumn Equinox 384YE
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted Voidan Silou of Dawn with a weapon, striking him with a powerful blow. This was because the victim told his sister that House Orzell are dickheads. The fine was increased due both to his position and the fact he did it with forethought and knowledge of illegality. || Valentin Orzell pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined one throne. ||
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted Gaspar de Tassato Regario for insulting him, despite being warned not to do so. The fine was increased due both to his position and the fact he did it with forethought and knowledge of illegality. || Veikko Bondforger pleaded guilty. || Guilty.<br>Fined one throne. || A clemency plea was made by Aethelric the Grounded of Sigehold Hall
|-
| Treason || The accused cursed a Faraden citizen, Altin Valtar, after being accused of cheating at cards (See 384 Spring Court Reports). The curse prevented the victim from communicating. Expert witness Ulric Vernof of Winter Spire gave evidence that the curse was consistent with the methodology of the Whisper Gallery and that it is not castable by one person. The accused claimed she won the curse in a card game from a Herald of Lashonar but could not describe the Herald, how the curse was transferred or how she cast it given she claimed to have no magical power. The Court inferred that the accused was attempting to conceal a treasonous interaction with the Whisper Gallery. || Mockingbird the mountebank of Sarvos pleaded not guilty. || Guilty.<br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Slavery and assault || The accused, a Faraden citizen transported Mockingbird of Sarvos to Anvil for trial on suspicion of treason. Mockingbird was kept in multiple heavy chains for days and had been extensively beaten while bound. These facts were not disputed. The Court found that their treatment of the prisoner was disproportionate and far exceeded what was reasonable for lawful custody to such a sustained extent that it was deemed slavery. || Altin Valtar pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined twenty thrones ||
|-
| Attempted Murder || The accused attempted to murder Veikko Bondforger both on Saturday night and Sunday morning. He claimed to have done this because he believed the victim to be Ratibor reborn and therefore must be killed. He said that if he were released he would continue his attempts to kill the victim. || Alexander Bentakuv pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Death by execution||
|-
| Murder || Descartese of Urizen was mortally wounded, on the battlefield. His deeply held Ambition was that he should die cleanly by the sword, not a lingering death in his bed. He called for his friend, Aurum, and after gathering further friends and colleagues of Urizen (including Philostrate, his Egregore) to witness that this was done well and without deceit, Aurum solemnly carried out the task. It was clear from the investigation that none had understood the legal implications of such an act – that a citizen cannot consent to their own death and that the law does not concern itself with how many moments that citizen had left to live. || Aurum of the Nightingale Temple of Urizen plead guilty. || Guilty.<br>Fined two thrones || A clemency plea was made by Lenarius Ankarien on grounds of Loyalty<br>One throne of the fine was given to the egregore to spend on something to remember the Ambition of Aurum to the people of Urizen.
|-
| Murder || The two accused, along with Brother Geoffrey Orchard of Pickham Monastery all received identical letters from Jodeya Watiker di Tassato Mestra inviting them to a secret meeting at a bar in Kahraman to discuss “mutual interests”. All three used a conjunction during this summit to take up the offer. They met with Jodeya, who revealed she was working for Blood on the Snow and that she wished to become his Herald. She gave the visitors three choices: To kill Jodeya there and then, to kill her (unnamed) companion, or to leave, in which case more letters would be sent until someone was found who would do it. It didn't seem to matter to Jodeya which murder was committed. Either would make the eternal “happy”. There appeared to be no discussion about any “mutual interests”, Brother Geoffrey withdrew and returned to Anvil, apparently to buy time for the others to learn more. At a moment when the bar was empty both the accused murdered Jodeya and escaped before the barkeep returned. Both handed themselves in to the militia. The court was content that Vigilance had guided them to commit the murder, but was not convinced that it was the correct choice. || Agnes Tapinson of the Woven Saplings of Navarr and Decimus Starchaser of Starchaser Spire of Urizen both pleaded guilty || Guilty, <br>fined 5 thrones each. || A clemency plea was made by Brother Martin Orchard on behalf of Agnes Tapinson on grounds of Vigilance. A clemency plea was made by Lochias of Oblivions Edge on behalf of Decimus Starchaser on grounds of Vigilance.<br>The court further warned them that if they accept any form of boon from Blood on the Snow as reward for their deed then they would face a charge of treason.
|-
| Attempted Murder || On Saturday night of the summit Mathilda Fisher, came to Anvil under a flag of peace to make her demands regarding Bregasland. She met with representatives of the Empire at the Senate building and a large crowd of Marchers gathered to protest. The accused conspired with Tomothy Crowle to break through the security cordon around the meeting and try to kill her. Thanks to the vigilance of the Senate Guard and Militia the attack failed and both were arrested. Tomothy was healed from his wounds and then released to the Marcher mob but later died, having “popped his stitches”. || Jacob Fenner formerly of Bregasland and a citizen of the Marches pleaded guilty. || Guilty.<br>Fined five thrones to be paid via the magistrates to the Marcher warchest and a voluntary Freezing Brand of Irremais. || A clemency plea was made by Sister Meredith of the Boundaryfolk on grounds of Loyalty
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Summer Solstice 384YE
|-
| Subverting the agencies of the State || The accused seconded two senate motions in Winter 383YE by mistake. || Rhisiart Dancewalker pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined five thrones.||
|-
| Blasphemy || The accused was condemned for being dedicated to Hatred on two occasions and for the promotion of the false virtue of hatred. They were previously a member of Santana’s ‘purity’ cult and claimed they were acting alone undercover. || Zaccai of Urizen plead guilty. || Guilty.<br>Death by execution. || A clemency plea was made by Raphael i Zamora i Riqueza did not find virtue in his acts.
|-
| Assault || The accused was acting as Field Marshal on the battlefield. They instructed Clive Feathers Rest to engage the enemy but he collected more arrows instead. An ill-tempered disagreement ensured and the accused struck and wounded the victim. || Sidlore de Gauvin AKA “Captain Charge” pleaded guilty. || Guilty.<br>Fined six crowns || A clemency plea was made by Estienne de Gauvin on grounds of Loyalty<br>Four crowns from the fine were directed to be contributed to Dawn’s warchest
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Spring Equinox 384YE
|-
| Assault || The accused was taunted by Zachary of Enlightenment Spire. He retorted by cleaving Zachary in the torso. || Ezekiel of Adina’s Charge pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined six crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Josephineos of Adina’s Charge on grounds of Loyalty.
|-
| Impersonating a militia officer, attempted assault || The accused used an invalid militia sash to impersonate a militia officer and infiltrate the security cordon around visiting Grendel envoys. In Winter 383 he had been convicted for impersonating a militia officer, assault and theft when he led an attack on the Grendel. It was the view of the Court that his intent was to attack and rob the Grendel. He was identified as being the culprit in multiple other reports of militia impersonation. He claimed that he was forced to commit his crimes by others but he then refused to name them or otherwise cooperate. || Ban Shattersong of Navarr pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Death. || A clemency plea was made by Silk Splitterspear on grounds of testing the Vigilance of the militia.<br>The severe punishment was due to the convict’s multiple repeat offences, his contempt for the judicial process and his lies when questioned.
|-
| Contempt of Court || In Winter 383 at Anvil the accused gave an order to invest his army ‘The Bounders’ at Whittle and, among other things, prevent non-marcher magistrates and militia from enacting the trials ordered by the Synod for heresy and blasphemy. In doing so he impeded the proper operation of the legal process. The magistrate was forced to conscript many of the Bounders as there were insufficient militia available fitting Black Jack’s criteria. || General Ciaphas "Black Jack" Decker pleaded guilty. || Guilty.<br> Fined eighteen thrones. || A clemency plea was made by Sam of The Mourn on grounds of Vigilance
|-
| Assault and attempted mayhem (and encouraging thereof) || The first accused assaulted a mountebank known as ‘Mockingbird’ and attempted to cut out their tongue. Concerned citizens nearby prevented this. The victim left Anvil before they could be questioned. The first accused claimed that the victim cheated them in a card game in a Navarr wayhouse two weeks before the winter summit 383. When the accused called out the cheat the wayhouse returned their money but the victim then cursed Altam so that they were unable to communicate. The curse was eventually removed and Altam was advised by Chikoran at the Faraden embassy that they should seek vengeance against Mockingbird by cutting out their tongue. || Seeker Altam Baatan and their Priest Chikoran, both of Faraden, pleaded guilty with no clemency. || Guilty.<br> Fined five thrones. ||
|-
| Theft || The accused stole a bowl of change from the Printers Guild. When caught they confessed to their crime but were unable to return the stolen funds (estimated by them to be about two crowns) as they had already been spent. || Donotevaly de Temeschwar and Journabo de Temeschwar pleaded guilty with no clemency. || Guilty.<br>Fined two thrones || One throne of the fine was returned as compensation to the victims.
|-
| Treason (Dealing with an eternal under enmity||The accused was investigated after warning the Conclave that he had sacrificed his family for winter power. This was a legally and factually complex case involving identity evidence, night magic that can transfer memories, a tent of skin and bone made from the accused’s family members, Sydanjaa and the eternal Blood on the Snow. Ultimately, the court determined that the accused had most likely effected a deal with Blood on the Snow many years ago. The court accepts that they did not realise who they were dealing with and that the exact circumstances were ambiguous and so chose to be lenient. ||Talvekani of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash pleaded not guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined twenty five thrones || A deduction of two thrones was made for expenses incurred.
|-
|}
==Reports from 383YE==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Winter Solstice 383YE
|-
| Attempted Murder, Assault || The accused assaulted the victim with intent to kill in Therunin prior to the winter summit. The victim is believed to have been a member of the Heirs of Terunael and dedicated to the false virtue of vengeance. The accused was stopped in their attack by others and the victim was healed. The victim was killed in a later unrelated incident and a number of their possessions were found to be hallowed to vengeance. The accused handed themselves in. || Georg of Broken Bough pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>No punishment. || A clemency plea was made by Rhishart Dancewalker on grounds of Loyalty
|-
| Assault || The accused, while possessed by the spirit of his ancestor, launched an unprovoked assault against the victim inside the orc camp. Prior to the attack he yelled “You look like a fish I want to eat you”. The victim was of naga lineage. || Grud the unchained pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined four crowns ||
|-
| Treason || The accused, during a skirmish against the Jotun, was asking the fallen Jotun if they thought they had done enough to cross the Abyss. One replied they had not and the accused healed him on his promise that he would not take up arms against the empire again. The others he left. A complaint was raised by General Crolle (who led the skirmish) and who ordered him not to heal the enemy. The main basis of the clemency plea was that it is virtuous to help others to achieve virtue. || Sagramore de Gauvin pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>No punishment. || A clemency plea was made by Skywise Tulva, Cardinal of the Way, on the grounds of Courage<br>Sagramore de Gauvain did say that he had agreed with Skywise Tulva to raise this issue with the Synod and attempt to develop an Imperial policy.
|-
| Murder || The accused murdered the victim, Obadiah, at Upwold before the winter summit. They were searching for missing children, directly implicating Obadiah in the deaths of said children. The remains of children were found, including a bow crafted of human bones and winter magic. Details of the possible rituals used by Obadiah will be passed to the Conclave. || Wyatt Longbrook and Bree Talbot pleaded guilty. || Guilty.<br>No punishment. || A clemency plea was made by Brother Martin Orchard on grounds of Vigilance
|-
| Theft, assault, impersonating a militia officer || The accused were identified among about a dozen Navarr who attacked and robbed the imperial Fleetmaster Esteban I Del Rio Blanco I Guerra who was accompanying a Grendel delegation in Anvil under a flag of peace in order to trade. They also admitted to impersonating a militia officer as part of their line of work in order to gain trust. The amount stolen was of about a dozen thrones in value. Magistrate Cooper will be asking Skywise Fal, the Imperial Consul and Esteban I Guerra if they wish to file civil cases as both citizens recompensed the Grendel for the items stolen. || Three members of the Blackscar of Navarr, including Baniel Whisperoot, pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br> Fined ten crowns||
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted Grud the unchained in the Orc fighting pit following a verbal confrontation following the loss of his compatriot. Grud did not want to press charges. || Irontide Skagg || It was determined that there is no case to answer. ||
|-
| Attempted murder and assault || The victim, Santana, was approached by four Navarr including the two accused. Ravada proclaimed Santana was a heretic. Santana was insighted and found to be dedicated to the false virtue of purity. The accused assaulted Santana and also Finna of the Brass Coast when she tried to defend her. Events then moved to the Hub where Adeaphon attempted to murder Santana. || Ravadi Lonestrider and Adeaphon of Stormbroke Striding of Navarr plead guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined five thrones || A clemency plea was made by Hwyl Summercrow on grounds of Vigilance
|-
| Sale of Bite || The accused sold ten bite to Cynestan of Wintermark when they met in the Boars Head in Navarr. || Tamme von Holberg pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined ten thrones. ||
|-
| Possession of Bite || The accused bought ten doses of bite from Tamme von Holburg. The accused was clearly a severe bite addict and it was accepted that this was for personal use. || Cynestan of Wintermark pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br> Fined four crowns. ||
|-
| Heresy, Abuse of Powers and Blasphemy || The accused was condemned by the Brass Coast National assembly for the religious crimes of heresy, excommunication without a writ, anointing citizens to Hatred, and spreading the false virtues of Purity and Hate. || Santana of the Kohan pleaded guilty. || Guilty.<br> Death by execution. ||
|-
| Assault || A Navarri citizen assaulted a marcher after being antagonised at Kings Stoke before the summit. || The Navarri pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined two crowns ||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Autumn Equinox 383YE
|-
| Murder || The accused was identified as the murderer of Celuria Silvertongue by use of Whispers through the black gate on the victim. The accused then confessed to murdering Celuria because of her testimony against the Hallowed Order (of which they were both members). The accused believed that the victim’s actions had resulted in the executions of three members of the order. When the accused met with Celuria to parley about this she claimed to have killed her because she believed that Celuria intended her harm. || Coira i Kemem i Guerra pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Multiple assaults || The accused were arrested after attacking Veikko, Cardinal of Loyalty, and Jerrasto and Raphael of the Gilded Horn Carta. One of these assaults was witnessed in the Hub by the Militia and the attackers were arrested. The accused committed suicide by use of pre-prepared ritual magic before investigations were concluded. However, questioning continued after death by use of magic and their responses indicated that they were followers of vengeance. Symbols of vengeance were also worn on their person). || Two Faraden who refused to supply their names. || The accused committed suicide. ||
|-
| Possession and supply of Bite. || The accused was arrested by the militia in the sewers beneath Cargo in possession of a large quantity of Bite. He confessed to having sold bite on behalf of his mistress. He claimed this was only under duress: threats had been made against his family. He did accept that he profited by doing so. || Ilzio of Temeschwar pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined five thrones and branded with a “B” || A clemency plea was made by Tiana i Zidan i Riqueza on the grounds of Loyalty
|-
| Contempt of Court || The accused both engaged in a conspiracy to deceive: namely they falsely claimed that the Ambassador to the Iron Confederacy had authorised Lord Colwyn de Rondel to act as his proxy. Both accused confessed their crime to the magistrate at an early stage. || Lord Colwyn de Rondell and Ilya Nikovich Volkov both pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined six thrones. || A clemency plea was made by Skywise Gralka on behalf of Lord Colwynn de Rondell. A clemency plea was made by Meris of the Vale of Lost Souls on behalf of Ilya Nikovich Volkov
|-
| Murder || The accused was discovered holding a knife and standing over the body of the victim, Spiteful Dross. He fled the scene upon seeing the militia coming to investigate. At trial he claimed that he ran because he was angry at the death of his friend. || Mr Williams pleaded not guilty. || Guilty. <br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Attempting to subvert the agencies of the state || The accused admitted seconding two motions at the same summit. The speaker for the senate required another second to be found before the motion could be put to the senate. || Baal, Senator for Bastion, pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined five thrones. ||
|-
| Treason || The accused used the ritual “Tribute to the thrice cursed court” to “destroy” a coven stone that he had obtained illegally and that he believed presented a threat to the Empire. He claimed that he was ignorant that enmity had recently been declared against Skathe, thus rendering the use of this ritual treason. The expert evidence from Brother Martin was that the use of this ritual would not guarantee the object’s destruction. Note that the accused could also or alternatively have been charged with contravening a declaration of interdiction. || Warrakine Ashenhide Arch of the Copperhill Monastery pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Death by execution. || A clemency plea was made by Albert Fuggestone Copperhill on grounds of Prosperity
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Summer Solstice 383YE
|-
| Criminal damage and assault (aiding and abetting) || The accused raised a judgement (Spring 383/14) to incite citizens to desecrate the works of Almodin Oktistis. The resultant mobs caused substantial damage to these works. In Tassato the mob broke into the Imperial Mint and engaged with the Mint Guard, causing a number of non-fatal injuries and extensive damage to Lorenzo’s Legacy of Ambition. || Rafael Barossa di Tassato pleaded guilty to both charges. || Guilty of criminal damage<br>No punishment.<br>Guilty of assault. <br>Fined one throne.|| A clemency plea was made by Astrid Fjellrevening Rezia di Tassato, the Cardinal of Pride.<br>No direction was made with regards to any potential civil claims arising from this crime, potential claimants should speak to Magistrate Cooper.
|-
| Mayhem || The accused carried out a skein reading upon Leofric Baerson who then broke their oath not to reveal the results. The accused demanded that Leofric be cut as punishment, and this took the form of destroying Leofric’s left eye, without consent. It was not possible for physicians to save the eye and it is believed that magical methods are now required. || Keston of Wintermark pleaded guilty. || Guilty.<br>The accused is required, at his own expense, to arrange for Leofric’s eye to be healed by the end of the Autumn Summit or face further punishment. || A clemency plea was made by Leofric Baerson on grounds of Wisdom
|-
| Heresy and Abuse of powers || The accused preached heresy against the Imperial Orcs for two hours outside their camp. Evidence was presented that she did so under an aura of hatred, which appeared to have spontaneously manifested. The accused raised the judgement of condemnation against themselves and argued at trial that they should be executed while excommunicated.<br>The abuse of powers related to the accused raising a judgement of inquisition against herself. It was noted by the Court that while priests have done this previously, it is the first occasion that the Synod have chosen to act against the practice since the death of Empress Britta. || Medea Ruth pleaded guilty to both charges. || Guilty of abuse of powers. <br>Fined 25 thrones.<br> Guilty of heresy<br>Death by execution. || The condemning priest for heresy was the accused.<br> The condemning priest for abuse of powers was Solas of the Spire of the Waxing Sun.<br> A clemency plea was made by Ed Watcher.<br> The court requested the removal of the accused’s excommunication prior to execution and this was carried out.
|-
| Murder || The accused was engaged in a power struggle with the victim, Tuirkane Cordraco, over the future direction of their noble house. The accused defeated the victim in the glory square but this did not resolve their disagreement. The accused demanded a rematch or he would ‘impose discipline’. The accused then slew the victim, breaking his back with his mace. At trial the accused claimed he was within his rights to execute a member of his own household. He requested penal military service, which was refused on the grounds that being allowed to die in battle is earned and not a right. || Earl Arthur Cordraco pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Death by execution || At his execution the accused compounded his misdeeds by claiming that he was going to the fields of glory, not the labyrinth, as virtues had never been of any use to him.
|-
| Criminal damage || The accused entered into an agreement with the eternal Scathe to undertake a number of tasks. As a result of their final task, all of the mirrors in Sarvos and a garden in Holberg were destroyed. Value of the items destroyed was assessed by the civil service at 30,000 thrones after consultation with the League egregore. Clemency was accepted on the basis of loyalty to the souls of many of their people, whom Scathe was preventing from returning to the Labyrinth. It was confirmed that thousands of Imperial souls were returned to the labyrinth as a result of their actions. || Jaylus, Kerioth and Ephrael, all of Zephaniah's Lament pleaded guilty, Leon died prior to being brought to trial || Guilty. <br>Fined 300 thrones|| A clemency plea was made by Rane Sherarding<br>The fine reflected the substantial damage done to the national hearth magic of the League.
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Spring Equinox 383YE
|-
| Murder || The accused, who was new to Anvil, executed a fellow member of his striding, Caffron Streamwalker, during a skirmish in Winter 382YE. The victim was injured and screaming that everyone was going to die. The accused claimed the victim was harming morale and carried out a so-called “mercy killing”. Note: This case was reviewed and the sentence judged to be inadequate as this was plain murder- “mercy” did not enter into it. Any future cases of this nature will not be dealt with so lightly. || Lizarath Streamwalker pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined one throne.|| A clemency plea was made by Jokell Streamwalker
|-
| Aiding and abetting the murder of Bessie the Bard and attempting to pervert the course of justice || This case relates to the murder of Bessie the Bard (see report for Winter 382 for further detail) by the Hallowed Order, a group dedicated to the assassination of those they deemed to be heretics. While the actual murder was carried out by Rune (who died before he could be brought to trial) he had a number of accomplices in the Hallowed Order, The accused was with Rune in the immediate aftermath of the murder and furthermore his initial account of events changed significantly by the time of trial. Given he was also a member of the same murderous conspiracy it was judged that he had either encouraged, or helped in the perpetration of this murder. || Orren of House De Rondell pleaded not guilty to both charges. || Not guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice.<br>Guilty of murder.<br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Mass murder of Suranni Templars near the Feroz border || The accused used the sentinel gate to travel to the Feroz and Iron Confederacy border to assist Jean Valois and his group to escape from the Iron Confederacy (they having converted to The Way). A group of ten templars sent after Valois also found them, and after a brief stand off, the citizens engaged the templars in combat. According to the accounts of the Iron Confederacy officials nine of the templars were killed. At trial two templar survivors were presented by High Templar De Rolo, who could not explain the discrepancy and suggested his masters were incompetent. Both Rolo and the second survivor’s testimony was judged to be untruthful. Brother Jaylus (a healer) did not take part in the engagement. || Mordecai, Animayus, Tobias, Iscah, Gideon, and Nathaniel of Highguard, and Alan Fletcher of Dawn all pleaded guilty. Brother Jaylus of Highguard pleaded not guilty. || Brother Jaylis was found not guilty.<br>Mordecai, Animayus, Tobias, Iscah, Gideon, and Nathaniel of Highguard, and Alan Fletcher of Dawn were found guilty. Fined ninety thrones and branded with a cross upon their cheek. || A clemency plea was made on behalf of Mordecai on grounds of Loyalty. <br>Clemency pleas were made on behalf of the rest on the grounds of Courage
|-
| Subverting the agencies of the State || The accused was the proxy senator for Kallavesa at the Autumn 382 summit. He seconded two motions in contravention of senate procedure. He claimed that this was due to a mistake, and a misunderstanding of the law, The Court recognised that he fully cooperated with the investigation and was inclined to leniency on this occasion. || Tanesh of Dunneth Hall pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>A fine of six mana crystals and two thrones. || The fine of six mana crystals was sent in advance of the trial
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted Medea Ruth while she was ranting hatred against orcs outside the Imperial Orc camp. || Ida Isjant pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined two crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Medea Ruth on grounds of Courage
|-
| Subverting the agencies of the State || The accused discharged an Imperial Wayleave while holding the imperial title “Collector of Prosperity’s Boon”. He claimed that he did not realise that a Wayleave was an Imperial title. The court accepted this was an honest mistake and chose to be very lenient. || Tyr Brennan pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>No punishment levied. ||
|}
==Reports from 382YE==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Winter Solstice 382YE
|-
| Heresy || The accused (while Conscience of the Senate) sent letters to many in the Empire in which they contravened the Doctrine of Human Destiny by claiming that [Orc] thralls reincarnate amongst other things. They went beyond asking questions to teaching false doctrine. No evidence was presented of others being swayed by or spreading these heretical beliefs. || Mel of the Mourn pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>The penance of a Freezing Brand of Irremais was taken into account and they were furthermore fined twenty five thrones. || The condemning priest was Hazel of the Shattered Tower. <br>A clemency plea was made by Martin Orchard on grounds of Vigilance.
|-
| Idolatry || The accused was invited by the Senate to take up a post designing buildings. He proceeded to do so in the Asavean style although it quickly became apparent that these involved grandiose statues to the Asavean gods. Nevertheless for a number of years the accused continued to be employed by the Senate and commissioned by various Senators to continue. Furthermore none of these commissions were vetoed by the Synod. In his defence the accused argued that if the Empire didn't like his buildings why did they keep employing him? Furthermore why did the Synod wait so long before taking action, if the buildings were idolatrous? He claimed that the Empire were crooks who were planning on confiscating his earnings and prosperity and that this was unjust. The Court was concerned that the accused, while clearly guilty, was also a priest of a foreign religion building these imperial commissions the only way he knew how. It appeared that he was being made a scapegoat while the Senate and those who had commissioned his services (all followers of The Way) had faced no condemnation for their actions. || Almodin Oktístis, Priest of the Builder and the Asavean Architect, pleaded not guilty. || Guilty. <br>No punishment was applied as the Court was of the opinion that this would not be just and therefore not in the Imperial interest. || The condemning priest was Veikko Bondforger.<br>Almodin Oktístis was advised to leave the Empire forthwith.
|-
| Murder of Bessie the Bard and Contempt of Court || The accused were members of the Hallowed Order, a group led by Rune who undertook vigilante justice against heretics, including among their number a group of hawks specifically tasked with assassinations. A witness had also given a statement that she had been approached by Yon (after the murder) and asked to take part in these activities. The accused gave evidence that Rune was out of control and taking things too far before his death. They admitted attempting to interfere with a Whispers Through the Black Gate to obtain testimony from Bessie the Bard. The fact that they were present at the time of the murder, that the witness evidence suggested that Rune had fled the scene in the immediate aftermath of the murder, that they had by their own admission interfered with the investigation into Bessie the Bard's death and that Yon had continued to recruit for the Hallowed Order, an organisation whose purpose was the murder of Imperial citizens all led the court to the conclusion that it was more likely than not that the accused participated in or assisted in the murder of Bessie the Bard. || Yon of the Moon's Owl of Wyvern's Watch and Gren Wyvernson of Wyvern's Watch plead not guilty to murder and not guilty to contempt of court. || Guilty. <br>Death by execution. || Yon requested that the sentence be commuted to penal military service but this had already been considered and rejected, in consideration of the circumstances.
|-
| Murder || On the Saturday night of the Winter Solstice in Anvil a Druj peace delegation came to parley with the leaders of Urizen. As part of that process two of the barbarians forced the third to take a potion against his will. This potion, by some unknown Druj magics, allowed a Druj leader, not present in Anvil, to use the body of the third orc as a vessel for his communications. At the end of the parley the leader left the body of this orc and he fell to the ground, dead. Attempts were made to bring the two remaining Druj to the Magistrates for investigation. One fled, a second was caught. The victim was protected under Imperial Law as a member of a peace delegation and the other Druj were obliged to abide by Imperial Law as members of the same delegation. The orc admitted his involvement but saw nothing wrong with his acts. The victim meant nothing to him and the court was convinced that it was the forcible taking of the potion that resulted in the death. || A Druj orc of unknown name refused to plead and so a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. || Guilty. <br>Sentenced to death by execution. || After sentence was given the orc made a fight of it and was killed by the vigilant citizens of Anvil before a formal execution could be carried out.
|-
| Treason by treating with the Whisper Gallery (First Trial) || Between the Autumn and Winter summits a hospital in Morrow was attacked by Druj orcs. The head of that hospital had made a deal with the Whisper Gallery for them to provide a magic shroud to protect the hospital from the Druj, in return for which secrets were being given to the Whisper Gallery and rare books were being burnt. Those who gave up their secrets then found that they had forgotten them. Eight Imperial Citizens came to the magistrates at Anvil at the Winter Solstice to confess their crimes. Six were tried collectively and a seventh tried separately afterwards, one did not face trial. All of the accused accepted their culpability in that they carried out the ritual required to satisfy the Whisper Gallery, taking part in the giving of secrets and burning of books. The Court was convinced that the accused were not treating with the enemy with treasonous motives, and that their loyalty had saved the lives of several hundred wounded Imperial citizens. However the Court was not convinced that the act was Virtuous enough to totally mitigate their actions. || Aquilllian Effugere, Redhand Gezzar, Ptolemy Ravensfell, Aethelric of Sigehold, Tamar of Enlightenment Spire, Raelyn Holdfast and Sadiq all pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined of fifty thrones. || A clemency plea was made by Sabilla of Highguard on behalf of Redhand Gezzar on grounds of Loyalty. A clemency plea was made by Pan Edgestalker on behalf of Sadiq on grounds of Loyalty. A clemency plea was made by Veikko Bondsforger, Cardinal of Loyalty, on behalf of Aquilllian Effugere, Ptolemy Ravensfell, Aethelric of Sigehold, Tamar of Enlightenment Spire, Raelyn Holdfast on grounds of Loyalty<br>This fine was allocated to Virtuous endeavours of the citizenry. The defendants were encouraged to make suggestions, and decision of Magistrate Reinholz as to how it was allocated was announced at the Spring Equinox
|-
| Treason by treating with the Whisper Gallery (Second Trial) || The facts of the case were identical to the previous case, except that the accused had both led the ritual, and also voted against carrying it out (unlike the other defendants). She did so on the grounds that it was an unvirtuous act. The accused initially plead guilty without clemency but following legal advice from the magistrate the trial was delayed to allow the accused to consult Conclave and priests of the Synod. An accused who pleads guilty has the right to choose whether to request clemency or not. However at trial the question of the Virtue of their acts is determined by the Clemency priest and the Magistrate, not the opinion of the accused. || The accused pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>No additional punishment. The fifty Throne fine from the first trial was considered sufficient for the entire act. || A clemency plea was made by Maarit Suvidottir of Sigehold
|-
| Treason by treating with the Whisper Gallery (this is unrelated to the previous two trials) || The accused did a deal with The Whisper Gallery. This deal was in the form of a letter that the accused had kept for some time. The accused replied to this letter and made a deal with the Whisper Gallery. The accused said that they only did so after coming under the influence of a magical effect. It should be noted that committing crimes while under the influence of magical affects is not a legal defence. In law we are held responsible for our own actions. || Benedict Pacelli Von Holberg pleaded guilty || Guilty. Sentenced to Death by Penal Military Service. ||
|-
| Subverting the agencies of the state || The accused wrote directly onto a Synod Judgement posted in the hub. This judgement belonged to another member of the Synod. Their unauthorised addition to the judgement was intended to change Synod voting behaviour. || Viviane de Couerdefer, Cardinal of Ambition plead guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined seven thrones. || A clemency plea was made by Irada Von Temeschwar, Cardinal of Vigilance.
|-
| Subverting the agencies of the state (both accused) and assault (Ancel Weaver only) || An aide to the Throne held an Imperial Favour which contained the power to dissolve Conclave. Syn Nighthaven grabbed the Imperial Favour from their hands and ran out of Conclave, allegedly ripping up the document as she did so. She claimed to have burnt the remains, but this is unverified. Ancel magically repelled one citizen who had blocked Syn's way so she could not get past. At trial, when pressed, Syn stated that she would have struggled to get past this final person otherwise. || Syn Nighthaven and Ancel Weaver pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined thirty thrones for subverting the agencies of the state. <br>Guilty of Assault<br>Fined three crowns|| A clemency plea was made by Jared of the Suns of Couros on behalf of Syn Nighthaven. A clemency plea was made by Irada Von Temeschwar, Cardinal of Vigilance, on behalf of Ancel Weaver
|-
| Poisoning || At the Autumn equinox the accused slipped Bite into the drink of Thorn, a friend, with no warning. || Aron of the Levy pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined three crowns. || Aron of the Levy had already been convicted and punished for possession of bite. They voluntarily presented themselves to the militia and cooperated fully.
|-
| Murder || The details of this case are unclear although it appeared to involve a killing on the battlefield among the Navarr this case will now be reviewed and reported upon when the facts are known. || || ||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Autumn Equinox 382YE
|-
| Murder and slavery || The accused is a mine owner in Varushka who has been working slaves in the mine and regularly sacrificing them to Bas Celik in exchange for protection. He was identified by Irontide Flax as being the person pointed out by one of his victims while dying. Furthermore during a ritual to summon his grandmother’s shade she revealed both the murderous arrangement with Bas Celik and that the accused had been keeping slaves. || Anfesa of Varushka originally pleaded not guilty but changed his plea following his grandmother’s testimony and pleaded guilty. || Guilty.<br>Death by execution||
|-
| Murder and three counts of perverting the course of justice || The shade of Harry the Book, a murder victim, was summoned and questioned. He accused Tess of stabbing him to death. Other evidence that was eventually gathered suggested that Tess murdered Harry on behalf of Irra Harah, who had ordered his death, along with three other imperial citizens. || Tess, former Head of Constabulary in the Anvil Militia. No plea was entered as the accused was tried in absentia. || Guilty<br>Execution in absentia || Tess fled the to the Spring realm prior to her trial.
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted the victim, Owain Farkas, by striking him with her wand at Conclave and repelling him from the floor. || Empress Lisabetta von Holberg pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined four crowns. || A clemency plea was made on grounds of Prosperity.
|-
| Possession of Bite || The accused bought bite from Maximus, an associate, and then slipped it into the drink of Thorn, a friend, with no warning. || Aron of the Levy pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>
Fined two crowns. || Note further investigations are ongoing with regards to the supply of the drug by Maximus and the poisoning of Thorn.
|-
| Perverting the course of justice and resisting arrest || The accused was questioned about the secret location of the Rookery in connection with the investigations into the murder of Captain Hardfrost and Magistrate Murcello by the Rookwoods. The accused denied knowing where the Rookery was and claimed to have no involvement in the murder or subsequent escape. When the militia subsequently located the Rookery with the help of House Vexille and conducted a raid, the accused was found there. The accused resisted arrest along with the other wanted murderers from the House and was the only one who retained sufficient connection to the empire to be brought back through the gate for trial. The murderers were summarily executed at the scene. || Thomas Rookwood Martel pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Death by execution. ||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Summer Solstice 382YE
|-
| Attempted murder and treason || The accused approached the Empress and spoke to her about her poor relations with the Navarr. The accused took offence and slashed at the Empress’s throat with her dagger, injuring her badly. || Hipwyn Ashguard pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Death by execution|| A clemency plea was made by Corey Wayfarer that stated the act was unvirtuous.
|-
| Assault || Lord Romand of House Remys of Dawn engaged in an altercation with the senator Bohemond de Rondell. Romand suddenly lunged at Bohemond, cursing him, and the accused stepped in to defend Bohemond and struck down Romand with his dagger. He then called for a magistrate and ensured Romand received medical attention. || Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato, Senator for Tassato, pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined two crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Skywise Gralka on grounds of Loyalty
|-
| Possession of Bite || The accused claimed to find two doses of bite on the east road and sought the advice of the Harlequin what to do with it. The Harlequin suggested he sell it to the Crimson Reaper Cartel (knowing their leader to be in the militia). When the accused tried to sell it to them, Prince Tali promptly arrested him. || Lucian, a foreigner of Holberg descent pleaded guilty. || Guilty. Fined four crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Irada von Temeschwar, Cardinal of Vigilance, on grounds of Loyalty.
|-
| Multiple assaults || The accused attacked a series of victims while apparently suffering the effects of the {{Black Plateau}} curse. || Danica of House Vandale pleaded guilty || Guilty. Fined a total of five thrones || A clemency plea was made by Lochias
|-
| Subverting the agencies of the state and assault || While apparently under the effects of a curse from Spiral the accused put up a judgement for consideration by the Synod without it being stamped and approved by the Tribune. He subsequently assaulted someone after arguing with them. || Ozren de Orzel pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined two crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Corwyn Leafstalker
|-
| Assaults || Both the accused had a heated argument while they held drawn weapons. Michaelangelo stepped towards Lupo but did not raise or tense his weapon. Lupo stabbed him with his spear. An independent witness provided evidence as to how events transpired. || Ferosi Lupo pleaded guilty. Michaelangelo Di Sarvos pleaded not guilty. || Lupo was found guilty.<br>Fined four crowns. <br>Michaelangelo was found not guilty. ||
|-
| Assault || The accused was contracted by his husband to assault another imperial citizen. || Eduardo i Erigo pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined one throne. || A clemency plea was made
|-
| Assault || The accused read a pamphlet written by Serjanus of Urizen and then assaulted him. || Katerina Gardener pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined four crowns. ||
|-
| Assault || Enzo di Saverio and Natalia of Carta Stalare faked an assault on Enzo as a distraction for a curse to be delivered to someone in the Urizen camp. The subterfuge was discovered but Enzo would only confirm that they were a distraction for “other acts”. Having refused to answer further questions Enzo attempted to leave the camp. Believing this to be part of a greater crime the accused struck down Enzo. || Aurum of House Nightingale of Urizen pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined one crown || A clemency plea was made by Galene Netherwatch on grounds of Vigilance. <br>The fine was paid in compensation to the victim.
|-
| Manslaughter || The accused killed an Imperial citizen in the Mourn. He claimed that this was in defence of his sister. Conflicting and changing evidence was provided by witnesses Joanna and Roberta in his defence which was deemed contradictory and unreliable. Accordingly the clemency plea was not accepted. || Svoki an orc ex-thrall of the Mourn pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Sentenced to death. || A clemency plea was made on grounds of Loyalty
|-
| Attempting to pervert the course of justice || The accused were beaters in the Mournwold who responded to the sounds of a murder in progress and pursued their suspect, an orc thrall, to Anvil. At trial they gave conflicting evidence which then changed during the investigation. || Joanna pleaded not guilty. Roberta plead guilty || Joanna was found not guilty. Roberta was found guilty.<br>Fined one throne. ||
|-
| Murder || During a battle on the {{Black Plateau}}, Cadar Aurelius of Dawn struck down and killed Gaston’s Earl. In revenge Gaston killed Cadar Aurelius on the battlefield. || Gaston de Courdyer of Dawn pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Death by execution || A clemency plea was made by Jared of the Suns of Couros
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Spring Equinox 382YE
|-
| Assault || The accused ordered Cormack Dun out of the Urizen camp when he attempted to sell copies of the Oathwright bearing the headline “Druj outwit heroes and conquer Zenith”. As Cormack was leaving the accused ordered him to run and when he did not, struck him a blow with his sword. The unwelcome guest defence did not apply as it was not a reasonable use of force. || Philostrate Menos, a host of the Urizen egregore, pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined two crowns || A clemency plea was made by Runerathmore of Neverwatch Spire on grounds of Pride.
|-
| Treason and perverting the course of justice || The accused admitted trading secrets of Imperial citizens to the Whisper Gallery in exchange for lost information from the Imperial Archives. Furthermore the accused used magic to erase his memories of his co-conspirators and then came to confess his crimes. || Arne Coerling pleaded guilty to both charges. || Guilty.<br> Fined twenty five thrones for treason<br> Fined five thrones for perverting the course of justice. || A clemency plea was made by Gunnbrand Ironwill on grounds of Pride.<br>The convict declared themselves to be a Justice heretic and committed magical suicide,
|-
| Treason || The accused confessed to being coerced by the Grendel (who held her family hostage) into stealing Imperial charts and secret military information from Anvil and passing them to the Grendel. || Carlita i Osa pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Death by execution || A clemency plea was made by Medea Ruth on grounds of Loyalty
|-
| Assault || The accused and the victim, Tanwyn Ankarien, were on the battlefield in Spiral. The accused believed Tanwyn was responsible for the peace treaty failing and headbutted her when the opportunity arose. || Stilicho of the Scarlet Guard pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined four crowns. ||
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted Malchus of Jachin's Legacy over a disagreement about how to treat members of the Iron Helms while through the sentinel gate. || Iscah of Jachin's Legacy pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined four crowns. || A clemency plea was made on grounds of Vigilance
|-
| Assault || Tanwyn Ankarian and Philostrate Menos were suffering from a Spiral related curse. Corvus, the High Exorcist had informed Rhisiart that getting those afflicted into a particular tent (with a magical aura) would cure them. Rhisiart attempted to trick Tanwyn into said tent and failed so resorted to violence. Once her curse was removed, all the accused then repeated the exercise, injuring Philostrate in the process. || Rhisiart Dancewalker, Tanwyn Ankarien, and Phaedra Ankarien all pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Discharged without punishment. || A clemency plea was made by Solas of the Spire of the Waxing Sun on grounds of Wisdom.
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted Arbiter Serjanus of the Scarlet Guard of Urizen after provocation and put him down. She established the victim was being healed before leaving. || Danica Vandale pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined four crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Jared of the Suns of Courous on grounds of Loyalty. <br>A subsequent judicial review indicated that she should have been fined more heavily due to prior convictions for crimes of violence. This will be taken into account if she comes before the magistrates in the future.
|-
| Contravening a declaration of Interdiction || The accused cast the ritual Rivers Run Red upon Therunin on the last day of the summit then handed themselves in. They argued their actions were necessary to counter the Rivers of Life ritual cast on the region by the Great Forest Orcs as this had awoken the vallorn in the area. Furthermore they argued that the only effect of Rivers Run Red would be to negate the Rivers of Life. They had attempted to convince Conclave to remove the interdiction but failed to do so and felt an urgent need to act immediately to protect the lives of the nearby citizens from the vallorn. || Kellos Foxden, Celyn Brackensong, Eirwen Brackensong, Trystan Brackensong, Talek Dancewalker, the Navarr egregore, Rhea Pridestalker, Saeros Splitroot, Drow Gedor and Drefa Brackensong being the Voice of the Quiet Forest coven pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Discharged without punishment although the magistrate noted that it is left to Conclave to decide if they wish to react further. || A clemency plea was made by Amris on grounds of Courage.
|}

==Reports from 381YE==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Winter Solstice 381YE
|-
| Attempted Murder and assault || The accused launched an unprovoked assault upon Heretta of the Rangers of Narook while the victim lay injured on the ground receiving medical aid, The accused argued that this was both because Heretta had left him and stolen his boots and also that he intended to heal his former companion with a spoon. The spoon was examined and found mundane, furthermore it had not been seen by any witnesses at the scene. || Andres i Erigo pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and guilty to assault || Guilty.<br>Death by execution || A clemency plea was made on the charge of assault on grounds of Pride
|-
| Assault || The accused saw two children sparring at the Academy and joined in, attacking them with a metal sword without warning or permission. || Mokko of the Printers Guild pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined five crowns. ||
|-
| Attempted Murder || Upon returning to Anvil the accused handed themselves in for a crime committed over two years ago. Elthred had attempted to hire the Greenshields to assassinate Ardeth Sigsdottir. However an ongoing militia sting operation meant that Warrant Officer Nimh made the introduction. Elthred had been attended as bodyguard by Kivari, who Nimh testified was drunk and not paying attention to the conversation. Other witnesses provided evidence that the intended victim was manipulative and dangerous and that this act by Elthred was uncharacteristic. || Elthred of Holt Hyrde pleaded guilty.<br> Kivari of Holt Hyde pleaded not guilty. || Elthred was found guilty.<br>Fined five thrones and marked with the Freezing Brand of Irremais. <br>Kivari was found not guilty. || A clemency plea was made by Beodun Snowlock on behalf of Elthred
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted Sol, egregore of the Brass Coast. Sol was going to turn up and chase the Reaper, thus showing disrespect to League national traditions. || Vitore Van Temeschwar pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined one crown. || A clemency plea was made on grounds of Pride.
|-
| Criminal damage || The accused caused severe damage to the Colossus of Sarvos by ramming it with his ship. He claimed to have been blackmailed by a mysterious masked man and woman who bought up all of his significant gambling debts and threatened his family and crew if he did not ram the Colossus. || Artur di Sarvos pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined twenty thrones, || A clemency plea was made by Cesare Enzo Di Trivento on grounds of Loyalty.<br>The sentence was suspended for two years to reflect the difficulty of a man of such modest means raising such a sum and in recognition that he was acting under duress.
|-
| Murder || The accused brutally murdered Nevyn Bitterbark of the Bitterbark Steading. He claimed that the victim was the murderer of the Dawnish senator, Lady Jocelyn Cordraco. However no plausible explanation for his actions nor evidence to support his claim was forthcoming. || Kadywar of House Tarvey of Dawn pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Death by execution. || A clemency plea was made on grounds of Loyalty.
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Autumn Equinox 381YE
|-
| Assault || The accused, a warrant officer in the militia, assaulted Eudaemon of Halcyon Spire in the Hub. This followed an interview during which it became clear that no charges would be laid at this time against the victim for his attempt to perform a curse. || Bronislav Markovitch Wolfguard pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined two thrones. || The fine was higher because the guilty party was an on-duty militia officer.
|-
| Perverting the course of justice || The accused was the prime suspect in the murder of Philgar Rowan. She was the last person to see him alive and her answers to the militia (when she was cooperating at all) were contradictory in several respects. || Jemyma Rookwood of House Martell pleaded not guilty. || Guilty. <br>Death by execution || Jemyma Rookwood committed suicide before the sentence could be carried out
|-
| Murder and resisting arrest || The accused handed himself in to the militia and confessed to his part in the battle of Crow’s Keep, fighting on the side of Dogri Thulebane. He was ordered by the Thulebane to lead his civilian followers to a new settlement and to preserve the traditions of Skarsind. He had taken so long to hand himself in because he had been busy settling these refugees from the keep. || Kali Keen Eye of Clan Saker pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined ten thrones. || A clemency plea was made by Jorma Steelhelm on grounds of Pride.<br> The magistrate directed that the fine should go to aid in the founding of the new settlement.
|-
| Attempted theft and attempting to pervert the course of justice || The accused attempted to steal the notebook of Senator Bridget Eastville at the Summer Solstice 381. She was caught in the act and gave a false name to the militia when she was arraigned for trial (to take place the next day). She then failed to attend her trial. She was hunted down by the militia at the Autumn summit despite having disguised herself as a league citizen. Her identity was confirmed by the Navarr egregore. || Lorwen Splinterkin of Navarr pleaded guilty to both charges. || Guilty on both counts.<br> Fined two crowns for the attempted theft.<br>Fined ten thrones for attempting to pervert the course of justice. ||
|-
| Murder || The accused murdered Earl D’Ossienne many years ago. The Earl had become deranged in his later years. He forced his children to fight each other for his own cruel amusement. The accused became scared that it was only a matter of time before one of them was killed and so they killed the Earl first. || Ser Kay de Ossienne pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined thirty thrones. || A clemency plea was made on grounds of Pride and Loyalty
|-
| Treason || The accused communicated accurate military intelligence to the Grendel barbarians. This intelligence included the movements of Omperial armies and supplies. || Cicero of the Shaping Stars spire pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Death by execution ||
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted someone who had just placed a curse upon him. || Galbraith of the Boundaryfolk pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined three crowns. ||
|-
| Murder || Maurice de Gauvain, Archmage of Autumn, was killed by the accused during a battle against husks, some of whom were dressed in Dawnish House colours. Maurice's lower jaw was covered in blood at the time of the battle, and his facial features were obscured. Garavaine was dispatching downed husks to prevent them rising again, and mistook Maurice for one such. Maurice was questioned using Whispers Through the Black Gate, and did not see his killer. He expressed no concern that these actions may have been motivated by foul play. || Garavaine de Rondell pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined thirty five thrones. || A clemency plea was made by Jared of the Suns of Couros on grounds of Vigilance.<br>This plea was only partially accepted by the magistrate as the lack of care for fellow soldiers was arguably not a vigilant act.
|-
| Assault || At the pledge ball, the accused assaulted Silvio de Tassato after the completion of a play he had orchestrated which insulted Ancel’s love. || Ancel Steward pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined one crown. || A clemency plea was made by Rane Jorunsdottir, Inquisitor of Pride.
|-
| Six counts of assault and false imprisonment || The accused had beaten and captured half a dozen local Imperial citizens for their own purposes in Skarsind. || Two orcs of the Thule pleaded not guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined twelve crowns. However, when it became clear they could not pay they were executed. || The names of the Thule were not recorded.
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Summer Solstice 381YE
|-
| Attempted murder and assault || Thomas Bookkeeper of Navarr was assaulted very late at night in the Senate and almost killed by the accused. || Nora of the Green Men pleaded not guilty to murder and guilty to assault. || Not guilty of murder. <br>Guilty of assault <br>Fined three thrones. ||
|-
| Assault || Aarne Ceorling of Wintermark was assaulted in the Hub by the accused. || Jorma Steelhail pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined ten crowns. ||
|-
| Heresy || The accused was condemned by a greater majority of the Synod General Assembly for her unrepentant heretical teachings. She claimed to be the First Empress reborn, possessed of a Paragon soul returned from a place beyond the Labyrinth, which she called the "Land Without Tears", a golden land without pain and suffering. || Yael of Highguard pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Contempt of Court || The accused had requested that he be allowed to execute Yael should that be the verdict. Permission was granted provided that he did not use the sword of the Exarch. Later he placed this sword in Yael's hand. He was ordered by the presiding magistrate not to execute her while she was holding this sword but he disobeyed and struck her down regardless. || Cyrus, Exarch of Felix's Watch.|| Summarily fined five thrones for failing to obey the lawful order of a magistrate. ||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Spring Equinox 381YE
|-
| Mass Murder || The accused confessed to killing a house full of Dawnish citizens. The circumstances were that he was taken prisoner by the House of Lord Lucien De Loire and tortured, forced to fight other prisoners and starved for six long years. When he and the other prisoners escaped Errol and some others stayed behind to buy time for their wounded to escape by setting fire to the house and killing anyone who got out. Evidence gathered by the Dawnish militia supported many of these facts and it is strongly suspected that this House were followers of vengeance. || Errol, Bailiff of the Grand Market pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Discharged without punishment. || A clemency plea was made by Sister Meredith on grounds of Loyalty.<br>This result reflects the strong clemency plea and the extenuating circumstances.
|-
| Contempt of court || The accused blocked the path of a member of the militia in the performance of her duties and then refused to move. When fined a crown for contempt of court she responded by telling the magistrate to “Fuck off”. || Medea Ruth of Halcyon Spire || Summarily fined one throne. ||
|-
| Assault || The accused grabbed the nearest weapon and stabbed Rane Jorunsdottir. || Ulric Ybasden pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined four crowns. ||
|-
| Attempt to abet the contravention of a declaration of sorcery || In an attempt to rescue the Empress's father from the whisper gallery (who are under enmity) the accused attempted to broker a deal between them and Ancel Steward of House Vexille. Ariana sent the missive not knowing what it contained. The deal did not go through as the Whisper Gallery would only deal directly with Ancel Steward. During questioning, Danica claimed Kaspar had not been involved, leading to an increase in her fine. || Kaspar Yakovich von Holberg, Danica Vandale and Arianna de Tassato pleaded guilty. || Guilty.<br>Kaspar was fined 22 thrones.<br>Danica was fined 25 thrones<br>Arianna was fined ten thrones. || A clemency plea was made by Severin Teyhard von Holberg on behalf of Kaspar Yakovich von Holberg on grounds of Loyalty.<br>A clemency plea was made by Jared of the Suns of Couros on behalf of Danica Vandale on grounds of Loyalty.<br>A clemency plea was made by Corwin Leafstalker on behalf of Arianna de Tassato on grounds of Loyalty.
|-
| Subverting the agencies of the state || The accused attacked a herald of Yaw'nagrah (who is currently under enmity) during a plenipotentiary with the Archmage of Spring. This is in direct contravention of the Conclave's rules on how such parleys are conducted. || Drefa Brackensong pleaded not guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined ten thrones. ||
|-
| Assault and contempt of court || The accused punched the victim, Watt of the Marches, believing (wrongly) that he had kidnapped her sister, Miriam Bard. Furthermore the accused frequently interrupted the magistrate during trial and was summarily tried for contempt of court. || Bessie the Bard pleaded guilty to assault || Guilty<br>Fined two crowns for assault plus two crowns payable in compensation to the victim. <br>Fined one crown for contempt of court. || A clemency plea was made by Lumi Lehtonen
|-
| Dereliction of duty || The accused handed herself in for a crime that occurred several years ago. She had been assigned to a military unit at the Reikos citadel and her new commander ordered her unit to surrender to the Druj. Instead she fled from the field of battle. || Allegra of Navarr pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined ten crowns and subjected to the Freezing Brand of Irremais. || A clemency plea was made by J'zarr i Shartha i Guerra on grounds of Loyalty.
|-
| Murder and resisting arrest || The accused resisted legal arrest with murderous force, leading to the deaths of over 200 Varushkan soldiers and most of the inhabitants of Crows Keep. The court was moved only slightly by the clemency plea for Dogri Thulebane on the grounds of loyalty to the people of Crows Keep and Skarsind. This was on the grounds that his actions had the direct consequence of leading to the deaths of most of his people, and the destruction of Crows Keep. The clemency pleas for the other accused were accepted on the grounds that it was not within their power to legally prevent the battle and their virtue compelled them to act. || Dogri Thulebane, Ranulph six lives and Mhira Valoing plead guilty || Guilty. <br>Dogri Thulebane was sentenced to death. By their request this was to be carried out by Mother Thane of Wintermark by sundown. Subsequently the court acquiesced to a request for him to die in battle, before sundown <br>The other accused were discharged without further punishment. || A clemency plea was made by Jorma Steelhail on behalf of Dogri Thulebane and Ranulph Six Lives on grounds of Loyalty and Courage respectively. A clemency plea was made by Cerwynn Brackensong on grounds of Loyalty.
|}

==Reports from 380YE==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Winter Solstice 380YE
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted Medea Ruth Marshwatch, a former member of his order, with a staff while cursing her. The reason given for this by the accused was that the victim had brought shame to their order by her actions in the Sentinel's Repose bar. || Eudaemon of Halcyon Spire pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined one crown plus one crown compensation paid to victim. || A clemency plea was made by Bonewall Rek on grounds of Pride.
|-
| Murder || The accused was enjoying a celebration away from Anvil when the mood suddenly changed as the unknown victim arrived. A melee ensued in which the accused was not directly involved but which resulted in the victim being struck down. A priest ascertained the victim was dedicated to a freedom cult. The victim begged to be killed and the accused did so, but in law it is not possible to consent to your own murder. || The accused (whose name was not recorded) pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Branded. || A clemency plea was made
|-
| Theft || The accused stole valuable herbs to eat. The accused was also sternly warned against providing a false name to the militia as this is a serious offence. || Will Brackensong pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined one throne. || A clemency plea was made by Corey Wayfarer
|-
| Subverting the agencies of the state || The accused received a message from Barrens orcs near a triage centre behind the front lines of the recent fighting. They were offered a deal to exchange twenty eight Dawnish prisoners in return for five brands on citizens to mark the orc lives lost. The brands were investigated and found to be mundane. This was treated in law as a legitimate ransom demand so no treason charges were levied. || Merry Talbot, Skywise Gralka, Talaith, Jada of Ravensfell, Joshua of Zephaniah's Lament all pleaded not guilty || Not guilty. || All the accused initially pleaded guilty but the plea was later changed on advice of the magistrate
|-
| Blasphemy || The accused was condemned by the Synod and admitted to preaching the false virtue of hate and spreading auras of hate. While a clemency plea was made on grounds of loyalty the court did not accept that his actions were justified in the circumstances. || Friar Robin of Whittle pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Death by execution. || A clemency plea was made by James Appleseeder. Martin Orchard spoke for the Marcher National Assembly.
|-
| Treason and Contravening a declaration of interdiction || The accused cursed (or aided and abetted said cursing) Gregor, Head of the Shuttered Lantern. The accused did so using a ritual text called “Quell the Thief of Secrets” created by and traded from the whisper gallery(and with whom a state of enmity currently exists). They argued that this was to try to prevent further harm being perpetrated against Gregor by the Whisper Gallery by making him unable to read or write and thus a “non-combatant” in the war of secrets. || Ancel Steward, Guissart Vexille (not present), Arlen Weaver, Ser Lacons Vexille and Lady Gweniveve Vexille pleaded guilty to all charges || Guilty. <br>Collectively fined forty thrones <br>Sentenced to be branded with the Freezing Brand of Irremais. || A clemency plea was made by Corwyn Leafstalker
|-
| Murder || The accused was investigating the victim, Laudica i Tsaga i Riqueza, for being a follower of the false virtue of vengeance. She was invited to the victim's tent, which was under an aura of vengeance and given a mask that cursed the bearer to take vengeance upon those who threaten their loved ones. An axe was placed near to hand and then the victim threatened harm to the accused's sister in the future while taunting her to take vengeance. The accused struck her with fatal consequences. || Ephrael of Zephaniah's Lament pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined five thrones. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime but also its context. || A clemency plea was made by Jared of the Suns of Couros on grounds of Vigilance and Pride.
|-
| Assault and criminal damage || General Irontide Skar owned an axe which was possessed by the spirit of a Jotun ancestor. The accused believed this to be a detrimental influence on the General and the army. She attempted to seize the axe and nearly strangled the General with it then failing to take it she disenchanted the axe, removing the spirit. Expert witness testimony was accepted from Irontide Lok and Bloodcrow Yargol on the subject of Jotun ancestors in orcish lore. || Bloodcrow Shettehs pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined four crowns for assault<br> Fined seven thrones for criminal damage to be paid in compensation to victim. || A clemency plea was made by Atla on grounds of Wisdom and Loyalty.
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted the victim, Silas of Zephaniah's Lament, because she was “meddling” with her sister. || Amatia i Tsagaan i Erigo plead edguilty || Guilty. <br>Fined one crown. || A clemency plea was made by Maricella i Tsagaan i Guerra on grounds of Loyalty.
|-
| Assault (two counts) || The accused asked the victim, Hazel of the Shattered tower, “if she would like a face like hers” referring to Senator Tanwyn. The accused then struck the victim in the face with a shield and pushed her to the ground. || Rhisiart Tarw pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined three thrones due to the accused being a repeat offender. ||
|-
| Heresy and blasphemy || The accused encouraged Imperial orcs in Hraka Hold to not follow the Way claiming “it is a human religion”. Further he said the Hierro clan failed because “they had too much ambition” and preached against both too much pride and ambition. He also claimed orcs are superior to humans. He has been inquisited for this behaviour before and has said he would mend his ways. During the trial he argued his beliefs were common among imperial orcs. || Bloodcrow Yargol was condemned by the General Assembly. He pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined thirty thrones<br>Sentenced to be branded with the Freezing Brand of Irremais. || The condemning priest was Jorma Steelhail.<br>The heavy fine reflected the serious impact that Yargol's heresy was having on his peers and to act as a deterrent against similar behaviour in the future.<br>
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Autumn Equinox 380YE
|-
| Theft || An Enigmatic Staff belonging to Sovica Kovar was stolen from the academy premises. The accused admitted selling this staff onto a Navarr. || Alexi Gremani pleaded guilty || Guilty.<br> Fined three crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Lucifaro Erigo on grounds of Loyalty and Vigilance
|-
| Murder || The accused had argued with Isca over magical efforts to direct the falling red star. They invited her to their tent with promises of an apology but Dusan paralysed her and Svetlana and Velushka slew her with their weapons. They then disposed of the body with magic. Isca's shade was summoned and her identity verified then she was questioned. Isca testified as to the events as described above and contradicted the claims of the accused to have argued with Isca in the tent prior to killing her. The accused handed themselves in at the start of the next festival. || Dusan, Svetlana and Velushka of the Tangled Thorns pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Death by execution || A clemency plea was made by Elka Grimani, Cardinal of Pride.<br>Although some good arguments were made in favour of clemency, the seriousness of the crime, the destruction of evidence, and their failure to justify the necessity of their actions were judged to mean that a sentence of death was appropriate.
|-
| Theft || The accused searched the tent of the Tangled Thorns (while they were under investigation by the militia) and took their coven stone. This stone is permanently enchanted and therefore valuable. They claimed to be acting out of vigilance since it might be cursed and furthermore that they were authorised by a member of the militia to take it. No evidence could be found that this was the case. || Mina of the Howling Pines and her two cousins pleaded not guilty. || Not guilty. ||
|-
| Treason and subverting the agencies of the state || In the winter of 379 the accused had a meeting with the Druj and sent a letter in 380 to confirm their agreement to crush a tribe of Barrens orcs between their armies. Furthermore the Druj would cast Rivers Run Red to maximise casualties. The accused advised the military council of the plan, allowing them to plan the campaign accordingly and with considerable success. However, he failed to engage with either the Senate or Imperial Consul about this scheme. || Ancel Steward pleaded not guilty to treason and guilty to subverting the agencies of the state. || Not guilty of treason. <br>Guilty of subverting the agencies of the state<br>Fined twenty five thrones. || A clemency plea was made by Sir Lacons Vexille with regard to the first charge<br>It is not known why clemency was accepted even though accused pleaded not guilty.
|-
| Treason || The accused and his family were captured by Druj in Edinberg near Holberg. His captors threatened to kill his family unless he led the cadets of the academy into a trap. He lured in twenty cadets and five adults with talk of a boggart infestation and did not attempt to warn them in any way. Even though the cadets were ambushed by orcs they not only escaped with their lives but also saved the accused's captive family. || Antonio Gelani von Holberg pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Death by execution || A clemency plea was made
|-
| Blasphemy || The accused came to Anvil and falsely preached that hope was as important as the other Imperial virtues. They were condemned by the Assembly of Nine and repented after the Empress spoke to them. || Christoph and Julieta di Sarvos pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Sentenced to spend the next season removing auras of hope from Sarvos. || A clemency plea was made by Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato, Cardinal of Ambition
|-
| Assault || The accused was threatened by four mercenaries sent from a League Carta to cut down a “sacred” tree in a cemetery in Holfried. He warned them off but when they persisted and tried to cut down the tree he assaulted them. || Friar John Taker of the Marches pleaded not guilty on grounds of defence of the property in question. || Not guilty. ||
|-
| Criminal damage || The accused went on a skirmish with a relative but after they failed to stay close to him he broke their staff. || Uther de Rondell pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined three crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Sir Gaulio Orzel
|-
| Possession and supply of gutwrench (at the Vor'Azi Grimhold) || The accused was hired for ten thrones (five in advance) to poison Karina by someone called “Feldermaus” in the League. The accused gave Karina gutwrench to take instead of a deadly poison. She convinced Karina to take it by claiming it would show her whether her lover truly cared for her or not. || Anya of the League pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined seven thrones. || A clemency plea was made by Amris Merikovich on grounds of Wisdom
|-
| Theft (in the environs of a field hospital near the front lines) || A unit of the army was captured and the accused was let go and told that the orcs would release the rest of his unit if he provided them with some herbs. He proceeded to steal said herbs and was caught. || Kay Fletcher pleaded guilty. || Guilty. <br>Fined four crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Jada of Ravensfell on grounds of Vigilance
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Summer Solstice 380YE
|-
| Assault || The accused punched Nadia Borodina di Sarvos of the Pledge twice in front of many witnesses. || Vaniagh of the Suns of Couros pleaded guilty with no clemency. || Guilty<br>Fined four crowns. ||
|-
| Assault || The accused struck down the victim while apprehending him for investigation by the synod. The victim, Romero di Sarvos, had been witnessed handing out heretical pamphlets. The court ruled that the assault was unlawful since it exceeded reasonable force. || Grace Sanguino Regia di Tassato plead guilty || Guilty<br>Fined one crown. || A clemency plea was made by Irada von Temeschwar
|-
| Heresy and blasphemy || The accused was witnessed handing out heretical and blasphemous pamphlets which he had himself obtained in Faraden. The accused was condemned by the Assembly of Nine and Cardinal Ophelia di Sanguino was their expert witness. || Romero di Sarvos pleaded guilty with no clemency. || Guilty<br>Death by execution. || The accused was both unrepentant and presented a clear risk to the Empire.<br>The convict's assets were sequestered and he was
|-
| Murder || The accused handed herself in and confessed to the murders of both Sister Dorcas and Sister Ana of the Suns of Couros. She said she had no control over her actions but having realised what she had done she did not seek help or treatment. || Sister Aurelia pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Assault || The accused got into an argument with Banwell Rae over the execution of a citizen for heresy. The accused pushed Rae to the floor when Rae stepped towards him. || Kane Frostwalker pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined two crowns. ||
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted the victim, Jera de Luisignon, while he was awaiting trial. The victim had cursed the accused's homeland, then taunted him about it. The accused then assaulted the victim with a knife but saw to it he was healed afterwards. || Magic' Errol of the Marches pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined one crown. ||
|-
| Assault || The accused asked the victim, Jera de Luisignon to lift a curse that he had placed upon his father. Jera proceeded to insult both the accused and his father. The accused then stabbed him. || Robert Greyshanks pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined one throne. ||
|-
| Blasphemy and idolatry || The accused was condemned by the Synod for blasphemy and idolatry for his involvement in the actions of the notorious De Luisignan anarchy cult. || Jera de Luisignon of Dawn pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution. || A clemency plea was made by Lady Josephine Novarion
|-
| Attempted murder and membership of the Vyig || The accused was witnessed stabbing Warrant Officer Hardfrost with a poisoned dagger at his wedding reception. A note indicated orders from the Vyig to carry out the assassination and scars consistent with removed Vyig tattoos were found on his knuckles. || Christoph di Sarvos plead not guilty to all charges. || Guilty<br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Assault || The accused tried to stop a Vyig assassin, Christoph di Sarvos, who was fleeing the scene of a crime. She was stabbed and poisoned and received a series of medical treatments that left her in an agitated state. She found the suspect in militia custody and stabbed him in a frenzy which was almost fatal to the victim. || Cora Greyshanks of the Marches plead guilty. || Guilty<br>Fined six crowns. || A clemency plea was made by Robert of Swindale on grounds of Loyalty<br>The court warns the convict and all citizens that the magistrates take a dim view of assaults on suspects in militia custody.
|-
| Assault || The accused was asked by a Warrant officer to guard the prisoner, Christoph di Sarvos. When the prisoner turned somewhat aggressively towards the accused he struck him twice with the butt of his bill. || Hob Culloch of the Marches pleaded not guilty on the grounds that he was keeping him in custody during a lawful arrest. || Not guilty but warned about his use of force. ||
|-
| Heresy || The accused was caught preaching heresy and promoting the false virtue of 'fear'. Examination by the egregore of Highguard found that he was a citizen of Highguard but that he was now nameless. He was condemned by the Assembly of the Way. || A citizen of Reikos who no longer bore any name pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution|| Due to time constraints, caused by the need for condemnation, the accused was tried after the summit
|-
| Contravening a Declaration of Interdiction || The accused cast the ritual Whispering Shadow Courtiers to contact the Whisper Gallery in contravention of the Conclave's declaration of Enmity. It was argued that his intent was to try to find out information on the Whispering Gallery's activities in an effort to save imperial lives. The court was satisfied that there was no evidence of treason. The accused had sought no prior advice from members of the Conclave, but the Cardinal of Vigilance advised him that she would plead clemency for him at trial. || Benedict of the House of Seven Mirrors plead guilty. || Guilty<br>Fined ten thrones. || A clemency plea was made by Irada von Temeschwar, Cardinal of Vigilance. The court reminds citizens that contravening a declaration of interdiction is a serious offence.
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Spring Equinox 380YE
|-
| Manslaughter || Substantial Agramant activity was reported by witnesses in the Vale of Hollow Pines at the time of the offence. During these events the accused shot dead an old draughir woman with a single arrow. The victim (who was not a Varushkan citizen) had recently attacked Grandmother Aria, first paralysing her then biting off her ear. || Boyar Akstis of Eigulys known as “Gully” pleaded guilty || Due to both the circumstances and the clemency plea provided the convict was discharged without punishment. || A clemency plea was made by Rooslin Prochnost
|-
| Murder || The accused admitted the murder of Darius of the Emerald Order by stabbing him to death near the Marcher maypole in Anvil. The accused handed himself in, and claimed that he had lost his wits due to the side effects of potion making. While no witnesses to the crime came forward, and the accused said he had no memory of the murder, blood stains were found on his robes consistent with the events. || Pugilist of the Emerald Order pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Subverting the agencies of the state || The accused claimed right of witness in order to investigate a rumour he had heard of slavery in Anvil. He did not have the legal right to do so as he is not a member of the synod. || Bloodcrow Yargol pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Fined six crowns. ||
|-
| Murder and perverting the course of justice || The accused were all involved in some capacity with the murder of Brady (for which Tarion of the Black Scar has already been executed). Erian aided the murder by luring Brady into an ambush and then lied about it in one of her statements to the militia. Bernie was the one who planned the murder but he did not personally wield a blade. Lleu, their acting Brand, was told by them of the murder after it happened and he asked Erian to lie to the militia. || Erian plead guilty to perverting the course of justice and murder. Bernie plead guilty to murder. Klay plead guilty to perverting the course of justice. || Guilty<br>Erian was sentenced to death by execution.<br>Bernie was sentenced to death by execution. <br>Lleu was fined five thrones. || A clemency plea was made by Aelfin on behalf of Erian but said it was not a virtuous act<br>A clemency plea was made by Rhisiart Tarw on behalf of Lleu on the grounds of Loyalty and Pride
|-
| Assault || The accused all assaulted militia deputy Yaroslav who was guarding an old mine that had until recently been utilised by the Vyig. || Viktor, Boris and Alexi von Temeschwar all pleaded guilty. || Guilty<br>Fined two crowns each. ||
|-
| Assault || The accused (who handed herself in) used her weapon to strike a heavy blow on the arm of a soldier who insulted her after the battle. || Clarice Novarion, General of the Eastern Sky, pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined two crowns. || A clemency plea was made
|-
| Perverting the course of justice || The accused was involved in the formation of the criminal scheme by the Handful of Dust coven in the Brass Coast to give True Liao to an eternal. The accused left this coven and moved to Dawn but because she felt bound by contract to secrecy she only gave very general warnings to Asher (the guide priest who lost his life as a result of their actions). || Catalina de Rondel of Dawn pleaded guilty || Guilty. <br>Sentenced to suffer the curse of the Freezing Brand of Irremais || A clemency plea was made by Frederick Novarion
|-
| Murder (other lesser charges could have also been laid) || The accused were all citizens trapped in Reikos during the occupation. When priests arrived and reconnected them with the Way they came to Anvil to face justice for the terrible crimes they had committed in order to survive and so that others could learn from their experiences. Their crimes included killing others in fights over food, burning a house of flux sufferers to prevent spread of the disease, killing a crying child so they would not be found by a Druj patrol, torture and killing of Druj collaborators, cannibalism, killing to end the suffering of the starving and killing those who became a drain on the group's resources. || Jolen, Ruth, Caliban and Meliphas all pleaded guilty || All were discharged without further punishment but were offered the opportunity to participate in a Highguard cleansing ritual involving a river and weighing down with stones to represent guilt. || A clemency plea was made by four priests<br>The court accepted the necessity of the acts for their survival and the dreadful adversity of their situation, starving and without any hope of outside help. Arguments were made both for and against the virtue of their actions.<br>In considering sentence the court carefully considered whether these citizens were both deserving and capable of rejoining society. Also, whether it is in the Imperial interest to execute those left in such intolerable conditions.
|-
| Manslaughter (the first accused only) and trade of true Liao to foreigners || The accused arranged a past life vision and Asher of Felix Watch, Cardinal of Courage, agreed to accompany her. However, Ysabel had made a pact with the eternal, Sadogua, to pass her share of True Liao to him magically when she pretended to drink her dose. As a result Asher went to the labyrinth alone and the vision collapsed. Asher's mortal body died and then vanished. Barak of Haros, Head of the Attendants of the Gateway and Livia of the Celestial Cascade, Seer of the Gateway, bore witness and confirmed that Ysabel had been given a full safety briefing, that clearly stated that if both participants did not follow the process then the vision would collapse, and that Ysabel had signed her agreement. The defendants agreed the facts, and stated that their intention was to research the effects of True Liao on an eternal. || Ysabel I Ergo of the Handful of Dust pleaded guilty to both charges. Geraile I Erigo, Maite I Erigo, and Evaristo I Erigo pleaded guilty to trade of true liao to foreigners || Ysabel I Ergo was found guilty<br>Death by execution.<br>The other accused were found guilty<br>Fined seventy five thrones.<br> When their fine became due the next day they refused to pay and claimed to have given away all their assets. Consequently they were executed. || A clemency plea was made on behalf of Geraile I Erigo, Maite I Erigo, and Evaristo I Erigo.
|-
| Manslaughter and assault || The accused and others captured some bandits and brought them back through the Sentinel Gate. The victim attempted to flee and was struck down. The victim was kicked in the head by the accused and died in spite of the medical treatment applied at the scene. || Arden of Cantiarch's Hold pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and guilty to assault. || Not guilty of manslaughter<br>Guilty of assault. <br>Fined two crowns. ||
|-
| Assault || The first accused attacked Ursil de Luisignan with his wand after getting into an altercation. The second accused attacked Tremayne de Luisignan with his sword after he got involved. || Selen de Rondel and Robert Greyshanks both pleaded guilty. || Guilty<br> Selen de Rondel was fined four crowns. <br>Robert Greyshanks was required to apologise to the victim. ||
|-
| Attempted Treason || The accused took a conjunction to meet the eternal Jaheris to discuss the (then current) enmity with Eleonaris but, rather than meeting Jaheris arrived at an audience with Eleonaris herself. Some members of this party had already been advised by the Dawnish egregore not to speak with Eleonaris if this happened. The court probed the nature of the meeting to discover if any of the delegation intended to negotiate and deal with Eleonaris but found no evidence of attempted treason." || Duke Orzel of Dawn along with the other members of his delegation all pleaded not guilty. || Not guilty || The accused were given words of warning with regards to talking to enemies of the Empire in the future.
|}
==Reports from 379YE==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Winter Solstice 379YE
|-
| Theft || The accused were witnessed by a member of the militia fleeing a shop in Tassato carrying stolen merchandise. As Kit is a minor, her guardian Catalina faced punishment in her place. || Kit de Tassato (a minor) and Wyl Brackensong both pleaded guilty. || Guilty<br>Jointly fined two thrones, to be paid as compensation to the victim, Umberto. ||
|-
| Murder || The accused murdered Brady of Blackscar striding following an accusation of incompetence by the victim. A thorough investigation by the militia uncovered the accused, who then admitted the crime during an interview. || Tarion of Black Scar pleaded guilty. || Guilty<br>Death by execution ||
|-
| Theft || The accused stole three crowns from the victim's change jar. As Kit is a minor, her guardian Catalina faced punishment in her place. || Kit de Tassato pleaded guilty. || Guilty<br>Fined two crowns and ordered to repay the three crowns stolen from the victim. ||
|-
| Blasphemy || The accused were condemned by the Synod for preaching the false virtue of peace at Anvil at the Autumn summit. The expert witness from the synod was Father Appleseed. || Mother Alice, Calm Roberto, and Mary Bregasland pleaded guilty. || Guilty<br>Branded and recommended to the care of Father Appleseed. || A clemency plea was made by Father Appleseed's brother.<br>The accused were separately excommunicated.
|-
| Treason || The accused made a deal with Agramant in which he was given the means to create fear auras to help in their fight against the Jotun in return for executing Jotun prisoners in the presence of Agramant's herald. Expert advice was taken before the trial from Syrus, the Archmage of Winter who advised that such actions do benefit Agramant. || Aedan of Olwen's stand pleaded guilty. || Guilty<br>Death by execution ||
|-
| Theft || The accused was cursed in the Senate. After the Senate guard struck down the deliverer of the (perfectly legal) curse, the accused rifled through the victim's bag. Afterwards two crowns, twelve rings and a small red puppet were missing. It was unclear whether these items were in fact stolen as the puppet was later found in the mud. || Senator Miroslav offered a weregild of three crowns in compensation for any losses, which was accepted by the victim. || Three crowns weregild was accepted in compensation.<br>No additional punishment levied by magistrates. ||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Autumn Equinox 379YE
|-
| Murder (first accused) Manslaughter (second accused) || Five years ago the accused were part of a coven who experimented with a Spring vortex, resulting in an explosion which killed seven citizens. The first accused killed a survivor of the blast in order to keep their experiments secret .Evidence was presented that proved that the second accused was not present at this incident. || Mwfanwy Dray pleaded guilty (first accused)<br>Mertyn Dray pleaded not guilty. || Mwfanwy was found guilty<br>Death by execution<br>Mertyn was found not guilty. ||
|-
| Attempted murder (later reduced to attempted poisoning) || The accused was reported to the militia by Jonah for paying him one and a half thrones to poison Bronislav, a member of the militia involved in the Greenshields case. The accused admitted intent to poison (but not murderous intent) during the trial. || Salviana former fiance of Aelvir of the Greenshields pleaded not guilty. || Guilty of attempted poisoning<br>Fined ten thrones. ||
|-
| Murder and attempted murder || The accused was captured attempting to assassinate the civil servant Helena Raminci di Sarvos. During their trial the accused also admitted the murder of another civil servant. || An unnamed agent of the Whisper Gallery in a porcelain mask pleaded guilty. || Guilty <br>Death by execution || The accused took their mask off and vanished after being sentenced
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Summer Solstice 379YE
|-
| Impersonation of an Imperial official (Meha i Zidan)<br>Subverting the agencies of the state (everyone else)<br>Perverting the course of justice (Pavel) || General Istana discovered that senator Kattalin i Hazama was absent, thus preventing his re-election without involvement from the senate. He took advice from Pavel, the military council civil servant liaison from which he inferred that he should appoint a fake senatorial proxy for the missing senator to fix the problem. Meha i Zidan was the false proxy, but was not aware of the extent of the conspiracy. The other senators were participants in this subversion, although Avisena i Ezmara was unaware that the proxy was false. At trial Pavel denied General Istana's claims but later he came forward to admit that he had in fact implied what the general inferred, Consequently, post-trial the magistrate substantially reduced the fines levied. || Anwar del Torro pleaded guilty<br>Feliciana i Sotero pleaded guilty.<br>Avisena i Ezmara pleaded not guilty<br>General Istana pleaded not guilty<br>Meha i Zidan pleaded guilty. <br>Pavel pleaded guilty || Anwar del Torro was found guilty<br>Fined ten thrones later reduced to five thrones <br>Feliciana i Sotero was found guilty<br>Fined ten thrones later reduced to five thrones<br>Avisena i Ezmara was found not guilty. <br>General Istana was found guilty<br>Fined twenty thrones later reduced to five thrones<br>Meha i Zidan was found guilty<br>Fined four crowns later reduced to two crowns.<br>Pavel was found guilty<br>Fined twenty thrones. || Avisena i Ezmara was advised to change her plea to not guilty on the advice of the court.<br>Pavel resigned from his post as Herald of the Council
|-
| False Imprisonment || Tyrwyn imprisoned his own military unit in a fort when they became afflicted by a curse which made them feral and violent. He came forward and confessed of his own volition, but as no complaints have been made and his behaviour appeared to be virtuous, the case was dismissed. || Tyrwyn Northernbay of Miaren || Case dismissed. ||
|-
| Assault || During the Cathan Canae tourney the suspect entered the arena unannounced and pushed over the Jotun champion, who insisted that charges be brought. || Irontide Bruk pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined three rings. || A clemency plea was made
|-
| Assault, theft, Vyig membership (various)Assault, theft, Vyig membership and murder (various) || A group of nine tattooed Vyig were captured by the Iron Raptors. Various evidence of their crimes was presented, including some statements by suspects implicating other members of the group in crimes. || Five suspects pleaded guilty to assault, theft, and Vyig membership.<br>Four pleaded not guilty to murder, assault, theft, and Vyig membership. || One of those accused of murder was found not guilty of murder but guilty of the lesser charges.<br>Fined all their assets and tattoos removed<br>Five were found guilty of the lesser charges<br>Fined all their assets and tattoos removed.<br>Three suspects accused of murder were found guilty<br>Senteced to death by execution || The three suspects guilty of murder attempted to escape and were executed
|-
| Murder || The accused killed a fleeing Vyig suspect after they attempted to escape on multiple occasions. || Mercutio pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined four thrones and branded on his hand. || A clemency plea was made
|-
| Attempted murder || The accused cut the throat of Lunetta Sanguino, who was attempting to become a herald. The reason given for the attack was to send her soul to the labyrinth, lest her soul should be prevented from entering the labyrinth by her eternal service. The clemency plea at trial was made by the victim who has reconsidered her choices. || Jared of the Suns of Couros pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined one crown || A clemency plea was made<br>The fine was instructed to be paid into the Synod Virtue fund
|-
| Murder || The accused were tried for the murder of Zedenka of the Ulla Sisterhood, Varushka. The victim described her attackers when summoned back through the Black Gate. Careful investigations confirmed that the summoned shade was in fact Zedenka and that her testimony appeared genuine. Kale refused to answer questions put by the magistrate and Thor's answers were vague and inconsistent with witness testimony that placed both of them at the scene of the crime. Udoxia, testified that Thor came out of a tent following a woman's scream and declared that it was a “false alarm”. || Thor of the Hammer pleaded not guilty.<br>Kale pleaded not guilty. || Thor of the Hammer was found guilty<br>Death by execution<br>Kale was found guilty<br>Death by execution || Kale used magical means to commit suicide and briefly haunt the area before execution
|-
| Slavery and mayhem || The accused were captured during a raid in Reikos to sweep up remaining perpetrators from the Brothers and Sisters of Virtue (many of whom have already been tried for the mutilating and enslaving of hundreds of orc orphans) || Sister Keiiah pleaded not guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution || Sister Keeiah committed suicide using magical means before execution.
|-
| Murder || The accused killed a criminal who had been downed during a raid on the Vyig. || Prospero of the League pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined five thrones || A clemency plea was made
|-
| Vyig membership and contempt of court (Maria)Murder, theft malsanguino, and Vyig membership (Nicolo and Cesare) || The accused were tattooed Vyig captured by concerned Imperial citizens. Nicolo and Cesare escaped custody and committed serious assaults on the presiding magistrate and a warrant officer present following the verdict, before recapture. || Maria pleaded not guilty.<br>Nicolo pleaded not guilty<br>Cesare pleaded not guilty. || Maria was found guilty<br>Tattoos were removed and her left hand was mutilated.<br>Nicolo was found guilty<br>Death by execution<br>Cesare was found guilty<br>Death by execution ||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Spring Equinox 379YE
|-
| Manslaughter || The accused killed Auras Dustborn while he was unconscious during a battle with husks. The accused had been ordered to kill all husks on the ground to prevent them arising again and mistook the victim for a husk. || Keridwyn Splitroot pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Weregild agreed that the Splitroot steading to serve the Dustborn steading for two seasons<br>no further judicial punishment || A clemency plea was made
|-
| Murder, membership of Vyig || The accused, a self-confessed enforcer for the Vyig, admitted to murdering Darren Uzo in Temeschwar on the orders of Uncle Uzo || Al Uzo pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution ||
|-
| Assault, theft, membership of Vyig || The accused implicated himself in the aiding and abetting of a Vyig “protection” racket || Robert Uzo pleaded guilty || Guilty <br>Fined one throne<br>Tattoo was removed || A clemency plea was made<br> Property deed to a brickmaker's business was taken in lieu of the fine and sold for one throne
|-
| Handling stolen goods || The accused had no tattoos but admitted to working for the Vyig, carrying their property and so on. || Bobby of Varushka pleaded not guilty || Guilty<br>Branded as a thief ||
|-
| Attempted murder or aiding and abetting of attempted murder either directly or by concealment of their activities || Following intelligence reports that the Greenshields Tavern in Wintermark were carrying out a business of assassins for hire, a sting operation was carried out. An undercover militia deputy introduced a fake client to Aelvir, who arranged for an assassination to be carried out against the victim, another undercover deputy for the fee of ten thrones. Sully went with the client to check out the victim and to kill them if he considered it safe to do so. Sully also offering what the client took to be poison when he did not like the victim's location. A final attempt was made but baulked at the last moment. The clients' monies were then returned. When arrested no explanation was offered for this behaviour. The sister, Lumi was observed to be close to her brother and witnesses placed her nearby in the tavern during these events. Vesha was a new barman and Uri did not belong to the Greenshields group, no evidence was presented implicating them in these crimes. || Aelvir – the landlord and procurer - pleaded guilty<br>Sully – apothecary and assassin - pleaded not guilty<br>Lumi – sister to Aelvir - pleaded not guilty<br>Uri - bar staff- pleaded not guilty<br>Vesha – bar staff - pleaded not guilty || Aelvir was found guilty<br>Death by execution<br>Sully was found guilty<br>Death by execution<br>Lumi was found guilty<br>Death by execution<br>Uri and Vesha were found not guilty || A clemency plea was made on behalf of Aelvir
|}

==Reports from 378YE==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Winter Solstice 378YE
|-
| Theft and assault || The accused were caught attempting to steal a weapon of war in the form of a giant stone head from the Varushkan camp. They assaulted Senator Dushan Otecovna Zlata of Varushka in the process || Kayne and Leopric, both of Wintermark, pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fine of 4 thrones ||
|-
| Perverting the course of justice || The accused incorrectly believed that a murder case (in which the accused was Yanov Tartaklvsky of Varushka) would not be tried. He threatened a number of witnesses to this trial although it was accepted that he was ignorant that they were witnesses in an ongoing case. || Brand Rizzard pleaded not guilty || Guilty.<br>Fined one throne ||
|-
| Assault || The accused assaulted Luke of the Shattered Tower of Highguard and (incidentally to this charge) cursed him. || Aben Newath and two other unnamed heralds of Jaheris pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Returned to the Hall of Worlds without further punishment. ||
|-
| Idolatry and treason || The accused attempted to bargain with Surut (an eternal under enmity) using unborn souls. He was condemned by the Synod. || Thulun of the Silent Step pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Murder, theft, assault || The accused was the leader of a band of murderous brigands who had been preying upon refugees fleeing the Mournwold. || Thomas Hayward pleaded not guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution || A clemency plea was made
|-
| Murder, assault || The accused was charged with murder of a prisoner while on a battlefield and the assault of another marcher, Tilly Stoke who became involved after the fact. || Hob Culloch pleaded not guilty || Not guilty ||
|-
| Treason, contempt of court || The accused were caught attempting to perform a ritual damaging mana production in the Empire and refused to answer the Magistrate. After their trial (as suspected) they admitted to being involved with the Anarchy cult which has been active in Miekarova recently. || Ivan and Sergei of Miekarova pleaded not guilty || Guilty.<br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Murder || The accused took responsibility for landing the killing blow on a Navarr after Varushka and Navarr were tricked by ghosts into fighting each other at night. The Navarr attacked the Varushkans first and the presence of the ghosts meant that a number of participants in the battle rose up to fight again. || Yanov Abromovich Tartaklvsky pleaded not guilty || Not guilty. ||
|-
| Heresy || The accused were condemned by the Vigilance assembly for their involvement in the Miekarovan Anarchy cult. They refused to answer questions or give their names. || Four unknown citizens pleaded not guilty || Guilty.<br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Heresy || The accused was condemned by the vigilance assembly for contravening the doctrine of Human Destiny by claiming to be greater than any human. There was no evidence presented that anyone was actually swayed by this. || Thelonius Kade pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined two thrones. ||
|-
| Contempt of Court || The accused were two Varushkans who were caught in Anvil at the Imperial Regio attempting to perform a ritual to damage mana production in the Empire. It was suspected that these were members of the Miekarovan anarchy cult. They refused to answer any of the Magistrate's questions. || Svetlana and Yuri of Varushka did not enter a plea || Guilty.<br>Death by execution. ||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Autumn Equinox 378YE
|-
| Murder || The accused ordered the murder of militia deputy Gwylyr during the Winter Solstice 377YE. || Cerunnos pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution to be carried out after the battle on Sunday. || The execution was not carried out due to the death of Cerunnos in battle.<br>This was the final trial pertaining to Gwylyr's murder.
|-
| Theft || While wearing a mask of Mazen the accused stole goods from the hub of a value of approximately 5 crowns. She handed herself in the following day and gave a full confession. || Isabel i Erigo pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined five crowns. ||
|-
| Slavery, Mayhem and murder || The accused were part of a conspiracy to enslave hundreds of Orcs by mutilating their brains at an early age. Their labour was subsequently sold to unsuspecting imperial citizens. Orcs who fell ill or who were injured were typically murdered. All belonged to the Brothers and Sisters of Virtue sect of Raeza's Wall Chapter in Casinea. The militia would like to formally commend Senator Ywain of Dawn for his actions in bringing this matter to the attention of the militia and in providing vital assistance to the operation which smashed this criminal organisation and brought these perpetrators to justice. || Ulfric Bouchnack pleaded guilty. <br>Brother Raphael pleaded not guilty. <br>Rannock pleaded not guilty. || All were found guilty.<br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Slavery, Mayhem, Murder and resisting arrest. || Relating to the above crimes, the mutilation of the orcs was performed by the Dubcek family in the vale of Wyrmgratz, Varushka. They were named as co-conspirators by the members of the Brothers and Sisters of Virtue. A group of militia, deputised orcs and two magistrates went to Wyrmgratz to arrest them and bring them to trial. They refused to comply with the Magistrate's order to return to Anvil and so were summarily executed. || Yatislav Dubcek and eight other members of the Guardians of Moral Order. || Tried summarily and executed. ||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Summer Solstice 378YE
|-
| Assault || The accused headbutted Nathaniel the Unbranded during the fracas in which a number of the Druj envoys were killed. || Irontide Brack pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined one crown. ||
|-
| Murder || The accused murdered Lord Griffinsbane while he was being held in Dawnish custody awaiting probable charges for treason and attempted murder. || Danica d'Orzel pleaded guilty. || Guilty<br>Fined two thrones. ||
|-
| Murder || The accused murdered militia deputy Gwylyr during the winter solstice while at the {{Black Plateau}}, allegedly on the orders of General Cernanos. || Owen Y'Basden pleaded guilty. || Guilty<br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Murder || The accused aided and abetted in the murder of Gwylyr described above. || Bors Y'Basden pleaded guilty. || Guilty<br>Fined two thrones and branded. ||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Spring Equinox 378YE
|-
| Assault || An assault by the accused upon Mara of Vashti's Penitents, Highguard || Sev of House Degruvain pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined two crowns ||
|-
| Assault || An assault by the accused upon Pavel of The Company of the White Flame || Jael of Vashti's Penitents pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined four crowns ||
|-
| Assault || An assault by the accused upon Jael of Vashti's Penitents || Bedevere of the Crimson Petals and Clarice Novarion both pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined two crowns each. ||
|-
| Attempting to pervert the course of justice || The accused poisoned himself in order to implicate Lorenzo of the Butchers Bank for his attempted murder. || Sandoval of the Gilded Horn Carta pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution ||
|-
| Murder || The accused murdered Tristran Longridge of the Marches in the Marches in 376 in revenge for the slaying of her Feni barbarian master || Hilda Appeby of Dawn pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution ||
|-
| Assault || An assault by the accused upon Magratha Echostorm, a medic at the hospital, while under the influence of a curse || Bloodcrow Martak pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Bloodcrow Martak to serve in the hospital as an orderly instead of receiving a fine ||
|-
| Assault || An assault by the accused upon Jael and Mara of Vashti's Penitents when Mara interfered with a duel between Jael and Terin Realmsreach. || Aife Realmsreach pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined two rings ||
|-
| Murder || Murder of Jael and Mara of Vashti's Penitents while unconscious, following the assault described previously. || Terin Realmsreach pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution ||
|-
| Murder || The accused murdered two League citizens in the city of Temeschwar. || Two members of the Vyig of Temeschwar pleaded guilty ||Guilty<br>Death by execution ||
|-
| Assault || An assault by the accused upon Jael of Vashti's Penitents while defending a herald || Ox the Crazy pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined one crown ||
|-
| Murder || The accused murdered the previous Grand Bailiff of the Market, Martha of Stockland || Two residents of Ashtown pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution ||
|-
| Subverting the agencies of the state || The accused was precipitate in taking action regarding a senate motion (about the non-extension of the armistice with the Jotun) which was later vetoed. || Bridget Eastville (nee Talbot) pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined six thrones ||
|-
| Heresy || The accused used his soul as an asset in a contract with the eternal Zand. || Angelo i Jannat i Riqueza pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined three thrones || The fine was instructed to be paid into the Synod Virtue fund
|}

==Reports from 377YE==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Winter Solstice 377YE
|-
| Attempted Murder, Subverting Agencies of the State. || The accused is the leader of the Y'Basden Striding. In battle he repeatedly refused the orders of the battlefield commander and when a runner came to repeat the orders he had him cut down. || Ulrich Y'Basden pleaded not guilty to both charges. || Not guilty of attempted murder<br> Guilty of assault. <br>Guilty of subverting the Agencies of the State.<br>Death by military service. ||
|-
| Poisoning || The accused added liao to the drink of Irontide Groff, an Imperial orc, causing him to be made slightly unwell. At the time the accused believed that a mora shapeshifter was present in the company and the act was performed to identify if the orc was in fact a Mora (he was not). || Lazarus pleaded guilty || Guilty<br> Fined one ring.<br>Ordered to pay one ring in compensation to Irontide Groff. || A clemency plea was made
|-
| Poisoning, assault || The accused used a poisoned blade upon her husband Lord Beaumont before the battle to make him too weak to go (as she feared for his safety). She later cured her husband's ailment he went to do his duty on the battle. || Lady Igraine Novarion pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Ordered to hand over her poisons to her husband prior to the next battle. || A clemency plea was made
|-
| Murder, possession of a Scorpion Sting || The accused murdered Guillmero i Marco i Riqueza using a Scorpion Sting || Maria i Androsin i Erigo leaded guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution. ||
|-
| Aiding and abetting murder, possession of Scorpion Sting || The accused supplied the Scorpion Sting that was used to murder Guillmero i Marco i Riqueza. || Cain of Cassian Chapter pleaded guilty || Guilty<br> Death by execution. ||
|-
| Assault || The accused accepted a boon of vengeance from a herald of Hayaak and then assaulted General Stanislav in the tavern, against whom he bore a grudge. || Mordin of the Rising Sun Spire pleaded guilty || Guilty<br> Fined two crowns<br>Corvus, Archmage of Summer, will provide (magical) compensation to the victim. ||
|-
| Assault || The orc egregore handed himself in to the militia after he broke the leg of a member of the Irontide who repeatedly insulted a guest. || The Imperial Orc egregore pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined six crowns. ||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Autumn Equinox 377YE
|-
| Murder || Mother killed an assailant who was witnessed attempting to murder her child. The attacker died very swiftly but no evidence of foul play was presented. || Inga Essing || Not guilty || No record of their plea was made
|-
| Attempt to acquire controlled substance (deadly poison) || A citizen was asked to acquire poison by Emil Darkling for murderous purposes. All witnessed by a member of the militia. The evidence also suggested that Krefinar, landlord of the Artisan Arms had asked Emil Darkling to do this on his behalf. || Emil Darkling pleaded guilty<br>Krefinar || Emil Darkling was found guilty<br>Death by military service.<br>Krefinar was found not guilty || No record of Krefinar's plea was made
|-
| Treason || The accused were captured by members of the league fighting on the side of barbarians against the Empire. || Father Olaf and Ragnar Olafson both pleaded guilty || Father Olaf was found guilty<br>Death by execution<br>Ragnar Olafson pleaded guilty <br>Death by military service ||
|-
| Blasphemy || The accused was witnessed preaching the false virtue of unity. || Faelid pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Death by execution ||
|-
| Blasphemy and Heresy || The accused was condemned by the Synod for the production of an allegedly blasphemous and heretical pamphlet. || Xavier of Urizen || Not guilty ||
|-
| Improper placement of an aura on the senate || The accused placed a calming magical aura on the senate building during the festival of the broken wheel. || Catalynd Enigo pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined three crowns ||
|-
| Attempted false imprisonment and theft || The honourable guild of debt collectors in the league were accused of kidnapping the father of Fiona Mudstrider and attempting to extort a ransom from her. || The honourable guild of debt collectors || Guilty<br>Fined ten crowns || No record of their plea was made
|-
| Manslaughter || A unit led by Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario of the league arrested a group of citizens who they believed were heretics while on a mission outside Anvil. Excessive use of force resulted in the death of one of these citizens. || Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario pleaded guilty || Guilty<br>Fined seven crowns ||
|-
| Heresy || The accused were arrested by a unit led by Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario of the league for carrying out heretical activities. || Mario de Sarvos, Silvos de Sarvos and Isabella de Sarvos || Guilty <br>Death by military service. || No record of their plea was made
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Crimes
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Description
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Accused and Plea
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Notes
|+ align="top"| Summer Solstice 377YE
|-
| Treason || Seeking to offer weapons to barbarians || Harry Harrold of the Marches || Not guilty ||
|-
| Murder || A citizen taken prisoner in battle || Xavier of Urizen || Guilty<br>Fined twenty crowns || A clemency plea was made
|-
| Murder || In a duel by poison || Solomon of Highguard || Guilty<br>Death by military service || A clemency plea was made
|-
| Murder || In the tavern || Elpidio Floren and Abul Dye || Guilty<br>Death by military service || A clemency plea was made
|}

Imperial sodality

2026-06-03T23:09:10Z

Noserenda: /* Sessions */

<div style="float:left; width: 200px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Lann.png|title=Rune: Lann|align=left|width=200|caption=The [[Lann|Rune of Loyalty]] is often used as a symbol for the idea of an Imperial sodality, and evoked in the creation of a [[Mark of Fellowship]].}}</div>
==Overview==
There are countless organisations in the Empire that have grown in influence and membership beyond the confines of a single nation. These groups and institutions are commonly referred to as sodalities. Most of them do not benefit from any formal recognition by the [[Imperial Senate]] and those with subversive or criminal intent have every reason to avoid it. However, if a group wish to wield legal powers collectively, they must petition the Senate to pass a [[senate motion|motion]] to recognise them as an Imperial sodality.

To be recognised in this way, a fellowship must have a manifesto, a clear statement as to its purpose and responsibilities, and a known symbol. Creating a sodality requires a constitutional vote, so it is only possible to do so when there is an occupant of [[the Throne]] who can ratify the vote.

A new Imperial title is automatically created when a sodality is recognised by the Senate. The position must be elected by members of the sodality and it is their responsibility to represent their sodalities' views to other parts of the Empire and to be responsible for recruitment of new members and for advancing the sodality's goals and the member's interests.

==Role within the Empire==
* '''A sodality has primacy within the remit of its responsibilities'''
* '''Creating a new sodality constrains the other houses of power'''
* '''A sodality cannot have concerns and responsibilities that overlap unnecessarily with another branch of government'''
Imperial sodalities exist to allow the Senate to create new bodies of state, ones that have responsibility for a distinct area of concern. A group only becomes an Imperial sodality when its existence is formally recognised with a [[Senate motion]] with a clear manifesto.

A sodality ''must'' have a responsibility for a distinct area of concern. Each sodality has primacy within the remit of its own area of responsibility. If the Senate approves a specific purpose for a sodality, then ''only'' that sodality can employ legal powers within that area of responsibility. It is unconstitutional for any other house to employ powers that transgress on the sodalities responsibilities.

Because only a single body may have primacy, creating a sodality removes that concern from any other house of power. At the point where the Empire created the [[Imperial Apothecaries Guild]] - with responsibility for the arts of the apothecary, then the Imperial Conclave can no longer exercise power over potions or similar consumables. Each sodality must be clearly unique - the Senate cannot create a second sodality with competing responsibilities, since then it would be impossible to determine which sodality had primacy.

==Sessions==
* '''A sodality can wield its powers during a formal session by upholding one or more resolutions'''
* '''The civil service will arrange for at least one session for each sodality at every summit'''

A sodality must be in session to wield its powers. The time and location of a formal session of every Imperial sodality is set by the [[Civil Service|civil service]], just as it is for the Imperial Senate. They arrange each session and publish the time and location in advance of each summit. By default, sessions take place in [[Anvil#The_Sodality_Chamber|the Sodality Chamber]], if scheduling allows. The civil service will arrange additional sessions if they determine they are appropriate.

The sodality can wield any powers they possess by passing resolutions during a session. A resolution is passed if a simple majority of members present vote to support it. For a resolution with multiple different candidates or options, only the choice that gains the most support passes. Any member of the sodality can add a resolution to the agenda by raising the matter with an appropriate member of the civil service before the session begins. Otherwise they will need to raise the resolution personally at the end of the session after all other business is concluded.

A civil servant will be present at the beginning of any session, to notarise any resolutions passed. They are only required to attend for sufficient time for the sodality to enact any powers they hold. If the sodality do not discharge their legal business in a timely manner, addressing any resolutions on the agenda first, and after an appropriate amount of discussion, then the civil servant is under no obligation to remain present.

==Participation==
Any Imperial citizen who is a [[member of a sodality]], or is a [[Civil Service|civil servant]], is free to enter the chamber and speak therein while the sodality is in session. The sodality is free to permit citizens who are not otherwise eligible to enter and to speak if they choose to do so. Such guests may be asked to be quiet at any point, and treated as [[List_of_Criminal_Offences#Crimes_against_the_Person|unwelcome guest]] if they refuse.

In addition, the [[Member_of_the_Synod#Witness|right of witness]] ensures that every member of the [[Synod]] is entitled to observe the session. As with other bodies of state, members of the Synod may not participate in the session unless they are also a member of the sodality, and can expect to be expelled if they are disruptive.

==Limitations==
===Manifesto===
* '''Each sodality much have a manifesto'''
* '''A valid manifesto makes three concise assertions of the things that members believe'''
* '''A valid manifesto has three clear statements expressing what the sodality exists to do'''

A sodality only becomes an Imperial sodality when its existence is formally recognised with a [[Senate motion]] that explicitly names the sodality and lists its goals. The goals enumerated in the Senate motion must encapsulate the sodality's purpose. To ensure that the purpose is clear a sodality is expected to provide a clear, '''concise''' manifesto that makes three assertions and three statements, in a similar format to those adopted by the [[Conclave order|orders]] of the [[Conclave]].

All Senate motions are subject to [[scrutiny]] by the Constitutional Court who study the wording to ensure that it is compatible with [[Imperial law]] and the [[Imperial Constitution]]. The Court pay special attention to the enumerated goals of any sodality and are likely to reject anything that is overly long or broad or which tramples on the responsibilities of an established part of the Imperial government or even another sodality.

It is not possible to grant legal powers to a sodality that do not naturally accord with the responsibilities outlined in the group's manifesto.

===Veto===
* '''A resolution to employ a legal power must be announced to the Senate'''
* '''Legal powers employed by a sodality are subject to veto by the Synod and the Throne'''
All resolutions by a sodality to use a legal power must be announced in the Senate before they can be effective. At that point they are subject to veto by [[the Throne]] if they are present.

The same remit governs the actions of sodalities, so the [[Synod]] can veto the announcement of any legal power enacted by a sodality. Any legal power that would have constitutional implications could be vetoed by the General Assembly or by the Assembly of Nine, and any normal legal power could be vetoed once per summit. A decision that is vetoed cannot be revisited before the start of the next summit.

===Dissolution===
* '''The Imperial Senate can dissolve a sodality with a a constitutional vote of the Senate'''

The Senate can dissolve an existing sodality with a constitutional [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Conclave_Orders|vote of the Senate]]. If a sodality is dissolved, than any Imperial titles that are appointed by that sodality that are not explicitly resigned to new appointment methods are abrogated.

==Upkeep==
* '''The cost to the Imperial treasury is four thrones per season per sodality'''

The civil service are required by law to keep careful records of which citizens are members of an Imperial sodality so that they can support the sodality's ability to elect a speaker and enact any other powers they have. The more sodalities that exist, the more expensive this operation becomes. By default, the upkeep for each sodality is four thrones a season.

An [[opportunity]] to grant an existing Imperial sodality additional new legal powers or abilities may explicitly include an increase in the sodality's upkeep to reflect the benefits.

{{Sodality Further Reading}}

On the road ahead

2026-05-30T21:10:11Z

Noserenda: /* City of Passions */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Spring]][[Category:Recent History]]
<quote by="Stanzas of a common drinking song sung by Freeborn explorers of Old Anduz, each participant improvises a verse in turn">
''Deep down into old Anduz<br>
''No ghosts for us to fear<br>
''At least no ghosts of freeborn haunt<br>
''Though others may be near<br>
''I'm with my friend, a brave kohan<br>
''Plus Dust and Flame and Glass<br>
''If I misstep, start to fall<br>
''I trust they'll save my ass

''Deep down into old Anduz<br>
''A fortune waits us there<br>
''Of peoples long forgotten now<br>
''Gone longer than my hair!<br>
''I'll tell the local Hakima<br>
''I paid all care and due<br>
''Though if I'm really honest<br>
''I haven't got a clue!

''Deep down into old Anduz<br>
''We're down here on a lark<br>
''I'm trying to impress a girl<br>
''Ignite some kind of spark<br>
''She's daughter of an old Corsair<br>
''Who has no sense of humour<br>
''I heard she knows a special trick<br>
''If you believe the rumour
</quote>
<div style="float:left; width: 40%;; clear: right; margin: 15px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=FreebornShelter.jpg|align=right|width=2000}}</div>
==Overview==
For the first time in many seasons, the lands of the Freeborn are not immediately threatened. The forces of the Jotun continue to press into [[the Marches]], while the [[Grendel]] attempt to [[Deep_blue_sea#As_The_Gull_Flies|catch the Red Wind Corsairs]] has been countered by Freeborn cunning. The [[Children of Wrecks]] have taken loss after catastophic loss and are now under attack by the [[Iron Confederacy]]. The apperance of the Surrani is worrying, they've laid claim to the [[Feroz#Cazar_Straits|Cazar Straits in Feroz]], but they show no sign of attacking the mainland.

With a chance to draw breath, the inhabitants of the ancient town of [[Segura#Anduz|Anduz]] are looking for new opportunties for their home. The land has been transformed in recent years, the influx of the Zemress Islanders and the re-establishment of the Towers of Anduz have brought [[Prosperity]] to the grasses of Segura. But the potential of Anduz remains untapped.

The place is steeped in history, it was a city here long before the Empire was created, before even the [[The_Brass_Coast_history#Three_Sisters_of_Highguard|Three Sisters]] ever came to [[the Brass Coast]]. That city was destroyed long ago, but in Anduz, the ruins of the past are the foundations of the future. As the Freeborn settled the ruins, they created new homes from the stone of the abandoned buildings.

The place was sacked by the Lasambrians in 363 and two decades later, the shattered ruins of Anduz have become difficult to distinguish from the ruins of Old Anduz from which they were originally built. In Anduz it has always been so, take from the past the things the dead no longer need and refashion them as a gift for the living. The ruins are like [[The_Brass_Coast_hearth_magic#Clothing|old clothing]], handed down from one generation to the next. The fabric cut and resown to make a new garment each time.

Inspired by the burgeoning spirit of the new age, folk are searching for inspiration. From the ruins of old Anduz, what new future might yet arise?

==City of Adventure==
* '''An edifice could be built to celebrate the city's position as a gateway to adventure'''
* '''If endorsed by the Freeborn Assembly it would create a new Brass Coast archetype committed to blazing new trails'''
* '''That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Adventure'''

<div style="width: 350px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''The Brazen Propylaeum'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Anduzjasse, Segura</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 25 [[white granite]], 5 [[mithril]], and 90 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Available up til the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE or until one of the other edifices on this opportunity is commissioned</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Erects a new propylaeum on the south side of the city
* Creates a new Freeborn archetype, the Trailblazer, if supported by the Freeborn National Assembly
* Changes the fate of Anduz, to become a city of adventure
</td></tr>
</table>
</div>
Anduz has always been a gateway to adventure. When the Freeborn first came to Segura they discovered the remains of an abandoned city. The ruins squatted on the roads leading south, past the Lasambrians to the lands of the Surrani and West towards the Faraden. Trade flowed into the Brass Coast, despite the predations of bandits - while adventure often began here, precisely because of them. Some came to Anduz seeking to explore the ruins themselves. Many simply used the settlement as a stopping off point, a place to begin their journey as they blazed a trail into the unknown.

Some Anduzers claim the city's history represents the epitome of what it really means to be Freeborn - a commitment to throw yourself into every endeavour no matter how long the odds, no matter the risks. ''“Life is short — let it never be dull!”'' is the nation's defining motto, and those early trailblazers certainly embodied that. Seeking out adventure wherever it is found, never allowing themselves to stop and worry what might go wrong. People committed to excitement and adventure whenever it presented the opportunity.

On the South side of the city lie the ruins of an ancient propylaeum, a huge stone gateway that once arched over the road south. Built not to protect Anduz but to inspire Ambition and make the souls of those arriving or leaving, soar. Torn down centuries ago by raiders, some dhomiro are hoping to persuade the city's backers to restore the epic gateway so that it can once again serve as an inspiration to visitors.

The work is not cheap, the Propylaeum would require 25 wains of white granite, 5 wains of mithril and 120 crowns. The idea is to alloy the mithril with brass to give the structure a beautiful brazen sheen when the sun illuminates it. But if the Freeborn National Assembly backed the creation of the Brazen Propylaeum, it would help to inspire adventurers and thrillseekers across the nation. The rash, the bold, and the brazen would draw inspiration from the epic structure. It would encourage trailblazers, people unafraid to challenge convention and to eager to commit to any endeavour no matter how difficult or dangerous it might be.

{{Mandate|mandate=Life is short, let it never be dull! We send (named individual) with 50 doses of liao to encourage the Freeborn to be blaze new trails. Aim high and pursue your dreams, no matter the dangers.|assembly=Brass Coast National Assembly}}

If the Brazen Propylaeum is completed and this mandate is enacted then it will encourage citizens across the Brass Coast to celebrate the trailblazers amongst them - they will applaud those Freeborn who are committed to overcoming challenges, regardless of the costs and heedless of the risks. The Freeborn have always craved adventure and excitement, these trailblazers would epitomise that willingness to throw themselves into any endeavour, no matter how risky or outrageous. ('''OOC Note:''' We will add the trailblazer archetype to the Brass Coast character options).

Perhaps most importantly of all, the Brazen Propylaeum would cement the nature of Anduz as a city of adventure at the dawn of a new age. [[Wintermark_hearth_magic#Names|Names]], as any wise magician can tell you, have ''power''. One of the most subtle hearth magics, the name of a thing can influence it's nature and change it's fate. If Anduz becomes the City of Adventure, then any future [[opportunity|opportunities]] involving the city and the surrounding territory are more likely to reflect it's commitment to adventure.

==City of Deals==
* '''An edifice could be built to celebrate the city's position as a mercantile hub'''
* '''If endorsed by the Freeborn Assembly it would create a new Brass Coast archetype committed to cutting a deal and turning a profit'''
* '''That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Deals'''

<div style="width: 350px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''The Market of a Thousand Sails'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Anduzjasse, Segura</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 15 [[white granite]] and 15 [[weirwood]], and 90 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Available up til the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE or until one of the other edifices on this opportunity is commissioned</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Restores the Market of a Thousand Sails to its former glory
* Creates a new Freeborn archetype, the Hawker, if supported by the Freeborn National Assembly
* Changes the fate of Anduz, to become the City of Deals
</td></tr>
</table>
</div>
There was a time when Anduz was one of the richest cities on the Brass Coast. When the Towers of Anduz were first completed, the city became a marketplace for every imaginable trade, drawing merchants from foreign lands to hawk their wares at the legendary Market of a Thousand Sails. This vast outdoor market housed a thousand stalls, each one covered with a colourful tarpaulin fashioned from sailcloth. At the height of its power, Anduz was not just rich but important. The presence of so many wealthy dhomiro merchants in the city bred influence and power. Anduz was a place where the Prosperous truly understood that ''"all things can have a price."'

At the height of its power, the merchants who worked the market place were called hawkers. Prosperous to a fault, they would ply their trade, hawking their goods to any who would listen. Always eager to cut a deal and make a profit, the most successful amongst them grew fabulously wealthy but they kept the name, to let others know that they were open to any proposition. Entrepreneurs, they understood that anything that could be bought and sold, could yield a profit. The hawkers would compete with each other on price, but they were united in fierce defence of their right to trade freely with each other. The Freeborn have always outlawed slavery, but it was said that anything else for sale in the world could be bought in the Market of a Thousand Sails.

There are still plenty of hawkers in the nation, some are aspiring business owners, looking to make their first throne by hawking their wares. Some are wealthy merchants committed to increasing their power by cutting deals. But the market of a thousand sails is gone, long since destroyed by the Lasambrians who burned the stalls and stole the bright sailcloth. With it, the focus of Anduz was lost and the prominence of its wealthy merchants declined.

It is time to arrest that decline? The remains of the Market are still there - some of the stone could be reused. New stalls could be erected, new sails could be woven. The Market of a Thousand Sails could be relaunched and with it the hopes and aspirations of the city of Anduz. It would not be cheap, a massive marketplace on this scale is an ambitious endeavour that would require 15 white granite, 15 weirwood and 90 crowns. But if it were endorsed by the Freeborn National Assembly, then it would help to inspire not just wealthy Freeborn but those who were hungry to join their ranks. It would remind everyone of the Freeborn belief that the fairest way to reckon the worth of something is to put a price on it. Enterprising merchants with money would be reminded that it is ''Prosperous'' to spend that wealth to wield power and influence. It would encourage Freeborn to seize the mantle of the hawkers, and embrace every opportunity to cut a deal.

{{Mandate|mandate=All things can have a price. We send (named individual) with 50 doses of liao to encourage the Freeborn to hawk their wares to all and sundry. Strive, toil, and claim the just rewards of your labours!|assembly=Brass Coast National Assembly}}

If the Market of a Thousand Sails is completed and this mandate is enacted then it will encourage citizens across the Brass Coast to celebrate the hawkers amongst them. They will applaud those Freeborn who are committed to taking every opportunity to turn a profit, ignoring those who called for propriety or charity. The Hawkers were always committed to the idea that the items one traded should be too the conscience of the trader, and were staunch activists against the interdictions of the conclave, the proscriptions of the synod and the prohibitions of the senate. The Freeborn have always been comfortable peddling influence as easily as other nations sell wares, these hawkers would epitomise that willingness to cut a deal, no matter how risky or outrageous. ('''OOC Note:''' We will add the hawker archetype to the Brass Coast character options).

Perhaps most importantly of all, the Market would cement the nature of Anduz as a city of deals at this moment when the stars have aligned. An epithet for a city is no small thing - if Anduz becomes the City of Deals, then any future opportunities involving the city and the surrounding territory are more likely to reflect it's commitment to pursue wealth and the influence it brings.

==City of Passions==
* '''An edifice could be built to commemorate the city's history as the birthplace of the firebrands
* '''If endorsed by the Freeborn Assembly it would create a new Brass Coast archetype committed to championing social causes'''
* '''That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Passions'''
<div style="width: 350px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''The Burning Agora'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Anduzjasse, Segura</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 20 [[weirwood]], 10 [[white granite]] and 90 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Available up til the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE or until one of the other edifices on this opportunity is commissioned</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Creates the Burning Agora, a torchlit public space dedicated to the passionate exchange of ideas
* Creates a new Freeborn archetype, the Firebrand, if supported by the Freeborn National Assembly
* Changes the fate of Anduz, to become the City of Passions
</td></tr>
</table>
</div>

Anduz has always been a cosmopolitan city, a place where people thrived and ideas with them. Arguments were common place, often heated and passionate, but rarely would they come to blows. The Freeborn philosophy is that society is best served when every individual is responsible for themselves and to themselves. They left Highguard looking for a chance to make a new future for themselves, not to impose one on others. The city was known for it's passions, the high-minded ideals of its priests and sutannir and the dedication of its inhabitants to fight for the things they believed in.

Maria i Contero i Guerra, the wife of [[Emperor Ahraz]] was born here, and many of the Firebrands, the followers of the young Emperor owned resources in the city at that time. The city has a storied reputation as a place where people pursue Virtue, the way a corsair pursues a prize ship. A place where a passionate commitment to an ideal is regarded as more important to the Way than doctrine or dogma. Emperor Ahraz is long dead, but many in Anduz carry a torch for their adopted son. Those embers have been fanned into a raging fire by the recent publication of the [[The Courage of Ahraz|dramatic events of the doomed Emperor's life and death]].

More controversially, there are some (especially the Riquezans) with growing concerns about the exact nature and intention of the [[Blood_will_thicken#A_Question_of_Scale|Grand Inspiration of the Way]]. The goal to spread the Way of Virtue to the whole world is a laudable goal, yet, what version of the Way? There is a fear that the Highborn may seek to use the Grand Inspiration to try to push a rigidly-orthodox interpretation of doctrine and in doing so, stifle a commitment to a Virtuous life.

As a counterweight to this "Grand" Inspiration, these concerned citizens propose the construction of an open space in the centre of Anduz, a torchlit [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agora agora] where people can exchange ideas in passionate debate. Segura is almost as far as you can get from [[Bastion]] and still be in the Empire, what better place for a safe haven for those who would seek to ask the right question and courageously face any unwelcome truths that might be found? Not a place for heretics or idolators, but for those who want to pursue a Virtuous way to live their lives without tied down by dogma.

The Burning Agora would cost 20 wains of weirwood, 10 wains of white granite and 90 crowns. It would need to be a substantial affair, lit with torches rather than lightstones, so that [[The_Brass_Coast_religious_beliefs#Dust,_Flame,_and_Glass|the Freeborn love of flame]] could inspire speakers and listeners alike. If it were commissioned, the Freeborn National Assembly could use a mandate to endorse its construction and the legacy of Ahraz and those who followed him. If that happened it would inspire orators and idealists across the Coast to pursue their beliefs. The impassioned, the driven, those who believed in a cause would draw inspiration from the grand structure. It would encourage firebrands, people unafraid to challenge the powerful and to prepared to commit to their cause no matter the cost.

{{Mandate|mandate=We prize freedom and disdain arrogance. We send (named individual) with 50 doses of liao to encourage the citizens of Segura to create a place to discuss where doctrine and encourage free thinkers. Every being deserves to live the life they want in the manner they wish.|assembly=Brass Coast National Assembly}}

If the Burning Agora is completed and this mandate is enacted then it will encourage citizens across the Brass Coast to celebrate the legacy of the firebrands - the historical example set by the followers of Emperor Ahraz as well as those living exemplars who share their forebear's commitment to Virtue without doubt or fear, regardless of the disapproval of others. The Freeborn have always prized freedom and responsibility and disdained arrogance, these firebrands would epitomise that willingness to challenge authority as they sought ways to make the Empire live up to its ideals, no matter how much opprobrium they faced. ('''OOC Note:''' We will add the firebrand archetype to the Brass Coast character options).

Crucially, the Burning Agora would dedicate the soul of Anduz to the passionate pursuit of ideals, during a time of revelation. If Anduz becomes the City of Passions, then any future opportunities involving the city and the surrounding territory are more likely to reflect it's commitment to idealism.

==City of Wonders==
* '''A single commission could attempt to build all three edifices to transform the city's future'''
* '''If endorsed by the Freeborn Assembly it would create three new Brass Coast archetypes'''
* '''It would require a piece of art to inspire the project provided by the Cat's Graces or similar'''
* '''Anduzers will provide a purse of 20 crowns to reward the winning artist'''
* '''That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Wonders'''
<div style="width: 350px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Dust, Glass and Flame'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Anduzjasse, Segura</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 50 [[white granite]], 35 [[weirwood]], 5 [[mithril]], 30 [[ilium]] and 120 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Available up til the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE or until one of the other edifices on this opportunity is commissioned</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:''' Requires a foundational piece of art depicting the new city to inspire architects
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Creates the Burning Agora, a torchlit public space dedicated to the passionate exchange of ideas
* Erects a new propylaeum on the south side of the city
* Restores the Market of a Thousand Sails to its former glory
* Enchants the Fountain of Wonders at the centre of the city
* Creates a new Freeborn archetype, the Firebrand, if supported by the Freeborn National Assembly
* Creates a new Freeborn archetype, the Hawker, if supported by the Freeborn National Assembly
* Creates a new Freeborn archetype, the Trailblazer, if supported by the Freeborn National Assembly
* Changes the fate of Anduz, to become the City of Wonders
</td></tr>
</table></div>

Of course nobody can agree on what ''should'' be built, so inevitably someone asks why can't they build them all? That turns out to have two major problems. The first is that each of the commissions draws on the powerful hearth magic of names to influence the nature of the city. Anduz ''can't'' be the City of Deals, Passions and Adventure - magic doesn't work like that. But if magic is a problem, then why not use magic to solve it?

Instead of building one of the commissions, the Brass Coast could attempt a single ''grand'' project, that one romantic fool calls "Dust, Glass and Flame". The actual idea is to build all three edifices, but to include a grand fountain at the centre of the city, one permanently enchanted with ilium by the hakima to invoke wonder. It would require a lot of ilium - 30 rings in total, but that would be sufficient to balance the influence of the three individual structures and bind them all together to serve the city harmoniously.

<div style="float:right; width: 350px; margin-left: 10px; clear: right;"><box>'''OOC Note'''<br>Empire includes a large element of hard skills - the success and triumphs that your character has on the field are often down to your abilities as a player, whether that's fighting in battle, trading in the Bourse or giving a speech in the Senate. For that reason we would politely ask participants to only submit original compositions created by participants in the game. This competition is a chance for the many fantastic artists in the Empire community to achieve glory. It's fine for a player-character to hire another player-character if they pay them with in-character funds, but generative AI can't be used in Empire and submitting a piece of art that was purchased out-of-character, or created by someone who isn't an active participant in Empire is outside of the spirit of this contest.</box></div>

At least it would if the designs were coherent. And therein lies the second problem. The plans for each of the three edifices have been created independently - at the moment the styles and arrangements don't quite gel. If it were just a matter of artistic choices that wouldn't be vital, but when trying to take advantage of hearth magic in this way it is ''vital'' that everything gels together.

To solve ''that'' problem, the hakima suggest that asking the ''Cat Graces'' to hold a contest to create a foundational piece of art, once it is confirmed as a [[Imperial sodality|sodality]] by the Imperial Senate. What is needed is an artists impression of New Anduz to set the tone for the redevelopment of the whole city. The designs for the Agora, the Propylaeum and the Market could be updated to reflect the art produced. (The National Assembly would have to take up the challenge of organising an appropriate contest if the sodality fails to pass the Senate). The contest needs to challenge artists to create a beautiful piece of art depicting the new city, something to capture the imagination and inspire those who see it. Then the sodality need to pick the best one. Once a copy of the winning artwork is provided to the [[Civil Service|civil service]], inhabitants of the city will provide the artist who created it with a purse of 20 crowns in reward for their efforts.

That leaves one final issue that is not so easily overcome. The cost. Creating all three edifices - and a huge magical fountain to tie them all together is exciting, it's romantic, it fires the imagination. It's also very expensive. Can the Brass Coast really afford it? Each of three individual edifices is a tall order, they're large impressive structures that would need a lot of investment. Any one of them could change the fate of Anduz and help bolster the fortunes of the nation. Just completing one would be a challenge and require everyone to pull together. It's a great accomplishment to achieve any one of these.

It might appeal to the heart to try and do it all, but it's not the most efficient way to restore the fate of Anduz and even suggesting it, risks embracing the idea in a fit of enthusiasm and then discovering a year or more down the line that they can't raise the funds. The fate of Anduz is to continue its slow decline if nothing is done - the worst thing that could happen is to choose the most expensive option and then for it to languish for years unfunded. After all, look what happened to the [[Construct_Grand_Inspiration_of_the_Way|Grand Inspiration of the Way]], two years have gone by and still not complete...

The nation would be ill-advised to attempt the most dramatic development of Anduz, unless there is genuine support to ensure that the resources are there to ensure it can be built.

On the other hand, if it could be done, it would transform the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Wonders. The place would rival the great cities of the Empire, and any future opportunities involving the city and the surrounding territory would be more likely to reflect it's nature as a city of wealth and adventure that embraced novelty and new ideas.

==City of Stones==
* '''If nothing is commissioned, or no work begins within a year then Anduz will gain the ruins quality'''
* '''That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Stones'''

If nothing is done, if this opportunity to determine the fate of Anduz passes unmarked, then the city will continue much as it always has. Anduzjasse would gain the '''ruins''' quality, as the focus of people who living there turns to survival among the remnants of a previous age. That will happen if nothing is commissioned, or if one of the edifices is commissioned but a year passes with no progress on the building. If that happens, the city would gain the moniker the City of Stones and future [[opportunity|opportunities]] would reflect the focus on survival over success.

==Timing==
* '''The three mandates are not competing, the Freeborn National Assembly can pass any or all of them'''
* '''The mandates are only available at this summit'''
* '''The mandates have no effect unless the commission associated with them is built'''

Each of the three mandates is only available at the forthcoming summit. They are ''not'' competing mandates, the Freeborn National Assembly could pass some or all of them, but they must be enacted in the coming season, otherwise the opportunity to benefit is lost.

None of the mandates will have any effect until the commission it is associated with is built, either the single edifice linked to that mandate, or the grand edifice, Dust, Glass and Flame, that is linked to all three mandates.

The Freeborn Assembly does not have to pass all the mandates. The Empire can build one of the three edifices, or the grand commission that combines them all, but the Assembly can pick and choose which mandates they wish to enact. They could skip one or more of the mandates for any reason.
==Further Reading==
* [[Segura]]

On the road ahead

2026-05-30T21:07:57Z

Noserenda: /* City of Deals */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Spring]][[Category:Recent History]]
<quote by="Stanzas of a common drinking song sung by Freeborn explorers of Old Anduz, each participant improvises a verse in turn">
''Deep down into old Anduz<br>
''No ghosts for us to fear<br>
''At least no ghosts of freeborn haunt<br>
''Though others may be near<br>
''I'm with my friend, a brave kohan<br>
''Plus Dust and Flame and Glass<br>
''If I misstep, start to fall<br>
''I trust they'll save my ass

''Deep down into old Anduz<br>
''A fortune waits us there<br>
''Of peoples long forgotten now<br>
''Gone longer than my hair!<br>
''I'll tell the local Hakima<br>
''I paid all care and due<br>
''Though if I'm really honest<br>
''I haven't got a clue!

''Deep down into old Anduz<br>
''We're down here on a lark<br>
''I'm trying to impress a girl<br>
''Ignite some kind of spark<br>
''She's daughter of an old Corsair<br>
''Who has no sense of humour<br>
''I heard she knows a special trick<br>
''If you believe the rumour
</quote>
<div style="float:left; width: 40%;; clear: right; margin: 15px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=FreebornShelter.jpg|align=right|width=2000}}</div>
==Overview==
For the first time in many seasons, the lands of the Freeborn are not immediately threatened. The forces of the Jotun continue to press into [[the Marches]], while the [[Grendel]] attempt to [[Deep_blue_sea#As_The_Gull_Flies|catch the Red Wind Corsairs]] has been countered by Freeborn cunning. The [[Children of Wrecks]] have taken loss after catastophic loss and are now under attack by the [[Iron Confederacy]]. The apperance of the Surrani is worrying, they've laid claim to the [[Feroz#Cazar_Straits|Cazar Straits in Feroz]], but they show no sign of attacking the mainland.

With a chance to draw breath, the inhabitants of the ancient town of [[Segura#Anduz|Anduz]] are looking for new opportunties for their home. The land has been transformed in recent years, the influx of the Zemress Islanders and the re-establishment of the Towers of Anduz have brought [[Prosperity]] to the grasses of Segura. But the potential of Anduz remains untapped.

The place is steeped in history, it was a city here long before the Empire was created, before even the [[The_Brass_Coast_history#Three_Sisters_of_Highguard|Three Sisters]] ever came to [[the Brass Coast]]. That city was destroyed long ago, but in Anduz, the ruins of the past are the foundations of the future. As the Freeborn settled the ruins, they created new homes from the stone of the abandoned buildings.

The place was sacked by the Lasambrians in 363 and two decades later, the shattered ruins of Anduz have become difficult to distinguish from the ruins of Old Anduz from which they were originally built. In Anduz it has always been so, take from the past the things the dead no longer need and refashion them as a gift for the living. The ruins are like [[The_Brass_Coast_hearth_magic#Clothing|old clothing]], handed down from one generation to the next. The fabric cut and resown to make a new garment each time.

Inspired by the burgeoning spirit of the new age, folk are searching for inspiration. From the ruins of old Anduz, what new future might yet arise?

==City of Adventure==
* '''An edifice could be built to celebrate the city's position as a gateway to adventure'''
* '''If endorsed by the Freeborn Assembly it would create a new Brass Coast archetype committed to blazing new trails'''
* '''That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Adventure'''

<div style="width: 350px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''The Brazen Propylaeum'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Anduzjasse, Segura</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 25 [[white granite]], 5 [[mithril]], and 90 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Available up til the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE or until one of the other edifices on this opportunity is commissioned</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Erects a new propylaeum on the south side of the city
* Creates a new Freeborn archetype, the Trailblazer, if supported by the Freeborn National Assembly
* Changes the fate of Anduz, to become a city of adventure
</td></tr>
</table>
</div>
Anduz has always been a gateway to adventure. When the Freeborn first came to Segura they discovered the remains of an abandoned city. The ruins squatted on the roads leading south, past the Lasambrians to the lands of the Surrani and West towards the Faraden. Trade flowed into the Brass Coast, despite the predations of bandits - while adventure often began here, precisely because of them. Some came to Anduz seeking to explore the ruins themselves. Many simply used the settlement as a stopping off point, a place to begin their journey as they blazed a trail into the unknown.

Some Anduzers claim the city's history represents the epitome of what it really means to be Freeborn - a commitment to throw yourself into every endeavour no matter how long the odds, no matter the risks. ''“Life is short — let it never be dull!”'' is the nation's defining motto, and those early trailblazers certainly embodied that. Seeking out adventure wherever it is found, never allowing themselves to stop and worry what might go wrong. People committed to excitement and adventure whenever it presented the opportunity.

On the South side of the city lie the ruins of an ancient propylaeum, a huge stone gateway that once arched over the road south. Built not to protect Anduz but to inspire Ambition and make the souls of those arriving or leaving, soar. Torn down centuries ago by raiders, some dhomiro are hoping to persuade the city's backers to restore the epic gateway so that it can once again serve as an inspiration to visitors.

The work is not cheap, the Propylaeum would require 25 wains of white granite, 5 wains of mithril and 120 crowns. The idea is to alloy the mithril with brass to give the structure a beautiful brazen sheen when the sun illuminates it. But if the Freeborn National Assembly backed the creation of the Brazen Propylaeum, it would help to inspire adventurers and thrillseekers across the nation. The rash, the bold, and the brazen would draw inspiration from the epic structure. It would encourage trailblazers, people unafraid to challenge convention and to eager to commit to any endeavour no matter how difficult or dangerous it might be.

{{Mandate|mandate=Life is short, let it never be dull! We send (named individual) with 50 doses of liao to encourage the Freeborn to be blaze new trails. Aim high and pursue your dreams, no matter the dangers.|assembly=Brass Coast National Assembly}}

If the Brazen Propylaeum is completed and this mandate is enacted then it will encourage citizens across the Brass Coast to celebrate the trailblazers amongst them - they will applaud those Freeborn who are committed to overcoming challenges, regardless of the costs and heedless of the risks. The Freeborn have always craved adventure and excitement, these trailblazers would epitomise that willingness to throw themselves into any endeavour, no matter how risky or outrageous. ('''OOC Note:''' We will add the trailblazer archetype to the Brass Coast character options).

Perhaps most importantly of all, the Brazen Propylaeum would cement the nature of Anduz as a city of adventure at the dawn of a new age. [[Wintermark_hearth_magic#Names|Names]], as any wise magician can tell you, have ''power''. One of the most subtle hearth magics, the name of a thing can influence it's nature and change it's fate. If Anduz becomes the City of Adventure, then any future [[opportunity|opportunities]] involving the city and the surrounding territory are more likely to reflect it's commitment to adventure.

==City of Deals==
* '''An edifice could be built to celebrate the city's position as a mercantile hub'''
* '''If endorsed by the Freeborn Assembly it would create a new Brass Coast archetype committed to cutting a deal and turning a profit'''
* '''That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Deals'''

<div style="width: 350px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''The Market of a Thousand Sails'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Anduzjasse, Segura</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 15 [[white granite]] and 15 [[weirwood]], and 90 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Available up til the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE or until one of the other edifices on this opportunity is commissioned</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Restores the Market of a Thousand Sails to its former glory
* Creates a new Freeborn archetype, the Hawker, if supported by the Freeborn National Assembly
* Changes the fate of Anduz, to become the City of Deals
</td></tr>
</table>
</div>
There was a time when Anduz was one of the richest cities on the Brass Coast. When the Towers of Anduz were first completed, the city became a marketplace for every imaginable trade, drawing merchants from foreign lands to hawk their wares at the legendary Market of a Thousand Sails. This vast outdoor market housed a thousand stalls, each one covered with a colourful tarpaulin fashioned from sailcloth. At the height of its power, Anduz was not just rich but important. The presence of so many wealthy dhomiro merchants in the city bred influence and power. Anduz was a place where the Prosperous truly understood that ''"all things can have a price."'

At the height of its power, the merchants who worked the market place were called hawkers. Prosperous to a fault, they would ply their trade, hawking their goods to any who would listen. Always eager to cut a deal and make a profit, the most successful amongst them grew fabulously wealthy but they kept the name, to let others know that they were open to any proposition. Entrepreneurs, they understood that anything that could be bought and sold, could yield a profit. The hawkers would compete with each other on price, but they were united in fierce defence of their right to trade freely with each other. The Freeborn have always outlawed slavery, but it was said that anything else for sale in the world could be bought in the Market of a Thousand Sails.

There are still plenty of hawkers in the nation, some are aspiring business owners, looking to make their first throne by hawking their wares. Some are wealthy merchants committed to increasing their power by cutting deals. But the market of a thousand sails is gone, long since destroyed by the Lasambrians who burned the stalls and stole the bright sailcloth. With it, the focus of Anduz was lost and the prominence of its wealthy merchants declined.

It is time to arrest that decline? The remains of the Market are still there - some of the stone could be reused. New stalls could be erected, new sails could be woven. The Market of a Thousand Sails could be relaunched and with it the hopes and aspirations of the city of Anduz. It would not be cheap, a massive marketplace on this scale is an ambitious endeavour that would require 15 white granite, 15 weirwood and 90 crowns. But if it were endorsed by the Freeborn National Assembly, then it would help to inspire not just wealthy Freeborn but those who were hungry to join their ranks. It would remind everyone of the Freeborn belief that the fairest way to reckon the worth of something is to put a price on it. Enterprising merchants with money would be reminded that it is ''Prosperous'' to spend that wealth to wield power and influence. It would encourage Freeborn to seize the mantle of the hawkers, and embrace every opportunity to cut a deal.

{{Mandate|mandate=All things can have a price. We send (named individual) with 50 doses of liao to encourage the Freeborn to hawk their wares to all and sundry. Strive, toil, and claim the just rewards of your labours!|assembly=Brass Coast National Assembly}}

If the Market of a Thousand Sails is completed and this mandate is enacted then it will encourage citizens across the Brass Coast to celebrate the hawkers amongst them. They will applaud those Freeborn who are committed to taking every opportunity to turn a profit, ignoring those who called for propriety or charity. The Hawkers were always committed to the idea that the items one traded should be too the conscience of the trader, and were staunch activists against the interdictions of the conclave, the proscriptions of the synod and the prohibitions of the senate. The Freeborn have always been comfortable peddling influence as easily as other nations sell wares, these hawkers would epitomise that willingness to cut a deal, no matter how risky or outrageous. ('''OOC Note:''' We will add the hawker archetype to the Brass Coast character options).

Perhaps most importantly of all, the Market would cement the nature of Anduz as a city of deals at this moment when the stars have aligned. An epithet for a city is no small thing - if Anduz becomes the City of Deals, then any future opportunities involving the city and the surrounding territory are more likely to reflect it's commitment to pursue wealth and the influence it brings.

==City of Passions==
* '''An edifice could be built to commemorate the city's history as the birthplace of the firebrands
* '''If endorsed by the Freeborn Assembly it would create a new Brass Coast archetype committed to championing social causes'''
* '''That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Passions'''
<div style="width: 350px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''The Burning Agora'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Anduzjasse, Segura</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 20 [[weirwood]], 10 [[white granite]] and 90 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Available up til the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE or until one of the other edifices on this opportunity is commissioned</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Creates the Burning Agora, a torchlit public space dedicated to the passionate exchange of ideas
* Creates a new Freeborn archetype, the Firebrand, if supported by the Freeborn National Assembly
* Changes the fate of Anduz, to become the City of Passions
</td></tr>
</table>
</div>

Anduz has always been a cosmopolitan city, a place where people thrived and ideas with them. Arguments were common place, often heated and passionate, but rarely would they come to blows. The Freeborn philosophy is that society is best served when every individual is responsible for themselves and to themselves. They left Highguard looking for a chance to make a new future for themselves, not to impose one on others. The city was known for it's passions, the high-minded ideals of its priests and sutannir and the dedication of its inhabitants to fight for the things they believed in.

Maria i Contero i Guerra, the wife of [[Emperor Ahraz]] was born here, and many of the Firebrands, the followers of the young Emperor owned resources in the city at that time. The city has a storied reputation as a place where people pursue Virtue, the way a corsair pursues a prize ship. A place where a passionate commitment to an ideal is regarded as more important to the Way than doctrine or dogma. Emperor Ahraz is long dead, but many in Anduz carry a torch for their adopted son. Those embers have been fanned into a raging fire by the recent publication of the [[The Courage of Ahraz|dramatic events of the doomed Emperor's life and death]].

More controversially, there are some (especially the Riquezans) with growing concerns about the exact nature and intention of the [[Blood_will_thicken#A_Question_of_Scale|Grand Inspiration of the Way]]. The goal to spread the Way of Virtue to the whole world is a laudable goal, yet, what version of the Way? There is a fear that the Highborn may seek to use the Grand Inspiration to try to push a rigidly-orthodox interpretation of doctrine and in doing so, stifle a commitment to a Virtuous life.

As a counterweight to this "Grand" Inspiration, these concerned citizens propose the construction of an open space in the centre of Anduz, a torchlit [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agora agora] where people can exchange ideas in passionate debate. Segura is almost as far as you can get from [[Bastion]] and still be in the Empire, what better place for a safe haven for those who would seek to ask the right question and courageously face any unwelcome truths that might be found? Not a place for heretics or idolators, but for those who want to pursue a Virtuous way to live their lives without tied down by dogma.

The Burning Agora would cost 20 wains of weirwood, 10 wains of white granite and 90 crowns. It would need to be a substantial affair, lit with torches rather than lightstones, so that [[The_Brass_Coast_religious_beliefs#Dust,_Flame,_and_Glass|the Freeborn love of flame]] could inspire speakers and listeners alike. If it were commissioned, the Freeborn National Assembly could use a mandate to endorse its construction and the legacy of Ahraz and those who followed him. If that happened it would inspire orators and idealists across the Coast to pursue their beliefs. The impassioned, the driven, those who believed in a cause would draw inspiration from the grand structure. It would encourage firebrands, people unafraid to challenge the powerful and to prepared to commit to their cause no matter the cost.

{{Mandate|mandate=We prize freedom and disdain arrogance. We send (named individual) with 50 doses of liao to encourage the citizens of Segura to create a place to discuss where doctrine and encourage free thinkers. Every being deserves to live the life they want in the manner they wish.|assembly=Brass Coast National Assembly}}

If the Burning Agora is completed and this mandate is enacted then it will encourage citizens across the Brass Coast to celebreate the legacy of the firebrands - the historical example set by the followers of Emperor Ahraz as well as those living examplars who share their forebear's commitment to Virtue without doubt or fear, regardless of the disapproval of others. The Freeborn have always prized freedom and responsibility and disdained arrogance, these firebrands would epitomise that willingness to challenge authority as they sought ways to make the Empire live up to its ideals, no matter how much opprobrium they faced. ('''OOC Note:''' We will add the firebrand archetype to the Brass Coast character options).

Crucially, the Burning Agora would dedicate the soul of Anduz to the passionate pursuit of ideals, during a time of revelation. If Anduz becomes the City of Passions, then any future opportunities involving the city and the surrounding territory are more likely to reflect it's commitment to idealism.

==City of Wonders==
* '''A single commission could attempt to build all three edifices to transform the city's future'''
* '''If endorsed by the Freeborn Assembly it would create three new Brass Coast archetypes'''
* '''It would require a piece of art to inspire the project provided by the Cat's Graces or similar'''
* '''Anduzers will provide a purse of 20 crowns to reward the winning artist'''
* '''That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Wonders'''
<div style="width: 350px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Dust, Glass and Flame'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Anduzjasse, Segura</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 50 [[white granite]], 35 [[weirwood]], 5 [[mithril]], 30 [[ilium]] and 120 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Available up til the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE or until one of the other edifices on this opportunity is commissioned</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:''' Requires a foundational piece of art depicting the new city to inspire architects
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Creates the Burning Agora, a torchlit public space dedicated to the passionate exchange of ideas
* Erects a new propylaeum on the south side of the city
* Restores the Market of a Thousand Sails to its former glory
* Enchants the Fountain of Wonders at the centre of the city
* Creates a new Freeborn archetype, the Firebrand, if supported by the Freeborn National Assembly
* Creates a new Freeborn archetype, the Hawker, if supported by the Freeborn National Assembly
* Creates a new Freeborn archetype, the Trailblazer, if supported by the Freeborn National Assembly
* Changes the fate of Anduz, to become the City of Wonders
</td></tr>
</table></div>

Of course nobody can agree on what ''should'' be built, so inevitably someone asks why can't they build them all? That turns out to have two major problems. The first is that each of the commissions draws on the powerful hearth magic of names to influence the nature of the city. Anduz ''can't'' be the City of Deals, Passions and Adventure - magic doesn't work like that. But if magic is a problem, then why not use magic to solve it?

Instead of building one of the commissions, the Brass Coast could attempt a single ''grand'' project, that one romantic fool calls "Dust, Glass and Flame". The actual idea is to build all three edifices, but to include a grand fountain at the centre of the city, one permanently enchanted with ilium by the hakima to invoke wonder. It would require a lot of ilium - 30 rings in total, but that would be sufficient to balance the influence of the three individual structures and bind them all together to serve the city harmoniously.

<div style="float:right; width: 350px; margin-left: 10px; clear: right;"><box>'''OOC Note'''<br>Empire includes a large element of hard skills - the success and triumphs that your character has on the field are often down to your abilities as a player, whether that's fighting in battle, trading in the Bourse or giving a speech in the Senate. For that reason we would politely ask participants to only submit original compositions created by participants in the game. This competition is a chance for the many fantastic artists in the Empire community to achieve glory. It's fine for a player-character to hire another player-character if they pay them with in-character funds, but generative AI can't be used in Empire and submitting a piece of art that was purchased out-of-character, or created by someone who isn't an active participant in Empire is outside of the spirit of this contest.</box></div>

At least it would if the designs were coherent. And therein lies the second problem. The plans for each of the three edifices have been created independently - at the moment the styles and arrangements don't quite gel. If it were just a matter of artistic choices that wouldn't be vital, but when trying to take advantage of hearth magic in this way it is ''vital'' that everything gels together.

To solve ''that'' problem, the hakima suggest that asking the ''Cat Graces'' to hold a contest to create a foundational piece of art, once it is confirmed as a [[Imperial sodality|sodality]] by the Imperial Senate. What is needed is an artists impression of New Anduz to set the tone for the redevelopment of the whole city. The designs for the Agora, the Propylaeum and the Market could be updated to reflect the art produced. (The National Assembly would have to take up the challenge of organising an appropriate contest if the sodality fails to pass the Senate). The contest needs to challenge artists to create a beautiful piece of art depicting the new city, something to capture the imagination and inspire those who see it. Then the sodality need to pick the best one. Once a copy of the winning artwork is provided to the [[Civil Service|civil service]], inhabitants of the city will provide the artist who created it with a purse of 20 crowns in reward for their efforts.

That leaves one final issue that is not so easily overcome. The cost. Creating all three edifices - and a huge magical fountain to tie them all together is exciting, it's romantic, it fires the imagination. It's also very expensive. Can the Brass Coast really afford it? Each of three individual edifices is a tall order, they're large impressive structures that would need a lot of investment. Any one of them could change the fate of Anduz and help bolster the fortunes of the nation. Just completing one would be a challenge and require everyone to pull together. It's a great accomplishment to achieve any one of these.

It might appeal to the heart to try and do it all, but it's not the most efficient way to restore the fate of Anduz and even suggesting it, risks embracing the idea in a fit of enthusiasm and then discovering a year or more down the line that they can't raise the funds. The fate of Anduz is to continue its slow decline if nothing is done - the worst thing that could happen is to choose the most expensive option and then for it to languish for years unfunded. After all, look what happened to the [[Construct_Grand_Inspiration_of_the_Way|Grand Inspiration of the Way]], two years have gone by and still not complete...

The nation would be ill-advised to attempt the most dramatic development of Anduz, unless there is genuine support to ensure that the resources are there to ensure it can be built.

On the other hand, if it could be done, it would transform the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Wonders. The place would rival the great cities of the Empire, and any future opportunities involving the city and the surrounding territory would be more likely to reflect it's nature as a city of wealth and adventure that embraced novelty and new ideas.

==City of Stones==
* '''If nothing is commissioned, or no work begins within a year then Anduz will gain the ruins quality'''
* '''That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Stones'''

If nothing is done, if this opportunity to determine the fate of Anduz passes unmarked, then the city will continue much as it always has. Anduzjasse would gain the '''ruins''' quality, as the focus of people who living there turns to survival among the remnants of a previous age. That will happen if nothing is commissioned, or if one of the edifices is commissioned but a year passes with no progress on the building. If that happens, the city would gain the moniker the City of Stones and future [[opportunity|opportunities]] would reflect the focus on survival over success.

==Timing==
* '''The three mandates are not competing, the Freeborn National Assembly can pass any or all of them'''
* '''The mandates are only available at this summit'''
* '''The mandates have no effect unless the commission associated with them is built'''

Each of the three mandates is only available at the forthcoming summit. They are ''not'' competing mandates, the Freeborn National Assembly could pass some or all of them, but they must be enacted in the coming season, otherwise the opportunity to benefit is lost.

None of the mandates will have any effect until the commission it is associated with is built, either the single edifice linked to that mandate, or the grand edifice, Dust, Glass and Flame, that is linked to all three mandates.

The Freeborn Assembly does not have to pass all the mandates. The Empire can build one of the three edifices, or the grand commission that combines them all, but the Assembly can pick and choose which mandates they wish to enact. They could skip one or more of the mandates for any reason.
==Further Reading==
* [[Segura]]

Other monstrous geographies

2026-05-27T19:02:02Z

Noserenda: /* Game Information : Drowning */

[[Category:Recent History]] [[Category:388YE Spring]] [[Category:Military Council]]
<div style="float:left; width: 40%; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Monstrous Geographies.jpg|caption=Even without the Druj miasma there is plenty to fear in Sarangrave. The bottomless lakes and the creatures that dwell in their depths; the marshes and the woods that hide Druj assassins; and the shadow of the past that hangs over the entire wetland.|align=left|width=2000}}</div>
==The End of Winter==
The [[Rivers of Life]] flow through the [[Sarangrave]]. [[Spring magic]] in the clouds, in the streams, the ponds, in the water-bottles of the soldiers. In the Feverwater, in unplumbed depths of the lake of [[Sarangrave#Kroll|Kroll]]. They bring with them the promise of life, of wounds that will swiftly heal. They bring a threat as well - the blood-sucking, stinging insects of the Druj-corrupted wetlands swarm and bite in unprecedented numbers. There is a balance of a kind, though, to this indiscriminate magic. Wounds are less likely to fester in the filthy marshes, at least. Sickness less likely to spread. The rains of life fall on the just and the corrupt, equally.

The Druj have kept their stronghold in the south. The massive [[Sarangrave#Tower of the Skink|Tower of the Skink]] looms over the [[Sarangrave#Thornfen|Thornfen]]. The Marshlizard Clan remains the final sept of the Druj still holding out against Imperial armies. To the south of the titanic castle, the [[Axos|Axou]] of [[Axos#Gates_of_Ipotavo|Ipotavo]] continue their own assault. They batter the massive fortified gate from which the [[orc|orcs]] of [[the Mallum]] sent out their raiders to attack [[Axos#Axou Territories|Kabanja]]. The portal is firmly closed, at least for the moment.

Of the forces engaged with the Druj last season, only the [[Boyar's Hasta]], the [[Summer Storm]], and the [[Lions of Adelmar]] have remained. The [[Granite Pillar]] and the [[Golden Axe]] have pulled back to [[Dawn]], to recover perhaps from the horror of the Sarangrave. The [[Druj miasma]] still hangs heavily over the entire territory, of course, stronger and thicker than anywhere the Empire has encountered it before. It is no surprise that those who fight under such conditions need to fall back, to recover from wounds not just physical but spiritual as well.

In their place come the [[Eastern Sky]], [[Gryphon's Pride]], and [[Citadel Guard]] out of [[Semmerholm]], and the [[Navarr]] of the [[Quiet Step]] from [[Astolat]]. They pass swiftly through [[the Barrens#The Bleaks|the Bleaks]]; the Karass mark their passage silently their faces unreadable. From there, across the [[Sarangrave#Turan Flats|Turan Flats]] to the wreck of Thornfen.

Last season, the Druj [[Fire_and_the_flood#Jarangir's_Levy|broke Jarangir’s Levy]], unleashing a flood that scattered attackers and defenders alike. The waters have subsided now, for the moment at least, but they have washed away the few roads, as well as wrecking farms and smaller settlements across the northern region. It is in the wake of that flood that the Empire renews its assault against the Tower of the Skink.

==Wall Like A Dam==
The Tower has weathered the joint Imperial and Axou attack so far. Even with their [[Fire_and_the_flood#Shield_of_Our_Ancestors|martial "necromantia"]], the ability of the allies to work together is limited thanks the the massive castle that lies between them. Spectral messengers still flit back and forth through the impassable hills, bearing messages and allowing the separate forces to coordinate, but it is no substitute for actually fighting together. The Empire, likewise, makes use of magic to help the disparate forces [[Clarity of the Master Strategist|adapt their strategies]] to the ever-shifting battlefield, and the wicked cunning of the Druj.
The garrison of the Tower itself is massive, well-equipped with potions and blade venoms, supported by the desperate residents of the fortress and those who fled the town of Sephals to that uncertain sanctuary. Five armies of the Empire move to lay siege to the place.
<div style="float: right; max-width: 40%; width: 600px; margin-left: 10px;">
<quote by="Dame Aurum De Castellan, General of the Eastern Sky">Soldiers of the Eastern Sky, we stand now before the tower of the Skink. Our path is clear: A Glorious charge to bring an end to the taint of the Mallum. We will pay a heavy price but I will be there at your side and I will be the first over the walls and the last out. Fight with courage, gird yourself in pride and look to your loyalty. Glory to Dawn and Glory to the Empire.</quote>
<quote by="Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco, General of the Lions of Adelmar">Our Lions of Adelmar, for nine months we have pushed into the Mallum, stood proud against the venoms of the Druj and had the Courage to not only take on their most vicious cruelties, but to keep pushing and to keep winning. Resolve yourselves, our work amidst the Druj is still at hand. May your Swords turn to claws as you rip and rend the tower's stone. Even in their cruel desperation, let us show them what a lioness can do. May the knights of the Summer realm who join us repeat our tales. Now, hold your Virtues at heart and hand, and let them guide you back into war again.</quote>
<quote by="Stormsteel Skorr, General of the Summer Storm">Legionnaires, last season we did well repelling the Druj from Sanath and the Tower of the Skink. This season we keep pushing to take that tower. Be vigilant, we do not know where we will find Druj In the Swamp. Eyes up and open. We are after the slave masters and true Druj, leave the slaves be. Be careful, keep pushing and use pit fights to keep spirits up. We can do this.</quote>
<quote by="Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was, General of the Citadel Guard">My earliest memory is of the lightstone in my bedroom failing. I thought the Druj were coming for me. My cousin, a few years older than me, had told us stories she'd heard about the Druj. I'd asked my mother about them, and she told me as she thought I could bear. I had to get out of bed, feeling through the dark, and down two flights of stairs to find the light. I thought monsters with poison knives were chasing me the whole way. For years, people - Young and old, human and orc, Urizen and Dawnish and Highborn and sept - have woken up in the night and thought the Druj were coming for them - and been right. The fear they spread is anathema to virtue. There is no place for them in Utopia. We stand halfway up the mountain of their destruction and must only finish the climb. Sentinels. If you would bring light to their darkness. If you would save every child terrified of the night. If you will climb this mountain with me. Consider the Drowned Man.</quote>
<quote by="Neve Agra, General of the Quiet Step">Quiet Step, we advance into the Sarangrave and engage Druj forces. Support allied lines, protect the forest and drive the enemy out. Use the terrain to strike fast and act with ambition. Do whatever it takes to secure victory. Sarangrave must be clear of Druj forces. For us, for Urizen, for the Empire to grow and flourish. Listen for the Whispers of the forest and the trods will guide those who move with purpose. If the wind shifts, heed its warning. If the silence deepens, Prepare. You are Navarr. You are the storm in the leaves, the shadows between the branches and the voice that answers intrusion with fury. Go to the Sarangrave and ensure that when this war is over, the forest still stands and our enemies do not.</quote></div>

The Eastern Sky are in the fore, leading the way for a great host of warbands under the command of Imperial [[military unit|captains, champions, and heroes]]. They are inspired by the [[Army_qualities#Favoured|favour]] of [[Eleonaris]], the [[Summer magic|Summer]] [[enchantment]] flowing through and around them guided by a half dozen courtiers from the demesne of the ''Queen of the Pennants''. Utterly committed to victory, no matter what it might cost, they pay a heavy price for their zeal even with the healing power of the waters this season.

Fortunately these knights of Dawn do not fight alone. The Lions of Adelmar are at their side, their shield raised, ready to [[Army_qualities#Guardian|guard]] their fellows from the barbed arrows and envenomed spears of the Druj. The favour of Eleonaris is with the Lions, as well. Under the command of the stag-headed Ser Helvennan fight a cohort of warriors from the [[Knights of Glory|Fields of Glory]]. Resplendent in gold-and-scarlet chain, the warriors of the Fields of Glory, they inspire all who battle the Druj this season, their wroth waxing greater and greater each time they encounter another sign of the corruption of the Mallum. Love and Glory together, at the heart of the fray, the bright banners of Dawn undimmed by the mud and blood that surround them.

Dawn at the heart then, against a grand stronghold of the Druj (and if there is an echo of [[Cost|that terrible battle]] two years past when the [[Hounds of Glory]] paid their ultimate price, it is spoken of with Pride). The Unshackled and the Urizen move more [[Army orders#Steady Conquest|steadily]], refusing to risk the lives of their soldiers more than necessary. Trapped like this, desperate, the tyrants of the Mallum are at their most cruel. They remain alert to the wiles of the Druj ensuring the stealthy guerillas of the Sarangrave do not have leave to ravage the baggage trains or the flanks of the Imperial force.

The General of the Citadel Guard has invoked the stars, reminded the sentinels and war-magicians of the lesson of [[the Drowned Shepherd]]; that <i>things end</i>. That the Druj, ultimately will end - and if there are [[astronomancy|astronomancers]] who worry about the invocation of a [[Astronomancy#Constellations|constellation]] in such time they speak only in whispers with their heads close together. The constellation that many still remember was once called the Drowned Man is an omen of ending, and it is dangerous to assume one knows what ''exactly'' is going to end when it is invoked.

Finally, the Navarr of the Quiet Step. They are the storm in the leaves, fighting to ensure that the forest stands but the enemy does not. Where the Lions of Adelmar protect, the Navarr bring death. The cruel barbarity of the Druj is met with [[Army_qualities#Cunning|merciless cunning]], blow for blow. One cannot betray one’s enemies, after all. They exploit the forest and the marshes, not only in the Thornfen but in those other parts of Sarangrave where pockets of Druj assassins gather. A second war, quieter than the grand battle at the Tower of the Skink, is waged in the marshes this season.

The Tower alone would represent a significant threat to all the forces in the Sarangrave this season. It’s garrison however is also supplemented by three Druj armies - the corrupt witches of the [[Druj_armies#Tainted Basilisk|Tainted Basilisk]], the desperate guerrillas of the [[Druj_armies#Hidden Snake|Hidden Snake]], and the relentless malice of the [[Druj_armies#Poison Crane|Poison Crane]]. These armies, their septs scattered, have nowhere to go; they <i>must</i> resist the Empire or risk dissolution.

And resist they do.

==The Battle of Sephals==
Sephals is a ramshackle, spreading town. The floodwaters released by the broken levies have not been kind to it. The <i>Path of the Tail</i>, the road that runs down toward town and tower, has been partially washed away. Regardless, that is the route the Empire follows. The Druj, again, launch a [[Army orders#Solid Defence|desperate defence]] of Sephals; they have not entirely finished moving the supplies of rice and grain and smoked meat out of the warehouses into the cellars of the Tower. In the past, the Druj have shown themselves more comfortable striking and withdrawing to attack from a different angle, from stealth, while their enemies are distracted. Here they have no such luxury, they must stand, and fight. The Poison Crane at least is prepared for the reality of being utterly outnumbered and outclassed; the Hidden Snake are experts at using the terrain to their advantage; the garrison of the Tower of the Skink know these streets, these defences, like nobody else. But there is only so much they can do. Perhaps if the Tainted Basilisk had been here to bring their magic to bear? But they are conspicuous by their absence.

The fighting rages across Sephals for two days before the Druj break. Their withdrawal is disorganised, closer to a rout than a retreat. As a final spit in the face, the Poison Crane try to start a fire in one of the abandoned grain stores, packed with flour, knowing it will spread quickly.

But even here the Druj are stymied. It begins to rain, just as the fire begins to spread. A thunderous downpour that not only extinguishes the flames, but restores attackers and defenders alike as the Empire attempts to mop up. The rain, after all, is full of cursed healing magic.

“Even the weather hates the Druj!” The joke spreads quickly, even as tired soldiers deal with their wounds and gather their fallen. It is grim humour, almost Varushkan, and not everyone laughs. The astronomancers of Urizen, the witches of Dawn, the vates of the Quiet Step, the spiritweavers and the oathwrights are less certain. They look to the skies, and the muttering becomes a murmur. Does anyone remember when people started calling the Drowned Man by a different name? Can anyone else feel the magic in the rain, stronger than it has any right to be? Where is this going to end?

This concerns are not dismissed, but what can be done with them? There is a town - a small city really - that must be administered. Several thousand orcs, a few hundred humans. The majority certainly slaves of the Druj but <i>all</i> of them? Even among the Druj, “slave” has different meanings as the [[Ossium#Ketsov|Ketsov]] or the [[Not_to_conquer#Menrothat|Menrothat]] or the [[Not_to_conquer#Karass|Karass]] could tell you. There are surely Druj among these wretched folk, and they introduce all the risk that come with allowing assassins and saboteurs to move around behind ones lines. If the [[Iron Helms]] were here some of them might make an unhelpfully pragmatic suggestion as to how to deal with that problem.

The Axou have been very clear about their plans - once they claim Thornfen they will simply evict every orc living there without exception. For now, the Empire cannot safely simply let them go. A part of the town is set aside for the surviving folk of the Mallum, with Summer Storm soldiers doing their best to maintain order and ensure the Druj that are surely among them do no harm. They can do little to prevent scores being settled, and it is a rare morning that passes without a dead body found floating face down in a pond or an open sewer, arms spread as they drift lazily in the currents.

==The Defence of Nesustak==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Centipede General.png|align=right|width=150}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=IrrahHurrah002a.png|align=right|width=240}}
There are folk in Sarangrave who might be able to offer some aid to the Imperial forces in Sephals, but their attention is unfortunately elsewhere. While the bulk of the Druj forces are corralled in Thornfen, the tyrants of the Mallum are always unpredictable. Not long after the Winter Solstice, a significant force made up of Banded Snake sept survivors and members of the Thornwasp clan isolated from Thornfen by [[Sarangrave#Bendol|Bendol]] and Imperial armies, attack the rebels of the [[Sarangrave#Nesustak_Forest|Nesustak Forest]]. Reinforced by supplies smuggled south from the Salt Flats, these counter-insurgents are hell bent of slaughtering as many of the rebels as they can. This is not an unfamiliar strategy by the Druj; they hate those who escape their clutches even more than they hate the Empire. So many times they have sought to make an example of those who throw off their yoke, in [[the Barrens]], in [[Ossium]], even in [[Holberg]]. This assault is no exception. It seems likely that they assume the Empire’s attention will be focused entirely in the south-east, at Thornfen. Their attack is double-pronged like an assassin’s blade. On hastily constructed rafts, surviving members of the Thornwasp paddle across the wide expanse of the Feverwater. The Banded Snake gather in secret in western Turan Flats and cross the river under cover of a moonless night.
<div style="float: right; max-width: 40%; width: 600px; margin-left: 10px;">
<quote by="Ser Guy of the Twisted Rose, General of the Gryphon’s Pride">Soldiers of the Pride! Three years ago, I stood with you as we marched forth through the mud and blood of the Steel Causeway and fell in behind the Hounds of Glory to break a dark and terrible bastion. The Hounds' story ended there, but the tale they began there on the Plains of Teeth finishes its next chapter this Winter. Now, the Tower of the Skink will fall in turn. Another monument to wickedness will be laid low. In seasons to come, the pillars will fall as well. The pall of dread and despair that hangs over this land will fade. But that is not our foremost duty. Not this time. If the Druj strike out we will answer them. But there is only one thing the free peoples of Sarangrave have asked for, of our Empire, and they have asked it of us. Make for Nesustak. We will reach out to the Bloodwater Spears and aid them in raising watchtowers to defend themselves. We will show them that the Empire are not the monsters that they think we are. Only we can do this. We are called and so we come. A new dawn is breaking over the Sarangrave. We will make flowers grow here, too.</quote></div>
The rebels are not caught sleeping; they are vigilant for counterattack from the Druj. Indeed, they are in the midst of preparing their own defences. Barricades and palisades to protect their rickety settlements; watch towers against the threat to their borders; armed patrols to root out the remaining threats of the land they have claimed. They are supported in this by a few dozen [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] of the [[Irra Harah|Shacklebreaker]], whose swift feet and keen senses prove invaluable at keeping the loose alliance of survivors united. Their boons of health, healing, and [[Calls#Shatter|war]] are equally welcome. Unfortunately, with the Druj attackers comes a small host of heralds of the <i>[[Arhallogen|Centipede General]]</i>, the <i>King of All Spiders</i>. This stealthy assault, set on murder and mayhem, clearly suits the temperament of the <i>Scorpion Queen</i> - and it can barely resist an opportunity to strike against those <i>Ward of the Young</i> seeks to aid.
Unfortunately, as they have so many times before in this war for the Sarangrave, the Druj have miscalculated.

The Gryphon’s Pride came down through the Barrens with the other armies, but it did not accompany them to Thornfen. Instead, they struck camp in the western Turan Flats, and sent heralds of their own - mortal heralds - into Nesustak Forest. Under the quiet gaze of Irra Harrah’s childer, a cautious negotiation took place on the banks of the river. By all accounts, the Bloodwater Spears, one of the renegade septs of former Druj subjects, have reached out to the Dawnish army for support and the general has answered. Unfortunately, there are also many among the rebels who see the arrival of a Dawnish army on their borders as a thing of terror rather than reassurance.

They have heard the stories of the Druj, of events in the Barrens, of the destruction of the [[Not_to_conquer#Vendarri|Vendarri]], the slaughter of the [[Not_to_conquer#Montanians|Montainians]], the brutal murders of the [[Not_to_conquer#The_Black_Wind|Black Wind]] and the attack by <i>this very army</i> against the rebel heroes under the old banner of Rahvin. They have been told over and over that everyone who ever trusted the Empire has paid the ultimate price for it. So they do not welcome five thousand armoured warriors, no matter if they come beneath a banner of parley or not. Some few yeofolk are allowed to cross into Nesustak, to offer their expertise in constructing defences, but no knight is invited to join them. It is arguably more than might be expected; the Empire is used to the hammer-blow of the Druj miasma but its presence and its constant subtle creeping fingers of suspicion and fear make it very difficult for people to trust one another. That these septs have been able to come together at all is little short of a miracle.

It would be easy for the Pride to crash across the river and force their will on the rebels of Nesustak, but their orders are clear. They are here to protect, not to conquer, and their presence in Turan will at least mean they are in position to intercept any attackers from the north.
{{CaptionedImage|file=GryphonPride_Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
Then the Druj attack, and the Gryphon’s Pride acts. The Druj clearly expected the Dawnish to leave the rebels to their fate; the Banded Snake are taken by surprise when the knights and war-witches erupt into the forest to their rear. They are caught between the anvil of the defenders and the hammer of Glory, smashed and broken and left with little recourse but to flee.

The Thornwasp from the south are more of a problem. As the knights march through Nesustak Forest, some of the rebels sadly scatter or seek to intercept them as an invading force. Wherever possible, the Dawnish seek to minimize losses to the confused warriors, their fellow defenders, but these people are <i>frightened</i>. Even with the words of the Bloodwater Spears, there are accidents to be grieved. Yet these accidents cannot risk slowing the Dawnish response.

The septs do their best to fight off the Thornwasp but they are not well armed, not as used to fighting as the tyrants of the Mallum even in their scattered state. Conversely, these ambushers are in no position to face the fury of an entire Dawnish army. At first they press inland, with some minor victories, but even so their actual aim - to slaughter the rebels - proves difficult to achieve. The heralds of Irra Harrah are no match for those of Arhallogen, but they do not attempt to fight. Instead, they serve as guides, getting people to safety - or helping defenders into positions where they can fight back.
{{CaptionedImage|file=GeneralGryphonsPride.png|caption='''Ser Guy of the Twisted Rose''' (centre), General of the Gryphon's Pride|align=right|width=400}}
When the Gryphon’s Pride reaches the shores of the Feverwater, the Druj who once claimed Bloodwater Marshes have nowhere to go. Those who take to their rafts are easy marks for archers - orc and human alike. Those who stand and fight are quickly slain. When the first heavy rains of Spring begin to fall, the shores of the Feverwater are choked with dead Druj, their blood staining the drowning waters muddy red.

After this, the rebels of Nesustak are more inclined to trust those who suggest the Pride is here to help not harm. Grudgingly, carefully, a detente is built. As the rains continue to beat down, the majority of the Dawnish forces withdraw back across the river to remain on watch but those who remain are, if not welcomed, at least tolerated. Few can deny that their aid has saved countless lives from the venom of the Druj, this time at least.

Yet there are also difficult questions asked. What does this mean in the long run? The Empire has conquered Sarangrave and given these lands to strangers from the south to be their domain. What does this mean for the people left in the marshes? How is this better than being the slaves of the Buruk-Tepel? These are orc lands, the homelands of the Bloodwater Spears and the rest. What happens if they do not accept this Imperial domination? Where will the Gryphon’s Pride be when it is the Empire’s warriors looking to kill the free orcs of the Sarangrave - of the Mallum? There are impassioned exchanges, arguments on both sides, but no resolution is reached. The forest is safe for now but what of the future?
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<quote by="Vasiliki Terricos, General of the Shield of Ipotavo">When Ipotavo was besieged, when Kaban was lost, the Druj took many of our beloved away as slaves and prisoners. Many assume them lost to the wicked wills of the Mallum. Yet the Sorcerer-Queen Ipotavo used to say: those who truly oppose the False Divinity with all their heart and all their soul and all their might are loyal even through hardship and misfortune. Though we know not whether our loved ones still dwell on this side of the abyssal dark of the Labyrinth, we fight as if they do. We will take the Tower, and every moment we fight to do so we will fight as if we will hold them, warm and living, in our arms once more: but between us and them are many Druj: they die, unmourned.</quote></div>
What of the future indeed…

==At the Gate of Despair==

Through curtains of rain the Imperial force marches south to the Tower. Few are prepared for the sheer size of the fortification; it spreads across the horizon occupying the space between the foothills connect the Mallum and the lands of Axos to the south. Its towers are immense, dwarfing those of the Spires of the Dusk in their immensity. This is a chaotic structure of stone and weirwood, and mithril spikes, and ironbound ramparts. This is the last true stronghold of the Druj in Sarangrave, shouting defiance of the forces of virtue to the heavens.

Not that it is easy to feel for its size through the sheets of rain falling all around. Its towers scrape the clouds, but to be fair the clouds are very low at the moment weighed down with water. The banners of the lizard and the snake hang limp and bedraggled, soaked through, cheap dyes running down the wall in streams of sickly green and bloody red.

The walls are defended three ranks deep with Druj archers, but the rain makes it difficult for them to dark the sky any more than it already is. The Eastern Sky has great covered rams to manoeuvre into position, to assault the gates, but even they are a little taken aback at the sheer ''size'' of the things. Not of wood, not even weirwood, but of white granite these doors must need a team of slaves straining on a net of ropes to open and close. The rams of the Empire will struggle to do more than dent them.
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: left;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Aurum8565.png||caption=Dame Aurum De Castellan, General of the Eastern Sky|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Dame Katelyn.jpg|caption='''Dame Katelyn Quinnell De Cordraco''', General of the Lions of Adelmar|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Neve Agra.jpg|caption='''Neve Agra''', General of the Quiet Step|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was.jpg|caption='''Andronikos of the Lighthouse-That-Was''', General of the Citadel Guard|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=EasternSky Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=LionsAdelmar Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=SummerStorm Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=QuietStep Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=CitadelGuard Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
</div>
A long siege suits the Druj better than the Empire, of course. The longer the Imperial forces are held here in Thornfen, the more time there is for the armies of the Mallum to rally their strength and return to squeeze them against the walls of the Tower, as the Banded Snake in Nesustak are being squeezed against the Feverwater by the Gryphon’s Pride.

A triumphant charge can only take an army so far; to simply rush the Tower of the Skink would be to throw lives away pointlessly. A council is convened to discuss how best to assault the castle, to defeat the enemy sheltered within. A single ranking Axou, a <i>Toxatai</i> war-necromantia, cousin of the Grand Ilarch of Ipotavo, has come at great risk through the foothills to attend in person.

As the rain pounds the canvas above their heads, captains and commanders argue back and forth, seeking some solution to the walls and the gate. The opportunity to starve the defenders out is there, but there is no telling how well provisioned they are to withstand such a siege. The presence of two extra armies inside must be putting their supplies under pressure, but how much is difficult to say. There were many storehouses in Sephals and most were empty by the time the Druj were forced to abandon their position there. Worse, the healing power of the waters of life will help maintain the strength of the Druj just as it maintains the strength of the Empire.

The heavy rains help, but also hinders. While it protects from long-range attacks, if it continues for much longer the Imperial armies risk becoming bogged down. And it shows little sign of letting up. Indeed, runners from the forces left behind in Sephals warn that the streets of the town are already starting to flood as the waters released from Jarangir’s Levy are deepened by a week of unrelenting rain.

In the end, the decision is made to try and take the Tower while the opportunity still remains. A second heavy battering ram is constructed. Rather than being made of wood, it is formed from a white granite column ripped from a Druj palace in Sephals, carried south through the downpour by orcs of the Summer Storm, and shaped by Urizeni engineers. At the last moment, a contingent of Navarr arrive from elsewhere in Sarangrave with a quartet of [[Great Forest Orcs]] freed from the weirwood grove in Whisperwood. They set to work shaping a weirwood frame to carry the ram, with the aid of their Navarr friends. The Boyar's Hasta contributes an amount of looted mithril armour and weapons which, when swiftly melted down by Dawnish smiths, serve to bind and reinforce it with the snarling face of a great maned lion.

The morning of the attack, the waters are already lapping at the walls of the Tower in places. The <i>Tail of the Skink</i> holds the marshwaters at bay - where it approaches the walls it is raised up in a manner that puts some in mind of <i>Otterway</i> back in [[Bregasland]]. The Druj know that this is the key moment, that they will have to face this attack and stand against it. The defenders continue to loose arrows, but the main source of danger are the catapults positioned atop the ramparts. Massive rocks hail down, interspersed with filth, dead bodies, and effluent. Some are bound in iron, but its clear the Druj supplies of catapult stones are also waning slightly. A few barrels of pitch are launched, but the rain quickly extinguishes their threat.

With the Eastern Sky at the forefront, the massive battering ram is slowly maneuvered into position. The armoured covering protects those within from missiles thrown from the walls, but the pounding of rocks and arrows almost drowns out that of the rain - almost. Again and again the great fist smashes against the northern gates of the Tower of the Skink. The defenders are not content to simply sit and trust to the sturdiness of their door however.

The Druj are monstrous, but they are cunning. It becomes clear that they have created their own ways to get troops into and out of the Tower. Without warning, two thousand warriors erupt out of the marshes to the east and west of the <i>Tail of the Skink</i>. They fall on the Imperial forces on the flanks, fighting with bloodthirsty ruthlessness. It quickly becomes apparent that there are hidden tunnels under the walls that emerge nearly a quarter mile from the fortification itself and that for days now, the defenders have been carefully moving their troops into position.

With the garrison come another thousand or so guerrillas of the Hidden Snake, and five hundred Poison Crane. All are equipped for killing, with venoms and poison, many dosed up on the battle-drugs the Druj call [[Double-sided_Blade#Warming_Armour|warspice]] and [[Double-sided_Blade#Weakning_Sun|corpse skin]] that grant near supernatural vitality but overwhelm the common sense and survival instinct of those who use them. This is a suicide attack, one aimed at breaking through the Empire's line to destroy the great ram.

As the assault begins, the skies ''truly'' open. The wind rises, howling around the ramparts, driving the rain almost horizontal. Fighters struggle in the mud, their footing suddenly treacherous on the rainslick ground. Visibility plummets, a massive battle between Empire and Druj, between virtue and hate, reduced to a hundred scattered skirmishes by the walls of water. Thunder rumbles, barely audible over the pounding of the rain. Yet the deafening beat of the ram is louder still, ringing out across the battlefield like the heartbeat of some terrible beast of war. Orc and human, Druj and Imperial, alike fall in the sucking mud and the rising tides, eyes and lungs choking with earth and drowning with filthy water.

And then, with the storm at its height, the lion-faced battering ram of stone and mithril hits something within the solid stone of the gate. A point of weakness that had endured for hundreds of years, since the doors were first raised. A fracture line buried in the rock where only a mighty blow would uncover it. Perhaps the terrible rhythm of the blows, has weakened the gate. Perhaps it is something else. But whatever the reason, the hammering blow causes the stone first to crack and splinter, and then with a terrible roaring noise, to break.

Another blow, another, battering against that point of weakness, opening the hole, pounding through the feet-thick stone. The flaw exposed, the gate begins to fragment apart. A terrible cry of despair goes up from inside the Tower of the Skink. The door is falling! After centuries of defiance, one of the two great doors of the Tower of the Skink is falling!

The Lions of Adelmar are first through the breach, shields at the ready. Behind them, the soldiers of the Eastern Sky, and after them the rest of the Imperial forces pouring into the gatehouse of the Tower, as the waters of the flood poured over Jarangir’s Levy.

Outside and inside, bloody slaughter leaves waves of blood on the stone, that mix with the mud to create a grim quagmire. Another cry goes up, another cry of despair. The Quiet Step erupt from the forests of the east, Navarr spears tearing into the Druj attackers assailing the flanks of the army. With spell, and spear, and sword, and axe, and unbreakable shield, the Empire fights the Druj at the Tower of the Skink under the roaring heavens, amid the thundering rain.

The battle is not over simply because the gate has been breached. There are still two armies, and a garrison to match them, inside the castle who must be dealt with. There are screaming, fleeing orcs and humans in rags who will not fight. Sometimes the Druj use them to bait traps, or as shields of meat that cry and wail when forced toward the Empire’s soldiers. Even here there are traps, old and cunning, built into the stonework. Blades that snap from floor or ceiling if one moves the wrong way down a hall; walls that fall to allow defenders to attack from the side; chemicals that in a confined space blind or choke or assail the mind with terrible visions. All these and more the Druj have built into their home, driven by the fear that grips their own hearts. Fear of their enemies, of each other, making even their sanctuary a place where no-one is ever truly safe.

Then the Axou are there, fighting their own way through the defenders. A small, fast moving group has slipped through the halls and courtyards of the castle to take the southern gate. The guards slain, they have managed to throw it wide and let the blades of Ipotavo go to work on the tyrants of the Mallum.

Even here, the clarity granted by Day magic helps ensure that the attackers are able to mount the most efficient assault they can, preventing allies harming each other. For the better part of a day the fighting rages on and on, turning the Tower of the Skink into a charnel house. Whoever wins here, it will be Death that holds dominion when the day is done.

In the end, though, the day ''is'' done. The Tower of the Skink still stands, but the banners of the Empire, of Dawn and Navarr, Urizen and the Unshackled, are raised over its ramparts. The fighting is not over - there are still Druj here in the nooks and the crannies - but the battle is won. The Tower of the Skink has fallen to the Empire and their allies, and with it the Thornfen. And with that victory, the dominion of the Druj over the Sarangrave is brought to a conclusive end.

==Flight and Shadow==
The tower falls, the garrison scatters, but in the end the Poison Crane and the Hidden Widow are not entirely accounted for. They have taken significant losses, for sure, but the power of Spring magic protected them just as it did the Empire. When it is clear that the Tower is lost, many of the soldiers escape through the hidden tunnels beneath the fortification into the marshes. Scattered and hunted, they are forced to flee as best they can. They make their way north to the dubious safety of the Salt Flats, and they pay a heavy price for doing so. Easily another thousand Druj warriors fall as part of the rout, but in the end the armies manage to cross the border north through Kroll. It is a temporary sanctuary for the Druj; with the Sarangrave under the dominion of the Empire, they cannot help but begin to collapse. Soldiers will desert, no matter how much they fear the Buruk Tepel. The writing is on the wall for the armies of the Thornwasp, the Banded Snake, and the Marshlizard.

As in Sephals there is the question of what to do with the orcs and humans left behind in the Tower. The Axou do not want them; the Empire cannot trust them. Arguments break out almost immediately, as outside the rain begins to fall. Yet even these arguments take second place to a more pressing question.

Where are the magicians of the Tainted Basilisk?

==End of All Songs==
Last season the Druj [[Each_age_a_lens#The_Mallum|sent an ultimatum]] to the Empire from the city of Leen in the Salt Flats. Quit the Sarangrave, or the Tainted Basilisk will release the [[vallorn]] of [[Sarangrave#Béantal_Dol|Béantal Dol]]. It seemed inconceivable to many that even the Druj would do such a thing. Others questioned whether even the Tainted Basilisk could achieve such a thing. What would it profit them to destroy the Sarangrave, their own people, likely themselves? What would it profit them indeed.

Those who hoped the ghulai of the Tainted Basilisk might not be equal to the task of rousing Béantal Dol clung to false hope. These foul corrupted wizards have shown themselves not only capable, but willing to unleash the uncontrollable horror of the vallorn in Therunin. They have been exploring, examining, studying the matter for years - a pattern of odd encounters and inexplicable events slowly starting to come together into a skein of secrets and atrocity. They are also more than capable of moving through the Sarangrave under the shadow of [[Night magic]], avoiding those who might seek the stop them, bypassing the defences set against them. And it seems that this is exactly what they have done.
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<quote by="Serafina Semenov, General of the Boyar’s Hasta">Hasta! You have worked like the bee at summers head, watched like the Spider watches it's web. Let's now use that vigilance to spy on the Druj, To see what vallorn waking tactics they may use. But before the road calls us, raise a tankard high to our cousins in Ossium slaying peelers where they lie. With Hounds Hall, new forces ride along our own, and the best heckle from me earns a throne. With Courage, there is not a line that cannot break, there is not a thing the Druj hold that we cannot take.</quote></div>
When Sephals fell, they were already in motion. An army of Druj [[Night magic#Obfuscation|obfuscated]] beneath a shroud. The thunderous rain must have seemed a boon to them, making it even easier for them to move east from Thornfen to the edges of Bendol. To where the great ring of Terunael warding stones holds in the floodtide of this ancient terror. A vallorn with the full power of a [[Brocéliande]] or a [[Axos#Axos Territories|Visokumo]], packed into a single region of verdant ruins.

Unmarked, the Tainted Basilisk come to Bendol and as the gates of the Tower of the Skink begin to splinter, they begin their terrible work.

Unmarked? Oh no, not wholly unmarked. For while the Gryphon’s Pride fought in Nesustak Forest, and the armies of the Empire assailed the Tower of the Skink, the Varushkan army of the Boyar’s Hasta wove its own strategy in the Sarangrave. Where the Navarr of the Quiet Step hunted the Druj, Varushkan scouts helped them uncover their boltholes and hidden lairs. In Nesustak they helped the Dawnish root out the assassins of the Thornwasp and the Banded Snake. And as the armies moved south it was their scouts and spies who warned of the threat from the Poison Crane and the Hidden Widow in time to allow the Quiet Step to reach the battlefield.
{{CaptionedImage|file=BoyarsHasta_Colour.webp|align=right|width=200}}
But mostly what they have been doing is watching for the Tainted Basilisk. Watching the eaves of Bendol. Watching the pathetic Grynbor as they honoured the aberration at the heart of Sarangrave. When the ghulai make their move, the Varushkans are ready to oppose them at every turn.

Observation indicates that the Tainted Basilisk have splintered as they moved, still hidden under their Night magic shroud. They spread their forces around the outskirts of Bendol, at key positions about the circumference of the warning stones. Their shroud protects them only while they are moving; the longer they stay in one place the easier it is to see where they are, to see the mists that hide them from prying eyes gather. When their agents reach the outskirts of Turan, the Boyar’s Hasta strike. A sudden ambush, a vicious fight of scouts and [[Arkad#Vikari|vikari]] that leaves most of the Druj dead. Most, but not all. Some of the ghulai are taken alive, interrogated, forced to reveal their intent.

They plan to breach the warding stones, to undo what the Terunael did in those last days after the disastrous ritual that brought the vallorn into being. They will unleash Béantal Dol, and it will wash across the Sarangrave, devouring armies and rebels alike. A fitting retribution, laughs one half-mad sorcerer. The folly of ancient humans, killing and consuming their distant heirs.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Serafina Semenov.jpg|caption='''Serafina Semenov''', General of the Boyar's Hasta|align=right|width=200}}
Immediately the Hasta start to move - sending messengers and mobilizing their forces to scour the outskirts of Bendol for more groups of ghulai. A second encampment is intercepted in Thornfen with the aid of the Navarr, but they are much better defended. As the Empire consolidates its hold on the Tower of the Skink, another battle erupts on the outskirts of the vallorn. The magicians of the Druj hold nothing back; unleashing spell and ritual alike to try and drive the Varushkans and the Navarr away. They are supported by Dawnish and Urizeni from Sephals, and together they risk everything to disrupt that final desperate ritual of destruction. [[Spring magic]], aimed at rending the ancient standing stones apart with the power of [[Spring magic#Ruin|ruin]].

In the end though, despite this valiant effort, it is too late to stop the Tainted Basilisk from achieving their goal. There is simply too much ground to cover, and the Druj have laid their plans too well. Even as they retreated from the Imperial advance, they left their agents behind to prepare for this unlooked-for day. Ghulai, vikkari, warriors of every Arkad, left behind on the outskirts of the vallorn itself to facilitate one final strike against the Empire should the defence of the Sarangrave fail. And fail it has.

Three days before the Spring Equinox, the deluge that has fallen uninterrupted from the cloud-choked sky since the liberation of Sephals ends as suddenly as it began. In that instant, every head in Sarangrave, no matter where they are in the marshlands, turns to look toward the heart of the territory. Whether arguing with Mallum orcs in Sephals, scouring the Tower of the Skink for remaining Druj, discussing the matter of freedom and security in the Nesustak Forest, or fretting about the Drowned Shepherd and the wisdom of invoking constellations in times such as this, everyone feels it. Like the air changes before a storm breaks, but this comes at the end of the storm. For a moment it overpowers even the banal humdrum thrum of the Druj miasma. An awareness in a split second of a profound finality, of an ending that has been waiting for a thousand years to come to fruition.

The last great working of the Terunael has been broken. The vallorn of Béantal Dol rises, shaking off the remnant of its chains. Fattened by months of Spring-infused waters, it stretches, rousing itself in a way it has never, ever done before since it was first trapped.

And it begins to spread.
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Regions of Sarangrave.png|caption=Sarangrave is mapped, but parts of the territory remain unknown.|align=right|width=400}}</div>

==Game Information : Dominion==
* '''The region of Thornfen, and the Tower of the Skink, have fallen
* '''An administrative motion related to their disposition will be raised during the Spring Equinox
* '''The Hidden Widow and Poison Crane have fled the territory taking serious casualties
* '''The remaining garrison of the Tower of the Skink has scattered across southern and eastern Sarangrave
The Empire has captured the region of Thornfen, and with it the Tower of the Skink. The entire territory save for the Nesustak Forest and Bendol are Imperial now. They achieved their goal with the aid of the Axou army of Ipotavo, and while that contribution was valuable it was relatively minor next to the impact of the Empire. There is an existing treaty with the Axou, signed when they joined the war in the Sarangrave, that indicates the intent to not contest Axou claim to Thornfen, including the Tower of the Skink, and the settlement Sephals. During the Spring Equinox, the Civil Service will raise an administrative motion during Saturday afternoon Senate session to confirm that this is still their intent. This motion, if it passes, will be available for the Urizen assembly to [[veto]], as it effectively involves the concedence of a region under their control.

The Gryphon’s Pride spent the season defending, specifically offering aid to the rebels of the Nesustak Forest. Without their intervention, it is likely the rebels would have eventually repelled the attacking Druj but they would have suffered serious losses in the process. The Gryphon’s Pride ensured that the vicious Mallum septs were unable to enact their revenge, and while this has not lessened the rebels desire to see Sarangrave as a free land under their control it has helped to establish the Dawnish army as allies, albeit allies that many are still suspicious of.

The Boyar’s Hasta committed themselves to supporting the other armies, but specifically to watching for signs of the Tainted Basilisk. Thanks to their vigilance, the ghulai of the Druj magical army were only partially successful in their goal. Further details are discussed below.

The armies of the Hidden Widow and the Poison Crane were badly damaged during their defence of the Tower of the Skink, but not destroyed. They have managed to use the confusion to escape back to the Salt Flats of Sanath, but both armies took an additional 500 casualties each during their desperate retreat through Imperial-held Sarangrave, pursued and harried by the Empire. More troubling is the garrison of the Tower of the Skink. While the tower has fallen, and the garrison been seriously damaged, the orcs that make up the garrison have likewise managed to desert the sinking ship. As such Thornfen, Turan Flats, Kroll, and the Whisperwood have all gained the ‘’Outlaw Druj‘’ qualities. Until these outlaws are dealt with, any settlement of those regions are in danger. In addition, any commission built in the territory will have its labour costs increased by a fifth for each region under Imperial control with that quality.

==Game Information : Drowning==
* '''The Drowned Shepherd constellation has exerted unexpected influence in Sarangrave this season
* '''The name of the constellation has changed; nobody is sure where this change originates
This season, the influence of the [[The Drowned Shepherd|Drowned Shepherd]] constellation in Sarangrave has been unmistakable by those who know what to look for. It's unlikely that this is due to its invocation by the general of the Citadel Guard. More likely it is simply that events in the Sarangrave have foreshadowed a profound ending. The constellation is strongly associated with curses, and for all its perception as being generally helpful, [[Rivers of Life]] is still a [[curse]].

There are two elements to this influence that are worth noting. The first is that the constellation appears to have a new name; the Drowned Shepherd. Previously known as the Drowned Man, there has been a notable shift in awareness over the last few months. Much as with the way the understanding of the names of the stars has shifted over the last year or two, so too has awareness of its name shifted. It's up to individual characters how to respond to this. Some will continue to call it the Drowned Man, but this name will feel increasingly archaic and old fashioned. It won't impact magic to use either name, but the name on the wiki has been changed. Speculation about what the difference between a Drowned Man and a Drowned Shepherd symbolise is encouraged.

The other element is that the catastrophic rainstorm has caused water to rise all over the territory. In time that water may subside, but it has resulted in breached dams and ruined farms, herb gardens drowned, and even some structures collapsing. At the same time the unnatural vitality the Rivers of Life bring has been heightened - not only by preserving the lives of soldiers and civilians alike, but also resulting in an explosion in the population of creatures of the Sarangrave including bog octopuses, mosquitos, wasps, spiders, and other small fast-breeding creatures few of which are wholesome in their interactions with humans and orcs.

==Game Information : Béantal Dol==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Blood for Poppies.jpg|caption=The vallorn is the most monstrous of all geographies.|align=right|width=500}}
* '''The vallorn of Béantal Dol has been unleashed
* '''The Tainted Basilisk have been only partially successful and only two regions are seriously threatened
* '''There are opportunities to try and stem the flow of vallorn power in uptime and downtime following the event
* '''The warding stones that once surrounded Béantal Dol are gone
The ghulai of the Tainted Basilisk have breached the circle of warding stones that contains the vallorn of Béantal Dol. Thanks to the Boyar’s Hasta their efforts have been only partially successful. Unfortunately, where the vallorn is concerned “partially successful” is still a significant threat.

Two regions are directly threatened by the expanding vallorn - Nesustak Forest and Bloodwater Marsh. Had the wards simply collapsed, the vallorn would have burst forth towards the nearby fortification, the Tower of the Skink. Sadly, this release is no accident. The magicians of the Tainted Basilisk have seized an [[opportunity]] to deliberately weaken the wards in such a way as to direct the threat against the Empire and the rebels and away from their allies. There is a single [[#Battle_Opportunities|narrow window]] to take action and save one region or the other from desolation.

The actions of the Boyar’s Hasta may still have saved the rest of the territory. They have managed to save most of the warding stones - not enough to hold the vallorn back, but enough to have a vital effect. The vallorn will wash over the stones, as it attempts to expand and in the process the magic that sustains them will be overwhelmed, and destroyed. By the start of the Summer Solstice, the warding stones will be no more - there is no way now to stop them being destroyed. However, they will serve to protect against the vallorn for one final time. In doing so they will absorb some of the devastating verdant power of the vallorn. By the start of the Summer Solstice, the vallorn of Béantal Dol will be to all intents and purposes a “normal” vallorn. It will still be disproportionately potent, but it will no longer present the threat of expanding to completely fill the Sarangrave that it previously did. That threat, like the warding stones, is ended.

What happens to Nesustak Forest and the Bloodwater Marshes, however, will depend on [[#Battle_Opportunities|what the Empire chooses to do]]…

==Participation : Power of the Druj==
* '''Any character whose military unit supported an army in Sarangrave this season will receive a lingering wound
Any character whose military unit supported an army fighting in the Sarangrave this season will receive a lingering [[Combat#Traumatic_Wounds|traumatic wound]] in their pack. These wounds represent serious injuries or lingering [[curse|curses]] sustained during the fighting that the [[Rivers of Life]] have been unable to restore. Some of these wounds are potentially lethal if they are not treated before the end of the Spring Equinox, so those bearing them may wish to consult a [[surgical skills#Physick|Physick]].
In addition, however, every military unit that fought in the Sarangrave this season has been in a position to secure a small trove of [[herb|herbs]] and [[potion|potions]], and potentially other things as well. If your character would not have approved of your soldiers taking things from the defeated Druj, you can simply drop these additional items back at GOD when you pick up your pack.

==Participation : Lions of Adelmar==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=EleonarisArt.jpg|caption=Regal, noble, and terrible in anger; Eleonaris is the Lion of Summer and her soldiers bear many of her traits.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
* '''The Lions of Adelmar continue not being able to take the cautious advance or give ground orders'''
* '''Any character whose military unit fought alongside the Lions of Adelmar may be inspired by the Knights of Glory'''
The Lions of Adelmar last fought alongside the Knights of Glory during the Summer. As [[Even_darkness_must_pass#Sarangrave|mentioned then]], the use of Knights of Glory is having an unexpected effect on the armies relying on it. The Lions of Adelmar cannot take the [[Army orders#Cautious Advance|Cautious Advance]] or [[Army orders#Give Ground|Give Ground]] orders until a year has passed - even if Dawn were to put aside their [[Dawn_military_concerns#Army_Orders|commitment]] to Glory.

On the other hand, stag-headed ''Ser Helvennan'' and their warriors from the Field of Glory take every opportunity to inspire the glorious soldiers of the Lions of Adelmar. A character whose military unit supported this army may choose to have been impacted by the experience of battling in close proximity to the glorious heralds of [[Eleonaris]].
* If you possess the [[heroic skills#hero|hero]] skill, you receive a bonus hero point during the Spring Equinox. This bonus increases their maximum number of hero points for the duration of the summit.
* If you do not have the hero skill, you receive a single temporary hero point, which is lost once it is used. It will have faded entirely by the end of the Spring Equinox, regardless.

Anyone who chooses to gain this benefit also experiences a roleplaying effect that lasts until the end of the Spring Equinox: ''You feel a strong urge to attempt great deeds that invite attention You take particular pleasure in approval and adulation; being overlooked or dismissed may cause you to lose your temper. If you enter battle, you feel driven to prove your worth and show everyone your strength.''

==Battle Opportunities==
* '''Two major conjunctions to Sarangrave have been identified for the Spring Equinox but the Military Council can take advantage of only one of them
The prognosticators have identified two '''simultaneous''' opportunities in the Sarangrave during the Spring Equinox. The first will allow the Empire to intercede in Nesustak Forest and fight the vallorn here. The other will allow them to do the same, but in Bloodwater Marsh. If the Military Council choose this battle, they will be forced to pick <i>one</i> of these two conjunctions.

The vallorn of Béantal Dol can also be combatted following the Spring Equinox, but it will require a significant commitment of [[army|armies]] to prevent it consuming one or both of the threatened regions. Due to the long storing up of power, it will be attacking both regions separately with a strength of 30,000. To prevent it claiming the region and devouring almost everyone and everything in it, the Empire would need to ensure it did not get 10 victory points. Fewer than that and it is likely the region would still be left with a quality similar to [[region qualities#Infested|infested]].

The good news - and there is some good news - is that the brave actions of the Boyar's Hasta and the destruction of the remaining warding stones means that the vallorn will become quiescent again after this season, whatever happens. In addition, the explosive speed with which the vallorn is unfolding into the two regions means that any downtime fighting will ''not'' be taking place under the influence of the [[vallorn miasma]].

Wide azure skies

2026-05-18T13:20:58Z

Noserenda: /* On the Lakeshore */

[[Category:Recent History]] [[Category:388YE Spring]] [[Category:Military Council]]
<div style="float:left; width: 40%; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Wide azure skies.jpg|caption=The storm clouds roil and rage, but behind them the sky is a deep azure blue.|align=left|width=6000}}</div>
==War Between Land and Sea==
[[Mareave]] is a dry land. There are areas where the ground will nurture crops, but they are few and jealously guarded. The fertile valley of Clisearn knows the gentle touch of fresh water, but even the Brine Turtles must rely on their purified waters to sustain their sept. In the north, the soil is dry and arid and easily blown by the winds. The Unshackled are working to bring water to the north, with their great aqueduct, but it is a slow process. For most of the people of the southernmost land of the Empire, the only fresh water they know is dragged up from deep underground, or falls unpredictably from the sky during the violent Spring storms. This year is no different; dark clouds gather above the Bay of Catazar as Winter fades. They rumble and grind against one another, portending the tempest to come, and the waves that will crash once more against the western cliffs as they do every year.

That tempest has already started, in a way. During the [[Scarlet_sands#Battle_Opportunity:_Rocks_Fall|Winter solstice]], the Grendel forces performed a risky ritual. Using power contained in the ''[[Scarlet_sands#Objective: Shore Up the Coast|Hawser of the Damned]]'', they let loose [[Winter magic]] and brought down the [[Mareave#Blood_River_Colossi|Blood River Colossi]] - and the entire coastal cliffside of [[Mareave#Fleisardh|Fleisardh]] as well. There are not a great many witnesses to exactly what happens when the magic is released. It takes a week or so for the effects to become visible; the rate of decay of the giant weathered statues accelerates until first the one and then the other collapse entirely, great hunks of crumbling stone plunging down into the rough waters off the coast of Mareave. From there, the [[Winter magic#Weakness|decay]] set in motion by the ''Haulers of the Tide'' gathers speed. It spreads inevitably north and south bringing down the cliffs into the churning waters, themselves whipped up by the powerful magical working. A fortnight after the Winter Solstice, the coastline of Fleisardh is unrecognizable. The sea has taken great misshapen bites out of the land, and a rocky shore now spreads where the cliffs once were. The statues are vanished from sight, and the waterfall that once flowed between them is now barely a weir, with blood-red foul water already pooling along the shore poisoning the waters.

This was no mere act of vandalism - the Grendel are not the Druj after all. This was all done in the service of a greater strategy. As the [[Towerjacks]] leave Mareave for [[Spiral]], and the [[Seventh Wave]] and the [[Winter Sun]] prepare for a final push into Fleisardh to drive the barbarians of the Broken Shore out of Mareave again, the fruits of that strategy become apparent.

Though the invaders have been pushed back into Fleisardh, they do not intend to remain there. The ''Brine Turtle'' and the ''Iron Gulls''; the ''Storm Sharks'' and the ''Naguerro'' push back against the [[Army orders#Steady Conquest|steady conquest]] of the Imperial forces, and they push back ''hard''. Nor are they alone. Even as the new shoreline of southern Mareave is settling into place, the naval forces of the yellow-sailed Golden Winds and the crimson-sailed Shamal are sailing south from [[Redoubt]]. They sail past the cliffs of Icarion and Sinfoyard, through the waters of Beoraidh, to the rocky beaches of Fleisardh. By themselves, they would be bad enough, their marines well versed in the art of the shore offensive, but they also bring with them the Black Eels, the Bone Nautilus, and the Hamsin. The latter are supported by a a cohort of heavily-armoured [[Asavean Archipelago|Asavean]] soldiers, mercenaries paid by the Plenum itself to make war on the Empire. The Grendel of the Hamsin - it is a rare army of the Broken Shore that is made up of the rich and powerful inhabitants of the cities and ports rather than the sun-hardened inland septs - are more than happy to fight alongside sell-swords they do not need to pay themselves. While the armies already here bleed and struggle to slow the advance of the Empire’s soldiers, the newcomers disembark, form up, and ready themselves to join the fray.
==On the Wings of the Storm==
<div style="float:right; width: 600px; clear: right;"><quote by="Wildfyre of Balthazar’s Vineyard, General of the Seventh Wave">Seventh Wave! There are those who say we leave, or to hold a line. When our enemy bleeds we keep the knife in and twist, our shields are scarred but will not break. Our swords are strained with the Grendel's blood. We don't fall back, we don't let them take one step, Walk with loyalty for our Imperial Orc siblings, My beloved wave my pride for you shall light a thousand lamps. Step forward. Step True. Step with Virtue.
</quote></div>
<div style="float:right; width: 600px; clear: right;"><quote by="Sand Viper Ikk, General of the Winter Sun">Orcs of the Winter Sun, this season we stay in Mareave. With clarity and strategy to protect the lands we call home, and to push out those that have bitten the hand we reached out to them in friendship. Guard your comrades, protect your flank as we steadily conquest Fleisardh and the rest of Mareave.
</quote></div>
The Empire are not without allies of their own. As the harbingers of the storm blow from the west, two [[Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae|frozen citadels]] rise in Mareave - one in [[Mareave#Nadir|Nadir]] to the north, the other over the foothill of [[Mareave#Clisearn|Clisearn]]. The latter is a sight to behold; a massive wall of ice stretching across the eastern end of the valley where the ''Ohwinn'' river winds through the foothills. The Fundindelve is sealed away behind great gates of living frost; the waters of the Ohwinn cascading through the wall made frigid-cold, colder than any waters have ever been in this arid land. This is no random citadel from the [[Realms#Summer|Summer realm]]; it is the ''Isjättens Väggar'', and the garrison that issues forth is composed of massive frost-armoured warriors and a dozen immense ice giants drawn from the domain of Cathan Canae to protect the lands of the [[Imperial Orcs|Unshackled]].

As well as magical castles, there is the fortress of Rucraic’s Redoubt. Named for one of the [[Sannite]] ancestors, shared with the Grendel, the newly completed redoubt is [[enchantment|enchanted]] with the [[Ramparts of Ashlar]]. Giants of bronze, as well as giants of ice, are abroad in Mareave this season it seems. The constructs drawn from the Fire Mountain of Shikal fight with the [[orc]] garrison of Rucraic’s Redoubt while the walls themselves burn with brass sigils evoking strength, fire, and stone.

Where the Grendel have Asaveas, the Imperial Orcs have mercenaries of their own. After [[Poets_light_but_lamps#Defensive War|negotiation]] between the [[senator]] and the people of the mountains, a force of [[Skoura|Skouran]] battle-engineers comes down through the narrow passes to the Redoubt. Perhaps five hundred in number, every soldier is equipped with magical arms and armour. Three hundred bear magical shields alongside their powerful warhammers; the remaining two hundred are empowered with talismans that keep them on their feet even as they press the hardest part of the fray with their massive thundering mattocks. They barely rest at the Redoubt - although many spend their time there approvingly exploring the new citadel - before marching south to join the battle against the Grendel.
==On the Lakeshore==
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: left;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=SeventhWave_Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=WinterSun_Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
</div>
And what a battle! Both Imperial armies are woven with [[Day magic]], granting their soldiers and captains that [[Clarity of the Master Strategist|supernatural clarity]] that allows them to cooperate easily with other forces - no matter how strange - to complete their objectives. Giants, and war-engineers; Highborn and Unshackled. They fight together to push the barbarians south, and even in the face of a much larger force they do not falter for one step of the way.

After the Winter Solstice, the Empire is pressing south and west into Fleisardh. At first they continue to make headway - slowly, but inevitable pushing the Grendel back. Then the tide starts to turn. By themselves, the defenders of Fleisardh struggle to hold the Empire for more than a week or so - but that is all that is required. As the forces out of Redoubt, maritime and terrestrial alike, join the fray the Imperial advance slows. They hold the lands they have taken… but then the forces against them become too much to resist. For all their allies, the Empire’s forces are simply too badly outnumbered. The Grendel press them hard, and step by step they are forced to retreat.

The armies of the Broken Shore are potent, but the presence of the Shamaal and the Golden Winds adds even more pressure to the Empire. Their vessels take every advantage of the new shoreline, depositing soldiers and marines across the western coast, providing supplies and reinforcements at every turn. This would have been impossible if the great Blood River Colossi still stood, if the cliffs had not been brought down, but even with the south-western waters still hungry with Winter magic, the navies and their payload of armoured barbarians prove too much for the Empire.

They fall back, and it seems as if the storm clouds flow in to fill the space they have left. The sky above the Grendel armies is low, and heavy with the threat of rain and worse. The winds from the sea pick up speed, raising dust clouds and wiping away the bootprints of the Imperial soldiers as they retreat, slowly, back into Clisearn, yielding the ground they have claimed in Fleisardh to the Grendel.

==A Wall of Ice and Steel==
Fleisardh is lost; the Seventh Wave and the Winter Sun pushed back. As the weather worsens, they make a stand in south-western Clisearn. With the ''Isjättens Väggar'' and Rucraic’s Redoubt at their backs, with the magicians of the [[Golden Pyramid]] at their [[Mareave#Grand Lodge|Grand Lodge]] offering what support they can, they erect their own wall of ice and steel between the valley and the arid flatlands of Fleisardh.

The two sides have manoeuvred around each other, the Grendel [[Army qualities#Resilient|grinding forward]] and the Empire attempting to take ground with [[Army orders#Steady Conquest|as few lives lost]] as possible. Here though on the border between Fleisardh and Clisearn, the skirmishing thrust and counter-thrust comes to a head. Blood soaks into the sandy soil, blood of orcs and human and supernatural warrior alike, and the ground swallows it thirstily. Thundering cries of battle, a storm of swords and shields, a furious tempest… and what is below is echoed in the skies. The storm breaks, the clouds tear open with a peal of thunder that deafens and dazes many Highborn [[naga]] with its sheer violence. Rain begins to pour down, and the soil drinks it just as greedily as it drinks the blood.

It lets something loose, this Spring storm. The fury in the clouds is echoed by the soldiers fighting below. In a different time, in a different place, it would be chaos but not here, and not know. The Imperial armies are bound by the clarity of Day; the Grendel armies may be barbarians but they are ''disciplined'' barbarians. A mad dance of strike and counterstrike unfolds on the border between Fleisardh and Clisearn. Each manoeuvre is met and countered, each counter turning into a riposte. Here three landsharks fight human and orc warriors with a towering ice-giant; there a bronze colossus is beset by a dozen Stone Born and just before it is brought down Unconquered arrows force the Grendel to withdraw.

The Sannite on the battlefield hear the voice of Rucraic himself roaring in the storm winds, urging them to strike without fear and show their former masters ''who they are''. Their warcries are echoed by the Black Eels, the reaver-army that roars the name of Rucraic even as they strive to steal the bounty of rich Clisearn and the Funfindelve. Sannite and Grendel clash like never before in that liminal space, that shore between the dry land and the mountains.

The Highborn hear no voices in the storm, but they hear the voices in their hearts just as loudly. They fight [[Courage|Courageously]] alongside [[Loyalty|Loyal]] allies - not human, but Imperial nonetheless - and they fight with [[Pride]]. They will not withdraw save that the enemy forces them, and if the line breaks they will draw a new line and stand it, and again and again if that is what is required of them.

Do they know they can’t hold back the Grendel? The captains and commanders must suspect. Do the soldiers know? Do they care? Or are they in that moment the defenders of the Empire, of the Unshackled legacy, and fighting only in that moment. Let the future take care of itself.

The battle is bloody, and the Empire is forced to retreat… but they do not give up. They don’t take the easy route, don’t fall back any farther than they must. They trust to the [[surgical skills#Physick|physicks]] and the healer-mages that fight alongside them, and they keep fighting.

==Uncertain Victory==
As the Spring Equinox draws nearer, Imperial forces in Mareave remain engaged with the Grendel. The Grendel armies continue to press into Clisearn, with the Brine Turtles and the Black Eels in the vaguard. The Empire holds, but they are outnumbered. Even with the ''Isjättens Väggar'', it is a struggle to prevent the barbarians overrunning the valleys. Without the presence of that magical citadel in particular, its possible the wealthy region would have already fallen.

Yet the fighting has achieved something, perhaps something a little unexpected. Two armies remain to fight, against massive odds, to keep Mareave. This has not - can not have - gone unnoticed by the orcs of Mareave who were once Grendel or subject to them. Highborn and Winter Sun alike find those among the families of Clisearn ready to offer provisions and water to their soldiers. What the Grendel demanded last season, they give freely to the defenders. It does not hurt the Imperial cause that the Black Eels are raiding the wealth of Mareave, and it seems that they are not taking any great pain to differentiate between Imperial Orc and former Grendel. The orcs of Clisearn do not invite Imperial soldiers into their homes... but neither do they slam their doors against them.

Likewise, when the enchantment settles over Rucraic's Redoubt, the orcs of Eoradal and their cousins in Nadir and Icarion come to see the magical sigils, to watch open-mouthed as the forces summoned from the Autumn realm defend against their former masters. Quietly, and without fuss, a few more would-be warriors approach the Sannite with queries about the Unshackled, and the Empire. Pebbles are tumbling; the heavens hold their breath to see if the mountain will subside again... or if the avalanche will sweep the old world before it and perhaps leave something new in its place.

For now, in the south, the Empire holds, and the Grendel press, and the weather remains tumultuous as it will through the Spring Equinox before the rains die down and the soil dries once more. For all the lives lost on both sides, nothing has been resolved. The Grendel show no signs of giving up, but neither do the Empire. At least the threat of the Shamal and the Golden Sails is contained to the coast… but even as the Spring Equinox dawns, the [[Army_qualities#Scouting|scouts]] of the Seventh Wave bring a worrying report. There are sightings of hitherto unknown Grendel ships sailing in force up the coast from the Broken Shore, with sails of deepest amethyst, to join the battle in Mareave.

==Game Information==
* '''The Empire has been forced out of Fleisardh and the Grendel are making inroads into Clisearn'''
The Empire has been pushed back; they have lost their foothold in Fleisardh, and the Grendel are halfway to conquering the whole of Clisearn. The presence of two magical citadels, and the enchantment on the garrison of Rucraic’s Redoubt, hindered the barbarian advance here. The presence of a thousand strength force of well-equipped Skouran mercenaries attached to the Redoubt further impeded the Grendel ability to push north from Fleisardh. Without one or more of these additional forces, the Grendel advance would have been much more rapid.

==Participation : Military Units==
* '''Characters whose military unit was fighting in Mareave this season may qualify for an aura on their weapon depending on their motivation'''
Between the presence of the ice-warriors and giants of the ''Isjättens Väggar'', the rousing words of both the Imperial generals, and the [[Imperial address|strident address]] of the [[Throne]], anyone whose [[military unit]] supported the Winter Sun or the Seventh Wave may find themselves especially inspired by the fighting in Mareave. This may take the form of a temporary [[Aura#Item_Aura|item aura]] that will persist through the Spring Equinox.

If your character’s military unit supported one of the armies, or you are the general of either force, you ''may'' experience such an aura, if your motivations make you eligible. To qualify, your character must have been present with one of the following three core motivations.

If you are an orc, you would qualify if your inspiration was:
* To keep Mareave free of the Grendel; you took it and you will hold it
* To face the Grendel boldly in battle and show yourself better than them
* To impress the people of Mareave with your cunning and audacity

If you are a human, you would quality if your inspiration was:
* To face even the most overwhelming odds in pursuit of what is right
* To show your solidarity with the Imperial Orcs against the wicked barbarians
* To demonstrate the superiority of the Empire over the Grendel; there is nothing they can claim that the Empire cannot take from them

If your character had different motivations in Mareave, that’s fine but you won’t qualify for an aura. Which might be for the best - these auras arise spontaneously so they won't be one of the known auras that a priest can create with hallow. To gain an aura you must email {{plot}} before midnight on the 25th May with your CID and which of the three motivations best describes your motivation for fighting in Maraeve this season. Your pack will contain a ribbon for a one-handed weapon aura that you can attach to your own phys-rep.

==Battle Opportunity==
* '''Prognosticators have identified a major conjunction of the Sentinel Gate leading to Clisearn during the Spring Equinox'''
The prognosticators associated with the military council have identified a major conjunction of the Sentinel Gate leading to Clisearn during the Spring Equinox. They are cautious about what it might portend, but they cautiously speculate that it might involve an opportunity to strike a stinging blow against the Grendel and perhaps demonstrate conclusively the sincerity of the Imperial claim to Mareave.

Wide azure skies

2026-05-18T13:20:13Z

Noserenda:

[[Category:Recent History]] [[Category:388YE Spring]] [[Category:Military Council]]
<div style="float:left; width: 40%; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Wide azure skies.jpg|caption=The storm clouds roil and rage, but behind them the sky is a deep azure blue.|align=left|width=6000}}</div>
==War Between Land and Sea==
[[Mareave]] is a dry land. There are areas where the ground will nurture crops, but they are few and jealously guarded. The fertile valley of Clisearn knows the gentle touch of fresh water, but even the Brine Turtles must rely on their purified waters to sustain their sept. In the north, the soil is dry and arid and easily blown by the winds. The Unshackled are working to bring water to the north, with their great aqueduct, but it is a slow process. For most of the people of the southernmost land of the Empire, the only fresh water they know is dragged up from deep underground, or falls unpredictably from the sky during the violent Spring storms. This year is no different; dark clouds gather above the Bay of Catazar as Winter fades. They rumble and grind against one another, portending the tempest to come, and the waves that will crash once more against the western cliffs as they do every year.

That tempest has already started, in a way. During the [[Scarlet_sands#Battle_Opportunity:_Rocks_Fall|Winter solstice]], the Grendel forces performed a risky ritual. Using power contained in the ''[[Scarlet_sands#Objective: Shore Up the Coast|Hawser of the Damned]]'', they let loose [[Winter magic]] and brought down the [[Mareave#Blood_River_Colossi|Blood River Colossi]] - and the entire coastal cliffside of [[Mareave#Fleisardh|Fleisardh]] as well. There are not a great many witnesses to exactly what happens when the magic is released. It takes a week or so for the effects to become visible; the rate of decay of the giant weathered statues accelerates until first the one and then the other collapse entirely, great hunks of crumbling stone plunging down into the rough waters off the coast of Mareave. From there, the [[Winter magic#Weakness|decay]] set in motion by the ''Haulers of the Tide'' gathers speed. It spreads inevitably north and south bringing down the cliffs into the churning waters, themselves whipped up by the powerful magical working. A fortnight after the Winter Solstice, the coastline of Fleisardh is unrecognizable. The sea has taken great misshapen bites out of the land, and a rocky shore now spreads where the cliffs once were. The statues are vanished from sight, and the waterfall that once flowed between them is now barely a weir, with blood-red foul water already pooling along the shore poisoning the waters.

This was no mere act of vandalism - the Grendel are not the Druj after all. This was all done in the service of a greater strategy. As the [[Towerjacks]] leave Mareave for [[Spiral]], and the [[Seventh Wave]] and the [[Winter Sun]] prepare for a final push into Fleisardh to drive the barbarians of the Broken Shore out of Mareave again, the fruits of that strategy become apparent.

Though the invaders have been pushed back into Fleisardh, they do not intend to remain there. The ''Brine Turtle'' and the ''Iron Gulls''; the ''Storm Sharks'' and the ''Naguerro'' push back against the [[Army orders#Steady Conquest|steady conquest]] of the Imperial forces, and they push back ''hard''. Nor are they alone. Even as the new shoreline of southern Mareave is settling into place, the naval forces of the yellow-sailed Golden Winds and the crimson-sailed Shamal are sailing south from [[Redoubt]]. They sail past the cliffs of Icarion and Sinfoyard, through the waters of Beoraidh, to the rocky beaches of Fleisardh. By themselves, they would be bad enough, their marines well versed in the art of the shore offensive, but they also bring with them the Black Eels, the Bone Nautilus, and the Hamsin. The latter are supported by a a cohort of heavily-armoured [[Asavean Archipelago|Asavean]] soldiers, mercenaries paid by the Plenum itself to make war on the Empire. The Grendel of the Hamsin - it is a rare army of the Broken Shore that is made up of the rich and powerful inhabitants of the cities and ports rather than the sun-hardened inland septs - are more than happy to fight alongside sell-swords they do not need to pay themselves. While the armies already here bleed and struggle to slow the advance of the Empire’s soldiers, the newcomers disembark, form up, and ready themselves to join the fray.
==On the Wings of the Storm==
<div style="float:right; width: 600px; clear: right;"><quote by="Wildfyre of Balthazar’s Vineyard, General of the Seventh Wave">Seventh Wave! There are those who say we leave, or to hold a line. When our enemy bleeds we keep the knife in and twist, our shields are scarred but will not break. Our swords are strained with the Grendel's blood. We don't fall back, we don't let them take one step, Walk with loyalty for our Imperial Orc siblings, My beloved wave my pride for you shall light a thousand lamps. Step forward. Step True. Step with Virtue.
</quote></div>
<div style="float:right; width: 600px; clear: right;"><quote by="Sand Viper Ikk, General of the Winter Sun">Orcs of the Winter Sun, this season we stay in Mareave. With clarity and strategy to protect the lands we call home, and to push out those that have bitten the hand we reached out to them in friendship. Guard your comrades, protect your flank as we steadily conquest Fleisardh and the rest of Mareave.
</quote></div>
The Empire are not without allies of their own. As the harbingers of the storm blow from the west, two [[Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae|frozen citadels]] rise in Mareave - one in [[Mareave#Nadir|Nadir]] to the north, the other over the foothill of [[Mareave#Clisearn|Clisearn]]. The latter is a sight to behold; a massive wall of ice stretching across the eastern end of the valley where the ''Ohwinn'' river winds through the foothills. The Fundindelve is sealed away behind great gates of living frost; the waters of the Ohwinn cascading through the wall made frigid-cold, colder than any waters have ever been in this arid land. This is no random citadel from the [[Realms#Summer|Summer realm]]; it is the ''Isjättens Väggar'', and the garrison that issues forth is composed of massive frost-armoured warriors and a dozen immense ice giants drawn from the domain of Cathan Canae to protect the lands of the [[Imperial Orcs|Unshackled]].

As well as magical castles, there is the fortress of Rucraic’s Redoubt. Named for one of the [[Sannite]] ancestors, shared with the Grendel, the newly completed redoubt is [[enchantment|enchanted]] with the [[Ramparts of Ashlar]]. Giants of bronze, as well as giants of ice, are abroad in Mareave this season it seems. The constructs drawn from the Fire Mountain of Shikal fight with the [[orc]] garrison of Rucraic’s Redoubt while the walls themselves burn with brass sigils evoking strength, fire, and stone.

Where the Grendel have Asaveas, the Imperial Orcs have mercenaries of their own. After [[Poets_light_but_lamps#Defensive War|negotiation]] between the [[senator]] and the people of the mountains, a force of [[Skoura|Skouran]] battle-engineers comes down through the narrow passes to the Redoubt. Perhaps five hundred in number, every soldier is equipped with magical arms and armour. Three hundred bear magical shields alongside their powerful warhammers; the remaining two hundred are empowered with talismans that keep them on their feet even as they press the hardest part of the fray with their massive thundering mattocks. They barely rest at the Redoubt - although many spend their time there approvingly exploring the new citadel - before marching south to join the battle against the Grendel.
==On the Lakeshore==
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: left;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=SeventhWave_Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=WinterSun_Colour.png|align=right|width=200}}
</div>
And what a battle! Both Imperial armies are woven with [[Day magic]], granting their soldiers and captains that [[Clarity of the Master Strategist|supernatural clarity]] that allows them to cooperate easily with other forces - no matter how strange - to complete their objectives. Giants, and war-engineers; Highborn and Unshackled. They fight together to push the barbarians south, and even in the face of a much larger force they do not falter for one step of the way.

After the Winter Solstice, the Empire is pressing south and west into Fleisardh. At first they continue to make headway - slowly, but inevitable pushing the Grendel back. Then the tide starts to turn. By themselves, the defenders of Fleisardh struggle to hold the Empire for more than a week or so - but that is all that is required. As the forces out of Redoubt, maritime and terrestrial alike, join the fray the Imperial advance slows. They hold the lands they have taken… but then the forces against them become too much to resist. For all their allies, the Empire’s forces are simply too badly outnumbered. The Grendel press them hard, and step by step they are forced to retreat.

The armies of the Broken Shore are potent, but the presence of the Shamaal and the Golden Winds adds even more pressure to the Empire. Their vessels take every advantage of the new shoreline, depositing soldiers and marines across the western coast, providing supplies and reinforcements at every turn. This would have been impossible if the grate Blood River Colossi still stood, if the cliffs had not been brought down, but even with the south-western waters still hungry with Winter magic, the navies and their payload of armoured barbarians prove too much for the Empire.

They fall back, and it seems as if the storm clouds flow in to fill the space they have left. The sky above the Grendel armies is low, and heavy with the threat of rain and worse. The winds from the sea pick up speed, raising dust clouds and wiping away the bootprints of the Imperial soldiers as they retreat, slowly, back into Clisearn, yielding the ground they have claimed in Fleisardh to the Grendel.

==A Wall of Ice and Steel==
Fleisardh is lost; the Seventh Wave and the Winter Sun pushed back. As the weather worsens, they make a stand in south-western Clisearn. With the ''Isjättens Väggar'' and Rucraic’s Redoubt at their backs, with the magicians of the [[Golden Pyramid]] at their [[Mareave#Grand Lodge|Grand Lodge]] offering what support they can, they erect their own wall of ice and steel between the valley and the arid flatlands of Fleisardh.

The two sides have manoeuvred around each other, the Grendel [[Army qualities#Resilient|grinding forward]] and the Empire attempting to take ground with [[Army orders#Steady Conquest|as few lives lost]] as possible. Here though on the border between Fleisardh and Clisearn, the skirmishing thrust and counter-thrust comes to a head. Blood soaks into the sandy soil, blood of orcs and human and supernatural warrior alike, and the ground swallows it thirstily. Thundering cries of battle, a storm of swords and shields, a furious tempest… and what is below is echoed in the skies. The storm breaks, the clouds tear open with a peal of thunder that deafens and dazes many Highborn [[naga]] with its sheer violence. Rain begins to pour down, and the soil drinks it just as greedily as it drinks the blood.

It lets something loose, this Spring storm. The fury in the clouds is echoed by the soldiers fighting below. In a different time, in a different place, it would be chaos but not here, and not know. The Imperial armies are bound by the clarity of Day; the Grendel armies may be barbarians but they are ''disciplined'' barbarians. A mad dance of strike and counterstrike unfolds on the border between Fleisardh and Clisearn. Each manoeuvre is met and countered, each counter turning into a riposte. Here three landsharks fight human and orc warriors with a towering ice-giant; there a bronze colossus is beset by a dozen Stone Born and just before it is brought down Unconquered arrows force the Grendel to withdraw.

The Sannite on the battlefield hear the voice of Rucraic himself roaring in the storm winds, urging them to strike without fear and show their former masters ''who they are''. Their warcries are echoed by the Black Eels, the reaver-army that roars the name of Rucraic even as they strive to steal the bounty of rich Clisearn and the Funfindelve. Sannite and Grendel clash like never before in that liminal space, that shore between the dry land and the mountains.

The Highborn hear no voices in the storm, but they hear the voices in their hearts just as loudly. They fight [[Courage|Courageously]] alongside [[Loyalty|Loyal]] allies - not human, but Imperial nonetheless - and they fight with [[Pride]]. They will not withdraw save that the enemy forces them, and if the line breaks they will draw a new line and stand it, and again and again if that is what is required of them.

Do they know they can’t hold back the Grendel? The captains and commanders must suspect. Do the soldiers know? Do they care? Or are they in that moment the defenders of the Empire, of the Unshackled legacy, and fighting only in that moment. Let the future take care of itself.

The battle is bloody, and the Empire is forced to retreat… but they do not give up. They don’t take the easy route, don’t fall back any farther than they must. They trust to the [[surgical skills#Physick|physicks]] and the healer-mages that fight alongside them, and they keep fighting.

==Uncertain Victory==
As the Spring Equinox draws nearer, Imperial forces in Mareave remain engaged with the Grendel. The Grendel armies continue to press into Clisearn, with the Brine Turtles and the Black Eels in the vaguard. The Empire holds, but they are outnumbered. Even with the ''Isjättens Väggar'', it is a struggle to prevent the barbarians overrunning the valleys. Without the presence of that magical citadel in particular, its possible the wealthy region would have already fallen.

Yet the fighting has achieved something, perhaps something a little unexpected. Two armies remain to fight, against massive odds, to keep Mareave. This has not - can not have - gone unnoticed by the orcs of Mareave who were once Grendel or subject to them. Highborn and Winter Sun alike find those among the families of Clisearn ready to offer provisions and water to their soldiers. What the Grendel demanded last season, they give freely to the defenders. It does not hurt the Imperial cause that the Black Eels are raiding the wealth of Mareave, and it seems that they are not taking any great pain to differentiate between Imperial Orc and former Grendel. The orcs of Clisearn do not invite Imperial soldiers into their homes... but neither do they slam their doors against them.

Likewise, when the enchantment settles over Rucraic's Redoubt, the orcs of Eoradal and their cousins in Nadir and Icarion come to see the magical sigils, to watch open-mouthed as the forces summoned from the Autumn realm defend against their former masters. Quietly, and without fuss, a few more would-be warriors approach the Sannite with queries about the Unshackled, and the Empire. Pebbles are tumbling; the heavens hold their breath to see if the mountain will subside again... or if the avalanche will sweep the old world before it and perhaps leave something new in its place.

For now, in the south, the Empire holds, and the Grendel press, and the weather remains tumultuous as it will through the Spring Equinox before the rains die down and the soil dries once more. For all the lives lost on both sides, nothing has been resolved. The Grendel show no signs of giving up, but neither do the Empire. At least the threat of the Shamal and the Golden Sails is contained to the coast… but even as the Spring Equinox dawns, the [[Army_qualities#Scouting|scouts]] of the Seventh Wave bring a worrying report. There are sightings of hitherto unknown Grendel ships sailing in force up the coast from the Broken Shore, with sails of deepest amethyst, to join the battle in Mareave.

==Game Information==
* '''The Empire has been forced out of Fleisardh and the Grendel are making inroads into Clisearn'''
The Empire has been pushed back; they have lost their foothold in Fleisardh, and the Grendel are halfway to conquering the whole of Clisearn. The presence of two magical citadels, and the enchantment on the garrison of Rucraic’s Redoubt, hindered the barbarian advance here. The presence of a thousand strength force of well-equipped Skouran mercenaries attached to the Redoubt further impeded the Grendel ability to push north from Fleisardh. Without one or more of these additional forces, the Grendel advance would have been much more rapid.

==Participation : Military Units==
* '''Characters whose military unit was fighting in Mareave this season may qualify for an aura on their weapon depending on their motivation'''
Between the presence of the ice-warriors and giants of the ''Isjättens Väggar'', the rousing words of both the Imperial generals, and the [[Imperial address|strident address]] of the [[Throne]], anyone whose [[military unit]] supported the Winter Sun or the Seventh Wave may find themselves especially inspired by the fighting in Mareave. This may take the form of a temporary [[Aura#Item_Aura|item aura]] that will persist through the Spring Equinox.

If your character’s military unit supported one of the armies, or you are the general of either force, you ''may'' experience such an aura, if your motivations make you eligible. To qualify, your character must have been present with one of the following three core motivations.

If you are an orc, you would qualify if your inspiration was:
* To keep Mareave free of the Grendel; you took it and you will hold it
* To face the Grendel boldly in battle and show yourself better than them
* To impress the people of Mareave with your cunning and audacity

If you are a human, you would quality if your inspiration was:
* To face even the most overwhelming odds in pursuit of what is right
* To show your solidarity with the Imperial Orcs against the wicked barbarians
* To demonstrate the superiority of the Empire over the Grendel; there is nothing they can claim that the Empire cannot take from them

If your character had different motivations in Mareave, that’s fine but you won’t qualify for an aura. Which might be for the best - these auras arise spontaneously so they won't be one of the known auras that a priest can create with hallow. To gain an aura you must email {{plot}} before midnight on the 25th May with your CID and which of the three motivations best describes your motivation for fighting in Maraeve this season. Your pack will contain a ribbon for a one-handed weapon aura that you can attach to your own phys-rep.

==Battle Opportunity==
* '''Prognosticators have identified a major conjunction of the Sentinel Gate leading to Clisearn during the Spring Equinox'''
The prognosticators associated with the military council have identified a major conjunction of the Sentinel Gate leading to Clisearn during the Spring Equinox. They are cautious about what it might portend, but they cautiously speculate that it might involve an opportunity to strike a stinging blow against the Grendel and perhaps demonstrate conclusively the sincerity of the Imperial claim to Mareave.

388YE Spring Equinox winds of fortune

2026-05-18T13:16:35Z

Noserenda: /* Minor Conjunctions */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Spring]][[Category:Recent History]]
<div style="float:left; width: 500px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Into the light.jpg|align=left|caption=Spring is a time of renewal; a time for affirmed loyalties and renewed oaths.|width=500}}</div>
==Overview==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:500px; float: right; margin: 10px;"
|-
! Wind of Fortune !! Order Released !! Last Updated || Note
|}

Over the past three months, events have taken place which are of significance to the Empire and may require a response from her champions. These are the winds of fortune, counterparts to the winds of war that detail the Empire's military campaigns. They lay out situations, and usually include things that characters can do to take advantage of [[opportunity|opportunities]] or to resolve problems. In almost every case, they start with a piece of flavour text. This fiction helps introduce the wind of fortune, or draws out a particular theme or element. Often, it represents a viewpoint that one or more NPCs might have in-character. In all cases, these pieces are intended to help create an atmosphere and provide a little entertainment. Where they contain opinions, those are the opinions of the fictional people depicted - and where they contain information or rumours, the assumption is that the reader will create their own context for that information or gossip if they want to use it in character.

The body of the wind of fortune describes situations and lays out ways players can engage with them. Except where we explicitly talk about something being "rumoured" or use a phrase like "some might say..." the details of a wind of fortune are factual. They represent briefing material presented by the civil service or similar authoritative sources and represent something the average educated citizen would acknowledge as a reliable truth. Unless we specify otherwise, we're also being as thorough as possible. This information doesn't need further checking in-character. It's not an opinion, and we're not trying to trick you.

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:400px; float: left; margin: 10px;"
|-
! Nation !! Diplomacy Wind
|}

As always, how much or how little of this information you choose to know in character is up to you. Part of the purpose of Winds of Fortune is to maintain the illusion of the Empire as a living, breathing place where things happen - and to make players aware of things their characters could know based on what their roleplaying says they have been doing for the past three months. It's perfectly acceptable to turn up to Empire having read only a few Winds of Fortune that directly interest your character; part of the fun on the field can come from learning about situations and opportunities in other parts of the game.

In each case, we've tried to tag the Winds of Fortune entry with the nations or political bodies to which it is most relevant. We've done this to help people who are interested only in events that are especially relevant to them. In no way are these tags intended to be exhaustive; the Empire is a complex place, and very little happens in isolation. We are also adding the dates that they were last updated (other than typos and correcting [[red links]]) in an attempt to make it easier to keep track of the newest releases.
__TOC__
==Winds of Fortune==

==Other Events==
===Rod and Shield in the Commonwealth===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: left;">[[File:OrderRodAndShield.jpg]]</div>
* '''The Rod and Shield have been encouraged to support the Commonwealth against Cold Sun'''
* '''Members of the order can journey to the Commonwealth to offer advice, or take part, in the fight against ''scions'' of Cold Sun
Shortly before the end of the Autumn Equinox 387YE, Lantir was [[Cold war|lost to Cold Sun]]. '''Sakari Nightscale''', as [[Rod and Shield|Grandmaster of the Rod and Shield]], called on the order to offer [[Cold_war#Magical_Aid|magical aid]] to the [[Commonwealth]], along with the Golden Pyramid and experts from the Granite Pillar. Battlemages and magicians interested in the practical application of magic in military situations have travelled across the Sea of Steel to support the Commonwealth's efforts against the ''scions'' of [[Cold Sun|Oblivion]], either by directly getting stuck in against the heralds, or through discussions on the tactical use of magic.

Any player whose character is a member of the Rod and Shield can email {{plot}} with their CID to let us know that their character went to the Commonwealth. Those who email in will receive a random pawn of [[vis]] and a lingering [[Combat#Traumatic_Wounds|traumatic wound]] from an encounter with a ''scion''. The deadline for emailing in to take part in this opportunity is midnight on Tuesday the 19<sup>th</sup> of May.

===Vigilance in Sarvos===
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; margin-left: 10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td colspan="2" ;">'''Investigated Sarvos'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Citizen'''</td><td>'''Nation'''</td></tr>
<tr><td> Achseh </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Ada </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Aemon </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Alessi of the Basilisks of the Labyrinth </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Amaro d’Apulian </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Apollos </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Delilah </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Destin </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Elena Donati di Sarvos </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Esria </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Estella Lucati </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Fabio Costas d’Apulian </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Frater Pontius of Adoniram's Testament </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Giuliana Tessaro di Sarvos </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Godfrey of The Emberclad </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Jared </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Joran </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Jovian </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Jules von Holberg </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Junia of The Rowan Chapel </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Kaspar Yakovich von Holberg </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Laurencio Lemmini di Sarvos </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Lia Adelaar </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Melkior of Balthazar’s Vineyard </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Merlof Von Temeschwar </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Miroslaw Vukovitch Von Temeschwar </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Omin </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Paulus Adelaar van Holberg </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Taddea Ginori </td><td> The League </td></tr>
<tr><td> Tyrael </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Vashti of the Cenotaph </td><td> Highguard </td></tr>
<tr><td> Viviane Barossa di Tassato Regario </td><td> The League </td></tr>
</table>
</div>
<div style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
{{SOPInner|statement=Seek out falsehood and expose the truth! We send Joran of Reikos with 25 doses of liao to rally the people of Highguard to use their well-earned skills to find those who betray the people of Sarvos. Let Virtue reveal the deceiver!|by=Joran of Reikos, Highguard National Assembly|vote=552-0|when=Winter 387YE}}

{{SOPInner|statement=Seek out falsehood and expose the truth! We send Viviane Barossa with 25 liao to rally the people of the League to use their well-earned skills to find those who betray the people of Sarvos. Let virtue reveal the deceiver!|by=Viviane Barossa, League National Assembly|vote=168-0|when=Autumn 387YE}}
</div>
Last season, an [[Finding is the final act|opportunity]] arose for the priests of the League and Highguard to investigate the potential of a Grendel espionage ring in the crown of the Catazar - the city of [[Sarvos]]. Both assemblies approved this venture to thwart the machinations of the orcs of the Broken Shore, and the last three months saw thirty-two of their number descend upon the coast in a vigilant fervour. Furthermore, the Sarvos Chamber of Commerce voted to seek out the aid of the [[College_of_the_Liberated|College of the Liberated]], further increasing the chances of success.

Unfortunately, due to the actions of Imperials taking advantage of the [[Finding_is_the_final_act#Within_and_Without|offer]] of the [[Whisper Gallery|Court of the Shadowed Oracle]] to profit from the espionage ring rather than identify and disrupt it, the inquisitors were thwarted in their attempts. The priests of Highguard and the League were unable to follow up on enough leads to identify the Grendel agents or their key bases of operation.

All is not lost, however, the Conclave [[387YE_Winter_Solstice_Conclave_sessions#Concord:_War_of_Whispers|committed to the war on whispers]] this season gone, and from that focus comes results. Those who took part in the [[Venture#War_of_Whispers|venture]] have been able to determine and share that there were three military units led by humans from somewhere in the east of the Empire (that is, from either [[Varushka]], [[Dawn]], [[Holberg]], [[Therunin]], or [[Urizen]]) who took part in this counter-counter-espionage.

'''<big>Participation</big>'''<br>
Those who took the '''Preach Vigilance - Investigate Sarvos''' action will have taken part in interviewing the faithful in Sarvos, investigating leads and clues in the city, and attempting to identify traitors to the Empire. Unfortunately, each time they were close to pinning down something, it would have gone awry. Either a witness was whisked away, a piece of evidence lost, or a written document had the text garbled.

==Trade Summary==

==Mandates==
* '''You can find details of the mandates, along with the rest of the Synod judgements, [[387YE_Winter Solstice_Synod_judgements#Mandate|here]].'''
A number of [[mandate|mandates]] were successfully upheld in the Imperial Synod last season. As long as the named priest provided sufficient liao, those mandates have been [[Mandate#Implementing_a_Mandate|automatically enacted]].

==Winter Conjunctions==
* '''Last event there were a number of conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate; their known outcomes are listed here'''
During the Winter Solstice, there were a number of [[Sentinel_Gate#Conjunctions|conjunctions]] of the [[Sentinel Gate]] identified by the Imperial prognosticators. In each case, a band of Imperial heroes used that conjunction to travel to a location far from Anvil and intervene in an ongoing situation. These are the known outcomes of those conjunctions. In the case of battles, it is important to remember that the [[Military Council]] can only make use of ''two'' of the major conjunctions each summit, choosing which to take advantage of during the [[Muster]].

===Major Conjunctions===

===Minor Conjunctions===
{|table class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! # !! Location !! Responsibility !! Overview !! Result
|-
| 1 || Morrow, Peregro, Xavier's Path || [[Arbiter of the Four Winds]] || [[Red_skies#A_Different_Skill_(Morrow)|Defeat the wreckers]] || Wreckers defeated
|-
| 2 || Sermersuaq, Suaq Wastes, Verdant Lea || [[Banner-bearer of Atkonaroq]] || [[Shadow_in_the_grass#Agramant_and_Big_Icebarn|Kill the Ceaseless Hunter]] || Ceaseless Hunter killed
|-
| 3 || Sarvos, Uccelini, Antonio's Glebe || [[Champion of Wisdom]] || [[Red_skies#Golden_Crane_(Sarvos)|Defeat the wreckers]] || Wreckers defeated
|-
| 4 || Sermersuaq, Suaq Wastes, Taiva's Pen || '''Maryc of House Orzel''' || [[Shadow_in_the_grass#Agramant_and_Big_Icebarn|Kill the Feasting Lord]] || Feasting Lord killed
|-
| 5 || Madruga, Crucible, Draws Sward || [[Imperial Fleet Master]] || [[Red_skies#As_If_the_World_Were_Fog_(Madruga)|Defeat the wreckers]] || Wreckers defeated
|-
| 6 || Sarvos, Foracci, Vintner's Way || [[Armarius of the Anvil Library]] || [[Poets_light_but_lamps#Burn_The_Books_(Sarvos)|Protect the Library Scriptorium]] || All Cinders killed and Scriptorium protected
|-
| 7 || Skallahn, Greenwall, Paegga's Rest || [[Strategos of Wintermark]] || [[Rubies_in_the_snow#Prince_of_the_Ravens|Kill Eluf Asbjørnsson]] || ''Eluf Asbjørnsson'' survived and will raise the fyrd of Greenwall this season
|-
| 8 || Madruga, Torres, Corsair's Road || '''Sufyan i Zuhri i Guerra''' || [[Poets_light_but_lamps#Sever_The_Hand_(Madruga)|Protect the House of Guerra]] || All Cinders killed and House of Guerra protected
|-
| 9 || Bregasland, Ottermire, Abigail's Green || [[Keeper of the Breadbasket]] || [[Rose_grow_the_rushes_o%27#A_Plain_Wooden_Box_(Bregasland)|Kill the Jotun warband]] || Imperials pushed off the field; Lion of the North have recovered strength
|-
| 10 || Upwold, Tower March, Benson's Bawn || '''Martin Orchard''' || [[Poets_light_but_lamps#Silence_The_Bell_(Upwold)|Protect Benson's Orchard]] || All Cinders killed and Benson's Orchard protected
|-
| 11 || Sküld, Kógur, Leopard-Tooth Pass || [[High Bard of the Empire]] || [[Invited_with_asperity#A_Cultural_Exchange_%28Redux%29|Exchange cultural works of storytelling]] || Cultural works exchanged, High Bard may know more
|-
| 12 || Therunin, Eastring, Broken Pasture || [[Vallornguard|Speaker of the Vallornguard]] || [[The_thing_with_feathers#Midwinter,_Was_It?_(Llofir)|End the suffering of those who fought the vallorn]] || Unclear, but the Speaker of the Vallornguard may know more
|-
| 13 || Casinea, Casfall, Casca's Doom || [[Speaker of the Highborn Assembly]] || [[Apparently_with_no_surprise#Whatever_Happened_to_Mendicant_Garev?|Heal and rescue mendicant Garev]] || Mendicant Garev rescued and healed, some strange items recovered, Speaker of the Highborn Assembly might know more. Mendicant Garev was [[387YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_150|called]] to inquisition
|-
| 14 || Mournwold, Alderly, Hare Stone || '''Linley Weaver''' || [[The_thing_with_feathers#The_Stone_Cried_Out_(Irra_Harah_again)|Respond to the call of Warrenwise]] || Problem solved, '''Linley Weaver''' should know more
|-
| 15 || Therunin, Eastring, Day's Rest Wayhouse || '''Eleri Bronwen's Rest''' || [[The_tune_without_the_words#A_Light_in_the_Trees_%28Therunin%29|Discuss relocation of Glimmerwater steading]] || The Glimmerwater steading will relocate to [[Miaren]]
|-
| 16 || Spiral, Apulus, Aphelion Cape || '''Floria Sunshaper''' || [[Mirror_and_the_flame#Keep_the_Bargain_(Conjunction)|Defeat the Grendel]] || Grendel defeated and shards retrieved
|-
| 17 || Kallavesa, West Marsh, Ingrid's Rock || [[Watcher of Britta's Pool]] || [[The_tune_without_the_words#It_Moves_(Kallavesa)|Stop the coral husks]] || Coral husks destroyed
|-
| 18 || Redoubt, Siluri, Lucia's Moor || [[Prelate of Adelmar's Shrine]] || [[Blood-red_blooms#A_Short_Path_(Redoubt)|Defeat the Grendel]] || Grendel defeated
|-
| 19 || Bregasland, North Fens, Gorum's Toe || [[Keeper of the Dour Fens]] || [[The_tune_without_the_words#Behold_the_Fear_(Bregasland)|Stop the coral husks]] || Coral husks destroyed
|-
| 20 || Redoubt, Tomari, Magnus' Clearing || [[Brilliant Star|Custodian of the Brilliant Star]] || [[Blood-red_blooms#Within_the_Stone_(Redoubt)|Defeat the Grendel]] || Grendel defeated
|-
| 21 || Sermersuaq, Stark, Scop's Lookout || [[The Academy|Head of the Academy]] || [[The_tune_without_the_words#Cut_Them_Down_(Sermersuaq)|Clear out the coral husks]] || Coral husks destroyed
|-
| 22 || Necropolis, Fishguard, Myfanwy's Rest || [[Abbess of Reconciliation]] || [[Blood-red_blooms#At_the_Gardens_(Necropolis)|Defeat the Grendel]] || Imperial pushed off the field and [[Abbess_of_Reconciliation#Abbey_of_Reconciliation|Abbey of Reconciliation]] raided
|-
| 23 || Ayereed, Gainmeachdubh, Dunreagh's Mead || [[Bargainer of the Iron Tower]] || [[387YE Winter Solstice winds of war#Make_an_Anchor_Weep_(Ayereed)|Defeat the Grendel]] || Imperials pushed from the field but remnant Grendel killed by wagon raiders
|-
| 24 || Skallahn, Ulfrsmoor, Nordrborg Approach || [[Smith of Ashes]] || [[Rubies_in_the_snow#Siege|Stop the construct from reaching Kierheim]] || Construct defeated
|-
| 25 || Skallahn, Mindrkyst, Drekatangi || '''Sebastian Shaw''' || [[Rubies_in_the_snow#A_Bronze_Bear|Rescue shipwrecked Marchers]] || Crew of the Old Jim's Ewe were successfully rescued
|-
| 26 || Therunin, Peakedge Song, Hywel's Track || [[Apothecaries Guild|Guild Leader of the Apothecaries Guild]] || [[Crimson_and_green#Under_an_Oak_(Therunin)|Defeat the Druj]] || Druj defeated and apothecaries saved
|-
| 27 || Sarangrave, Whisperwood, Skinflawed's Corral || [[Strategos|Strategos of Urizen]] || [[Fire_and_the_flood#A_Cold_Medallion_(Conjunction)|Defeat the Druj]] || ''Grettek Skinflawed'' and rest of the Druj killed
|-
| 28 || The Barrens, The Bleaks, The Execution Field || [[Envoy to the Karass]] || [[Quietude#Spies_And_Traitors_(Conjunction)|Discuss intricacies of Imperial law with Anka Karass]] || ''Anka Karass'' has gained a greater understanding of the rights and responsibilities of the Karass under Imperial law
|-
| 29 || Spiral, Apulus, Hadrian's Path || [[Sevenfold Path|Grandmaster of the Sevenfold Path]] || [[To_fight_aloud#Unexpected_(Spiral)|Intercept the Disciples of Sulemaine]] || Disciples dispatched and scattered, none escaped to Mareave
|-
| 30 || Therunin, Eastring, Greensward Lea || [[Vallornguard|Speaker of the Vallornguard]] || [[Mushroom,_mushroom,_mushroom#Waves_of_Ruin_(Conjunction)|Clear out the Druj]] || Druj cleared out
|-
| 31 || Therunin, Eastring, Greensward Lea || [[Spear of the Seven]] || [[Mushroom,_mushroom,_mushroom#Waves_of_Ruin_(Conjunction)|Take advantage of the conjunction]] || Area was cleared but no ritual performed
|-
| 32 || Redoubt, Limus, Temple of the Stinging Blade || [[Champion of Loyalty]] || [[To_fight_aloud#Borderland_(Redoubt)|Deal with the Disciples of Sulemaine]] || Disciples slaughtered, the Champion of Loyalty should know what happened to the schema
|-
| 33 || Morrow, Altis, Path to Highwatch || [[Polemarch of Highwatch]] || [[To_fight_aloud#Precious_Cargo_(Morrow)|Stop the Disciples of Sulemaine]] ||Disciples slaughtered, the Polemarch of Highwatch should know what happened to the dose of [[true liao]]
|-
| 34 || Hercynia, Northpines, Starwood Roots Steading || [[Archmage of Winter]] || [[The_tune_without_the_words#Over_the_Hills_(Hercynia)|Investigate strange rumours]] || Rumours investigated; '''Bloodcrow Arora''', the [[Archmage of Winter]], might know more
|-
|}

387YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

2026-05-04T19:43:56Z

Noserenda: /* Judgement 74 */

[[Category: Synod]] [[Category:Synod Results]] [[Category: Synod Judgements]][[Category: 387YE Winter]]
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Winter 387 Synod judgements.jpg|align=right|width=400|caption=The Synod raised a hundred and ninety-one judgements.}}</div>
==Overview==
During the Winter Solstice 387YE, the Imperial Synod raised 156 judgements.

==Statement of Principle==
Fifty-seven [[Statement of Principle|statements of principle]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice
===Judgement 11===
* '''Assembly:''' Way
* '''Raised By:''' Brynn Tendfallen
* '''Judgement:''' The crises of recent years have exposed a weakness in the Imperial Way. Wisdom teaches us to test what we know. We must work to build a Way that is strengthened by truth, not threatened by it. This is the highest calling of our Assembly.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (46-100)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 13===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Brother Luke
* '''Judgement:''' The scars of Whittle run deep. A people massacred due to zealotry. The Marchers know too well the risks of following your traditions. While the Marchers have no intent of undermining the Synod’s spiritual authority, the fact of the matter remains; A Marcher, A Marcher. Should the Synod proscribe the beliefs of the Marcher Orcs as heretical, the Marches as a whole will defend their neighbours as they would any other Marcher unduly persecuted. To echo the words of the First Empress: “You will take all of us, or none of us.” The Synod may make it’s choice.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (146-50)
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: left;">
{|
|+ <big>'''Judgement Quick Links'''</big>
! Judgement Type
! Amount
|-
|[[#Statement of Principle|Statement of Principle]]|| 57
|-
|[[#Mandate|Mandate]] || 11
|-
|[[#Writ of Consecration|Writ of Consecration]] || 2
|-
|[[#Revocation|Revocation]] || 1
|-
|[[#Proscription|Proscription]] || 15
|-
|[[#Inquisition|Inquisition]] || 9
|-
|[[#Sanction|Sanction]] || 24
|-
|[[#Recognition|Recognition]] || 2
|-
|[[#Appointment|Appointment]] || 21
|-
|[[#Rewarding|Rewarding]] || 14
|-
|}
</div>
===Judgement 16===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Jedidiah Boon
* '''Judgement:''' The sacred Hallowed Bells of Virtue have come to gather Marcher Inspiration, shepherded by Ardeniel of the Woodwych Harts! To Upwold, the Bell of Prosperity will chime the work song, keeping the ploughs in line; the Bell of Wisdom will turn minds to tactics to fortify our land. To Bregasland, the Bell of Loyalty will follow General Amberlain, echoing her call; the Bell of Ambition will sound with the Strong Reeds as they rise. To Mournwold, the Bell of Pride will ring from the hillside of Rebellion’s Ridge, for the miners’ cause; the Bell of Vigilance will beat the bounds, readying for attack. To Mitwold, where we would send others, we send only one; the Bell of Courage. Sound it on the border. Sound it over Fort Fidelis. Sound it where the Jotun will hear. We are a Nation of hospitality and a Nation at war. We will protect these Bells with our lives and honour carrying them on their journey.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (196-0)

===Judgement 20===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Eurybia of the Wanderers
* '''Judgement:''' The Urizen national assembly approves the awarding of the Golden Cascade to Darien Numbers. Their use of the Eyes of Prosperity upon Zenith, and their generous support in building the benefice of the Golden Cascade proves themselves a virtuous friend and ally of Urizen. Citizens of Zenith - witness your donations in use.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (206-0)
__TOC__
===Judgement 21===
* '''Assembly:''' Ambition
* '''Raised By:''' Rafael Barossa d’Apulian
* '''Judgement:''' The Hallowing of the Master teaches us to use others as tools to further our own aspirations: spreading the Way across the world. We should therefore seek a way to incorporate neighbouring foreign powers, and defeated barbarian nations, into the Empire as vassal-states, using them as a buffer against external aggression while their culture adapts to Imperial rule. Ultimately, this may allow them to join the Empire as an eleventh, twelfth, or twentieth nation once they have learned the Way and their place in it. We should look first to apply this to the Druj septs once we defeat their leaders, the vile Buruk-Tepel. This is our Highest Calling.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (368-80)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 22===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Dagon Barossa of the Shattered Tower
* '''Judgement:''' The truly virtuous are loyal even through hardship and misfortune. The Loyalty Assembly took the first step to anchor the Way in Asavea and we will not falter now! We search for Loyalty sects inspired by the actions of Exemplar Alberto Acciai that we might support to help further anchor the Way in Asavea. This is our Highest Calling.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (302-162)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 25===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Samantha “Tongs” Barossa
* '''Judgement:''' As PRELATE OF ADELMAR’S SHRINE, I CALL ALL LEAGUISH BRAVO’S and MERCENARIES TO RAISE THEIR SWORDS AGAINST THE DARKNESS IN THE WILD PLACES OF SPIRAL.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (302-22)
* '''Notes:''' A call to action for the League to clear out the threats present in Spiral, as per the '''[[My_friends_are_my_estate#Swords_Against_Darkness|My friends are my estate]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 56===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Isario i Riqueza
* '''Judgement:''' Live brazenly, fiercely, and truthfully; so that your life becomes proof of what is right. Cast down the chains of tyranny, fear and empty tradition wherever you find them! Act with Courage to choose what you know is true and moral, and confront the world when it stands against you. By inspired by the Exemplar Ahraz, who had the Courage to champion freedom, dignity, and prosperity, and seized them for all, through daring action and unflinching conviction. We were brave, wise, and ambitious enough to reject slavery, break it’s chains on our Empire and then on the world. We are the Freeborn heirs of a legacy of brazen passion, morality, and liberty. We do not just think it, or believe it, we live it. <u>We are fiercely proud of our culture and its freedom of ideas. We must protect and nurture both so that they can flourish. This is our Highest Calling.</u>
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (32-116)

===Judgement 35===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Gwen Tendfallen
* '''Judgement:''' The Way as it exists is built upon a crumbling foundation of hearsay. The truth was supposedly contained in High Guard libraries, but those have been burned on the accusation of falsehood. It is paramount to the goals of the Way and the Empire that this hearsay be challenged. To test what we think we know about the nature of Virtue, the labyrinth, and the Way is the highest calling of this assembly.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (248-96)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 36===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Nathair Autumngale
* '''Judgement:''' From the very heartlands of this Empire, to the furthest lands touched by Virtue. We are the blood of the Empire, we are Shepherds of the Great Dance and we find ourselves entwined with our fellow Nations as never before. Paths in the dance braided together in these moments. Bring our voice through the veins of the trods that cross the lands while they resonate with our song. In the midst of winter we gather at the hearth, at home. At Wayhouse, Stead, and Tarry. We trade Song and Story with one another, and regales our history, our tale, our culture. Take heed these words, commit to memory these songs, and as winter turns to spring, bring them as a chord along these resonant trods. Bring them to our closest allies and the furthest reaches of our Empire both, so that all know that even when this magic has faded. As sure as the seasons do change. Where Navarr go, music follows.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (265-0)

===Judgement 38===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Nere
* '''Judgement:''' With the new year Highguard reaffirms its claim on the Salt Flats of Sanath once more. Necropolis is our past. Bastion is our present. Leen will be our future. These 3 cities will become the defining Pilgrimage path of our faith. And Leen itself will be our gateway to lands far across the sea and through its virtuous rebirth we will show the world the power of our faith. Highguard, there will be challenges in this endeavor, so we call on you to plan ahead. Consider the challenges we will face and how we may prepare to face them. We shall sow Virtue where they wrought filth.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (542-10)
* '''Notes:''' References a previous [[386YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_111|judgement]] from the Summer Solstice 386YE

===Judgement 40===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Brother Hans
* '''Judgement:''' During the Fall of Therunin, Great Forest Orcs were taken by the Druj and are now enslaved accross the Salt Flats and The Mallum. Viture calls for us to show that the Empire will do anything to never allow slavery to happen under our watch. Our unconquered and military units, use your expertise to liberate the Great Forest Orcs who where enslaved by the Druj. We have laid claim on the salt flats - this is one step of many to inspire the inhabitants and our allies with our virtuous deed
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (500-0)

===Judgement 42===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Nicodemus of Balthazar’s Vineyard
* '''Judgement:''' The Grand Inspiration is now two-thirds complete. In those stones lie a promise. Designed by an Orc and a Marcher and funded by contributions from citizens of all ten nations of the Empire, this peerless structure proves to the world that in the Way of Virtue, and in this Empire, all people can achieve their highest destiny. Let us ignite the Empire’s Pride and ensure the greatest construction of our lifetimes is a flourishing success for all. The Virtuous must create what none can rival. This is our highest calling.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (34-132)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune. Refers to the [[Construct Grand Inspiration of the Way|Grand Inspiration of the Way]].

===Judgement 44===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Dr Lysimachus
* '''Judgement:''' At recent summits, we’ve had Wanderer Tulpas showing up in Anvil. Going round tossing out curses as if they were handing out sweets on t’sweet corner, and just generally being a bloody nuisance. This includes cursing some of us as a “Lesson in Hubris”. After asking us for directions.. Now some may say ‘who are we to question the workings of the minds of such lofty and unknowable entities?’ And I says Bugger That! If some Pretentious Polestar-Wannabe Pillock is gonna curse Virtuous folk for “Hubris” because they’re the one who had to stop and ask Us for directions, then I’ve got too much Imperial Pride to let their folly slide. Besides I thought the Stars were meant to be Bright? So Sod off to these Sneering Stellar Snobs Says !. Tha’s not welcome in our lands.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (166-68)

===Judgement 47===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Kellin Embercast
* '''Judgement:''' Bloodcrow Meep is campaigning to rebuild Thornsong House in Skarsind, where it can benefit from the expertise of the Yerende. I know that this will not sit easy with some in Navarr. Last Spring, Travid Longest Path’s statement that Thornsong House is “the living legacy of Therunin”, the heart of Navarr’s potioncraft, was upheld in this Assembly with a greater majority. But Courage tells us to respond to defeat by adapting our strategy and trying anew. We do not know when Therunin will return to us, but we do know that Skarsind is secure from the grasping hands of the Druj. Our nation already has an enclave there, thanks to the Ashen Tears and their Wayhouse. I urge this Assembly to throw its support behind Meep’s plan. Let us share the fruits of Therunin’s proud legacy, and forge a new one together in the forests of Skarsind.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (225-16)

===Judgement 53===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Eli of the Cenotaph
* '''Judgement:''' The completion of the Grand Inspiration of the Way is the highest calling of the nation of Highguard. Through its completion we will lay the foundations necessary to inspire pilgrims to spread the Way across the known world. It will be the greatest tool we will leave our future lives and a legacy that will endure.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (750-0)
* '''Notes:''' Refers to the [[Construct Grand Inspiration of the Way|Grand Inspiration of the Way]]. Further information on highest callings can be found in the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 54===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Mael of the Shattered Tower
* '''Judgement:''' BEHOLD: VIRTUE! As the MARSHALL of the FAITH, I bid ye witness that the following were multiply commended by diverse FIELD MARSHALLS and COMMANDERS for their WISDOM and BRAVERY in recent battles: EIRA LARKSONG and ROWAN BELLWOOD, GUNTHER, VESPASIAN of TROPAION CITADEL, AKSEL REZNOV RAZORADZE, THE VINES OF NAVARR, THE IRON BASTARDS, THE “RITUAL HUNTERS” covens destroying miasma pillars in the SARANGRAVE. And for the enchantment of TEN ARMIES in one summit the Warcaster commends: The COVEN of BARABBAS. A fuller list may be found on the Synod Notices.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (260-16)

===Judgement 66===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Khan i Erigo
* '''Judgement:''' Great deeds are eternal, and pride teaches us to lift up our fellows. Lady Emberlyn Brontide of Dawn solo cast Piranhas Devour the Kraken on 40 Imperial Captains at the Autumn Equinox, bolstering our Navy with the strength of another entire Imperial Navy of summer magic. Let this master of summer magic forever be remembered for her loyalty to the Imperial people of the Bay of Catazar. We are in your debt.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (108-0)

===Judgement 67===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Kay i Orzezz i Guerra
* '''Judgement:''' For the rebuilding of the Celesti Lighthouse of Oran, a symbol of Freeborn Pride, we the Freeborn Assembly seek to thank those who contributed, as we could not name them all on the Senate motion. Sadiq i Isa i Erigo. The Fleet Hubs of the Empire. Iago & Shivanna i Erigo. Esk i Erigo. Bakar i Riqueza. Argento i Erigo. Ghisli the Provider. Esteban i Del Rio Blanco i Guerra. Velasco i Guerra. Estevanico i Hayim i Riqueza. Let their prosperity be recorded.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (106-24)

===Judgement 68===
* '''Assembly:''' Wintermark
* '''Raised By:''' Rafe
* '''Judgement:''' We welcome the bell bearers of Highguard into Wintermark. They each carry a bell hallowed by those of all nations. They seek to gather the stories of our heroes so they can be used to inspire all nations. We must all seek them out and share our stories. The heroes of Wintermark should be recognised as the shining example of virtue to all that they are to us.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (308-0)

===Judgement 74===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Maja Świętosława Przewałski
* '''Judgement:''' Years ago, a (now dead) Varushkan destroyed the Jotun meeting place at the request of their patron Agramant. It has now been built anew as a place of hospitality to further closing the Jotun front. Sulkavaris is satisfied and no longer angry with our nation. Now is the time for the peoples of the north to come together as per J67 Autumn 387. Let us work <u>together</u> to prepare for the war with the Thule.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (168-52)

===Judgement 77===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Melchior of Adina's Charge
* '''Judgement:''' While we recognise virtue, we must also face the unwelcome truths of the empire's role in actions past. Whilst we vote to declare Rahvin as an exemplar, extolling his virtue and the virtuous inspiration we believe he can teach others. We also wish to recognise the Empire as responsible for his death. In the heat of battle, a case of mistaken identity, Imperial citizens killed Rahvin and those he was with. We face this truth not only in the action that it occurred, but also recognise that it was the Empire's actions which drove Rahvin's followers into this situation and back into captivity under the Druj for years to come. Where rwe have failed before, the light of courage teaches us to see our mistakes and expose them to overcome them in future.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (226-0)

===Judgement 78===
* '''Assembly:''' Wintermark
* '''Raised By:''' Aldwyn the Glorious
* '''Judgement:''' The rebuilding of the Hall of the Soturi represents the start of a bold new story, no matter what is built there. When we rebuild it, let it be witnessed and remembered as a site of import. As the legacy of the new army grows, let this become a place of pilgrimage and a sinecure established there.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (140-70)
* '''Notes:''' The Hall of the Soturi would serve to allow an army raised in the Kallavesi tradition to become fearless. More information can be found in the '''[[Flight of birds]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 80===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Kasmira Milankova Ygrev
* '''Judgement:''' Two years ago, the Cold Sun came to Varushka. Volodmartz was left two options: Burn in the light of the Cold Sun or condemn Livardz to ruin. Our cousins made this sacrifice for the defense of all Varushka. Now, let us aid the people of Livards in their efforts to rise from ruin to prosperity.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (202-0)

===Judgement 82===
* '''Assembly:''' The Way
* '''Raised By:''' Yosephus Morningson
* '''Judgement:''' We are the Assembly of the Way. Our purpose is to bring new souls to knowledge of the whole Way, and lead them to full understanding. There are Seven Virtues that guide the spirit, Seven that lead to Great and Inspiring deeds. Yet there are Asaveans who know but one, others who know but six, while others claim a physical Labyrinth. This is our highest calling - to enlighten all souls, beginning with Asavea, that they may know the Seven Virtues, the Eight Doctrines, and the One True Way.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (62-84)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 91===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Task
* '''Judgement:''' The Empire has changed in the last hundred years more than could possibly be imagined. We have orc citizens now... And thus we should shape our laws to reflect that. The Prosperity assembly suggests that the religious crime of idolatry be amended to include orc citizens of the Empire. Correcting the wording as follows: Subsuming a sapients' will and destiny to any inhuman entity or force. This includes the worship, veneration or exaltation of any such being or power. Anything less than this in law is seen as an affront to the virtue of orcish citizens.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (308-0)

===Judgement 94===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Sufyan i Zuhri i Guerra
* '''Judgement:''' Building on this Assembly's recognition of the Exemplar Lady Elenor Novarion, we hold the growth and prospering of her legacy, the Proffered Hand Network of sanctuaries for refugees and freed slaves, to be the greatest present opportunity for spreading Pride across the Empire and beyond, and seek to make it this Assembly's focus for the coming year. We support the Network in completing its ambition to build a sanctuary in every nation, with only facilities in the Marches and the League remaining to be built. We encourage the Prideful to look further for new ways to support the Network in its mission to heal deep-cut scars of slavery, to offer compassion and an open hand to those in need, to uplift those who have suffered to future greatness. This is the highest calling of our assembly.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (52-122)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 95===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Wulfric
* '''Judgement:''' I Wulfric, Ambition Priest, Marcher. With the support of both Assemblies and approval of the AO9. Call for a Symposium with the purpose of discussing proscriptions and ensuring we employ wisdom and vigilance in creating a Solid foundation to build and spread virtue on.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1226-170)
* '''Notes:''' This judgement was elevated by '''Lenarius Ankarien''', the [[Cardinal of Ambition]]

===Judgement 98===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Solas of the Spire of the Waxin Sun
* '''Judgement:''' Seers of the Spires! We call on your expertise. The crushing dread of the miasma in the Sarangrave inhibits virtuous action and impedes our aspirations in the territory. Use your arete to locate the pillars that anchor this miasma, and send this information to those most able to leverage it.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (250-10)
* '''Notes:''' This judgement follows on from the '''[[Everything is trying to kill us]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 100===
* '''Assembly:''' The Way
* '''Raised By:''' Tabris, Son of Armisael
* '''Judgement:''' Fintan Nighthaven's life has ended, and his spirit has returned to the Labyrinth. The delegation from Axos who wish to collect his body are welcome to do so. This in accordance with the Nighthaven family's wishes.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (76-58)

===Judgement 104===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Callista of the Dark Shard
* '''Judgement:''' We have given our assurances to the Urizen "rebels" of Spiral - who have <u>courageously</u> chosen to leave the Empire rather than cede their ancestral homes to the League - such as the Silver Flame - that we hold them to be Urizen. Invoking the Chalice that rejoins us, we encourage our <u>Wise</u> magicians with imperial lore mastery to assist them with their research, as well as our <u>vigilant</u> priests to advise and aid them in their dealings with pernicious eternals.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (192-0)

===Judgement 106===
* '''Assembly:''' Dawnish
* '''Raised By:''' Lady Gwendoloena de Sarroi
* '''Judgement:''' The Dawnish national assembly, now that the time is right, encourages Dawnish citizens to set forth and settle the regions of the Barrens that are not ceded to foreigners. With the important exception of the Bleaks as we are not settling to harass the Karass, we are settling to promote virtue for Dawn and Dawnish citizens.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (334-32)

===Judgement 111===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Ignacio i Zuhri i Erigo
* '''Judgement:''' Gisli the Provider stands accused of Blasphemy; in this matter he is not a criminal but a victim. This assembly celebrates his peerless contributions to the rebuilding of the Brass Coast. His virtue and Prosperity is unquestionable.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (94-0)

===Judgement 112===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Halkyon of the Myriad Stream
* '''Judgement:''' Children of the spires, the Lost haunt the dark places of <u>Spiral</u>. The malice of the Druj and Grendel lingers. In Courage and Vigilance let us raise our SWORDS AGAINST DARKNESS and make this part of the Sanctum of Stars a place for the virtuous to prosper.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (226-0)
* '''Notes:''' A call to action for Urizen to clear out the threats present in Spiral, as per the '''[[My_friends_are_my_estate#Swords_Against_Darkness|My friends are my estate]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 114===
* '''Assembly:''' Wintermark
* '''Raised By:''' Yrkja Riansson Sigeing
* '''Judgement:''' The vision that led us to Gull Isle showed godhi and mystic fostering each other's children, Jotun and Imperial learning from each other as equals. This is not a place for preaching, and we do not intend to do so. Rather let us <u>display</u> virtue through our words and deeds in this place. And likewise witness how the inspiration of the ancestors is borne out in the acts of those we meet with.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (256-14)

===Judgement 117===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Eskah Swift Hart
* '''Judgement:''' Over the winter, all Navarri have heard the song "Painted", we reveal to you now that the writer and singer of "Painted" is Idwynn Splitroot, through ritual Idwynn sang "Painted" directly to Navarr & Thorn so they know we continue their great ambition to destroy the vallorn. Many have heard two voices singing back to Idwynn; they were Navarr & Thorn themselves. Know that we have heard their voices singing in unison with Idwynn & all our nation.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (138-24)
* '''Notes:''' References the song spread across the Empire, as per the '''[[The_tune_without_the_words#An_Ode_To_Blood_And_Sacrifice|The tune without words]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 119===
* '''Assembly:''' Wintermark
* '''Raised By:''' Jesper Luukasson
* '''Judgement:''' At the Summer Solstice of 383YE, Rane Sherarding plead clemency for the members of Zepheniah's Lament, who had shattered the mirrors of Sarvos to free thousands of souls being kept from the labyrinth by Skathe, then raised funds towards their fine. Sharing in the burdens of the necessary deed earned her name Shardbearer. Since then she has borne not only the shards of Sarvos but the weight of duty to the Empire; serving as the Inquisitor of Pride and then as Senator Kallavesa. She has fiercely fought for Wintermark's interests and often asked of us the hard and necessary questions. Her voice will echo in eternity as the priest who consecrated our sacred marsh. Her wisdom has reached out across the Empire time and again in Senate, Synod and in the Imperial Address. We see the burdens you bear and we name you the pride of our nation. We name Rane Shardbearer to the Chronicle of Heroism.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (308-0)
* '''Notes:''' Rane Shardbearer has been added to the [[Heroism#Chronicle_of_Heroism|Chronicle of Heroism]]

===Judgement 122===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Molly Mae of Mitwold
* '''Judgement:''' The walls of Meade must be built, the people of Mitwold have spilt their blood for their land and the Marches. Bree Shaw fought with courage, spilt her blood on Marcher soil and died fighting for her Loyalty to the Marches. The Marches must come together as neighbours to help defend Marcher land. Bree has always shown her pride in the Marches, as proud and loyal Marchers we owe it to her memory to build the walls, and call them Brees' Stand.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (154-0)

===Judgement 125===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Sister Juliette of Balthazar's Vineyard
* '''Judgement:''' Our siblings in Varushka have called for Livardz to rise from the ashes. In <u>peerless kinship</u>, Highguard answers their call. In Loyalty, let all those who can be spared from their duties journey north to help erase the stain of the Cold Sun and support the pride and prosperity of Varushka, in accordance with judgement 80.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (474-22)

===Judgement 126===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Pete Tong
* '''Judgement:''' Imperial citizens themselves humour malign agents by consorting amongst them. Beware <u>the enemy within</u>. Expermination does not justify reckless acts by mages which threaten the safety of the Empire. Do not fail to call into question those who knowingly endanger us by engaging with the Whisper Gallery or any other such entity. Hold them to account.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (172-32)

===Judgement 127===
* '''Assembly:''' Wintermark
* '''Raised By:''' Lenore Hearthweaver
* '''Judgement:''' Veikko Bondforger is a name known all across Anvil. It is known to be the name of a hero who has built up others and forged bonds of Loyalty that stretch across every nation of the Empire. They have inspired pilgrims of Loyalty across the Empire leading the Loyalty Assembly, and raised the funds to rebuild the Hall of Rund, restoring it to the Stormcrows of Wintermark. Veikko has delved into their own skein and learned wisdom from a past life and from a Krampus curse, then returned to share that wisdom with others, sparing no effort to bind the broken and forge them stronger. The very name of Bondforger is precious to us - Wintermark rose in fury when the memory of it was threatened. We therefore name Veikko Bondforger to the Chronicle of Heroism.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (304-0)
* '''Notes:''' Veikko Bondforger has been added to the [[Heroism#Chronicle_of_Heroism|Chronicle of Heroism]]

===Judgement 130===
* '''Assembly:''' Dawnish
* '''Raised By:''' Dagonet de Gauvain
* '''Judgement:''' The Karass are foreigners, not barbarians. They are friends of the Empire, not enemies. To fight an enemy is to display virtue and win glory. To bully a friend displays the exact opposite. No true Dawnish folk will hurt, molest, or harass the Karass.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (206-20)

===Judgement 131===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Lady Laudine duLac
* '''Judgement:''' We send the Silent Bell to the Bay of Catazar to investigate the Grendel spy networks in the area
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (150-34) Margin of 116
* '''Notes:''' This judgement was in competition with [[#Judgement 132|Judgement 132]]. References an offer made by the Silent Bell in the '''[[Finding_is_the_final_act#How_Many_Fields?|Finding is the final act]]''' wind of fortune. The report of the Silent Bell will be delivered before the Summer Solstice 388YE.

===Judgement 132===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Adelorna Ordraig
* '''Judgement:''' We send the Silent Bell to the Barrens to investigate the Karass and their motivations, interactions and nature of collaboration with the Druj
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (122-16) Margin of 106
* '''Notes:''' This judgement was in competition with [[#Judgement 132|Judgement 132]]

===Judgement 133===
* '''Assembly:''' Wintermark
* '''Raised By:''' Torin
* '''Judgement:''' Naming is our greatest tradition that leads us to Virtue. The Wintermark Assembly believe our new Kallavesi army should exemplify that. We support building a Hall of Names to both honour the Kallavesi fighting spirit, and chronicle the names and deeds of heroes both living and dead. Let this Hall encourage named warriors to show their Virtue, and show that there is no place for savagery or cruelty, that Wintermark fights with honour. To be named is to make our ancestors proud.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (310-10)
* '''Notes:''' More information on the Hall of Names can be found in the '''[[Flight of birds]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 134===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Jared of the Sentinels Tower
* '''Judgement:''' It is virtuous to send military forces to combat the heralds of any eternals with enmity. It is important we do not dilute our efforts. Look to the Vigilance Assembly for direction to the immediate threat.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (246-0)

===Judgement 135===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Illya Nikovitch Volkov
* '''Judgement:''' Citizens of Varushka, the Varushkan children at Anvil have been investigating the lack of bees in Karov. Honey Bee of the Sovereign's Head asked the coven 'Moonlight Finds the Mountain Pass' to petition Sung for aid in this endeavour. As a result of this investigation, the National Assembly of Varushka urges all Prosperous citizens to aid in re-flowering Karov. Plant flowers, send seeds. Make Karov bloom again.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (228-0)

===Judgement 136===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Lepidina
* '''Judgement:''' We recognise and welcome the statement by the Navarr National Assembly (Judgement 71) and its highest calling to assist in defeating the vallorn. Urizen welcomes their aid and expertise.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (162-0)

===Judgement 139===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Larkin Otterways
* '''Judgement:''' The enemy are in our heartland. Just as we did in the Mourn, so shall we do in Upwold. Open your doors to Mitwold refugees, share the food from your table, and the labour with your neighbours. We encourage the people of Upwold to open your their doors to welcome Mitwold refugees. In Loyalty, we left others up.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (106-0)

===Judgement 140===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Echo of the House of the Wanderer
* '''Judgement:''' I, Echo of the House of the Wanderer, on behalf of the Urizen National Assembly wish to condemn Aspar of Urizen by promoting the False Virtue, PURITY, by offering to give clemency to Severus of the Blinding Sun, under a virtue not recognised by Imperial Law. This action sets not only a poor example, but encourage other priests to follow his foolish actions. WISDOM DEMANDS WE CHASTISE THE <U>FOOL</U>.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (74-82)

===Judgement 144===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Galene Netherwatch
* '''Judgement:''' The Urizen National Assembly supports the efforts of the Gryphon's Pride in improving the Empire's relationship with the septs of the Sarangrave; the Bloodwater Spears, the Waterwalkers, and the free folk who have no sept. Let us uplift each other in Pride and prove the Empire are not the masters they think we are.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (244-0)

===Judgement 147===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Amaro d'Apulian
* '''Judgement:''' Since parting ways with Varushka, Temeschwar has forged its own identity as the League's city of craft and commerce. The city is more than its rats. Temeschwari citizens deserve to celebrate their achievements. The National Assembly encourages them to demand Giselle's Tomb to become the Pride of Temeschwar.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (184-0)

===Judgement 151===
* '''Assembly:''' Imperial Orc
* '''Raised By:''' Bloodcrow Knott
* '''Judgement:''' The Unshackled National Assembly thanks the Illarawm for the opportunity to create the annals of ancestors. Let the first words carved into the side of the Ossuary be: "When faced with the choice between death or protecting what is worthy, we face no choice at all. For if we stand our ground, our ancestors will welcome us on the other side of the abyss". - Jannik of the Rahvin, slaughtered by the Gryphon's Pride, ancestor of Bloodcrow Knott. His words speak of facing a force determined to wipe out your culture. The Rahvin still live due to the ultimate sacrifice of their heroes.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (110-0)

===Judgement 156===
* '''Assembly:''' Imperial Orc
* '''Raised By:''' Skywise Gralka
* '''Judgement:''' I was afraid, I broke my ties to the general in the dark, cut marks that made me his from my skin, then fled into the Sarangrave swamp to escape, the mud was deep and stank of poison. I was alone, the banners painted Druj did not matter here. And then came the sound of Drums, I followed that sound. I did not want to be alone. I saw a light. In that light the shaman and preachers of the Summer Storm passionately spoke of worth and virtue and I wanted for what they had. The Imperial Orc National Assembly encourages the shaman and preachers of the second legion to guide the lost and those who have escaped the Druj.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (110-0)

===Judgement 157===
* '''Assembly:''' Imperial Orc
* '''Raised By:''' Bloodcrow Meep
* '''Judgement:''' The National Assembly extends its thanks to the Black Tillers for their careful cultivation of Hearkerner's Hope; and for the insight and intention that guides its creation. Alas, the yield of the Legion's Rookery has already been committed to a competing opportunity, and cannot be turned aside. Even so, we recognise the worth of this work and would still seek access to Hearkener's Hope. The Assembly therefore asks whether the Black Tillers might consider an alternative for example, allowing orc priests to purchase it through the exchange of liao. Let no good root go untended.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (110-0)
* '''Notes:''' The Black Tillers presented an offer to the Imperial Orcs to take ownership of the Legion's Rookery in the '''[[Every day of your life]]''' wind of fortune.

===Judgement 159===
* '''Assembly:''' Dawnish
* '''Raised By:''' Enchantress Areloe Larmallevés
* '''Judgement:''' People of Dawn, our cousins in the Marches need our help: They need to raise their fifth army. However they can't due to their obligation to feed the Thule. Our senators and I ask us to help, this is not a permanent fixture. Once the breadbasket is expanded they have promised to take the obligation back. Let us help! Let us work with our cousins! Let us show what Dawn does for our Empire! Our National Assembly endorse feeding the Thule!
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (420-0)
* '''Notes:''' References the [[387YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Replace_Food_to_Thule|motion]] raised by the Senator for Semmerholm and passed by the Senate that replaced the food sent to the Thule as part of the ongoing [[Ratify Thule Treaty Spring 387YE|Thule treaty]]

===Judgement 160===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Fredegar Bloodmouth
* '''Judgement:''' Courageous Marchers of the Gullet! The end is in sight for the plague of coral husks. The National Assembly calls for citizens along the Gullet's coast to collect samples of coral wisely and with vigilance. If this task is undertaken and an infection is present, seek the assistance of a shatter magician and qualified physick. Samples, alive or dead, should go to Houses Goatsbridge and Myrtle for further investigation. Noting the loyalty and pride of the bold marchers, the Assembly also warns special vigilance in this task. If it comes between Marcher lives or husks samples, choose life every time.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (168-0)

==Mandate==
===Judgement 9===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Frater Pontius of Adoniram's Testament
* '''Judgement:''' Be alert to all dangers; within and without. We send Frater Pontius of Adoniram's Testament with 50 doses of liao to encourage our courageous soldiers to stand apart from these servants of eternals. Seek out falsehood and expose the truth.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (678-12)
* '''Enacted''' Highborn soldiers [[The_thing_with_feathers#In_the_Fields_of_Glory_(Eleonaris)|will deliberately keep their distance from any heralds]] sent to fight alongside them.

===Judgement 70===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Harwyn Eternal
* '''Judgement:''' The Terunael city of Hacynian has passed into history, ruined by the vallorn. We send Towlen Nighthaven with 25 liao to urge the folk of Hercynia. To swear an oath that neither they nor their ancestors will seek to rebuild Hacynian. Accept its passing as a sacrifice for future free of the folly of Terunael.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (223-16)
* '''Enacted:''' Kaela will provide her support for the construction of [[Every_path_you_know#Beware_of_Dog|the Grim Pryamid]] in the Starless Vale.

===Judgement 71===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Teleri Thornweaver
* '''Judgement:''' The Virtuous raise up their fellows. Any nation willing to raise arms and join the Vallornguard shall have our full support. We send Brynn Tendfallen with 50 doses of liao to lead our people in sharing everything we have with Urizen to prepare to finish the fight.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (267-0)
* '''Enacted:''' Navarr from all walks of life [[Every_path_you_know#Thanks_for_Sharing|will travel to the named nation looking for ways to help]]. This will generate at least one opportunity for a new Imperial title to help the Vallornguard prepare for the fight with the enemy.

===Judgement 79===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Azir i Shartha i Riqueza
* '''Judgement:''' Beware the seduction of the false virtue of Anarchy! We send Azir i Shartha i Riqueza with 150 doses of liao to rally the people of the Brass Coast to turn away from those who would revel in false freedoms. Reject Anarchy, lest your virtue be lost! Let virtue reveal the deceiver!
* '''Outcome:''' Not upheld (42-96)

===Judgement 88===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Joran of Reikos
* '''Judgement:''' Seek out falsehood and expose the truth! We send Joran of Reikos with 25 doses of liao to rally the people of Highguard to use their well-earned skills to find those who betray the people of Sarvos. Let Virtue reveal the deceiver!
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (552-0)
* '''Enacted:''' Highborn congregations can [[Finding_is_the_final_act#Expose_the_Truth|lecture to citizens to investigate Sarvos]].

===Judgement 107===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Viviane Barossa
* '''Judgement:''' Seek out falsehood and expose the truth! We send Viviane Barossa with 25 liao to rally the people of the League to use their well-earned skills to find those who betray the people of Sarvos. Let virtue reveal the deceiver!
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (552-0)
* '''Enacted:''' League congregations can [[Finding_is_the_final_act#Expose_the_Truth|lecture to citizens to investigate Sarvos]].

===Judgement 109===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Veikko Bondforger
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to deploy the Eyes of Loyalty to embolden the following mandate: The Virtuous raise up their fellows. Any nation willing to raise arms and join the Vallornguard shall have our full support. We send Halkyon of the Myriad Stream with 25 liao to lead our people in sharing everything we have with Urizen to prepare to finish the fight
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (316-28)
* '''Enacted:''' The loyal will seek to assist with [[#Judgement 71|Judgement 71]]

===Judgement 116===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Creighton Blackewater
* '''Judgement:''' Pride in small things, Loyalty to great ones. We send Richard with 50 doses of liao to encourage Marcher citizens to settle the land. War is a thrice-ploughed field.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (144-0)
* '''Enacted:''' For one year, [[The_circle_game#Stirring_the_Pot|Marcher citizens can change a military unit, fleet, herb garden, mine or forest to a farm]] of the same resource level in the same territory without incurring a cost. Players wishing to take advantage of this opportunity should {{plot}}.

===Judgement 118===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Paulus Adelaar van Holberg
* '''Judgement:''' Nothing great without cost. We send Frideswide Adelaar van Holberg with 50 doses of liao to encourage League citizens to invest in business. Coin counts and everything costs!
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (230-0)
* '''Enacted:''' For one year, [[The_circle_game#Stirring_the_Pot|League citizens can change a military unit, fleet, herb garden, mine or forest to a business]] of the same resource level in the same territory without incurring a cost. Players wishing to take advantage of this opportunity should {{plot}}.

===Judgement 124===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Exarch Aemon of the Suns of Couros
* '''Judgement:''' The Sarcophan folk of Alivetti estates celebrate their enclave, but we must all remain vigilant to the threats it may represent. While they seem to be honest traders, their ways are not our ways, and their faith is very different to ours. Their refusal to acknowledge Imperial law is a challenge to the Empire. We send Exarch Aemon with 25 doses of liao to urge all virtuous citizens who must attend this gathering to keep their wits about them and remain alert for threats within and without.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (338-54)
* '''Enacted:''' Sends a message to the Alivetti estates that [[A_wild_night_and_a_new_road#Party_Planning|while that nation tolerates them, they do not welcome further engagement]].

===Judgement 158===
* '''Assembly:''' Imperial Orc
* '''Raised By:''' Skywise Rykana
* '''Judgement:''' Ambition is much more than lines on a map. We send Jim with 15 crowns to lead a delegation of mystics and shamans to discover more of the ancestors the Karass.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (110-0)
* '''Enacted:''' Jim will lead a group of willing orcs [[Every_day_of_your_life#Spanning_the_Abyss|in search of information and lore about the ancestors of the Karass]].

==Writ of Consecration==
Two [[writ of consecration|writs of consecration]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 56===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Martin Orchard
* '''Judgement:''' We have the exemplar, now where is their tomb? This assembly authorises and applauds the creation of an inspirational site to memorialise the <u>EXEMPLAR OF VIGILANCE, RAVADI FOUNDERS’ DANCE</u> (consecrated to vigilance, of course).
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (334-20)

===Judgement 56===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Skáldsgrým Dunhearth
* '''Judgement:''' Following the recent destruction of the historic meeting stone where the Jotun and Empire could meet. We the Loyalty Assembly seek a 'writ of consecration' to dedicate part of the newly built feasting hall on Gull Island to Loyalty. We wish to recognise it's importance and protect from future harm as a place of both virtue and honour. Loyalty is not displayed by words or deeds alone, but the unity of both.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (534-0)

==Revocation==
One [[revocation]] was presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 142===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Rosanna Vtrachenich
* '''Judgement:''' It is the unwise boyar who leaves none to tend the hearth. Sirka Parakgoosier Bashnya, Senator for Karsk, has abandoned their post and left no named proxy. It is your prerogative however there is no excuse in not providing a contingency. We in the Varushkan Assembly move for revocation.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (174-0)

==Proscription==
Fifteen judgements of [[proscription]] were raised in the General Assembly during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 4===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes the use of the ceremony of excommunication without authorisation by writ of the Synod as an abuse of powers.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1522-684)

===Judgement 5===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes as blasphemy the act of dedicating any person to a false virtue or of creating an aura of a false virtue.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (2301-370)

===Judgement 6===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The desecration or destruction of any relics associated with a paragon or exemplar, or the destruction of any memorial associated with them, is proscribed.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1744-290)

===Judgement 7===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The General Assembly proscribes the Excessionist Heresy - the claim that too much of a Virtue can be as bad as too little.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1532-580)

===Judgement 8===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The General Assembly proscribes the creation of statues in the likeness of any eternal. It is idolatry to commission a structure designed to honour an inhuman entity.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (1094-1254)

===Judgement 17===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Corey Wayfarer
* '''Judgement:''' The General Assembly proscribes the Yaelian Heresy - the belief in the Land Without Tears and in Yael as a rebirth of the First Empress. These have shown to be false.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1880-110)

===Judgement 24===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Vaclav Mladenovich Kosti
* '''Judgement:''' The Eternal Sadogua, the Brother of Wizards, has boasted of being the same entity known in the Iron Confederacy as Dumon, Father of Lies, a god within the Suranni pantheon. Nonetheless, he constantly seeks tribute, veneration, and adulation from the citizens of the Empire. The General Assembly proscribes the creation of statues, fanes, or edifices created in honour of Sadogua. It is idolatry to commission or to build such a thing.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (860-992)

===Judgement 97===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Brother Geoffrey Orchard
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes the receiving of a False Virtue Anointing or a False Virtue Dedication as BLASPHEMY.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1252-536)

===Judgement 110===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Syene
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes the act of ceding land to those who are not sentient beings of this world, such as eternals or tulpas, as an act of idolatry. We make clear that it is the act of ceding itself that is idolatrous, and those who are responsible for such places are not de facto idolators.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (698-864)

===Judgement 128===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Felix Saltspire
* '''Judgement:''' Venerating an icon of an Eternal is Idolatry. Producing an Image of one is just Art. To make art exalts your pride. To venerate an eternal subsumes your will.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (496-244)

===Judgement 145===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Eevi of the Gadrai
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes entering into the service of an eternal or tulpa, where the service subsumes the individual's free will. This is idolatry. This is different from bartering for limited boons in service to your virtue.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1010-102)

===Judgement 152===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Alessi of the Basilisks of the Labyrinth
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of vengeance
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (804-46)

===Judgement 153===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Olyvar of Esther's Sanctum
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of understanding
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (770-70)

===Judgement 154===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Silas of the Cenotaph
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of hatred
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (842-46)

===Judgement 155===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Theodora
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of freedom
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (790-70)

==Inquisition==
Nine [[inquisition|inquisitions]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 18===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Cato Hypation
* '''Judgement:''' I call <u>Severus of the Blinding Sun</u> to inquisition, at a time to be arranged at the convenience of the magistrates at this summit. Let him be provided with an opportunity to defend his creed under Imperial scrutiny, having failed to defend it under Sword Scholar tradition.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (30-0)

===Judgement 29===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvidottir
* '''Judgement:''' I call Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer to inquisition Saturday 16:00 at the Wanderers camp. Concerning her courage involving the autumn realm, raising an army for her nation and other matters that come up.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (118-10)

===Judgement 30===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Eirlys Ashes Blaze
* '''Judgement:''' Raising a Statement of revocation as the adjutant of the general you are targeting is an action worthy of Scrutiny. I call Harwyn Eternal to Inquisition, to tell me the loyalty in his action and answer to the treachery it appears to be. Woven roots camp Saturday 5:00pm in Navarr (right by Songs and Stories).
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (202-0)

===Judgement 48===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Arvel Tendfallen
* '''Judgement:''' I call Silas of the Cenotaph to inquisition at the Tendfallen camp in Navarr at 11am on the Saturday of this summit to discuss the virtue of his decision to canvas against a certain judgement last summit.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (30-16)

===Judgement 57===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost
* '''Judgement:''' Magistrate Sayid i Zurhi i Erigo. I call you to inquisition on the matter of a spontaneous aura upon your soul and its unclear virtuous nature. We will test what virtuous guidance it offers you. 14:00. The hub annex.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (248-0)

===Judgement 85===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Nim of Ebon's Hall
* '''Judgement:''' Iniska Ashwood, I am interested in testing whether you have been wise during your time as Inquisitor. I fear you take the words of fools too seriously. Saturday 14:00-:1500. Woven Roots.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (332-10)

===Judgement 96===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Brynmor Rootround
* '''Judgement:''' I call Neve Dreadshield, of the Quiet Step to inquisition. This winter Neve has sacrificed all her oaths to save the people. As Navarr, our tattoos make us one nation. Let her speak if her Loyalties lie with Navarr or her actions lead to her being foresworn. Drunken Goose meeting room 5:00pm Navarr
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (233-0)

===Judgement 101===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Donato of the Crucible
* '''Judgement:''' I call Cosme i Guerra, magistrate, to discuss: their role in cursing Veikko Bondforger; the virtue in this action; how this was not acting in the spirit of <u>retribution</u>. Wanderer's camp, Urizen, Sat 5pm
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (120-0)

===Judgement 150===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement:''' I call to Inquisition Mendicant Garev of Highguard to investigate his claims of Prosperity while refusing to pay those who saved his life. This will occur at the spring summit when he is available (there will be cake)
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (334-20)

===Writs of Inquisition===
The following writs of inquisition were issued this summit:
{|
| '''Called by''' || '''Subject''' || '''Judgement or Title''' || '''Matter'''
|-
| Cato Hypation || [[To_fight_aloud#Fallen_Hero|Severus of the Blinding Sun]] || [[#Judgement 18|Judgement 18]] || His [[The_deepest_cut#Interred_With_Their_Bones|creed]]
|-
| Maarit Suvidottir || Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer || [[#Judgement 29|Judgement 29]] || Her [[Courage]] involving the [[Realm#Autumn|Autumn realm]] and raising an army
|-
| Eirlys Ashes Blaze || Harwyn Eternal || [[#Judgement 30|Judgement 30]] || Calling for the revocation of his [[general]] as [[General#Appoint an Adjutant|adjutant]]
|-
| Arvel Tendfallen || Silas of the Cenotaph || [[#Judgement 48 |Judgement 48]] || Canvassing against a [[Judgement]] at the previous summit
|-
| Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost || [[Civil_Service#Imperial_Magistracy|Magistrate]] Sayid i Zurhi i Erigo || [[#Judgement 57|Judgement 57]] || A spontaneous aura
|-
| Nim of Ebon's Hall || Iniska Ashwood || [[#Judgement 85|Judgement 85]] || Their [[Wisdom]] as [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor]]
|-
| Brynmor Rootround || Neve Dreadshield || [[#Judgement 96|Judgement 96]] || Sacrificing her oaths
|-
| Donato of the Crucible || [[Civil_Service#Imperial_Magistracy|Chief Magistrate]] Cosme i Zuhri i Guerra || [[#Judgement 101|Judgement 101]] || Cursing Veikko Bondforger
|-
| Iniska Ashwood || [[Apparently_with_no_surprise#Whatever_Happened_to_Mendicant_Garev?|Mendicant Garev]] || [[#Judgement 150|Judgement 150]] || Refusing to pay those who saved his life, at the Spring summit
|-
| Galene Netherwatch || Mirella of the Twisted Rose || [[Arcane Inquisitor]] || Her work as [[Archmage of Summer]], especially with regards to [[Knights of Glory]]
|-
| Vauraus "Prosperity's Forge" Korppitkotka || Natalia "The Falcon" Barossa || [[Auditor of Senatorial Accountability]] || Their work as [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies]]
|-
| Alfred Eawolfson || Tristan Ramson von Holberg || [[Basilisk of the Bourse]] || Virtue and Economics, at the Spring summit
|-
| Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost || Ser Guy of the Twisted Rose || [[Imperial Inquisitor]] || Their dealings with [[Irra Harah]]
|-
| Maarit Suvidottir || (the Face of) the Earl of Fools || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Courage]] || Taking [[Liao#True Liao|True Liao]]
|-
| Eevi of the Gadrai || Bloodcrow Rasp || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Loyalty]] || Bonds built across the Empire
|-
| Iniska Ashwood || [[Emperor Vesna|Emperor Vesna Borkovna Prochnost]] || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Prosperty]] || Their [[Prosperity]]
|-
| Jedediah Boon || Brother Geoffrey Orchard || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Pride]] || Words and acts of questionable virtue
|-
| Brother Geoffrey Orchard || Ibiss Briarheart || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Vigilance]] || [[Realm#Spring|Spring]], its perils & lessons, at the Spring summit
|-
|}

==Sanction==
Twenty-four [[sanction|sanctions]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice
===Judgement 5===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Jedidiah Boon
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Sabella of the Silent Tide; Only a person’s own actions may be judged under an Inquisitor’s gaze, and each action you have taken has been guided by Virtue. The Proud embrace their past acts and strive to repeat - or learn from - them going forward. You did not earn the steadfast Loyalty of your Chapter for nothing; your trust in them to conduct themselves with Virtue is testament to that Loyalty returned. You have shown unfaltering Pride in taking the path you deem Virtuous and continuing to walk it. Your Chapter walks with you. The shared desire expressed to let sleeping dogs lie has been accepted Virtuously. Inquisition is our sacred tool for raising the sword when required, just as it is one for putting down the sword where needed - let this Vindication acknowledge the Pride in your actions and bring conclusion to previous division.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (126-34)

===Judgement 15===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Jedidiah Boon
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Myshki Marishka Letuchaya, Little Boyar of Levski, Senator for Miekarova, Leader of the Vale’s Heart, lighter of the lamp in the dark. Your visage is etched in stone, your hand now and always fortifying Delev. The Little Boyar’s Welcome stands; your Legacy stands with it. It is clear as a cloudless day that you have carved out your Benevolence in defiance of the Cold Sun, building refuge for those displaced by its hatred. Stories follow you from Anvil; how you have raised castle walls, been the architect of armies. What Inspiration this will become will be for your friends and followers to witness. Pride uplifts. Inquisition tests. The Signs of the Exemplar have ignited themselves in your actions. Surely as you pursue Virtue closer to home, your future deeds will be watched closer still.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (160-0)

===Judgement 31===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Escalating J231, Summer 387. I inquisited Viviane Barossa about the courage of her past year of challenges to fulfil a vow to carry a hallowing. I however failed because it became incredibly clear throughout this inquisition that what motivates the soul and body of Viviane is the burning flame of Ambition. Excessionism is a heresy and one that she does not follow, she committed to this challenge with her whole self. Her ambition in this act is the salvation of Axos and bringing them to the Way and out of their misunderstanding of the world. Her route is reaching out to them so they can see we can be worked with before encouraging them to come to us, to learn from our schools of thought in exchange knowing that this will help expose the failings in their philosophy and use of these dangerous auras. While intellectually she understood this aura she told me she was still not prepared enough for the way it pushed her to freeze up, to fawn to threats, to want to give everything over and just perform what the other person wanted. She condemns this aura as unvirtuous and has and I’m sure will again speak at length against its use. She seemed justifiably angry that she has had to spend a year wasting political capital and time being inquisited, doing penance, being threatened and assaulted, and having to avoid helping reform doctrine but I think felt it worthwhile to build this bridge with Axos.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (166-10)

===Judgement 32===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Escalating Judgement 226 Summer 387 - I clear Genoveva and Rafael Barossa d’Apulian of any nonsense about running a “dark crusade” sacrificing virtue of innocents. If debate and discussion be the food of priests I have eaten well in this inquisition. These are courageous citizens of the Empire who are dedicating themselves to both the material and spiritual conditions of human souls both inside and outside of our borders and facing the challenges and problems we are in with courage, without pretending such obstacles do not exist. While they appear to disagree on Asavea they are both devoted to liberation and protection of souls and spreading The Way, and work towards such things even occasionally at the expense of personal relationships. These views may also stem from their cooperation enabling the Night Fane to Sung in Spiral going through Senate, they however have clear views on the dangers of this and how it is being overseen to understand the role that Fanes may play in the future of the Empire and wish us to understand them. They’re both magicians with above board dealings with a handful of Eternals. If you wish to understand their virtue talk to them.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (236-10)

===Judgement 37===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Galene Netherwatch
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I vindicate Sakari, Grandmaster of the Rod and Shield for raising a Declaration to uninterdict Rivers Run Red. His Ambition to achieve his goals through any means is clear. Just because you disagree with a person’s actions does not mean they are unvirtuous.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (742-96)

===Judgement 39===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Brother Geoffrey Orchard
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Escalating from Judgement 39 of Autumn 387: LUCA I TAZIEL I RIQUEZA, CARDINAL OF PROSPERITY, offered a clear description of the circumstances around Aunty Hem’s Dedication to Anarchy, her subsequent Inquisition, and the fact that he was aware of her status for a full season before undertaking any action. This was a failing of Vigilance, and in so failing the Cardinal missed an opportunity to pull Aunty Hem back from the brink. I have proposed - and the Cardinal has agreed - that the right Penance is for the Cardinal to SPEND A YEAR UNDER ANOINTINGS OF VIGILANCE. This will allow Luca to better know this Virtue, without interfering with the Cardinal’s duties to Prosperity. In Escalating I ask the Synod to ENDORSE this course of action and to SUPPORT Luca in knowing Prosperity better. Full Inquisition reports available from me and from the citizen noticeboard. (ON OPPOSITE WALL.)
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1128-54)

===Judgement 41===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Lars Makarov
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' I Lars Makarov present my findings of following the inquisition in Autumn 387. My aim was to examine if the 5 named members of the Guard, who had taken Dark Wine and were seen to bite fallen Jotun in battle during Spring and Summer, were using it as a cover for worship of Blood in the Snow. Conclusion - None of those named in Autumn 387 serve Agramant, but by following Virtue you will all stand better prepared for the trails to come. Judgement has been provided to Molli to bear the weight of a either the Hallowing of Permion or of Isaella’s Resolve for a year and for Slark to carry a Hallowing of the Questor, to remind you of the importance of asking questions. To help continue to live with virtue.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (150-0)

===Judgement 45===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Lepidina, Chaplain Consular. I find your actions and virtue beyond reproach on the matter of Fintan Nighthaven. I look forward to watching the progression of your career.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (862-52)

===Judgement 46===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Aster Acae. You served as Chaplain Consular during the most critical juncture of Fintan Nighthaven’s tenure as Ambassador to Axos and found yourself ill-equipped for the necessities of the position. There is little point in wondering what could have been avoided had you acted. You did not. But you have done something few are capable of - you own your mistakes and learn from them. These lessons have cost much. Do not squander them.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (812-72)

===Judgement 62===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Kaspar Yakovitch von Holberg
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Teodore Dusesna of the Camorra Dusesna, you have been inquisited regarding your accusations of idolatry against Genoveva Barossa d’Apulian, Sofonisba Amilcara, Cesare di Tassato and Raphael Barossa d’Apulian and have been found wanting. You admitted you knew your accusations had no basis in fact or as anything other than unfounded gossip yet you repeated them as factual truth. The Virtuous do not tear down others nor demean them, yet you spent your time in baseless accusations. Your penance is to spend the next three months speaking with those you spread your accusations to, advising them of the lack of substance and apologising for misleading them. Following this you will attend Anvil to make a public apology to those you wronged, at the League Assembly meeting 7pm Friday of the Spring Solstice.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (304-0)

===Judgement 63===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Elagabala
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' The Loyal serve without concern for reward, ignore qualms of actions they take for their loyalty, defend that which they care about, and protect those they love from harm regardless of any cost. Knight-Captain Alethia Wooder was not only willing to pay that cost, but did. I find no fault in their Virtue when treating with Agramant. It was impeccable. Her heart was guided by the true Loyalty of her soul, in accordance with all appropriate teachings and auras thereof. As she continues her journey on the path, she should remember that whilst the Loyal are ready to pay this cost, she should be conscious it never strays to acting as the Peaceful Martyr, willing to suffer to alleviate the suffering of others, as this, as she knows, is a malign spiritual intent.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (888-58)

===Judgement 73===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I called General Jean d'Apulian to inquisition as my first act as Inquisitor of Prosperity, as asked by members of House de Gauvain. Jean was open and honest about what happened to the permanent enchantment of Bound by Common Cause on the Wolves of War. His Loyalty shone through his words and actions. His Prosperity is also unquestionable; when the enchantment changed, the Empire would have had to pay to remove it. Jean was able to engineer another option, that saw the army able to resupply and stand stronger for the Empire. I would, however, prevail upon his virtue and ask that he find a way to remember Maurice de Gauvain to the League and the Empire
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (182-20)

===Judgement 75===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Lugh Llaw Whisperleaf, I am not sure what I expected when I called you to Inquisition. Please thank your friends again for the song. I cannot call into question your virtue, your Prosperity, Loyalty, or Pride. You took heretical icons out of the grasping hands of would-be cultists, ensuring you did not impoverish those who found them, and show your work with Pride. Your decision to Hallow them to True Virtues and share them with fellow Magpies who prove themselves Virtuous and worthy is a good one. I look forwards to hearing from whoever investigates the Vallorn flowers you wear on your hat.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (197-10)

===Judgement 76===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Cadenza i Fontanilla i Riqueza, Nation's Hearth, I called you to Inquisition to investigate your Prosperity and I have not been left wanting. You work hard at the Spilled Tea each day, and do not rest on your laurels with the money you make. You give so much to your Nation, to your Empire, and you deserve recognition. So many see Prosperity as the act of making money, but you make sure it keeps moving, going where it needs to go. You remind people what a single soul can do when it chooses to. You walk the path of Prosperity well, and I seek to learn your example.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (207-0)

===Judgement 84===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Nim of Ebon's Hall
* '''Judgement - Condemnation:''' Gisli, you told me that beneath a shroud of your own creation lay one of the true Virtues of the Way - but I found only Anarchy. For this, we condemn you for Blasphemy. The Institutions of the Casinean Empire will do well without your malign influence
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (256-32)

===Judgement 102===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Emperor Vesna, you asked me to inquisit you to judge and recognise your Prosperity, and I am honoured that you did. Your work in Ossium gave freed slaves the opportunities to become Prosperous citizens, and you have continued this on the grandest scale across and beyond the Empire. Your foresight into the only path to take to bring the Way to the world is inspiring, and as a Navarri, your willingness to make the hard choices resonates. There is only one thing I disagree with you on - you <u>are</u> loved by your Empire. To remind you of this, the Prosperity Assembly wish to Testimony you as "Beloved" with the strength of 7 priests.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (171-30)

===Judgement 108===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Pete Tong
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Juniper du Froste, Merchant of the Fangs, in your inquisition you showed me and my co-council of your virtue. Not only are you ambitious, wise, and Prosperous - your intentions and competency are clear - but your loyalty to the Empire's duty to the Rahvin and your commitment to them is commendable. Maybe one day more bourse seat holders may be like you, and we might live in a better world.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (734-20)

===Judgement 113===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' T i Dahr i Riqueza
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Gisli (Judgement 84 Wisdom) is not guilty of Blasphemy because it is not yet a crime. We condemn people for the crimes we have written down - and in fact he was wise in his efforts to remove the effects of his experiments with the aura "to trust his own judgement." Gisli is wise, knows the law, knows magic, and makes very good business decisions. He is an asset to the Empire, and it would be wise to see the fault of his actions, which were not illegal as dedication itself is not blasphemy. Fintan Nighthaven's poison must be cleared from the Empire, but not by killing all those he poisoned.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (266-924)
* '''Notes:''' Scrutiny was extended on this judgement by '''Silas of the Cenotaph''', the [[Cardinal of Wisdom]]

===Judgement 137===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I inquisited Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer (J29) and found her courage evident. She has a strong theology and practical virtue is important to her. She is fully aware of what she needs courage to face and what challenges are within her capabilities more easily. She faces things clearly and knows when to press forward and when to try new approaches and I feel she will continue to work on her soul, improve this empire and inspire others to act for a long time.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (120-0)

===Judgement 138===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I inquisited Ida the River today at 15:00 about courage. She spoke well of her virtue and the challenges she faces in life, the ways she faces dangers and failures. Others of the hospital spoke well of her, Tiberius described her as his rock, the most steadfast mother and north star Kellen of Kingstoke attributed Ida's courage with her continuing at the hospital. Ambrove di Sarvos talked of Ida pushing them forwards to establish connections. Emileo di Sarvos talked of her not hesitating. Isolde said she gives others courage, not aiming to inspire just doing a ripple of virtue from her actions.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (130-00)

===Judgement 143===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Eirlys Ashes Blaze
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Harwyn Eternal described his loyalty and conviction in seeing Navarr best represented in military council. I think that this conviction is a testament to his loyalty to Navarr. However, his actions have not build up the people and team that forms the Navarr contingent of the military council. I call Harwyn to tell me in a years time of the actions that he takes from today to act with his virtue to aid this team and the goals of the military council team, in the interest of elevating his words with actions.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (66-0)

===Judgement 146===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Eevi of the Gadrai
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Following the inquisition of Dagon Barossa it was clear that whilst his intention was virtuous, his decision to give away the shield intended for the Champion of Loyalty lacked loyalty. It tore down his fellows and his words and deeds not united. I task Dagon to suffer the curse Bitter Mantle of the Leaden Crown next season. Even the strongest may err, the truly great learn from what scars them
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (208-0)

===Judgement 148===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Brynmor Rootround
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Neve, over the long dark, lost all her oaths in sacrifice to the Empire. SHE decided the price was of worth against the Duvanku. Without her, all of Sarangrave would have been plunged into the depths of a winter curse upon the lands. She took this great sacrifice in loyalty to the Dreadshields, to Navarr, and to the Empire, with Pride and great Courage. May she be Branded to honour her actions, knowing they will be remembered and respected, and testimony her with "Oathsworn Renewed"
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (142-0)

===Judgement 149===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I inquisited the Earl of Fools, along with several others. He was pleasant if nervous and demonstrated a clear growth of virtue and courage to acknowledge his actions. I wish him well in future endeavours and look forward to his benevolence in his virtue and in the future
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (84-0)

==Recognition==
Two judgements of [[recognition]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 72===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Luca i Taziel i Riqueza
* '''Judgement:''' To recognise Zemress i Ezamara i Erigo as a Paragon of Prosperity. Her Exemplardom is known. There is no question of Benevolence, Inspiration, Pilgrimage, Salvation and Legacy. There never has been. No voices have spoken out against her Liberation. No Past Life Visions to be seen, and no ashes yet found. For Miracles we need only look. Look to the past. The Kraken's Bane returning to post. She was thought lost in the bay with her captain. But there She came. Un-crewed. Bound for home. Look to the present. The Captain's Touch, a treasure trove of True Auras tied to Zemress. Hallows a-plenty, easy to find by simply asking an enthusiastic Zemress at Anvil. The Sumaah already recognise our captain. In times of uncertainty, let us look to stories we know are true; a Paragon that already teaches the Known World what a Prosperity looks like
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (223-30)

===Judgement 83===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Masha Sigeling
* '''Judgement:''' We recognise Rahvin as an Exemplar of Courage and the first Ancestor Exemplar. <u>Inspiration</u> Fighting against the Druj, surrounded on all fronts, he inspired his people and thousands of others to fight to the bitter end, courageously standing for what they believed in, time and again. <u>Benevolence</u> Rahvin suffered greatly in the fight for the freedom of the Barrens, committing his life to bring about a better future for his people. <u>Liberation</u> Many individuals close to Rahvin report hearing his voice as an Ancestor, proof that, from his courageous actions he has crossed the Howling Abyss. <u>Legacy</u> Though the Rahvin (people) were thought destroyed by the Druj, they lived on, and fight now in his name to drive the Druj east into the sea. <u>Salvation</u> Rahvin was the driving force behind the uprising against the Druj in the Barrens, sending them to the howling abyss and ultimately leading to his followers working with the Empire.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (238-10)

==Appointment==
Twenty one [[appointment|appointments]] were raised by the [[Tribune of the Synod]] during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 1===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Cardinal of Prosperity]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Heilyn Bronwen’s Rest''' was appointed with 126 votes; Gorwen received 20 votes; Mabel received 20 votes; Syene received 12 votes

===Judgement 2===
* '''Assembly:''' Way
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Cardinal of the Way]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Volya Nebov''' was appointed with 78 votes; Yosephus Morningson received 42 votes; Kosta-Konstanin Rabovich Bolotnikov received 30 votes; Tabris, Son or Armisael received 22 votes; Brynn Tendfallen received 10 votes

===Judgement 3===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Lepidean Librarian|Lepidean Library]] dose of [[Liao#True Liao|True Liao]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Caleb of the Cenotaph''' was selected with 426 votes; Kaspar Yakovitch von Holberg received 170 votes; Aspar received 150 votes; Gaelen Embercast received 146 votes; Claudia Varkulova Remislav received 132 votes; Mirella of the Twisted Rose received 106 votes; Starac Sijed Orzel received 74 votes; Mel of the Mourn received 44 votes; Frater Pontius of Adoniran’s Temple received 42 votes; Tom Appleseed received 30 votes

===Judgement 10===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Champion of Loyalty]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Talos of the Silent Tide''' was appointed with 206 votes; Skaldsgrym Dunhearth received 40 votes; Haungar Oakenlegs received 38 votes; Shibboleth Tzipporah received 36 votes

===Judgement 23===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Arbiter of the Four Winds]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Donato of the Crucible''' was appointed with 98 votes

===Judgement 28===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Hand to the Dance]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Farren Silver Streams''' was appointed with 90 votes; Emrys Barbbearer Edgestalker received 41 votes; Brynn Tendfallen received 28 votes

===Judgement 33===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Voice of Barbs]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Eirlys Ashes Blaze''' was appointed with 187 votes

===Judgement 43===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Speaker of the Highborn Assembly]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Nicodemus of Balthazar’s Vineyard''' was appointed with 404 votes

===Judgement 49===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Curator of the Printers' Guild Museum]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Fabio Costas d’Apulian''' was appointed with 106 votes

===Judgement 50===
* '''Assembly:''' Ambition
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Voice of Ambition]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Ser Purslane Artorigus''' was appointed with 116 votes; Lord Roland de Lagriffe received 86 votes; Earl Cerys de Rosier received 70 votes

===Judgement 51===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Champion of Pride]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Katchiana Razorradze''' was appointed with 80 votes; Vespasian received 48 votes; Kali Keen-Eye received 34 votes

===Judgement 59===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Lantern Wolf]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Nadia von Holberg''' was appointed with 176 votes; Katarina Palantini received 60 votes; Savi Avocatt received 34 votes

===Judgement 60===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Keeper of the Orchard]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Basil Goodbeard''' was appointed with 150 votes

===Judgement 61===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Keeper of Oaths]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Veikko Bondforger''' was appointed with 398 votes

===Judgement 64===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Virtue inquisitor|Inquisitor of Courage]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Masha Sigeling''' was appointed with 110 votes; Ada of House Meliora received 32 votes

===Judgement 65===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Grieftender of the Forgotten]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Miroslav Temnavoda''' was appointed with 142 votes

===Judgement 69===
* '''Assembly:''' Nine
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[High Exorcist]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Belial de Courtenay-Wyldrose''' was appointed with 6 votes. Solas of the Spire of the Waxing Sun received 1 vote

===Judgement 86===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Virtue inquisitor|Inquisitor of Wisdom]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Nim of Ebons Hall''' was appointed with 132 votes. Gwen Tendfallen received 22 votes

===Judgement 89===
* '''Assembly:''' Nine
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Basilisk of the Bourse]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Alfred Aewulfson''' was appointed with 7 votes

===Judgement 93===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Hand of Guerra]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Sufyan i Zuhri i Guerra''' was appointed with 74 votes

===Judgement 65===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Voice of Virtue|Voice of Vigilance]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Bryce the Hare''' was appointed with 94 votes

==Rewarding==
Fourteen judgements of [[rewarding]] were presented to the General Assembly during the Winter Solstice
===Judgement 10===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Valentin Ivarovich Orzel
* '''Judgement:''' The Inspirational Tomb of Ozren de Orzel has been chosen and will include an Academy of the Arts and Apartments for the High Bard of the Empire! At the formal consecration with True Liao the Culwich Witches of Weirwater have promised gifts and recognition to the Eighty-One (81) named musicians and poets chosen by the High Bard in early 386. Nearly half the funding for this Virtuous endeavour is secured. The True Liao is held in preparation. We are almost there! I request the General Assembly’s support in a Rewarding from the Virtue fund of 40 Thrones to complete the purchase of white granite to build the Bardic Academy of the Exemplar Ozren to support the ongoing work of the High Bards of the Empire and secure the Proud legacy of the 81 named performers celebrating Imperial Virtue and wonderous deeds!
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (470-662)

===Judgement 12===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Ioan Longshadow
* '''Judgement:''' Since the death of Empress Britta, the Anvil Hospital has stood as a beacon of Quiet Courage and Virtue. It has not been sustained by the Empire’s coffers, but by the Prosperity of private citizens and the relentless goodwill of volunteers. These individuals face the brutal aftermath of battle, keep soldiers in the fight, and tend to those who support them on and off the battlefield. Their Courage is not loud - but it is unyielding. And it has been overlooked for far too long. I seek the aid of the General Assembly for this Virtuous cause and request a rewarding from the Virtue Fund of 10 thrones for the purchase of herbs, mana, liao, and other essential resources in support of the Hospital - and by extension, the Empire. Let us honour the Quiet Courage of those who give their time, effort, and resources to the Hospital. Courage does not only charge - it heals, it endures, and it refuses to break.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (1242-106)

===Judgement 26===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Ser Lorell Copiste
* '''Judgement:''' It is no secret that with Dawn’s deficiency in wealth, the nation struggles to build anything of use. So that this issue may be solved, Lord Morgann de Vere, ever prideful of his homeland, ambitiously seeks 8 wains of Weirwood from the Virtue Fund, to help in constructing a great work that benefits not only Weirwater, but the nation of Dawn entire. Let Lord Morgann be rewarded, and your prosperity shall greatly aid the Dawnish people.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (300-808)

===Judgement 52===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato
* '''Judgement:''' I seek to reward VITTORE van TEMESCHWAR The sum of TWENTY-TWO THRONES From the virtue fund for having prosperously created multiple items of office and regalia for Imperial titles and to assist in his further works in this endeavour
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (382-628)

===Judgement 55===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Erasmo di Tassato
* '''Judgement:''' We reward Bledri Eternal with fifteen thrones. Bledri has spent more than 40 thrones of his own funds on codifying two rituals. Stars Mantle has already been added to Imperial Lore. Revelations of the Past, which shares a vision of an item’s past beyond the ritualist’s coven, will be added to Imperial Lore shortly after being loaned to the Academy for a period. This kind of generous prosperity should be encouraged and rewarded.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (400-582)

===Judgement 58===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Laurencio di Sarvos
* '''Judgement:''' Over 150 Imperial Fleet Captains forwent personal prosperity to support the Unguerdoned Red Wind Corsairs in destroying the pirate-cultist navy of the Children of Wrecks effectively closing a front. We reward them with 40 Thrones to be shared between them.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (620-424)

===Judgement 87===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Anatolij Paukov Zorkin
* '''Judgement:''' I am seeking 6 wains of white granite to create a monument to the Silent Bell sodality to reward their tireless work Vigilantly and Courageously defending this Empire and furthering our knowledge of the Way. I have the Senate announcement, I have the labour costs, all I need is the white granite
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, partial (three white granite) (528-334)

===Judgement 90===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Oleander Ashwood
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to reward Geraint Bronwen's Rest with 16 weirwood to be put towards the City of Dreams. This is an investment in to the future of Navarr and will allow us to seek new ways to use liao
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (434-389)

===Judgement 99===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Lia Adelaar
* '''Judgement:''' The Kleists of Holberg have, through their ingenuity and tireless effort, succeeded in raising the walls of Holberg to be the greatest fortification in the known world. Funds for this great work (500T) come from the Kleists' efforts co-ordinating the prosperity of our citizens and from their own pockets. We ask for a rewarding of 8 white granite in recognition of their great Ambition and Prosperity, and to support future projects including the Imperatrix docks.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, but none remain (408-380)

===Judgement 103===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Cyrus of Athaliah's Handiwork
* '''Judgement:''' We award Naomi of Felix's Watch, 5 wains of white granite towards the restoration of Berechiah's Basilica in Bastion, which is in a dangerous state of disrepair, and is a threat to the life and limb of pilgrims. It was consecrated with true liao in 385YE and has provided only a fraction of the benefit it might have. Now, when we need Berechiah's inspiration to fight foreign espionage rings is the perfect time to complete the work and create a new title to be appointed by the Vigilance Assembly
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (672-214)

===Judgement 115===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Catena
* '''Judgement:''' To bring the Way to the hermit kingdom of Tsark, we must <u>talk</u> to them. An opportunity to build that bridge has arisen in the form of the Garden of the Perfect World - this will allow us to trade weirwood to them for white granite and improve the Prosperity of us both. This door was opened by Abel the Rounder, and I ask that this Assembly provide him 8 wains of weirwood in order that it may be built as soon as possible.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, but none remain (188-154)

===Judgement 120===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Emrys Fleurir
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to reward Ser Raine Fisher with 16 Weirwood for their efforts in rousing Dawnish fleets to aid the Red Wind Corsairs, so that they may fund Ambitious projects to increase the Empire's naval strength.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (178-248)

===Judgement 121===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Xandor Trodbroker
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to reward Eleri Bronwen's Rest with 6 wains of mithril to be put towards the army currently mustering in Hercynia. The army will be put to use defending the Empire's borders to help safeguard the spiritual centre of the Way
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (261-106)

===Judgement 123===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Neala Blackhawk
* '''Judgement:''' We reward Halwyn Splitroot for achieving the great ambition of rebuilding and consecrating First Voice Glade and School inspiring pride and increasing prosperity within the Empire. We grant him 16 weirwood as reward for this great work and in the knowledge that this will support his efforts to further improve the Glade and School to benefit the prosperity and herbal knowledge of the Vallornguard
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (144-146)

==Special Considerations==
The following considerations should be borne in mind when bringing judgements before the Imperial Synod during the Winter Solstice.
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Assembly'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Consideration'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Link'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Duration'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Statements that prioritise the greater good over personal loyalties are less effective.</td><td>[[Cardinal_of_Loyalty#Additional_Powers_-_The_Eyes_of_Loyalty|Eyes of Loyalty]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Statements that try to compel Loyalty will fail.</td><td>[[Cardinal_of_Loyalty#Additional_Powers_-_The_Eyes_of_Loyalty|Eyes of Loyalty]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Revocations and Excommunications for disloyalty to the nation or Empire risk causing dissent.</td><td>[[Cardinal_of_Loyalty#Additional_Powers_-_The_Eyes_of_Loyalty|Eyes of Loyalty]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Any mandate that does not pass with a greater majority will have limited or no effect on Urizen or Varushka. It is not impossible that a mandate might lead to a response in one of the two nations, but it won't lead to any immediate consequences for the people of the nation. </td><td>[[Hard_and_suspecting#The_Urizen_Assembly|Urizen Link]]<br>[[Hard_and_suspecting#The_Varushkan_Assembly|Varushka Link]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Any mandate that does not pass with a greater majority will have limited or no effect on Wintermark unless enacted by the Wintermark Assembly. It is not impossible that a mandate might lead to a response in the nation, but it won't lead to any immediate consequences for the people of the nation. </td><td>[[The_final_cut#Questions_for_Wintermark|The final cut]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Statements that stress the need to follow Imperial law rather than virtue will be unlikely to lead to a mandate.</td><td>[[Knocking_on_every_door#A_Paper_Shield|Knocking on every door]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>League Assembly</td><td>No statement of principle raised by the League Assembly that calls on citizens to support a different cause will have an effect.</td><td>[[The war of thorns and flowers#The League|The war of thorns and flowers]]</td><td>Until Winter 387YE</td>
<tr><td>Varushkan Assembly</td><td>No statement of principle raised by the Varushkan Assembly that calls on citizens to support a different cause will have an effect.</td><td>[[The war of thorns and flowers#Varushka|The war of thorns and flowers]]</td><td>Until Winter 387YE</td>
</table>

==The Virtue Fund==
At the start of the Winter Solstice 387YE summit, the Virtue Fund stood as follows:
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Money'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Mithril'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''White Granite'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Weirwood'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''True Liao'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>88 thrones, 15 rings</td><td>6 wains</td><td>8 wains</td><td>16 wains</td><td>1 dose</td>
</table>

Total donations made were:
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Money'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Mithril'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''White Granite'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Weirwood'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''True Liao'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>65 thrones, 7 crowns, 16 rings</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td>
</table>

The total amounts carried forward to the next summit were:
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Money'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Mithril'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''White Granite'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Weirwood'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''True Liao'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>104 thrones, 11 rings</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td>
</table>

Click ''Expand'' to see a list of donations received prior to the start of the summit.

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
* 1 throne, 2 crowns at the [[Rewarding#Counting Houses|counting house]] of [[Reikos]]
* 2 thrones at the counting house of [[Tassato]]
* 1 throne, 3 crowns at the counting house of [[Semmerholm]]
* 1 throne, 4 crowns at the counting house of [[Karsk]]
* 6 wains of mithril, 8 wains of white granite and 8 wains of weirwood from [[The_greatest_plurality#One_Empire|various donations]]
</div>

Click ''Expand'' to see a list of Rewardings made at the summit.

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
* 10 thrones to '''Ioan Longshadow''' following [[#Judgement 12|Judgement 12]] being upheld (margin 1136)
* 5 wains of white granite to '''Cyrus of Athaliah's Handiwork''' following [[#Judgement 103|Judgement 103]] being upheld (margin 458)
* 40 thrones to '''Laurencio Lemmini di Sarvos''' following [[#Judgement 58|Judgement 8]] being upheld (margin 196)
* 3 wains of white granite to '''Anatolij''' following [[#Judgement 87|Judgement 87]] being upheld (margin 194)
* 6 wains of mithril to '''Xandor Trodbroker''' following [[#Judgement 121|Judgement 121]] being upheld (margin 155)
* 16 wains of weirwood to '''Oleander Ashwood''' following [[#Judgement 90|Judgement 90]] being upheld (margin 45)
</div>

Click ''Expand'' to see a list of donations made during the summit.

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
* 65 thrones for the Bourse dose of True Liao from '''Umbar'''
* 6 crowns from '''Rafael Barossa d'Apulian'''
* 1 crown from '''Berith Martel'''
* 16 rings in small donations
</div>

==Doses of True Liao==

Six doses of [[Liao#True Liao|True Liao]] were disbursed this summit:
* One dose to '''Vesna Borkovna Prochnost''' as [[the Throne]]
* One dose in connection to the [[Lepidean Librarian|Lepidean University]] to '''Caleb of the Cenotaph''' via [[#Judgement 3|Judgement 3]]
* One dose to '''Umbar''' by purchase in the [[Public auction|Public Auction]]
* One dose to '''Ashborn Trosk''' by decision of the Gatekeepers
* One dose to '''Ingrid Talon-of-the-Mark''' by decision of the Gatekeepers
* One dose to '''Amberlain P. Black''' by decision of the Gatekeepers

==Assembly Strength==
The table below shows the size, total voting strength and greater majority thresholds for each assembly as calculated at the start of the summit.

{|
! scope=""col"" style=""width: 320px;"" | Virtue Assembly
! Assembly Size
! Total Voting Strength
! Greater Majority Threshold
|-
|Ambition || 53 || 742 || 372
|-
|Courage || 41 || 492 || 247
|-
|Loyalty || 61 || 788 || 395
|-
|Pride || 36 || 440 || 221
|-
|Prosperity || 42 || 513 || 257
|-
|Vigilance || 47 || 532 || 267
|-
|Wisdom || 41 || 554 || 278
|-
|The Way || 29 || 320 || 161
|-
|General || 350 || 4381 || 2191
|-
|}

{|
! scope=""col"" style=""width: 320px;"" | National Assembly
! Assembly Size
! Total Voting Strength
! Greater Majority Threshold
|-
|Brass Coast || 15 || 166 || 84
|-
|Dawn || 51 || 672 || 337
|-
|Highguard || 74 || 940 || 471
|-
|Imperial Orcs || 9 || 138 || 70
|-
|League || 36 || 514 || 258
|-
|Marches || 22 || 250 || 126
|-
|Navarr || 43 || 499 || 250
|-
|Urizen || 27 || 314 || 158
|-
|Varushka || 31 || 398 || 200
|-
|Wintermark || 42 || 490 || 246
|-
|General || 350 || 4381 || 2191
|-
|}

387YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

2026-05-04T19:43:02Z

Noserenda: /* Judgement 54 */

[[Category: Synod]] [[Category:Synod Results]] [[Category: Synod Judgements]][[Category: 387YE Winter]]
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Winter 387 Synod judgements.jpg|align=right|width=400|caption=The Synod raised a hundred and ninety-one judgements.}}</div>
==Overview==
During the Winter Solstice 387YE, the Imperial Synod raised 156 judgements.

==Statement of Principle==
Fifty-seven [[Statement of Principle|statements of principle]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice
===Judgement 11===
* '''Assembly:''' Way
* '''Raised By:''' Brynn Tendfallen
* '''Judgement:''' The crises of recent years have exposed a weakness in the Imperial Way. Wisdom teaches us to test what we know. We must work to build a Way that is strengthened by truth, not threatened by it. This is the highest calling of our Assembly.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (46-100)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 13===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Brother Luke
* '''Judgement:''' The scars of Whittle run deep. A people massacred due to zealotry. The Marchers know too well the risks of following your traditions. While the Marchers have no intent of undermining the Synod’s spiritual authority, the fact of the matter remains; A Marcher, A Marcher. Should the Synod proscribe the beliefs of the Marcher Orcs as heretical, the Marches as a whole will defend their neighbours as they would any other Marcher unduly persecuted. To echo the words of the First Empress: “You will take all of us, or none of us.” The Synod may make it’s choice.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (146-50)
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: left;">
{|
|+ <big>'''Judgement Quick Links'''</big>
! Judgement Type
! Amount
|-
|[[#Statement of Principle|Statement of Principle]]|| 57
|-
|[[#Mandate|Mandate]] || 11
|-
|[[#Writ of Consecration|Writ of Consecration]] || 2
|-
|[[#Revocation|Revocation]] || 1
|-
|[[#Proscription|Proscription]] || 15
|-
|[[#Inquisition|Inquisition]] || 9
|-
|[[#Sanction|Sanction]] || 24
|-
|[[#Recognition|Recognition]] || 2
|-
|[[#Appointment|Appointment]] || 21
|-
|[[#Rewarding|Rewarding]] || 14
|-
|}
</div>
===Judgement 16===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Jedidiah Boon
* '''Judgement:''' The sacred Hallowed Bells of Virtue have come to gather Marcher Inspiration, shepherded by Ardeniel of the Woodwych Harts! To Upwold, the Bell of Prosperity will chime the work song, keeping the ploughs in line; the Bell of Wisdom will turn minds to tactics to fortify our land. To Bregasland, the Bell of Loyalty will follow General Amberlain, echoing her call; the Bell of Ambition will sound with the Strong Reeds as they rise. To Mournwold, the Bell of Pride will ring from the hillside of Rebellion’s Ridge, for the miners’ cause; the Bell of Vigilance will beat the bounds, readying for attack. To Mitwold, where we would send others, we send only one; the Bell of Courage. Sound it on the border. Sound it over Fort Fidelis. Sound it where the Jotun will hear. We are a Nation of hospitality and a Nation at war. We will protect these Bells with our lives and honour carrying them on their journey.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (196-0)

===Judgement 20===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Eurybia of the Wanderers
* '''Judgement:''' The Urizen national assembly approves the awarding of the Golden Cascade to Darien Numbers. Their use of the Eyes of Prosperity upon Zenith, and their generous support in building the benefice of the Golden Cascade proves themselves a virtuous friend and ally of Urizen. Citizens of Zenith - witness your donations in use.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (206-0)
__TOC__
===Judgement 21===
* '''Assembly:''' Ambition
* '''Raised By:''' Rafael Barossa d’Apulian
* '''Judgement:''' The Hallowing of the Master teaches us to use others as tools to further our own aspirations: spreading the Way across the world. We should therefore seek a way to incorporate neighbouring foreign powers, and defeated barbarian nations, into the Empire as vassal-states, using them as a buffer against external aggression while their culture adapts to Imperial rule. Ultimately, this may allow them to join the Empire as an eleventh, twelfth, or twentieth nation once they have learned the Way and their place in it. We should look first to apply this to the Druj septs once we defeat their leaders, the vile Buruk-Tepel. This is our Highest Calling.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (368-80)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 22===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Dagon Barossa of the Shattered Tower
* '''Judgement:''' The truly virtuous are loyal even through hardship and misfortune. The Loyalty Assembly took the first step to anchor the Way in Asavea and we will not falter now! We search for Loyalty sects inspired by the actions of Exemplar Alberto Acciai that we might support to help further anchor the Way in Asavea. This is our Highest Calling.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (302-162)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 25===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Samantha “Tongs” Barossa
* '''Judgement:''' As PRELATE OF ADELMAR’S SHRINE, I CALL ALL LEAGUISH BRAVO’S and MERCENARIES TO RAISE THEIR SWORDS AGAINST THE DARKNESS IN THE WILD PLACES OF SPIRAL.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (302-22)
* '''Notes:''' A call to action for the League to clear out the threats present in Spiral, as per the '''[[My_friends_are_my_estate#Swords_Against_Darkness|My friends are my estate]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 56===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Isario i Riqueza
* '''Judgement:''' Live brazenly, fiercely, and truthfully; so that your life becomes proof of what is right. Cast down the chains of tyranny, fear and empty tradition wherever you find them! Act with Courage to choose what you know is true and moral, and confront the world when it stands against you. By inspired by the Exemplar Ahraz, who had the Courage to champion freedom, dignity, and prosperity, and seized them for all, through daring action and unflinching conviction. We were brave, wise, and ambitious enough to reject slavery, break it’s chains on our Empire and then on the world. We are the Freeborn heirs of a legacy of brazen passion, morality, and liberty. We do not just think it, or believe it, we live it. <u>We are fiercely proud of our culture and its freedom of ideas. We must protect and nurture both so that they can flourish. This is our Highest Calling.</u>
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (32-116)

===Judgement 35===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Gwen Tendfallen
* '''Judgement:''' The Way as it exists is built upon a crumbling foundation of hearsay. The truth was supposedly contained in High Guard libraries, but those have been burned on the accusation of falsehood. It is paramount to the goals of the Way and the Empire that this hearsay be challenged. To test what we think we know about the nature of Virtue, the labyrinth, and the Way is the highest calling of this assembly.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (248-96)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 36===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Nathair Autumngale
* '''Judgement:''' From the very heartlands of this Empire, to the furthest lands touched by Virtue. We are the blood of the Empire, we are Shepherds of the Great Dance and we find ourselves entwined with our fellow Nations as never before. Paths in the dance braided together in these moments. Bring our voice through the veins of the trods that cross the lands while they resonate with our song. In the midst of winter we gather at the hearth, at home. At Wayhouse, Stead, and Tarry. We trade Song and Story with one another, and regales our history, our tale, our culture. Take heed these words, commit to memory these songs, and as winter turns to spring, bring them as a chord along these resonant trods. Bring them to our closest allies and the furthest reaches of our Empire both, so that all know that even when this magic has faded. As sure as the seasons do change. Where Navarr go, music follows.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (265-0)

===Judgement 38===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Nere
* '''Judgement:''' With the new year Highguard reaffirms its claim on the Salt Flats of Sanath once more. Necropolis is our past. Bastion is our present. Leen will be our future. These 3 cities will become the defining Pilgrimage path of our faith. And Leen itself will be our gateway to lands far across the sea and through its virtuous rebirth we will show the world the power of our faith. Highguard, there will be challenges in this endeavor, so we call on you to plan ahead. Consider the challenges we will face and how we may prepare to face them. We shall sow Virtue where they wrought filth.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (542-10)
* '''Notes:''' References a previous [[386YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_111|judgement]] from the Summer Solstice 386YE

===Judgement 40===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Brother Hans
* '''Judgement:''' During the Fall of Therunin, Great Forest Orcs were taken by the Druj and are now enslaved accross the Salt Flats and The Mallum. Viture calls for us to show that the Empire will do anything to never allow slavery to happen under our watch. Our unconquered and military units, use your expertise to liberate the Great Forest Orcs who where enslaved by the Druj. We have laid claim on the salt flats - this is one step of many to inspire the inhabitants and our allies with our virtuous deed
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (500-0)

===Judgement 42===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Nicodemus of Balthazar’s Vineyard
* '''Judgement:''' The Grand Inspiration is now two-thirds complete. In those stones lie a promise. Designed by an Orc and a Marcher and funded by contributions from citizens of all ten nations of the Empire, this peerless structure proves to the world that in the Way of Virtue, and in this Empire, all people can achieve their highest destiny. Let us ignite the Empire’s Pride and ensure the greatest construction of our lifetimes is a flourishing success for all. The Virtuous must create what none can rival. This is our highest calling.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (34-132)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune. Refers to the [[Construct Grand Inspiration of the Way|Grand Inspiration of the Way]].

===Judgement 44===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Dr Lysimachus
* '''Judgement:''' At recent summits, we’ve had Wanderer Tulpas showing up in Anvil. Going round tossing out curses as if they were handing out sweets on t’sweet corner, and just generally being a bloody nuisance. This includes cursing some of us as a “Lesson in Hubris”. After asking us for directions.. Now some may say ‘who are we to question the workings of the minds of such lofty and unknowable entities?’ And I says Bugger That! If some Pretentious Polestar-Wannabe Pillock is gonna curse Virtuous folk for “Hubris” because they’re the one who had to stop and ask Us for directions, then I’ve got too much Imperial Pride to let their folly slide. Besides I thought the Stars were meant to be Bright? So Sod off to these Sneering Stellar Snobs Says !. Tha’s not welcome in our lands.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (166-68)

===Judgement 47===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Kellin Embercast
* '''Judgement:''' Bloodcrow Meep is campaigning to rebuild Thornsong House in Skarsind, where it can benefit from the expertise of the Yerende. I know that this will not sit easy with some in Navarr. Last Spring, Travid Longest Path’s statement that Thornsong House is “the living legacy of Therunin”, the heart of Navarr’s potioncraft, was upheld in this Assembly with a greater majority. But Courage tells us to respond to defeat by adapting our strategy and trying anew. We do not know when Therunin will return to us, but we do know that Skarsind is secure from the grasping hands of the Druj. Our nation already has an enclave there, thanks to the Ashen Tears and their Wayhouse. I urge this Assembly to throw its support behind Meep’s plan. Let us share the fruits of Therunin’s proud legacy, and forge a new one together in the forests of Skarsind.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (225-16)

===Judgement 53===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Eli of the Cenotaph
* '''Judgement:''' The completion of the Grand Inspiration of the Way is the highest calling of the nation of Highguard. Through its completion we will lay the foundations necessary to inspire pilgrims to spread the Way across the known world. It will be the greatest tool we will leave our future lives and a legacy that will endure.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (750-0)
* '''Notes:''' Refers to the [[Construct Grand Inspiration of the Way|Grand Inspiration of the Way]]. Further information on highest callings can be found in the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 54===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Mael of the Shattered Tower
* '''Judgement:''' BEHOLD: VIRTUE! As the MARSHALL of the FAITH, I bid ye witness that the following were multiply commended by diverse FIELD MARSHALLS and COMMANDERS for their WISDOM and BRAVERY in recent battles: EIRA LARKSONG and ROWAN BELLWOOD, GUNTHER, VESPASIAN of TROPAION CITADEL, AKSEL REZNOV RAZORADZE, THE VINES OF NAVARR, THE IRON BASTARDS, THE “RITUAL HUNTERS” covens destroying miasma pillars in the SARANGRAVE. And for the enchantment of TEN ARMIES in one summit the Warcaster commends: The COVEN of BARABBAS. A fuller list may be found on the Synod Notices.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (260-16)

===Judgement 66===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Khan i Erigo
* '''Judgement:''' Great deeds are eternal, and pride teaches us to lift up our fellows. Lady Emberlyn Brontide of Dawn solo cast Piranhas Devour the Kraken on 40 Imperial Captains at the Autumn Equinox, bolstering our Navy with the strength of another entire Imperial Navy of summer magic. Let this master of summer magic forever be remembered for her loyalty to the Imperial people of the Bay of Catazar. We are in your debt.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (108-0)

===Judgement 67===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Kay i Orzezz i Guerra
* '''Judgement:''' For the rebuilding of the Celesti Lighthouse of Oran, a symbol of Freeborn Pride, we the Freeborn Assembly seek to thank those who contributed, as we could not name them all on the Senate motion. Sadiq i Isa i Erigo. The Fleet Hubs of the Empire. Iago & Shivanna i Erigo. Esk i Erigo. Bakar i Riqueza. Argento i Erigo. Ghisli the Provider. Esteban i Del Rio Blanco i Guerra. Velasco i Guerra. Estevanico i Hayim i Riqueza. Let their prosperity be recorded.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (106-24)

===Judgement 68===
* '''Assembly:''' Wintermark
* '''Raised By:''' Rafe
* '''Judgement:''' We welcome the bell bearers of Highguard into Wintermark. They each carry a bell hallowed by those of all nations. They seek to gather the stories of our heroes so they can be used to inspire all nations. We must all seek them out and share our stories. The heroes of Wintermark should be recognised as the shining example of virtue to all that they are to us.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (308-0)

===Judgement 74===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Maja Świętosława Przewałski
* '''Judgement:''' Years ago, a (now dead) Varushkan destroyed the Jotun meeting place at the request of their patron Agramant. It has now been built anew as a place of hospitality to further closing the Jotun front. Sulkavaris is satisfied and no longer angry with our nation. Now is the time for the peoples of the north to come together as per J67 Autumn 387. Let us work <u>together</u> to prepare fro the war with the Thule.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (168-52)

===Judgement 77===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Melchior of Adina's Charge
* '''Judgement:''' While we recognise virtue, we must also face the unwelcome truths of the empire's role in actions past. Whilst we vote to declare Rahvin as an exemplar, extolling his virtue and the virtuous inspiration we believe he can teach others. We also wish to recognise the Empire as responsible for his death. In the heat of battle, a case of mistaken identity, Imperial citizens killed Rahvin and those he was with. We face this truth not only in the action that it occurred, but also recognise that it was the Empire's actions which drove Rahvin's followers into this situation and back into captivity under the Druj for years to come. Where rwe have failed before, the light of courage teaches us to see our mistakes and expose them to overcome them in future.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (226-0)

===Judgement 78===
* '''Assembly:''' Wintermark
* '''Raised By:''' Aldwyn the Glorious
* '''Judgement:''' The rebuilding of the Hall of the Soturi represents the start of a bold new story, no matter what is built there. When we rebuild it, let it be witnessed and remembered as a site of import. As the legacy of the new army grows, let this become a place of pilgrimage and a sinecure established there.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (140-70)
* '''Notes:''' The Hall of the Soturi would serve to allow an army raised in the Kallavesi tradition to become fearless. More information can be found in the '''[[Flight of birds]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 80===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Kasmira Milankova Ygrev
* '''Judgement:''' Two years ago, the Cold Sun came to Varushka. Volodmartz was left two options: Burn in the light of the Cold Sun or condemn Livardz to ruin. Our cousins made this sacrifice for the defense of all Varushka. Now, let us aid the people of Livards in their efforts to rise from ruin to prosperity.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (202-0)

===Judgement 82===
* '''Assembly:''' The Way
* '''Raised By:''' Yosephus Morningson
* '''Judgement:''' We are the Assembly of the Way. Our purpose is to bring new souls to knowledge of the whole Way, and lead them to full understanding. There are Seven Virtues that guide the spirit, Seven that lead to Great and Inspiring deeds. Yet there are Asaveans who know but one, others who know but six, while others claim a physical Labyrinth. This is our highest calling - to enlighten all souls, beginning with Asavea, that they may know the Seven Virtues, the Eight Doctrines, and the One True Way.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (62-84)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 91===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Task
* '''Judgement:''' The Empire has changed in the last hundred years more than could possibly be imagined. We have orc citizens now... And thus we should shape our laws to reflect that. The Prosperity assembly suggests that the religious crime of idolatry be amended to include orc citizens of the Empire. Correcting the wording as follows: Subsuming a sapients' will and destiny to any inhuman entity or force. This includes the worship, veneration or exaltation of any such being or power. Anything less than this in law is seen as an affront to the virtue of orcish citizens.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (308-0)

===Judgement 94===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Sufyan i Zuhri i Guerra
* '''Judgement:''' Building on this Assembly's recognition of the Exemplar Lady Elenor Novarion, we hold the growth and prospering of her legacy, the Proffered Hand Network of sanctuaries for refugees and freed slaves, to be the greatest present opportunity for spreading Pride across the Empire and beyond, and seek to make it this Assembly's focus for the coming year. We support the Network in completing its ambition to build a sanctuary in every nation, with only facilities in the Marches and the League remaining to be built. We encourage the Prideful to look further for new ways to support the Network in its mission to heal deep-cut scars of slavery, to offer compassion and an open hand to those in need, to uplift those who have suffered to future greatness. This is the highest calling of our assembly.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (52-122)
* '''Notes:''' An Assembly's call to action requires a greater majority, as per the '''[[The highest calling]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 95===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Wulfric
* '''Judgement:''' I Wulfric, Ambition Priest, Marcher. With the support of both Assemblies and approval of the AO9. Call for a Symposium with the purpose of discussing proscriptions and ensuring we employ wisdom and vigilance in creating a Solid foundation to build and spread virtue on.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1226-170)
* '''Notes:''' This judgement was elevated by '''Lenarius Ankarien''', the [[Cardinal of Ambition]]

===Judgement 98===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Solas of the Spire of the Waxin Sun
* '''Judgement:''' Seers of the Spires! We call on your expertise. The crushing dread of the miasma in the Sarangrave inhibits virtuous action and impedes our aspirations in the territory. Use your arete to locate the pillars that anchor this miasma, and send this information to those most able to leverage it.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (250-10)
* '''Notes:''' This judgement follows on from the '''[[Everything is trying to kill us]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 100===
* '''Assembly:''' The Way
* '''Raised By:''' Tabris, Son of Armisael
* '''Judgement:''' Fintan Nighthaven's life has ended, and his spirit has returned to the Labyrinth. The delegation from Axos who wish to collect his body are welcome to do so. This in accordance with the Nighthaven family's wishes.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (76-58)

===Judgement 104===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Callista of the Dark Shard
* '''Judgement:''' We have given our assurances to the Urizen "rebels" of Spiral - who have <u>courageously</u> chosen to leave the Empire rather than cede their ancestral homes to the League - such as the Silver Flame - that we hold them to be Urizen. Invoking the Chalice that rejoins us, we encourage our <u>Wise</u> magicians with imperial lore mastery to assist them with their research, as well as our <u>vigilant</u> priests to advise and aid them in their dealings with pernicious eternals.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (192-0)

===Judgement 106===
* '''Assembly:''' Dawnish
* '''Raised By:''' Lady Gwendoloena de Sarroi
* '''Judgement:''' The Dawnish national assembly, now that the time is right, encourages Dawnish citizens to set forth and settle the regions of the Barrens that are not ceded to foreigners. With the important exception of the Bleaks as we are not settling to harass the Karass, we are settling to promote virtue for Dawn and Dawnish citizens.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (334-32)

===Judgement 111===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Ignacio i Zuhri i Erigo
* '''Judgement:''' Gisli the Provider stands accused of Blasphemy; in this matter he is not a criminal but a victim. This assembly celebrates his peerless contributions to the rebuilding of the Brass Coast. His virtue and Prosperity is unquestionable.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (94-0)

===Judgement 112===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Halkyon of the Myriad Stream
* '''Judgement:''' Children of the spires, the Lost haunt the dark places of <u>Spiral</u>. The malice of the Druj and Grendel lingers. In Courage and Vigilance let us raise our SWORDS AGAINST DARKNESS and make this part of the Sanctum of Stars a place for the virtuous to prosper.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (226-0)
* '''Notes:''' A call to action for Urizen to clear out the threats present in Spiral, as per the '''[[My_friends_are_my_estate#Swords_Against_Darkness|My friends are my estate]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 114===
* '''Assembly:''' Wintermark
* '''Raised By:''' Yrkja Riansson Sigeing
* '''Judgement:''' The vision that led us to Gull Isle showed godhi and mystic fostering each other's children, Jotun and Imperial learning from each other as equals. This is not a place for preaching, and we do not intend to do so. Rather let us <u>display</u> virtue through our words and deeds in this place. And likewise witness how the inspiration of the ancestors is borne out in the acts of those we meet with.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (256-14)

===Judgement 117===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Eskah Swift Hart
* '''Judgement:''' Over the winter, all Navarri have heard the song "Painted", we reveal to you now that the writer and singer of "Painted" is Idwynn Splitroot, through ritual Idwynn sang "Painted" directly to Navarr & Thorn so they know we continue their great ambition to destroy the vallorn. Many have heard two voices singing back to Idwynn; they were Navarr & Thorn themselves. Know that we have heard their voices singing in unison with Idwynn & all our nation.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (138-24)
* '''Notes:''' References the song spread across the Empire, as per the '''[[The_tune_without_the_words#An_Ode_To_Blood_And_Sacrifice|The tune without words]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 119===
* '''Assembly:''' Wintermark
* '''Raised By:''' Jesper Luukasson
* '''Judgement:''' At the Summer Solstice of 383YE, Rane Sherarding plead clemency for the members of Zepheniah's Lament, who had shattered the mirrors of Sarvos to free thousands of souls being kept from the labyrinth by Skathe, then raised funds towards their fine. Sharing in the burdens of the necessary deed earned her name Shardbearer. Since then she has borne not only the shards of Sarvos but the weight of duty to the Empire; serving as the Inquisitor of Pride and then as Senator Kallavesa. She has fiercely fought for Wintermark's interests and often asked of us the hard and necessary questions. Her voice will echo in eternity as the priest who consecrated our sacred marsh. Her wisdom has reached out across the Empire time and again in Senate, Synod and in the Imperial Address. We see the burdens you bear and we name you the pride of our nation. We name Rane Shardbearer to the Chronicle of Heroism.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (308-0)
* '''Notes:''' Rane Shardbearer has been added to the [[Heroism#Chronicle_of_Heroism|Chronicle of Heroism]]

===Judgement 122===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Molly Mae of Mitwold
* '''Judgement:''' The walls of Meade must be built, the people of Mitwold have spilt their blood for their land and the Marches. Bree Shaw fought with courage, spilt her blood on Marcher soil and died fighting for her Loyalty to the Marches. The Marches must come together as neighbours to help defend Marcher land. Bree has always shown her pride in the Marches, as proud and loyal Marchers we owe it to her memory to build the walls, and call them Brees' Stand.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (154-0)

===Judgement 125===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Sister Juliette of Balthazar's Vineyard
* '''Judgement:''' Our siblings in Varushka have called for Livardz to rise from the ashes. In <u>peerless kinship</u>, Highguard answers their call. In Loyalty, let all those who can be spared from their duties journey north to help erase the stain of the Cold Sun and support the pride and prosperity of Varushka, in accordance with judgement 80.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (474-22)

===Judgement 126===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Pete Tong
* '''Judgement:''' Imperial citizens themselves humour malign agents by consorting amongst them. Beware <u>the enemy within</u>. Expermination does not justify reckless acts by mages which threaten the safety of the Empire. Do not fail to call into question those who knowingly endanger us by engaging with the Whisper Gallery or any other such entity. Hold them to account.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (172-32)

===Judgement 127===
* '''Assembly:''' Wintermark
* '''Raised By:''' Lenore Hearthweaver
* '''Judgement:''' Veikko Bondforger is a name known all across Anvil. It is known to be the name of a hero who has built up others and forged bonds of Loyalty that stretch across every nation of the Empire. They have inspired pilgrims of Loyalty across the Empire leading the Loyalty Assembly, and raised the funds to rebuild the Hall of Rund, restoring it to the Stormcrows of Wintermark. Veikko has delved into their own skein and learned wisdom from a past life and from a Krampus curse, then returned to share that wisdom with others, sparing no effort to bind the broken and forge them stronger. The very name of Bondforger is precious to us - Wintermark rose in fury when the memory of it was threatened. We therefore name Veikko Bondforger to the Chronicle of Heroism.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (304-0)
* '''Notes:''' Veikko Bondforger has been added to the [[Heroism#Chronicle_of_Heroism|Chronicle of Heroism]]

===Judgement 130===
* '''Assembly:''' Dawnish
* '''Raised By:''' Dagonet de Gauvain
* '''Judgement:''' The Karass are foreigners, not barbarians. They are friends of the Empire, not enemies. To fight an enemy is to display virtue and win glory. To bully a friend displays the exact opposite. No true Dawnish folk will hurt, molest, or harass the Karass.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (206-20)

===Judgement 131===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Lady Laudine duLac
* '''Judgement:''' We send the Silent Bell to the Bay of Catazar to investigate the Grendel spy networks in the area
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (150-34) Margin of 116
* '''Notes:''' This judgement was in competition with [[#Judgement 132|Judgement 132]]. References an offer made by the Silent Bell in the '''[[Finding_is_the_final_act#How_Many_Fields?|Finding is the final act]]''' wind of fortune. The report of the Silent Bell will be delivered before the Summer Solstice 388YE.

===Judgement 132===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Adelorna Ordraig
* '''Judgement:''' We send the Silent Bell to the Barrens to investigate the Karass and their motivations, interactions and nature of collaboration with the Druj
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (122-16) Margin of 106
* '''Notes:''' This judgement was in competition with [[#Judgement 132|Judgement 132]]

===Judgement 133===
* '''Assembly:''' Wintermark
* '''Raised By:''' Torin
* '''Judgement:''' Naming is our greatest tradition that leads us to Virtue. The Wintermark Assembly believe our new Kallavesi army should exemplify that. We support building a Hall of Names to both honour the Kallavesi fighting spirit, and chronicle the names and deeds of heroes both living and dead. Let this Hall encourage named warriors to show their Virtue, and show that there is no place for savagery or cruelty, that Wintermark fights with honour. To be named is to make our ancestors proud.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (310-10)
* '''Notes:''' More information on the Hall of Names can be found in the '''[[Flight of birds]]''' wind of fortune

===Judgement 134===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Jared of the Sentinels Tower
* '''Judgement:''' It is virtuous to send military forces to combat the heralds of any eternals with enmity. It is important we do not dilute our efforts. Look to the Vigilance Assembly for direction to the immediate threat.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (246-0)

===Judgement 135===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Illya Nikovitch Volkov
* '''Judgement:''' Citizens of Varushka, the Varushkan children at Anvil have been investigating the lack of bees in Karov. Honey Bee of the Sovereign's Head asked the coven 'Moonlight Finds the Mountain Pass' to petition Sung for aid in this endeavour. As a result of this investigation, the National Assembly of Varushka urges all Prosperous citizens to aid in re-flowering Karov. Plant flowers, send seeds. Make Karov bloom again.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (228-0)

===Judgement 136===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Lepidina
* '''Judgement:''' We recognise and welcome the statement by the Navarr National Assembly (Judgement 71) and its highest calling to assist in defeating the vallorn. Urizen welcomes their aid and expertise.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (162-0)

===Judgement 139===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Larkin Otterways
* '''Judgement:''' The enemy are in our heartland. Just as we did in the Mourn, so shall we do in Upwold. Open your doors to Mitwold refugees, share the food from your table, and the labour with your neighbours. We encourage the people of Upwold to open your their doors to welcome Mitwold refugees. In Loyalty, we left others up.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (106-0)

===Judgement 140===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Echo of the House of the Wanderer
* '''Judgement:''' I, Echo of the House of the Wanderer, on behalf of the Urizen National Assembly wish to condemn Aspar of Urizen by promoting the False Virtue, PURITY, by offering to give clemency to Severus of the Blinding Sun, under a virtue not recognised by Imperial Law. This action sets not only a poor example, but encourage other priests to follow his foolish actions. WISDOM DEMANDS WE CHASTISE THE <U>FOOL</U>.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (74-82)

===Judgement 144===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Galene Netherwatch
* '''Judgement:''' The Urizen National Assembly supports the efforts of the Gryphon's Pride in improving the Empire's relationship with the septs of the Sarangrave; the Bloodwater Spears, the Waterwalkers, and the free folk who have no sept. Let us uplift each other in Pride and prove the Empire are not the masters they think we are.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (244-0)

===Judgement 147===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Amaro d'Apulian
* '''Judgement:''' Since parting ways with Varushka, Temeschwar has forged its own identity as the League's city of craft and commerce. The city is more than its rats. Temeschwari citizens deserve to celebrate their achievements. The National Assembly encourages them to demand Giselle's Tomb to become the Pride of Temeschwar.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (184-0)

===Judgement 151===
* '''Assembly:''' Imperial Orc
* '''Raised By:''' Bloodcrow Knott
* '''Judgement:''' The Unshackled National Assembly thanks the Illarawm for the opportunity to create the annals of ancestors. Let the first words carved into the side of the Ossuary be: "When faced with the choice between death or protecting what is worthy, we face no choice at all. For if we stand our ground, our ancestors will welcome us on the other side of the abyss". - Jannik of the Rahvin, slaughtered by the Gryphon's Pride, ancestor of Bloodcrow Knott. His words speak of facing a force determined to wipe out your culture. The Rahvin still live due to the ultimate sacrifice of their heroes.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (110-0)

===Judgement 156===
* '''Assembly:''' Imperial Orc
* '''Raised By:''' Skywise Gralka
* '''Judgement:''' I was afraid, I broke my ties to the general in the dark, cut marks that made me his from my skin, then fled into the Sarangrave swamp to escape, the mud was deep and stank of poison. I was alone, the banners painted Druj did not matter here. And then came the sound of Drums, I followed that sound. I did not want to be alone. I saw a light. In that light the shaman and preachers of the Summer Storm passionately spoke of worth and virtue and I wanted for what they had. The Imperial Orc National Assembly encourages the shaman and preachers of the second legion to guide the lost and those who have escaped the Druj.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (110-0)

===Judgement 157===
* '''Assembly:''' Imperial Orc
* '''Raised By:''' Bloodcrow Meep
* '''Judgement:''' The National Assembly extends its thanks to the Black Tillers for their careful cultivation of Hearkerner's Hope; and for the insight and intention that guides its creation. Alas, the yield of the Legion's Rookery has already been committed to a competing opportunity, and cannot be turned aside. Even so, we recognise the worth of this work and would still seek access to Hearkener's Hope. The Assembly therefore asks whether the Black Tillers might consider an alternative for example, allowing orc priests to purchase it through the exchange of liao. Let no good root go untended.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (110-0)
* '''Notes:''' The Black Tillers presented an offer to the Imperial Orcs to take ownership of the Legion's Rookery in the '''[[Every day of your life]]''' wind of fortune.

===Judgement 159===
* '''Assembly:''' Dawnish
* '''Raised By:''' Enchantress Areloe Larmallevés
* '''Judgement:''' People of Dawn, our cousins in the Marches need our help: They need to raise their fifth army. However they can't due to their obligation to feed the Thule. Our senators and I ask us to help, this is not a permanent fixture. Once the breadbasket is expanded they have promised to take the obligation back. Let us help! Let us work with our cousins! Let us show what Dawn does for our Empire! Our National Assembly endorse feeding the Thule!
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (420-0)
* '''Notes:''' References the [[387YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Replace_Food_to_Thule|motion]] raised by the Senator for Semmerholm and passed by the Senate that replaced the food sent to the Thule as part of the ongoing [[Ratify Thule Treaty Spring 387YE|Thule treaty]]

===Judgement 160===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Fredegar Bloodmouth
* '''Judgement:''' Courageous Marchers of the Gullet! The end is in sight for the plague of coral husks. The National Assembly calls for citizens along the Gullet's coast to collect samples of coral wisely and with vigilance. If this task is undertaken and an infection is present, seek the assistance of a shatter magician and qualified physick. Samples, alive or dead, should go to Houses Goatsbridge and Myrtle for further investigation. Noting the loyalty and pride of the bold marchers, the Assembly also warns special vigilance in this task. If it comes between Marcher lives or husks samples, choose life every time.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (168-0)

==Mandate==
===Judgement 9===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Frater Pontius of Adoniram's Testament
* '''Judgement:''' Be alert to all dangers; within and without. We send Frater Pontius of Adoniram's Testament with 50 doses of liao to encourage our courageous soldiers to stand apart from these servants of eternals. Seek out falsehood and expose the truth.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (678-12)
* '''Enacted''' Highborn soldiers [[The_thing_with_feathers#In_the_Fields_of_Glory_(Eleonaris)|will deliberately keep their distance from any heralds]] sent to fight alongside them.

===Judgement 70===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Harwyn Eternal
* '''Judgement:''' The Terunael city of Hacynian has passed into history, ruined by the vallorn. We send Towlen Nighthaven with 25 liao to urge the folk of Hercynia. To swear an oath that neither they nor their ancestors will seek to rebuild Hacynian. Accept its passing as a sacrifice for future free of the folly of Terunael.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (223-16)
* '''Enacted:''' Kaela will provide her support for the construction of [[Every_path_you_know#Beware_of_Dog|the Grim Pryamid]] in the Starless Vale.

===Judgement 71===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Teleri Thornweaver
* '''Judgement:''' The Virtuous raise up their fellows. Any nation willing to raise arms and join the Vallornguard shall have our full support. We send Brynn Tendfallen with 50 doses of liao to lead our people in sharing everything we have with Urizen to prepare to finish the fight.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (267-0)
* '''Enacted:''' Navarr from all walks of life [[Every_path_you_know#Thanks_for_Sharing|will travel to the named nation looking for ways to help]]. This will generate at least one opportunity for a new Imperial title to help the Vallornguard prepare for the fight with the enemy.

===Judgement 79===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Azir i Shartha i Riqueza
* '''Judgement:''' Beware the seduction of the false virtue of Anarchy! We send Azir i Shartha i Riqueza with 150 doses of liao to rally the people of the Brass Coast to turn away from those who would revel in false freedoms. Reject Anarchy, lest your virtue be lost! Let virtue reveal the deceiver!
* '''Outcome:''' Not upheld (42-96)

===Judgement 88===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Joran of Reikos
* '''Judgement:''' Seek out falsehood and expose the truth! We send Joran of Reikos with 25 doses of liao to rally the people of Highguard to use their well-earned skills to find those who betray the people of Sarvos. Let Virtue reveal the deceiver!
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (552-0)
* '''Enacted:''' Highborn congregations can [[Finding_is_the_final_act#Expose_the_Truth|lecture to citizens to investigate Sarvos]].

===Judgement 107===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Viviane Barossa
* '''Judgement:''' Seek out falsehood and expose the truth! We send Viviane Barossa with 25 liao to rally the people of the League to use their well-earned skills to find those who betray the people of Sarvos. Let virtue reveal the deceiver!
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (552-0)
* '''Enacted:''' League congregations can [[Finding_is_the_final_act#Expose_the_Truth|lecture to citizens to investigate Sarvos]].

===Judgement 109===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Veikko Bondforger
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to deploy the Eyes of Loyalty to embolden the following mandate: The Virtuous raise up their fellows. Any nation willing to raise arms and join the Vallornguard shall have our full support. We send Halkyon of the Myriad Stream with 25 liao to lead our people in sharing everything we have with Urizen to prepare to finish the fight
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (316-28)
* '''Enacted:''' The loyal will seek to assist with [[#Judgement 71|Judgement 71]]

===Judgement 116===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Creighton Blackewater
* '''Judgement:''' Pride in small things, Loyalty to great ones. We send Richard with 50 doses of liao to encourage Marcher citizens to settle the land. War is a thrice-ploughed field.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (144-0)
* '''Enacted:''' For one year, [[The_circle_game#Stirring_the_Pot|Marcher citizens can change a military unit, fleet, herb garden, mine or forest to a farm]] of the same resource level in the same territory without incurring a cost. Players wishing to take advantage of this opportunity should {{plot}}.

===Judgement 118===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Paulus Adelaar van Holberg
* '''Judgement:''' Nothing great without cost. We send Frideswide Adelaar van Holberg with 50 doses of liao to encourage League citizens to invest in business. Coin counts and everything costs!
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (230-0)
* '''Enacted:''' For one year, [[The_circle_game#Stirring_the_Pot|League citizens can change a military unit, fleet, herb garden, mine or forest to a business]] of the same resource level in the same territory without incurring a cost. Players wishing to take advantage of this opportunity should {{plot}}.

===Judgement 124===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Exarch Aemon of the Suns of Couros
* '''Judgement:''' The Sarcophan folk of Alivetti estates celebrate their enclave, but we must all remain vigilant to the threats it may represent. While they seem to be honest traders, their ways are not our ways, and their faith is very different to ours. Their refusal to acknowledge Imperial law is a challenge to the Empire. We send Exarch Aemon with 25 doses of liao to urge all virtuous citizens who must attend this gathering to keep their wits about them and remain alert for threats within and without.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (338-54)
* '''Enacted:''' Sends a message to the Alivetti estates that [[A_wild_night_and_a_new_road#Party_Planning|while that nation tolerates them, they do not welcome further engagement]].

===Judgement 158===
* '''Assembly:''' Imperial Orc
* '''Raised By:''' Skywise Rykana
* '''Judgement:''' Ambition is much more than lines on a map. We send Jim with 15 crowns to lead a delegation of mystics and shamans to discover more of the ancestors the Karass.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (110-0)
* '''Enacted:''' Jim will lead a group of willing orcs [[Every_day_of_your_life#Spanning_the_Abyss|in search of information and lore about the ancestors of the Karass]].

==Writ of Consecration==
Two [[writ of consecration|writs of consecration]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 56===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Martin Orchard
* '''Judgement:''' We have the exemplar, now where is their tomb? This assembly authorises and applauds the creation of an inspirational site to memorialise the <u>EXEMPLAR OF VIGILANCE, RAVADI FOUNDERS’ DANCE</u> (consecrated to vigilance, of course).
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (334-20)

===Judgement 56===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Skáldsgrým Dunhearth
* '''Judgement:''' Following the recent destruction of the historic meeting stone where the Jotun and Empire could meet. We the Loyalty Assembly seek a 'writ of consecration' to dedicate part of the newly built feasting hall on Gull Island to Loyalty. We wish to recognise it's importance and protect from future harm as a place of both virtue and honour. Loyalty is not displayed by words or deeds alone, but the unity of both.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (534-0)

==Revocation==
One [[revocation]] was presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 142===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Rosanna Vtrachenich
* '''Judgement:''' It is the unwise boyar who leaves none to tend the hearth. Sirka Parakgoosier Bashnya, Senator for Karsk, has abandoned their post and left no named proxy. It is your prerogative however there is no excuse in not providing a contingency. We in the Varushkan Assembly move for revocation.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (174-0)

==Proscription==
Fifteen judgements of [[proscription]] were raised in the General Assembly during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 4===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes the use of the ceremony of excommunication without authorisation by writ of the Synod as an abuse of powers.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1522-684)

===Judgement 5===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes as blasphemy the act of dedicating any person to a false virtue or of creating an aura of a false virtue.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (2301-370)

===Judgement 6===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The desecration or destruction of any relics associated with a paragon or exemplar, or the destruction of any memorial associated with them, is proscribed.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1744-290)

===Judgement 7===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The General Assembly proscribes the Excessionist Heresy - the claim that too much of a Virtue can be as bad as too little.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1532-580)

===Judgement 8===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The General Assembly proscribes the creation of statues in the likeness of any eternal. It is idolatry to commission a structure designed to honour an inhuman entity.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (1094-1254)

===Judgement 17===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Corey Wayfarer
* '''Judgement:''' The General Assembly proscribes the Yaelian Heresy - the belief in the Land Without Tears and in Yael as a rebirth of the First Empress. These have shown to be false.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1880-110)

===Judgement 24===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Vaclav Mladenovich Kosti
* '''Judgement:''' The Eternal Sadogua, the Brother of Wizards, has boasted of being the same entity known in the Iron Confederacy as Dumon, Father of Lies, a god within the Suranni pantheon. Nonetheless, he constantly seeks tribute, veneration, and adulation from the citizens of the Empire. The General Assembly proscribes the creation of statues, fanes, or edifices created in honour of Sadogua. It is idolatry to commission or to build such a thing.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (860-992)

===Judgement 97===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Brother Geoffrey Orchard
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes the receiving of a False Virtue Anointing or a False Virtue Dedication as BLASPHEMY.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1252-536)

===Judgement 110===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Syene
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes the act of ceding land to those who are not sentient beings of this world, such as eternals or tulpas, as an act of idolatry. We make clear that it is the act of ceding itself that is idolatrous, and those who are responsible for such places are not de facto idolators.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (698-864)

===Judgement 128===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Felix Saltspire
* '''Judgement:''' Venerating an icon of an Eternal is Idolatry. Producing an Image of one is just Art. To make art exalts your pride. To venerate an eternal subsumes your will.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (496-244)

===Judgement 145===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Eevi of the Gadrai
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes entering into the service of an eternal or tulpa, where the service subsumes the individual's free will. This is idolatry. This is different from bartering for limited boons in service to your virtue.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1010-102)

===Judgement 152===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Alessi of the Basilisks of the Labyrinth
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of vengeance
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (804-46)

===Judgement 153===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Olyvar of Esther's Sanctum
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of understanding
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (770-70)

===Judgement 154===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Silas of the Cenotaph
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of hatred
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (842-46)

===Judgement 155===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Theodora
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of freedom
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (790-70)

==Inquisition==
Nine [[inquisition|inquisitions]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 18===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Cato Hypation
* '''Judgement:''' I call <u>Severus of the Blinding Sun</u> to inquisition, at a time to be arranged at the convenience of the magistrates at this summit. Let him be provided with an opportunity to defend his creed under Imperial scrutiny, having failed to defend it under Sword Scholar tradition.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (30-0)

===Judgement 29===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvidottir
* '''Judgement:''' I call Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer to inquisition Saturday 16:00 at the Wanderers camp. Concerning her courage involving the autumn realm, raising an army for her nation and other matters that come up.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (118-10)

===Judgement 30===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Eirlys Ashes Blaze
* '''Judgement:''' Raising a Statement of revocation as the adjutant of the general you are targeting is an action worthy of Scrutiny. I call Harwyn Eternal to Inquisition, to tell me the loyalty in his action and answer to the treachery it appears to be. Woven roots camp Saturday 5:00pm in Navarr (right by Songs and Stories).
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (202-0)

===Judgement 48===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Arvel Tendfallen
* '''Judgement:''' I call Silas of the Cenotaph to inquisition at the Tendfallen camp in Navarr at 11am on the Saturday of this summit to discuss the virtue of his decision to canvas against a certain judgement last summit.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (30-16)

===Judgement 57===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost
* '''Judgement:''' Magistrate Sayid i Zurhi i Erigo. I call you to inquisition on the matter of a spontaneous aura upon your soul and its unclear virtuous nature. We will test what virtuous guidance it offers you. 14:00. The hub annex.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (248-0)

===Judgement 85===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Nim of Ebon's Hall
* '''Judgement:''' Iniska Ashwood, I am interested in testing whether you have been wise during your time as Inquisitor. I fear you take the words of fools too seriously. Saturday 14:00-:1500. Woven Roots.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (332-10)

===Judgement 96===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Brynmor Rootround
* '''Judgement:''' I call Neve Dreadshield, of the Quiet Step to inquisition. This winter Neve has sacrificed all her oaths to save the people. As Navarr, our tattoos make us one nation. Let her speak if her Loyalties lie with Navarr or her actions lead to her being foresworn. Drunken Goose meeting room 5:00pm Navarr
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (233-0)

===Judgement 101===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Donato of the Crucible
* '''Judgement:''' I call Cosme i Guerra, magistrate, to discuss: their role in cursing Veikko Bondforger; the virtue in this action; how this was not acting in the spirit of <u>retribution</u>. Wanderer's camp, Urizen, Sat 5pm
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (120-0)

===Judgement 150===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement:''' I call to Inquisition Mendicant Garev of Highguard to investigate his claims of Prosperity while refusing to pay those who saved his life. This will occur at the spring summit when he is available (there will be cake)
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (334-20)

===Writs of Inquisition===
The following writs of inquisition were issued this summit:
{|
| '''Called by''' || '''Subject''' || '''Judgement or Title''' || '''Matter'''
|-
| Cato Hypation || [[To_fight_aloud#Fallen_Hero|Severus of the Blinding Sun]] || [[#Judgement 18|Judgement 18]] || His [[The_deepest_cut#Interred_With_Their_Bones|creed]]
|-
| Maarit Suvidottir || Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer || [[#Judgement 29|Judgement 29]] || Her [[Courage]] involving the [[Realm#Autumn|Autumn realm]] and raising an army
|-
| Eirlys Ashes Blaze || Harwyn Eternal || [[#Judgement 30|Judgement 30]] || Calling for the revocation of his [[general]] as [[General#Appoint an Adjutant|adjutant]]
|-
| Arvel Tendfallen || Silas of the Cenotaph || [[#Judgement 48 |Judgement 48]] || Canvassing against a [[Judgement]] at the previous summit
|-
| Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost || [[Civil_Service#Imperial_Magistracy|Magistrate]] Sayid i Zurhi i Erigo || [[#Judgement 57|Judgement 57]] || A spontaneous aura
|-
| Nim of Ebon's Hall || Iniska Ashwood || [[#Judgement 85|Judgement 85]] || Their [[Wisdom]] as [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor]]
|-
| Brynmor Rootround || Neve Dreadshield || [[#Judgement 96|Judgement 96]] || Sacrificing her oaths
|-
| Donato of the Crucible || [[Civil_Service#Imperial_Magistracy|Chief Magistrate]] Cosme i Zuhri i Guerra || [[#Judgement 101|Judgement 101]] || Cursing Veikko Bondforger
|-
| Iniska Ashwood || [[Apparently_with_no_surprise#Whatever_Happened_to_Mendicant_Garev?|Mendicant Garev]] || [[#Judgement 150|Judgement 150]] || Refusing to pay those who saved his life, at the Spring summit
|-
| Galene Netherwatch || Mirella of the Twisted Rose || [[Arcane Inquisitor]] || Her work as [[Archmage of Summer]], especially with regards to [[Knights of Glory]]
|-
| Vauraus "Prosperity's Forge" Korppitkotka || Natalia "The Falcon" Barossa || [[Auditor of Senatorial Accountability]] || Their work as [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies]]
|-
| Alfred Eawolfson || Tristan Ramson von Holberg || [[Basilisk of the Bourse]] || Virtue and Economics, at the Spring summit
|-
| Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost || Ser Guy of the Twisted Rose || [[Imperial Inquisitor]] || Their dealings with [[Irra Harah]]
|-
| Maarit Suvidottir || (the Face of) the Earl of Fools || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Courage]] || Taking [[Liao#True Liao|True Liao]]
|-
| Eevi of the Gadrai || Bloodcrow Rasp || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Loyalty]] || Bonds built across the Empire
|-
| Iniska Ashwood || [[Emperor Vesna|Emperor Vesna Borkovna Prochnost]] || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Prosperty]] || Their [[Prosperity]]
|-
| Jedediah Boon || Brother Geoffrey Orchard || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Pride]] || Words and acts of questionable virtue
|-
| Brother Geoffrey Orchard || Ibiss Briarheart || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Vigilance]] || [[Realm#Spring|Spring]], its perils & lessons, at the Spring summit
|-
|}

==Sanction==
Twenty-four [[sanction|sanctions]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice
===Judgement 5===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Jedidiah Boon
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Sabella of the Silent Tide; Only a person’s own actions may be judged under an Inquisitor’s gaze, and each action you have taken has been guided by Virtue. The Proud embrace their past acts and strive to repeat - or learn from - them going forward. You did not earn the steadfast Loyalty of your Chapter for nothing; your trust in them to conduct themselves with Virtue is testament to that Loyalty returned. You have shown unfaltering Pride in taking the path you deem Virtuous and continuing to walk it. Your Chapter walks with you. The shared desire expressed to let sleeping dogs lie has been accepted Virtuously. Inquisition is our sacred tool for raising the sword when required, just as it is one for putting down the sword where needed - let this Vindication acknowledge the Pride in your actions and bring conclusion to previous division.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (126-34)

===Judgement 15===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Jedidiah Boon
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Myshki Marishka Letuchaya, Little Boyar of Levski, Senator for Miekarova, Leader of the Vale’s Heart, lighter of the lamp in the dark. Your visage is etched in stone, your hand now and always fortifying Delev. The Little Boyar’s Welcome stands; your Legacy stands with it. It is clear as a cloudless day that you have carved out your Benevolence in defiance of the Cold Sun, building refuge for those displaced by its hatred. Stories follow you from Anvil; how you have raised castle walls, been the architect of armies. What Inspiration this will become will be for your friends and followers to witness. Pride uplifts. Inquisition tests. The Signs of the Exemplar have ignited themselves in your actions. Surely as you pursue Virtue closer to home, your future deeds will be watched closer still.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (160-0)

===Judgement 31===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Escalating J231, Summer 387. I inquisited Viviane Barossa about the courage of her past year of challenges to fulfil a vow to carry a hallowing. I however failed because it became incredibly clear throughout this inquisition that what motivates the soul and body of Viviane is the burning flame of Ambition. Excessionism is a heresy and one that she does not follow, she committed to this challenge with her whole self. Her ambition in this act is the salvation of Axos and bringing them to the Way and out of their misunderstanding of the world. Her route is reaching out to them so they can see we can be worked with before encouraging them to come to us, to learn from our schools of thought in exchange knowing that this will help expose the failings in their philosophy and use of these dangerous auras. While intellectually she understood this aura she told me she was still not prepared enough for the way it pushed her to freeze up, to fawn to threats, to want to give everything over and just perform what the other person wanted. She condemns this aura as unvirtuous and has and I’m sure will again speak at length against its use. She seemed justifiably angry that she has had to spend a year wasting political capital and time being inquisited, doing penance, being threatened and assaulted, and having to avoid helping reform doctrine but I think felt it worthwhile to build this bridge with Axos.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (166-10)

===Judgement 32===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Escalating Judgement 226 Summer 387 - I clear Genoveva and Rafael Barossa d’Apulian of any nonsense about running a “dark crusade” sacrificing virtue of innocents. If debate and discussion be the food of priests I have eaten well in this inquisition. These are courageous citizens of the Empire who are dedicating themselves to both the material and spiritual conditions of human souls both inside and outside of our borders and facing the challenges and problems we are in with courage, without pretending such obstacles do not exist. While they appear to disagree on Asavea they are both devoted to liberation and protection of souls and spreading The Way, and work towards such things even occasionally at the expense of personal relationships. These views may also stem from their cooperation enabling the Night Fane to Sung in Spiral going through Senate, they however have clear views on the dangers of this and how it is being overseen to understand the role that Fanes may play in the future of the Empire and wish us to understand them. They’re both magicians with above board dealings with a handful of Eternals. If you wish to understand their virtue talk to them.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (236-10)

===Judgement 37===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Galene Netherwatch
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I vindicate Sakari, Grandmaster of the Rod and Shield for raising a Declaration to uninterdict Rivers Run Red. His Ambition to achieve his goals through any means is clear. Just because you disagree with a person’s actions does not mean they are unvirtuous.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (742-96)

===Judgement 39===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Brother Geoffrey Orchard
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Escalating from Judgement 39 of Autumn 387: LUCA I TAZIEL I RIQUEZA, CARDINAL OF PROSPERITY, offered a clear description of the circumstances around Aunty Hem’s Dedication to Anarchy, her subsequent Inquisition, and the fact that he was aware of her status for a full season before undertaking any action. This was a failing of Vigilance, and in so failing the Cardinal missed an opportunity to pull Aunty Hem back from the brink. I have proposed - and the Cardinal has agreed - that the right Penance is for the Cardinal to SPEND A YEAR UNDER ANOINTINGS OF VIGILANCE. This will allow Luca to better know this Virtue, without interfering with the Cardinal’s duties to Prosperity. In Escalating I ask the Synod to ENDORSE this course of action and to SUPPORT Luca in knowing Prosperity better. Full Inquisition reports available from me and from the citizen noticeboard. (ON OPPOSITE WALL.)
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1128-54)

===Judgement 41===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Lars Makarov
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' I Lars Makarov present my findings of following the inquisition in Autumn 387. My aim was to examine if the 5 named members of the Guard, who had taken Dark Wine and were seen to bite fallen Jotun in battle during Spring and Summer, were using it as a cover for worship of Blood in the Snow. Conclusion - None of those named in Autumn 387 serve Agramant, but by following Virtue you will all stand better prepared for the trails to come. Judgement has been provided to Molli to bear the weight of a either the Hallowing of Permion or of Isaella’s Resolve for a year and for Slark to carry a Hallowing of the Questor, to remind you of the importance of asking questions. To help continue to live with virtue.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (150-0)

===Judgement 45===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Lepidina, Chaplain Consular. I find your actions and virtue beyond reproach on the matter of Fintan Nighthaven. I look forward to watching the progression of your career.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (862-52)

===Judgement 46===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Aster Acae. You served as Chaplain Consular during the most critical juncture of Fintan Nighthaven’s tenure as Ambassador to Axos and found yourself ill-equipped for the necessities of the position. There is little point in wondering what could have been avoided had you acted. You did not. But you have done something few are capable of - you own your mistakes and learn from them. These lessons have cost much. Do not squander them.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (812-72)

===Judgement 62===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Kaspar Yakovitch von Holberg
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Teodore Dusesna of the Camorra Dusesna, you have been inquisited regarding your accusations of idolatry against Genoveva Barossa d’Apulian, Sofonisba Amilcara, Cesare di Tassato and Raphael Barossa d’Apulian and have been found wanting. You admitted you knew your accusations had no basis in fact or as anything other than unfounded gossip yet you repeated them as factual truth. The Virtuous do not tear down others nor demean them, yet you spent your time in baseless accusations. Your penance is to spend the next three months speaking with those you spread your accusations to, advising them of the lack of substance and apologising for misleading them. Following this you will attend Anvil to make a public apology to those you wronged, at the League Assembly meeting 7pm Friday of the Spring Solstice.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (304-0)

===Judgement 63===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Elagabala
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' The Loyal serve without concern for reward, ignore qualms of actions they take for their loyalty, defend that which they care about, and protect those they love from harm regardless of any cost. Knight-Captain Alethia Wooder was not only willing to pay that cost, but did. I find no fault in their Virtue when treating with Agramant. It was impeccable. Her heart was guided by the true Loyalty of her soul, in accordance with all appropriate teachings and auras thereof. As she continues her journey on the path, she should remember that whilst the Loyal are ready to pay this cost, she should be conscious it never strays to acting as the Peaceful Martyr, willing to suffer to alleviate the suffering of others, as this, as she knows, is a malign spiritual intent.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (888-58)

===Judgement 73===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I called General Jean d'Apulian to inquisition as my first act as Inquisitor of Prosperity, as asked by members of House de Gauvain. Jean was open and honest about what happened to the permanent enchantment of Bound by Common Cause on the Wolves of War. His Loyalty shone through his words and actions. His Prosperity is also unquestionable; when the enchantment changed, the Empire would have had to pay to remove it. Jean was able to engineer another option, that saw the army able to resupply and stand stronger for the Empire. I would, however, prevail upon his virtue and ask that he find a way to remember Maurice de Gauvain to the League and the Empire
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (182-20)

===Judgement 75===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Lugh Llaw Whisperleaf, I am not sure what I expected when I called you to Inquisition. Please thank your friends again for the song. I cannot call into question your virtue, your Prosperity, Loyalty, or Pride. You took heretical icons out of the grasping hands of would-be cultists, ensuring you did not impoverish those who found them, and show your work with Pride. Your decision to Hallow them to True Virtues and share them with fellow Magpies who prove themselves Virtuous and worthy is a good one. I look forwards to hearing from whoever investigates the Vallorn flowers you wear on your hat.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (197-10)

===Judgement 76===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Cadenza i Fontanilla i Riqueza, Nation's Hearth, I called you to Inquisition to investigate your Prosperity and I have not been left wanting. You work hard at the Spilled Tea each day, and do not rest on your laurels with the money you make. You give so much to your Nation, to your Empire, and you deserve recognition. So many see Prosperity as the act of making money, but you make sure it keeps moving, going where it needs to go. You remind people what a single soul can do when it chooses to. You walk the path of Prosperity well, and I seek to learn your example.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (207-0)

===Judgement 84===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Nim of Ebon's Hall
* '''Judgement - Condemnation:''' Gisli, you told me that beneath a shroud of your own creation lay one of the true Virtues of the Way - but I found only Anarchy. For this, we condemn you for Blasphemy. The Institutions of the Casinean Empire will do well without your malign influence
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (256-32)

===Judgement 102===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Emperor Vesna, you asked me to inquisit you to judge and recognise your Prosperity, and I am honoured that you did. Your work in Ossium gave freed slaves the opportunities to become Prosperous citizens, and you have continued this on the grandest scale across and beyond the Empire. Your foresight into the only path to take to bring the Way to the world is inspiring, and as a Navarri, your willingness to make the hard choices resonates. There is only one thing I disagree with you on - you <u>are</u> loved by your Empire. To remind you of this, the Prosperity Assembly wish to Testimony you as "Beloved" with the strength of 7 priests.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (171-30)

===Judgement 108===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Pete Tong
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Juniper du Froste, Merchant of the Fangs, in your inquisition you showed me and my co-council of your virtue. Not only are you ambitious, wise, and Prosperous - your intentions and competency are clear - but your loyalty to the Empire's duty to the Rahvin and your commitment to them is commendable. Maybe one day more bourse seat holders may be like you, and we might live in a better world.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (734-20)

===Judgement 113===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' T i Dahr i Riqueza
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Gisli (Judgement 84 Wisdom) is not guilty of Blasphemy because it is not yet a crime. We condemn people for the crimes we have written down - and in fact he was wise in his efforts to remove the effects of his experiments with the aura "to trust his own judgement." Gisli is wise, knows the law, knows magic, and makes very good business decisions. He is an asset to the Empire, and it would be wise to see the fault of his actions, which were not illegal as dedication itself is not blasphemy. Fintan Nighthaven's poison must be cleared from the Empire, but not by killing all those he poisoned.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (266-924)
* '''Notes:''' Scrutiny was extended on this judgement by '''Silas of the Cenotaph''', the [[Cardinal of Wisdom]]

===Judgement 137===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I inquisited Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer (J29) and found her courage evident. She has a strong theology and practical virtue is important to her. She is fully aware of what she needs courage to face and what challenges are within her capabilities more easily. She faces things clearly and knows when to press forward and when to try new approaches and I feel she will continue to work on her soul, improve this empire and inspire others to act for a long time.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (120-0)

===Judgement 138===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I inquisited Ida the River today at 15:00 about courage. She spoke well of her virtue and the challenges she faces in life, the ways she faces dangers and failures. Others of the hospital spoke well of her, Tiberius described her as his rock, the most steadfast mother and north star Kellen of Kingstoke attributed Ida's courage with her continuing at the hospital. Ambrove di Sarvos talked of Ida pushing them forwards to establish connections. Emileo di Sarvos talked of her not hesitating. Isolde said she gives others courage, not aiming to inspire just doing a ripple of virtue from her actions.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (130-00)

===Judgement 143===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Eirlys Ashes Blaze
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Harwyn Eternal described his loyalty and conviction in seeing Navarr best represented in military council. I think that this conviction is a testament to his loyalty to Navarr. However, his actions have not build up the people and team that forms the Navarr contingent of the military council. I call Harwyn to tell me in a years time of the actions that he takes from today to act with his virtue to aid this team and the goals of the military council team, in the interest of elevating his words with actions.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (66-0)

===Judgement 146===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Eevi of the Gadrai
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Following the inquisition of Dagon Barossa it was clear that whilst his intention was virtuous, his decision to give away the shield intended for the Champion of Loyalty lacked loyalty. It tore down his fellows and his words and deeds not united. I task Dagon to suffer the curse Bitter Mantle of the Leaden Crown next season. Even the strongest may err, the truly great learn from what scars them
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (208-0)

===Judgement 148===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Brynmor Rootround
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Neve, over the long dark, lost all her oaths in sacrifice to the Empire. SHE decided the price was of worth against the Duvanku. Without her, all of Sarangrave would have been plunged into the depths of a winter curse upon the lands. She took this great sacrifice in loyalty to the Dreadshields, to Navarr, and to the Empire, with Pride and great Courage. May she be Branded to honour her actions, knowing they will be remembered and respected, and testimony her with "Oathsworn Renewed"
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (142-0)

===Judgement 149===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I inquisited the Earl of Fools, along with several others. He was pleasant if nervous and demonstrated a clear growth of virtue and courage to acknowledge his actions. I wish him well in future endeavours and look forward to his benevolence in his virtue and in the future
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (84-0)

==Recognition==
Two judgements of [[recognition]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 72===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Luca i Taziel i Riqueza
* '''Judgement:''' To recognise Zemress i Ezamara i Erigo as a Paragon of Prosperity. Her Exemplardom is known. There is no question of Benevolence, Inspiration, Pilgrimage, Salvation and Legacy. There never has been. No voices have spoken out against her Liberation. No Past Life Visions to be seen, and no ashes yet found. For Miracles we need only look. Look to the past. The Kraken's Bane returning to post. She was thought lost in the bay with her captain. But there She came. Un-crewed. Bound for home. Look to the present. The Captain's Touch, a treasure trove of True Auras tied to Zemress. Hallows a-plenty, easy to find by simply asking an enthusiastic Zemress at Anvil. The Sumaah already recognise our captain. In times of uncertainty, let us look to stories we know are true; a Paragon that already teaches the Known World what a Prosperity looks like
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (223-30)

===Judgement 83===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Masha Sigeling
* '''Judgement:''' We recognise Rahvin as an Exemplar of Courage and the first Ancestor Exemplar. <u>Inspiration</u> Fighting against the Druj, surrounded on all fronts, he inspired his people and thousands of others to fight to the bitter end, courageously standing for what they believed in, time and again. <u>Benevolence</u> Rahvin suffered greatly in the fight for the freedom of the Barrens, committing his life to bring about a better future for his people. <u>Liberation</u> Many individuals close to Rahvin report hearing his voice as an Ancestor, proof that, from his courageous actions he has crossed the Howling Abyss. <u>Legacy</u> Though the Rahvin (people) were thought destroyed by the Druj, they lived on, and fight now in his name to drive the Druj east into the sea. <u>Salvation</u> Rahvin was the driving force behind the uprising against the Druj in the Barrens, sending them to the howling abyss and ultimately leading to his followers working with the Empire.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (238-10)

==Appointment==
Twenty one [[appointment|appointments]] were raised by the [[Tribune of the Synod]] during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 1===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Cardinal of Prosperity]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Heilyn Bronwen’s Rest''' was appointed with 126 votes; Gorwen received 20 votes; Mabel received 20 votes; Syene received 12 votes

===Judgement 2===
* '''Assembly:''' Way
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Cardinal of the Way]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Volya Nebov''' was appointed with 78 votes; Yosephus Morningson received 42 votes; Kosta-Konstanin Rabovich Bolotnikov received 30 votes; Tabris, Son or Armisael received 22 votes; Brynn Tendfallen received 10 votes

===Judgement 3===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Lepidean Librarian|Lepidean Library]] dose of [[Liao#True Liao|True Liao]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Caleb of the Cenotaph''' was selected with 426 votes; Kaspar Yakovitch von Holberg received 170 votes; Aspar received 150 votes; Gaelen Embercast received 146 votes; Claudia Varkulova Remislav received 132 votes; Mirella of the Twisted Rose received 106 votes; Starac Sijed Orzel received 74 votes; Mel of the Mourn received 44 votes; Frater Pontius of Adoniran’s Temple received 42 votes; Tom Appleseed received 30 votes

===Judgement 10===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Champion of Loyalty]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Talos of the Silent Tide''' was appointed with 206 votes; Skaldsgrym Dunhearth received 40 votes; Haungar Oakenlegs received 38 votes; Shibboleth Tzipporah received 36 votes

===Judgement 23===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Arbiter of the Four Winds]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Donato of the Crucible''' was appointed with 98 votes

===Judgement 28===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Hand to the Dance]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Farren Silver Streams''' was appointed with 90 votes; Emrys Barbbearer Edgestalker received 41 votes; Brynn Tendfallen received 28 votes

===Judgement 33===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Voice of Barbs]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Eirlys Ashes Blaze''' was appointed with 187 votes

===Judgement 43===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Speaker of the Highborn Assembly]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Nicodemus of Balthazar’s Vineyard''' was appointed with 404 votes

===Judgement 49===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Curator of the Printers' Guild Museum]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Fabio Costas d’Apulian''' was appointed with 106 votes

===Judgement 50===
* '''Assembly:''' Ambition
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Voice of Ambition]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Ser Purslane Artorigus''' was appointed with 116 votes; Lord Roland de Lagriffe received 86 votes; Earl Cerys de Rosier received 70 votes

===Judgement 51===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Champion of Pride]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Katchiana Razorradze''' was appointed with 80 votes; Vespasian received 48 votes; Kali Keen-Eye received 34 votes

===Judgement 59===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Lantern Wolf]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Nadia von Holberg''' was appointed with 176 votes; Katarina Palantini received 60 votes; Savi Avocatt received 34 votes

===Judgement 60===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Keeper of the Orchard]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Basil Goodbeard''' was appointed with 150 votes

===Judgement 61===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Keeper of Oaths]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Veikko Bondforger''' was appointed with 398 votes

===Judgement 64===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Virtue inquisitor|Inquisitor of Courage]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Masha Sigeling''' was appointed with 110 votes; Ada of House Meliora received 32 votes

===Judgement 65===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Grieftender of the Forgotten]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Miroslav Temnavoda''' was appointed with 142 votes

===Judgement 69===
* '''Assembly:''' Nine
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[High Exorcist]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Belial de Courtenay-Wyldrose''' was appointed with 6 votes. Solas of the Spire of the Waxing Sun received 1 vote

===Judgement 86===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Virtue inquisitor|Inquisitor of Wisdom]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Nim of Ebons Hall''' was appointed with 132 votes. Gwen Tendfallen received 22 votes

===Judgement 89===
* '''Assembly:''' Nine
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Basilisk of the Bourse]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Alfred Aewulfson''' was appointed with 7 votes

===Judgement 93===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Hand of Guerra]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Sufyan i Zuhri i Guerra''' was appointed with 74 votes

===Judgement 65===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Voice of Virtue|Voice of Vigilance]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Bryce the Hare''' was appointed with 94 votes

==Rewarding==
Fourteen judgements of [[rewarding]] were presented to the General Assembly during the Winter Solstice
===Judgement 10===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Valentin Ivarovich Orzel
* '''Judgement:''' The Inspirational Tomb of Ozren de Orzel has been chosen and will include an Academy of the Arts and Apartments for the High Bard of the Empire! At the formal consecration with True Liao the Culwich Witches of Weirwater have promised gifts and recognition to the Eighty-One (81) named musicians and poets chosen by the High Bard in early 386. Nearly half the funding for this Virtuous endeavour is secured. The True Liao is held in preparation. We are almost there! I request the General Assembly’s support in a Rewarding from the Virtue fund of 40 Thrones to complete the purchase of white granite to build the Bardic Academy of the Exemplar Ozren to support the ongoing work of the High Bards of the Empire and secure the Proud legacy of the 81 named performers celebrating Imperial Virtue and wonderous deeds!
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (470-662)

===Judgement 12===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Ioan Longshadow
* '''Judgement:''' Since the death of Empress Britta, the Anvil Hospital has stood as a beacon of Quiet Courage and Virtue. It has not been sustained by the Empire’s coffers, but by the Prosperity of private citizens and the relentless goodwill of volunteers. These individuals face the brutal aftermath of battle, keep soldiers in the fight, and tend to those who support them on and off the battlefield. Their Courage is not loud - but it is unyielding. And it has been overlooked for far too long. I seek the aid of the General Assembly for this Virtuous cause and request a rewarding from the Virtue Fund of 10 thrones for the purchase of herbs, mana, liao, and other essential resources in support of the Hospital - and by extension, the Empire. Let us honour the Quiet Courage of those who give their time, effort, and resources to the Hospital. Courage does not only charge - it heals, it endures, and it refuses to break.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (1242-106)

===Judgement 26===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Ser Lorell Copiste
* '''Judgement:''' It is no secret that with Dawn’s deficiency in wealth, the nation struggles to build anything of use. So that this issue may be solved, Lord Morgann de Vere, ever prideful of his homeland, ambitiously seeks 8 wains of Weirwood from the Virtue Fund, to help in constructing a great work that benefits not only Weirwater, but the nation of Dawn entire. Let Lord Morgann be rewarded, and your prosperity shall greatly aid the Dawnish people.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (300-808)

===Judgement 52===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato
* '''Judgement:''' I seek to reward VITTORE van TEMESCHWAR The sum of TWENTY-TWO THRONES From the virtue fund for having prosperously created multiple items of office and regalia for Imperial titles and to assist in his further works in this endeavour
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (382-628)

===Judgement 55===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Erasmo di Tassato
* '''Judgement:''' We reward Bledri Eternal with fifteen thrones. Bledri has spent more than 40 thrones of his own funds on codifying two rituals. Stars Mantle has already been added to Imperial Lore. Revelations of the Past, which shares a vision of an item’s past beyond the ritualist’s coven, will be added to Imperial Lore shortly after being loaned to the Academy for a period. This kind of generous prosperity should be encouraged and rewarded.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (400-582)

===Judgement 58===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Laurencio di Sarvos
* '''Judgement:''' Over 150 Imperial Fleet Captains forwent personal prosperity to support the Unguerdoned Red Wind Corsairs in destroying the pirate-cultist navy of the Children of Wrecks effectively closing a front. We reward them with 40 Thrones to be shared between them.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (620-424)

===Judgement 87===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Anatolij Paukov Zorkin
* '''Judgement:''' I am seeking 6 wains of white granite to create a monument to the Silent Bell sodality to reward their tireless work Vigilantly and Courageously defending this Empire and furthering our knowledge of the Way. I have the Senate announcement, I have the labour costs, all I need is the white granite
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, partial (three white granite) (528-334)

===Judgement 90===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Oleander Ashwood
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to reward Geraint Bronwen's Rest with 16 weirwood to be put towards the City of Dreams. This is an investment in to the future of Navarr and will allow us to seek new ways to use liao
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (434-389)

===Judgement 99===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Lia Adelaar
* '''Judgement:''' The Kleists of Holberg have, through their ingenuity and tireless effort, succeeded in raising the walls of Holberg to be the greatest fortification in the known world. Funds for this great work (500T) come from the Kleists' efforts co-ordinating the prosperity of our citizens and from their own pockets. We ask for a rewarding of 8 white granite in recognition of their great Ambition and Prosperity, and to support future projects including the Imperatrix docks.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, but none remain (408-380)

===Judgement 103===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Cyrus of Athaliah's Handiwork
* '''Judgement:''' We award Naomi of Felix's Watch, 5 wains of white granite towards the restoration of Berechiah's Basilica in Bastion, which is in a dangerous state of disrepair, and is a threat to the life and limb of pilgrims. It was consecrated with true liao in 385YE and has provided only a fraction of the benefit it might have. Now, when we need Berechiah's inspiration to fight foreign espionage rings is the perfect time to complete the work and create a new title to be appointed by the Vigilance Assembly
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (672-214)

===Judgement 115===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Catena
* '''Judgement:''' To bring the Way to the hermit kingdom of Tsark, we must <u>talk</u> to them. An opportunity to build that bridge has arisen in the form of the Garden of the Perfect World - this will allow us to trade weirwood to them for white granite and improve the Prosperity of us both. This door was opened by Abel the Rounder, and I ask that this Assembly provide him 8 wains of weirwood in order that it may be built as soon as possible.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, but none remain (188-154)

===Judgement 120===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Emrys Fleurir
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to reward Ser Raine Fisher with 16 Weirwood for their efforts in rousing Dawnish fleets to aid the Red Wind Corsairs, so that they may fund Ambitious projects to increase the Empire's naval strength.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (178-248)

===Judgement 121===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Xandor Trodbroker
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to reward Eleri Bronwen's Rest with 6 wains of mithril to be put towards the army currently mustering in Hercynia. The army will be put to use defending the Empire's borders to help safeguard the spiritual centre of the Way
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (261-106)

===Judgement 123===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Neala Blackhawk
* '''Judgement:''' We reward Halwyn Splitroot for achieving the great ambition of rebuilding and consecrating First Voice Glade and School inspiring pride and increasing prosperity within the Empire. We grant him 16 weirwood as reward for this great work and in the knowledge that this will support his efforts to further improve the Glade and School to benefit the prosperity and herbal knowledge of the Vallornguard
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (144-146)

==Special Considerations==
The following considerations should be borne in mind when bringing judgements before the Imperial Synod during the Winter Solstice.
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Assembly'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Consideration'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Link'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Duration'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Statements that prioritise the greater good over personal loyalties are less effective.</td><td>[[Cardinal_of_Loyalty#Additional_Powers_-_The_Eyes_of_Loyalty|Eyes of Loyalty]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Statements that try to compel Loyalty will fail.</td><td>[[Cardinal_of_Loyalty#Additional_Powers_-_The_Eyes_of_Loyalty|Eyes of Loyalty]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Revocations and Excommunications for disloyalty to the nation or Empire risk causing dissent.</td><td>[[Cardinal_of_Loyalty#Additional_Powers_-_The_Eyes_of_Loyalty|Eyes of Loyalty]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Any mandate that does not pass with a greater majority will have limited or no effect on Urizen or Varushka. It is not impossible that a mandate might lead to a response in one of the two nations, but it won't lead to any immediate consequences for the people of the nation. </td><td>[[Hard_and_suspecting#The_Urizen_Assembly|Urizen Link]]<br>[[Hard_and_suspecting#The_Varushkan_Assembly|Varushka Link]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Any mandate that does not pass with a greater majority will have limited or no effect on Wintermark unless enacted by the Wintermark Assembly. It is not impossible that a mandate might lead to a response in the nation, but it won't lead to any immediate consequences for the people of the nation. </td><td>[[The_final_cut#Questions_for_Wintermark|The final cut]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Statements that stress the need to follow Imperial law rather than virtue will be unlikely to lead to a mandate.</td><td>[[Knocking_on_every_door#A_Paper_Shield|Knocking on every door]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>League Assembly</td><td>No statement of principle raised by the League Assembly that calls on citizens to support a different cause will have an effect.</td><td>[[The war of thorns and flowers#The League|The war of thorns and flowers]]</td><td>Until Winter 387YE</td>
<tr><td>Varushkan Assembly</td><td>No statement of principle raised by the Varushkan Assembly that calls on citizens to support a different cause will have an effect.</td><td>[[The war of thorns and flowers#Varushka|The war of thorns and flowers]]</td><td>Until Winter 387YE</td>
</table>

==The Virtue Fund==
At the start of the Winter Solstice 387YE summit, the Virtue Fund stood as follows:
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Money'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Mithril'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''White Granite'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Weirwood'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''True Liao'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>88 thrones, 15 rings</td><td>6 wains</td><td>8 wains</td><td>16 wains</td><td>1 dose</td>
</table>

Total donations made were:
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Money'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Mithril'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''White Granite'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Weirwood'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''True Liao'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>65 thrones, 7 crowns, 16 rings</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td>
</table>

The total amounts carried forward to the next summit were:
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Money'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Mithril'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''White Granite'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Weirwood'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''True Liao'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>104 thrones, 11 rings</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td>
</table>

Click ''Expand'' to see a list of donations received prior to the start of the summit.

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
* 1 throne, 2 crowns at the [[Rewarding#Counting Houses|counting house]] of [[Reikos]]
* 2 thrones at the counting house of [[Tassato]]
* 1 throne, 3 crowns at the counting house of [[Semmerholm]]
* 1 throne, 4 crowns at the counting house of [[Karsk]]
* 6 wains of mithril, 8 wains of white granite and 8 wains of weirwood from [[The_greatest_plurality#One_Empire|various donations]]
</div>

Click ''Expand'' to see a list of Rewardings made at the summit.

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
* 10 thrones to '''Ioan Longshadow''' following [[#Judgement 12|Judgement 12]] being upheld (margin 1136)
* 5 wains of white granite to '''Cyrus of Athaliah's Handiwork''' following [[#Judgement 103|Judgement 103]] being upheld (margin 458)
* 40 thrones to '''Laurencio Lemmini di Sarvos''' following [[#Judgement 58|Judgement 8]] being upheld (margin 196)
* 3 wains of white granite to '''Anatolij''' following [[#Judgement 87|Judgement 87]] being upheld (margin 194)
* 6 wains of mithril to '''Xandor Trodbroker''' following [[#Judgement 121|Judgement 121]] being upheld (margin 155)
* 16 wains of weirwood to '''Oleander Ashwood''' following [[#Judgement 90|Judgement 90]] being upheld (margin 45)
</div>

Click ''Expand'' to see a list of donations made during the summit.

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
* 65 thrones for the Bourse dose of True Liao from '''Umbar'''
* 6 crowns from '''Rafael Barossa d'Apulian'''
* 1 crown from '''Berith Martel'''
* 16 rings in small donations
</div>

==Doses of True Liao==

Six doses of [[Liao#True Liao|True Liao]] were disbursed this summit:
* One dose to '''Vesna Borkovna Prochnost''' as [[the Throne]]
* One dose in connection to the [[Lepidean Librarian|Lepidean University]] to '''Caleb of the Cenotaph''' via [[#Judgement 3|Judgement 3]]
* One dose to '''Umbar''' by purchase in the [[Public auction|Public Auction]]
* One dose to '''Ashborn Trosk''' by decision of the Gatekeepers
* One dose to '''Ingrid Talon-of-the-Mark''' by decision of the Gatekeepers
* One dose to '''Amberlain P. Black''' by decision of the Gatekeepers

==Assembly Strength==
The table below shows the size, total voting strength and greater majority thresholds for each assembly as calculated at the start of the summit.

{|
! scope=""col"" style=""width: 320px;"" | Virtue Assembly
! Assembly Size
! Total Voting Strength
! Greater Majority Threshold
|-
|Ambition || 53 || 742 || 372
|-
|Courage || 41 || 492 || 247
|-
|Loyalty || 61 || 788 || 395
|-
|Pride || 36 || 440 || 221
|-
|Prosperity || 42 || 513 || 257
|-
|Vigilance || 47 || 532 || 267
|-
|Wisdom || 41 || 554 || 278
|-
|The Way || 29 || 320 || 161
|-
|General || 350 || 4381 || 2191
|-
|}

{|
! scope=""col"" style=""width: 320px;"" | National Assembly
! Assembly Size
! Total Voting Strength
! Greater Majority Threshold
|-
|Brass Coast || 15 || 166 || 84
|-
|Dawn || 51 || 672 || 337
|-
|Highguard || 74 || 940 || 471
|-
|Imperial Orcs || 9 || 138 || 70
|-
|League || 36 || 514 || 258
|-
|Marches || 22 || 250 || 126
|-
|Navarr || 43 || 499 || 250
|-
|Urizen || 27 || 314 || 158
|-
|Varushka || 31 || 398 || 200
|-
|Wintermark || 42 || 490 || 246
|-
|General || 350 || 4381 || 2191
|-
|}

387YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

2026-05-03T19:16:44Z

Noserenda: /* Judgement 15 */

[[Category: Synod]] [[Category:Synod Results]] [[Category: Synod Judgements]][[Category: 387YE Winter]]
==Overview==
During the Winter Solstice 387YE, the Imperial Synod raised TBC judgements.

<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: left;">
{|
|+ <big>'''Judgement Quick Links'''</big>
! Judgement Type
! Amount
|-
|[[#Statement of Principle|Statement of Principle]]|| ??
|-
|[[#Mandate|Mandate]] || 10
|-
|[[#Writ of Consecration|Writ of Consecration]] || 2
|-
|[[#Revocation|Revocation]] || 1
|-
|[[#Proscription|Proscription]] || 15
|-
|[[#Inquisition|Inquisition]] || 11
|-
|[[#Sanction|Sanction]] || 15
|-
|[[#Recognition|Recognition]] || 2
|-
|[[#Appointment|Appointment]] || 21
|-
|[[#Rewarding|Rewarding]] || 14
|-
|}
</div>

==Mandate==
===Judgement 9===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Frater Pontius of Adoniram's Testament
* '''Judgement:''' Be alert to all dangers; within and without. We send Frater Pontius of Adoniram's Testament with 50 doses of liao to encourage our courageous soldiers to stand apart from these servants of eternals. Seek out falsehood and expose the truth.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (678-12)
* '''Enacted''' Highborn soldiers [[The_thing_with_feathers#In_the_Fields_of_Glory_(Eleonaris)|will deliberately keep their distance from any heralds]] sent to fight alongside them.

===Judgement 70===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Harwyn Eternal
* '''Judgement:''' The Terunael city of Hacynian has passed into history, ruined by the vallorn. We send Towlen Nighthaven with 25 liao to urge the folk of Hercynia. To swear an oath that neither they nor their ancestors will seek to rebuild Hacynian. Accept its passing as a sacrifice for future free of the folly of Terunael.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (223-16)
* '''Enacted:''' Kaela will provide her support for the construction of [[Every_path_you_know#Beware_of_Dog|the Grim Pryamid]] in the Starless Vale.
__TOC__
===Judgement 71===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Teleri Thornweaver
* '''Judgement:''' The Virtuous raise up their fellows. Any nation willing to raise arms and join the Vallornguard shall have our full support. We send Brynn Tendfallen with 50 doses of liao to lead our people in sharing everything we have with Urizen to prepare to finish the fight.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (267-0)
* '''Enacted:''' Navarr from all walks of life [[Every_path_you_know#Thanks_for_Sharing|will travel to the named nation looking for ways to help]]. This will generate at least one opportunity for a new Imperial title to help the Vallornguard prepare for the fight with the enemy.

===Judgement 79===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Azir i Shartha i Riqueza
* '''Judgement:''' Beware the seduction of the false virtue of Anarchy! We send Azir i Shartha i Riqueza with 150 doses of liao to rally the people of the Brass Coast to turn away from those who would revel in false freedoms. Reject Anarchy, lest your virtue be lost! Let virtue reveal the deceiver!
* '''Outcome:''' Not upheld (42-96)

===Judgement 88===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Joran of Reikos
* '''Judgement:''' Seek out falsehood and expose the truth! We send Joran of Reikos with 25 doses of liao to rally the people of Highguard to use their well-earned skills to find those who betray the people of Sarvos. Let Virtue reveal the deceiver!
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (552-0)
* '''Enacted:''' Highborn congregations can [[Finding_is_the_final_act#Expose_the_Truth|lecture to citizens to investigate Sarvos]].

===Judgement 107===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Viviane Barossa
* '''Judgement:''' Seek out falsehood and expose the truth! We send Viviane Barossa with 25 liao to rally the people of the League to use their well-earned skills to find those who betray the people of Sarvos. Let virtue reveal the deceiver!
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (552-0)
* '''Enacted:''' League congregations can [[Finding_is_the_final_act#Expose_the_Truth|lecture to citizens to investigate Sarvos]].

===Judgement 116===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Creighton Blackewater
* '''Judgement:''' Pride in small things, Loyalty to great ones. We send Richard with 50 doses of liao to encourage Marcher citizens to settle the land. War is a thrice-ploughed field.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (144-0)
* '''Enacted:''' For one year, [[The_circle_game#Stirring_the_Pot|Marcher citizens can change a military unit, fleet, herb garden, mine or forest to a farm]] of the same resource level in the same territory without incurring a cost. Players wishing to take advantage of this opportunity should {{plot}}.

===Judgement 118===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Paulus Adelaar van Holberg
* '''Judgement:''' Nothing great without cost. We send Frideswide Adelaar van Holberg with 50 doses of liao to encourage League citizens to invest in business. Coin counts and everything costs!
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (230-0)
* '''Enacted:''' For one year, [[The_circle_game#Stirring_the_Pot|League citizens can change a military unit, fleet, herb garden, mine or forest to a business]] of the same resource level in the same territory without incurring a cost. Players wishing to take advantage of this opportunity should {{plot}}.

===Judgement 124===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Exarch Aemon of the Suns of Couros
* '''Judgement:''' The Sarcophan folk of Alivetti estates celebrate their enclave, but we must all remain vigilant to the threats it may represent. While they seem to be honest traders, their ways are not our ways, and their faith is very different to ours. Their refusal to acknowledge Imperial law is a challenge to the Empire. We send Exarch Aemon with 25 doses of liao to urge all virtuous citizens who must attend this gathering to keep their wits about them and remain alert for threats within and without.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (338-54)
* '''Enacted:''' Sends a message to the Alivetti estates that [[A_wild_night_and_a_new_road#Party_Planning|while that nation tolerates them, they do not welcome further engagement]].

===Judgement 158===
* '''Assembly:''' Imperial Orc
* '''Raised By:''' Skywise Rykana
* '''Judgement:''' Ambition is much more than lines on a map. We send Jim with 15 crowns to lead a delegation of mystics and shamans to discover more of the ancestors the Karass.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (110-0)
* '''Enacted:''' Jim will lead a group of willing orcs [[Every_day_of_your_life#Spanning_the_Abyss|in search of information and lore about the ancestors of the Karass]].

==Writ of Consecration==
Two [[writ of consecration|writs of consecration]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 56===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Martin Orchard
* '''Judgement:''' We have the exemplar, now where is their tomb? This assembly authorises and applauds the creation of an inspirational site to memorialise the <u>EXEMPLAR OF VIGILANCE, RAVADI FOUNDERS’ DANCE</u> (consecrated to vigilance, of course).
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (334-20)

===Judgement 56===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Skáldsgrým Dunhearth
* '''Judgement:''' Following the recent destruction of the historic meeting stone where the Jotun and Empire could meet. We the Loyalty Assembly seek a 'writ of consecration' to dedicate part of the newly built feasting hall on Gull Island to Loyalty. We wish to recognise it's importance and protect from future harm as a place of both virtue and honour. Loyalty is not displayed by words or deeds alone, but the unity of both
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (534-0)

==Revocation==
One [[revocation]] was presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 142===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Rosanna Vtrachenich
* '''Judgement:''' It is the unwise boyar who leaves none to tend the hearth. Sirka Parakgoosier Bashnya, Senator for Karsk, has abandoned their post and left no named proxy. It is your prerogative however there is no excuse in not providing a contingency. We in the Varushkan Assembly move for revocation.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (174-0)

==Proscription==
Fifteen judgements of [[proscription]] were raised in the General Assembly during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 4===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes the use of the ceremony of excommunication without authorisation by writ of the Synod as an abuse of powers.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1522-684)

===Judgement 5===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes as blasphemy the act of dedicating any person to a false virtue or of creating an aura of a false virtue.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (2301-370)

===Judgement 6===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The desecration or destruction of any relics associated with a paragon or exemplar, or the destruction of any memorial associated with them, is proscribed.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1744-290)

===Judgement 7===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The General Assembly proscribes the Excessionist Heresy - the claim that too much of a Virtue can be as bad as too little.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1532-580)

===Judgement 8===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The General Assembly proscribes the creation of statues in the likeness of any eternal. It is idolatry to commission a structure designed to honour an inhuman entity.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (1094-1254)

===Judgement 17===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Corey Wayfarer
* '''Judgement:''' The General Assembly proscribes the Yaelian Heresy - the belief in the Land Without Tears and in Yael as a rebirth of the First Empress. These have shown to be false.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1880-110)

===Judgement 24===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Vaclav Mladenovich Kosti
* '''Judgement:''' The Eternal Sadogua, the Brother of Wizards, has boasted of being the same entity known in the Iron Confederacy as Dumon, Father of Lies, a god within the Suranni pantheon. Nonetheless, he constantly seeks tribute, veneration, and adulation from the citizens of the Empire. The General Assembly proscribes the creation of statues, fanes, or edifices created in honour of Sadogua. It is idolatry to commission or to build such a thing.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (860-992)

===Judgement 97===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Brother Geoffrey Orchard
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes the receiving of a False Virtue Anointing or a False Virtue Dedication as BLASPHEMY
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1252-536)

===Judgement 110===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Syene
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes the act of ceding land to those who are not sentient beings of this world, such as eternals or tulpas, as an act of idolatry. We make clear that it is the act of ceding itself that is idolatrous, and those who are responsible for such places are not de facto idolators
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (698-864)

===Judgement 128===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Felix Saltspire
* '''Judgement:''' Venerating an icon of an Eternal is Idolatry. Producing an Image of one is just Art. To make art exalts your pride. To venerate an eternal subsumes your will.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (496-244)

===Judgement 145===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Eevi of the Gadrai
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes entering into the service of an eternal or tulpa, where the service subsumes the individual's free will. This is idolatry. This is different from bartering for limited boons in service to your virtue.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1010-102)

===Judgement 152===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Alessi of the Basilisks of the Labyrinth
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of vengeance
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (804-46)

===Judgement 153===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Olyvar of Esther's Sanctum
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of understanding
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (770-70)

===Judgement 154===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Silas of the Cenotaph
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of hatred
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (842-46)

===Judgement 155===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Theodora
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of freedom
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (790-70)

==Inquisition==
XXXXX [[inquisition|inquisitions]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 18===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Cato Hypation
* '''Judgement:''' I call <u>Severus of the Blinding Sun</u> to inquisition, at a time to be arranged at the convenience of the magistrates at this summit. Let him be provided with an opportunity to defend his creed under Imperial scrutiny, having failed to defend it under Sword Scholar tradition.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (30-0)

===Judgement 14===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Rafael Barossa d’Apulian
* '''Judgement:''' Yosephus Morningson preaches the creed of the Temple of Balance, asserting that citizens should seek balance between all seven Virtues, and that an excess of just one Virtue becomes vice instead, as in aphorisms like “Courage pursued without Wisdom is Foolhardiness.” I have concerns about this belief, specifically whether it meets the definition of the heresies of Excessionism and/or Unitarianism; and whether its application to the paragons reaches the standard of blasphemy. With that in mind, I call Yosephus Morningson to inquisition at 1530 on Saturday of the Summer Solstice 387YE, at the Shattered Tower tent in Highguard. Anyone with an interest in these topics is welcome to attend, but this does not imply permission to participate.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (320-0)

===Judgement 22===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Kaspar Yakovitch von Holberg
* '''Judgement:''' I call Teodore duSesna of the Camorra DuSesna to Inquisition at the Autumn Summit 387YE, at a time and place to be arranged, that their accusations against Genoveva Barossa d’Apulian, Sofonisba Amilcara, Cesare Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato and Rafael Barossa d’Apulian may be thoroughly examined.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (292-0)

===Judgement 29===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvidottir
* '''Judgement:''' I call Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer to inquisition Saturday 16:00 at the Wanderers camp. Concerning her courage involving the autumn realm, raising an army for her nation and other matters that come up.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (118-10)

===Judgement 30===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Eirlys Ashes Blaze
* '''Judgement:''' Raising a Statement of revocation as the adjutant of the general you are targeting is an action worthy of Scrutiny. I call Harwin Eternal to Inquisition, to tell me the loyalty in his action and answer to the treachery it appears to be. Woven roots camp Saturday 5:00pm in Navarr (right by Songs and Stories).
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (202-0)

===Judgement 48===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Arvel Tendfallen
* '''Judgement:''' I call Silas of the Cenotaph to inquisition at the Tendfallen camp in Navarr at 11am on the Saturday of this summit to discuss the virtue of his decision to canvas against a certain judgement last summit.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (30-16)

===Judgement 57===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost
* '''Judgement:''' Magistrate Sayid i Zurhi i Erigo. I call you to inquisition on the matter of a spontaneous aura upon your soul and its unclear virtuous nature. We will test what virtuous guidance it offers you. 14:00. The hub annex.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (248-0)

===Judgement 85===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Nim of Ebon's Hall
* '''Judgement:''' Iniska Ashwood, I am interested in testing whether you have been wise during your time as Inquisitor. I fear you take the words of fools too seriously. Saturday 14:00-:1500. Woven Roots.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (332-10)

===Judgement 96===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Brynmor Rootround
* '''Judgement:''' I call Neve Dreadshield, of the Quiet Step to inquisition. This winter Neve has sacrificed all her oaths to save the people. As Navarr, our tattoos make us one nation. Let her speak if her Loyalties lie with Navarr or her actions lead to her being foresworn. Drunken Goose meeting room 5:00pm Navarr
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (233-0)

===Judgement 101===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Donato of the Crucible
* '''Judgement:''' I call Cosme i Guerra, magistrate, to discuss: their role in cursing Veikko Bondforger; the virtue in this action; how this was not acting in the spirit of <u>retribution</u>. Wanderer's camp, Urizen, Sat 5pm
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (120-0)

===Judgement 150===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement:''' I call to Inquisition Mendicant Garev of Highguard to investigate his claims of Prosperity while refusing to pay those who saved his life. This will occur at the spring summit when he is available (there will be cake)
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (334-20)

==Sanction==
XXXXX [[sanction|sanctions]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice
===Judgement 5===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Jedidiah Boon
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Sabella of the Silent Tide; Only a person’s own actions may be judged under an Inquisitor’s gaze, and each action you have taken has been guided by Virtue. The Proud embrace their past acts and strive to repeat - or learn from - them going forward. You did not earn the steadfast Loyalty of your Chapter for nothing; your trust in them to conduct themselves with Virtue is testament to that Loyalty returned. You have shown unfaltering Pride in taking the path you deem Virtuous and continuing to walk it. Your Chapter walks with you. The shared desire expressed to let sleeping dogs lie has been accepted Virtuously. Inquisition is our sacred tool for raising the sword when required, just as it is one for putting down the sword where needed - let this Vindication acknowledge the Pride in your actions and bring conclusion to previous division.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (126-34)

===Judgement 15===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Jedidiah Boon
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Myshki Marishka Letuchaya, Little Boyar of Levski, Senator for Miekarova, Leader of the Vale’s Heart, lighter of the lamp in the dark. Your visage is etched in stone, your hand now and always fortifying Delev. The Little Boyar’s Welcome stands; your Legacy stands with it. It is clear as a cloudless day that you have carved out your Benevolence in defiance of the Cold Sun, building refuge for those displaced by its hatred. Stories follow you from Anvil; how you have raised castle walls, been the architect of armies. What Inspiration this will become will be for your friends and followers to witness. Pride uplifts. Inquisition tests. The Signs of the Exemplar have ignited themselves in your actions. Surely as you pursue Virtue closer to home, your future deeds will be watched closer still.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (160-0)

===Judgement 31===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Escalating J231, Summer 387. I inquisited Viviane Barrossa about the courage of her past year of challenges to fulfil a vow to carry a hallowing. I however failed because it became incredibly clear throughout this inquisition that what motivates the soul and body of Viviane is the burning flame of Ambition. Excessionism is a heresy and one that she does not follow, she committed to this challenge with her whole self. Her ambition in this act is the salvation of Axos and bringing them to the Way and out of their misunderstanding of the world. Her route is reaching out to them so they can see we can be worked with before encouraging them to come to us, to learn from our schools of thought in exchange knowing that this will help expose the failings in their philosophy and use of these dangerous auras. While intellectually she understood this aura she told me she was still not prepared enough for the way it pushed her to freeze up, to fawn to threats, to want to give everything over and just perform what the other person wanted. She condemns this aura as unvirtuous and has and I’m sure will again speak at length against its use. She seemed justifiably angry that she has had to spend a year wasting political capital and time being inquisited, doing penance, being threatened and assaulted, and having to avoid helping reform doctrine but I think felt it worthwhile to build this bridge with Axos.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (166-10)

===Judgement 32===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Escalating Judgement 226 Summer 387 - I clear Genoveva and Rafael Barossa d’Apulian of any nonsense about running a “dark crusade” sacrificing virtue of innocents. If debate and discussion be the food of priests I have eaten well in this inquisition. These are courageous citizens of the Empire who are dedicating themselves to both the material and spiritual conditions of human souls both inside and outside of our borders and facing the challenges and problems we are in with courage, without pretending such obstacles do not exist. While they appear to disagree on Asavea they are both devoted to liberation and protection of souls and spreading The Way, and work towards such things even occasionally at the expense of personal relationships. These views may also stem from their cooperation enabling the Night Fane to Sung in Spiral going through Senate, they however have clear views on the dangers of this and how it is being overseen to understand the role that Fanes may play in the future of the Empire and wish us to understand them. They’re both magicians with above board dealings with a handful of Eternals. If you wish to understand their virtue talk to them.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (236-10)

===Judgement 37===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Galene Netherwatch
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I vindicate Sakari, Grandmaster of the Rod and Shield for raising a Declaration to uninterdict Rivers Run Red. His Ambition to achieve his goals through any means is clear. Just because you disagree with a person’s actions does not mean they are unvirtuous.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (742-96)

===Judgement 39===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Brother Geoffrey Orchard
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Escalating from Judgement 39 of Autumn 387: LUCA I TAZIEL I RIQUEZA, CARDINAL OF PROSPERITY, offered a clear description of the circumstances around Aunty Hem’s Dedication to Anarchy, her subsequent Inquisition, and the fact that he was aware of her status for a full season before undertaking any action. This was a failing of Vigilance, and in so failing the Cardinal missed an opportunity to pull Aunty Hem back from the brink. I have proposed - and the Cardinal has agreed - that the right Penance is for the Cardinal to SPEND A YEAR UNDER ANOINTINGS OF VIGILANCE. This will allow Luca to better know this Virtue, without interfering with the Cardinal’s duties to Prosperity. In Escalating I ask the Synod to ENDORSE this course of action and to SUPPORT Luca in knowing Prosperity better.
Full Inquisition reports available from me and from the citizen noticeboard. (ON OPPOSITE WALL.)
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1128-54)

===Judgement 41===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Lars Makarov
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' I Lars Makarov present my findings of following the inquisition in Autumn 387. My aim was to examine if the 5 named members of the Guard, who had taken Dark Wine and were seen to bite fallen Jotun in battle during Spring and Summer, were using it as a cover for worship of Blood in the Snow. Conclusion - None of those named in Autumn 387 serve Agramant, but by following Virtue you will all stand better prepared for the trails to come. Judgement has been provided to Molli to bear the weight of a either the Hallowing of Permion or of Isaella’s Resolve for a year and for Slark to carry a Hallowing of the Questor, to remind you of the importance of asking questions. To help continue to live with virtue.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (150-0)

===Judgement 45===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Lepidina, Chaplain Consular. I find your actions and virtue beyond reproach on the matter of Fintan Nighthaven. I look forward to watching the progression of your career.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (862-52)

===Judgement 46===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Aster Acae. You served as Chaplain Consular during the most critical juncture of Fintan Nighthaven’s tenure as Ambassador to Axos and found yourself ill-equipped for the neccessities of the position. There is little point in wondering what could have been avoided had you acted. You did not. But you have done something few are capable of - you own your mistakes and learn from them. These lessons have cost much. Do not squander them.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (812-72)

===Judgement 62===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Kaspar Yakovitch von Holberg
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Teodore Dusesna of the Camorra Dusesna, you have been inquisited regarding your accusations of idolatry against Genoveva Barossa d’Apulian, Sofonisba Amilcara, Cesare di Tassato and Raphael Barossa d’Apulian and have been found wanting. You admitted you knew your accusations had no basis in fact or as anything other than unfounded gossip yet you repeated them as factual truth. The Virtuous do not tear down others nor demean them, yet you spent your time in baseless accusations. Your penance is to spend the next three months speaking with those you spread your accusations to, advising them of the lack of substance and apologising for misleading them. Following this you will attend Anvil to make a public apology to those you wronged, at the League Assembly meeting 7pm Friday of the Spring Solstice.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (304-0)

===Judgement 63===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Elagabala
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' The Loyal serve without concern for reward, ignore qualms of actions they take for their loyalty, defend that which they care about, and protect those they love from harm regardless of any cost. Knight-Captain Alethia Wooder was not only willing to pay that cost, but did. I find no fault in their Virtue when treating with Agramant. It was impeccable. Her heart was guided by the true Loyalty of her soul, in accordance with all appropriate teachings and auras thereof. As she continues her journey on the path, she should remember that whilst the Loyal are ready to pay this cost, she should be conscious it never strays to acting as the Peaceful Martyr, willing to suffer to alleviate the suffering of others, as this, as she knows, is a malign spiritual intent.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (888-58)

===Judgement 73===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I called General Jean d'Apulian to inquisition as my first act as Inquisitor of Prosperity, as asked by members of House de Guavain. Jean was open and honest about what happened to the permanent enchantment of Bound by Common Cause on the Wolves of War. His Loyalty shone through his words and actions. His Prosperity is also unquestionable; when the enchantment changed, the Empire would have had to pay to remove it. Jean was able to engineer another option, that saw the army able to resupply and stand stronger for the Empire. I would, however, prevail upon his virtue and ask that he find a way to remember Maurice de Guavain to the League and the Empire
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (182-20)

===Judgement 75===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Lugh Llaw Whisperleaf, I am not sure what I expected when I called you to Inquisition. Please thank your friends again for the song. I cannot call into question your virtue, your Prosperity, Loyalty, or Pride. You took heretical icons out of the grasping hands of would-be cultists, ensuring you did not impoverish those who found them, and show your work with Pride. Your decision to Hallow them to True Virtues and share them with fellow Magpies who prove themselves Virtuous and worthy is a good one. I look forwards to hearing from whoever investigates the Vallorn flowers you wear on your hat.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (197-10)

===Judgement 76===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Cadenza i Fontanilla i Riqueza, Nation's Hearth, I called you to Inquisition to investigate your Prosperity and I have not been left wanting. You work hard at the Spilled Tea each day, and do not rest on your laurels with the money you make. You give so much to your Nation, to your Empire, and you deserve recognition. So many see Prosperity as the act of making money, but you make sure it keeps moving, going where it needs to go. You remind people what a single soul can do when it chooses to. You walk the path of Prosperity well, and I seek to learn your example.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (207-0)

===Judgement 84===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Nim of Ebon's Hall
* '''Judgement - Condemnation:''' Gisli, you told me that beneath a shroud of your own creation lay one of the true Virtues of the Way - but I found only Anarchy. For this, we condemn you for Blasphemy. The Institutions of the Casinean Empire will do well without your malign influence
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (256-32)

===Judgement 102===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Emperor Vesna, you asked me to inquisit you to judge and recognise your Prosperity, and I am honoured that you did. Your work in Ossium gave freed slaves the opportunities to become Prosperous citizens, and you have continued this on the grandest scale across and beyond the Empire. Your foresight into the only path to take to bring the Way to the world is inspiring, and as a Navarri, your willingness to make the hard choices resonates. There is only one thing I disagree with you on - you <u>are</u> loved by your Empire. To remind you of this, the Prosperity Assembly wish to Testimony you as "Beloved" with the strength of 7 priests.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (171-30)

===Judgement 108===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Pete Tong
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Juniper du Froste, Merchant of the Fangs, in your inquisition you showed me and my co-council of your virtue. Not only are you ambitious, wise, and Prosperous - your intentions and competency are clear - but your loyalty to the Empire's duty to the Rhavin and your commitment to them is commendable. Maybe one day more bourse seat holders may be like you, and we might live in a better world.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (734-20)

===Judgement 113===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' T i Dahr i Riqueza
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Gisli (Judgement 84 Wisdom) is not guilty of Blasphemy because it is not yet a crime. We condemn people for the crimes we have written down - and in fact he was wise in his efforts to remove the effects of his experiments with the aura "to trust his own judgement." Gisli is wise, knows the law, knows magic, and makes very good business decisions. He is an asset to the Empire, and it would be wise to see the fault of his actions, which were not illegal as dedication itself is not blasphemy. Fintan Nighthaven's poison must be cleared from the Empire, but not by killing all those he poisoned.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (266-924)
* '''Notes:''' Scrutiny was extended on this judgement by '''Silas of the Cenotaph''', the [[Cardinal of Wisdom]]

===Judgement 137===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I inquisisted Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer (J29) and found her courage evident. She has a strong theology and practical virtue is important to her. She is fully aware of what she needs courage to face and what challenges are within her capabilities more easily. She faces things clearly and knows when to press forward and when to try new approaches and I feel she will continue to work on her soul, improve this empire and inspire others to act for a long time.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (120-0)

===Judgement 138===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I inquisited Ida the River today at 15:00 about courage. She spoke well of her virtue and the challenges she faces in life, the ways she faces dangers and failures. Others of the hospital spoke well of her, Tiberius described her as his rock, the most steadfast mother and north star Kellen of Kingstoke attributed Ida's courage with her continuing at the hospital. Ambrove di Sarvos talked of Ida pushing them forwards to establish connections. Emileo di Sarvos talked of her not hesitating. Isolde said she gives others courage, not aiming to inspire just doing a ripple of virtue from her actions.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (130-00)

===Judgement 143===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Eirlys Ashes Blaze
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Harwyn Eternal described his loyalty and conviction in seeing Navarr best represented in military council. I think that this conviction is a testament to his loyalty to Navarr. However, his actions have not build up the people and team that forms the Navarr contingent of the military council. I call Harwyn to tell me in a years time of the actions that he takes from today to act with his virtue to aid this team and the goals of the military council team, in the interest of elevating his words with actions.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (66-0)

===Judgement 146===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Eevi of the Gadrai
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Following the inquisition of Dagon Barossa it was clear that whilst his intention was virtuous, his decision to give away the shield intended for the Champion of Loyalty lacked loyalty. It tore down his fellows and his words and deeds not united. I task Dagon to suffer the curse Bitter Mantle of the Leaden Crown next season. Even the strongest may err, the truly great learn from what scars them
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (208-0)

===Judgement 148===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Brynmor Rootround
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Neve, over the long dark, lost all her oaths in sacrifice to the Empire. SHE decided the price was of worth against the Duvanku. Without her, all of Sarangrave would have been plunged into the depths of a winter curse upon the lands. She tooks this great sacrifice in loyalty to the Dreadshields, to Navarr, and to the Empire, with Pride and great Courage. May she be Branded to honour her actions, knowing they will be remembered and respected, and testimony her with "Oathsworn Renewed"
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (142-0)

===Judgement 149===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I inquisited the Earl of Fools, along with several others. He was pleasant if nervous and demonstrated a clear growth of virtue and courage to acknowledge his actions. I wish him well in future endeavours and look forward to his benevolence in his virtue and in the future
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (84-0)

==Recognition==
Two judgements of [[recognition]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 72===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Luca i Taziel i Riqueza
* '''Judgement:''' To recognise Zemress i Ezamara i Erigo as a Paragon of Prosperity. Her Exemplardom is known. There is no question of Benevolence, Inspiration, Pilgrimage, Salvation and Legacy. There never has been. No voices have spoken out against her Liberation. No Past Life Visions to be seen, and no ashes yet found. For Miracles we need only look. Look to the past. The Kraken's Bane returning to post. She was thought lost in the bay with her captain. But there She came. Un-crewed. Bound for home. Look to the present. The Captain's Touch, a treasure trove of True Auras tied to Zemress. Hallows a-plenty, easy to find by simply asking an enthusiastic Zemress at Anvil. The Summah already recognise our captain. In times of uncertainty, let us look to stories we know are true; a Paragon that already teaches the Known World what a Prosperity looks like
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (223-30)

===Judgement 83===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Masha Sigeling
* '''Judgement:''' We recognise Rahvin as an Exemplar of Courage and the first Ancestor Exemplar. <u>Inspiration</u> Fighting against the Druj, surrounded on all fronts, he inspired his people and thousands of others to fight to the bitter end, courageously standing for what they believed in, time and again. <u>Benevolence</u> Rahvin suffered greatly in the fight for the freedom of the Barrens, committing his life to bring about a better future for his people. <u>Liberation</u> Many individuals close to Rahvin report hearing his voice as an Ancestor, proof that, from his courageous actions he has crossed the Howling Abyss. <u>Legacy</u> Though the Rahvin (people) were thought destroyed by the Druj, they lived on, and fight now in his name to drive the Druj east into the sea. <u>Salvation</u> Rahvin was the driving force behind the uprising against the Druj in the Barrens, sending them to the howling abyss and ultimately leading to his followers working with the Empire.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (238-10)

==Appointment==
Twenty one [[appointment|appointments]] were raised by the [[Tribune of the Synod]] during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 1===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Cardinal of Prosperity]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Heilyn Bronwen’s Rest''' was appointed with 126 votes; Gorwen received 20 votes; Mabel received 20 votes; Syene received 12 votes

===Judgement 2===
* '''Assembly:''' Way
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Cardinal of the Way]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Volya Nebov''' was appointed with 78 votes; Yosephus Morningson received 42 votes; Kosta-Konstanin Rabovich Bolotnikov received 30 votes; Tabris, Son or Armisael received 22 votes; Brynn Tendfallen received 10 votes

===Judgement 3===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Lepidean Librarian|Lepidean Library]] dose of [[Liao#True Liao|True Liao]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Caleb of the Cenotaph''' was selected with 426 votes; Kaspar Yakovitch von Holberg received 170 votes; Aspar received 150 votes; Gaelen Embercast received 146 votes; Claudia Varkulova Remislav received 132 votes; Mirella of the Twisted Rose received 106 votes; Starac Sijed Orzel received 74 votes; Mel of the Mourn received 44 votes; Frater Pontius of Adoniran’s Temple received 42 votes; Tom Appleseed received 30 votes

===Judgement 10===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Champion of Loyalty]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Talos of the Silent Tide''' was appointed with 206 votes; Skaldsgrym Dunhearth received 40 votes; Haungar Oakenlegs received 38 votes; Shibboleth Tzipporah received 36 votes

===Judgement 23===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Arbiter of the Four Winds]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Donato of the Crucible''' was appointed with 98 votes

===Judgement 28===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Hand to the Dance]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Farren Silver Streams''' was appointed with 90 votes; Emrys Barbbearer Edgestalker received 41 votes; Brynn Tendfallen received 28 votes

===Judgement 33===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Voice of Barbs]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Eirlys Ashes Blaze''' was appointed with 187 votes

===Judgement 43===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Speaker of the Highborn Assembly]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Nicodemus of Balthazar’s Vineyard''' was appointed with 404 votes

===Judgement 49===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Curator of the Printers' Guild Museum]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Fabio Costas d’Apulian''' was appointed with 106 votes

===Judgement 50===
* '''Assembly:''' Ambition
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Voice of Ambition]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Ser Purslane Artorigus''' was appointed with 116 votes; Lord Roland de Lagriffe received 86 votes; Earl Cerys de Rosier received 70 votes

===Judgement 51===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Champion of Pride]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Katchiana Razorradze''' was appointed with 80 votes; Vespasian received 48 votes; Kali Keen-Eye received 34 votes

===Judgement 59===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Lantern Wolf]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Nadia von Holberg''' was appointed with 176 votes; Katarina Palantini received 60 votes; Savi Avocatt received 34 votes

===Judgement 60===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Keeper of the Orchard]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Basil Goodbeard''' was appointed with 150 votes

===Judgement 61===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Keeper of Oaths]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Veikko Bondforger''' was appointed with 398 votes

===Judgement 64===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Virtue inquisitor|Inquisitor of Courage]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Masha Sigeling''' was appointed with 110 votes; Ada of House Meliora received 32 votes

===Judgement 65===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Grieftender of the Forgotten]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Miroslav Temnavoda''' was appointed with 142 votes

===Judgement 69===
* '''Assembly:''' Nine
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[High Exorcist]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Belial de Courtenay-Wyldrose''' was appointed with 6 votes. Solas of the Spire of the Waxing Sun received 1 vote

===Judgement 86===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Virtue inquisitor|Inquisitor of Wisdom]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Nim of Ebons Hall''' was appointed with 132 votes. Gwen Tendfallen received 22 votes

===Judgement 89===
* '''Assembly:''' Nine
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Basilisk of the Bourse]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Alfred Aewulfson''' was appointed with 7 votes

===Judgement 93===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Hand of Guerra]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Sufyan i Zuhri i Guerra''' was appointed with 74 votes

===Judgement 65===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Voice of Virtue|Voice of Vigilance]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Bryce the Hare''' was appointed with 94 votes

==Rewarding==
Fourteen judgements of [[rewarding]] were presented to the General Assembly during the Winter Solstice
===Judgement 10===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Valentin Ivarovich Orzel
* '''Judgement:''' The Inspirational Tomb of Ozren de Orzel has been chosen and will include an Academy of the Arts and Apartments for the High Bard of the Empire! At the formal consecration with True Liao the Culwich Witches of Weirwater have promised gifts and recognition to the Eighty-One (81) named musicians and poets chosen by the High Bard in early 386. Nearly half the funding for this Virtuous endeavour is secured. The True Liao is held in preparation. We are almost there! I request the General Assembly’s support in a Rewarding from the Virtue fund of 40 Thrones to complete the purchase of white granite to build the Bardic Academy of the Exemplar Ozren to support the ongoing work of the High Bards of the Empire and secure the Proud legacy of the 81 named performers celebrating Imperial Virtue and wonderous deeds!
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (470-662)

===Judgement 12===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Ioan Longshadow
* '''Judgement:''' Since the death of Empress Britta, the Anvil Hospital has stood as a beacon of Quiet Courage and Virtue. It has not been sustained by the Empire’s coffers, but by the Prosperity of private citizens and the relentless goodwill of volunteers. These individuals face the brutal aftermath of battle, keep soldiers in the fight, and tend to those who support them on and off the battlefield. Their Courage is not loud - but it is unyielding. And it has been overlooked for far too long. I seek the aid of the General Assembly for this Virtuous cause and request a rewarding from the Virtue Fund of 10 thrones for the purchase of herbs, mana, liao, and other essential resources in support of the Hospital - and by extension, the Empire. Let us honour the Quiet Courage of those who give their time, effort, and resources to the Hospital. Courage does not only charge - it heals, it endures, and it refuses to break.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (1242-106)

===Judgement 26===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Ser Lorell Copiste
* '''Judgement:''' It is no secret that with Dawn’s deficiency in wealth, the nation struggles to build anything of use. So that this issue may be solved, Lord Morgann de Vere, ever prideful of his homeland, ambitiously seeks 8 wains of Weirwood from the Virtue Fund, to help in constructing a great work that benefits not only Weirwater, but the nation of Dawn entire. Let Lord Morgann be rewarded, and your prosperity shall greatly aid the Dawnish people.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (300-808)

===Judgement 52===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato
* '''Judgement:''' I seek to reward VITTORE van TEMESCHWAR The sum of TWENTY-TWO THRONES From the virtue fund for having prosperously created multiple items of office and regalia for Imperial titles and to assist in his further works in this endeavour
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (382-628)

===Judgement 55===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Erasmo di Tassato
* '''Judgement:''' We reward Bleddri Eternal with fifteen thrones. Bleddri has spent more than 40 thrones of his own funds on codifying two rituals. Stars Mantle has already been added to Imperial Lore. Revelations of the Past, which shares a vision of an item’s past beyond the ritualist’s coven, will be added to Imperial Lore shortly after being loaned to the Academy for a period. This kind of generous prosperity should be encouraged and rewarded.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (400-582)

===Judgement 58===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Laurencio di Sarvos
* '''Judgement:''' Over 150 Imperial Fleet Captains forwent personal prosperity to support the Unguerdoned Red Wind Corsairs in destroying the pirate-cultist navy of the Children of Wrecks effectively closing a front. We reward them with 40 Thrones to be shared between them.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (620-424)

===Judgement 87===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Anatolij Paukov Zorkin
* '''Judgement:''' I am seeking 6 wains of white granite to create a monument to the Silent Bell sodality to reward their tireless work Vigilantly and Courageously defending this Empire and furthering our knowledge of the Way. I have the Senate announcement, I have the labour costs, all I need is the white granite
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, partial (three white granite) (528-334)

===Judgement 90===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Oleander Ashwood
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to reward Geraint Bronwyns Rest with 16 weirwood to be put towards the City of Dreams. This is an investment in to the future of Navarr and will allow us to seek new ways to use liao
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (434-389)

===Judgement 99===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Lia Adelaar
* '''Judgement:''' The Kleists of Holberg have, through their ingenuity and tireless effort, succeeded in raising the walls of Holberg to be the greatest fortification in the known world. Funds for this great work (500T) come from the Kleists' efforts co-ordinating the prosperity of our citizens and from their own pockets. We ask for a rewarding of 8 white granite in recognition of their great Ambition and Prosperity, and to support future projects including the Imperatrix docks.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, but none remain (408-380)

===Judgement 103===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Cyrus of Athaliah's Handiwork
* '''Judgement:''' We award Naomi of Felix's Watch, 5 wains of white granite towards the restoration of Berechiah's Basilica in Bastion, which is in a dangerous state of disrepair, and is a threat to the life and limb of pilgrims. It was consecrated with true liao in 385YE and has provided only a fraction of the benefit it might have. Now, when we need Berechiah's inspiration to fight foreign espionage rings is the perfect time to complete the work and create a new title to be appointed by the Vigilance Assembly
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (672-214)

===Judgement 115===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Catena
* '''Judgement:''' To bring the Way to the hermit kingdom of Tsark, we must <u>talk</u> to them. An opportunity to build that bridge has arisen in the form of the Garden of the Perfect World - this will allow us to trade weirwood to them for white granite and improve the Prosperity of us both. This door was opened by Abel the Rounder, and I ask that this Assembly provide him 8 wains of weirwood in order that it may be built as soon as possible.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, but none remain (188-154)

===Judgement 120===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Emrys Fleurir
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to reward Ser Raine Fisher with 16 Weirwood for their efforts in rousing Dawnish fleets to aid the Red Wind Corsairs, so that they may fund Ambitious projects to increase the Empire's naval strength.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (178-248)

===Judgement 121===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Xandor Trodbroker
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to reward Eleri Bronwyns Rest with 6 wains of mithril to be put towards the army currently mustering in Hercynia. The army will be put to use defending the Empire's borders to help safeguard the spiritual centre of the Way
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (261-106)

===Judgement 123===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Neala Blackhawk
* '''Judgement:''' We reward Halwyn Splitroot for achieving the great ambition of rebuilding and consecrating First Voice Glade and School inspiring pride and increasing prosperity within the Empire. We grant him 16 weirwood as reward for this great work and in the knowledge that this will support his efforts to further improve the Glade and School to benefit the prosperity and herbal knowledge of the Vallornguard
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (144-146)

==Inquisition==
===Writs of Inquisition===
The following writs of inquisition were issued this summit:
{|
| '''Called by''' || '''Subject''' || '''Judgement or Title''' || '''Matter'''
|-
| Iniska Ashwood || [[Emperor Vesna|Emperor Vesna Borkovna Prochnost]] || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Prosperty]] || Their [[Prosperity]]
|-
| Maarit Suvidottir || (the Face of) the Earl of Fools || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Courage]] || Taking [[Liao#True Liao|True Liao]]
|-
| Arvel Tendfallen || Silas of the Cenotaph || TBC || Canvassing against a [[Judgement]] at the previous summit
|-
| Brother Geoffrey Orchard || Ibiss Briarheart || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Vigilance]] || [[Realm#Spring|Spring]], its perils & lessons, at the Spring summit
|-
| Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost || Ser Guy of the Twisted Rose || [[Imperial Inquisitor]] || Their dealings with [[Irra Harah]]
|-
| Cato Hypation || [[To_fight_aloud#Fallen_Hero|Severus of the Blinding Sun]] || TBC || His [[The_deepest_cut#Interred_With_Their_Bones|creed]]
|-
| Vauraus "Prosperity's Forge" Korppitkotka || Natalia "The Falcon" Barossa || [[Auditor of Senatorial Accountability]] || Their work as [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies]]
|-
| Galene Netherwatch || Mirella of the Twisted Rose || [[Arcane Inquisitor]] || Her work as [[Archmage of Summer]], especially with regards to [[Knights of Glory]]
|-
| Jedediah Boon || Brother Geoffrey Orchard || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Pride]] || Words and acts of questionable virtue
|-
| Alfred Eawolfson || Tristan Ramson von Holberg || [[Basilisk of the Bourse]] || Virtue and Economics, at the Spring summit
|-
| Eevi of the Gadrai || Bloodcrow Rasp || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Loyalty]] || Bonds built across the Empire
|}

==Special Considerations==
The following considerations should be borne in mind when bringing judgements before the Imperial Synod during the Winter Solstice.
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Assembly'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Consideration'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Link'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Duration'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Statements that prioritise the greater good over personal loyalties are less effective.</td><td>[[Cardinal_of_Loyalty#Additional_Powers_-_The_Eyes_of_Loyalty|Eyes of Loyalty]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Statements that try to compel Loyalty will fail.</td><td>[[Cardinal_of_Loyalty#Additional_Powers_-_The_Eyes_of_Loyalty|Eyes of Loyalty]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Revocations and Excommunications for disloyalty to the nation or Empire risk causing dissent.</td><td>[[Cardinal_of_Loyalty#Additional_Powers_-_The_Eyes_of_Loyalty|Eyes of Loyalty]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Any mandate that does not pass with a greater majority will have limited or no effect on Urizen or Varushka. It is not impossible that a mandate might lead to a response in one of the two nations, but it won't lead to any immediate consequences for the people of the nation. </td><td>[[Hard_and_suspecting#The_Urizen_Assembly|Urizen Link]]<br>[[Hard_and_suspecting#The_Varushkan_Assembly|Varushka Link]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Any mandate that does not pass with a greater majority will have limited or no effect on Wintermark unless enacted by the Wintermark Assembly. It is not impossible that a mandate might lead to a response in the nation, but it won't lead to any immediate consequences for the people of the nation. </td><td>[[The_final_cut#Questions_for_Wintermark|The final cut]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Statements that stress the need to follow Imperial law rather than virtue will be unlikely to lead to a mandate.</td><td>[[Knocking_on_every_door#A_Paper_Shield|Knocking on every door]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>League Assembly</td><td>No statement of principle raised by the League Assembly that calls on citizens to support a different cause will have an effect.</td><td>[[The war of thorns and flowers#The League|The war of thorns and flowers]]</td><td>Until Winter 387YE</td>
<tr><td>Varushkan Assembly</td><td>No statement of principle raised by the Varushkan Assembly that calls on citizens to support a different cause will have an effect.</td><td>[[The war of thorns and flowers#Varushka|The war of thorns and flowers]]</td><td>Until Winter 387YE</td>
</table>

==The Virtue Fund==
At the start of the Winter Solstice 387YE summit, the Virtue Fund stood as follows:
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Money'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Mithril'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''White Granite'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Weirwood'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''True Liao'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>88 thrones, 15 rings</td><td>6 wains</td><td>8 wains</td><td>16 wains</td><td>1 dose</td>
</table>

Total donations made were:
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Money'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Mithril'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''White Granite'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Weirwood'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''True Liao'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>65 thrones, 7 crowns, 16 rings</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td>
</table>

The total amounts carried forward to the next summit were:
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Money'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Mithril'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''White Granite'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Weirwood'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''True Liao'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>104 thrones, 11 rings</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td>
</table>

Click ''Expand'' to see a list of donations received prior to the start of the summit.

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
* 1 throne, 2 crowns at the [[Rewarding#Counting Houses|counting house]] of [[Reikos]]
* 2 thrones at the counting house of [[Tassato]]
* 1 throne, 3 crowns at the counting house of [[Semmerholm]]
* 1 throne, 4 crowns at the counting house of [[Karsk]]
* 6 wains of mithril, 8 wains of white granite and 8 wains of weirwood from [[The_greatest_plurality#One_Empire|various donations]]
</div>

Click ''Expand'' to see a list of Rewardings made at the summit.

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
* 10 thrones to '''Ioan Longshadow''' following [[#Judgement 12|Judgement 12]] being upheld (margin 1136)
* 5 wains of white granite to '''Cyrus of Athaliah's Handiwork''' following [[#Judgement 103|Judgement 103]] being upheld (margin 458)
* 40 thrones to '''Laurencio Lemmini di Sarvos''' following [[#Judgement 58|Judgement 8]] being upheld (margin 196)
* 3 wains of white granite to '''Anatolij''' following [[#Judgement 87|Judgement 87]] being upheld (margin 194)
* 6 wains of mithril to '''Xandor Trodbroker''' following [[#Judgement 121|Judgement 121]] being upheld (margin 155)
* 16 wains of weirwood to '''Oleander Ashwood''' following [[#Judgement 90|Judgement 90]] being upheld (margin 45)
</div>

Click ''Expand'' to see a list of donations made during the summit.

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
* 65 thrones for the Bourse dose of True Liao from '''Umbar'''
* 6 crowns from '''Rafael Barossa d'Apulian'''
* 1 crown from '''Berith Martel'''
* 16 rings in small donations
</div>

==Doses of True Liao==

Six doses of [[Liao#True Liao|True Liao]] were disbursed this summit:
* One dose to '''Vesna Borkovna Prochnost''' as [[the Throne]]
* One dose in connection to the [[Lepidean Librarian|Lepidean University]] to '''Caleb of the Cenotaph''' via [[#Judgement 3|Judgement 3]]
* One dose to '''Umbar''' by purchase in the [[Public auction|Public Auction]]
* One dose to '''Ashborn Trosk''' by decision of the Gatekeepers
* One dose to '''Ingrid Talon-of-the-Mark''' by decision of the Gatekeepers
* One dose to '''Amberlain P. Black''' by decision of the Gatekeepers

==Assembly Strength==
The table below shows the size, total voting strength and greater majority thresholds for each assembly as calculated at the start of the summit.

{|
! scope=""col"" style=""width: 320px;"" | Virtue Assembly
! Assembly Size
! Total Voting Strength
! Greater Majority Threshold
|-
|Ambition || 53 || 742 || 372
|-
|Courage || 41 || 492 || 247
|-
|Loyalty || 61 || 788 || 395
|-
|Pride || 36 || 440 || 221
|-
|Prosperity || 42 || 513 || 257
|-
|Vigilance || 47 || 532 || 267
|-
|Wisdom || 41 || 554 || 278
|-
|The Way || 29 || 320 || 161
|-
|General || 350 || 4381 || 2191
|-
|}

{|
! scope=""col"" style=""width: 320px;"" | National Assembly
! Assembly Size
! Total Voting Strength
! Greater Majority Threshold
|-
|Brass Coast || 15 || 166 || 84
|-
|Dawn || 51 || 672 || 337
|-
|Highguard || 74 || 940 || 471
|-
|Imperial Orcs || 9 || 138 || 70
|-
|League || 36 || 514 || 258
|-
|Marches || 22 || 250 || 126
|-
|Navarr || 43 || 499 || 250
|-
|Urizen || 27 || 314 || 158
|-
|Varushka || 31 || 398 || 200
|-
|Wintermark || 42 || 490 || 246
|-
|General || 350 || 4381 || 2191
|-
|}

387YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

2026-05-03T19:01:15Z

Noserenda: /* Judgement 30 */

[[Category: Synod]] [[Category:Synod Results]] [[Category: Synod Judgements]][[Category: 387YE Winter]]
==Overview==
During the Winter Solstice 387YE, the Imperial Synod raised TBC judgements.

<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: left;">
{|
|+ <big>'''Judgement Quick Links'''</big>
! Judgement Type
! Amount
|-
|[[#Statement of Principle|Statement of Principle]]|| ??
|-
|[[#Mandate|Mandate]] || 10
|-
|[[#Writ of Consecration|Writ of Consecration]] || 2
|-
|[[#Revocation|Revocation]] || 1
|-
|[[#Proscription|Proscription]] || 15
|-
|[[#Inquisition|Inquisition]] || 11
|-
|[[#Sanction|Sanction]] || 15
|-
|[[#Recognition|Recognition]] || 2
|-
|[[#Appointment|Appointment]] || 21
|-
|[[#Rewarding|Rewarding]] || 14
|-
|}
</div>

==Mandate==
===Judgement 9===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Frater Pontius of Adoniram's Testament
* '''Judgement:''' Be alert to all dangers; within and without. We send Frater Pontius of Adoniram's Testament with 50 doses of liao to encourage our courageous soldiers to stand apart from these servants of eternals. Seek out falsehood and expose the truth.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (678-12)
* '''Enacted''' Highborn soldiers [[The_thing_with_feathers#In_the_Fields_of_Glory_(Eleonaris)|will deliberately keep their distance from any heralds]] sent to fight alongside them.

===Judgement 70===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Harwyn Eternal
* '''Judgement:''' The Terunael city of Hacynian has passed into history, ruined by the vallorn. We send Towlen Nighthaven with 25 liao to urge the folk of Hercynia. To swear an oath that neither they nor their ancestors will seek to rebuild Hacynian. Accept its passing as a sacrifice for future free of the folly of Terunael.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (223-16)
* '''Enacted:''' Kaela will provide her support for the construction of [[Every_path_you_know#Beware_of_Dog|the Grim Pryamid]] in the Starless Vale.
__TOC__
===Judgement 71===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Teleri Thornweaver
* '''Judgement:''' The Virtuous raise up their fellows. Any nation willing to raise arms and join the Vallornguard shall have our full support. We send Brynn Tendfallen with 50 doses of liao to lead our people in sharing everything we have with Urizen to prepare to finish the fight.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (267-0)
* '''Enacted:''' Navarr from all walks of life [[Every_path_you_know#Thanks_for_Sharing|will travel to the named nation looking for ways to help]]. This will generate at least one opportunity for a new Imperial title to help the Vallornguard prepare for the fight with the enemy.

===Judgement 79===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Azir i Shartha i Riqueza
* '''Judgement:''' Beware the seduction of the false virtue of Anarchy! We send Azir i Shartha i Riqueza with 150 doses of liao to rally the people of the Brass Coast to turn away from those who would revel in false freedoms. Reject Anarchy, lest your virtue be lost! Let virtue reveal the deceiver!
* '''Outcome:''' Not upheld (42-96)

===Judgement 88===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Joran of Reikos
* '''Judgement:''' Seek out falsehood and expose the truth! We send Joran of Reikos with 25 doses of liao to rally the people of Highguard to use their well-earned skills to find those who betray the people of Sarvos. Let Virtue reveal the deceiver!
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (552-0)
* '''Enacted:''' Highborn congregations can [[Finding_is_the_final_act#Expose_the_Truth|lecture to citizens to investigate Sarvos]].

===Judgement 107===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Viviane Barossa
* '''Judgement:''' Seek out falsehood and expose the truth! We send Viviane Barossa with 25 liao to rally the people of the League to use their well-earned skills to find those who betray the people of Sarvos. Let virtue reveal the deceiver!
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (552-0)
* '''Enacted:''' League congregations can [[Finding_is_the_final_act#Expose_the_Truth|lecture to citizens to investigate Sarvos]].

===Judgement 116===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Creighton Blackewater
* '''Judgement:''' Pride in small things, Loyalty to great ones. We send Richard with 50 doses of liao to encourage Marcher citizens to settle the land. War is a thrice-ploughed field.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (144-0)
* '''Enacted:''' For one year, [[The_circle_game#Stirring_the_Pot|Marcher citizens can change a military unit, fleet, herb garden, mine or forest to a farm]] of the same resource level in the same territory without incurring a cost. Players wishing to take advantage of this opportunity should {{plot}}.

===Judgement 118===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Paulus Adelaar van Holberg
* '''Judgement:''' Nothing great without cost. We send Frideswide Adelaar van Holberg with 50 doses of liao to encourage League citizens to invest in business. Coin counts and everything costs!
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (230-0)
* '''Enacted:''' For one year, [[The_circle_game#Stirring_the_Pot|League citizens can change a military unit, fleet, herb garden, mine or forest to a business]] of the same resource level in the same territory without incurring a cost. Players wishing to take advantage of this opportunity should {{plot}}.

===Judgement 124===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Exarch Aemon of the Suns of Couros
* '''Judgement:''' The Sarcophan folk of Alivetti estates celebrate their enclave, but we must all remain vigilant to the threats it may represent. While they seem to be honest traders, their ways are not our ways, and their faith is very different to ours. Their refusal to acknowledge Imperial law is a challenge to the Empire. We send Exarch Aemon with 25 doses of liao to urge all virtuous citizens who must attend this gathering to keep their wits about them and remain alert for threats within and without.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (338-54)
* '''Enacted:''' Sends a message to the Alivetti estates that [[A_wild_night_and_a_new_road#Party_Planning|while that nation tolerates them, they do not welcome further engagement]].

===Judgement 158===
* '''Assembly:''' Imperial Orc
* '''Raised By:''' Skywise Rykana
* '''Judgement:''' Ambition is much more than lines on a map. We send Jim with 15 crowns to lead a delegation of mystics and shamans to discover more of the ancestors the Karass.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (110-0)
* '''Enacted:''' Jim will lead a group of willing orcs [[Every_day_of_your_life#Spanning_the_Abyss|in search of information and lore about the ancestors of the Karass]].

==Writ of Consecration==
Two [[writ of consecration|writs of consecration]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 56===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Martin Orchard
* '''Judgement:''' We have the exemplar, now where is their tomb? This assembly authorises and applauds the creation of an inspirational site to memorialise the <u>EXEMPLAR OF VIGILANCE, RAVADI FOUNDERS’ DANCE</u> (consecrated to vigilance, of course).
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (334-20)

===Judgement 56===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Skáldsgrým Dunhearth
* '''Judgement:''' Following the recent destruction of the historic meeting stone where the Jotun and Empire could meet. We the Loyalty Assembly seek a 'writ of consecration' to dedicate part of the newly built feasting hall on Gull Island to Loyalty. We wish to recognise it's importance and protect from future harm as a place of both virtue and honour. Loyalty is not displayed by words or deeds alone, but the unity of both
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (534-0)

==Revocation==
One [[revocation]] was presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 142===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Rosanna Vtrachenich
* '''Judgement:''' It is the unwise boyar who leaves none to tend the hearth. Sirka Parakgoosier Bashnya, Senator for Karsk, has abandoned their post and left no named proxy. It is your prerogative however there is no excuse in not providing a contingency. We in the Varushkan Assembly move for revocation.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (174-0)

==Proscription==
Fifteen judgements of [[proscription]] were raised in the General Assembly during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 4===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes the use of the ceremony of excommunication without authorisation by writ of the Synod as an abuse of powers.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1522-684)

===Judgement 5===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes as blasphemy the act of dedicating any person to a false virtue or of creating an aura of a false virtue.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (2301-370)

===Judgement 6===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The desecration or destruction of any relics associated with a paragon or exemplar, or the destruction of any memorial associated with them, is proscribed.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1744-290)

===Judgement 7===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The General Assembly proscribes the Excessionist Heresy - the claim that too much of a Virtue can be as bad as too little.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1532-580)

===Judgement 8===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' The General Assembly proscribes the creation of statues in the likeness of any eternal. It is idolatry to commission a structure designed to honour an inhuman entity.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (1094-1254)

===Judgement 17===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Corey Wayfarer
* '''Judgement:''' The General Assembly proscribes the Yaelian Heresy - the belief in the Land Without Tears and in Yael as a rebirth of the First Empress. These have shown to be false.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1880-110)

===Judgement 24===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Vaclav Mladenovich Kosti
* '''Judgement:''' The Eternal Sadogua, the Brother of Wizards, has boasted of being the same entity known in the Iron Confederacy as Dumon, Father of Lies, a god within the Suranni pantheon. Nonetheless, he constantly seeks tribute, veneration, and adulation from the citizens of the Empire. The General Assembly proscribes the creation of statues, fanes, or edifices created in honour of Sadogua. It is idolatry to commission or to build such a thing.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (860-992)

===Judgement 97===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Brother Geoffrey Orchard
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes the receiving of a False Virtue Anointing or a False Virtue Dedication as BLASPHEMY
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1252-536)

===Judgement 110===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Syene
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes the act of ceding land to those who are not sentient beings of this world, such as eternals or tulpas, as an act of idolatry. We make clear that it is the act of ceding itself that is idolatrous, and those who are responsible for such places are not de facto idolators
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (698-864)

===Judgement 128===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Felix Saltspire
* '''Judgement:''' Venerating an icon of an Eternal is Idolatry. Producing an Image of one is just Art. To make art exalts your pride. To venerate an eternal subsumes your will.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (496-244)

===Judgement 145===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Eevi of the Gadrai
* '''Judgement:''' The Synod proscribes entering into the service of an eternal or tulpa, where the service subsumes the individual's free will. This is idolatry. This is different from bartering for limited boons in service to your virtue.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1010-102)

===Judgement 152===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Alessi of the Basilisks of the Labyrinth
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of vengeance
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (804-46)

===Judgement 153===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Olyvar of Esther's Sanctum
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of understanding
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (770-70)

===Judgement 154===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Silas of the Cenotaph
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of hatred
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (842-46)

===Judgement 155===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Theodora
* '''Judgement:''' We proscribe as blasphemy the preaching or promotion of the false virtue of freedom
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (790-70)

==Inquisition==
XXXXX [[inquisition|inquisitions]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 18===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Cato Hypation
* '''Judgement:''' I call <u>Severus of the Blinding Sun</u> to inquisition, at a time to be arranged at the convenience of the magistrates at this summit. Let him be provided with an opportunity to defend his creed under Imperial scrutiny, having failed to defend it under Sword Scholar tradition.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (30-0)

===Judgement 14===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Rafael Barossa d’Apulian
* '''Judgement:''' Yosephus Morningson preaches the creed of the Temple of Balance, asserting that citizens should seek balance between all seven Virtues, and that an excess of just one Virtue becomes vice instead, as in aphorisms like “Courage pursued without Wisdom is Foolhardiness.” I have concerns about this belief, specifically whether it meets the definition of the heresies of Excessionism and/or Unitarianism; and whether its application to the paragons reaches the standard of blasphemy. With that in mind, I call Yosephus Morningson to inquisition at 1530 on Saturday of the Summer Solstice 387YE, at the Shattered Tower tent in Highguard. Anyone with an interest in these topics is welcome to attend, but this does not imply permission to participate.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (320-0)

===Judgement 22===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Kaspar Yakovitch von Holberg
* '''Judgement:''' I call Teodore duSesna of the Camorra DuSesna to Inquisition at the Autumn Summit 387YE, at a time and place to be arranged, that their accusations against Genoveva Barossa d’Apulian, Sofonisba Amilcara, Cesare Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato and Rafael Barossa d’Apulian may be thoroughly examined.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (292-0)

===Judgement 29===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvidottir
* '''Judgement:''' I call Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer to inquisition Saturday 16:00 at the Wanderers camp. Concerning her courage involving the autumn realm, raising an army for her nation and other matters that come up.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (118-10)

===Judgement 30===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Eirlys Ashes Blaze
* '''Judgement:''' Raising a Statement of revocation as the adjutant of the general you are targeting is an action worthy of Scrutiny. I call Harwin Eternal to Inquisition, to tell me the loyalty in his action and answer to the treachery it appears to be. Woven roots camp Saturday 5:00pm in Navarr (right by Songs and Stories).
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (202-0)

===Judgement 48===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Arvel Tendfallen
* '''Judgement:''' I call Silas of the Cenotaph to inquisition at the Tendfallen camp in Navarr at 11am on the Saturday of this summit to discuss the virtue of his decision to canvas against a certain judgement last summit.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (30-16)

===Judgement 57===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost
* '''Judgement:''' Magistrate Sayid i Zurhi i Erigo. I call you to inquisition on the matter of a spontaneous aura upon your soul and its unclear virtuous nature. We will test what virtuous guidance it offers you. 14:00. The hub annex.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (248-0)

===Judgement 85===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Nim of Ebon's Hall
* '''Judgement:''' Iniska Ashwood, I am interested in testing whether you have been wise during your time as Inquisitor. I fear you take the words of fools too seriously. Saturday 14:00-:1500. Woven Roots.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (332-10)

===Judgement 96===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Brynmor Rootround
* '''Judgement:''' I call Neve Dreadshield, of the Quiet Step to inquisition. This winter Neve has sacrificed all her oaths to save the people. As Navarr, our tattoos make us one nation. Let her speak if her Loyalties lie with Navarr or her actions lead to her being foresworn. Drunken Goose meeting room 5:00pm Navarr
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (233-0)

===Judgement 101===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Donato of the Crucible
* '''Judgement:''' I call Cosme i Guerra, magistrate, to discuss: their role in cursing Veikko Bondforger; the virtue in this action; how this was not acting in the spirit of <u>retribution</u>. Wanderer's camp, Urizen, Sat 5pm
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (120-0)

===Judgement 150===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement:''' I call to Inquisition Mendicant Garev of Highguard to investigate his claims of Prosperity while refusing to pay those who saved his life. This will occur at the spring summit when he is available (there will be cake)
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (334-20)

==Sanction==
XXXXX [[sanction|sanctions]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice
===Judgement 5===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Jedidiah Boon
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Sabella of the Silent Tide; Only a person’s own actions may be judged under an Inquisitor’s gaze, and each action you have taken has been guided by Virtue. The Proud embrace their past acts and strive to repeat - or learn from - them going forward. You did not earn the steadfast Loyalty of your Chapter for nothing; your trust in them to conduct themselves with Virtue is testament to that Loyalty returned. You have shown unfaltering Pride in taking the path you deem Virtuous and continuing to walk it. Your Chapter walks with you. The shared desire expressed to let sleeping dogs lie has been accepted Virtuously. Inquisition is our sacred tool for raising the sword when required, just as it is one for putting down the sword where needed - let this Vindication acknowledge the Pride in your actions and bring conclusion to previous division.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (126-34)

===Judgement 15===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Jedidiah Boon
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Myshki Marishka Letuchaya, Little Boyar of Levski, Senator for Miekarova, Leader of the Vale’s Heart, lighter of the lamp in the dark. Your visage is etched in stone, your hand now and always fortifying Delev. The Little Boyar’s Welcome stands; your LEgacy stands with it. It is clear as a cloudless day that you have carved out your Benevolence in defiance of the Cold Sun, building refuge for those displaced by its hatred. Stories follow you from Anvil; how you have raised castle walls, been the architect of armies. What Inspiration this will become will be for your friends and followers to witness. Pride uplifts. Inquisition tests. The Signs of the Exemplar have ignited themselves in your actions. Surely as you pursue Virtue closer to home, your future deeds will be watched closer still.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (160-0)

===Judgement 31===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Escalating J231, Summer 387. I inquisited Viviane Barrossa about the courage of her past year of challenges to fulfil a vow to carry a hallowing. I however failed because it became incredibly clear throughout this inquisition that what motivates the soul and body of Viviane is the burning flame of Ambition. Excessionism is a heresy and one that she does not follow, she committed to this challenge with her whole self. Her ambition in this act is the salvation of Axos and bringing them to the Way and out of their misunderstanding of the world. Her route is reaching out to them so they can see we can be worked with before encouraging them to come to us, to learn from our schools of thought in exchange knowing that this will help expose the failings in their philosophy and use of these dangerous auras. While intellectually she understood this aura she told me she was still not prepared enough for the way it pushed her to freeze up, to fawn to threats, to want to give everything over and just perform what the other person wanted. She condemns this aura as unvirtuous and has and I’m sure will again speak at length against its use. She seemed justifiably angry that she has had to spend a year wasting political capital and time being inquisited, doing penance, being threatened and assaulted, and having to avoid helping reform doctrine but I think felt it worthwhile to build this bridge with Axos.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (166-10)

===Judgement 32===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Escalating Judgement 226 Summer 387 - I clear Genoveva and Rafael Barossa d’Apulian of any nonsense about running a “dark crusade” sacrificing virtue of innocents. If debate and discussion be the food of priests I have eaten well in this inquisition. These are courageous citizens of the Empire who are dedicating themselves to both the material and spiritual conditions of human souls both inside and outside of our borders and facing the challenges and problems we are in with courage, without pretending such obstacles do not exist. While they appear to disagree on Asavea they are both devoted to liberation and protection of souls and spreading The Way, and work towards such things even occasionally at the expense of personal relationships. These views may also stem from their cooperation enabling the Night Fane to Sung in Spiral going through Senate, they however have clear views on the dangers of this and how it is being overseen to understand the role that Fanes may play in the future of the Empire and wish us to understand them. They’re both magicians with above board dealings with a handful of Eternals. If you wish to understand their virtue talk to them.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (236-10)

===Judgement 37===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Galene Netherwatch
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I vindicate Sakari, Grandmaster of the Rod and Shield for raising a Declaration to uninterdict Rivers Run Red. His Ambition to achieve his goals through any means is clear. Just because you disagree with a person’s actions does not mean they are unvirtuous.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (742-96)

===Judgement 39===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Brother Geoffrey Orchard
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Escalating from Judgement 39 of Autumn 387: LUCA I TAZIEL I RIQUEZA, CARDINAL OF PROSPERITY, offered a clear description of the circumstances around Aunty Hem’s Dedication to Anarchy, her subsequent Inquisition, and the fact that he was aware of her status for a full season before undertaking any action. This was a failing of Vigilance, and in so failing the Cardinal missed an opportunity to pull Aunty Hem back from the brink. I have proposed - and the Cardinal has agreed - that the right Penance is for the Cardinal to SPEND A YEAR UNDER ANOINTINGS OF VIGILANCE. This will allow Luca to better know this Virtue, without interfering with the Cardinal’s duties to Prosperity. In Escalating I ask the Synod to ENDORSE this course of action and to SUPPORT Luca in knowing Prosperity better.
Full Inquisition reports available from me and from the citizen noticeboard. (ON OPPOSITE WALL.)
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (1128-54)

===Judgement 41===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Lars Makarov
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' I Lars Makarov present my findings of following the inquisition in Autumn 387. My aim was to examine if the 5 named members of the Guard, who had taken Dark Wine and were seen to bite fallen Jotun in battle during Spring and Summer, were using it as a cover for worship of Blood in the Snow. Conclusion - None of those named in Autumn 387 serve Agramant, but by following Virtue you will all stand better prepared for the trails to come. Judgement has been provided to Molli to bear the weight of a either the Hallowing of Permion or of Isaella’s Resolve for a year and for Slark to carry a Hallowing of the Questor, to remind you of the importance of asking questions. To help continue to live with virtue.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (150-0)

===Judgement 45===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Lepidina, Chaplain Consular. I find your actions and virtue beyond reproach on the matter of Fintan Nighthaven. I look forward to watching the progression of your career.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (862-52)

===Judgement 46===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Aster Acae. You served as Chaplain Consular during the most critical juncture of Fintan Nighthaven’s tenure as Ambassador to Axos and found yourself ill-equipped for the neccessities of the position. There is little point in wondering what could have been avoided had you acted. You did not. But you have done something few are capable of - you own your mistakes and learn from them. These lessons have cost much. Do not squander them.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (812-72)

===Judgement 62===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Kaspar Yakovitch von Holberg
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Teodore Dusesna of the Camorra Dusesna, you have been inquisited regarding your accusations of idolatry against Genoveva Barossa d’Apulian, Sofonisba Amilcara, Cesare di Tassato and Raphael Barossa d’Apulian and have been found wanting. You admitted you knew your accusations had no basis in fact or as anything other than unfounded gossip yet you repeated them as factual truth. The Virtuous do not tear down others nor demean them, yet you spent your time in baseless accusations. Your penance is to spend the next three months speaking with those you spread your accusations to, advising them of the lack of substance and apologising for misleading them. Following this you will attend Anvil to make a public apology to those you wronged, at the League Assembly meeting 7pm Friday of the Spring Solstice.
* '''Outcome:''' {{GM}} (304-0)

===Judgement 63===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Elagabala
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' The Loyal serve without concern for reward, ignore qualms of actions they take for their loyalty, defend that which they care about, and protect those they love from harm regardless of any cost. Knight-Captain Alethia Wooder was not only willing to pay that cost, but did. I find no fault in their Virtue when treating with Agramant. It was impeccable. Her heart was guided by the true Loyalty of her soul, in accordance with all appropriate teachings and auras thereof. As she continues her journey on the path, she should remember that whilst the Loyal are ready to pay this cost, she should be conscious it never strays to acting as the Peaceful Martyr, willing to suffer to alleviate the suffering of others, as this, as she knows, is a malign spiritual intent.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (888-58)

===Judgement 73===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I called General Jean d'Apulian to inquisition as my first act as Inquisitor of Prosperity, as asked by members of House de Guavain. Jean was open and honest about what happened to the permanent enchantment of Bound by Common Cause on the Wolves of War. His Loyalty shone through his words and actions. His Prosperity is also unquestionable; when the enchantment changed, the Empire would have had to pay to remove it. Jean was able to engineer another option, that saw the army able to resupply and stand stronger for the Empire. I would, however, prevail upon his virtue and ask that he find a way to remember Maurice de Guavain to the League and the Empire
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (182-20)

===Judgement 75===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Lugh Llaw Whisperleaf, I am not sure what I expected when I called you to Inquisition. Please thank your friends again for the song. I cannot call into question your virtue, your Prosperity, Loyalty, or Pride. You took heretical icons out of the grasping hands of would-be cultists, ensuring you did not impoverish those who found them, and show your work with Pride. Your decision to Hallow them to True Virtues and share them with fellow Magpies who prove themselves Virtuous and worthy is a good one. I look forwards to hearing from whoever investigates the Vallorn flowers you wear on your hat.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (197-10)

===Judgement 76===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Cadenza i Fontanilla i Riqueza, Nation's Hearth, I called you to Inquisition to investigate your Prosperity and I have not been left wanting. You work hard at the Spilled Tea each day, and do not rest on your laurels with the money you make. You give so much to your Nation, to your Empire, and you deserve recognition. So many see Prosperity as the act of making money, but you make sure it keeps moving, going where it needs to go. You remind people what a single soul can do when it chooses to. You walk the path of Prosperity well, and I seek to learn your example.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (207-0)

===Judgement 84===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Nim of Ebon's Hall
* '''Judgement - Condemnation:''' Gisli, you told me that beneath a shroud of your own creation lay one of the true Virtues of the Way - but I found only Anarchy. For this, we condemn you for Blasphemy. The Institutions of the Casinean Empire will do well without your malign influence
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (256-32)

===Judgement 102===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Iniska Ashwood
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Emperor Vesna, you asked me to inquisit you to judge and recognise your Prosperity, and I am honoured that you did. Your work in Ossium gave freed slaves the opportunities to become Prosperous citizens, and you have continued this on the grandest scale across and beyond the Empire. Your foresight into the only path to take to bring the Way to the world is inspiring, and as a Navarri, your willingness to make the hard choices resonates. There is only one thing I disagree with you on - you <u>are</u> loved by your Empire. To remind you of this, the Prosperity Assembly wish to Testimony you as "Beloved" with the strength of 7 priests.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (171-30)

===Judgement 108===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Pete Tong
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Juniper du Froste, Merchant of the Fangs, in your inquisition you showed me and my co-council of your virtue. Not only are you ambitious, wise, and Prosperous - your intentions and competency are clear - but your loyalty to the Empire's duty to the Rhavin and your commitment to them is commendable. Maybe one day more bourse seat holders may be like you, and we might live in a better world.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (734-20)

===Judgement 113===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' T i Dahr i Riqueza
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Gisli (Judgement 84 Wisdom) is not guilty of Blasphemy because it is not yet a crime. We condemn people for the crimes we have written down - and in fact he was wise in his efforts to remove the effects of his experiments with the aura "to trust his own judgement." Gisli is wise, knows the law, knows magic, and makes very good business decisions. He is an asset to the Empire, and it would be wise to see the fault of his actions, which were not illegal as dedication itself is not blasphemy. Fintan Nighthaven's poison must be cleared from the Empire, but not by killing all those he poisoned.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (266-924)
* '''Notes:''' Scrutiny was extended on this judgement by '''Silas of the Cenotaph''', the [[Cardinal of Wisdom]]

===Judgement 137===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I inquisisted Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer (J29) and found her courage evident. She has a strong theology and practical virtue is important to her. She is fully aware of what she needs courage to face and what challenges are within her capabilities more easily. She faces things clearly and knows when to press forward and when to try new approaches and I feel she will continue to work on her soul, improve this empire and inspire others to act for a long time.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (120-0)

===Judgement 138===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I inquisited Ida the River today at 15:00 about courage. She spoke well of her virtue and the challenges she faces in life, the ways she faces dangers and failures. Others of the hospital spoke well of her, Tiberius described her as his rock, the most steadfast mother and north star Kellen of Kingstoke attributed Ida's courage with her continuing at the hospital. Ambrove di Sarvos talked of Ida pushing them forwards to establish connections. Emileo di Sarvos talked of her not hesitating. Isolde said she gives others courage, not aiming to inspire just doing a ripple of virtue from her actions.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (130-00)

===Judgement 143===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Eirlys Ashes Blaze
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Harwyn Eternal described his loyalty and conviction in seeing Navarr best represented in military council. I think that this conviction is a testament to his loyalty to Navarr. However, his actions have not build up the people and team that forms the Navarr contingent of the military council. I call Harwyn to tell me in a years time of the actions that he takes from today to act with his virtue to aid this team and the goals of the military council team, in the interest of elevating his words with actions.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (66-0)

===Judgement 146===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Eevi of the Gadrai
* '''Judgement - Penance:''' Following the inquisition of Dagon Barossa it was clear that whilst his intention was virtuous, his decision to give away the shield intended for the Champion of Loyalty lacked loyalty. It tore down his fellows and his words and deeds not united. I task Dagon to suffer the curse Bitter Mantle of the Leaden Crown next season. Even the strongest may err, the truly great learn from what scars them
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (208-0)

===Judgement 148===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Brynmor Rootround
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' Neve, over the long dark, lost all her oaths in sacrifice to the Empire. SHE decided the price was of worth against the Duvanku. Without her, all of Sarangrave would have been plunged into the depths of a winter curse upon the lands. She tooks this great sacrifice in loyalty to the Dreadshields, to Navarr, and to the Empire, with Pride and great Courage. May she be Branded to honour her actions, knowing they will be remembered and respected, and testimony her with "Oathsworn Renewed"
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (142-0)

===Judgement 149===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Maarit Suvvidottir
* '''Judgement - Vindication:''' I inquisited the Earl of Fools, along with several others. He was pleasant if nervous and demonstrated a clear growth of virtue and courage to acknowledge his actions. I wish him well in future endeavours and look forward to his benevolence in his virtue and in the future
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (84-0)

==Recognition==
Two judgements of [[recognition]] were presented to the assemblies during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 72===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Luca i Taziel i Riqueza
* '''Judgement:''' To recognise Zemress i Ezamara i Erigo as a Paragon of Prosperity. Her Exemplardom is known. There is no question of Benevolence, Inspiration, Pilgrimage, Salvation and Legacy. There never has been. No voices have spoken out against her Liberation. No Past Life Visions to be seen, and no ashes yet found. For Miracles we need only look. Look to the past. The Kraken's Bane returning to post. She was thought lost in the bay with her captain. But there She came. Un-crewed. Bound for home. Look to the present. The Captain's Touch, a treasure trove of True Auras tied to Zemress. Hallows a-plenty, easy to find by simply asking an enthusiastic Zemress at Anvil. The Summah already recognise our captain. In times of uncertainty, let us look to stories we know are true; a Paragon that already teaches the Known World what a Prosperity looks like
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (223-30)

===Judgement 83===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Masha Sigeling
* '''Judgement:''' We recognise Rahvin as an Exemplar of Courage and the first Ancestor Exemplar. <u>Inspiration</u> Fighting against the Druj, surrounded on all fronts, he inspired his people and thousands of others to fight to the bitter end, courageously standing for what they believed in, time and again. <u>Benevolence</u> Rahvin suffered greatly in the fight for the freedom of the Barrens, committing his life to bring about a better future for his people. <u>Liberation</u> Many individuals close to Rahvin report hearing his voice as an Ancestor, proof that, from his courageous actions he has crossed the Howling Abyss. <u>Legacy</u> Though the Rahvin (people) were thought destroyed by the Druj, they lived on, and fight now in his name to drive the Druj east into the sea. <u>Salvation</u> Rahvin was the driving force behind the uprising against the Druj in the Barrens, sending them to the howling abyss and ultimately leading to his followers working with the Empire.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (238-10)

==Appointment==
Twenty one [[appointment|appointments]] were raised by the [[Tribune of the Synod]] during the Winter Solstice

===Judgement 1===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Cardinal of Prosperity]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Heilyn Bronwen’s Rest''' was appointed with 126 votes; Gorwen received 20 votes; Mabel received 20 votes; Syene received 12 votes

===Judgement 2===
* '''Assembly:''' Way
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Cardinal of the Way]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Volya Nebov''' was appointed with 78 votes; Yosephus Morningson received 42 votes; Kosta-Konstanin Rabovich Bolotnikov received 30 votes; Tabris, Son or Armisael received 22 votes; Brynn Tendfallen received 10 votes

===Judgement 3===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Lepidean Librarian|Lepidean Library]] dose of [[Liao#True Liao|True Liao]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Caleb of the Cenotaph''' was selected with 426 votes; Kaspar Yakovitch von Holberg received 170 votes; Aspar received 150 votes; Gaelen Embercast received 146 votes; Claudia Varkulova Remislav received 132 votes; Mirella of the Twisted Rose received 106 votes; Starac Sijed Orzel received 74 votes; Mel of the Mourn received 44 votes; Frater Pontius of Adoniran’s Temple received 42 votes; Tom Appleseed received 30 votes

===Judgement 10===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Champion of Loyalty]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Talos of the Silent Tide''' was appointed with 206 votes; Skaldsgrym Dunhearth received 40 votes; Haungar Oakenlegs received 38 votes; Shibboleth Tzipporah received 36 votes

===Judgement 23===
* '''Assembly:''' Urizen
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Arbiter of the Four Winds]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Donato of the Crucible''' was appointed with 98 votes

===Judgement 28===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Hand to the Dance]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Farren Silver Streams''' was appointed with 90 votes; Emrys Barbbearer Edgestalker received 41 votes; Brynn Tendfallen received 28 votes

===Judgement 33===
* '''Assembly:''' Navarr
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Voice of Barbs]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Eirlys Ashes Blaze''' was appointed with 187 votes

===Judgement 43===
* '''Assembly:''' Highborn
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Speaker of the Highborn Assembly]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Nicodemus of Balthazar’s Vineyard''' was appointed with 404 votes

===Judgement 49===
* '''Assembly:''' Prosperity
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Curator of the Printers' Guild Museum]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Fabio Costas d’Apulian''' was appointed with 106 votes

===Judgement 50===
* '''Assembly:''' Ambition
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Voice of Ambition]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Ser Purslane Artorigus''' was appointed with 116 votes; Lord Roland de Lagriffe received 86 votes; Earl Cerys de Rosier received 70 votes

===Judgement 51===
* '''Assembly:''' Pride
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Champion of Pride]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Katchiana Razorradze''' was appointed with 80 votes; Vespasian received 48 votes; Kali Keen-Eye received 34 votes

===Judgement 59===
* '''Assembly:''' League
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Lantern Wolf]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Nadia von Holberg''' was appointed with 176 votes; Katarina Palantini received 60 votes; Savi Avocatt received 34 votes

===Judgement 60===
* '''Assembly:''' Marcher
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Keeper of the Orchard]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Basil Goodbeard''' was appointed with 150 votes

===Judgement 61===
* '''Assembly:''' Loyalty
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Keeper of Oaths]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Veikko Bondforger''' was appointed with 398 votes

===Judgement 64===
* '''Assembly:''' Courage
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Virtue inquisitor|Inquisitor of Courage]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Masha Sigeling''' was appointed with 110 votes; Ada of House Meliora received 32 votes

===Judgement 65===
* '''Assembly:''' Varushkan
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Grieftender of the Forgotten]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Miroslav Temnavoda''' was appointed with 142 votes

===Judgement 69===
* '''Assembly:''' Nine
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[High Exorcist]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Belial de Courtenay-Wyldrose''' was appointed with 6 votes. Solas of the Spire of the Waxing Sun received 1 vote

===Judgement 86===
* '''Assembly:''' Wisdom
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Virtue inquisitor|Inquisitor of Wisdom]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Nim of Ebons Hall''' was appointed with 132 votes. Gwen Tendfallen received 22 votes

===Judgement 89===
* '''Assembly:''' Nine
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Basilisk of the Bourse]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Alfred Aewulfson''' was appointed with 7 votes

===Judgement 93===
* '''Assembly:''' Freeborn
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Hand of Guerra]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Sufyan i Zuhri i Guerra''' was appointed with 74 votes

===Judgement 65===
* '''Assembly:''' Vigilance
* '''Raised By:''' Tribune
* '''Judgement:''' Appointment of the [[Voice of Virtue|Voice of Vigilance]]
* '''Outcome:''' '''Bryce the Hare''' was appointed with 94 votes

==Rewarding==
Fourteen judgements of [[rewarding]] were presented to the General Assembly during the Winter Solstice
===Judgement 10===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Valentin Ivarovich Orzel
* '''Judgement:''' The Inspirational Tomb of Ozren de Orzel has been chosen and will include an Academy of the Arts and Apartments for the High Bard of the Empire! At the formal consecration with True Liao the Culwich Witches of Weirwater have promised gifts and recognition to the Eighty-One (81) named musicians and poets chosen by the High Bard in early 386. Nearly half the funding for this Virtuous endeavour is secured. The True Liao is held in preparation. We are almost there! I request the General Assembly’s support in a Rewarding from the Virtue fund of 40 Thrones to complete the purchase of white granite to build the Bardic Academy of the Exemplar Ozren to support the ongoing work of the High Bards of the Empire and secure the Proud legacy of the 81 named performers celebrating Imperial Virtue and wonderous deeds!
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (470-662)

===Judgement 12===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Ioan Longshadow
* '''Judgement:''' Since the death of Empress Britta, the Anvil Hospital has stood as a beacon of Quiet Courage and Virtue. It has not been sustained by the Empire’s coffers, but by the Prosperity of private citizens and the relentless goodwill of volunteers. These individuals face the brutal aftermath of battle, keep soldiers in the fight, and tend to those who support them on and off the battlefield. Their Courage is not loud - but it is unyielding. And it has been overlooked for far too long. I seek the aid of the General Assembly for this Virtuous cause and request a rewarding from the Virtue Fund of 10 thrones for the purchase of herbs, mana, liao, and other essential resources in support of the Hospital - and by extension, the Empire. Let us honour the Quiet Courage of those who give their time, effort, and resources to the Hospital. Courage does not only charge - it heals, it endures, and it refuses to break.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (1242-106)

===Judgement 26===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Ser Lorell Copiste
* '''Judgement:''' It is no secret that with Dawn’s deficiency in wealth, the nation struggles to build anything of use. So that this issue may be solved, Lord Morgann de Vere, ever prideful of his homeland, ambitiously seeks 8 wains of Weirwood from the Virtue Fund, to help in constructing a great work that benefits not only Weirwater, but the nation of Dawn entire. Let Lord Morgann be rewarded, and your prosperity shall greatly aid the Dawnish people.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (300-808)

===Judgement 52===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato
* '''Judgement:''' I seek to reward VITTORE van TEMESCHWAR The sum of TWENTY-TWO THRONES From the virtue fund for having prosperously created multiple items of office and regalia for Imperial titles and to assist in his further works in this endeavour
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (382-628)

===Judgement 55===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Erasmo di Tassato
* '''Judgement:''' We reward Bleddri Eternal with fifteen thrones. Bleddri has spent more than 40 thrones of his own funds on codifying two rituals. Stars Mantle has already been added to Imperial Lore. Revelations of the Past, which shares a vision of an item’s past beyond the ritualist’s coven, will be added to Imperial Lore shortly after being loaned to the Academy for a period. This kind of generous prosperity should be encouraged and rewarded.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (400-582)

===Judgement 58===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Laurencio di Sarvos
* '''Judgement:''' Over 150 Imperial Fleet Captains forwent personal prosperity to support the Unguerdoned Red Wind Corsairs in destroying the pirate-cultist navy of the Children of Wrecks effectively closing a front. We reward them with 40 Thrones to be shared between them.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld (620-424)

===Judgement 87===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Anatolij Paukov Zorkin
* '''Judgement:''' I am seeking 6 wains of white granite to create a monument to the Silent Bell sodality to reward their tireless work Vigilantly and Courageously defending this Empire and furthering our knowledge of the Way. I have the Senate announcement, I have the labour costs, all I need is the white granite
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, partial (three white granite) (528-334)

===Judgement 90===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Oleander Ashwood
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to reward Geraint Bronwyns Rest with 16 weirwood to be put towards the City of Dreams. This is an investment in to the future of Navarr and will allow us to seek new ways to use liao
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (434-389)

===Judgement 99===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Lia Adelaar
* '''Judgement:''' The Kleists of Holberg have, through their ingenuity and tireless effort, succeeded in raising the walls of Holberg to be the greatest fortification in the known world. Funds for this great work (500T) come from the Kleists' efforts co-ordinating the prosperity of our citizens and from their own pockets. We ask for a rewarding of 8 white granite in recognition of their great Ambition and Prosperity, and to support future projects including the Imperatrix docks.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, but none remain (408-380)

===Judgement 103===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Cyrus of Athaliah's Handiwork
* '''Judgement:''' We award Naomi of Felix's Watch, 5 wains of white granite towards the restoration of Berechiah's Basilica in Bastion, which is in a dangerous state of disrepair, and is a threat to the life and limb of pilgrims. It was consecrated with true liao in 385YE and has provided only a fraction of the benefit it might have. Now, when we need Berechiah's inspiration to fight foreign espionage rings is the perfect time to complete the work and create a new title to be appointed by the Vigilance Assembly
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (672-214)

===Judgement 115===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Catena
* '''Judgement:''' To bring the Way to the hermit kingdom of Tsark, we must <u>talk</u> to them. An opportunity to build that bridge has arisen in the form of the Garden of the Perfect World - this will allow us to trade weirwood to them for white granite and improve the Prosperity of us both. This door was opened by Abel the Rounder, and I ask that this Assembly provide him 8 wains of weirwood in order that it may be built as soon as possible.
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, but none remain (188-154)

===Judgement 120===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Emrys Fleurir
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to reward Ser Raine Fisher with 16 Weirwood for their efforts in rousing Dawnish fleets to aid the Red Wind Corsairs, so that they may fund Ambitious projects to increase the Empire's naval strength.
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (178-248)

===Judgement 121===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Xandor Trodbroker
* '''Judgement:''' We seek to reward Eleri Bronwyns Rest with 6 wains of mithril to be put towards the army currently mustering in Hercynia. The army will be put to use defending the Empire's borders to help safeguard the spiritual centre of the Way
* '''Outcome:''' Upheld, full amount (261-106)

===Judgement 123===
* '''Assembly:''' General
* '''Raised By:''' Neala Blackhawk
* '''Judgement:''' We reward Halwyn Splitroot for achieving the great ambition of rebuilding and consecrating First Voice Glade and School inspiring pride and increasing prosperity within the Empire. We grant him 16 weirwood as reward for this great work and in the knowledge that this will support his efforts to further improve the Glade and School to benefit the prosperity and herbal knowledge of the Vallornguard
* '''Outcome:''' Not Upheld (144-146)

==Inquisition==
===Writs of Inquisition===
The following writs of inquisition were issued this summit:
{|
| '''Called by''' || '''Subject''' || '''Judgement or Title''' || '''Matter'''
|-
| Iniska Ashwood || [[Emperor Vesna|Emperor Vesna Borkovna Prochnost]] || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Prosperty]] || Their [[Prosperity]]
|-
| Maarit Suvidottir || (the Face of) the Earl of Fools || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Courage]] || Taking [[Liao#True Liao|True Liao]]
|-
| Arvel Tendfallen || Silas of the Cenotaph || TBC || Canvassing against a [[Judgement]] at the previous summit
|-
| Brother Geoffrey Orchard || Ibiss Briarheart || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Vigilance]] || [[Realm#Spring|Spring]], its perils & lessons, at the Spring summit
|-
| Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost || Ser Guy of the Twisted Rose || [[Imperial Inquisitor]] || Their dealings with [[Irra Harah]]
|-
| Cato Hypation || [[To_fight_aloud#Fallen_Hero|Severus of the Blinding Sun]] || TBC || His [[The_deepest_cut#Interred_With_Their_Bones|creed]]
|-
| Vauraus "Prosperity's Forge" Korppitkotka || Natalia "The Falcon" Barossa || [[Auditor of Senatorial Accountability]] || Their work as [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies]]
|-
| Galene Netherwatch || Mirella of the Twisted Rose || [[Arcane Inquisitor]] || Her work as [[Archmage of Summer]], especially with regards to [[Knights of Glory]]
|-
| Jedediah Boon || Brother Geoffrey Orchard || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Pride]] || Words and acts of questionable virtue
|-
| Alfred Eawolfson || Tristan Ramson von Holberg || [[Basilisk of the Bourse]] || Virtue and Economics, at the Spring summit
|-
| Eevi of the Gadrai || Bloodcrow Rasp || [[Virtue Inquisitor|Inquisitor of Loyalty]] || Bonds built across the Empire
|}

==Special Considerations==
The following considerations should be borne in mind when bringing judgements before the Imperial Synod during the Winter Solstice.
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Assembly'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Consideration'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Link'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Duration'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Statements that prioritise the greater good over personal loyalties are less effective.</td><td>[[Cardinal_of_Loyalty#Additional_Powers_-_The_Eyes_of_Loyalty|Eyes of Loyalty]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Statements that try to compel Loyalty will fail.</td><td>[[Cardinal_of_Loyalty#Additional_Powers_-_The_Eyes_of_Loyalty|Eyes of Loyalty]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Revocations and Excommunications for disloyalty to the nation or Empire risk causing dissent.</td><td>[[Cardinal_of_Loyalty#Additional_Powers_-_The_Eyes_of_Loyalty|Eyes of Loyalty]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Any mandate that does not pass with a greater majority will have limited or no effect on Urizen or Varushka. It is not impossible that a mandate might lead to a response in one of the two nations, but it won't lead to any immediate consequences for the people of the nation. </td><td>[[Hard_and_suspecting#The_Urizen_Assembly|Urizen Link]]<br>[[Hard_and_suspecting#The_Varushkan_Assembly|Varushka Link]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Any mandate that does not pass with a greater majority will have limited or no effect on Wintermark unless enacted by the Wintermark Assembly. It is not impossible that a mandate might lead to a response in the nation, but it won't lead to any immediate consequences for the people of the nation. </td><td>[[The_final_cut#Questions_for_Wintermark|The final cut]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>All Assemblies</td><td>Statements that stress the need to follow Imperial law rather than virtue will be unlikely to lead to a mandate.</td><td>[[Knocking_on_every_door#A_Paper_Shield|Knocking on every door]]</td><td>Ongoing</td>
<tr><td>League Assembly</td><td>No statement of principle raised by the League Assembly that calls on citizens to support a different cause will have an effect.</td><td>[[The war of thorns and flowers#The League|The war of thorns and flowers]]</td><td>Until Winter 387YE</td>
<tr><td>Varushkan Assembly</td><td>No statement of principle raised by the Varushkan Assembly that calls on citizens to support a different cause will have an effect.</td><td>[[The war of thorns and flowers#Varushka|The war of thorns and flowers]]</td><td>Until Winter 387YE</td>
</table>

==The Virtue Fund==
At the start of the Winter Solstice 387YE summit, the Virtue Fund stood as follows:
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Money'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Mithril'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''White Granite'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Weirwood'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''True Liao'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>88 thrones, 15 rings</td><td>6 wains</td><td>8 wains</td><td>16 wains</td><td>1 dose</td>
</table>

Total donations made were:
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Money'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Mithril'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''White Granite'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Weirwood'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''True Liao'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>65 thrones, 7 crowns, 16 rings</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td>
</table>

The total amounts carried forward to the next summit were:
<table class='wikitable sortable'><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Money'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Mithril'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''White Granite'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Weirwood'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''True Liao'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>104 thrones, 11 rings</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td><td>nil</td>
</table>

Click ''Expand'' to see a list of donations received prior to the start of the summit.

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
* 1 throne, 2 crowns at the [[Rewarding#Counting Houses|counting house]] of [[Reikos]]
* 2 thrones at the counting house of [[Tassato]]
* 1 throne, 3 crowns at the counting house of [[Semmerholm]]
* 1 throne, 4 crowns at the counting house of [[Karsk]]
* 6 wains of mithril, 8 wains of white granite and 8 wains of weirwood from [[The_greatest_plurality#One_Empire|various donations]]
</div>

Click ''Expand'' to see a list of Rewardings made at the summit.

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
* 10 thrones to '''Ioan Longshadow''' following [[#Judgement 12|Judgement 12]] being upheld (margin 1136)
* 5 wains of white granite to '''Cyrus of Athaliah's Handiwork''' following [[#Judgement 103|Judgement 103]] being upheld (margin 458)
* 40 thrones to '''Laurencio Lemmini di Sarvos''' following [[#Judgement 58|Judgement 8]] being upheld (margin 196)
* 3 wains of white granite to '''Anatolij''' following [[#Judgement 87|Judgement 87]] being upheld (margin 194)
* 6 wains of mithril to '''Xandor Trodbroker''' following [[#Judgement 121|Judgement 121]] being upheld (margin 155)
* 16 wains of weirwood to '''Oleander Ashwood''' following [[#Judgement 90|Judgement 90]] being upheld (margin 45)
</div>

Click ''Expand'' to see a list of donations made during the summit.

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
* 65 thrones for the Bourse dose of True Liao from '''Umbar'''
* 6 crowns from '''Rafael Barossa d'Apulian'''
* 1 crown from '''Berith Martel'''
* 16 rings in small donations
</div>

==Doses of True Liao==

Six doses of [[Liao#True Liao|True Liao]] were disbursed this summit:
* One dose to '''Vesna Borkovna Prochnost''' as [[the Throne]]
* One dose in connection to the [[Lepidean Librarian|Lepidean University]] to '''Caleb of the Cenotaph''' via [[#Judgement 3|Judgement 3]]
* One dose to '''Umbar''' by purchase in the [[Public auction|Public Auction]]
* One dose to '''Ashborn Trosk''' by decision of the Gatekeepers
* One dose to '''Ingrid Talon-of-the-Mark''' by decision of the Gatekeepers
* One dose to '''Amberlain P. Black''' by decision of the Gatekeepers

==Assembly Strength==
The table below shows the size, total voting strength and greater majority thresholds for each assembly as calculated at the start of the summit.

{|
! scope=""col"" style=""width: 320px;"" | Virtue Assembly
! Assembly Size
! Total Voting Strength
! Greater Majority Threshold
|-
|Ambition || 53 || 742 || 372
|-
|Courage || 41 || 492 || 247
|-
|Loyalty || 61 || 788 || 395
|-
|Pride || 36 || 440 || 221
|-
|Prosperity || 42 || 513 || 257
|-
|Vigilance || 47 || 532 || 267
|-
|Wisdom || 41 || 554 || 278
|-
|The Way || 29 || 320 || 161
|-
|General || 350 || 4381 || 2191
|-
|}

{|
! scope=""col"" style=""width: 320px;"" | National Assembly
! Assembly Size
! Total Voting Strength
! Greater Majority Threshold
|-
|Brass Coast || 15 || 166 || 84
|-
|Dawn || 51 || 672 || 337
|-
|Highguard || 74 || 940 || 471
|-
|Imperial Orcs || 9 || 138 || 70
|-
|League || 36 || 514 || 258
|-
|Marches || 22 || 250 || 126
|-
|Navarr || 43 || 499 || 250
|-
|Urizen || 27 || 314 || 158
|-
|Varushka || 31 || 398 || 200
|-
|Wintermark || 42 || 490 || 246
|-
|General || 350 || 4381 || 2191
|-
|}

Poets light but lamps

2026-04-21T20:37:44Z

Noserenda: /* Zaboravi */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:387YE Winter]][[Category:Recent History]][[Category:Foreign Nations]][[Category:Sumaah]] [[Category:Iron Confederacy]][[Category:Faraden]][[Category:Skoura]][[Category:Tsark]]
<ic>“Do you believe it?”

Tchinua Ganbatar, Liege of the Five Winds, gave a slight snort. “Which part?”

Mistress Karadragha looked down at her papers with a heavy sigh. “At this point? Any of it.”

“I’ll have no words of fear spoken in this meeting, Singhua.” The Liege leaned forwards to refill their cup of tea. “Give me focus, and don’t jump at shadows. What are we informally discussing today?”

“As you say, my Liege.” The Trade Advisor adjusted her spectacles before continuing. “To start with, rumours of the Asaveans involving themselves with the Cinders and other anti-Imperial factions.”

A quiet figure sat off to one side of the meeting room spoke up. “We have no intelligence to confirm the notion, but it would resolve some unanswered questions if it were true. The Cinders are surprisingly well-funded. Even after their condemnation scared off their moderate supporters they still seem to be active across the border. Foreign support would certainly account for that.”

The Liege stroked their chin thoughtfully. “It would also suit the interests of the Asaveans to use Faraden extremists to anger the Empire, especially if they can do it without getting their hands dirty or inviting censure from the Court. What evidence does the Ambassador present?”

“Divinations of the flame, mostly, which means presumably a great deal of interpretation is involved which at best makes them suspect and at worst...”

“Very well. Contact the wizards of the Faces in Fire. They write down all their visions, so see if they have anything that might support this Imperial claim. Let them know we are asking, and they'll see the advantage in being in our good graces. Especially with the matter of the entertainments for my birthday celebrations on the horizon. In the meantime, set your agents prying around any Asavean interests here, especially the quiet ones we might have overlooked. There’s no way that the embassy would be foolish enough to be caught out by this. What next?”

The quiet figure spoke. “Related to the Cinders, the Sansar bounty.”

“Remind me?”

“The Sansar sent three of their family to negotiate for another trade enclave within the Empire. Our agents discovered that one of the three had been radicalised by the Cinders and intended to murder the other two for associating with heretics. Imperial law enforcement identified the guilty party before he struck, and Solongo Sansar has issued a bounty against the Cinders for their actions against her kin. We could potentially convince her to stand down, but it would upset the priesthood and risk emboldening the Cinders further.”

The Liege scowled. “No. The Cinders encouraged kinslaying so let them face the consequences. Tell Solongo that we support her without actually saying the words, and make sure our functionaries at court spread the story as far as they can. We can’t drive the reactionaries away entirely, but we need to keep them isolated. Anyone who can stand up in public and say that they support this kind of treacherous behaviour can reap their rewards.”

The Liege’s companions nodded and made various notes. Mistress Karadragha spoke up again. “I’m hearing on the wind that the Imperial priests are sending dire warnings about Cinders mounting some kind of concerted attacks within Imperial borders. The ambassador didn’t mention it, do we know anything about that?”

The quiet figure responded. “It’s almost certainly true. Gossip and coded messages have been pointing to them planning something big. We haven't been able to identify any targets so far, but their attention being centred within Imperial borders that would account for the lack of information.”

"The ambassador has asked for any information we have," observed Mistress Karadragha in a neutral tone. Both turned their attention to the Liege, expectantly.

There was a long pause before they responded, which they spent carefully stirring a spoonful of honey into their tea. The tinkling of the little silver spoon sounded like distant bells.

“I think it is time for the Cinders to encounter a significant setback.” They drained the dregs of their teacup, winced at the bitterness despite the sweetener. “Retain as much distance as you can, but set your best agents to scouring known Cinder hideouts for information. When you find it, no matter how tenuous, even if it means nothing to you, make sure it reaches the Ambassador. It's the least we can do, and we will just have to trust the Pride and Courage of the Empire to do the rest.”</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 500px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Candles flame in the wind.jpg|align=left|caption=Peace is all too often a candleflame in the wind.|width=500}}</div>
==Overview==
There are six great powers in the known world whose influence and reach rivals that of the Empire. There also innumerable lesser powers who do not have the might to shake the world, but who are nonetheless important to those with whom they share a border. The ambitions of these nearby nations are no less relevant to the Empire. Sometimes diplomatic relations require in-depth analysis; sometimes there is an opportunity to catch one's breath and let the drama move slowly towards the next crisis point.

There are [[ambassador|ambassadors]] to some of these nations - the [[Iron Confederacy|Suranni]], [[Axos]], the [[Thule]], and [[Faraden]] in particular. Other nations are dealt with by the [[Imperial Consul]]. Sometimes a neighbouring nation focuses on diplomacy with the Empire, and requires an in-depth discussion. The '''[[Death leaves us homesick]]''' wind of fortune covers relations with Axos for example, while '''[[Invited with asperity]]''' focuses on the [[orc|orcs]] of [[Otkodov]]. Sometimes however there is less going on and diplomacy can be part of a wider, more surface, roundup. For example '''[[Each age a lens]]''' covers nearly half a dozen of the orc nations that lie near the Empire.

Here we can read about several neighbouring nations to the Empire not covered in detail elsewhere - the [[Faraden]], the [[Iron Confederacy]], and even the more powerful nation of the [[Sumaah Republic]].
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=A Yak.jpg|align=right|caption=The yak of western Faraden are like very hairy oxen but adapted to live at high altitudes and in cold weather. Their wool, milk, and meat is much prized.|width=400}}</div>
==Faraden==
* '''Faraden remains caught between Imperial and Asavean interests
* '''The Liege of Five Winds appears to favour the Empire but there are powerful factions in Faraden that prefer closer ties with Asavea
* '''Faraden and the Empire are at peace, and trade ties between them are being strengthened
The lifeblood of [[Faraden]] is trade, but it is also a country of canny wizards, courageous warriors, and proud (albeit heretical) priests. They currently do not share a border with the Empire, lying beyond the [[Jotun]] and the [[Iron Confederacy]], but that does not stop them sending their caravans to Imperial markets despite the high tariffs they must pay to pass through the lands between. Diplomatic relations between the Court of the Five Winds and the Imperial Senate are changeable - warm one moment cool the next - but it has never come to open warfare. Right now Faraden is squeezed between two competing interests - the Empire on one side and the angry Plenum of the [[Asavean Archipelago]] on the other - and they must walk a knife-edge between the two powerful nations.
{{Nation|nation=[[Faraden]]|port=[[Sea_of_Snow#Pelabuhan|Caitun]]|ambassador=Ebenezer of [[the Marches]]|status=Foreigner}}
The Faraden ambassador to the Empire is ''Mistress Singua Karadragha''. Mistress Singua advises the Court of the Five Winds on all diplomatic matters, and speaks on their behalf to foreign ambassadors. Her attitude to the Empire appears to be cool but professional, and heavily informed by the wishes of the Liege and their court, who seek more opportunities to trade with the Empire.
===General Diplomacy===
* '''Communications between Faraden and the Empire are civil and constructive
* '''The Faraden seek closer trade ties with the Empire as a route to shared prosperity
Ambassador Ebeneezer has raised the matter of the Cinders with Mistress Karadragha. As [[We give the future to the winds#Ashes On The Breeze|previously mentioned]], this sect of violent zealots have been condemned by the Liege of the Five Winds, and the organisation has been driven underground. Yet there is still concern that the Cinders intend to continue their vendetta against the Empire.

Mistress Karadragha confirms that wizards versed in the art of Flame have also offered warnings about the Cinders, but the problem is that their [[divination|divinations]] are fundamentally symbolic and need careful interpretation. No doubt the Empire's adepts of [[Night magic]] have encountered the same challenges. Regardless, the Liege of the Five Winds sees no reason not to share whatever intelligence the Faraden have about the Cinders' operations in the Empire. Several reports have been dispatched by special courier to help Imperial citizens plot the movements of the Cinders.

The Court of the Five Winds is apparently very pleased with the news that work on [[Wild_is_the_wind#Yakholme_Grange|Yakholme Grange]] [[387YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Construct_Yakholme_Grange|has begun]], and that there is a good chance Faraden [[We_give_the_future_to_the_winds#The_Richest_Wines|trade with Dawn]] may be moving forward. Prosperous trade ties with the Empire strengthen the position of the Liege of the Five Winds, and reinforce their pro-Imperial agenda. The fact that trade with the Empire can be undertaken without the need to trust to ships and boats and the dangers of the [[Sea of Snow]], as compared to trade with the Asaveans, which relies on long shipping routes, means it has particular appeal to the merchant-families of the nation.
===War and the Jotun===
* '''Mistress Karadragha declines to send Faraden mercenaries to fight in the Empire
* '''The Liege of the Five Winds is apparently in negotiation with another power to attack southern Reinos
* '''They propose that the Empire attack the northern regions of the Lasambrian Hills following the Winter Solstice
Ambassador Ebeneezer has clearly presented the idea that the Empire and Faraden could form an alliance against the Jotun. The current truce with the Jotun is the result of a treaty, but as Mistress Karadragha has [[We_give_the_future_to_the_winds#The_Hills_of_Reinos|already said]], that treaty is due to be renewed or renegotiated at the Summer Solstice. The situation has not changed; Faraden cannot afford to go to war with the Jotun, and as near as the Court of Five Winds can tell the Jotun would prefer to focus their efforts on fighting the Empire. The Ambassador's suggestion that Faraden troops might fight against the [[Druj]] or the [[vallorn|peculiar plant monsters]] that infest parts of the Empire are interesting, but unappealing; the distances are too great and the dangers are too unknown.

However, it may be that the Faraden and the Empire could both get what they want. The [[Iron Confederacy]] has reached out to the Court of the Five Winds and informed them that the Suranni intend to conquer southern [[Reinos]]. This is not the ideal situation, in that it swaps Jotun control of their trade routes to the Empire for Suranni control; but that is still preferable to the stranglehold the barbarian orcs have over them.

If the Empire is serious about a joint effort, then the Military Council could dispatch a force to attack [[Reinos#Ribeira|Riberia]] and [[Reinos#Pedreira|Pedreira]] after the Winter Solstice. A powerful force would be able to smash through the defences there and claim both regions. At the same time, the Iron Confederacy will be attacking in the south, catching Jotun defenders between the hammer and the anvil.

There are further benefits to the Faraden of course. If a serious force of soldiers were attacking the hills of Reinos they would be in a much better position to renegotiate or even abandon their treaty with the Jotun. The benefits to the Empire are less clear - but Mistress Karadragha points out that control of Pedreira would give the Empire control of the [[white granite]] quarry at [[Reinos#Cantera_Balanka|Cantera Balanka]] as well as protecting the entire western border of [[Segura]] from future Jotun invasion.
===Faith and Flame===
* '''The Gatekeepers have provided a dose of true liao to the Faraden priest Boorra Talighar of the Silver Tree
* '''The Temple of the High Flames will receive a true consecration during the Winter Solstice
* '''There are concerns that Asavean assassins may try to disrupt the ceremony
* '''If the consecration is successful, it will end opportunities for Asavean religion to spread in Faraden
Last season ''Boorra Talighar of the Silver Tree'', priest of the Five Flames, [[We_give_the_future_to_the_winds#Flames_and_Faith|petitioned the Synod]] for a dose of [[liao#True Liao|True Liao]]. Their intent was to use the true liao to create a [[Consecration#True_Liao|true consecration]] of the [[Auras_of_Pride#Partner_of_Greatness|Flame of Honour]]; a powerful aura to help anchor the true faith of Faraden in the face of [[Asavean Archipelago|Asavean]] syncretism. During the Equinox, the [[Gatekeeper|Gatekeepers]] met and discussed the matter, and ultimately [[387YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Doses_of_True_Liao|chose to provide]] one of the seven doses available to them. With the particular aid of '''Nisha Strazcovich''', a former Gatekeeper of Pride who Ebeneezer notes as being instrumental in ensuring the dose was available, the Ambassadors office ensured the true liao was safely delivered to Faraden.

During the Winter Solstice, a grand ceremony marking the end of one year and the beginning of another will take place at the ''Temple of the High Flames'', the most prestigious seat of the Faraden faith. Mistress Karadragha believes representatives of all the [[On_Faraden_faith#The Priest Families|priestly families]] of Faraden will attend, whatever their individual attitudes to the Empire. it is, to put it mildly, a big deal for the faithful of Faraden. No outside priests will be present as this is a ceremony for the Faraden. The Faraden Ambassador, however, has let the Ambassador know that the Liege of the Five Wind has ensured that warriors loyal to them will be present to protect the festivities. There is some concern that the Asaveans might attempt to disrupt the ceremony; there are rumours of assassin-priests of the twin-gods of vengeance, Tlangg and Sanit being present in Faraden.

Assuming the ceremony goes off without a hitch, it will create a potent site of pilgrimage for the faithful of Faraden. The Temple of the High Flames is to the Faraden what the Basilica of Seven Doors is to the Highborn, or the marshes of the Sovennan are to the Winterfolk - a central location sacred to all denominations of their faith. There is no doubt that the true aura will serve as a powerful prophylactic against the influence of Asavean priests, sufficient to put an end to the spread of their influence in the western nation.

It is, of course, illegal for Imperial citizens to trade true liao to citizens of foreign nations; there is no suggestion that either the Liege of the Five Winds or the priest families of Faraden will offer any payment for the liao. All they can offer in return is the profound gratitude of those who take Pride in [[On Faraden faith|their faith]], and who welcome this return to the true values of their own historic religion.
===Fire Fighters===
* '''Zealous crusaders from Faraden have attempted to destroy the Azure Chorus, the docks at Fisk, and the docks at Meade'''
* '''Thanks to prompt warnings from the Imperial Synod two of the three attacks have been thwarted'''
* '''The Jotun have restored the Docks at Meade but made cosmetic changes'''
* '''These attacks have been widely condemned within Faraden'''
In the days following the Autumn Equinox, hasty warnings are carried to Wintermark, the Marches, and the Brass Coast. '''Olyvar of Esther's Sanctum''', the Cardinal of Pride, has issued a dire warning, backed by a greater majority of the Assembly of Nine: the Cinders, a violent group of ultra-conservative Faraden who decry the Empire and all its citizens as irredeemable heretics, have infiltrated the Empire, and intend to wreak havoc upon the innocent. The three targets – the docks at both Fisk and Meade, and the Azure Chorus – are of obvious symbolic value, each one serving as a site where the people of the Empire and the people of Faraden can meet in a spirit of solidarity and cooperation. Further hue and cry is raised in Marches specifically, as the statement of '''Father Edmund''' warns the people of Meade that the attackers have already infiltrated the city. Likewise, the Freeborn Assembly upheld a statement from '''Dayanara i Cabeza i Erigo''' warning of the planned attack in Kahraman. Whichever statement people hear first, the warnings are the same: be Vigilant. Lives are at stake.

The situation in Fisk is well contained. A local magistrate, already visiting the town to try an unrelated case, moves quickly to deputise nearby citizens and take control of the Market Hall. While the Faraden workers there are initially outraged by the accusations that there may be violent fanatics among their number, the outrage turns to panic when one of the porters draws a knife and slashes the magistrate’s face. What follows is a brief, ugly brawl, as other infiltrators from the Cinders reveal themselves and attempt to break out and flee. An effort is made to take suspects alive for trial and questioning, but comes to nothing. Even after the Cinders are disarmed, they do nothing but hurl abuse at their captors and their fellow Faraden alike, refusing to cooperate. Aside from vague hints that there are more of them in the Empire and that there will be more violence to follow, they give nothing useful, and are executed on the spot.

Chaos, unfortunately, reigns at the Azure Chorus. The densely packed tents of visiting pilgrims make conducting an orderly investigation all but impossible. Rumours spread through the camp like wildfire, leaving the Courageous and Vigilant citizens of the Brass Coast unable to take their targets by surprise. Some fear that the Cinders may simply flee, but the truth turns out to be much darker. A visiting priest comes running from the Parador of Wind and Flame, shouting that some Faraden pilgrims have barred the doors and begun massacring everyone inside, screaming condemnations against the “lovers of false flames.” The scene is set for tragedy, but nobody present is minded to accept such an outcome. Faraden and Freeborn alike take up arms and storm the Parador in defence of the priests and pilgrims trapped inside, fighting room to room and shedding blood to defend one another. There are many deaths, but fewer than might have been expected, given the grim circumstances.

Things go equally badly in Meade, where the situation is complicated by the the arrival of the Jotun. There is some question among those who stay behind as to whether or not to alert the Jotun to the plans of the Cinders. Would passing on such information be providing treasonous aid to an enemy, or acting with Vigilance to undermine a different enemy?

Unfortunately, the Cinders use the chaos of the invasion to attack before anyone can make a decision one way or the other. The dock front quickly descends into chaos as the Cinders fire the pier and try to murder the Faraden and Marcher merchants working there. Initially stunned by the madness, a Jotun patrol quickly composes themselves and within minutes Jotun and Marchers are fighting side-by-side to take the Cinders down.

At first the Jotun assume that the assassins are under some terrible Night magic curse. Three Cinders were captured alive during the attack - once the Jotun discover there was no magic involved they are appalled. A jarl is summoned and after the briefest trial imaginable, the three men are taken out into the bay and summarily drowned. It is apparently the worst death imaginable as far as the Jotun are concerned.

Once the Cinders have been dealt with, the Jarl gives orders to the Jotun for the docks to be restored. The work is done quickly, most of the docks can be salvaged and materials are shipped in to replace the parts that are too far gone. By the start of the Winter Solstice, the dock front is almost as good as new. Almost... because the Jotun artisans take it on themselves to add a monolithic stone carved in the likeness of an orc warrior - not the Jarl but an idol of [[Elite_Jotun_troops#Skjaldir|Skjaldir]], one of the Jotun faðir.

When word reaches the Faraden Embassy, the response is quick and firm: an absolute and total condemnation of the Cinders' actions. The Liege of the Five Winds had previously spoken out against the Cinders after their failed attempt on the life of the Champion of Vigilance, but this has ignited fury across all of Faraden society. Even conservative thinkers who have never truly reconciled with the differences of faith between the Empire and Faraden are forced to publicly acknowledge that this has gone too far. The Liege of the Five Winds makes a speech before their court, committing to personally pay for any repairs to the sites of the attack, a gesture that earns widespread praise for its even-handed measure of Pride, Prosperity and Justice.

Embassy staff supply one slightly testy clarification to public perceptions of the Cinders: they are not 'Justice cultists', any more than a devout citizen of the Empire is an 'Ambition cultist'. The Cinders follow the Five Flames, just as the people of the Empire follow the Imperial Way. The Cinders are not bad because they follow a specific Virtue, they are bad because they are violent xenophobes who decry the possibility of coexistence and mutual Prosperity in favour of a chauvinistic vision of total cultural purity. Excessive dwelling on religious differences is what led to this problem in the first place, and the last thing anyone needs is someone stoking the flames.

====Raking Over The Ashes====
* '''The infiltrators in Fisk, Meade and the Azure Chorus were not the only Cinders present within the Empire.'''
* '''The attackers will cause further havoc unless they are prevented from doing so.'''
* '''Questions remain over how the group were able to acquire their supplies.'''
In the aftermath, cooler heads begin to dig deeper in both of the locations still controlled by the Empire. What emerges in each case is a similar story. The Cinders arrived as individuals or small groups over the course of the last year, staying and quietly blending in with their countryfolk. They did not disguise their conservative religious views, but did not speak of their violent aims to anyone outside of the conspiracy. The reasons for this are not hard to determine. Not only has the Liege of the Five Winds condemned the sect for their extremism, but many Faraden actively disagree with their attacks on people who did not harm them first. It seems that the Cinders consider other Faraden who deal with the ‘lovers of False Flames’ to be just as bad as heretics themselves. The Cinders are not, it seems, especially good at blending in with the people around them.

Ambassador Ebeneezer's request to Mistress Karadragha has borne fruit with a series of missives detailing what Faraden investigators were able to determine from their own efforts to suppress the sect. In conjunction with Imperial scouts, the two nations are able to put together a list of targets. It seems that the groups already dealt with are not the only ones active within Imperial borders. It's clear that the Cinders have made good use of the resources provided to them - although there is some question about precisely who their rich patrons are. Rumour suggests it is agents of the Asavean plenum who have been funding the Cinders, wielding their hatred of the Empire as a weapon.

===Wildfire (Conjunctions)===
* '''The Cinders have been spotted moving to attack the House of Guerra, the Anvil Library Scriptorium, and Benson's Orchard.'''
* '''Imperial heroes have the opportunity to act before the Cinders can cause any serious harm.'''
The Faraden reports include coded letters that speak of Cinders agents spying out "the Orchard" in the Marches and it is a relatively simple matter to deduce that this is probably a reference to [[Pruning_shears#Benson's_Orchard|Benson's Orchard]], the memorial to [[Paragons and exemplars|exemplar]] of [[Vigilance]] [[Known exemplars#Joshua Benson|'Major' Joshua Benson]]. From the other reports the Faraden are able to provide, it becomes clear the last Cinders are planning to assault the [[Armarius_of_the_Anvil_Library#The_Library_Scriptorium|Anvil Library Scriptorium]] and the [[Hand of Guerra#House of Guerra|House of Guerra]].

By any analysis, these attacks are ultimately doomed to failure. The aura at Benson's Orchard was created with true liao, and there is no way that the Cinders have access to that most valuable substance. The Anvil Library Scriptorium sits in a fortified compound to protect against assaults from agents of the Whisper Gallery, and the House of Guerra is in Calvos town itself, surrounded by Kohan and Corsairs on shore leave. None of these sites are in danger of being destroyed. However, the Cinders are heavily armed and prepared to fight to the death. If they are allowed to work their will unmolested, they will kill a great many people and cause a lot of damage before they are stopped. Fortunately, with the advance warning provided by Faraden to Ambassador Ebeneezer, and the results of Imperial investigations, there is enough notice for the prognosticators to find conjunctions of the [[Sentinel Gate]] that heroes may be able to intervene and prevent loss of life.

====Burn The Books (Sarvos)====
* '''A group of Cinders are trying to destroy the Anvil Library Scriptorium'''
* '''This is a combat highly likely encounter'''
* '''The ''Armarius of the Anvil Library'' is responsible for protecting the Scriptorium'''
* '''There are [[Sentinel Gate#Imperial Law|no innocents present]] on this conjunction; magistrates advise that lethal force is fully justified'''

The Anvil Library stands dedicated to the cause of Wisdom and learning across the Empire, fighting back against the terrible losses inflicted by Emperor Nicovar and his book-burning ways. This cause elicits no sympathy from the Cinders, who decry Wisdom as the False Virtue of Doubt. They would love nothing more than to burn the books and massacre the scribes. The mercenaries engaged in the defence of the compound are trusted veterans, but even one enemy with a lit match could wreak havoc if they broke through.

The main group of Cinders are approaching fast along Vintner's Way in Foracci. It is the responsibility of '''Ricardo Glostari di Sarvos''', the Armarius of the Anvil Library, to cut them off before any damage can be done.

====Sever The Hand (Madruga)====
* '''A group of Cinders are trying to destroy the House of Guerra'''
* '''This is a combat highly likely encounter'''
* '''The ''Hand of Guerra'' is responsible for protecting the House'''
* '''There are [[Sentinel Gate#Imperial Law|no innocents present]] on this conjunction; magistrates advise that lethal force is fully justified'''
The House of Guerra stands as a testament to the Empire's commitment to taking care of those in need of shelter. Operated by a well-paid staff noted for their practicality and compassion, this thoroughly benign institution seems an odd target for the religiously-motivated Cinders. Things come into focus when the other duty of the Hand of Guerra is pointed out. Spreading the philosophy of Guerra is not especially controversial in the Empire, but rumours have persisted for a long time of her connection to the False Virtue of Anarchy, which the Cinders despise as much as any Imperial citizen. While the general consensus is that these rumours are historical fabrications, it is doubtful that the Cinders would listen if anyone tried to explain to them.

If the attackers are to be intercepted, the easiest place would be along the Corsair's Road in Calvos Sound. It is the responsibility of '''Sufyan i Zuhri i Guerra''', the Hand of Guerra, to prevent any harm coming to their charges.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Orchard One.jpg|align=left|caption=Brother Martin Orchard is a sometimes controversial, well respected monk from Pickham Monastery. in Upwold|width=400}}</div>
====Silence The Bell (Upwold)====
* '''A group of Cinders are trying to desecrate Benson's Orchard'''
* '''This is a combat highly likely encounter'''
* ''' ''Martin Orchard'', who carried out the consecration, is responsible for protecting the memorial'''
* '''There are [[Sentinel Gate#Imperial Law|no innocents present]] on this conjunction; magistrates advise that lethal force is fully justified'''
'Major' Joshua Benson is an aspirational figure for many dedicants of Vigilance, especially in the Marches. A man without flashy miracles and tall tales to his name, he simply defended his community with absolute and unwavering commitment. Jackie Longshanks, the Beater who was able to sneak up on the Cinders to eavesdrop on their plans, cited the Bellringer as an inspiration for her deeds. The Vigilant pilgrims coming to soak up the aura that surrounds the exemplar's resting place have taken up arms and are ready to defend the holy site to the death, but such a fight would be a bloodbath. If the Cinders should spill blood on such a sacred memorial, the response from irate pilgrims of Vigilance would not bear thinking about.

As the Cinders move to attack Benson's Orchard, they must first move through the area of Tower March known as Benson's Bawn. It is the responsibility of '''Martin Orchard''', the priest who consecrated Benson's Orchard, to thwart their malice before it can strike.
<div style="float:left; width: 450px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Delicacies.jpg|caption=The Faraden are proud of their own fine victuals, but also keen to bring the best food and drink from around the world to their tables..|align=right|width=450}}</div>

===Days Of Wine And Mooncheese===
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Moonsong Market'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Great Work</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' [[The Barrens#Dawnguard|Dawnguard]] or [[The Barrens#Murderdale|Murderdale]], [[the Barrens]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 30 [[weirwood]] and 30 [[white granite]], 180 crowns labour costs</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' six months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability: Open-ended</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Raises the level of investment for farms in the Barrens by one
* Creates a ministry and the title of ''Moonsong Reeve''
* Increases the taxation raised from trade with Faraden by 4 Thrones each season
* Significantly increases the number of Faraden travelling to and visting Dawn</td></tr>
</table></div>
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightGreen;">'''Moonsong Reeve'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Type:''' Dawn</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Appointment:''' Tally of the Votes</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Powers:''' Oversees Moonsong Market</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Responsibilities:''' To serve as a liaison between the Faraden visiting Moonsong Market and the people of Dawn; to encourage Faraden merchants to trade with the nation; to smooth over any disputes; to make decisions based on any opportunities related to Moonsong Market</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Limitations:''' If the Moonsong Reeve is not yeofolk, the great work benefits will be halved</td></tr>
</table></div>
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td colspan="2" style="background-color: LightYellow;">'''Moonsong Cheese'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>7 crowns</td><td>Three common mooncheese and one rare mooncheese</td></tr>
<tr><td>16 crowns</td><td>Six common mooncheese and two rare mooncheese</td></tr>
<tr><td>27 crowns</td><td>Nine common mooncheese and three rare mooncheese</td></tr>
<tr><td>40 crowns</td><td>Twelve common mooncheese and four rare mooncheese</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''A consortium in Faraden has established a potential deal to trade luxury food in the Barrens.'''
* '''Despite an attempt by the Cinders to sabotage this plan, the actions of Imperial Citizens have demonstrated that Faraden merchants are safe to trade with the Empire.'''

Even as further violence mars relationships between the Empire and Faraden, the siren song of commerce seeks to bring people closer together. Last season, merchants of the Sansar family came to Anvil to speak with the people of Dawn about setting up a trade enclave in the Barrens. Representing a coalition of smaller families, they sought to exploit the opportunities presented by providing rare goods to the eastern Empire and, in so doing, to raise their standing back home.

While the trade talks themselves seem to have gone well, confused reports from Anvil speak of three of the Sansar cousins attending but only two returning, and of drawn blades and plotted murders. When the surviving merchants returned home they apparently brought a tale of horrific treachery: the third of their party had been corrupted by the rage of the Cinders, and plotted to murder them on their journey back to Faraden! Only by the swift action of Imperial law enforcement was this plan foiled. The intention of the Cinders was clear, to scare merchants away from dealing with the Empire. Yet this plan has backfired spectacularly, as the Sansar have not only publicly recommitted to building closer ties with their Imperial friends, but have posted a bounty on all members of the Cinders in vengeance for their heinous acts.

Still, bloodshed makes for poor conversation over the negotiating table, so discussions with the Imperial civil service focus on business. The core of the deal is a pleasingly symmetrical arrangement: Dawnish cloth for Faraden cloth, Dawnish wine for Faraden cheese. Already Seneschals and vintners across Dawn are racing to discover the best wine pairings for the valuable Faraden Mooncheese, a development that is filling the cheesemakers of Faraden with Pride and confidence. There was also an unsurprising interest in purchasing Mithril, for which the Empire’s voracious appetite is well-known.

The plans drawn up off the back of these proposals are, in their most basic nature, similar to the Firewind Market in Holberg. The proposed Moonsong Market, named in honour of the famed Mooncheese, would take 30 wains of weirwood, 30 wains of white granite, and 180 Crowns in labour costs. The Sansar have requested that such a market be built in either [[The Barrens#Dawnguard|Dawnguard]] or [[The Barrens#Murderdale|Murderdale]] to be close to the well-defended centres of civilisation. Once constructed, the Moonsong Market would act as a [[great work]] increasing investment in farms across the Barrens. It would also create an [[Imperial title]] - ''Moonsong Reeve'' - that would be responsible for representing Dawn in any negotiations with the Faraden merchants, and smoothing over any issues that arise with their trade in Dawn.

There is one other matter - one that the Faraden are unaware of. As an economic position, the people of Dawn expect the ''Moonsong Reeve'' to be [[Yeofolk of Dawn|yeofolk]]. If the title is held by a noble, it will result in the benefits of the great work being halved as Dawnish farmers look askance at the Faraden merchants and their association with a noble demeaning the glory of Dawn.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=AmbassadorIronConfederacy.png|caption='''Tethros i Zuhri i Erigo''', Ambassador to the Iron Confederacy|align=left|width=300}}</div>
==The Iron Confederacy==
* '''The Iron Confederacy remains at peace with the Empire
* '''They have recently moved a major military force into the islands off the coast of Feroz
{{Nation|nation=The [[Iron Confederacy]]|port=[[Foreign_ports#Robec|Robec]]|status=Foreigner|ambassador=Tethros i Zuhri i Erigo}}
The Suranni lie to the south of the Empire. They are a secretive nation, bound up in tradition and suspicion. While they are currently at peace with the Empire, even accepting merchants and traders into their lands, they are certainly not ''friends''. Recent events have seen them, like the [[Faraden]], caught between the [[Liberty Pact]] and the pro-slavery Freedom Accord. Yet where Faraden feels it must play a delicate balancing act, the Suranni Dukes are more confident in their power and prepared to play Imperial and Asavean interests off against each other.

The Suranni ambassador to the Empire is ''Baroness Katerine Lavasse of Meore'', who operates from the Tour Lavasse in Chaubrette, a territory unknown to Imperial citizens that apparently lies to the west of [[Bay_of_Catazar#Veroigne|Veroigne]]. A noble [[naga]], she replaced the significantly more dogmatic Jeanne de Hibernat, a High Priestess of the Suranni god [[Suranni_pantheon#Evra_the_Smith,_Maiden_of_the_Forge|Evra the Smith, Maiden of the Forge]]. She has already indicated that she is very much more pragmatic than her predecessor and more interested in compromise. She still reports to the Dukes of the Iron Confederacy, however, and so her apparent goodwill toward the Empire cannot be relied upon.
===Suranni Pleasantries===
* '''General pleasantries and diplomatic matters have been touched on
* '''The Iron Confederacy remains at peace with the Empire
Ambassador Tethros has apparently informed Baroness Katerine that the Empire intends to attack [[Skallahn]]. This receives a slightly mixed response; the Suranni ambassador is not herself familiar with northern [[Jotun]] lands. Her response is to congratulate the Empire on seeking to conquer [[orc]] lands, and indicates that the news was met with a great deal of interest among some of the more martial Dukes.

The matter of Faraden was also raised, and Baroness Katerine, perhaps a little surprisingly, agrees that Asavean influence over the neighbouring nation is less than ideal. While the Suranni are capable of keeping the agents of the Plenum at arms' length, and ensuring they gain benefits from their association without becoming tainted, they are less confident that the Faraden can achieve the same.

In somewhat delicate tones, Baroness Katerine writes that the Suranni obviously have their own relationship with Faraden - distinct from the Empire - and their own trade routes. They are exploring their own avenues to reduce Asavean influence, but at this time they are reticent about collaborating with the Empire. With the best will in the world, the Empire's tendency to - no offence - blunder in like a drunk in a glassworks, do not predispose the Suranni to share too much at this time. If the Ambassador can be more specific about proposals for joint action with regard to the Faraden that do '''not''' risk souring the Suranni relationship with the Asaveans unnecessarily, then the Dukes are certainly interested to discuss those plans.

With regard to trade, the Baroness is generally positive about trade with the port of [[Foreign_ports#Robec|Robec]] and entirely sees where the Ambassador is coming from when they talk of more secure overland trade routes. Suranni merchants have long seen the town of [[Feroz#Fontargenta|Bramar]] in Feroz as the ideal destination for those looking to trade with the Empire. From there the more adventurous could travel to [[Madruga#Siroc_(Ruined)|Siroc]], or even further north across the [[Spider%27s_Tollkeep#The_Spider's_Dream|Spider's Dream]] bridge. However, as the Suranni understand it a recent natural disaster has severed easy trade routes between Feroz and the rest of the Empire. Is there any news of when these will be restored? That would likely be the first step toward securing a commitment to a trade [[ministry]] in the Empire.
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Kobol.PNG|caption=[[Suranni_pantheon#Kobol the Warrior, Maiden of Battle|Kobol the Warrior]] is the uncompromising [[Suranni pantheon|Iron Confederacy god]] of warriors and battle.|align=right|width=200}}</div>
===Cazar and the ''Wings of Kobol''===
* '''The Iron Confederacy has smashed the Children of Wrecks in Feroz
* '''Suranni forces have claimed the Cazar Straits for the Confederacy
* '''The Dukes intend to attack Free Landing after the Spring Equinox if the Empire has not dealt with the Wreckers by then
* '''While no treaty has been agreed, Freeborn citizens are free to leave the islands and ships from Feroz can pass through the waters
The Iron Confederacy has invaded [[Feroz]]; or rather they have attacked the Children of Wrecks on the [[Feroz#Cazar Straits|Cazar Straits]]. As laid out in the '''[[Red_skies#Swords_of_the_South|Red skies]]''' wind of war, the ''Wings of Kobol'' [[navy]] brought two Suranni [[army|armies]] across the border from Kalino and smashed the Wreckers' grasp on the island chain. Those pirates and raiders who were not defeated in battle, or captured and executed, have been forced to flee. Most have gone north to [[Madruga#Free Landing|Free Landing]], but some have apparently chosen to quit the [[Bay of Catazar]] altogether. The Cazar Straits are now under the control of the Iron Confederacy.

Following the attack and "liberation" of the islands, Baroness Katerine delivers a message from the Suranni Dukes. It has been too long since the pirates invoked the power of [[Suranni_pantheon#Dumon_the_Liar,_the_Wicked_One|Dumon]] to help them seize the islands to the north of Arbonne, which they have been using as a base to attack the coast of the Iron Confederacy. Over a year ago they launched a raid against [[bay of Catazar#Axiom Prison|Axiom Prison]] and released many dangerous prisoners including a large number of corrupt wizards. While there has been some diplomatic attempt to find common ground for a joint effort against the Children, that have come to nothing. With this decisive action, the Iron Confederacy has shown that it will not tolerate criminals and pirates threatening their borders.

Diplomatic channels were used during the Autumn Equinox to inform Imperial officials of the Suranni intentions. During that time there was discussion of a treaty, but after due consideration the Dukes believe that it is too soon to commit to any formal agreement while there is still a major Children of Wrecks presence just north of their lands - by which they pointedly mean their new holdings in the Cazar Straits. The work done at the Autumn Equinox by Baronets ''Marquette Lavasse'' and ''Vauquelin Lavasse'', during which they met informally with multiple Imperial luminaries have indicated that there is certainly a foundation for a formal treaty to secure relations between the Confederacy and the Empire; but the time to discuss it is once the immediate threat is ended.

Baroness Katerine appears to be aware that the Empire planned their own assault on the Children of Wrecks following the Autumn Equinox, but apparently expected it to be aimed at Free Landing. Her missive lays out that the Dukes plan to take a season ensuring that the last corrupt elements are removed from the islands of Cazar. Then, if the Empire has not already dealt with them, they will attack the Wreckers in Free Landing with an eye towards dealing with them as they have their "friends" in the south. It is important for Ambassador Tethros to understand that if the ''Wings of Kobol'' are called on to free the Madrugan islands, they will likewise be considered part of the Iron Confederacy. After that, though, there will be plenty of time to discuss how to proceed. In particular, she wishes to commend [[Senator]] '''Laurencio Lemmini di Sarvos''' whose passionate words went some way toward reassuring the Dukes that the Empire was in the process of dealing with the Pirates of Dumon and should be given a little space to do so.

The Baroness does however reiterate that as far as the Dukes are concerned, they have taken enemy territory away from criminals who made war on the Suranni people. The islands of Cazar are now ''theirs'', by right of conquest. This, says Katerine, is not a matter for debate - the facts speak for themselves. The same will be true if they are forced to deal with the pirates of Free Landing.

However, in recognition of the historic presence of the people of [[the Brass Coast]] here, there are certain humanitarian concessions the Dukes have instructed Baroness Katerine to lay out. Any Imperial citizen that was trapped in the Cazar Straits when they were conquered by the Grendel, and then seized by the Pirates of Dumon, is absolutely free to leave; indeed they are encouraged to depart. Suranni ships stand ready to repatriate them to the mainland, and there will be no bar to Freeborn vessels that wish to come collect their countryfolk.

The Iron Confederacy is also open to suggestions about how best to arrange matters with regard to Imperial ships leaving or entering Feroz. Obviously, with control of the Cazar Straits, the Suranni could potentially cut the Freeborn territory off from the Bay of Catazar entirely. There is no reason for them to do so at the moment; indeed Baroness Katerine expresses the hope that recent successes with trade can be built on to encourage Imperial merchants to visit the Straits. This means that there will be no disadvantage to the Freeborn busy rebuilding their homes in the ruined territory from the Suranni.

The [[Civil Service|civil service]] advise that this communication should not be taken entirely at face value. Reading between the lines, it seems that Baroness Katerine isn't ''completely'' happy with the decision of the Dukes. Over the last few years, she has demonstrated a preference for a more nuanced, diplomatic approach to relations with the Empire. At the end of the day though, it is the Dukes who make the decisions. The rulers of the Iron Confederacy are [[naga]], and while they can be [[Naga#Subtle|subtle]], they are still [[Naga#Passionate|passionate]] and [[Naga#Avaricious|avaricious]].

The proposal of a treaty once the Children of Wrecks are finally beaten seems genuine, and it is possible that one of the reasons the Suranni are not rolling straight into Free Landing is to give Ambassador Tethros a chance to put forward a proposal of their own.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Watt of Lambrook.jpg|caption='''Watt of Lambrook''', Minister of Historical Research|align=left|width=300}}</div>

===Marko and the March of History===
* '''Marko Siwarsbairn is ''still'' in the Iron Confederacy'''
The saga of Marko Siwarsbairn continues to drag on. Following the [[Bedight_in_veils#An_Imperial_Historian_in_the_Baronial_Court|dispute]] over the [[historical research]] the [[Wintermark]] scholar had been compiling on Iron Confederacy military history, the Ambassador passed along words from the [[Minister of Historical Research]] '''Watt Lambrook''': "''My researcher is correct that I hold the right to view such reports first. However, since this was understandably not known at the time I will oblige that this once you may also read the report Marko has written before he leaves.''"

Baroness Katerine thanks the Minister for their words, and understands that this is a concession. However as the Winter Solstice draws closer it seems Marko has ''still'' not returned from the Iron Confederacy. A late message to the Imperial embassy indicates that on reading the Siwarsbairn Report it was clear to the Baroness that there were several significant errors and misconceptions in the document. Rather than suggest Marko scrap their hard work and start again, Baroness of Meore has offered the assistance of some of her own staff to correct those errors. She is confident that the report will be much more useful as an artifact of truth, rather than something riddled with errors. She anticipates that unless anything else goes wrong, Marko will be safely back in the Empire with a well-researched document in time for the Spring Equinox.

The Minister need not worry; Baroness Katerine is more than happy to continue to serve as gracious host to Marko Siwarsbairn, and supply the support they need at her own expense. It is the least she can do as a student of history herself, committed to increasing understanding between her nation and the Empire. She also mentions that the gods clearly inspired Marko to make their errors; if they had set off from Meore on schedule this season they would doubtless have ended up caught in the events unfolding in Arbonne.
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Dumon.PNG|caption=Dumon the Liar, the Wicked One|align=right|width=200}}</div>
===Unfolding in Arbonne===
* '''Arbonne has been subject to a serious Winter curse'''
* '''The priests of the Veiled Shrine claim an oracle has implicated Imperial citizens in the curse'''
* '''Baroness Katerine asks the Ambassador to encourage Imperial citizens to track down those responsible'''
Shortly after the Spring Equinox, the dukedom of Kalino - which the Suranni call Arbonne - was struck with a [[I_wish_you_would#Wicked curses|blight]] that withered crops and saw vermin multiply across the territory. The priests of [[Suranni_pantheon#Kavol,_the_Veiled_King|Kavol]] quickly identified that this was a [[curse]] drawn down by wicked sorcerers working with the aid of the [[Suranni_pantheon#Dumon_the_Liar,_the_Wicked_One|Lying God]]. The curse ran its course, and despite some food shortages in Arbonne, the worst appeared to be over. This assumption was, unfortunately, premature.

Just after the Autumn Equinox another curse fell on Arbonne, and this was orders of magnitude worse than the blight that struck in Spring. The first sign was unseasonably bad weather than ruined crops before they could be gathered; it was swiftly followed by a wave of sickness that incapacitated the weak and the strong alike. Then, on the night of the first new moon, demonic angels of Dumon emerged from the shadows bent on murder and corruption. The worst of them took on the forms of dead orcs, the Lasambrians who had once squatted in the hills here. Their witchcraft brought more terror and destruction to the people and serfs of Arbonne. Worse, among their numbers were revenants that appeared in the form of dead Suranni and even in a few cases what looked to be Imperial knights.

This was again seen as a sign that the gods were angry with the Duke of Arbonne, but again the Priests of Kavol investigated the matter and determined that it was nothing more than another terrible curse from the servants of Dumon. This time, though, this reassurance has done little to quell discontent in the territory. Crops fail from time to time, as a test from the gods, but this unspeakable infestation of demons and revenants is an entirely different matter. The position of the Duke of Arbonne is extremely shaky; if a third curse strikes the territory they will have little choice but to step aside in favour of one of their heirs. Baroness Katerine confidently paints the heirs to the current Duke as competent, wise people but there is an edge to her words that suggests she is not entirely confident about what she is saying.
<div style="float: right; max-width: 200px; margin-right: 10px;">{{HoverImage|Seven Locks 2.jpg|Master of Locks.png}}</div>
<div style="float: right; max-width: 200px; margin-right: 10px;">{{HoverImage|WhisperGal004.png|WhisperGal005.png}}</div>
While the curse is bad, it would normally be a matter for the Iron Confederacy to resolve. Unfortunately, there is an unlooked for wrinkle here. Among the priests of Kavol there are some sects charged with specific duties within the Confederacy. The priests of the Veiled Shrine are charged to root out heretics and servants of Dumon who consort with demons. The Veiled God has sent a sign to them, warning them that while the curse comes from the servants of the God of Corruption, they could not have achieved this terrible working without aid. Specifically, through oracles and visionary dreams, Kavol has given a warning that the power to place the curse came from the Empire.

Baroness Katerine is not a fool; she doesn't believe the Empire has cursed Arbonne. There's simply no evidence of it. Unfortunately, the priests of the Veiled Shrine are adamant that there is Imperial entanglement in this event. She asks that the Ambassador do whatever it takes to find out who has provided the Hand of Dumon with the wherewithal to lay a curse of this magnitude on Arbonne. Given that working with the Hand is a crime in the Empire, she presumes that Imperial justice likewise has a vested interest in tracking down whoever it is that is supporting these monstrous sorcerers. The Dukes cannot countenance Imperial support for the Hand of Dumon, and if it comes out that Imperial citizens were flouting the laws made by the Senate in this regard it would shake confidence in those who pointed to the agreement as a positive step in international relations. Which includes Baroness Katerine of course.

Obviously, the one thing every Imperial citizen can be '''absolutely certain''' of, is that "the Veiled God" definitely did not tell the Iron Confederacy anything, ''given they don't actually exist''. However they note that Baroness Katerine refers to "angels" more than once, which is either a [[Astronomancy#Tulpas|tulpa]] or much more likely, a [[herald]] of some [[eternal]] that is up to no good. If it is the latter, the finger of suspicion must point at either [[Basileia]] or the [[Whisper Gallery]], either of which would sell the Empire out in a heartbeat. The City of Locks trades in treachery, espionage and secrets, while the Shadow Courtiers are literally obsessed with secrets. On paper, it is more likely to be the Princess of Weirs; since the Concilium of the Perjured Throne is under enmity, the only way they could be mixed up in all this is if that was being subverted by members of the Conclave.

It's unfortunate that the Empire does not have a workable map of Arbonne, so rituals such as [[Eye of the High Places]] will not be able to find anything useful. From the description, however, it seems that the curse might have been the result of a potent Winter magic ritual of high magnitude - at least eightieth and perhaps higher.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=IconSumaah.jpg|align=right|width=300}}</div>
==Sumaah Republic==
* '''The Sumaah Republic is an empire devoted to an orthodox interpretation of the Way'''
* '''The Sumaah Republic remain allies of the Empire in the Liberty Pact
The [[Sumaah Republic]] are simultaneously allies of, and rivals to, the Empire. Their shared practice of the Way both provide them with common ground, and divides them over questions of orthodoxy. As founding members of the [[Liberty Pact]], their ties to the Empire have been strengthened, and they have been closely involved in bringing ruin to those involved in the abhorrent practice of slavery. At the moment they are focused on their [[Guide_the_spirit#Virtuous_War|war]] with the [[Asavean Archipelago]], but they remain committed to spreading the Way through the entire world. In gratitude for [[Two_suns_in_the_sunset#A_Bond_Between_Sailors|major aid]] from the Empire in repulsing an Asavean assault against the port of [[Foreign_ports#Zemeh|Zemeh]], the Sumaah have committed to sharing a dose of [[Liao#True Liao|true liao]] with the Empire every season "''until the Plenum falls and the Way is spread to the Archipelago''." Relations with the grateful Sumaash, which have been bumpy in the past, are now better than ever.
{{Nation|nation=[[Sumaah Republic]]|status=Foreigner|port=[[Sumaah_Republic_ports#Zemeh|Zemeh]]|ambassador=Accalon of [[Highguard]]}}
The Sumaah ambassador to the Empire is ''Oxtitocszin'', who holds the rank of Censor of wood, metal and stone and is a member of the High House of Pride (the Sumaah equivalent of the Pride Assembly, but with significantly more responsibility and leeway to pursue foreign diplomacy). They advise not just the Sumaah ''präster'', but the House of the People (the Sumaah equivalent of the Imperial Senate). By all accounts they are an even-handed, level-headed individual, and a devout practitioner of the Way.
===Liberty===
* '''The Sumaah are sending a representative to the Liberty Pact meeting'''
The Sumaah are, of course, sending an emissary to the [[Liberty Pact]] meeting. ''Oxtitocszin'' indicates the Sumaah attitude to the Pact has not shifted. They still intend to propose the amendment to the pact [[Drowned_in_tears#Liberty_Pact|mentioned last season]], to centre [[the Way]] in the approach of the Liberty Pact to defeating the evil of slavery. Apparently, the Sumaah representatives to the Pact are a little surprised that the Empire are not raising any amendments to the Pact themselves, but appreciate that this may simply be because the status quo serves their interests more effectively.
<div style="float:right; width: 350px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Accalon5901.jpg|caption='''Accalon of Felix's Watch''', Ambassador to the Sumaah Republic|align=right|width=350}}</div>
Ambassador Accalon's words relating to the removal of Axos from the pact has not inspired them to revisit the matter but they wish the Ambassador to be apprised that they will vote with the Commonwealth on this matter. Unfortunately, Sumaah is not in a position to launch a full-scale invasion of the [[Asavean Archipelago]]. Were there any chance that such an attack might be practical, they would already be undertaking it. Oxtitocszin gently suggests that even if they were holding off for some reason, the Ambassador's proposal that the Empire would help remove Axos from the Pact would by no means be sufficient inducement for them to do so. The Sumaah Republic intends to let virtue guide their approach to the Pact and the Axou, as they do everything else. They would expect the Empire to do the same.

Further details of the Sumaah involvement in the Liberty Pact meeting can be found in the '''[[My soul at liberty]]''' wind of fortune.

===Gift of Pride (Redux)===
* '''The House of the People delayed their shipment of white granite at the request of Ambassador Accalon
* '''After the Winter Solstice there is an opportunity for Imperial fleet captains to escort the shipment to the Brass Coast
At the request of the people of [[the Brass Coast]], as relayed to the Sumaah by Ambassador Accalon, they have delayed the shipment intended to [[Drowned_in_tears#A_Gift_of_Pride|offer aid in rebuilding]]. The white granite is still in the Republic, waiting an escort of Imperial vessels to help it reach the shores of the Bay of Catazar. The House of the People recognises that dealing with the threat of the Children of Wrecks takes priority. The Cardinal of the House of [[Vigilance]], however does append a warning to the Freeborn not to allow the malign power of ''hevn'' to gain a foothold in their souls. "''Hevn''" is apparently an old-fashioned Sumaah term for the power of [[Malign spiritual presences#Vengeance|vengeance]] but with elements of [[Malign spiritual presences#Hatered|Hatred]]. The Cardinal reminds their beloved Imperial cousins that to strike against enemies before they can harm you is vigilant but to pursue the destruction of those who have harmed you for selfish reasons is to invite corruption into ones soul.

Regardless, the House of the People have confirmed that the shipments of white granite await an Imperial escort. They warn, however, that they cannot afford to delay their gift for another season. The [[Asavean Archipelago]] already seems to have gotten wind of what is planned, and any further wait will surely see the Sumaah ships attacked and sunk regardless of the presence of Imperial vessels.

You can read about this opportunity in last seasons '''[[Drowned_in_tears#A_Gift_of_Pride|Drowned in tears]]''' wind of fortune.
{{CaptionedImage|file=IconZemress.png |caption=Icon of Zemress|title=Icons of Zemress are popular with sailors who must travel through dangerous waters - both those from the Brass Coast, and the distant Frieøyer.|align=right|width=300}}
===Inspiration of Zemress===
* '''A renowned Frieøyer captain has come to study at the Zemress Naval Academy along Sumaah sailors and shipwrights'''
* '''Their support has helped to unlock the full potential of the Academy and the Empire's naval forces'''
While [[Red skies|war rages]] in the seas of Sarvos and Madruga, a Sumaah ship appears at the docks in [[Madruga#Calvos|Calvos]]. It looks a little the worse for wear, showing signs of having sustained significant damage recently. It turns out to be the ship of ''Bjarna Xicot'' of the Frieøyer - the former pirates [[Zemress#A_Tale_from_Sumaah|inspired]] by the paragon [[Zemress]] - who has come to study at the [[Madruga#Zemress_Naval_Academy|Zemress Naval Academy]] along with a boatload of Sumaah students. Unfortunately, along the way, they fell afoul of Asavaean privateers and only just managed to escape with their lives and their vessel.

The Sumaah quickly make themselves at home; the Frieøyer among their number have all fought alongside Imperial fleet captains before, during the [[Two_suns_in_the_sunset#A_Bond_Between_Sailors|fight against Asavea]] last year. The others are a combination of pilgrims of [[Prosperity]], scholars, and shipwrights. Sumaah does not have anything to match the naval prowess of Asavea but like the Empire they have their traditions of building warships. Without them, the Asaveans would likely have conquered swathes of their coastline in the centuries of war.

''Bjarna Xicot'' brings with her a gift - or rather, she and her companions ''are'' the gift. A gift not from the House of the People or the High Houses of Virtue but from the Frieøyer themselves. It is in part a gift of gratitude for the Imperial sailors who fought alongside them, partly a gift of Pride, but mostly a gift to recognise the shared love of Zemress between the Frieøyer and the Brass Coast. The artisans and veteran mariners who accompany Bjarna are here to stay, they are eager to study at the Academy and learn what they can from the Freeborn masters of the sea, but they also bring knowledge and skills of their own, which they are enthusiastic to share. They bring with them a small library of plans and books dedicated to the art of the shipwright, translated painstakingly from their original tongue into Imperial.

Studying together, the two groups are able to achieve a breakthrough. The Academy has been steadily creating designs for new warships, trying to match the qualities of the navies of the [[Grendel]] and the [[Asavean Archipelago|Asaveans]]. The school has done a remarkable job building up Imperial expertise, but with the information the Frieøyer have provided has helped to ''complete'' that program of study. The academy has discovered everything they can - all that remains now is to put that knowledge into practice.

That means building some navies, but it also means spreading the knowledge they have gained far and wide across the Empire. Excited at the prospects of sharing what they have learned with everyone in the Empire, the Academy soon empties out, as people make arrangements to visit one or more of the other nations. After-all - "all that is worthwhile is shared with those who deserve it."

The main advantage of spreading this knowledge far and wide is that shipwrights will be able to build vessels better suited to a nation's ideals. Local shipwrights can build on the skills and learning shared by the staff of the former Zemress Academy to create something more in keeping with local traditions. Freeborn navies might be well-suited to plunder, while a Dawnish warship might be built for glory!

What that means now, is that any [[navy]] built by the Empire would have access to a set of three or more qualities just like an [[army]]. Going forward, similar to the [[Rules_update_2026#New_Army_Qualities|rules that cover army qualities]], the Senator who musters a navy will be given a list of qualities to choose from reflecting their nation and the narrative surrounding the navy's creation. These will be drawn from the list of standard qualities, but through [[opportunity|opportunities]] or [[appraisal|appraisals]], more unique qualities may be on offer.
<div style="float: right; width: 250px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Prosperity.png|width=250px}}</div>
====Legacy====
* '''The Synod lists the Krakens' Bane as a memorial to Zemress'''
* '''The Wreckers destroyed the beautiful seminary constructed in her memory'''
* '''The potential exists to create a truly inspirational memorial to Zemress'''
* '''Any edifice would be more inspirational if the General Assembly recognise Zemress as a paragon'''
The Zemress Naval Academy now stands empty. Its great work complete, the staff have fanned out across the Empire, taking the new learning with them. The power to develop qualities is no longer available or needed. However, the building still stands, and it still attracts the best shipwrights from across the Brass Coast and beyond. This is the site that raised Imperial naval traditions to the point where they could rival - at least in theory - those of the Grendel or the Asaveans. The Frieøyer came half way across the world to study here.

This incredible legacy should be preserved. When the [[Zemress#The_Seminary_of_Zemress_(Destroyed)|Seminary of Zemress]] was destroyed, the ''Kraken's Bane'' was left untouched. It bears a [[Aura#Durable_Auras|true aura]] of Prosperity, [[A_time_of_plenty#Coin_that_Goes_Unspent|placed there by Gilah, daughter of the Chantry]] with the approval of the Assembly of Prosperity. The beautiful building that once celebrated the life of this iconic Freeborn hero was destroyed, but the potential exists to rebuild it into something even more inspirational.

No true liao would be needed, but a new [[edifice]] of some kind is needed. The more [[Edifice#Grandeur|grandiose]] the building, the more inspirational it would be. However, the other thing that would help to remind everyone of the importance of the site, is if the Freeborn were able to convince the General Assembly to recognise Zemress as a paragon. After-all... what more powerful a legacy could exist than the triumph of the Zemress Naval Academy?

Freeborn architects intend to bring a range of plans forward to create a new building to celebrate Zemress' life later this year. They want to give their fellow Freeborn time to persuade the Synod of the truth of their claims - that Zemress i Ezmara i Erigo has passed through the Labyrinth. If the Synod act to recognise Zemress as a paragon, they will publish their ideas before the next summit, otherwise they will publish them in a year's time.

===OOC Note===
The Zemress Naval Academy, and its approach to determining qualities for navies, was rooted in an earlier vision of how navies worked. As we've developed our approach to armies, it's become more clear that we should be treating navies in the same way we do armies - that they should have strong identities tied to the nation that supports them. As such, the existing abilities of the Academy to build up a small list of qualities based on the design of the ships themselves has become outmoded. The in-character rationale for the rules change is that the arrival of the Frieøyer has helped the Academy achieve its ultimate goals and allowed them to spread knowledge of advanced ship-building right across the Empire.

Rather than simply have the Naval Academy become a white elephant, we'll present an opportunity to build on the consecrated location dedicated to Zemress later this year, to give the Empire an opportunity to rededicate the site with a new purpose.

==Tsark==
* '''The people of Tsark keep the Empire at arms' length
* '''The Imperial Consul is technically responsible for diplomatic relations with the Mountains of the Moon
During the Autumn Equinox, a delegation from the [[Tsark|Mountains of the Moon]] visited [[Bedight_in_veils#The_People_of_the_Moon|visited Anvil]]. They spoke with a number of people, and by all accounts the discussions were somewhat fruitful. The people of Tsark - the [[orc]] nation that occupies the shallow basin surrounded by the Mountains - have so far kept the Empire very much at arms' length. Following their visit, however, they have made an approach to the civil service and asked their assistance in preparing some proposals to put before the Empire.

===Garden of the Perfect World===
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Garden of the Perfect World'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Ministry</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' [[Zenith#Occursion|Occursion]], [[Zenith]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 15 [[weirwood]], 45 crowns labour costs</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' three months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability: Open-ended</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Creates a ministry and the title of ''Seeker of the Perfect World''
</table></div>
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightGreen;">'''Seeker of the Perfect World'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Type:''' Urizen National</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Appointment:''' Urizen National Assembly</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Powers:''' Oversees the Garden of the Perfect World</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Responsibilities:''' To look after the Garden of the Perfect World, and to help the people of Tsark trade with the Empire</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the end of the Autumn Equinox 388YE</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Limitations:''' The benefits are lost if the Empire and Tsark are no longer friendly</td></tr>
</table></div>
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td colspan="2" style="background-color: LightYellow;">'''Wood and Stone'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>4 weirwood</td><td>4 white granite</td></tr>
<tr><td>6 weirwood</td><td>6 white granite</td></tr>
<tr><td>8 weirwood</td><td>8 white granite</td></tr>
</table></div>
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td colspan="2" style="background-color: LightYellow;">'''Spirits and Stone'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>40 liao</td><td>1 white granite</td></tr>
<tr><td>90 liao</td><td>2 white granite</td></tr>
<tr><td>150 liao</td><td>3 white granite</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''There is an opportunity to build a ministry to trade for Tsark's white granite
Tsark resists the idea of an [[embassy]]. By all accounts they see the Empire as a place of chaos and turmoil, very much at odds with the ordered and harmonious life they lead in the high mountains east of [[Urizen]].For centuries they have hidden away from Imperial eyes, discouraging anyone from visiting their home with mighty fortifications and memory-altering drugs. Now, however, it seems that they are prepared to countenance some limited trade with Imperial citizens, with an eye toward acquiring substances that are rare or unknown in Tsark. With the aid of the civil service they have put forward a proposal for the grandiosely titled ''Garden of the Perfect World''.

The garden would be a special [[ministry]] built in the foothills of [[Zenith#Occursion|Occursion]] in southern [[Zenith]]. They expect the Empire to undertake the construction. Despite its majestic name, the actual commission requires only 15 wains of weirwood and 45 crowns in labour. It would take three months to complete. It takes the form of a meditative garden, built in the style of Tsark. Quiet chimes are hung from carefully selected trees, and what appears to be a traditional Tsark meeting hall stands along the southern side of the garden. The commission also involves beautiful flowering plants, some from Urizen and some from Tsark.

Once complete the Mountains of the Moon would create the title ''Seeker of the Perfect World'' to oversee it. They would be responsible for trading with the people of Tsark, and where the folk of the Mountains of the Moon reached out to the Empire they would be asked to facilitate any diplomacy or negotiations. It sounds a little like what they really want is an ambassador, but the leaders of Tsark are clear they do not. It seems they are concerned that they would have to build a reciprocal embassy themselves, and allow Imperial citizens into their lands, which they will not do.

The garden allows the ''Seeker of the Perfect World'' access to a ministry that lets them exchange their [[white granite]] from the [[Mountains_of_the_Moon#Kamen_Quarry|Kamen Quarry]] for Imperial [[weirwood]]. They are also interested in acquiring some amount of [[liao]] - a substance not found in Tsark - for use by the human citizens of their nation. They are aware that the quantities they are asking for are quite significant and understand if the Empire doesn't want to take advantage of the trade.

Obviously as a ministry supported by a foreign nation, the ability to trade resources with Tsark is entirely dependant on continued diplomatic relations. Aware that the Empire is, perhaps rightly, concerned about what will happen if Tsark chooses to close itself off from the world again, they have agreed that if they end their trade with the Empire for any reason they will provide 15 wains of white granite to the Seeker of the Perfect World before they do so to pay for the resources spent in the construction of the ministry. If the Empire ends trade, of course, they will not feel the need to provide any restitution at all.

The opportunity remains available until the end of the Autumn Equinox 388YE.

===Zaboravi===
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Garden of Peaceful Quietitude'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Sinecure</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' [[Wintermark]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 12 [[weirwood]], 36 crowns labour costs</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Time:''' three months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability: Open-ended</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effects:'''
* Creates a sinecure and the title of ''Seeker of Quietitude''
</table></div>
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightGreen;">'''Seeker of Quietitude'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Type:''' Wintermark National or Imperial</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Appointment:''' Wintermark National Assembly or Imperial Apothecaries' Guild</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Powers:''' Receives 12 doses of zaboravi each season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Responsibilities:''' Oversees the Garden of Peaceful Quietitude; help cultivate zaboravi in Wintermark</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''Tsark will help the people of Wintermark cultivate zaboravi
* '''The sinecure must be built in an alpine territory, in a region with hills and hot springs
The people of Tsark make use of an exotic drug called ''Zaboravi'' that has remarkable properties. Used correctly, it allows an individual to edit their own memories in a manner similar to [[Cast Off The Chain of Memory]]. According to the folk from the Mountains of the Moon, [[Night magic]] is a crude tool for altering one's memories, equivalent to a spade or a pickaxe - partly because of the raw magic involved and partly because the impetus to forget comes from outside the self. Zaboravi is a more gentle, harmonious way to alter ones recollections, because all it does is empower the one who uses it to choose how to shape their own remembered past.
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=NBWintermark.jpg|align=right|width=200}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Apothecaries Guild.png|title=Imperial Apothecaries' Guild|align=right|width=240}}</div>
There has been discussion of seeing if the plant that produces zaboravi will prosper in [[Wintermark]]; the farmers there have already had some success with cultivating ''viezesmaak'' for the [[Sarcophan Delves]], and there is interest in seeing if they might be able to do the same with the Tsark drug. There is talk of zaboravi being invaluable to [[surgical skills#Physick|physicks]] dealing with people suffering emotional or spiritual wounds caused by terrible events. Tsark is broadly positive about facilitating such a thing - they are not jealous of their control of zaboravi and see the value of using it to help those whose spirits are in discord find peace.

Again, with the help of the civil service, they have put forward a proposal for a [[commission]] in [[Wintermark]]. The ''Garden of Peaceful Quietude'' is a [[sinecure]] that will require 12 wains of weirwood and 36 crowns in labour to complete, taking three months to construct. It will create a title - ''Seeker of Quietude'' - who will oversee the efforts to cultivate zaboravi. Each season, the gardeners of Tsark believe it will produce 12 doses of zaboravi for the Seeker, presuming that the location is conducive and the gardeners follow their instructions to the letter. The initial proposal from Tsark is that the Seeker of Quietude be appointed by the Wintermark National Assembly - zaboravi is after all a spiritual substance. The civil service however have pointed out that as a unique herb it might be more appropriate to see the title appointed by the [[Imperial Apothecaries Guild]]. Tsark has indicated that it is happy either way as long as the drug is treated with the reverence they feel it deserves. Notably, once the plant is established, however, its continued cultivation will require no further interaction with Tsark, so it will not be dependant on good relations continuing with the nation.

The only real restriction they place on it is that for the zaboravi to prosper it needs three things; a cool climate, as much altitude as possible, and access to geothermal hot springs. Apparently the folk of Wintermark that the visitors spoke to were confident they knew just the place.

The civil service have assessed the proposal, and indicated that the plans the people of Tsark have provided could also allow similar gardens to be built in other alpine locations - specifically [[Skarsind]], northern [[Hercynia]], and northern [[Varushka]]. The main challenge would be finding suitable locations, which would require an [[appraisal]]. The only limitation would be that such an appraisal couldn't be undertaken until the Empire had a source of the plant itself - so not until the ''Garden of Peaceful Quietude'' was completed.

===Ushabti and Rice===
* '''Some folk in Tsark are interested in both Ushabti and the Golden Cascade
* '''Further discussion waits the completion of the Garden of the Perfect World
During their visit, the subject of both [[Urizen_economic_interests#Ushabti|ushabti]] and the [[Zenith#Proceris|Golden Cascade]] were raised. By all accounts the visitors from Tsark were interested, but cautious. The leaders of the nation have determined that while they are curious about both the odd constructs that seem to work best at high altitude, and the ambitious great work that provides food for much of Zenith and indeed the nation as a whole, any further discussion will have to wait until the ''Garden of the Perfect World'' is completed. Or not, as the case may be.
<div style="float:left; width: 400px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Tarquinius Ankarien.jpg|caption=Tarquinius Ankarien (left), former [[Ambassador to Axos]], has apparently been charged to speak with the Skourans by the Imperial Consul.|align=left|width=600}}</div>
==Skoura==
* '''The nation of Skoura lies to the east of Mareave
* '''While they are keeping the Empire at arms' length the two nations are at peace
* '''The Imperial Consul is responsible for diplomacy with Skoura
The message from Talker Garra, Delvemistress of Skoura, that arrives in Mareave midway through the season is neatly written on tough parchment. It begins by thanking '''Tarquinius Ankarien''' for their understanding - they would indeed prefer to deal with the [[Imperial Orcs]] as much as possible and would prefer that if the [[Imperial Consul]] chooses to delegate communication they do so with that in mind. The Unshackled are their neighbours, and there is still some distance to go before Skoura is entirely happy dealing with the wider Empire. The Delvemistress is happy to trust the good sense of '''Pathfinder Gaddak''' in this matter.

Establishing a permanent [[embassy]] would be a significant step in relations between the mountainfolk and the Empire - and one that they are not entirely sure they are ready to make. Accepting an Imperial [[ambassador]] would be a serious matter, and would mean that their interaction with Imperial citizens will have evolved beyond the point of a small number of trade agreements with the people of [[Mareave]]. The first question that Talker Garra has is, can the Imperial Consul confirm that the Empire is prepared to commit to appointing an Unshackled to the position, at least for the time being? The second question is, what form would the Empire expect an embassy to take, and what commitments would be required from Skoura? Obviously they would require any embassy to be built in Mareave; presumably the Empire would expect an embassy to be built in Skoura as well? In all honesty, writes Delvemistress Garra, the fact that the Empire changes its ambassadors often is seen as something of a problem with the more conservative members of their nation. Needing to re-establish relations each time a new ambassador is appointed represents a significant investment of time and trust.

The Skourans are pleased to hear that the Empire has no intention of sending spies into their lands. The Skourans are a private people - it is not that they have things to hide so much as that they would prefer to build their relationship with the Empire carefully, and on a foundation of mutual trust.

===Trade and Artisans===
* '''The Geltcourse Trade Security Council have confirmed they are willing to investigate further trade with the Imperial Orcs'''
* '''They require the Senate to recognise the Artisans Guild as an Imperial sodality before further plans are developed'''
There is one matter that could, apparently, increase Skouran enthusiasm for building that relationship more quickly. The ''Geltcourse Trade Security Council'' first visited Anvil six months ago, at the [[I_wish_you_would#To_Mahal_from_the_Mines|Summer Solstice 387YE]]. There, they discussed the nature of trade and the potential for long-term trade with the Imperial Orcs in Mareave. The Geltcourse Trade Security Council have finished their deliberations and is interested in a formalised arrangement.

However, the Geltcourse Trade Security Council are one and all respectful of the art of the [[artisan]], and the inherent strength that comes with a recognised central authority. As such, they are unwilling to go further with a formal arrangement unless the Artisans Guild is recognised as an [[Imperial sodality]] by the [[Senate]] and ratified by [[the Throne]]. The representative of the Geltcourse Trade Security Council makes clear that this is ''not'' a slight on the Unshackled; they sincerely hope to have future dealings with the orcs of Mareave. Unfortunately, this is a red line for the Geltcourse Trade Security Council if they are to cultivate trade with the Empire as a whole rather than just their neighbours on the lower slopes.

===Defensive War===
* '''Skoura is prepared to send 500 troops to support Rucraic's Redoubt following the Winter Solstice
* '''In return they require a payment of 50 measures of dragonbone
The discussion about armies and "defensive war" is interesting, and does indeed show how different the strategies of Skoura and the Empire have become. Most Skourans would see armies as something that supplements the sturdy [[fortification]] of a territory, an adjunct to the defence rather than the primary component. Fortunately, given that the Unshackled have completed [[Mareave#Ruicraic's Redoubt|Ruicraic's Redoubt]], it is that much more likely they will be able to resist the Grendel.

With that in mind, the Delvemistress offers to dispatch a cadre of Skouran war-engineers to Rucraic's Redoubt, to bolster the [[fortification#garrison|garrison]] there and help to fight the Grendel. After some further questions, the civil service determine that a "cadre" in this case represents a fighting strength of 500, equivalent to five military units. In return, the Skouran commanders require 50 measures of [[dragonbone]], delivered in advance by either the Imperial Consul or Senator Pathfinder. Given the situation, the Delvemistress mentions that if they are prepared to provide an additional thirty crystal mana as well, she will ensure that the cadre is suitable enchanted with the might of the mountains - sufficient to increase the strength they will contribute to 1000 force. ('''OOC Note:''' If the Consul or the Senator wishes to take up this offer, they will need to ensure the resources are handed in at the end of the event and then email {{plot}} to confirm they wish them to be transferred to Skoura).

The Skouran Talker suggests that while this military support is not great given the scale the Empire works on, it is as much about testing the waters as anything else. It will also give the warrior-engineers an opportunity to examine the stonework of Rucraic's Redoubt, which they apparently see as an additional benefit.
==Further Reading==
* [[Faraden]]
* [[Iron Confederacy]]
* [[Sumaah Republic]]
* [[Tsark]]
* [[Skoura]]