Invited with asperity

"Why, Mistress Tasya, the Castellan of Krevsatyzmei is always pleased to receive you and any tidings you bring from The King Beneath the Hill. Even when, uh, so unexpectedly."

The on-duty guard, Pallad, looked up to her colleague Mor in the nest for some confidence, but received nothing but a deeply concerned glance. She-Of-The-Black-Cloak is not someone you want to walk up to you at the best of times, let alone in the middle of a harsh Karskian blizzard in the small hours of the night where it is all too easy to interpret every sound as a monster sneaking up on you. They were south of the mountains, making it much more likely that something awful was prowling nearby.

"Given the hill you stand on and who you bought it from, Pallad-daughter-of-Rith, you and your Castellan should always be prepared to engage in the tradition of hospitality. Please tell Mors-son-of-Ganax to kindly remove his hand from his crossbow lest I be made to feel ... unwelcome"

Shit, how does she know our names? thought Pallad, trying not to let her fear show.

"Of course, ahem, honoured guest. May I offer you a pour of wine from my own flask, and perhaps some of this Holtfordian fruit?" The guard noted that while most of this small delegation were human, inasmuch as she could make out any details beneath their cowls and fur-lined cloak, one of them at least was a fellow orc. But not a Child of the Dragons, she through.

"That will do nicely," Tasya let a smile escape her thick hood as she slowly and clearly partook of the wine and dates, unbothered both to stand before a fully garrisoned outpost of the Thule and by the biting cold the guards were so heavily wrapped up against.

Mors regained his composure first and shouted down from the tower; "And what business does Irontooth bring to a Tower of the Dragons?" This was a Thule outpost. There was surely no doubt that the Dragons were more powerful than any Sovereign. Probably older too. There was certainly no need to be scared of a messenger! Even if she already somehow knew yours and your parents names? Right?

"Business?" Tasya crowed. "What business can there be between the Wolf and the Raven? Between the Warrior and the Grave? I am here to speak the words of the Charnel Lord, and I will do so, to your Castellan, without further delay."

Best not push it. This was clearly the Castellan's problem and the warlock would not appreciate the intervention of mere gate guards.

"Of course, Mistress Tasya, enter and be welcome in our hall in the names of the Five. I shall go waken the Castellan."

The gates swung open, and the delegation of the Broken Barrow swiftly disappeared inside.

For all that they take a long view of events, when the Thule Dragons choose to act their nation can move with dangerous intensity.

Overview

The orcs of Otkodov - the Thule - live to the north of the Empire. They share a long mountainous border with Wintermark, with the Unshackled, and particularly with Varushka. Their magocratic nation is ruled by the five Dragons - allegedly immortal sorcerers of immense power who the folk of their nation treat as living ancestors or perhaps even gods. For much of Imperial history, they were at war with the Empire. In recent years a series of treaties have secured peace - mostly by ceding parts of the northern Imperial nations.

It is not a universally popular peace. There are grumbles from Wintermark that the Empire keeps surrendering to the orcs of the north, although they are subdued and rarely enter the public discourse. The Imperial Orcs of Skarsind keep the Thule at arms' length where possible. It is the nation of Varushka that has been most critical of the peace treaties - and it cannot be argued that they have been called on to sacrifice more of its northern lands to the Thule than any other nation. The priests of Varushka expressed a commitment to never hand over Varushkan soil to the orcs again - with judgement 57 in their own assembly, and Judgement 67 in the General. Neither achieved a greater majority however - hardly surprising for the General but perhaps unexpected in the Varushkan assembly. It seems that Lenochka Zabotovna Vypalse and Father Drakov may not speak with a single voice on this matter.

For now, though, peace endures. The treaty has been ratified; it is law. Two nations - the Marches and Navarr - are sending great amounts of food north to help feed the people of Otkodov and support their armies. It is illegal to preach the Way of Virtue in Otkodov to their citizens. For their part the Thule agree to share the white granite of the Night Quarry; pay for the food delivered to them; ensure Imperial access to the Maze of Zoria, in return for the right to send warlocks to study at the Icy Crag of the Eternal Sun. And, of course, to maintain their current policies for the reasonable treatment of Imperial citizens choosing to remain and live in ceded lands. All that remains is for the pageantry and theatre of a formal signing.

Wind in Progress
This wind is a roundup of magical events and effects. Normally, this would be one of the last winds to be published because it is heavily dependant on plots that are running at the event. This can be unsatisfying, because it often results in us presenting things that don't leave players enough time to consider them before heading to the event. To try and combat this, we're planning to publish it in an "unfinished" state - and add elements to it as they are developed. Once everything is on here that needs to be on here, we'll remove this box and the tag at the top of the page and let people know that it isn't going to change again.

State Visit

• Rak Who-Speaks-For-The-Dragons-Undivided will attend the Senate Chambers at 18:00 on Saturday to celebrate the recent signing of the five-year peace treaty.
• Rak intends to retire soon, and he will be accompanied by a coterie of potential successors. This may present an opportunity to shape the tenor of Imperial/Thule relations for the next few years.
• The party will discuss the future of cooperation between the two great powers, the fate of the Druj, the vallorn, and other matters of import.

Last season, a delegation from Otkodov was waylaid and unable to make it to Anvil as planned to formally sign the treaty. They are now on their way to complete the intended state visit. Whilst a formal signing of the treaty is not legally required (indeed Rak is satisfied that everything is in order, and the flow of merchants across the border in both directions is testament to the fact that the treaty is holding) the Thule do consider the symbolism inherent in ink and parchment to be valuable.

More pressingly, there is much to discuss as regards making the most use of the period of peace. Cooperation between nations of such might and prowess could yield great benefits, so long as fair terms can be agreed. There is the matter of the vallorn to discuss, the fate of the Druj and their territories, and the ever-present Jotun in the west. There might also be opportunities for trade, for magical cooperation or simply for friendship between peers. It would not do to pass up this opportunity for the great and good of the Empire to liaise with the representatives of Otkodov. No actual agreements will be worked on at this meeting, such things are a matter for Winged Messengers or small private meetings, but the seed of discussion bears the fruit of cooperation.

Rak Who-Speaks-For-The-Dragons-Undivided has served as the Dragon's emissary to the Empire for several years now, and has decided that the time is coming to step aside. Not immediately, perhaps, but soon. To that end, he is bringing with him a selection of potential successors; apprentices and mentees who have worked with him on Imperial Diplomacy and may be poised to take up the challenge. Ultimately, the Dragons will make the final call as to who replaces Rak, but it would be foolish to assume that they will not be paying very close attention to proceedings to assess the candidates. Imperial Citizens who wish to shape the future of Thule foreign policy may benefit from attending the event.

They have informed the civil service that the Thule delegates will be:

• Rak Who-Speaks-For-The-Dragons-Undivided (he/him) - Ambassador to The Empire
• Runa, of the Circle of Thrice-Turned Stones (he/him) - An accomplished Night and Autumn warlock with an interest in trade.
• Hekla, of the Unbroken Chain of Gilded Fire (he/him) - A prodigious Summer warlock specialising in military matters.
• Galk, of the Sunken Orb of Brilliant Sapphire (he/they) - A studious Winter, Spring and Day warlock at the forefront of theoretical magic.
• Orn The Scribe (he/they) - a servant bonded to the offices of the Speaker for the Dragons Undivided.

The party will arrive in Anvil at 18:00 on Saturday and proceed to the Senate building. They have asked that any interested citizen be allowed to attend, but leave the facilitation of the event itself in the capable hands of the Ambassador to Otkodov, Kindra Surefoot. They expect to be in the Senate for at most an hour, but if there are still worthwhile discussions ongoing by that point, they may adjourn to the Imperial Offices for a short additional time.

A Cultural Exchange (Redux)

• Imperial storytellers are invited to meet with skuldyr in Otkodov to exchange and discuss cultural tales on the themes of Heroism and Duty.
• The High Bard of the Empire is tasked with arranging the conjunction to Leopard-Tooth Pass on Friday at 23:15.
• The warlock Hoosfa Mek offers to continue exchanging written records of folk tales in the Tome of Shared Lore.

Last Winter, skuldyr from Otkodov attended the Wintermark camp in Anvil to exchange stories with the scops. The event appears to have been judged a success by the warlocks, as an invitation has been sent to the Empire, via the civil service. A conjunction of the Sentinel Gate has been identified that would allow up to 12 people to take the Thule up on this invitation by travelling to Leopard-Tooth Pass in Kógur, Skuld at 23:15.

Eirikur the skuld asks for the storytellers of the empire to bring no more than five tales, which should be focused on the themes of Heroism and Duty. Last year, Eirikur spoke with many scops in Wintermark, but also spoke to some Navarri. Since then, he has been learning more about the narrative traditions of The Empire's northern peoples. For this exchange, he would like the visiting party to be composed of Wintermark Scops, Varushkan Storytellers, and Navarri bards.

The Civil Service have assigned responsibility for this conjunction to the High Bard of the Empire, Mikael Reskovich. They would also like to remind any potential attendees that it is currently illegal to preach The Way in Otkodov. It is not clear how strict the Thule will be on this, but guests of the Dragons might do well to avoid overtly religious messages in their stories.

At the last meeting with the skuldyr, the warlock Hoosfa Mek gave a gift to the Ambassador, a book of Thule tales. They will be present at this meeting as well and have expressed that, if the Ambassador wishes, they would be happy to take custody of the book once again and have more stories added to it. They would be especially keen for this if their Imperial counterparts have been able to record some of their own tales in the tome.

A Northern Passage

• The Thule have responded negatively to a proposal to map the northern parts of the Sea of Snow and the coast of Otkodov

Ambassador Surefoot has carefully raised the matter of securing a sea-route to Otkodov through the north-eastern Sea of Snow. As they point out, there was a fleet mapping expedition of the frigid sea a few years ago. While it uncovered a great deal of information it did not manage to follow in the wake of the Sea Hawk and discover if there is a navigable passage to the coast of Nithoggir. There is an invitiation for cooperation between the Empire and Otkodov, with an eye toward developing a sea trade route.

Rak Who-Speaks-For-The-Dragons-Undivided explains that the Dragons recently permitted an attempt to find a trade route between western Otkodov and Wintermark, overland through the wastes of Tsirku, and it was an unmitigated disaster that cost many lives. They do not see that any attempt to open a sea route would be any more successful - there are beasts in the ice-strewn waters off the coast of Otkodov that are truly terrible even for the Sea of Snow. Weighing the risk and the reward, they see little advantage to allowing the Empire to create - and ultimately control - a maritime route to their shores. They would rather leave that door unopened at least for the time being. Rak goes further - not only will the Dragons not authorise cooperation in this endeavour they will not permit a trading post on their coast. Trade with Otkodov will continue overland, as it has done for the last decade or so.

Reading between the lines, it is very clear that no matter what Rhak says, fundamentally the Dragons do not want the Empire to have a way to bring fleets to their coast. Relations may have thawed in the last decade, but not so much that the Dragons will tolerate Imperial ships sailing through open waters to the lands of the Thule.

The Forest of Ulnak is mapped, but large parts of the territory remain a mystery.

Tathenon and the Forest

• Reports from Varushka speak of Thule armies on the move
• An agent of the Charnel Lord is speaking to the Thule in Krevsatymei
• The Thule are preparing an invasion of the Forest of Ulnak and invite Imperial warbands to accompany them
• They also welcome Imperial armies provided the generals are prepared to follow the lead of Tathenon the Gyre

Following the Autumn Equinox, Thule hunters swept into the Forest of Ulnak, using the spy network there at the invitation of the Imperial Spymaster. One of the Dragons, Hinodir of the Bright Orb, negotiated access allowing the orcs of Otkodov to take advantage of existing framework laid down by the Empire. There are Imperial scouts using the spy network as well, but the Thule make no effort to cooperate with them. These hunters are fairly different to the warriors more often encountered by the Empire - bow and spear warriors with thick hide armour and dark blue hoods, accompanied by battle warlocks and pratitioners of Night magic. The warbands are all shrouded by an enchantment that makes them hard to spot against natural landscapes and guides them through the wild woods of the territory. Their work completed, they return to Otkodov shortly before the Winter Solstice.

Even as the hunters alre sent out, the Thule are on the move. Eyewitnesses observe significant Thule military forces entering Ossium - moving into the Bonewood and Webwood. Both woodlands have apparently been woven with Spring magic; at first there is a concern this is an attempt to unleash the Thunderous Tread of the Trees. Rather than becoming mobile however it seems the forest is possessed of a magical awareness that causes the trees to attack intruders and trespassers in a manner more similar to Forge the Wooden Fastness. There's talk of other movements as well - Tasya of the Black Feathers, the mouth-piece of the sovereign known as the Charnel Lord - has been spotted visiting Krevsatyzmei, the Thule fortification in Karsk. At various points in the past the Charnel Lord has allied with the Thule, betraying them with equal ease when the tides of battle shifted. It seems another cycle of diplomacy may be beginning.

Ambassador Kindra has raised the possibility of a joint effort to attack the Forest of Ulnak, but Rak Who-Speaks-For-The-Dragons-Undivided politely requests that the ambassador keep the military strategists at arms length during the coming delegation. At the same time however, he issues an invitation from Tathenon the Gyre, Who Wields the Might of the Sky. Any Imperial warband that wishes is welcome to join the Thule in their assault against the Druj of Ulnak. Those who wish to do so may fight alongside the Earthquake Drummers, who lead the assault against the vermin of the Mallum. Any captain who brings their warband will be granted a gift of crystal mana. A standard military unit will be rewarded with 7 crystal mana, with an upgraded or enchanted military unit receiving proportionally more.

Furthermore any Imperial army that wishes to join the assault is welcome to do so provided the general acknowledges the sovereignty and strategy of Tathenon the Gyre. They will fight alongside the orcs of Otkodov, just as the orcs of Otkodov fought alongside the Empire to liberate Sermersuaq. Rak is aware that the level of secrecy requested may disincline the Military Council to support the attack but the Dragons have weighed that risk as being acceptable to ensure the Druj do not become aware of their strategy. Regardless, while the Empire fight to conquer Sarangrave, and fight along the border with the Salt Flats of Sanath, they help Otkodov achieve its goal even if no armies provide any aid in Ulnak.

The civil service believe there is no legal issue with Imperial military units supporting the Thule - they are foreigners and have in the past been military allies, and the Druj are definitely barbarians. They caution that sending armies into the Forest of Ulnak this season without agreeing to accept the strategy of Tathenon the Gyre will mean that the Empire's troops will act as a separate force. It's doubtful the Thule will fight the Empire directly, but depending on where a general launches their attack the possibility of Imperial and Otkodov forces clashing over the eastern Forest of Ulnak cannot be discounted - it is not feasible to predict exactly what might happen here. One thing they are certain of; even if a general does wish to support the Otkodov armies they will still be free to issue orders as to the conduct and tactics their army will employ. The only thing that will be determined by Otkodov is the order in which the regions of Ulnak are assailed.

Further Reading

• Thule
• Thule lore