Full circles

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.

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.

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 Jarm is tense, to say the least. Accusations fly back and forth about who precisely instigated the 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 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 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 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

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 Highborn wayfarers and Urizeni 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 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 order should continue to provide their good example in Jarm. Unfortunately, there was a little controversy 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 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 consecrate their meeting houses, 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 Doctrine of Enlightenment. They have extensively discussed the other Doctrinal changes the Empire has undertaken - but find that those relating to 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 League 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, many 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.

Vasilia the Pilgrim and Jarmish inspiration

Motion Type: Historical Research

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

Cost: None additional

Effect: Produces a historical research document relating to Vasilia the Pilgrim and Jarmish attitudes to paragons and exemplars

Availability: One year; until the end of the Spring Equinox 389YE

Special: Dependant on the Convocation of Virtue remaining well-inclined to the Sevenfold Path

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 University or the 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

House of the Pilgrim

Commission Type: Edifice

Location: Coastal region on the Bay of Catazar

Cost: 12 white granite, and 36 crowns in labour

Time: 3 months

Effect: Provides hospitality to Jarmish pilgrims of the Way visiting the Empire

Availability: Until the end of the Spring Equinox 389YE

Special: The commission must clearly indicate it is a place for Jarmish pilgrims of the Way to find hospitality

• 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 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 especially 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 vault of the Sevenfold 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 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 consecrated with true liao by the Pride assembly, or if the Synod were to 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 judgements and Conclave declarations.

Elagabala , Grandmaster of the Sevenfold Path

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 guide the order to further engage with the Convocation. As well as continuing to battle the scions, magicians of the 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 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 Further Reading

• Principalities of Jarm
• Ambassador to Jarm
• Principalities of Jarm ports

Winds of Fortune

• War games - 388YE Summer wind of fortune about diplomacy with Jarm
• Full circles - 388YE Summer wind of fortune about the Convocation of Virtue
• Weaving tangled nets - 388YE Spring wind of fortune about diplomacy with Jarm
• When peace was far away - 387YE Winter wind of fortune about diplomacy with Jarm
• Cold war - 387YE Winter wind of fortune about the incursion of Cold Sun into Jarm
• My passions from a common spring - 387YE Autumn wind of fortune about the Lantir war
• Strangers when we meet - 387YE Summer Wind of Fortune in which Lord-Magister Anton speaks candidly
• Authority and acceptance - 386YE Autumn Wind of Fortune relating some Jarm diplomatic matters
• Thrones and principalities - 386YE Summer Wind of Fortune discussing Jarmish diplomatic matters

Jarm Associated Titles

• There are currently no Jarm associated titles

Click Expand to see a summary of various pages related to the Principalities of Jarm.