388YE Spring Equinox winds of war

Sometimes, even in the tumult of battle, there are moments of silence.

Overview

Over the last three months, Imperial forces have engaged in military campaigns. Sometimes those engagements have been wide-ranging and dramatic, other times they have been more sedate. Where there has been dramatic action, or where there are opportunities, we've given a Wind of War its own page; other military actions are discussed here.

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 War and the Winds of Fortune is to make players aware of things their characters should know, based on what their roleplaying says they have been doing, and to maintain the Empire as a living, breathing place where all kinds of events take place beyond the scope of Anvil.

It should go without saying that we ask everyone to abide by the rules about online roleplaying with regard to the military campaign. It's important that the key in-character activity of the Empire world takes place at events. The game is busier and better if everything that can happen in the field, does happen in the field. Military planning and political discussions should happen at events. For this reason, we generally discourage too much downtime roleplaying between events and put strict limits on what can be done online, particularly using our forums and Facebook groups.

All that said, we now present a summary of the key military activity in the Empire - both with links to the expanded Wind of War pages and notes about other important things that have happened that didn't need a full battle campaign write-up.

Wide Carnivorous Skies

Spring is the cruellest season, forcing life out of ground left barren by Winter frost. The inevitable wheel does not change, any more than war changes. Snow gives way to rain, and the rain falls on the wicked and the virtuous alike. It falls across the Bay of Catazar, across the battlefields of Redoubt and onto the churning salt-expanse that is the bounded sea. The waves of the Deep blue sea murmur of navies and rocky shores, and the machinations of the Grendel.

From the mountains of Redoubt, let the mind's eye wander with the wings of the gulls. South to the arid coast of Mareave, now remarked and reshaped by the churning of the hungry sea. The sandy soil is thirsty, and there is neither blood nor rain enough in the world to quench that thirst it seems. The salt-winds blow from the sea and the storm rides on them. The horns blow, the drums beat, and armies clash beneath the Wide azure skies.

On the other side of the Empire, the Jotun press their claim to the farmlands of the Marches. The Mournwold has slipped through their grasp, but they have not abandoned their ambitions here. Mitwold has been invaded for the first time in centuries, the city of Meade conquered and looted. The call goes out to the oathsworn Drakes and their allies to drive the barbarians out, and battle rages Where the slow river flows. Across the border to the west, it is the Empire who are the invaders, striving to take back the Dour Fens of Bregasland from the Jotun who now occupy it. The war is fought over the only piece of dry land in the whole of the marshes, Gravenmarch, and the old stone plateau that dominates its skyline. As the winds of the new year blow, they set the Old blue banners dancing.

And then at last we come to the eastern border, to the lands where chaos reigns between the water and the peaks. To Therunin, where the Pilgrim's Defiance marches against the vallorn of Tharunind. They know they will not win, but the effort must be made to slow the vallorn, to let it rage against them, to answer its abominable furore with virtue and faith. They fight the unspeakable from the darkest past, to secure a future for Navarr, burning with A bright cerulean flame.

Finally let our eye drift further east, to what was once and still is the Mallum. To the marshes of the Sarangrave, where the Empire advances on the last stronghold of the Druj in that benighted territory. The Tower of the Skink looms above the woods and wetlands, controlling the pass that leads to allied Axos. The eastern barbarians are beaten but not yet broken; their forces in Sarangrave are depleted but they still fight. As the Imperial armies move, the air is thick with uncertainty; if we have learned anything at all from the campaign to take the territory it is that there are Other monstrous geographies at play in the eastern marshes

Battle opportunities

Imperial prognosticators have identified four possible major conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate at the coming summit. The Military Council will muster on Friday night, and the generals will select two of them to be taken up by Imperial heroes. At the moment, the full details of these opportunities are not clear; more information will be provided nearer to the event.

All battle opportunities are Combat Highly Likely environments.

Battle opportunities

Imperial prognosticators have identified five possible major conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate at the coming summit. The Military Council will muster on Friday night, and the generals will select two of them to be taken up by Imperial heroes. At the moment the full details of these opportunities are not clear; more information will be provided nearer to the event.

All battle opportunities are Combat Highly Likely environments.

Territory	Opportunity	Location	Opposition	Day	Learn More	CS Briefing
Sarangrave	Hold back the vallorn	Feverbank Trees, Nesustak Forest	Druj	Saturday only	TBC	PDF Link
Sarangrave	Hold back the vallorn	Mantifent's Bier, Bloodwater Marsh	Druj	Saturday only	TBC	PDF Link
Mareave	Freeze the Grendel advance	Ohwinn Scour, Clisearn	Grendel	Saturday or Sunday	TBC	PDF Link
Mitwold	Recover Meade's treasures	Meade Meadow, Meade March	Lasambrian Jotun	Saturday or Sunday	TBC	PDF Link
Bregasland	Erect the Mere Stone	Drayham Mere, Grey Fens	Jotun	Saturday or Sunday	TBC	PDF Link

Battle participation

If you have your own orc mask please do bring it along as we're keen to ensure we can field a force predominantly comprised of barbarian orcs. If you are unable to wear a mask, then all battle opportunities have limited roles for human barbarian combatants and low-combat roles such as healers, support mages, artisans, messengers and attendants. Player elite monster units (EMUs) are expected to monster as their barbarian orc units in the Sarangrave, Skallahn, or Mareave battle opportunities, and should not include human combatants in those.

Conjunctions

The Sentinel Gate also allows smaller groups of Imperial citizens to reach locations all over the Empire where their intervention might change the course of events. Many of these conjunctions involve combat, but there are also a variety of other opportunities presented by the magic of the Gate.

For most conjunctions, the Civil Service has identified the Imperial titles that are the most appropriate to take overall responsibility for ensuring that a response is organised. Whilst the individual has been named by the Civil Service, there is no legal requirement for them to coordinate a response or travel on the conjunction. They may delegate oversight to another individual of their choosing. As always, Imperial war scouts will be on hand at the Sentinel Gate to provide further information to any citizens wanting to learn more. They can provide updates on the barbarians' goals, guidance on how to engage the enemy troops or advice on how to avoid casualties and return back to Anvil in safety.

Sometimes it is necessary for us to make small adjustments to the timing or size of encounters at the time of this publication and when an encounter runs at an event. Details for the conjunctions on Friday will be finalised on Friday afternoon of the event before time-in (18:00) whilst details for the conjunctions on Saturday will be finalised on Saturday before time-in (10:00). Please check the details of any conjunction you are interested in as soon as possible to ensure that you have the full and up-to-date information; it might also be sensible to check again shortly before the planned time of the encounter. You can check the details of a conjunction by casting Detect Magic (Discover Conjunction) on the Sentinel Gate in the presence of a referee.

It's very important to pay attention to the accessibility note for each conjunction, which covers the likelihood of combat. Further details about the accessibility of a conjunction are available both before and during the event. You can learn more about this on the accessibility page.

Friday

These times and numbers are subject to change until 18:00 on Friday

Time	People	Duration	Combat	Location	Responsibility	Overview/Link
18:15	15	35 mins	Unlikely	Reikos, High Chalcis, Emergency Hospital	Medical Officer of the Pegasus Respite	Assist the refugees
18:30	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Hahnmark, Valasmark, The Fallen Tree	Morgan Drifting Bough	Recover the letter
18:35	4	40 mins	Unlikely	Hahnmark, Kronemark, Grieversonn Farmstead	Eevi of the Gadrai	Meet with Valdr Grieversonn
18:45	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Karov, Wieliczka, Maria's Descent	Senator for Temeschwar	Retrieve the Rat Idol from the cultists of the Night Below
19:00	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Reinos, Bastasor, Beatriz's Field	Champion of Ambition	Claim the Lasambrian banner
19:15	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Ossium, Drownbark Forest, Sarakov Point	Merchant-Boyar of the Stinking Market	Investigate wagon raiders acting strangely
20:30	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Madruga, Crucible, Egnar Range	Grandmaster of the Rod and Shield	Slay the dire astacids
20:45	10	20 mins	Highly Likely	Sarangrave, Turan Flats, Dahis Outskirts	Strategos of Dawn	Rescue the sept members from the blinded ghosts
21:00	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Spiral, Apulian, Broken Lea	Oblivion Sentinel	Claim the wage of the Vorlach Adventurers
21:15	10	20 mins	Highly Likely	Forest of Ulnak, Grimfen Mire, The Bound Glade	High Exorcist	Recover the Thule's material and clear the ghosts
No bows or crossbows after this time
21:30	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Feroz, Oranseri, Sisters' Meadow	Corsair of Oran	Reclaim the Brazen Links
21:45	10	20 mins	Highly Likely	Sarangrave, Thornfen, Stonesedge	General of the Boyar's Hasta	Eliminate the blinded ghosts
23:00	9	60 mins	Unlikely	Karsk, Branoc, Hall of the Bloodwise	Named persons	Meet with Taysa of the Black Feathers

Saturday

These times and numbers are subject to change until 10:00 on Saturday

Time	People	Duration	Combat	Location	Responsibility	Overview/Link
12:50	4	30 mins	Unlikely	Casinea, Syrene, Kaela's Regio	Inquisitor of Prosperity	Rescue Mendicant Garev
14:30	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Mitwold, Meade March, Maggie's Bulwark	Bailiff of Meade	Claim the cache
14:45	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Hercynia, Deer's Folly, Greenmount	Speaker of the Vallornguard	Destroy the ettercaps' structure
15:00	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Sermersuaq, Suaq Wastes, Desolate Stretch	Banner-bearer of Atkonaroq	Kill Hallr Winterborn
15:15	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Reikos, Chalcis Mount, South Downs	Champion of Loyalty	Rescue the wounded Highborn
15:30	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Bregasland, The Rushes, Harry's Hole	General of the Narwhal's Spear	Kill the yegarra
15:35	4	30 mins	Unlikely	Astolat, Withy, Igraine's Regio	Senator for Astolat	Fix the regio
15:45	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Brocéliande, Elerael, Longberth Trod	Knight of the Greenwood	Eliminate the hunting ettercaps
17:00	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Sarangrave, Turan Flats, Kullflirn	Keeper of the Tower of the Fall	Destroy the miasma pillar and stymie Kull
17:30	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Ossium, Drownbark Forest, Nadezhda's Enclosure	Custodian of the Shchaslyvyy Spile	Kill the Kallad
17:35	12	30 mins	Unlikely	Sarangrave, Thornfen, Overgrown Pillar	Gardener of Pallas	Destroy the miasma pillar
17:45	TBC	20 mins	Cadets	Volodmartz, Murupa, Forest of Blades	The Academy	Find and destroy the "bandit" vale
18:00	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Sarangrave, Kroll, Kreeflirn	Knight-protector of Spring	Destroy the two miasma pillars
18:15	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Volodmartz, Livardz, Sunless Vale	Grieftender of the Forgotten	End the suffering of the Shadow Fellowship
18:20	12	30 mins	Unlikely	Sarangrave, Bloodwater Marsh, Toxic Pillar	Guild Leader of the Apothecaries Guild	Destroy the miasma pillar
18:45	TBC	20 mins	Possible	Karsk, Crowslook, Skylost Clearing	Guild Leader of the Apothecaries Guild	Treat the Gregadze
19:05	12	30 mins	Unlikely	Sarangrave, Thornfen, Haunted Pillar	High Exorcist	Destroy the miasma pillar
20:00	12	30 mins	Unlikely	Kallavesa, West Marsh, Gull's Isle Hall	Ingrid Talon-of-the-Mark	Engage in the hetjuveisla
20:30	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Feroz, Afarjasse, Abril's Pasture	Dhomiro of Afar	Stop the Hand of Dumon
21:00	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Arbonne, Laufette, Solden Farm	Minister of Historical Research	Sort the situation out
No bows or crossbows after this time
21:30	TBC	20 mins	Highly Likely	Sarvos, Uccelini, Bertolli's Glebe	Ambassador to the Iron Confederacy	Stop the Hand of Dumon

Military Considerations

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Several territory pages now contain details of strategic obstacles presented or advantages provided by movement through or fighting in those lands. There are also several fortifications that follow different rules. Several armies or nations have special rules or opportunities related to the orders they can issue, which should be borne in mind when discussing military strategies during the Winter Solstice.

• Billeting: Any Imperial army can take the Billet order in Bregasland, Mitwold, Mournwold, or Upwold. Link
• Dawn:
  • Dawnish armies cannot take the Cautious Advance order or the Give Ground order. Link
  • The borders of the Barrens are patrolled by citizens of the territory as a result of the mandate enacted by Ser Tunic. The Druj require 25 victory points to claim a beachhead in the Barrens.
• Highguard
  • Highborn armies can take the Protect the Innocent order. Link
  • Highborn armies enchanted with rituals or targeted by a boon that calls an eternal to send heralds to fight alongside the army will lose a thousand effective strength until the end of the Spring Equinox 389YE as a result of a mandate enacted by Frater Pontius of Adoniram's Testament
  • Any Highborn army attacking into Zenith from Morrow gains a 20% bonus to any territory captured and suffers a 10% reduction in casualties inflicted. Link
• The Marches:
  • Marcher armies cannot take the Give Ground order. Link
  • The Strong Reeds receive an additional 1000 strength when fighting in Bregasland. Link
  • The Tusks receive an additional 1000 strength when fighting in Mournwold. Link
  • The Drakes receive an additional 1000 strength when fighting in Mitwold. Link
  • The Bounders receive an additional 1000 strength when fighting in Upwold. Link
• Urizen:
  • The borders of Morrow and Zenith are patrolled by citizens of the territory as a result of the mandate enacted by Herminius of the House of the Wanderer. The Druj require 25 victory points to claim a beachhead in Morrow and Zenith.
  • Any Urizen army attacking into Zenith from Morrow gains a 20% bonus to any territory captured and suffers a 10% reduction in casualties inflicted. Link
• Varushka:
  • The borders of Ossium are patrolled by citizens of the territory as a result of the mandate enacted by Velko Perunovich Razorasza. The Druj require 25 victory points to claim a beachhead in Ossium.
  • Varushkan armies can take the Hospitality of the Boyars order whilst in Ossium. Link.
• Wintermark:
  • Wintermark armies can take the Fight with Honour order. Link.
  • Wintermark armies fighting against the Jotun will gain 10% more victory points but inflict 20% less casualties. Link
  • Wintermark armies fighting against the Jotun have their casualties taken reduced by 10%. This effect continues as long as the Winterfolk continue to fight honourably. Link

Click Expand to see military considerations that are less relevant at the current time but are still active.

• Morrow: Any Highborn or Urizen army that defends in Morrow against an army attacking from Zenith gains a 20% bonus to defend territory and suffers a 10% reduction in casualties inflicted. Link