Arrows and clay

The Queen sat, regal on her throne, frozen in place. Her gold and crimson robes fell in perfect folds around her while she bore the bejewelled sceptre aloft. "Is this going to take much longer" she hissed between her clenched lips.

"I'm painting as fast as I can your majesty," Rill replied, "but your magnificent splendour far outshines the sun. Incomparable beauty defies easy capture by your humble servant's brush. But if you could just keep still for a little while longer, then I have reason to hope that this simple rendition of your glorious demeanour might yet please you."

Before the Queen of the Brightening Sky could respond, a messenger was announced. A sure-footed owl of a man, bringing word from the Reeve of the Summer Lands. An almost-imperceptible nod was sufficient to instruct the herald to deliver the message. Not that the Queen really cared what Iron-staff had to say, but decorum demanded it. And it was something to do while Rill worked on her portrait.

"To her regal majesty, Queen of the Forests of Glory, undisputed regent of the Forest of Arden, I bring word from..."

The messenger droned on in this way for some time. Bored already, the Queen found it difficult to follow, but it finished with a request for her aid which piqued her. "Does your master imagine that I am a hound that can be called to his side? If he requires my aid, why does he not come in person to petition it?" she demanded, her voice dangerously strained.

"Ah" said the messenger, wringing his hands with obvious nervousness. "Perhaps, I misspoke my lord's intent... It was your renowned servant Rill whose service my lord desires..."

Barien exemplifies meeting, setting, and overcoming challenges.

Overview

Each season, the heralds of the Iron Duke come to Anvil to issue new challenges to the mortals of the Empire. The Lord of the Crossroads is eternally eager to test the skills and the wits of those brave enough to step forward, aiming to challenge the Courageous heroes of the Empire.

Every person who has Challenge the Iron Duke cast upon them will be guaranteed entry to a challenge. Depending on the challenge, they may be able to bring a certain number of attendants with them to assist. The exact number will depend on the nature of the challenge and the number of challengers. The civil service will publish exact numbers in the Hub on Saturday morning for all to see.

Challengers will need to choose a reward from one of the items found in the Dragonforge. Challengers who have been victorious in the past year may not take part in another challenge until a year has passed.

Challenging the Duke

Last Season's Covens
Coven of Endless Summer	Dawn
The Cabal of Nevezamzer	Dawn
The Coven of Golden Wings	Dawn
The Eternal Family	Navarr
The Glass Mantle	The Brass Coast
The Glorious Rays of the Sun	Dawn
The Golden Grove	Dawn
The Prosperous Pigs	The Marches
The Tempest Flame	The Brass Coast
Voices of the Unbound Storm	Wintermark

• To formally enter, a challenger must be the recipient of the Challenge the Iron Duke ritual
• A challenger can only enter a single challenge each summit; if they win, they may not enter again for a year

To formally enter one of the Iron Duke's contests, a citizen must be the target of the Summer ritual Challenge the Iron Duke. The ritual is magnitude 30, and only a handful of covens have it mastered. It is possible to cast the ritual without mastery, but it is harder and more expensive, so anyone who is interested in entering a challenge would be best advised to seek out a coven known to be able to cast the ritual. According to the heralds of the Traveller, ten covens successfully performed the ritual last season. The heralds advise those interested in taking part to seek out these covens first.

Even for those covens who have the ritual mastered, it is expensive. Champions who seek to prove themselves will need to find some way to convince a coven to put them forward. Just being able to pay the ritual's cost might not be enough, though it is likely the minimum price that will be asked.

Challenge of the Black Web

• The heralds of the Iron Duke have laid down a challenge to those who consider themselves to have prowess in stealth
• They will have access to a glade chamber populated by spider heralds of Jaheris
• Challengers will have 30 minutes to try and gather lights from a series of hedge lined glades, and will need to gather a certain number to be considered successful. Challengers will be competing against each other, and the top half of challengers based on lights collected will be considered victorious
• Challengers may bring up to one attendants with them who will also participate in the challenge
• The spider heralds may be engaged in combat, but a single hit from them will prevent whoever is struck from continuing the challenge
• Challengers should meet at the Sentinel Gate at 22:15 on Saturday. A conjunction for up to 100 people will open to Widowsglade, Weirmoor, Weirwater at 22:30
• This is a combat contained encounter

A year and a half ago, the heralds of the Iron Duke invited citizens of the Empire to challenge the followers of Jaheris who dwell within his demense in the Forest of Arden. Now, once again, the heralds of both Barien and the Unicorn Prince offer a test of stealth and cunning to Imperial citizens willing to try their hand.

The task is simple. A chamber resembling a series of glades within the Forest of Arden has been set aside for this purpose. The glades are broken by hedges and a number of other obstacles, allowing for plenty of opportunities to sneak and hide. At the allotted time, each challenger will have free reign of the area for thirty minutes with the task of finding glowing tokens scattered throughout. Each challenger may bring one attendant to help them, if they wish. But they will not be alone in these woods. Spider heralds of the Unicorn Prince also stalk this darkened magical glade, moving slowly but purposefully (unless giving chase to a fleeing target...), each carrying a magical venom that can be delivered to a hapless hero with a single blow. Imperial citizens afflicted in this way will not be able to carry on with the quest and will lose any tokens they are carrying, and will need to seek treatment from the dangerous magic. Therefore, the order of the day will be using stealth and cunning to avoid the heralds, while moving quickly and assuredly enough to get enough tokens.

In order to prevent losing their winnings, they may "bank" their tokens with the Barien herald administering the challenge - but all challengers will be searching for the same tokens at the same time, and thus saving your tokens means risking falling behind your competitors. The spider heralds are weak and can be ambushed, but doing so risks ending your challenge in a single hit from their magic.

Challengers will be competing with each other in this challenge based on the number of lights they recover. The top half of challengers by lights collected will be considered victorious (rounded up), the bottom half will receive a consolation prize as usual.

Challengers who take up this contest should present themselves at the Sentinel Gate at 10:15pm on the Saturday to be briefed by the heralds of the Iron Duke. The conjunction will open at 10:30pm to Widowsglade, Weirmoor, where the chamber can be found.

OOC Note: This is intended as a stealth encounter, and the monsters will be briefed not to engage players in protracted fights. As a single hit from a monster will end the encounter for players, any player who attends the encounter should not be expected to get hit more than once, if at all. In addition, it is not necessary at all to try and fight the heralds. However, given this encounter will take place in the dark around other players, it can't be guaranteed that unexpected combat might break out even if that's not the intention. Any player who is thinking of going on this encounter must bear in mind the potential risks.

Challenge of the Painted Gallery

• Barien has laid a challenge to the artists of the Empire to create a piece of art with him as the subject
• A chamber will open at 10:30am on Saturday morning, where Barien will pose for challengers
• Challengers will have thirty minutes to make any sketches or notes they need about Barien and the scene
• Barien and his heralds may provide other requirements at the time as well
• Challengers will need to make a piece of art based on this
• Barien is not prescriptive about what constitutes "art" - drawing, painting, song, dance, or poetry or other art forms are all permissible
• Any performance based piece should last no more than 5 minutes maximum
• Challengers may have assistance from others both in creating and performing their piece, though the challenger should be central when displaying to the judges
• The final display will take place in the Sodality Chamber in Anvil Centre at 8:00pm on the Saturday until 9:00pm
• The final products will be judged by selected invitees from Anvil and heralds of Barien
• Any piece which meets the criteria laid down by Barien will be considered successful
• A grand prize will be given to the creator of the judges favourite piece
• Barien formally requests the Maestro of the Cat's Graces, Ralphine, be present to help judge the contest

Last year at the autumn equinox, the Iron Duke laid out a challenge to all the chefs of Anvil; make me dishes using my secret ingredient, and prove your worth as cooks and creatives. By all accounts, the challenge was a smashing success, and now the Lord of the Dragonforge wants to set his sights on a new set of challengers.

Barien is a lover of all things made and crafted. While his preference is for superlative pieces of forged equipment, he has a keen eye for anything made by mortal hands. The creation of the Cat's Graces sodality has piqued his interest as a font of creativity and potential challenge. As such, the Iron Duke invites the artists of the Empire to compete against each other in a test of their skill at the coming summit.

For those who wish to take part, a chamber will open via the Hall of Worlds portal at 10:30am on the Saturday of the summit to a chamber of Barien's design. Here, the Iron Duke himself will be present in order to pose for a piece of artwork. Attendants will have thirty minutes to gather as much information as they need or want in order to produce a piece of creative artwork based on the subject matter. Barien should be the centrepiece of any produced artwork, but careful attention should be paid to all of the details surrounding the Iron Duke, as the pieces will be judged on quality and adherence to the theme of Barien and the scene. If the challenger is unable to journey to the Hall of Worlds, they may send someone in their stead to make any necessary notes. The heralds of Barien will check who is presenting themselves before proceeding through the portal.

After this, challengers will have until 8:00pm to produce a piece of artwork in the style of their choosing, to be presented to the judges. The Lord of the Crossroads sets no limits on what form the art can take; it could be a painting, drawing, poem, song, dance, or anything that could conceivably be called art. Challengers may have assistance from others, but it should be clear to the judges that the challenger was the primary producer. At 8:00pm in the Sodality Chamber in central Anvil a viewing will be arranged. The Iron Duke has formally requested the Maestro of the Cat's Graces, Ralphine, be present to help judge the contest alongside heralds of the Keeper of the Revels.

Physical artwork will be put on display and pored over. Any performance pieces should last at most five minutes, preferably shorter. Once the judges have viewed all the submissions, they will deliberate and decide which pieces meet the criteria for victory, and which piece is considered the best overall and worthy of a grand prize. Participants are free to retain any physical artwork after the challenge is over.