Wayfaring strangers

Overview

It is not just the great and the good of the Empire who come to Anvil each equinox and solstice. The tent-city that springs up around the the Forge attracts visitors from all over the known world, and beyond. Some are drawn by the promise of wealth, some by the need to find the wisest and the bravest to help them resolve their dilemmas, some seek to influence those who wield true power in the Empire, and others come to celebrate and forge new relationships with those drawn to the heart of Imperial power.

Some who plan to visit Anvil are at pains to conceal their arrival, or their intentions. Others, though, make no secret of their intentions - indeed, they often choose to send word ahead to ensure that those they hope to make contact with are prepared for them. Here, we talk about some of those who have been most public in their desire to meet those who throng to Anvil.

Friday

Axou Mask-ette

• Peleus of Maykop is travelling to Anvil to meet with Robert Von Holberg and the Ambassador to Axos at 23:30 on Friday
• Peleus will travel first to the Senate, and is happy to wait until the session is over if necessary
• Peleus brings with him a gift from the Grand Ilarch of Maykop for Robert Von Holberg

Almost a year ago, the Empire interceded in a planned Druj attack on the Shield of Ipotavo. During the battle, Robert Von Holberg managed to claim the Rebuker of the Unwanted, an Axou artefact of importance to the Halls of Maykop. Now, after several unfortunate delays involving some bad eggs, Peleus of Maykop is travelling to Anvil. The student of necromantia is hoping to arrive at around 23:30 and to meet with both Robert and whoever has been elected as the Ambassador to Axos at the Senate.

Peleus brings with him a gift from the Grand Ilarch of Maykop, and would be glad of somewhere to sit down for a moment after the initial meeting.

Saturday

Forge and Furnace Fellowship

The League National Assembly recognises that negotiations between the Forge and Furnace Fellowship and the Senators of the League have begun in good faith over the Tassatan Hills ilium mine. We recognise that the Senators have immediately acted to protect the prosperity of the Tassatan workers through an initial recompense. We urge all parties to be patient, allow negotiations to conclude, and avoid taking any precipitous actions

Fabio Costas d'Apulian, League Assembly, Summer 388YE, Vote: Upheld with a Greater Majority 334-0

• Representatives of the Forge and Furnace Fellowship visited Anvil last season but were unable to agree on a deal with the Senators for Holberg and Tassato
• Robert Stewart will be visiting Anvil at 10:30 on Saturday to discuss the matter with the incumbent senators and a representative of the League Assembly

Four years ago, the Great Storm of '84YE raged, bringing widespread flooding across the Empire. The good news was that it revealed a previously unknown ilium deposit in the hills of Tassato Mestra, which was established as a Bourse seat the following summit.

Gemma Stewart, representative of the Forge and Furnace Fellowship, put forward the aid of the mining guild to provide most of the labour and expertise for the project on the proviso that it be made a League position appointed by Tally of the Votes. The Senate agreed, and the Tassatan Hills was established, with the ilium being delivered a year after the storm, at the Autumn Equinox 385YE.

Eleven seasons after it was first elected, during the Winter Solstice 387YE, the seat was relinquished as a national seat, and then allocated as an Imperial seat, with Damiàn i Martàn i Erigo winning the seat for 85 thrones.

Last season, representatives met with Kaspar Yakovich von Holberg, Senator for Holberg, and Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato, Senator for Holberg, to discuss the situation in an attempt to come to an agreement. Talks stalled during the summit, though the Forge and Furnace Fellowship have received 175 thrones in recompense from the Senator for Holberg. During the summit, a judgement, raised by Fabio Costas d'Apulian, which called on all parties to be patient, was upheld with a greater majority by the League Assembly. People have heeded the words of their Assembly, but their patience won't last forever...

Gemma has dispatched her cousin, Robert Stewart, to Anvil to speak with the incumbent senators and a representative of the League Assembly on "making things right". Their starting positions remain the same as last season, where they suggested the Tassatan Hills be returned to the League and elected by Tally of the Votes of League business owners - and the 85 thrones from the auction disbursed to them; or the Arratan Gamble being made a League seat, appointed by Tally of the Votes; or a total of 300 thrones - minus the 175 already paid - in lost earnings over the past eleven seasons (averaging slightly over a five percent interest rate). Robert is keen to negotiate, however and try to find a solution that leaves nobody happy. But if he is unconvinced that there is a plan to settle the matter, then he will return to Tassato and, over the next season, encourage labourers to strike. By the start of the Winter Solstice 388YE, any new commissions in the territory will see their labour cost increased by three crowns per wain until the matter is resolved.

If the matter is not resolved by the end of the Spring Equinox 389YE, then the movement will spread to the other territories of the League, increasing labour costs for new commissions by two crowns per wain.

Bittersweet me

Reynard of De Gauvain, Envoy to the Karass

• Anka Karass and two other Karass are making their way to Anvil
• She is hoping for a private meeting with Reynard of De Gauvain, the Envoy to the Karass, at noon on Saturday in a room near Anvil

With little fanfare, Anka Karass and two of her inner circle have slipped across the Barrens and headed for Anvil shortly before the summit begins. The sept are loathed by their peers in the Barrens, and they're not much more popular with the Dawnish, so most people give them a wide berth. Still, news of their involvement in the raid on the Forest of Ulnak and the Salt Flats of Sanath has spread far. The Rahvin repeatedly warned the Empire that the Karass were treacherous and not to be trusted. But when the long-anticipated betrayal was finally revealed... it appears to have been directed at the Druj. Their assistance was pivotal on the raid - without their aid the Navarr and the Imperial Orcs simply could not have achieved what they did.

Despite that, the situation remains murky - somewhere along the line, the Karass split from the main body of the rescue party and somehow they have made their own way back to the Barrens. Now it seems that Anka Karass wants to come to Anvil, for the first time ever. Her usual shadow, the herbalist Tannuk is not with her, but she is bringing Lenna, the sept's shaman and Peyo, the leader of their scouts.

She has made arrangements for a private meeting-room to be prepared at noon on the Saturday of the summit in Outer Anvil, a short distance beyond the Urizeni camp. She's asked Reynard of De Gauvain, the Envoy to the Karass, to meet Lenna at midday at the entrance to the Hall of Worlds - it being as good a landmark as any - and retire with her for a meeting, to discuss the future of the relationship between the Karass and the Empire.

It's all somewhat secretive - which is about what anyone expects from the Karass. She has written to Reynard in advance of the meeting - if Reynard intends to take the meeting, it will be up to the Envoy to decide who he takes with him.

Fear and Looting in the Sarangrave

Morgan Drifting Bough, Speaker of the Magpies

• An Urizeni spire from Sarangrave has discovered a terrible Druj artefact
• It bears a curse which will be unleashed if it is destroyed without due care
• They have asked the Magpies to examine it, and will be near the sodality tent from 13:30 on Saturday

Members of the Marsh Lantern Spire, a newly established Urizeni settlement in Sarangrave, have been working to understand the areas surrounding their new home. One of the number, a seer by the name of Joanides, uncovered the ruins of an old structure, presumably originally built by the Druj. Within it, the magician found a strange object which exuded a powerful aura of fear.

Together with other members of the spire, they sought to destroy the object with a casting of Words of Ending, however they performed some basic divinations first and discovered that it also bears some additional effects. If destroyed without being properly treated first, it will unleash a powerful curse on the surrounding area, affecting everyone nearby. This, in and of itself, might be manageable. The larger problem is that there is a shroud upon the object, concealing its history. If it were destroyed without removing the shroud then nothing could be learned from it.

The shroud is too powerful for the spire to remove on their own, and the effects of it too unpleasant for them to leave it in place and await aid, so they have brought the item to Anvil. They would like the Magpies, as the Imperial body with relevant expertise and jurisdiction, to examine it. As such they will be in Anvil Centre around half-past one on Saturday afternoon, where they hope that the Speaker of the Magpies, Morgan Drifting Bough, will be able to take them somewhere safe to untangle the web of effects on the item and learn its secrets. They warn that the item may need an assortment of magical and spiritual effects removed. The magpies may wish to ensure they know where to find powerful sects and covens at short notice.

Last season the General Assembly agreed not to investigate the skills, the techniques, and the actual potion recipes that the Druj use to create fear auras. They judged it wise to let the art of creating fear die with them and encouraged people to destroy whatever items or learning existed. It's a sensible enough precaution, but it's not needed for people with the poise and the arete of the Urizeni.

Joanides will bring the cursed item to the sodality tent for 13:30 on Saturday and look for the Speaker or members of his sodality there.

Hail to the Wraith King

• Some of the crew of the Wraith King are travelling to Anvil to meet the Magpies
• They plan to arrive at around 19:00 on Saturday

The crew of the Wraith King are travelling to Anvil. Originally sought out by the Magpies using a boon of Kimus, some of the original crew have been found and cajoled into travelling to Anvil to meet with the sodality to discuss all manner of things. They expect to travel first to the Freeborn camp, in the hopes of meeting up with Bakar i Riqueza, then to wherever the wind takes them. They have requested that there be at least one game of dice involved, and they can talk about important manners once they've had a bit of a rest and relaxation.

Battle of the Bay

• Maistirs of Beoraidh have decided to come to Anvil to put on a series of games for the nations friendly to the Empire on the Bay of Catazar
• They will be accompanied by teams of fighters from the Iron Confederacy and the Protectorate of Morajasse
• Teams from three Imperial nations on the bay are invited to fight: Highguard, Urizen and the Brass Coast
• Each team will consist of 8 fighters
• The maistirs will arrive at the Anvil arena at 20:00 on the Saturday of the summit to ensure all is in order
• The Iron Confederacy and Morajasse fighters will arrive at 20:15 for the beginning of the games
• Each Imperial team will fight each foreign team for a total of six bouts; the maistirs of Beoraidh will then pick the two most successful teams for a final bout
• The winning team will win a substantial purse, and the runners-up a smaller 2nd place prize
• Magistrates remind citizens that Beoraidh, the Iron Confederacy and Morajasse are all foreigners and thus protected by Imperial law

The city-state of Beoraidh is famous for its gladiators and colosseums. Previously, representatives from gladiator troupes of the city attempted to make overtures to the Empire in order to get investment in a rebuilt arena in the city, after the original was burned some years ago in an Imperial raid while the city was still under the Grendel banner. However, things took a turn for the south after some unpleasant business with formerly enslaved Sannites of the Imperial Orcs, who made their opposition to any deal with their former pit masters clear.

Some time has now passed, and thanks to a combination of Sarcophan investment in the city, and negotiations smoothing over any ruffled feathers, the gladiator maistirs of Beoraidh are once more ready to talk to the Empire about high-quality blood sports. In particular, the maistirs want to see one thing in particular; the Tourney Ground of Camock, better known as the Anvil Arena. The notion of having access to a fighting arena pulled from the very realms themselves seems to tickle the folk of Beoraidh. As such they have spoken to the civil service and reserved the arena 20:00 on Saturday for a series of games, that they will witness.

Maistirs Caolan and Seanan have hit upon calling these games "The Battle of the Bay", and have invited all nations who sit on the Bay of Catazar (and are friendly to the Empire) to compete. For the Empire's part, the maistirs invite three Imperial nations who border the coast to come fight on the sands of the arena - Highguard, Urizen and the Brass Coast.

Against them the Beoradhi have invited squads from the Iron Confederacy and the Protectorate of Morajasse to fight the Empire. Both squads are small; 8 fighters each to oppose the fighters the Empire will set against them, with accompanying entourages to keep them in top tourney shape. Each squad will have the chance for a short introduction in front of the crowd, before the tourney proper begins.

Each Imperial team will fight both foreign teams separately, meaning six fights total. Fights will continue until only one team is left standing. After all six bouts are complete, the maistirs of Beoraidh will invite the best two teams to take part in a final battle. This will likely be the best-performing teams in terms of victories, but gladiatorial combat is not just about winning and losing; teams will need to fight in an entertaining way to win over the maistirs. The winner of the final battle will win a prize purse, and the runners-up receive a consolation prize. The tourney itself will be conducted by one of the arena announcers of Beoraidh. The rules of the combat to be followed can be found below. The maistirs invite any healers who wish to aid fallen fighters to attend the tourney, and provide aid when requested. Healers entering the arena while a fight is ongoing should put their hand over their heart to show they should not be struck - though this cannot be guaranteed - and should remove the fighter from the arena before healing them.

Teams should present themselves to the maistirs at the arena at 8:00pm on the Saturday. The foreign teams will arrive, and the tourney will begin, at 8:15pm. The magistrates remind everyone that the Iron Confederacy, Beoraidh and the Protectorate of Morajasse are all foreigners, and thus benefit from the protection of the law.

The opportunity remains for Imperial citizens to look into investment in the Beoraidh colosseum via appraisal. But if the Empire's fighters get into the right spirit of things and impress the maistirs enough, it's possible some kind of invitation for Imperial captains may be made in order to satisfy the Beoradhi people's appetite for new and exciting forms of combat.

Rules of Engagement

• Fighters may benefit from enchantments, boons, magical items, and similar prior to the start of the bout
• Fighters may use heroic and magical abilities in the arena
• Use of consumable items, including potions, herbs, and crystal mana, is not permitted in the arena itself
• Fighters may receive new or mended weapons from outside of the arena if theirs are shattered
• Challengers may receive healing from anyone, including outside the arena, once a bout begins if they yield; if they do so, they must leave or be removed from the arena by willing helpers
• Once a fighter yields, they cannot return to the current fight (though they can fight in future rounds)
• A downed challenger counts as yielding; their allies may remove them from the arena to heal them
• Helpers entering the arena to assist the fallen should put a hand over their heart and should not be struck
• This is a sporting event; no executions or looting. Or eating people.

Sunday

Bring The Smoke

• A Merchant Prince has for offered to provide unique covenstones to any Reckoner guilds who can prove that they have cursed the Shadowed Torchbearer
• He intends to attend Anvil on Sunday morning to receive reports of success or failure, along with any angry retorts that people might be inclined to give

It is the cause of some confusion in Tassato when it emerges that Sebastião Duarte di Tassato has taken an interest in the dealings of the wider Empire. The Guild of Earthly Delights which he leads has until this point primarily been associated with feuding bravos and passionate cicisbei, all of whom were as likely to be fighting with one another as with their rivals. As such it is rather unusual when the word begins to spread that he has declared some form of vendetta against Vellenka Vanyanova, the Shadowed Torchbearer. The offer he makes is simple. Any reckoner guild - or anyone, really, but reckoners are certainly the best - who can prove that they have cursed the Shadowed Torchbearer will receive a unique covenstone.

What does these covenstones do? They apparently enhance curses and Night magic in some way. Where is he getting them from? No answer is forthcoming. Why this sudden feud? Apparently he has some problem with the fact that the Shadowed Torchbearer continues to treat with an enemy of the Empire. How does he know what the Shadowed Torchbearer is doing? Once again there is no answer. Gossip in the salons of Tassato holds that Sebastião hasn't been sober since at least 379YE, and this level of coherence from him is nothing short of a miracle.

Merchant Prince Sebastião has declared his intention to attend Anvil at 10:30 on Sunday of the forthcoming summit, and to head directly to the Forge. Where better to hear tales of a good cursing? He has made it clear that he will not be carrying any covenstones on him, those will be delivered to the recipients by post in time for the Winter Solstice. Oh, and if any Imperial title-holders are feeling especially vengeful for any reason, they are free to talk to his bodyguard.