Five flames

"Oh, didn't you say your Sarantuya got engaged to an Imperial? How's that going?" The younger woman's head bobbed a little as she spoke. Enkhtuya thought it made her look somewhat like a sparrow. She buried her smile at the fleeting thought into a frown as she contemplated the matter. "Odon. Dearest friend. What can I say? Well, it was all going so well - her fiance is - was - lovely, Maria di Trivento's her name. Yes, from one of the great cities! Oh, a perfect match, I thought. A trader, good money - and they have a very practical view of marriage in the cities, you know. We had all our books inspected twice! Well, I don't know - I suppose it's fair enough, and it saved us the money on an audit this year. Ah..." Odonchimeg sighed and touched her old friend lightly on the back of her hand.

"Go on. You say it's off?" Enkhtuya sighed. "Well - not off off. We had agreed - look, Maria wanted Sarantuya to move out there - become Imperial. We supported it, you know. I know it's a great change - she'd take a new name, as is their custom, all of that - but it's a prospect, isn't it? Only - only I thought, when they married - I just wanted..." Her eyes began to mist with tears. "Oh, it's too much. Sorry, I shouldn't." She dabbed at her eyes with a tear as Odonchimeg watched concerned. "When I was married, I stood under the Arch of the Five Flames - and that's our heirloom one, you know - and I said the Five Blessings, and I looked into Tömör's eyes, and that was it, you know, it was the foundation of our marriage. I'm so proud of that. We've been doing it that way for centuries. I just wanted that for Sarantuya - I said I don't mind if you get married with an Imperial priest but you must have the Arch of the Five Flames, you must, I will ship it out there - if I have to. And she agreed, but when she talked to Maria about it they had this beastly fight..." She shook her head, eyes once more moist with tears. "Now Sarantuya's furious with me, and Maria was apologetic but you could tell she's got real feeling about it. She says - she said she had no problem but the problem is that their Synod's been getting really strict on - you know, because they don't accept the fifth flame. Even though in the great cities I hear they do retribution brutally when they need to, though! I said, well, I don't know about your "vigilance" either, it just sounds like venerating the concept of being paranoid to me. Then she said some rude things. I said more. Oh, I think when all is said and done we won't owe a insult-debt to each other, but it's a mess."

Odonchimeg, listening intently, now spoke. "Goodness. I didn't know it was as serious as all that. Look, old tish. I'll talk to Sarantuya, shall I? Why don't you go back to this Maria, and find your apologies for one another? That way this doesn't all keep boiling over into something nobody wants. At the end of the day: you and Maria are both loyal to Sarantuya. Focus on that." Enkhtuya gave her a weak smile. "Oh, Odon. What a piece I am. Thank you. Like you say - there's a flame we have in common. I'll hold to that. And then it'll be alright. Won't it?"

The Flames of Virtue burn hot in Faraden.

Overview

• Faraden remains caught between Imperial and Asavean interests
• The Liege of Five Winds appears to favour the Empire, but there are powerful factions in Faraden that prefer closer ties with Asavea
• Faraden and the Empire are at peace, and trade ties between them are being strengthened

Faraden lies to the west of the Empire, across the Lasambrian Hills of Reinos. Trade is its lifeblood, but it is also a country of canny wizards, Courageous warriors, and Proud (albeit heretical) priests. They currently do not share a border with the Empire, lying beyond the Jotun and the Iron Confederacy, but that does not stop them sending their caravans to Imperial markets despite the high tariffs they must pay to pass through the lands between. Diplomatic relations between the Court of the Five Winds and the Imperial Senate are changeable - warm one moment, cool the next - but it has never come to open warfare. Right now Faraden is squeezed between two competing interests - the Empire on one side and the angry Plenum of the Asavean Archipelago on the other - and they must walk a knife-edge between the two powerful nations.

Faraden

• Status: Foreigner
• Ports: Caitun
• Ambassador: Ebenezer of the Marches

The Faraden ambassador to the Empire is Mistress Singua Karadragha. Mistress Singua advises the Court of the Five Winds on all diplomatic matters, and speaks on their behalf to foreign ambassadors. Her attitude to the Empire appears to be cool but professional, and heavily informed by the wishes of the Liege and their court, who seek more opportunities to trade with the Empire.

Peace and the Jotun

• Communications between Faraden and the Empire are civil and constructive
• The Faraden seek closer trade ties with the Empire as a route to shared Prosperity

The Court of the Five Winds is apparently very pleased with the news that work on Yakholme Grange has begun, and that there is a good chance Faraden trade with Dawn may be moving forward. Prosperous trade ties with the Empire strengthen the position of the Liege of the Five Winds, and reinforce their pro-Imperial agenda. The fact that trade with the Empire can be undertaken without the need to trust to ships and boats and the dangers of the Sea of Snow, as compared to trade with the Asaveans, which relies on long shipping routes, means it has particular appeal to the merchant-families of the nation.

During the Summer Solstice, the Faraden and the Jotun are due to renegotiate a peace treaty between them. The situation has not really changed since Summer last year. Faraden cannot afford to go to war with the Jotun. Mistress Karadragha had some hope that the Empire might add its might to the attack on Reinos, but sadly it's clear the focus of the Military Council is elsewhere. As a consequence, it seems inevitable that Faraden and the Jotun will continue their peace treaty when negotiations take place at the Summer Solstice. At least Mistress Karadragha is confident that thanks to Suranni adventurism her nation will at least be able to wring some concessions from the Jotun.

Flame and Faith

• The Temple of the High Flames received a true consecration during the Winter Solstice

Over the Winter Solstice, a grand ceremony took place at the Temple of the High Flames in Faraden. During the festivities, a true consecration was created, dedicating the prestigious temple with the Flame of Honour. The ceremony has helped secure the Faraden faith in the face of Asavean syncretism. It would not have been possible without the beneficence of the Imperial Gatekeepers who provided the required true liao.

The Temple of Five Flames has always been an important edifice in the Faraden faith, but has been renewed as a site of pilgrimage for the faithful of Faraden. It is already bearing fruit; interest in Asavean gods has waned dramatically, and some of those who have been drawn into honouring these foreign deities have already returned to the bosom of the Faraden faith. As projected, however, this has also made the Faraden less interested in the Way and the Imperial faith. This brings with it a thorny subject. Some Faraden travelling into the Empire bear spiritual gifts given them by priests dedicated to Justice. Travellers to the Empire have brought news of several proscriptions apparently enacted by the Synod during the Winter Solstice. Specifically, criminalising dedication or creation of auras related to "false virtues", denunciation of the act of receiving anointing or dedication of a false virtue as blasphemy, as is preaching or promoting the false virtue of vengeance. The priests of Faraden know that the Empire considers their flame of Justice to be the same as their false virtue of Vengeance. Mistress Karadragha seeks reassurance from Ambassador Ebenezer that these assorted spiritual laws do not apply to Faraden travellers in the Empire.

The problem, as the civil service points out, is that they are not different. As recent research has demonstrated, there is no doubt that the spiritual force the Faraden revere as their "fifth flame" is definitely the same force that the Empire proscribes. There is some question around whether simply bearing an anointing or dedication of vengeance is a crime. At least it doesn't seem to be a problem for a Faraden to carry an item hallowed with such an aura - at least at the moment - and this is the most common way for visitors from the west to bring malign auras into the Empire.

The Liege of the Five Winds has sponsored a shift in Faraden politics that encourages moderation from the priests of that nation. Those dedicated to Pride, Loyalty, Courage, and Prosperity have urged a less confrontational approach to dealing with their opposite numbers in the Empire. Unfortunately, the pilgrimage of Pride coupled with this new guidance of the Synod risks bringing matters back to the fore again. Justice (Vengeance) is one of the Five Flames that form the faith of the Faraden. Even if there are no Faraden preaching or promoting Justice in the Empire, the knowledge that anyone from that nation could be secretly dedicated with an aura of Vengeance will be enough to raise questions and lead to investigations. If the Ambassador does offer reassurance, they will want to be sure that such a thing is backed by the Synod and the magistrates or the situation will surely become much worse.

Cinders Extinguished

• The attacks on the Empire by the Faraden religious extremists known as the Cinders have been decisively foiled
• The leaders of the Cinders have been caught, tried and executed by Faraden authorities
• Evidence has allegedly arisen implicating Asavean citizens in arming, equipping and inciting the Cinders
• Rahmah i Darwisj i Erigo has been requested to attend a chamber opened by the Lictors to give evidence against the Asavean

The religious extremists known as the Cinders have been causing intolerable trouble for the Empire, attempting to assassinate the Champion of Vigilance, attacking sites symbolising cooperation between Faraden and the Empire, and sending armed forces to destroy sites of significance to the Way of Virtue. On top of this, the Cinders apparently incited a merchant to attempt to kill members of his own family for dealing with the Empire, a horrific sin against Loyalty in the eyes of the people of Faraden. Open condemnation turned into legal action, as those aggrieved by the Cinders posted bounties against their members and the full force of the Liege of the Five Winds turned to rooting out their organisation from Faraden society.

The purge comes quickly. Faraden investigators cooperate with Imperial authorities to gather evidence, and their joint efforts quickly bear fruit. Imperial merchants and embassy staff report bands of bounty hunters striking out into the Faraden wilderness and returning with captives, the results of raids on the hidden Cinders camps. The trials that follow are swift and public. The Cinders make it easy, Proudly proclaiming their allegiances and condemning their prosecutors for being weak and impious, too ready to tolerate the lovers of false flames. In every case, the sentence is death.

The leader of the Cinders, a man known only as Zuchlagch, is one of the last to be captured. The heads of families from around Faraden are summoned to witness testimony being given against him, to see the Justice of the Liege of the Five Winds. Zuchlagch refuses to cooperate with the trial, taking every opportunity to decry the legal authorities as having lost the mandate of the Five Flames by their cowardly cooperation with heretics and blasphemers. Attempts to draw any useful information from him, such as the source of his group's funding, come to nothing. In the end he meets the same fate as the rest. For treasonous attempts to incite war with a foreign power, he is marched to a stake in the courtyard of the Palace of Five Winds, and publicly burned to death. Witness reports state that he walked to his punishment without flinching, and died without a single cry of pain. None could doubt his Courage, but Justice must be done.

Rahmah i Darwisj i Erigo, Imperial Spymaster

There is considerably more controversy when bounty hunters raid the compound of an Asavean iridescent gloaming merchant in the port of Ondersant. One Tommaso Triusti is seized and carried away before local authorities can intervene. High Lady Togene Altsanig, ruler of the territory of Tujahan where the raid took place, is apparently incandescent with rage over the High Liege's failure to consult her before undertaking such a sensitive operation in her city. Yet the internal politics of the Faraden courts are of less interest than the stated reason given for the arrest: Tommaso is apparently implicated in providing funding to the Cinders.

The Asavean ambassadors to the Court of Five Winds are similarly furious with the arrest of one of their citizens, but their words carry little weight. Whatever evidence the Faraden government has, it is apparently enough to convince them to risk the diplomatic fallout of this bold move. Yet Tommaso Triusti's trial does not come. Word is sent to the Empire that the accused is apparently claiming to have been framed by an Imperial conspiracy, and that they are demanding to face their accusers directly. This would normally lead to a massive jurisdictional headache, but fortunately otherworldly help is at hand.

The Lictors favour the people of Faraden, appreciating their commitment to Justice and the pursuit of the guilty. As such, they have volunteered the use of a chamber to host the trial, allowing a Faraden judge to hear testimony from Imperial citizens without delay. The judge has apparently requested the attendance of Rahmah i Darwisj i Erigo, the Imperial Spymaster, to give testimony, presumably in his professional capacity. The Lictors have stated that Rahmah (or his proxy) may be accompanied by up to four other citizens, though he will be held responsible for their conduct within the chamber. Those attending the trial should attend the entrance to the Hall of Worlds at 19:55 on Friday of the forthcoming summit, where a Lictor will conduct them to the chamber. Those attending need not be magicians, as the chamber will be opened by the Lictors' own power.

Faraden Further Reading

• Faraden
• On Faraden faith
• Ambassador to Faraden
• Faraden ports

Faraden Winds

• We give the future to the winds - 387YE Autumn wind of fortune relating to religion and trade with Faraden
• Wild is the wind - 387YE Summer wind of fortune discussing trade and religion with Faraden
• A pillow of winds - 387YE Spring wind of fortune regarding Faraden diplomacy
• All the wind - 386YE Winter wind of fortune regarding Faraden diplomacy
• Where five winds meet - 386YE Autumn Wind of Fortune regarding Faraden diplomacy
• Winds and flames - 386YE Summer Wind of Fortune regarding Faraden diplomacy

Faraden Related Titles

• Alder of Meade
• Mediator of Fisk

Click Expand to see a summary of various pages related to Faraden.