All I ask of you

"Break fast then fight? I don't understand. Surely you don't want to encourage your warriors to break in battle?"

Elara stared at the preacher and tried not to chuckle. As an experienced teacher, the Great Forest Orc was used to explaining the adages to young children. It was rare to have a student as old as this.

"No - break fast - as in break your fast. Meaning to eat a hearty meal. In a literal sense it means eat well before you go to battle."

"Ahhhhh! That makes more sense. It's just like the tenets of Prosperity. Enjoy the fruits of your labour today. If you fight hard on the battlefield then a hearty meal is just reward for your efforts."

The preacher was nodding now, pleased that they had finally understood. Which was unfortunate as they had understood precisely nothing. Elara was struggling to imagine a more perfect example of the need to think before you think. Perhaps she could use the preacher as a learning aid the next time she took the youngest for their letters.

"It's not about food. It's absolutely not about eating. Its about setting priorities. The words are an allegory - they symbolise the warrior who fails to eat because they're thinking about the coming battle. It's meant to teach you how to stay focussed on your immediate needs and not get distracted by events that are important - but not urgent. The battle is important - but if there is nothing you can do about it until the fight starts then you should use that time to achieve other things."

Elara was in her element now, always happiest when in front of a class. "The adage teaches you how to organise your life, how to set priorities, it teaches you not to get distracted by something just because it is important. Otherwise you miss what is urgent."

The visitor look unconvinced. "Four words do all that?" he asked.

"Yes. They do. We're a very frugal people."

The orcs of the Great Forest believe that it once stretched across the whole of what is now the Empire and the Mallum.

Introduction

Following Bloodcrow Knott's declaration of his highest calling, the Unshackled Assembly have asked their mystagogues and shamans to contact other septs in the hope that they might learn more about them. Last season there was an attempt to learn more about the Karass, which allowed some Imperial Orcs to hear the Karass ancestor, the Oracle.

This season, the Assembly asked Skywise Rykana to lead a delegation to discover more of the ancestors of the Great Forest Orcs. Unlike the Karass, of whom there has been precious little contact, the Great Forest Orcs have lived alongside the Navarr for many years. While most of the sept have resettled in the Barrens now that the Empire have conquered the territory, there are small communities of Great Forest Orcs living in Hercynia and Miaren and there were more in Therunin until the territory was conquered by the Druj.

The Great Forest Orcs raised their spears and went to war to fight alongside their close allies in Therunin, and paid their own punishing price when the Druj sprung their trap. While they are distrustful of other Imperial nations, especially the Dawnish and the Varuhskans who they hold responsible for the slaughter of their allies in the Barrens, they have no reason not to welcome contact with the Imperial Orcs. Where the Karass were initially hostile and kept their distance, the Great Forest Orcs are more than happy to share their beliefs with people they regard as their "cousins", especially since the Yerende have become part of the Unshackled nation

A nation is much more than lines on a map. We send Skywise Rykana with 15 crowns to lead a delegation of mystagogues and shamans to discover more of the ancestors of the Great Forest Orcs.

Jim, Imperial Orc Assembly, 388YE Spring Equinox, Vote: Upheld with a Greater Majority 60-0

Skywise Rykana leads the Imperial orcs reaching out to the sept of the Great Forest.

Rings in Wood

• The Empire has already investigated the religious beliefs of the Great Forest Orcs
• The mystagogues have discovered the little that remains to be learned

The major obstacle to learning more about the ancestors of the Great Forest Orcs is that so much is known already about them. This is not the first time the Empire has sought to learn more about the Great Forest Orcs and their beliefs; in 385YE, the Assembly of Pride took advantage of an opportunity to send missionaries and wayfarers to speak with the Great Forest Orcs, not to convert them but to find out more about their beliefs.

Still they do have an advantage that the earlier visitors did not - with the help of the Illarawm mystagogues, they can hear the words of the Great Forest ancestors, something no human could ever manage. Crucially, time has passed since then and the orcs of the Great Forest are more open to sharing their beliefs than before. As a result the Imperial Orcs are able to discover a few things about the philosophy of the Great Forest Orcs, which is all that was left to learn.

More information about what the mystagogues uncover about the Great Forest beliefs can be found in Beliefs of the Great Forest. It includes discussion of the ancestors, the spiritual nature of the Great Forest, and the adages that guide the sept along their path.

All Down To You

• The Great Forest Orcs fear that the Synod may proscribe their beliefs one day
• They fear that the Montanian children they are harbouring will become a problem within a generation
• They will not give up either, no matter what the cost

Although the Great Forest Orcs are very open about their religious beliefs, they are somewhat guarded about their wider situation. They are hiding pressing problems, even from their friends among the Navarr. They are eventually persuaded to share some of these worries with the Imperial Orcs during their time under the eaves of Peytaht.

The first is a residual concern that the Synod could yet turn its gaze upon them. They have a treaty with the Empire, an alliance written in blood that guarantees their rights and their protection. But the Montanians believed they were protected by the same treaty and it didn't save them. The Empire turned on them in a heartbeat and wiped them out, as soon as the opportunity arose.

Part of that was the Montanian's very public embrace of Freedom among their spiritual practices. The Great Forest Orcs genuinely don't know if the Empire slaughtered the Montanians because they believed them to be heretics or because they were agitating for a free Barrens, which makes them worry that the headman's axe could come for them at any moment. They know that when examined closely their beliefs may seem to be incompatible with the Doctrines of the Faith. They know that the Empire has given the Synod stronger legal powers to proscribe beliefs that conflict with their rigid orthodoxy. What happens if the Synod proscribes their religious beliefs? They won't give them up - they wouldn't do that even for the Druj. They think, they hope, that the Navarr will stand with them. But the idea that they could be slaughtered by the Empire at any moment is something leaders like Chief Vallack must be constantly evaluating.

As every season passes and that doesn't happen, they relax a little more, but every season that passes the other problem grows. Imperial citizens warned the Montanians that the Empire were coming for them. Every Montanian old enough to hold a weapon willingly sacrificed their life to keep the Varushkan army off for long enough to give their children time to flee. They gave their lives to save their children, and those who could not or would not fight. Knowing what awaited them, they had no choice but to beg the Great Forest Orcs to take in their exiles.

The Montanians were the Great Forest Orc's oldest friends and allies. Their beliefs obliged them to offer sanctuary to the refugees, especially the children, and to raise them alongside their own. They've done their best to teach the the ways of the Great Forest, to think before thinking, to make your pack heavy. But there is a growing realisation that they're raising a generation of human children who lost their parents to the Empire's brutality. It's not a problem now. It won't be a problem tomorrow, or the day after that. But in a generation's time these children are going to come of an age where they will want answers.

The Great Forest Orcs consider themselves to be staunch allies of the Navarr but many remain somewhat ambivalent about the Empire. There is no ambivalence in how the surviving Montanians view the Empire. The day will come when that will be a problem. For the Empire. For the Navarr. For the Great Forest Orcs. For everyone.

Hammer Waiting to Fall

• The Druj have sent winged messengers to Chief Vallack threatening to murder his people if he doesn't collaborate with them
• The Chief claims he has not replied to the messages

Winged Message sent to Chief Vallack

Skywise Rykana and the mystagogues who accompany them work tirelessly to gain the trust of the Great Forest Orcs, and eventually that pays off. It turns out that the real reason the Great Forest Orcs are being so guarded is that they have received word from the Druj; a pair of winged messengers sent to Chief Vallack this season and last.

The two messages are broadly the same. It appears that Nimon Rue, the Buruk Tepel who rules Cassad Ûln in the Forest of Ulnak is threatening to butcher hundreds of Great Forest Orcs who are enslaved at the Sacred Grove near the Deathsgate fortification. If Chief Vallack does not do as he is ordered, his people will "descend the spears" a brutal form of execution involving agonising death by slow impalement. Nimon further indicates that the Druj will also execute the workers and families enslaved at the Grove of Woe in the Salt Flats if Vallack does not do as they ask - and that represents several thousand orcs who will die a terrible death.

Thus far Chief Vallack has not responded, but he is clearly losing his mind over the issue. He has not brought it to the Empire previously because he believes that some Imperial citizens will suspect that they have collaborated with the Druj. He fears that just admitting he has received the message places his whole sept in danger. But the truth is, he doesn't have any information to give the Druj even if he wanted to. Which he categorically does not; he is desperate to save his people, but not at the price of helping the Druj to defend themselves against the Empire. His own people would never forgive him if he did.

Help Us

• The Imperial Orcs and the Navarr have put together a plan to rescue the Great Forest Orcs
• The national assembly of each nation can appoint one of their own to lead their forces on the raid
• Any Imperial Orc or Navarr character can support the raid

With the permission of their hosts, the Imperial Orcs take word of this to the Navarr. The Dawnish are closer, but fear of the possible repercussions rules that option out. A hasty council of war is convened with the Imperial Orc warlords, together with the brands who fought alongside the Spears of the Pines in Therunin. Something must be done and time is running out.

The primary issue is that there is very limited Imperial presence in Druj territory. There are only a handful of armies who could meaningfully contribute, but even if the Empire launched a full-scale attack into the Forest of Ulnak or the Salt Flats of Sanath, they just couldn't reach the Great Forest Orcs in time. However, elite military units and guerrilla raids could have a shot - it wouldn't have any strategic impact but there is a genuine opportunity to save a great many of the orcs of the Great Forest here. There's just one small problem.

Cassad Uln is a massive fortification - at least as big as the Castle of Thorns. Some call it the fortress at the end of the world, and while that is somewhat overblown it is a potent threat. It houses a huge garrison who patrol across the Forest of Ulnak, and while they are currently focused on resisting the invasion from Otkodov, they are everywhere. Thousands and thousands of trained, well equipped soldiers, their thirst for blood and torment honed by generations of brutality. They are bloodied by fighting the Thule, yes, but with much fight still left in them. Indeed, they are on high alert precisely because of the war with the Thule. Likewise, the Salt Flats of Sanath have three massive fortifications, and thousands more soldiers on patrol, ironically making Sanath even harder to infiltrate than Ulnak.

There is however an Imperial army in Sanath - the Northern Eagle are engaged in their own elusive business, isolating Lower Saarnath. It's rumoured - based on the general's orders - that the Empire is planning a concerted invasion there. That wouldn't save the Great Forest Orcs, but the army could emerge from hiding to support the planned rescue if they were willing.

The Navarr and the Imperial Orcs who attend Anvil have between them command of nearly two hundred military units - but that is still nowhere near enough. Sadly there simply isn't time to involve the military units of other nations. The more people that try to coordinate together on the raid, the more chaos there will be. If this is going to be pulled off, it can only happen if the Imperial Orcs and the Navarr pull together. It will not be easy - the two nations will need a massive force to pull this off - as big as anything the Empire has ever attempted. Everyone involved had best make their pack heavy.

Rescue the Great Forest

• After the Summer Solstice Navarr and Imperial Orc military units can take the venture to Rescue the Great Forest Orcs
• A leader from each nation can be chosen by the National Assembly of each nation

Before the risky venture to try and save the Great Forest orcs from the Mallum can begin, the national Assemblies of the Navarr and the Imperial Orcs to each appoint someone who can take charge of the raid and act to coordinate the efforts of everyone going. As long as this is done, it will create a raiding venture to Rescue the Great Forest Orcs following the Summer Solstice. Provided the statement is supported by the appropriate assembly, military units of that nation will be able to take part in the venture.

The raid will involve fighting the Druj, both the garrisons on patrol and the overseers and jailors who keep the Great Forest orcs imprisoned at the weirwood groves. This will provide some opportunity to seize the weapons of the enemy, meaning that in place of their standard production they will receive half the normal production of taking the raid the Druj action. The ultimate outcome will depend entirely on how much strength is brought to bear in support of this action.

Between 5,000 and 15,000 - Raid the Sacred Grove
The forces committed to the raid will make the attempt even if it is clear they don't have the numbers for it. If the total military strength applied to the raid is at least 5,000 but is less than 15,000, then they will not be able to rescue more than a handful of the Great Forest orcs who are enslaved at the Sacred Grove. They will be able to steal some of the weirwood stocked there, with a dozen wains of weirwood split between the raid leaders to share between those who took part, but the rest of the Great Forest prisoners will be left at the mercy of the Druj (a quality they do not in fact have).

15,000 to 25,000 - Thwart Nimon Rue
With enough military units committed to the raid, they could free the Great Forest orcs from the Sacred Grove and get them back to safety in the Barrens. They won't be able to recover any weirwood, but Nimon Rue's plan to murder the allies of the Navarr will be thwarted. Hundreds of skilled great forest orc woodcutters and their families will be rescued and brought back to the Eaves of Peytaht.

25,000 to 30,000 - Liberate the Sacred Grove
With a force this size, the raid could rescue everyone from the Sacred Grove and recover the weirwood, returning with a dozen wains split between the two raid leaders. It may seem mercantile to worry about such things, but that's more weirwood that could go to resupply Imperial armies rather than Druj armies. The force would not be large enough to risk the Salt Flats as well as Ulnak, and while Nimon rue would be thwarted in the north the situation would still be grim for the imprisoned sept members in the southern territory.

30,000 to 45,000 - Strike the Grove of Woe
The Sacred Grove is well-defended, but there are three fortification in the Salt Flats of Sanath. The Imperial Orcs and Navarr will need a huge force to undertake a raid on the Grove of Woe - but if it can be assembled, then they can recover more than two thousand Great Forest Orcs and their families who are held prisoner there in the Druj work camps. This will leave the orcs in Ulnak in the hands of Nimon Rue, however, and it is unlikely to end well for them.

45,000 to 60,000 - Liberate the Grove of Woe
Just like the Sacred Grove, the Grove of Woe is an important weirwood resource that is a vital part of the Druj war efforts against the Empire. With a big enough military force, the Navarr could free the people and recover the vital resources out from under the Druj's nose. If that happens the they will also gain a dozen wains of weirwood which will be shared between the two characters coordinating the raids to distribute.

60,000 to 70,000 - Free all the Great Forest Orcs
Not content with one impossible raid, the allies of the Great Forest Orcs point out that if they had the numbers, they could do both. They could split their force almost in two and have them strike the Forest of Ulnak and the Salt Flats of Sanath at the same time. It would need to be done with perfect timing, because the Druj will alert each other once they realise what is happening. But it could be done - if the Navarr and Imperial Orcs can assemble a big enough force they can rescue all the Great Forest Orcs enslaved by the Druj and bring them safely back to the Barrens.

70,000 plus - Humiliate the Druj
The purpose of the raids is to rescue the Navarr allies, the Great Forest Orcs. Still, it would be a shame to leave all that valuable weirwood just lying around. With a big enough force, the group could bring everyone safely home and steal a total of 22 wains of weirwood from the Druj - again, these would be split equally between the two raid leaders. This will strike a painful blow to the Druj - not only will the enemy will find it hard to replace the stolen weirwood but they will be doing so with groves whose production is severely depleted by the loss of the orcs of the Great Forest.

Strength and Sacrifice

• Navarr and Imperial Orcs characters who do not control military units can still contribute to the strength needed to achieve the venture
• If they choose to do so, their personal resource provides half its usual production but they add additional strength to the venture

A lot of force is needed here - more than the Navarr and the Imperial Orcs can provide out of their trained elite fighters alone. However, just because an Unshackled or a Navarr citizen does not lead a trained warband does not mean they do not know how to fight or to enlist the aid of those who can. According to the Ten Things, Sacrifice is the Pride of the Navarr people and Strength the Pride of the Imperial Orcs. Every vine and every vate could be an essential asset. Every warcaster and bonesetter could play a role. Every guide, every shaman, every preacher will be crucial for keeping up morale in the Druj miasma. On this raid, everyone can help - if they're prepared to make the sacrifice.

Thus, any Navarr or Imperial Orc character can take the action to support the venture to rescue the Great Forest Orcs. Any character that chooses to support the action will suffer a 50% penalty to the normal production of their personal resource - they are either abandoning their business, mine, forest or similar to personally take part in the raid and help with their heroic skills, or else they are providing crucial supplies to support the raid. The help they provide won't benefit from enchantments, but all resources of the characters that support the raid will contribute half the strength of a military unit of equivalent rank.

A character with a congregation that supports the venture will instead receive no liao, but will keep all their Synod votes. They will however not be able to undertake a lecture or preach at the same time. A fleet likewise can't take a different voyage, including trading or supporting an army. Instead of their normal production they'll get the same as a military unit (about half what they would have produced if taking the Raid the Druj military unit action).

The Great Forest Orcs will send all they can, but in truth since the disaster in Therunin their number of effective fighters is sadly depleted. It's unlikely they'll make the difference. Still - there are two more factors yet at play - the Empire's armies, and some unlikely possible allies... There's a lot to take stock of, and not much time, but a little of everything might make be just what is needed.

Shadows And Light

• The Northern Eagle are able to issue an order to Strike at the Grove of Woe this season in the Salt Flats of Sanath
• The Winter Sun are able to issue an order to Break the Chains this season in the Forest of Ulnak
• The Gryphon's Pride are able to offer aid using the Barrens as a staging-post
• No military unit will be able to support these armies if they take these orders this season

Ser Guy of the Twisted Rose (centre), former General of the Gryphon's Pride

Sebastián Fawnwood (centre), General of the Gryphon's Pride

There are three Imperial armies who can meaningfully aid the raid. The first is the Northern Eagle of Varushka. Two seasons ago they infiltrated the Salt Flats of Sanath and last season they successfully isolated Lower Saarnath, preparing the way for an anticipated push by Imperial armies freshly resupplied. Because of that they have a fleeting chance to take advantage of the situation, allowing them to submit an order to Strike at the Grove of Woe. Regular army enchantments will not help, but the rare Night magic ritual Host of Shadows they would allow them to provide an additional 2000 points of effective military strength to the raid.

Strike at the Grove of Woe
The Northern Eagle moves to free the slaves interred at the Grove of Woe. Their force for the season will be contributed to the Rescue the Great Forest Orcs venture. They will suffer casualties as if they were engaging the garrison of The Witness in Ûrinth (an estimated 900 casualties), and deal casualties to the garrison at the same time, but will contribute their full force to the venture. At the end of the season the Northern Eagle will retreat to the Barrens to provide cover for those fleeing the territory.

Of course, the Northern Eagle has its own somewhat bumpy history with the orcs of the Barrens, given that they are the army that slew the Montanians at Hope's Rest. The orcs of the Great Forest are not in a position to refuse any raid - it is being organised by the Navarr and the Imperial Orcs after all - but it's unclear what their response to the Varushkans involvement is likely to be. It might help soften their dislike of the people of Varushka, at least in theory, but "murdering the briars of Hope's Rest" is a mighty hurdle to get over.

The second army who can assist is the Winter Sun of the Imperial Orcs. Their skill at liberating the enchained could be invaluable here. The one issue is that the Empire doesn't control a region in the Forest of Ulnak or the Salt Flats of Sanath, which is necessary for them to issue their order to Break the Chains. However - the Thule control a region in the Forest of Ulnak - Oerwealt - which is also forested. This could be the perfect place to launch a liberatory force from. The Thule have indicated that they would be happy for Imperial armies to participate in the battle in Ulnak, but only if they acknowledge that they are following the strategy of Tathenon the Gyre. This means that the Winter Sun could only issue the order to Break The Chains if they joined the attack from Otkodov.

If that happens, the army will take part in the campaign in the Forest of Ulnak as normal, but they would be fighting in support of the Thule and their conquest of the territory - which may or may not be desirable. However, they would also contribute their strength to the venture to rescue the Great Forest Orcs. Any army enchantment on the army would function as normal for the campaign, but as the army is currently in Zenith, they will need to be enchanted with Find the Best Path in order to reach the Forest of Ulnak.

Finally, there is an unlikely army who could also help. The relationship between the Dawnish and the Great Forest Orcs is strained, to put it mildly. From the point of view of the sept, the last decade of warfare in the Barrens has layered one atrocity on top of another. But in recent times, the Gryphon's Pride have worked tirelessly to bury the tragedies of the past and let roses grow over the graves. Ser Guy of the Twisted Rose, the previous general, was instrumental in aiding the anti-Druj insurgents of Nesustak Forest and building trust there. Ser Guy is no longer the general, and the army has spent the last season resupplying in the north. Yet the new general, Sebastián Fawnwood, chose to pay tribute to Ser Guy in his orders and talk of a new future for the Pride. It's one that many of the ordinary soldiers of the army are starting to get behind.

While they are not in a position to aid the raid directly, the Pride have won the grudging respect of the various groups in Dawn and they could leverage that achievement to help stage the raid. Each Imperial army has their own logistics corp that allows it to coordinate supplies and military units. If the Gryphon's Pride stationed themselves in the Barrens, they could use that deployment to coordinate the two raids, acting as a gathering point, preparing supplies, planning intelligence, bringing everything together. The army would be brutally exposed: if it was attacked it would suffer fifty percent higher casualties, but it could provide invaluable support.

If the Gryphons Pride were given orders to move to the Barrens and provide support for the raid, engaging strategically in a solid defence and turning their logistics corp towards ensuring that the efforts in the Forest of Ulnak and the Salt Flats of Sanath are a success, it would allow the army to contribute their current military strength to the effective strength of the force. Regular enchantments and attached military units would not provide any benefit in this case, since the army aren't actually fighting, but if the army were Bound by Common Cause their effective strength would be 2000 points higher for the purpose of the raid.

Such an act would also be a tangible expression of support for the Great Forest Orcs by the Dawnish, demonstrable proof that the Empire really can be different to the Druj, helping to rescue thousands of their people from Druj slavery would be bound to have a deep impact on their view of the Dawnish.

Ibiss Briarheart, former Archmage of Spring, is currently the Warmage

Wild Things Run Fast

• There is an opportunity to employ a conjunction to cast Forge the Wooden Fastness on the Forest of Ulnak
• Druj forces will try to defend the Spring regio
• This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
• The Warmage is responsible for deciding who to send and how to take advantage of the regio
• There are no innocents present on this conjunction; magistrates advise that lethal force is fully justified

There is one obvious force in this world who could be entreated to liberate the Great Forest Orcs - the same eternal whose guidance has helped the soldiers of the Gryphon's Pride find a new enthusiasm for liberation. The Prince with a Thousand Foes can be relied on to help free anyone from slavery. The Friend of the Free, however, is unwelcome in the Forest of Ulnak - that place is as hard for Bramblepatch to access as Astolat is for the heralds of Agramant.

The eternal generally dislikes the Empire - but it always acts according its nature. Irra Harah simply cannot help but try to save people, even if that helps the Empire. If the Empire can enable Irra Harah's forces to support the raid they would provide a significant boost. Would the eternal be pleased to have helped or angry that the Empire had taken advantage of it in this way? Who knows? Sometimes it is best to forget to doubt, as the Great Forest Orcs might say.

How to do that is arguably the easy bit. During the recent scouting expedition into the Forest of Ulnak, a strong regio aligned with the Spring realm was discovered, Moss End in Grimfen Mire. Fortuitously there is a conjunction of the Sentinel Gate that leads to Moss End at quarter-past eight on the Saturday of the solstice and will provide access to the regio there - assuming the force of Druj guarding it can be dealt with.

If the regio can be captured, Forge the Wooden Fastness could be cast. If the enchantment targeted Oerwalt, which the Thule control, it would boost the Thule's military position in the territory, but it would also give Irra Harah access to the territory to contribute another 2000 points of military force to the raid.

In an extraordinary act of serendipity, the Prince with a Thousand Foes has already offered a way his help could be increased as a response to the Archmage of Spring. If 8 rings of ilium are used in the casting of the ritual, the Oerwealt would gain the Woodward quality. If that happened in Oerwealt (or indeed in any forest region anywhere the territory), then in addition to the normal effects of the ritual Irra Harah would contribute 5,000 strength to the raid.

Of course there is absolutely no reason why it has to be Forge the Wooden Fastness which is cast. There are many things that can be done with a strong Spring regio, but obviously they come with their own potential future problems. Only the Wooden Fastness will offer any help to the raid. Other rituals are unlikely to hinder it, but they will not make it any easier to get the Great Forest prisoners to safety.

Oversight of this conjunction has been assigned to the Warmage, so the final decision on who is sent - and what their intent is - will be their responsibility. Serendipitously, the new Warmage is themselves a former Archmage of Spring, Ibiss Briarheart.

Dog Eat Dog

• The senator for the Barrens or the Envoy to the Karass could ask the Karass for help
• The aid of the Karass would increase the military strength of the raid by 10,000
• If the Karass betray the Empire, it would instead decrease the effective military strength of the raid by 10,000

Communication with the Karass can be achieved by sending a Winged Messenger to Anka Karass, the Centipede Stone, The Bleaks, The Barrens.

Lady Gwendoloena de Ordraig, Senator for the Barrens

There is one other group the friends of the Great Forest could call on for aid - the Karass. The orcs of the Barrens don't have any significant military strength, but they do have an uncanny amount of information about the Druj. They know how their patrols operate, and they know where the paths and the roads lead. Nobody knows the Druj lands like the Karass. If a winged message were sent to Anka Karass by someone she trusts - Lady Gwendoloena de Ordraig, the senator for the Barrens or the Envoy to the Karass Reynard of De Gauvain - then the Empire could appeal for her help on the raid. Otherwise, the Karass will not even know it is taking place.

If the Karass were involved, it would contribute an additional ten thousand military strength - two entire Imperial army's worth. On a raid like this the ability to know where you are going, where to avoid, who you can trust and who you can't, is everything. The Karass can literally approach Druj settlements and talk with some of the occupants. In enemy territory that kind of intelligence is priceless... assuming you can trust it. You can't betray your enemies, so they say. Which raises the question of just who is the Karass' enemy?

There have been constant rumours that the Karass are secretly working with the Druj. They have definitely been close in the past. Can they be trusted now? If the Karass were invited to take part in the raid, and they chose to betray the Empire, the results would be devastating. Instead of providing 10,000 toward the ventures success, they would decrease the amount of force contributed to the venture by 10,000. Treachery would see hundreds slain, potentially spelling the doom of the Great Forest orcs remaining in the Mallum. Can the Empire afford the risk? Think before you think, as the Great Forest Orcs would say.

Of course, the Karass might choose neither to betray the Empire nor to give their aid. That would not be a violation of anything in particular - and they are known to be somewhat pragmatic. Recent revelations reveal some of the deeper motivations of the Karass - could that provide enough insight to ensure their support?

Both Sides Now

• A group of Great Forest Orc youths who dwell in Hercynia are coming to the Navarr camp at 11:00 on Sunday
• They want to talk with the Navarr about ways they can support the nation and the new armies

Some of the younger Greater Forest Orcs who live in Hercynia and Miaren have fewer reservations and fears about the Empire than their older counterparts in the Eaves of Peytaht. They have been gone from the Barrens and the horrors of that land for years now. The raw wounds carved into the heart of the Barrens have wounded them less than their the older generation.

Having spent time with the Navarr with whom they share a home they are well aware of the efforts to call the stridings back and the plans to raise armies to prepare for the final battle. These orcs are some of those who have promised their support for the Navarr, a reflection of the sworn oath taken by the Navarr to protect the Great Forest Orcs no matter what.

They plan to come to the Navarr camp to talk with the nation at 11:00 on Sunday about what else could be done to support these efforts. It would be easy to assume that their arrival is part of the raid on the Druj, were it not for the fact that the civil service had word of their travels some weeks ago, long before news of the raid reached Hercynia. They're likely to want to know what the Navarr have decided with the raid of course, but it seems that is not the only thing they want to know about.

Further Reading

• Beliefs of the Great Forest - A page combining the discoveries of the Pride Assembly and the Illarawm regarding Great Forest beliefs