386YE Winter Solstice winds of fortune

News spreads through word of mouth as fast as it does through broadsheets and posters, and is sometimes more reliable. Or at least, unreliable in more amusing ways...

Overview

Over the past three months, events have taken place which are of significance to the Empire and may require a response from her champions. These are the winds of fortune, counterparts to the winds of war which detail the Empire's military campaigns. They lay out situations, and usually include things that characters can do to take advantage of opportunities or to resolve problems. In almost every case, they start with a piece of flavour text. This fiction helps introduce the wind of fortune, or draws out a particular theme or element. Often, it represents a viewpoint that one or more NPCs might have in-character. In all cases, these pieces are intended to help create an atmosphere and provide a little entertainment. Where they contain opinions, those are the opinions of the fictional people depicted - and where they contain information or rumours the assumption is that the reader will create their own context for that information or gossip if they want to use it in character.

The body of the wind of fortune describes situations and lays out ways players can engage with them. Except where we explicitly talk about something being "rumoured" or use a phrase like "some might say..." the details of a wind of fortune are factual. They represent briefing material presented by the civil service or similar authoritative sources and represents something the average educated citizen would acknowledge as a reliable truth. Unless we specify otherwise, we're also being as thorough as possible. This information doesn't need further checking in-character. It's not opinion, and we're not trying to trick you.

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 Fortune is to maintain the illusion of the Empire as a living, breathing place where things happen - and to make players aware of things their characters could know based on what their roleplaying says they have been doing for the past three months. It's perfectly acceptable to turn up to Empire having read only a few Winds of Fortune that directly interest your character; part of the fun on the field can come from learning about situations and opportunities in other parts of the game.

In each case, we've tried to tag the Winds of Fortune entry with the nations, or political bodies, to which it is most relevant. We've done this to help people who are interested only in events that are especially relevant to them. In no way are these tags intended to be exhaustive; the Empire is a complex place and very little happens in isolation.

Winds of Fortune

I am Easy to Find

• Imperial citizens

Emperor Vesna has used their power to address the Empire to present a personal message to all Imperial citizens relating to the situation in the Barrens.

The message has been distributed across the Empire by the civil service, and you can read it in the I am easy to find wind of fortune.

Secret Meeting (Plenipotentiary)

• Archmages, Imperial Conclave; Pale Ravens, Nation's Guard, Whelps (?), Lunete de Cercle, those who believe they bear the heart of Elayne Silverlark; Churnspire Adjutor, those who bear gifts of Meraud; mana-site owners of the Marches; artists of many kinds who are privy to secrets

Six archmages, six plenipotentiary responses. The eternals are bound by ancient compact to respond in some way to each plenipotentiary missive, although sometimes they respond in unexpected ways. Three have chosen to meet with Imperial magicians, in one way or another. Three have chosen to respond in other ways. There is also a matter for the Imperial Conclave to discuss, arising from a Synod judgement at the Autumn Equinox that relates specifically to the practice of plenipotentiary.

You can find details of the meetings, and notes about the other responses, in the Secret meeting wind of fortune.

Hammers and Boxes

• Imperial Orcs, the League, Wintermark; Archmage of Autumn; Imperial Conclave, Imperial Senate; Autumn magicians and traders; General of the Wolves of War; Herminius of the House of the Wanderer, Bella Di Sarvos

Over the last three months, several emissaries of the Autumn realm have visited the Empire. Some hail from Shikal the Fire Mountain and are apparently here at the behest of the Archmage of Autumn. Others come from the City of Gold and Lead, and provide updates relating to the ritual Ephisis' Scale. They're also interested in arranging certain trades - including one relating to the enchantment on the Wolves of War.

You can learn about the proposals of Estavus, and the deals of the City of Gold and Lead, in the Hammers and boxes wind of fortune.

Gifts of a Green Mother

• Imperial Conclave; Archmage of Spring; anyone with access to the regalia of the Archmage of Spring; Spring magicians; owners of farms, forests, and mana sites; Imperial Senate, Imperial Synod; Day magicians; orcs, briars, humans interested in becoming briars; people with access to realmsroot

As mentioned previously, an emissary of the Green Mother has visted the Empire and offered a number of boons to Imperial citizens. They include an offer to secure her aid in uniting the vallorn hearts; a boon to remove malign curse over Brocéliande; the ability for Spring magicians to brew a potent magical substance in a churning cauldron; a chance for owners of farms, forests, and mana sites to receive some of the eternals largesse if they can find a coven prepared to accept her "bloodamber boon" on their behalf; additional potence for certain enchantments used on orcs and those with the briar lineage - or humans who might wish to gain that lineage; and of course several opportunities to keep tabs on people who are accepting these boons. With Yaw'nagrah under the enmity of the Conclave, it's quite illegal for anyone to accept any of her boons.

You can learn about these many opportunities and boons, and the challenges related to accepting them, in the Gifts of a green mother wind of fortune.

Send for Me (Appraisal)

• Freeborn, especially of Feroz; Imperial Senate; Keeper of the Breadbasket, Marcher farm owners

At the Autumn Equinox, the Imperial Senate requested an appraisal related to seed banks, inspired by the Upwold Seed Exchange. As no specific researcher was requested, Gerard La Salle has asked Graciana i Lòpez i Guerra to consider the matter. The Freeborn prognosticator is known for her unusual techniques and novel approaches to any problem. And deliver she has! With particular reference to ruined Feroz, Graciana has presented a number of proposals for the consideration of the Senate, and in the process has begun to assess the extent of the damage done to the territory by the wicked Grendel Governor Rahab.

You can find out about the results of the appraisal, as well as details of the situation in Feroz, in the Send for me wind of fortune.

Million Miles of Water

• Imperial Orcs, Marchers, Freeborn, League; Imperial Senate, Imperial Military Council

Like the rest of the Broken Shore, the territory of Mareave is warm and dry and much of its north is arid and thirsty. Farms struggle to grow crops or raise herds on such dry ground. This is a major barrier to growing the territory's prosperity and attracting more Imperial Orcs from distant Skarsind to establish new homes here. Marcher experts from Mitwold and Upwold and Freeborn talented in drawing prosperity and growth from barren earth have been invited to the territory on the urging of their National Assemblies to help with this matter. There are also ruins here, built in the Skouran style, including the remnants of an immense aqueduct. There are many options here, and many different ways to address the climate in the new Imperial territory.

You can learn about these various options, and the implications they might have for the larger Empire, in the Million miles of water wind of fortune.

Wasp Nest

• Navarr, Highguard; Imperial Synod; Mistress of Monuments; Benefactor of High Chalcis, High Herbalist of Sybella, Generals of the Valiant Pegasus and the Bloodcloaks; Imperial Senate; Keeper of the Garden; Hazelelponi of the Shattered Tower; apothecaries

In peerless kinship, Highborn pilgrims come to Therunin, to work with their peers among the Navarr. they seek a way to lay to rest the ghosts that throng in the east of the marshy territory, and with a little help from an injured Dawnish soldier a path is laid. But the path cannot be walked, and the living are in as much danger as the dead in Therunin right now. With their final peerless kinship, the Highborn seek ways to help heal not only the spirits of Therunin, but also the water and soil corrupted by the taint of Sephal's Cauldron - and perhaps also ways to cement closer ties between the two nations.

You can read about the suggestions that have arisen from this final use of peerless kinship, as well as the glimmer of hope for the future, in the Wasp nest wind of fortune,

Fake Empire (Appraisal)

• Imperial Senate, Imperial Military Council, Imperial Diplomats, Grandmasters, Ambassadors, and Æsa Sigeing

The second appraisal commissioned by the Imperial Senate instructs Naomi of Virtue's Rest to discover how the Empire might disrupt relations between each Grendel salt lord. She was asked to find ways to not only disrupt relations between the salt lords but also with their allies, both internal and external. Although this appraisal falls squarely within her expertise, its scope means that her response has been a little limited in application. As a consequence, the prognosticator has split her appraisal into two parts - the first is designed to provide a description of the current situation, providing an overview of the Salt Lords Council, how it is made up and how it functions. The second part of her appraisal lays out what is known about the Grendel's allies and presents some ideas for how they might be approached.

You can read about her findings, and the various suggestions she has made, in the Fake empire wind of fortune.

The General Assembly

A Little Understanding

• Imperial Synod, Imperial Senate

At the Autumn Equinox, three of the cardinals of the Imperial Synod, and a citizen who was acting as proxy to the Cardinal of Prosperity, publicly swore an oath to bear an aura of Peace for the coming year, doing nothing to resist its effects. All four were quickly condemned as heretics and blasphemers by the Assembly of Vigilance. The magistrates are now bound to conduct a trial to investigate the religious crimes these cardinals are accused of. Meanwhile, the General Assembly must wrestle with the threat of a growing schism - following so closely on the heels of the recent crisis concerning Vardas - and contemplate what it means for the Way that cardinals dabble with the power of "false virtues".

You can find out about the legal considerations, as well as the potential repercussions of various outcomes, in the A little understanding wind of fortune.

The War of Thorns and Flowers

• Highguard, the League, Varushka; Imperial Senate; Imperial Synod; Imperial Conclave; Master of the Koboldi, Master of Ice and Darkness; anyone interested in the war against the vallorn

The nations of the Empire have begun to rise to the challenge of the coming war with the vallorn. The Highborn have called the grey pilgrims home, allowing them to raise another army. The League have asked their most ambitious and innovative people to study the problem, while the Varushkans have sought to draw on dark powers to battle civilisation's most implacable enemy. Other nations still debate the shape of the future, and they are by no means united in what the best course of action may be. These three nations, though, have chosen to face their enemy and begin to draw their plans against it.

You can learn about the upheavals in the three nations that choose to support the Navarr, and how they can shape the coming war, in the The war of thorns and flowers wind of fortune.

According to Principle

• Ambassador to the Commonwealth; Imperial Senate; League Assembly; Gisli Baerson

The Commonwealth are a militaristic nation committed to the idea of ensuring the greatest good to the greatest number of people. As fellow signatories of the Liberty Pact they are perhaps the closest allies the Empire has among the great powers of the known world. At the moment they are locked in fierce battle with their historical rivals, the Principalities of Jarm, but they still take time to answer messages from Imperial allies. In this wind, there is a discussion of war, news of visitors from the Commonwealth's universities and an opportunity they present, major changes to trade with the ports of Leerdam and Volkavaar, and an intrigued response to an invitation to visit the Greatest City in the Empire.

You can learn about diplomatic matters related to the Commonwealth, and the opportunities they present, in the According to principle wind of fortune.