The poisoned air

I am the words and the voice
I am the paper and pen
I am the light and the mirror
I am the essence and its cession
What is true is what is written
And what is written is true

Mantra of the Scribes of Atonaius, a Sect who were lost to Druj assassins investigating the miasma pillar of Kroll

The miasma in Sarangrave hangs thickly over the land.

Overview

For the first time in recorded history, no part of the dominion of the Druj holds sway over the Sarangrave. Their armies are beaten, their defences smashed, their fortresses have fallen. In their wake they have left behind a land poisoned and cursed by a thousand years of cruelty. The Imperial Senate have seen fit to grant this land to the Urizen. Where the Druj blanketed the land in darkness, the Urizen will bring light.

Eager to begin the arduous task of moulding it to their utopic designs, the nation asked their seers to seek out the truth of the miasma pillars that blight the territory. The Druj may be fleeing, but this vile remnant endures, the horror that is their pernicious legacy. Eager to play their role despite the dangers, the seers have fanned out across the territory in search of everything they can find.

While most have returned, some have not, lost to the malice of the Druj and the terrible dangers of the Empire's newest territory. Despite the losses, the seers of Urizen have risen to the task and played their role. What they have seen and experienced has left them scarred: many of the survivors have forsworn ever returning to the accursed land. Those who once dwelled in Spiral compare it to living in their former home when the Black Plateau was at its worst. The National Assembly will need to draw on others in the future.

Seers of the Spires! We call on your expertise. The crushing dread of the miasma in the Sarangrave inhibits virtuous action and impedes our aspirations in the territory. Use your arete to locate the pillars that anchor this miasma, and send this information to those most able to leverage it.

Solas of the Spire of the Waxing Sun, Urizen National Assembly, Winter 388YE, Vote: 250-10

Reason

Much of what the Empire already knows about miasma pillars was learned in the campaigns in Zenith and Ossium. Many of these, especially the ones in Ossium, were hastily erected affairs, wrought quickly and presumably cheaply.

The pillars of the Sarangrave are a different matter entirely; ancient, powerful, well-protected. It is clear that the Druj invested heavily in these pillars, determined to ensure they lasted. Deeply rooted in their ecosystem, they have warped and changed the world around them. Whole generations of flora and fauna have had to adapt and grow under the oppressive weight of the miasma. To the invading forces, the miasma hits like a thick wall which suffocates and succumbs even those of strongest will; yet the natives of Sarangrave were born drowning - it is all they have ever known. No piece of infrastructure, no building, no statue, nor even what little artwork exists can express the feelings of hope or joy: elation is a foreign language to the people of this land.

One of the seers points out what may be the most awful truth of all. The Druj have ways to armour themselves against the worst effects of the miasma on battlefields, but they're not completely immune to the effects. They have the strength to resist the dolour, but they still experience it. The price they willingly chose to inflict this horror on everyone they ruled was to be forced to live in squalor themselves. It is hard to fathom what possible reason they could have to choose this fate.

Magic (Participation)

• Any Urizeni with a resource in the Sarangrave may be affected by the miasma whenever they cast magic

Most of the experience the Empire has with the miasma pillars has been focussed on destroying them. While the seers assume that is the ultimate objective here, if that was all the nation required, they would presumably have sent in the sentinels. The seers believe they were chosen because of their unrivalled mastery of divination - their goal is to find out everything they can about the pillars and allow others to cut them down.

Interacting with a miasma pillar is dangerous, and miserable, in equal measures. The things radiate an almost physical pall of dread and despair that infests everything around it. People who have encountered the miasma described it as “clawing at the spirit”, “slowly grinding away every positive emotion”, and “threatening to undermine every virtuous thought”.

Now that the Urizeni are beginning to settle here, the miasma is already beginning to affect them. The poison that washes off the pillars leeches into the the leylines of the territory and is starting to poison the magic of the first wave of settlers. Any Urizeni with their personal resource in the Sarangrave may experience the following effect whenever they cast ritual magic, and for a short period after. The effect is especially pronounced if that resource is a mana site:

• Spring - You feel as though there is a great predator stalking you, just beyond your vision. The best way to make yourself safe is to lash out at anyone who comes near you so that they keep their distance.
• Summer - You feel as though those around you are judging you and finding you lacking; you feel the urge to challenge them to prove your worth.
• Autumn - You feel as though others are trying to take advantage of you, manipulating you to their advantage and your detriment. You feel the urge to dominate those you treat with until they have no room to manoeuvre against you.
• Winter - You sense that those around you are plotting your downfall; you feel the urge to prepare to strike back, before they can act against you.
• Day - You feel as though you are missing some vital piece of information, and that until you can figure out what it is, you will never be able to achieve your goals.
• Night - You sense that things are not quite as they seem; it feels like people are hiding things from you no matter what they say.

Changelings may overcome any of these effects by taking advantage of their lineage boon, as can anyone in the normal way via anointing, spending a hero point, or using some other appropriate source of spiritual strength.

These effects are only going to grow worse the longer the Urizeni live there. At the moment, the superior will of the Urizeni people is allowing them to push back, not to ignore the effects the miasma brings on when they use magic, but to fight back against them. That will not last - even the masters of poise cannot endure this misery forever. If left unchecked, the pillars will eventually begin to make the Urizeni living here feel helpless, vulnerable, powerless, and weak. Nobody knows how long that will take, possibly years, maybe generations, but the nation must fight back now, while they can still wield magic effectively.

Ambition

The seers have been studying these effects and they warn that if the pillars are not destroyed, then the effects will steadily get worse. Having studied the pillars, the seers have discovered that their primary purpose is not to defend the land against Imperial assault, but to break the will of the people who live under the Druj. The miasma is designed to break the will of the people who experience it; it uses fear as a weapon to invoke feelings of despair and hopelessness. It doesn't simply affect individuals; it targets groups, septs, nations - attacking their collective sense of identity and purpose.

The pillars are not attacking magic, they're attacking the Urizeni's sense of themselves as masters of magic. The thing that makes the magicians of the High Peaks the greatest magicians in the world, the three pillars of Urizeni society, ambition, reason, and magic, are the very things the miasma uses to attack them. If there were Marchers living here, they would be wrestling with an ever-growing fear that their crops would fail, that the things they took Pride in were worthless, and that those on whose Loyalty they relied would fail them.

The pillars are the perfect embodiment of the evil of the Druj. They are deliberately built to poison the souls of the people the Druj have conquered. They sap their spirit and crush their will. They render people passive and pliant and unresisting. They dissolve the bonds of unity between people and the unwashed masses that endure are stripped of their individuality. Some Urizeni have spent a thousand years trying to find a way to make ushabti able to think and act like people. The Druj spent that time trying to make people think and act like ushabti.

As one seer comments, the Empire sometimes wrestles with their conscience and asks, "are we evil"? Compared to the Druj, the Empire are new-born children. Their entire society is built on evil, built to perpetuate an unimaginable evil. An evil they embraced themselves, because it was the only way they could think of to hold on to power. In the words of the fallen seer, Belisar of the Scribes of Atonaius - "When the Empire have the opportunity, we build great works, when the Druj have the opportunity they build miasma pillars." It's evil on such a breath-taking scale, you almost have to respect the Ambition of it. Almost.

"Where there is darkness, we will make light."

Geography

• The seers have tried to identify the single most important pillar in each region
• Destroying a pillar will cause the miasma in that region to dissipate
• There are several conjunctions that will allow the Empire to act now to try to destroy a pillar
• These pillars require Dreadful Ending or a rank 15 consecration to destroy
• The only current alternative would be for an Imperial army to spend a season here to destroy one of these pillars while Bound by Common Cause

There are numerous pillars spread out across the territory, each designed to reinforce each other, especially when they are in close proximity. In this case removing the power of a single pillar often fails - all the nearby pillars need to be deactivated simultaneously. Rather than waste time identifying ever pillar, or trying to start with the simplest least well-defended pillars, the Seers have settled on the opposite approach. They've used the Net of the Heavens to identify the biggest, most important pillar in each region. The keystone - the central node.

Of course these are among some of the best-defended and the most difficult to destroy. But taking them out will remove the miasma from the region in a single stroke. It will weeks to fade, but fade it will. There may be individual smaller pillars that need to be destroyed, such is the way of things, but their effects will be small and localised and they can dealt with when they are discovered. The Net of the Heavens demands the seers identify the pivotal nodes, the pillars on which the whole network depends.

There are (unsurprisingly) none in Bendol; the one in the Whisperwood was already removed; one in Turan; and two each in Thornfen, Bloodwater Marsh, and Kroll. The seers believe that there is one in Nesustak forest, but they were not permitted access to locate it by the former Druj subjects. Unfortunately the seers with the information on one of the Pillars in Bloodwater Marsh have been captured, but there may yet be a chance to rescue them.

There have been conjunctions identified to potentially deal with the others. If this attempt fails, then any Imperial army enchanted with Bound by Common Cause, or which was devoted could take a heroic stand to destroy a single identified pillar as long as they were not otherwise involved in a campaign that season.

These pillars that the seers have identified are the strongest and the oldest pillars in the territory. Ancient and too deep rooted, they are well-connected to pillars across the region, which makes it impossible to destroy them with Chimes of Annulment. Each will need to be destroyed utterly and overwhelmingly by either a casting of Dreadful Ending or a rank 15 consecration ceremony.

Strangle

• This expedition to Thornfen will need to cut their way through the foliage with axes
• This encounter is a combat unlikely encounter
• The Gardener of Pallas is responsible for destroying the miasma pillar

In the deepest, darkest part of the woods of Thornfen lies a Miasma pillar overgrown with trees, weeds and vines. The malignance of the pillar has leaked into the ground and granted the flora an almost semi-sentience that encourages it to wrap itself around unwary interlopers and slowly strangle them to death. Indeed, two Seers lost their lives before the true danger was uncovered. They have managed to confirm that there is no spring magic here, this is no vallorn, it is decades if not centuries of the land being poisoned by the nature of the Miasma Pillar.

Imperial heroes will need to take some who are strong of arm wielding axes or similar weapons to cut through the overgrown foliage to make a path and keep the grasping vines at bay while the pillar itself is destroyed. If the pillar is not destroyed within twenty-five minutes of entering the area, anyone who has not fled will be completely overwhelmed, trapped, and perish.

The Gardener of Pallas, Arephanes of Tropaion Citadel is tasked with taking charge of this dangerous expedition. They will need to destroy the pillar with Dreadful Ending or a rank 15 consecration once they have dealt with the malignant foliage surrounding it.

Suffocate

• An expedition will need to purge the poison from the cauldron in Bloodwater Marsh
• This is a combat unlikely encounter
• Anyone entering the area will be affected by VENOM, which cannot be removed until the poison is neutralised, or they leave the area
• The Guild Leader of the Apothecaries is responsible for destroying the miasma pillar

Where natural defences do not come about, the Druj are more than happy to invent their own. The Miasma pillar in Bloodwater Marsh is enveloped in a thick cloud of toxins so deadly that a single inhalation can be fatal. Fortunately, the Druj had to leave in such a hurry that they have left their cauldron behind, and the Seers have spent hours working flat out to understand exactly how the cauldron works. As a result of their efforts, they have carefully prepared a guide to negate its effects so that the pillar can be destroyed.

The following steps must be completed in order in order to neutralise the fumes:

• The cauldron must be taste-tested to identify which deadly poison sits as a layer on top, then the antidote prepared and poured in. Whoever taste-tests will presumably also need a dose of the antidote.
• The concoction will then start emitting a scent which will be one of the six standard potions that allow magicians to substitute personal mana for crystal mana. Which one it is will need to be identified and matched to reduce the liquid to a paste.
• This paste will take the form of a Salve. The only way to extract it will be for someone to stick their arm in to absorb whatever effects it has. It should be one known to Imperial apothecaries however.
• What remains should be weak enough to be destroyed by mixing in a single dose of beggar's lye. After a few seconds, the fumes around the pillar should change from deadly green to (relatively) safe white and allow the rest of the team to get close enough to destroy it.

It is important to note that those who go will need to neutralise the concoction or leave before 15 minutes has passed, otherwise they will have inhaled too much of the noxious poison and will become terminal when they leave the area.

Whoever is appointed as the Guild Leader of the Imperial Apothecaries at the upcoming summit is tasked with arranging a group who can deal with the cauldron. The pillar will need to be destroyed with either Dreadful Ending or a rank 15 consecration once the poison of the cauldron is neutralised.

Scream

• An expedition will need to dealt with an anguished ghost guarding a pillar in Thornfen
• The ghost repels everyone who tries to draw close enough to exorcise it
• This is a combat unlikely encounter
• The High Exorcist is responsible for ensuring the ghost is dealt with

The seers were not able to approach the other pillar in Thornfen due to a powerful ghost that seems to be anchored to the area. Whenever anyone gets too close they are driven back are driven back by the screams of the apparition. This wall of anguish makes it impossible to get close enough to exorcise the ghost. This seems to be an intentional feature by the Druj, who seem to have marked out a perimeter of the ghost's power, beyond which it is safe to approach. There are a number of items in the area that detect magic confirms could be investigated with Day magic; it was too difficult for the seers to perform the ritual but they recommend this course first.

The High Exorcist, Belial De Courtenay-Wyldrose, is tasked with arranging a team to investigate and deal with the ghost. Once the ghost is removed, the pillar will need to be destroyed with Dreadful Ending or a rank 15 consecration.

Against the Kallad

Unfortunately, two elite bands of Druj Kallad have remained behind to defend the miasma pillars and stymie Imperial efforts to remove their taint from the land. Over a dozen seers sent to investigate Turan and Kroll did not return, presumably captured and murdered (or worse) by these murderous servants of the Buruk-Tepel.

These pillars are less powerful and can be destroyed with Chimes of Annulment, Dreadful Ending, or a rank 15 consecration ceremony.

Kaela's Gift
Secured through a bargain with the Winter Archmage, the gift allows any Imperial citizen in the hands of the Druj to choose to die painlessly. No corpse remains for the Druj to defile, to impale, or to use to taunt the living - the body turns to dust and ashes. This gift extends across the entire eastern Empire, into the Mallum, Brocéliande, and Therunin.

The gift allows any Imperial citizens fighting in the vallorn miasma to choose death and dissolution before their bodies could be infested with the vallorn's sick version of immortality.

OOC Note: Using the gift requires thirty seconds of appropriate roleplaying. This ability may be used by player characters captured by the Druj during an event or who is dying in an area of vallorn miasma; if you do so you should ensure that you mark your character as dead as soon as you can so that your egregore is aware of your death. There is, however, one drawback to this, as Imperial magicians may soon discover: anyone who takes advantage of this ability cannot be contacted with Whispers through the Black Gate.

This ability is an exception to the normal rules on using abilities while terminal; a terminal character can use this ability if they are captured by the Druj or fallen in vallorn miasma.

Desecrators of the Wasteland

Content Warning
This encounter will contain depictions of torture. This is integral to the encounter and we would recommend players exercise caution if they are not comfortable experiencing this.

• A band of Kallad are leading a group of Druj guarding a miasma pillar in Turan Flats
• A Druj Winter coven are attempting to curse Sarangrave with Winter's Ghosts
• This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
• The Keeper of the Tower of the Fall is responsible for destroying the miasma pillar and stopping the ritual
• This conjunction is against barbarians; magistrates advise that lethal force is fully justified

The pillar in Turan appears to be guarded by the Kull, banner of Kallad who bargain with the less reputable denizens of the Winter realm, and even the Dread Maw itself. It is they who that corrupted the Tower of the Fall to unleash the Endless Stalker as the Druj retreated from Zenith.

Given this connection, it is the responsibility of the Keeper of the Tower of the Fall, Sabine, to arrange a force to drive them out and destroy the pillar. The Kull are in league with a Winter coven of ghulai, who are attempting to make use of a Winter regio - the Culling Stone - to curse the territory before they withdraw, as repayment for a favour owed to the Kull.

The pillar can be destroyed with Chimes of Annulment, Dreadful Ending, or a rank 15 consecration ceremony.

Assassins of the Forest

• A band of Kallad are leading a group of Druj guarding a pair of miasma pillars in Thornfen
• This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
• The Knight-protector of Spring is responsible for destroying the two miasma pillars
• This conjunction is against barbarians; magistrates advise that lethal force is fully justified

While the great beast of the lake remains absent, a banner of Kallad called the Kri remain to guard two of the miasma pillars of Thornfen against those who would seek to remove the last of the Druj influence from the territory. Supported by skilled practitioners of the realm of Spring, who are favoured by Arhallogen and employ both the magic of the realm and their own specially brewed poisons to bring swift or slow deaths to their enemies as pleases them.

As there are two of them in tandem, it is possible to use the ritual Chimes of Annulment to create a link between the pillars and destroy them. Given the link between the Kri and the Spring realm, it is the responsibility of the Knight-protector of Spring, Clint Leohart De Licorne to face this threat.

The pillars can be destroyed with Chimes of Annulment, Dreadful Ending, or a rank 15 consecration ceremony.

The Miasma

• All of these encounters take place under the effect of the Druj miasma
• The miasma causes WEAKNESS to everyone exposed to it unless they have a way to overcome it

All conjunctions on this wind of fortune lead to locations under the the effect of the Druj miasma. Anyone entering the area will need to protect themselves from the clawing dread or succumb to a weakening terror that creeps into their mind.

The primary effect of the miasma is that it weakens anyone exposed to it who does not have the ability to overcome it. The easiest method to overcome the miasma is to receive an anointing, but particularly heroic individuals, or those in possession of certain enchantments or magic items may also be able to counteract the effect. In particular, those of the changeling lineage are able to fight the effects of the miasma, by only by becoming extremely angry - which can cause problems all its own.