A fork in the path
He pulled the first stone from the bag and cast it onto the oak table. "Hirmok," he announced in a stentorian voice, though of course his apprentice recognised it immediately. "The rune of dominion."
Byric looked unconvinced. "Hardly a surprise," she said, "if anything it would be more worrying if it didn't come out."
"True enough," acknowledged her teacher, "but it's the first rune, so it's the most significant," he reminded her. He put his hand back into the bag and draw a second stone.
"Wyr" he announced with a grin on seeing his own name on the table, "the rune of mystery." This time there was silence, so he pulled a final rune from the bag and placed it next to the others. "Irremais, the rune of Wisdom..." He let it rest there for a few moments and then looked at Byric, "That seems fairly definitive to me."
The apprentice remain troubled, clearly struggling to see what Wyr saw. "I don't see how that tells us what we need to know?" she queried. "Night Singer is offering Wisdom and Mystery in exchange for Dominion, but we still don't know if we can trust them?"
The presager opened the bag wide and swept the runes from the table, smiling at his apprentice as he did so. "To read the runes right, often you have to listen to what they didn't say. Today is the third time I've drawn the runes, but we've not seen Jotra once. No Mawrig... no Kryop, or Queros. That's good - that's the draw we'd hope for if this offer is an honest one."
The apprentice nodded slowly, seeing the Wisdom of what her teacher was saying.
"But here's the really interesting thing... Three draws we've done. We've pulled Hirmok three times, each time accompanied by different runes. But where is the Hound? What does it mean that we have not once pulled Lann?"
Byric screwed up her face as she contemplated this puzzling insight. "It means... there is no bargain here? It means that the Lady of Mysteries isn't offering to bargain with us?"
"Now, you're getting it!" Wyr beamed at his young apprentice.
Overview
In recent years, the Mystics of Ishal, have sought to work more closely with the wider nation of Wintermark. They have gone abroad in the nation looking for opportunities to offer aid and rendered help where they can. At the start of the year, rather than take instruction directly from the Raven Seer, they decided to approach the Witan and ask the nation to decide what subject they should turn their attention to that season. When the decision was made to explore into the wastes north of Sermersuaq, they did all they could to support that goal.
The decision to help with the exploration of Tsirku has made it impossible for the Mystics of Ishal to offer their usual council and support to the Raven Seer - the requests sent to Ishal have languished unanswered while the mystics laboured abroad, risking the dangers of the far north. Now they have returned from the far frozen north, they are eager to set their house in order, before they venture forth again.
To that end they have made several changes to the Aviary at Ishal and to the support they offer the Raven Seer and the nation.
Dreams
- The Mystics of Ishal have not been able to provide the means for the Raven's Dream for some time now
- They require a dose of true liao to create an infusion that will allow participants to experience the Raven's Dream
The mystics of Wintermark often partake of Goosewhisper Infusion to allow them to see Signs and Portents of the future. But the most learned mystics know that the nation possesses a more powerful version of this infusion, something capable of allowing all who inhale the fumes to experience a powerful vision, one laden with symbolism and meaning. Sometimes the Mystics of Ishal would bring this infusion to Anvil to share with their brethren there, at other times they would invite the mystics to travel to Ishal via the Sentinel Gate to partake of the mysterious infusion and experience the Raven's Dream together.
Sadly, they have been unable to provide the means to create the Raven's Dream in recent years, due to the dwindling reserves of "essential ingredients". The Mystics are conscious of this shortcoming and have decided to share some of the secrets of the Raven's Dream with the nation in the hope that they might be able to solve this problem together.
The essential ingredient that the Mystics require to create the Raven's Dream is a dose of true liao. If the Raven Seer can procure a dose of true liao - and provide it to the Raven Seers of Ishal (OOC Note: hand the ribbon in and email plot@profounddecisions.co.uk), then the mystics will use it to prepare a single draught of the Raven's Dream. At the following summit, they will either bring the infusion to Anvil, to allow the Raven Seer and other mystics who wish to take part, or they will take advantage of the Sentinel Gate to invite them to partake at Ishal. Obviously, true liao is very expensive, but whenever the mystics of Wintermark can find a way to obtain a dose, then will be able to draw on the skills of Ishal to partake of the Raven's Dream.
The visions produced by the Raven's Dream are very different to those experienced by someone who consumes true liao or goosewhisper infusion on it's own. Every mystic who breathes in the infusion will usually see the same vision - at least as far as they can remember. The strange sights that the Raven's Dream reveals are no mere illusions, they contain hidden truths, albeit often hidden in symbolism. Those who have experienced it claim that the vision produced by Raven's Dream usually feels incredibly real - as far beyond that produced by Goosewhisper Infusion, as true liao is beyond the effects of normal liao.
As far as anyone knows, the ritual is almost completely safe. No one has died while experiencing the Raven's Dream in living memory.
Omens
- The Mystics of Ishal are no longer able to support the Parliament of Owls
- They will instead, make their unique skills available to the Witan, as and when they can
- Wintermark will be able to use the Witan to ask the Mystics to appraise one issue at the coming Winter Solstice next year
- Whatever problem the Witan chooses must be a challenge facing Wintermark and must be one the Mystics have not appraised before
In years past, the Mystics of Ishal have hosted the Parliament of Owls, a ritual codified centuries ago that allows the Raven Seer to send a question to the Aviary at Ishal. While the Mystics dwelled there, they were able to study the omens and share what knowledge they learned with the Raven Seer. In recent years, they believe that their part in the exploration of Tsirku has demonstrated the wisdom of working with the whole nation through the Witan, rather than studying omens to provide a single cryptic answer to the Raven Seer's request
As a result they have abandoned their previous support for the Parliament of Owls. It will no longer be possible for the Raven Seer to employ the Parliament of Owls to send a message to Ishal. The Mystics have spoken with a representative of Eater of Silence on the matter and agreed with the Loqacious One that the ritual's assurance is no longer valid. As a result it is not possible to cast Parliament of Owls any longer.
In its place, the mystics plan to appeal to the Witan, just as they did last Winter, to choose a single topic for them to appraise whenever they are able. The mystics will work with the runesmiths and icewalkers to find out everything they can about the subject and then present their findings to the whole nation at subsequent summits.
The mystics have limited resources and cannot help the nation appraise something more than once a year at most. Even now they are preparing for the next attempt, planning to offer their services to the Witan at the Winter Solstice. When that summit arrives, the mystics will ask Wilda who is Sulkavaris, Knower of Names, to call a Witan, just as they did last time. Wise Wintermarkers will use the time before then to prepare for the Witan - if they wish to ensure their topic is the one that is chosen.
A skein can only ever be traversed in one direction - you can only go forwards through life, never back. To the eye of the mystics, the Witan is much the same - so the Mystics of Ishal place only two restrictions on the subject that they will look into - the problem must be one that is relevant to Wintermark and it must be one that they have not addressed before. There is likely years of work to be done before all of Tsirku is explored, but that role now falls to others, the Mystics of Ishal have played their part and will not return to this subject again.
Crowns
- The mystics of Wintermark have traditionally crowned the Champion of Wintermark with the Crown of Three Tears
- The omens predict disaster if a new Champion is appointed before Wemba the Bloody and Kaarina White-Eye are dealt with
- Once Agramant's catspaws are dealt with, Ishal urges the mystics of the nation to resume their traditional role
The ancient Crown of Three Tears was once the official regalia of the the Wintermark kings and queens. King Alof Bearning was the last monarch of Wintermark, he put aside the crown to pledge his cause to the First Empress, joining the powerful military nation of Wintermark with the nascent Empire. Since that day, the Crown has been used to identify a worthy champion of Wintermark, someone whose demeanour and Virtue marks them out as a true hero. Sadly too many champions lives were cut short, allegedly the result of a terrible doom that befalls whoever stands for Wintermark.
Many previous champions have been doughty warriors, but not all - there have been plenty of heroic runesmiths, scops, grimnir and mediators and others in the past. According to legend there has only ever been one maggot who wore the crown, Aino White-Eyes Lumisdottir, and the stories disagree on whether she was granted the crown or merely stole it...
Not everyone agrees that the Crown is the right symbol of Wintermark. There are those who believe a more modern relic like Guntherm's warbanner, Foe-Slayer, might better serve the nation. There are runesmiths who dispute the story of the Crown's creation, claiming the doom it bears is a result of the role it played in the downfall of the trolls. Regardless of the merits of these arguments, what is not in doubt is that the Crown represents a clear risk to the nation. Barely a decade ago, the Thule captured the symbol of the nation and used fell magic on it to try and split the three people apart. The Howler is known to be obsessed with the Crown and has tried in the past to steal it and to suborn the wearer. For better, and for worse, the Crown of Three Tears is linked to the spirit of the nation.
According to the Mystics of Ishal, the omens and portents indicate terrible woe for the nation should a new champion be chosen before Wemba the Bloody and Kaarina White-Eye are dealt with. These traitors are servants of The Hunter in the Wastes, which is surely not a coincidence, given that eternals fell interest in the Crown. The egregores have trusted the Crown to safekeeping until the nation is in a position to decide what to do with it again.
If Wintermark decides to crown a new Champion once Agramant's wicked servants are slain, then the people of Ishal are determined that the nation's mystics should resume their traditional role of selecting who should be crowned. In recent times the Champion has been chosen in a very ad hoc way, a consequence of the Crown being lost for many years. The Mystics of Ishal plan to restore the old traditions, and combine them with the Witan to ensure that they choose a Champion who will serve the whole nation.
To that end they will publish the full list of names of the mystics attending Anvil the next time the nation calls on them to choose a Champion. In such a way they hope to place the process of choosing who will wear the Crown of Three Tears beyond reproach.
Champions
Choosing a Cause
Choosing a cause is an opportunity for Wintermark to push forward the plot in an area that the nation cares about. A cause should be something discrete and achievable - taking all of Sermersuaq back from the Thule is fine, it is something characters might commit to as a short or medium-term goal. Killing all the Thule or taking all their lands it not because it is so vast that no player could ever hope to achieve it in the space of a two or three years. Slaying Agramant's servants in Tsirku is a great cause; killing Agramant is not. The ideal cause is something powerful and inspiring that the nation can rally behind and heroes can make sacrifices to achieve it over the coming events.
Choosing a Champion
The Champion of Wintermark is chosen by the nation's mystics. Characters who want to be the Champion will need to seek out a mystic to speak for them in the meeting. The choice is intended to capture some of the mysticism of mythic stories in which Merlin-like figures find King Arthur - mystics are encouraged to use Goosewhisper Infusions when making their choice and to play up the importance of any signs and portents as they relate to the matter at hand. It is the role of any scops present to speak to someone's Virtues and to answer questions about their nature and their heroism.
- The Champion of Wintermark must serve a cause important to the nation, that is chosen by the Witan
- The mystics will chose who among the nation will champion the cause and crown them accordingly
- The Champion serves until the quest is complete or until they have done all that they can in pursuit of the cause
The purpose of the Champion of Wintermark is to embody heroism in service to the nation. A true hero is not a glory-hound who seeks the limelight, they inspire others, rallying them to their cause as they work to achieve something important. They don't have to take the battlefield, but they do have to take the lead, heroically sacrificing their own ambitions to advance Wintermark's cause.
When it is time to select the Champion, the egregore will announce a Witan, to allow the nation to choose the single cause that is most important for the nation. Whatever issue is selected, the Mystics of Ishal will rally the other magical traditions of Wintermark behind the undertaking to carry out an appraisal to look for any opportunities to advance the cause.
Once the Witan has chosen, the mystics of Wintermark will gather together to select someone to champion the cause. Everyone at Anvil who is a mystic will be entitled to attend the meeting (that is anyone with the mystic archetype). They will be able to speak and to cast their vote to determine who will bear the crown. Anyone who is a candidate may not attend - even if they are a mystic - it is not seemly for someone to boast of their own deeds. Those who seek to bear the crown will need to find a mystic to put the case for them. Scops are welcome to attend the meeting - they may not vote nor speak unless asked to do so, but it is frowned on for mystics to decry the words of another mystic. The scops are there to speak of someone's name and deeds if asked, to answer for their heroism and all that they might accomplish. Scops are not obliged to attend of course, any more than mystics are, but any scop or mystic who has a care to do so is welcome.
Once the mystics have selected a Champion they will be crowned at the first opportunity. The Champion of Wintermark is not an Imperial title and so anyone can hold the position. In theory it wouldn't even need to be a Wintermarker who was chosen, but doing so might well bring the entire role of the Champion into question. A citizen who holds an existing title can be Champion, but wise mystics consider the fact that the Crown is doomed - usually that doom means a short but fateful life for the Champion but a doom is not a curse, it doesn't follow the rules of magic, it doesn't lie where it falls. A doom follows someone wherever they go - if the Senator for Hahnmark becomes the Champion, they risk that doom falling on the territory, even if they never put the actual Crown on their head.
Once the Champion is chosen, they serve until they have completed the quest or they have given it their all. There is no shame in handing the Crown back - a hero knows when they have played their part and it is time for another to take up the load. The Champion is expected to devote themselves to the cause, not to the exclusion of all other things, but part of their role is as a figurehead to unit the nation behind them. Other Wintermarkers are more likely to defer to the Champion on matters to do with the cause the Witan named, and make an effort to ensure they are included in counsels where the matter is discussed. Young Wintermarkers who are looking to make a name for themselves may seek the Champion out, looking to offer what aid they can, so that they too can become a hero. All of this requires the wearer of the Crown to be active in pursuit of the cause they have pledged to champion.
To ensure that happens, the mystics will ask whoever is chosen to swear a public oath in front of the Keeper of Oaths, so that it can be recorded for all to see. The Keeper can make a record of the promise made and let the world know, for the more public an oath is, the more people who hear it, the more potent the hearth magic associated with it becomes.
Mysteries
- The Raven Seer asked the mystics to seek opportunities for Wintermark to fight the threat in the Gullet or protect their coasts from it
- Sung has offered to enfold the Aviary at Ishal if the Archmage of Night formerly requests it
The latest Raven Seer has sent two messages to the Mystics of Ishal, the first asks for opportunities to help the Seers of Ishal with their divinations in Tsirku. The Mystics have bent all their efforts to that endeavour, following the decision of the Witan to name that as a cause important to the nation - there is nothing more that they can do in that regard. This season the Raven Seer informed the Mystics that the nation is threatened by enemies beyond their reach and asked for help to reach them in the Gullet or further protect the coasts. "Who or what might aid us?" the Raven Seer asked.
There are currently two threats posed by the Gullet, that anyone is aware of. The first is the Jotun, who appear to have called up allies from Fjorknae who have the ability to sail into the Gullet and attack the lands that adjoin it. The other problem is the strange coral-encrusted creatures rising from the murky depths of the Gullet to drag the unwary beneath the waves. In both cases Kallavesa is threatened - if the Jotun come overland then they will attack Sermersuaq, but any threat that comes from the Gullet endagers Kallavesa first and foremost.
| Plenipotentiary |
| Eternal: Sung |
| Request: Enfold the Aviary at Ishal |
| Availability: Until the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE |
Effects:
|
| Crystal Fire | |
| 7 Iridescent Gloaming | 2 crystal fire |
| 17 Iridescent Gloaming | 5 crystal fire |
| 27 Iridescent Gloaming | 8 crystal fire |
| 37 Iridescent Gloaming | 10 crystal fire |
Last time Ishal was asked to look into the omens for the defence of Kallavesa they presented three ways that the nation could armour the borders of Kallavesa by drawing on the magic of the Night realm. Those opportunities have passed now, but the mystics have spoken with heralds of two eternals who have both offered aid.
Rook's Feather is the patron of a powerful defensive ritual, Dripping Echoes of the Fen and he has repeatedly gone out of his way to protect magicians from harm in the past. The Toad-King aims to be a friend of all wizards, and enjoys a friendship with the nation's icewalkers in particular. When approached by the Mystics of Ishal he is enthusiastic about the prospect of helping his friends in Wintermark and ensuring their lands are protected from the Jotun and other threats. After discussion with the mystics he offers a proposal of his own to help defend the marshes.
The Lady of Mysteries offers something different - a way for the Raven Seer to embrace the aid that Feather on the Breeze offers. If the Archmage of Night uses a plenipotentiary to ask the eternal to "enfold the Aviary at Ishal", then Sung will be granted dominion over the Aviary. That would mean that the Lady of Mysteries can use the full remit of their powers on the Aviary and their servants can enter and leave freely the nearby regio.
In effect, the Aviary will become a fane, but with the Raven Seer taking responsibility for it. The presence of heralds at the Aviary would allow the Raven Seer to purchase crystal fire in exchange for iridescent gloaming. In addition Sung would provide the Raven Seer with one of their feathers each season.
It is impossible to know what might happen beyond this, but when the Chamber of Euphony was built in Apulian, Night Singer appears to have intervened to protect the City from the Whisper Gallery in some way. What is more they chose to favour the the citizen appointed to protect the fane in ways that may help them protect the City if it were threatened in the future.
Might they not do the same here? It is impossible to know precisely what might happen, not least because the eternal is the Lady of Mysteries after-all. There are clear risks involved in granting any eternal dominion over something, but all the Mystics of Ishal agree that all the omens regarding this are auspicious and . Whatever the dangers are, there is no hint of deception or betrayal in Night Singer's offer.