Push for victory

Cousins,

We stand on the precipice of completing our work in the Sarangrave. Already our heads turn to settling and building up the lands we have won there.

The Druj wither in our grip. The final throes of a dying regime. All that remains is to keep the boot on their necks, to keep the momentum we have won. They know the truth as well as we do. We are inevitable. It will not be today, it will not be tomorrow, but in the coming months, our day will come.

This is only possible through further militarisation. Progress is only possible through growth.

To that end, I am proud to announce the completion of the second army raised by my hand. These armies keep my promises to you. The Lions of Adelmar are my heart in the East, realising my Ambition to reap destruction on the Druj. This League army is my hand in the West, answering my oath to leave no Imperial hearth undefended.

The West needs forces to guard their homes. Not in a year, not soon. Now. I have been able to fund this army two seasons early to meet that need. The Jotun will see that we fight for what is ours from Bregasland to Sermersuaq to Tassato.

I promised not to leave the West undefended in our push for victory against the Druj. I keep my oaths.

The glory is not all mine to claim. The people of Navarr have acted in incredible prosperity. The Senate did not elect to give Navarr public funding. Navarr currently does not have any national bourse seats. This army was funded with boot leather and the prosperity of individual citizens. They faced every challenge and met it head on.

This work is nothing short of exemplary. There are those with much more who have done much less.

The work continues. We can build more armies in the Marches, Navarr, Wintermark and Varushka. And we will.

The Empire is the largest it has ever been. We are waging the greatest war our Empire has ever seen with the greatest military force we have ever built.

The stars say that the age of resurgence is over. The stars are not my master. We decide what our future holds. Victory is our choice, it belongs to us.

This season I would like to commend:
Herminius of the House of the Wanderer, without whom expediting the third League Army would not have been possible.
Jack Ashton of the Tusks and Tager ‘Defender of the Fallen’ Tyrshalt of the Bloodcloaks for their impressive military strategy in the West.
The Brokers of Navarr for their work in funding the third Navarr army.
The brave Imperial Heroes who prevented the riling of the Vallorn in Eastring. In particular the Vallornguard and Ser Rhydian de Rondell who led and funded the skirmish respectively.
Ematius Ankarien for his years of exceptional service as Archmage of Winter.

Inextricable. Indefatigable. Inevitable.
Emperor Vesna
Empress of the Hearth, Crowned in Thunder.

Overview

The Throne has the power to nominate a single Imperial citizen who can deliver a message to the people of the Empire at each summit. Emperor Vesna has used their power to address the Empire, sending a message to all Imperial citizens.

The civil service ensure the message is heard by citizens across the Empire and beyond. The impassioned speech, calls on citizens to rally in suppport of the Empire's military as they seek to break the strength of the Druj once and for all. Only the very coldest hearts fail to stir to the Throne's moving oratory. Could it be true? After centuries of war, does the Empire finally stand at the threshold of an almost unimaginable victory? There are precious few who do not want to believe.

In truth, it is not simply Emperor Vesna's indefatigable suasion that is causing citizens to rally to the cause. There is a tension in the air - everyone can feel it. The stars have all aligned... as if a new page of history was being turned. Magicians across the Empire argue about what any of it means. Is this moment portentous because of the grand conjunction, or have the stars simply chimed out the hour? On one thing they do agree - this momentous hour is laden with peril. The greater the opportunity, the greater the danger. The pages of the future are written not by fate, but by mortal hands.

All the more reason, people say, to take up arms and push for victory. And push they do.

See That We Fight

A corsair has presented a daring plan to take advantage of the turmoil in the lands of the Druj
The plan would see Freeborn fleets use the established smugglers cove in the Salt Flats of Sanath to free as many slaves as possible
If the raid happens then the existence of the cove would be exposed to the the Druj who would immediately destroy it
The Imperial Spymaster can announce that the attack should go ahead as part of their announcement in the Senate

Inspired by the recent efforts to map the eastern sea, Aracely i Bejarano i Erigo has spotted an opportunity to make use of the smugglers cove to undermine the Druj rule in Sanath. Aracely, corsair and veteran of the raids on both Chalonsio and Rachensgrab, has her eyes on Leen. Leen, specifically Leen Rarckan, is home to thousands of slaves toiling under the malign cruelty of the Druj. Aracely is looking to gather support among the various Corsair familes to try and pull off a daring raid to free as many of them as possible.

The plan is not without cost; if the raid goes ahead, then those who maintain the smugglers cove in the Salt Flats of Sanath will have to abandon any hope of remaining hidden. If all goes to plan, the Freeborn can take the Druj by surprise, but as soon as the dust settles, the Druj will be on them like rats on a pie. The corsairs will evacuate everyone from the cove with them when they go, get them out before the Druj inevitably discover it, and tear it down. Because the plan guarantees the destruction of Imperial property, it will need the Imperial Spymaster to announce that the Smuggler's Cove is being decommissioned. There will be no charge if that happens - the Druj will take care of destroying the structure - after the Freeborn take what they can from territory.

If the attack is sanctioned, then fleets from the Brass Coast will be able to take part in the Raid Leen - Rescue Slaves voyage following the Spring Equinox 388YE. A standard fleet taking this raiding voyage will receive six random herbs and four random resources. A fleet that is enchanted or upgraded receives more, and may also acquire some Druj Potions as part of their loot, usually representing a captured potion or two useful to warriors.

Rahmah i Darwisj i Erigo, Imperial Spymaster

Rescued slaves that are former Imperials from the eastern nations or their descendants can return home. With the help of the Proffered Hand network, they will either be welcomed back to their nations or find space in Navarr where they can be helped to find their place in the Great Dance. Of course, where the rest of the rescued slaves should go is a separate question entirely. There could be hundreds, potentially even thousands, of liberated slaves to house, feed, and support in the coming season if the raid is as successful as Aracely hopes.

Each standard fleet assigned adds 100 strength to the opportunity. The voyage is a raiding action, so any ritual that benefits a raid will help. If the raiders achieve at least five thousand strength in total, then the raid will be a success and the corsairs and their allies will free hundreds of slaves, mostly former Imperials, from the clutches of the Druj. If there is less than a thousand, then the raid will be botched; few if any slaves will be freed, and the raiders will be lucky to get away with their lives.

If enough fleets support the raid to achieve seven and a half thousand strength or more, then the attack will be a triumph, and those freed will also include scores and scores of individuals who have never been part of the Empire. That will be a problem, of course, but surely a better problem than leaving them languishing in Druj chains, says Aracely? Whatever happens, the raid won't impact the Druj's ability to fight the Empire, Aracely's conceives of this raid as a symbolic gesture, one that will demonstrate Imperial commitment to doing the right thing and hopefully set the tone for freeing the rest of the Mallum.

Six months ago, however, the Freeborn national assembly upheld a judgement warning their people to beware the false virtue of Anarchy (also known as Freedom). In the past, raids such as this have seen those involved - no matter how virtuous their intent - come away with some form of spontaneous aura. Many of those auras have had overtones of Anarchy. While the assembly resolutely did not uphold a mandate raised last season that would encourage the Freeborn to reject Anarchy, some cautious voices question whether now is the right time to take such potentially precipitous action.

My Hand in the West

The staff at the Barossa School of Imperial Strategy are eager to support the logistics of an Imperial army
A Senate motion could draw on the expertise to change the quality of a single army, changing its quality to fast
Changing an army's quality in this way would cost 10 wains of mithril
It is not possible to change the quality of the Argent Sword in this manner
This opportunity is available until the end of the Autumn Equinox 388YE

The League is readying itself for the third army to finish mustering in Tassato. If nothing changes, the general will be available for appointment at the Autumn Equinox 388YE. Inspired by the army having been fully funded, and its place as the western hand of Emperor Vesna, the staff at the Barossa School of Imperial Strategy have worked with Delphysius, Polemarch of Strategy (a herald of Zakalwe) to make an offer to the Senate.

As Emperor Vesna points out, "The Empire is the largest it has ever been". That creates strategic problems for the Military Council as they try to sustain a war on fronts that are increasingly further apart. To address this problem, the School propose to work with the quartermasters and logisticians of a single Imperial army to see what improvements could be made; what could be sacrificed in the name of haste. To approve the proposal, the Senate would need to pass a motion naming a single Imperial army. The chosen force would lose its existing quality and become fast instead, at the start of the next summit.

Sadly, due to the magical nature of the Argent Sword, it is not possible for the Tassatan strategists to help that army.

The Greatest War

Three Hands has written to the office of the senator for Holberg to offer the assistance of the Sand Fisher sept
The orcs are offering to approach a single sept languishing under Druj rule, to try to persuade them of the Empire's good intentions
The League National Assembly can decide which sept the Sand Fishers should approach.

When Three Hands came to Anvil, various League luminaries asked him for help approaching the orc septs languishing under Druj rule. The lives of the Sand Fishers have been transformed by their friendship with the League - could the sept not help them carry that message of hope to those who were forced to labour for the enemy.

It's an appealing thought on the face of it. The slave rebellion in the Barrens was devastating for the Druj - they lost three armies in a single stroke. They never recovered their martial strength and look what has become of them now! Still, as Three Hands pointed out, look what happened to those who rebelled. Their treatment at the hands of the Empire was so deadly, that the Black Wind ended up bending the knee to the Buruk Tepel as the only way to survive. The elderly orc was clear he thought that any plan to try and persuade the septs of the Empire's good intention was doomed to fail. Anyone the Sand Fishers spoke to would be bound to ask about the events in the Barrens and Three Hands was very clear that they wouldn't lie about what happened. Hard to see how that conversation could possibly end well... and so he encouraged those he spoke to, to let it drop.

Technically, Emperor Vesna is not the Emperor of the Sand Fishers. They're foreigners in a legal sense - though you'd be hard pressed to know it, based on how Loyal many of them see to be to Holberg at least. However, the Throne's words reach every part of the Empire and that includes the the Misericorde Market. The Sand Fishers have little they can contribute to support the fighting against the Druj - they have almost no skilled warriors. Still, the sept is determined that they should do what they can to help the Throne that has done so much to help them (they don't seem to distinguish between Empress Lisabetta and Emperor Vesna in that regard).

Three Hands still thinks it will all end in disaster, but he quotes the guidance with the fervour of the convert. "It is better, by far, to try and fail, than fail to try." So he, and other members of his sept, are now resolved to try. If the League National Assembly names a single sept or group of orcs suffering under Druj rule, a handful of Sand Fishers will try to sneak into Druj lands, to approach them, and to see what might persuade them to consider the idea of trusting the Empire.

The Sand Fishers are at pains to keep expectations low. They want to disabuse anyone of the notion that the Sand Fishers turning up and saying "Look it worked out great for us" is going to suddenly convince orcs who have heard what happened to septs in the Barrens to trust the Empire. "Dreamers hope for the best, the wise fear the worst, but all the dreams die in the Mallum", as Three Hands puts it. The Sand Fishers approaching a sept is bound to work better than anyone, bar perhaps the Imperial Orcs, making the attempt, but the best possible outcome is that the party comes back with a list of demands. The worst possible outcome is nobody comes back at all.

There is just one catch: Three Hands is coy in his letter, but it is clear that he is concerned that this could go wrong in other ways too. If the Sand Fishers reach out to successfully embrace one of the septs of the Mallum, but that sept ends up getting slaughtered by the Empire anyway, that will inevitably cause lasting damage to the Empire's otherwise excellent relations with the orcs of Holberg.

Greatest Military Force

Dawn, the Imperial Orcs, and Wintermark have been inspired to support the military units of their nation
The assemblies of the three nations could enact mandates to encourage their citizens to embrace national traditions and support the Empire's wars

The people of Dawn, the Imperial Orcs, and Wintermark have been inspired by the Throne address to do what they can to support the captains of their nations. If the Empire is to finally end the threat of the Mallum, then one way of securing victory would be to encourage those in the three nations who own smallholdings such as farms, forests, or mines, to make ready for war and take up arms against the barbarians.

Dawn, the Imperial Orcs, and Wintermark all elect their Bourse seat holders through Tally of the Votes of military unit captains - a reflection of the strong martial traditions of these nations. Indeed, the Imperial Orcs only get votes when supporting an army.

Where they have sown fear, we will make flowers grow. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to encourage Dawn to take up arms. Glory is there for the taking.

Synod Mandate, Dawnish Assembly

When faced with the choice between death or protecting what is worthy, we face no choice at all. We send {named priest} with 15 crowns to encourage the Unshackled to bring death to the Druj. We have one life; we must make it count.

Synod Mandate, Imperial Orc Assembly

A good death awaits us. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to encourage Wintermark to ready themselves for war. A hero has a name.

Synod Mandate, Wintermark Assembly

If these mandates are passed in the relevant assemblies, then it will create an opportunity for the coming season for any character of that nation to change a business, farm, fleet, herb garden, mana site, mine, or forest to a military unit in the same territory without incurring a cost. Crucially, the new resource will be the same level as any resource they give up to make the change - reflecting local support for their efforts to embrace their national traditions and support the Empire's war efforts.

Nothing Short of Exemplary

Known Benefactors

Asael of the Reumah's Redoubt

Dagon Barossa of the Shattered Tower

Dantee

Edni Adomait

Ehud of Reumah's Redoubt

Eli of Jerico's Haven

Enoch Cobroc

Ezekial of Adina's Charge

Ezra of Cantiarch's Hold

Gideon of the Suns of Couros

Hannah Lleweuraidd of the Coven of Barabbas

Icarus of the Silent Tide

Leah, born of Leah of Ebon's Hall

Magistrate Abraham of the Constitutional Court

Melkior of Balthazar’s Vineyard

Miriam Daughter of Esther of the Suns of Couros

Mordecai of Storm's Fury

Yakob of the The Flame Beneath The Earth

The Highborn have been inspired by Emperor Vesna to fund any commission
The Council of Benefactors can redirect twelve wains a season, currently going to the Grand Inspiration of the Way to any commission
The Council of Benefactors meets at 11:00 on Saturday and Sunday of the summit

Inspired by the Throne's exemplery Vigilance and Ambition, the wealthy Highborn who support the decisions of the Council of Benefactors have gone even further than last year. Where before, the benefactors have been limited to providing twelve wains each season to a civilian commission, the citizens of Highguard have acknowledged the challenge the Throne has thrown down. After much discussion, the chapters have agreed that for the coming year at least, they will find the resources needed to support any project, providing up to twelve wains to a single commission each season. They are more than happy to continue funding the construction of the Grand Inspiration of the Way in Bastion if that is the will of the Council of Benefactors - but inspired by the Empress' words they will support any commission, regardless of nation or purpose.

There are two formal meetings of the Benefactors' Council at each summit, at 11:00 on Saturday and Sunday morning. They are likely to be held in the main tent of the Shattered Tower. If the Council want to change where their nation's donations are going, then they must ensure that their egregore is present when they make the decision. The egregore will make a note of the decision and pass word on to the other benefactors in the nation. If there is some debate over the decision, then the egregore will expect a decision to be taken by a simple majority vote of those present who are well known for their role as benefactors. The list above contains all the eligible benefactors currently known to be attending Anvil. Whichever commission is chosen, the people of Highguard will donate twelve wains towards it, each season, until it is complete. They will continue to support that commission until the Council of Benefactors nominates a new commission to receive the support of the nation.

No Imperial Hearth

The Marches have been buoyed by the raising of the third League army, and the imminent destruction of the Druj
The alders of Wayford have set aside ten wains of weirwood for the expansion of the Breadbasket into Mournwold
Ten more wains of weirwood will be provided by the alders of Wayford in exchange for 30 thrones

During the Autumn Equinox 387YE, the Marcher Assembly upheld a statement of principle raised by Brother Rhaego that declared that it was the solemn duty of Marchers to work the land and nourish its people. This highest calling of the Marches led to calls to expand the Marcher Breadbasket into the Mournwold. Several wealthy citizens came forward, to offer to contribute what they could, for a cost.

A group of alders from Wayford, hard-working merchants who import salt, cloves, and other spices from Faraden and the Delves, had a tip for a cheap consignment of weirwood from a Sarcophan merchant. The ten wains of the precious golden wood were too expensive for the alders to make use of the opportunity themselves, but one of them, Anne Craig, passed on the tip to the wealthy of Anvil. Orson Bogmyrtle, newly reelected as the Keeper of the Breadbasket, paid the full cost of 28 thrones, and the wains are awaiting the commission of the breadbasket's expansion.

Orson BogMyrtle, Keeper of the Breadbasket

Inspired by Anne Craig's success, a group of alders from Hay has been on the lookout for further opportunities to acquire weirwood for the project. They have managed to negotiate with a merchant from the Sarcophan Delves for another shipment of weirwood. Originally destined for Caitun, the merchant family who agreed to the contract were discovered to have been trading with certain seedy elements in the Iron Confederacy and have been stripped of their wealth by the Court of the Five Winds. The Sarcophan merchant is willing to sell the full shipment of weirwood at the original price agreed with the Faraden, but it is another all-or-nothing trade deal that needs to be completed by the start of the Summer Solstice; otherwise they will have to look elsewhere. The alders of Hay look to the Keeper of the Breadbasket, Orson Bogmyrtle, to provide funds for the trade.

OOC Note: The player of Orson Bogmyrtle can engage in the trade by ensuring the 30 thrones are in their pack and emailing plot@profounddecisions.co.uk to confirm the trade by the end of downtime.

Boot Leather

Urizen have been inspired to look towards the future
The Urizen Assembly can enact a mandate that would encourage citizens to invest in upgrading their mana sites
The Urizen Assembly could enact a different mandate that would also track the amount of mithril spent on upgrading mana sites and building structures that produce mana crystals across the nation
These mandates are competing with each other

Inspired by the completion of the Bridge of the Air, Urizen have looked at how they might respond to Emperor Vesna's call to action. The nation has gained an increased presence in the Military Council in recent years, fielding both the Argent Sword and the Citadel Guard when the nation can only support a single army. Changes to the way the Warmage is appointed have given them an additional voice in an Imperial house of power that traditionally saw limited involvement from Urizen. Instead of warfare, then, the nation looks to what they excel at: magic and the cultivation of mana crystals.

There will always be a dearth of crystallised mana. Adherents of Prosperity teach that there should be no magic that goes unused, and the ritualists of the Empire keep that particular tenet close to their hearts. Rituals that create shrouds, enchantments, and curses have been performed in Anvil thousands of times over the past year alone. There are more mana crystals gathered in Urizen than anywhere else in the Empire, as the spate of curses from two years ago showed. It is possible that the Senate, or the Crystal Architect of the Spires, could begin a renaissance of establishing sinecures that produce mana crystals for the people of Urizen. But everyone who takes part in the Tally of the Votes of the nation owns a mana site, and that is where the focus of the nation has landed.

The Urizen Assembly have been presented with two competing mandates. The first encourages Urizen citizens to do what they can to upgrade their own mana sites.

The seeds of today will be the crops of tomorrow. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to encourage Urizen to consider what tomorrow might bring. We must all do what we can to better our tomorrow.

Synod Mandate, Urizen Assembly

If this mandate is enacted, then the cost to upgrade mana sites owned by Urizen characters will be reduced by one wain (to a minimum of one) until the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE.

A second mandate is presented for the assembly, one that goes further and is in part inspired by the life of Adelmar the Lion whose Academy of Arms has become a place of ambitious pilgrimage in the mountains of Silrui. It calls for a civilised contest between the great territories of Urizen to see which territory will see contribute the most to the war against the Druj.

Nothing is beyond our grasp. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to encourage Urizen to invest in the nation's future. Let us aim high and show there is no limit to what we can accomplish.

Synod Mandate, Urizen Assembly

If this mandate is enacted, then the cost to upgrade mana sites owned by Urizen will be reduced by one wain (to a minimum of one) until the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE. In addition, the civil service will keep track of which territory receives the most investment in terms of mithril being used to both upgrade mana sites and any commissions built to increase production of mana. Whichever territory saw the most investment would see an opportunity, in a similar manner to competition between the cities of the League.

The Work Continues

Raise Navarr Army

Commission Type: Army

Location: Miaren or Hercynia

Cost: 200 mithril and 75 thrones

Special: Can substitute weirwood in place of mithril

Availibility: This opportunity is available for one year. The army must be raised before the end of the Winter Solstice 388YE to take advantage of the ability to spend weirwood.

Restriction: This cannot be used in conjunction with the opportunity to raise an army of vates in Miaren.

The Great Forest Orcs have been inspired by the promise of the end of the Druj
Some of the apothecaries rescued from Thornsong House want to take the fight to the Druj
An army can be raised in any Navarr territory that allows the substitution of some or all of the mithril for weirwood
The third army of Navarr has received all due funding; it will be raised at the Summer Solstice 388YE
Navarr's supply will drop by one if a new army is not raised by the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE

The third army of Navarr has almost finished raising in Hercynia; the general will be first elected next season at the Summer Solstice 388YE. The nation's appetite for the final battle against the vallorn continues, but it is not inexhaustible. If a new Navarr army does not begin raising by the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE, then the nation's enthusiasm will wane, and the Navarr supply will drop by one. Some of the Navarr who managed to escape from the destruction of Thornsong House - many only thanks to the intervention of Imperial heroes - want to make sure that doesn't happen. They want to help take the fight to the Druj; earnestly believing that once the Druj are defeated, the Empire will turn its attention to the vallorn next.

Word of the address has spread to the Great Forest Orcs, and they too are eager to see the end of the Druj. A year and a half ago, the orcs of the Great Forest offered to support the raising of an army in Therunin in recognition of the solemn and binding oath made by the Navarr to protect the sept as if they were family. That oath, that powerful geas, still stands and the Great Forest Orcs have once again pledged their support for an army centred on the apothecaries and herbalists who escaped Thornsong House.

If the Navarr chose to raise an army centred on those who escaped Thornsong House, they could also count on the support of the Great Forest Orcs. These people are masters of working weirwood. The Empire has seen their skills with growing, harvesting, and shaping the precious wood, but the Navarr's allies are also skilled at making weapons of war with it. Any Navarr army raised in the next year could draw on the skills and experience of the Great Forest Orcs to substitute weirwood for mithril on a 1:1 basis. Unfortunately, such an army couldn't also incorporate an unusually large number of vates. It is not possible to raise an army with the aid of the Great Forest Orcs which also benefits from an eternal patron.

All Mine To Claim

A consortium of Delev merchants has offered to sell mithril to Emperor Vesna for the purpose of raising armies
Each season Empress Vesna can purchase up to forty wains of mithril
The Delev consortium will make the mithril available, starting at three thrones per wain until at least the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE

Milena Vukovna Delevki is a Proud resident of Delev, and with the wards on the Little Boyar's Welcome completed, her consortium has been working to negotiate a deal to sell mithril to a contact in the Commonwealth. However, the merchant, inspired by the words of the second Varushkan ever to sit on the Imperial throne, would much rather see the mithril go towards raising Imperial armies. Milena proposes that she could instead sell the mithril from the scattered vales and outposts to the Throne, for the purpose of raising an army.

Precious Mithril
240 crowns	10 wains of mithril
660 crowns	25 wains of mithril
1140 crowns	40 wains of mithril

There is a great deal of discussion of how they could work, but it soon becomes clear that part of the reason for their enthusiasm is a desire to support the Empress personally. The Throne almost always begins their rule with a degree of popularity with their home nation, and Emperor Vesna is no different. Every tavern in Varushka that Vesna ever stayed at, or passed through, or had a friend pass through, now sports a plaque hanging behind the bar celebrating their connection to the nation's new favourite Emperor. People are openly comparing Vesna with Empress Varkula in terms that in Varushka at least are considered flattering. Yes, Empress Varkula was terrible, but it was the good kind of terrible. She had steel in her veins! She brought terror to her enemies, and Prosperity to the Empire.

For at least the next year, Empress Vesna can purchase up to forty wains a season at a price starting at three thrones per wain.

OOC Note: Emperor Vesna will gain access to a ministry after the Spring Equinox 388YE that will allow them to purchase wains of mithril at a set price.

And We Will

General Utmar of the Rahvin, The Fangs, Bitter Strand, The Barrens will receive letters..

The Rahvin have an opportunity to deal with the Karass
To be legal, it would require the Empire to either cede the Bleaks to them, or declare war on, the Karass

The Karass and the Rahvin do not exactly see eye-to-eye. The Rahvin hate the Karass every bit as much as the Druj; indeed, they consider their enemies to be inseparable from the Druj. It's hard to imagine the contempt isn't mutual, but the Rahvin have repeated over and over to the Empire that the Karass are loyal servants of the rulers of the Mallum and that they are simply waiting for the right moment to betray the Empire and the Barrens to the Druj.

According to the yeofolk who support the Merchant of the Fangs, the Rahvin are intrigued by the words of Emperor Vesna promising that the end of the Druj is close. If it is true, then it is news worth celebrating. But the Druj won't really be gone until every trace of them is wiped from this world. "We will be a black wind that sweeps the Druj into the Abyss" is a common refrain among members of the sept. They don't just want to see the Druj defeated; they want to see every trace of them uprooted from this world. It is good news indeed that the Empire has the Druj armies on the defensive... but what about the Druj traitors here in the Barrens? What about the Karass?

The Rahvin army is still being raised in Bitter Strand, and while it is not yet ready to take the field, some of the recruits are itching for a fight. As a result, there is an opportunity to assault a small sept, like the Karass, and overpower them. General Utmar understands enough about Imperial law to know that leading his warriors against a foe enjoying the protection of Imperial law will not end well for his people. But if the Senate - or Empress Vesna - were to declare war on the Karass, then the Rahvin would seize the moment, just as the Karass did to the Vendarri, and wipe them out. Those that didn't flee back to their Druj masters in the Mallurm would be slaughtered.

Alternatively, the Senate could cede the Bleaks to the Karass, and the Rahvin could then attack once the region had been claimed. That would also avoid Imperial law being a problem. It seems complicated and unnecessary to General Utmar; he'd rather the Throne just declared war on them and then let the Rahvin deal with the situation.

This opportunity is only available for a single season - the Druj armies are on the back foot now - so they can't come to the aid of the Karass if they are threatened. That might not be the case in the future. General Utmar is eager to fight the Druj, but he's not going to throw away the lives of his soldiers.

Previous Addresses

Emperor Vesna

Push for victory (Spring 388YE)
We are the storm (Winter 387YE)
Diadem on my brow (Autumn 387YE)
That's where my heart is (Summer 387YE)
Walk with me (Spring 387YE)
I am easy to find (Winter 386YE)
Signal fire (Autumn 386YE)
Inextricable, indefatigable, and inevitable (Summer 386YE)
Promising light, the Coronation address (Spring 386YE)

Imperatrix Lisabetta

No time for ease (Autumn 383YE)
Nothing great without cost (Winter 382YE)
United in law (Spring 382YE)
Proud to Serve (Autumn 381YE)
In Virtue and Reason (Summer 381YE)
Iron and wine, the Coronation address (Autumn 380YE)