384YE Autumn Equinox interlude

new sprung Spring turns toward Summer

Interlude

Downtime will be open shortly, allowing players to process their character's downtime choices. The Autumn Equinox winds of fortune will come out shortly before the next event. However, there are a number of significant events happening in the wake of the Summer Solstice that may affect some players' Downtime actions - primarily effects on personal resources or options for characters with military unit or fleet personal resources.

On this page we'll be outlining, and offering some context for, these various effects. In most cases, there will be further information in the Autumn Equinox Winds of Fortune. As always, these are quick OOC summaries to explain effects such as large-scale enchantments and curses. We'll cover all these and more when we start to present the Winds of Fortune for next event.

Downtime is due to close at midnight on the TBC.

Warfare

Any player whose character controls a military unit can choose from a number of downtime options. Left to their own devices, a military unit defaults to paid work guaranteeing an income of herbs, ingots or measures, money, or mana crystals. Otherwise, they may log into the downtime system and choose to support an army or fortification, or assign to a special project such as a spy network or one of the unique opportunities available this downtime. Players who want to support one of the Imperial armies can also read the orders issued by each general before making their decision.

As always, the guidelines around discussing military matters online can be found here.

Imperial Guerdon

The Imperial Guerdon is a bursary set up by the Imperial Senate primarily to reward military units that support Imperial armies, spy networks, and fortifications. The value of the Imperial Guerdon is divided between each military unit and fleet that supports an army in proportion to their effective strength. The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies has the power to exclude any or all Imperial armies and navies, fortifications, or special projects (such as spy networks) from the Guerdon. If they do so, then a character who supports such an army, fortification, or special project will receive nothing for doing so.

The Guerdon stands at 350 thrones.

This season, the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies has announced that shares of the Guerdon will be shared between military units supporting the following armies or opportunities:

TBC

Raid on Chalonsio

Set up raid

No Raid on the Mountains of the Moon

Don't set up raid

Loyal Pilgrims

Highborn characters can upgrade their military unit at the cost of one fewer wains of mithril

Thanks to the influence of the Three Watchers, any Highborn character who owns a military unit can upgrade their resource for one wain of mithril less than normal. The reduced cost will appear automatically in your downtime options. A military unit can only be upgraded once each season, but they could, potentially, be upgraded every season, saving one mithril each time. This opportunity remains until the start of the Autumn Equinox 384YE.

Dawn in Brocéliande

Until the start of the Winter Solstice 384YE, Dawn military units may receive additional rewards when supporting an army in Brocéliande

Thanks to the mandate of Ranae deRondell, for the next year (until the start of the Winter Solstice 384YE) any Dawnish military unit that supports a Dawnish, Highborn or Navarr army that is engaged in Dark Ranging will gain additional rewards - one additional crown and two random herbs. You can learn more about this in the virtue of sharing wind of fortune.

Against the Heirs

Until the start of the Summer Solstice 384YE, those who fought in Hercynia or Therunin are recovering from casualties

The military units who took part in the campaigns to Protect Hercynia and Protect Therunin following the Autumn Equinox are still recovering from the experience. Combatants in Hercynia see a two-rank penalty, while those who fought in Therunin suffer a one-rank penalty. The effect remains until the start of the Summer Solstice.

Special Military Unit Options

In addition to the normal downtime options available to a military unit, the following special opportunity is available.

Evacuate Feroz

Military units can support the action Evacuate Feroz which is found on the spy network dropdown
Rather than their normal production, a standard military unit will earn 6 Crowns for their role in evacuating Feroz, with enchanted or upgraded forces receiving commensurately more money
Details of the opportunity can be found in Struggle with the sea wind of fortune

Following the Spring Equinox, military units can support the evacuation of Feroz in the Brass Coast. This is a stealthy mission to help those citizens who can't make it to the coast to reach safety in Segura and Madruga. It involves avoiding conflict with the Grendel as much as possible, and takes place alongside (although separate to) a similar fleet opportunity.

Raid Skallahn

Military units and fleets can support the Raid Skallahn action found in the paid work dropdown
In place of their normal production, the military unit receives metals and forest materials
The Marcher assembly has urged the raiders to focus on military targets
The higher the effective strength of the raid, the longer the effects will last on the Jotun
The higher the effective strength of the raid, the more impact it will have on Imperial military units and fleets
The Navarr, Dawn, the Brass Coast, Urizen, and Varushka have all disavowed the raid

The Empire has the opportunity to launch a surprise raid into the Jotun territory of Skallahn. Both fleets and military units can support the opportunity. The Marcher assembly - who provided the opportunity - have urged the raid to focus on military targets. For every 10,000 total strength on the raid, the Jotun will be unable to provide emergency resupply to their armies for one season.

The raid involves taking valuables from the Jotun. A standard military unit receives 2 ingots of green iron, weltsilver, and orichalcum as well as 4 more random metals and 4 random natural materials. An enchanted or upgraded military unit receives commensurately more. For every 10,000 strength applied to the raid, ten wains of bourse resources (white granite, mithril, weirwood, ilium) are added to a pool that is distributed randomly among all military units taking part in the raid (fleets will not gain bourse resources).

Individual military units won't take damage from taking part in this raid, but there are significant implications for the entire Empire depending on how much strength (including that from fleets supporting the action) is committed. You can learn about the potential impacts here.

While fleets can support this action, those from nations other than the Marches and Wintermark receive a 1-rank penalty to effective strength for doing so.

Navarr, Urizen, Dawn, the Brass Coast, and Varushka have all disavowed the raid. If you belong to one of those nations then your military unit or fleet will be half as effective, and receive half the rewards and be unable to acquire any rare resources. However their nation will not suffer any penalty from the raid. Because three or more nations have taken this route, the penalties applied by the raid last for two seasons instead of one on the fleets and military units of other nations.

Into the Twisted Woods

Military units can take the Into the Twisted Woods action from the independent action dropdown
Dawnish and Varushkan units are most effective when taking this action
The action provides herbs and forest resources

The mandate enacted by Ser Dindrane of Dawn means that any military unit can take the Into the Twisted Woods action, found on the independent action dropdown. The action will be most effective when taken by Dawnish or Varushkan characters; rather than receiving random production a basic military unit, they will receive 6 random herbs and 8 random forest resources from battling orcs, exploring the woods, and seeking out opportunities for glory (or in the case of the Varushkans, opportunities to raid barbarians). An upgraded or enchanted military unit will gain proportionately more. Characters from other nations who take the opportunity will be much less effective - at the base level, they will receive 2 random herbs and 4 random forest resources.

This action is available until the start of the Spring Equinox 385YE but should the Tower of the Manticore be built in Ossium the option to take this action will become available to the people of Dawn and Varushka permanently.

Special Fleet Options

Certain trading destinations apply special effects. You can learn more about the Empire's foreign relations in the recent all at sea wind of fortune.

Trade Opportunities

Imperial fleets can trade with foreign ports and receive valuable goods
Some ports give special bonuses or suffer special penalties

Certain trading destinations apply special effects if a fleet visits them. You can learn more about the Empire's foreign relations in the recent all On the outside looking inside of fortune.

Other Major Effects

Every season sees large-scale effects impact individuals and nations. Where possible we've summarized these effects here.

Storms and Droughts

Effects from Every Time it Rains for both Thunderous Deluge and Regrow the Lands Hearts

Feast of Want

Herb gardens in the target territory are plagued by a lackluster harvest of crops, and no amount of tending seems to be able to restore them to their full glory. All Herb Gardens in the territory provide three less True Vervain than normal and one less of all other herbs.

Weirwater Horses

Any person in the Target territory who has previously felt affinity or curiosity about horses has a vivid dream about riding a galloping horse on an unknown shore on a moonless night. Only those who would welcome such a dream experience it. The dreamer learns nothing about horses they did not already know, but awakes feeling exhilarated.

Isember is the Priority

~~* Varushkan military units are urged to Solve the Isember Problem~~

~~If they take any action other than Solve the Isember Problem,support an army, or support a fortification their effectiveness and rewards are greatly reduced~~

The vale of Isember in Karsk has become a haven for bandits and outlaws (again) and is causing problems in southern Karsk and with the settlement of Ossium. The Varushkan National Assembly urges every Varushkan military unit not engaged in supporting an army or fortification to come and help in Karsk. Military units that take other actions this season such as paid work, supporting the raid in Skallahn, helping to evacuate Feroz, or supporting a spy network does so with half effectiveness. You can find out about this situation in the Blood makes noise Wind of Fortune.

Blade of the Pilgrims

Highborn congregations receive 2 fewer votes and 1 fewer liao due to the call to fight the vallorn

While the vallorn of Brocéliande has become quiescent, the threat still remains. During the Autumn Equinox, Hazelelponi of the Shattered Tower proposed a mandate that was upheld by the Highborn Assembly encouraging the congregations of Highguard to continue their efforts to oppose the vallorn. Until the start of the Autumn Equinox 384YE, every Highborn congregation produces one fewer liao and two fewer votes but may provide aid to any opportunity to fight the vallorn anywhere in the Empire.

Reject False Gods

Congregations in Redoubt, Temeschwar, Tassato, Karsk, and Hahnmark gain two additional votes and one additional liao as long as the Synod clearly stands in opposition to idolatry

The mandate approved by the general assembly and enacted by Rafael Barossa di Tassato sends bands of architects, masons, and builders to force their way into the buildings designed by the Asavean architect and forcibly redesign them. The mandate has a number of effects, one of which is to swell with pride congregations in the territories where the buildings are found. This bonus lasts as long as the Synod maintains a clear anti-idolatry stance.

Sandfisher Tithe

Farms in Holberg receive 2 random herbs each downtime

The Sand Fisher orcs are providing herbs to farm owners of Holberg. This effect is detailed in the A dream that can last Wind of Fortune.

Mandates

You can find details of the mandates, along with the rest of the Synod judgements, here.

Seventeen mandates were successfully upheld in the Imperial Synod. As per our recent update, all mandates have automatically been enacted as long as the named priest has sufficient liao in their inventory before Downtime opens.

Some mandates were upheld by their respective assemblies but not enacted.

Imperial Lore

Two rituals were added to Imperial lore during the Winter Solstice.

Wardens of the Black Waste by Simargl, the Empty One
Leonine Pavilion by Sagua i Ezmara

Urizen Lore

A number of rituals were added to Urizen lore during the Spring Equinox using the Gift of Knowledge.

Note: Several Urizen Lore rituals still need some additional descriptive elements which will appear on the wiki over the next few weeks.

Artisans

The details of how to make a new magic item have been shared with the Empire's artisans: Lowther's Gaze is a talisman that allows the person bonded to it to use the marksman skill.