384YE Winter Solstice winds of war
Overview
Over the last three months, Imperial forces are engaged in military campaigns against barbarian forces. Sometimes those engagements have been wide ranging and dramatic, other times they have been more sedate. Continuing the approach we took last year, we're presenting a summary of the campaign on this page. Where there's more dramatic action, or where there are opportunities, we've given a wind of war its own page. We're also continuing to provide information about the battle opportunities, listed in the theatres that they concern.
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 War and the Winds of Fortune is to make players aware of things their characters should know, based on what their roleplaying says they have been doing, and to maintain the Empire as a living, breathing place where all kinds of events take place beyond the scope of Anvil.
It should go without saying that we ask everyone to abide by the rules about online roleplaying with regard to the military campaign. It's important that the key in-character activity of the Empire world takes place at events. The game is busier and better if everything that can happen in the field, does happen in the field. Military planning and political discussions should happen at events. For this reason we generally discourage too much downtime roleplaying between events and put strict limits on what can be done online particularly using our forums and Facebook groups.
All that said we now present a summary of the key military activity in the Empire - both with links to the expanded Wind of War pages and notes about other important things that have happened that didn't need a full battle campaign write-up.
Against the Jotun
In the west, the story plays out again. The Jotun invade; the Empire pushes them back. The Jotun are gone from Sermersuaq, driven out by an alliance of Imperial strength and Thule cunning, but further south the situation is much less cut and dried. Kahraman exerts an irresistible lure to the warlike Jotun - mithril and white granite to fuel their endless conquest - but each time they gain a foothold they are thrown back. This time it is the Lasambrian Jotun who seek to claim the hills - will they fare any better than those who have come before? And what of Bregasland - Mathilda Fisher claims the western marshes as her fiefdom, and the Jotun honour her claim. There is resistance - but will it be enough? And further south still, the fires of war come once again to Liathaven. The weakness of the vallorn presents an opportunity for the Jotun - what will it mean for the Marches now they stand once again at the very threshold of the Mourn? You can read about the events on the western front in the No Peace Wind of War.
Further north, in Kallavesa, four Imperial armies take up defensive positions in the marshes of Wintermark. The Drakes, the Fist of the Mountains, the Summer Storm, and the Tusks wait to turn back any attempt by the Jotun to launch a new invasion of Wintermark. Days stretch into weeks. into months, and there is no sign of the orcs. A large force of Winterfolk and Marchers support the beacons, ready to light them and spread warning of an invasion throughout the nation. There is no need to fire them. There is no sign of the Jotun. The orcs attention seems focused to the south. The season passes uneventfully.
A trio of major conjunctions allowing Imperial heroes pass through the Sentinel Gate and engage the Jotun are presented in In each line lies another line.
Against the Druj
Heroes of the Winter Sun, we have spent a season in reflection and the Empire has proven that they stand with us, so now we stand with them. Druj seek to encroach on the Drownbark Forest, bringing with them fear to break the people of those lands. Instead, we will break them. We employ hit and run tactics to bring ruin to these Druj. Let us teach them dear as a full Imperial Legion comes crashing down upon them and remind the Varushkan people that we stand with them.
Rykana, General of the Winter SunIn the east, the Druj are in disarray. They have fled Zenith - fighting their way through the iron noose cast around them by Imperial strategy. They are bound in chains of glass, subject to a barrage of curses that impede their movement, forcing them to seek sanctuary in the Sarangrave. While some of their armies have been enchanted with Night magic, to help them avoid the Empire's retribution, the intervention of Imperial heroes ensures that half of them pay the full price for their cruelty and cowardice. With the invaders driven out, Zenith is once again in Imperial hands. You can read about the victory in Zenith in the Fire on fire Wind of War.
At the same time their cousins in the south are routing the Druj, there is savage fighting in the Barrens. Imperial armies fight to expand the Steel Causeway, to capture more of the great wilderness. They face stiff resistance, and despite the powerful force deployed there the Druj are able to all but hold their advance. As Imperial and orc warriors clash again and again, neither side is able to gain a decisive victory over the other. You can read about the challenges of fighting in the Barrens in the In the lonely hour Wind of War. You can also read about the battle opportunities related to the Barrens, and several small conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate, in Two silhouettes.
Meanwhile, in Ossium, the Winter Sun moved to block attempts by Druj insurgents to destroy vulnerable roads and bridges in the Drownbark Forest. A group of Imperial heroes had attempted to stymie the orc schemes using the Sentinel Gate, but were unable to achieve a decisive victory necessitating an intervention by the Imperial Orcs general. The orc soldiers made short work of the Mallum saboteurs.
Against the World
Victorious in their raid against the corrupt city of Chalonsio in the west, the eyes of the Liberty Pact have turned east, to the Slave Lords of Rachensgrab. The Empire must take the lead in the Sea of Steel; their Commonwealth and Sumaah Republic allies have troubles of their own, closer to home, and can offer only a little support in the decisive attack against the slave traders. Hundreds of Imperial heroes answer the call to arms, and rain terrible justice on those who have grown rich and powerful by treating innocent people as objects to be bought and sold. The raid is an unparalleled triumph. The chains are broken, the Slave Lords are cast down, and the city put to the torch. You can learn about the raid and its impact on the world stage in the Burning Wind of War.
Closer to home, the eternal Rhianos has put their golden cauldron at the disposal of the Empire's heroes. The Regent of the Eternal Sea proposes a daring adventure - to use the supernatural vitality granted by their fading relic to delve deep into the heart of the vallorn of Brocéliande. Champions from almost every Imperial nation make their way to the east, to eat magical onion soup, and to probe the mysteries of the vallorn infested forest - pressing right to the very heart of the ancient empire and penetrating the walls of the city of Terunael itself! You can learn about their daring escapades in the One last song Wind of War.
Battle Opportunities
Imperial prognosticators have identified five possible major conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate at the coming summit. The Friday night muster will see the generals debate these options and select two of them to be taken up by Imperial heroes eager to influence the direction of the Empire's military campaigns. All battle opportunities are Combat Highly Likely environments.
| Location | Opportunity | Opposition | Day | Learn More |
| The Barrens | Kill a Druj governor and capture a Dawnish collaborator | Druj | Saturday | A Vile Het |
| The Barrens | Rescue the Rahvin and make use of the Summer regio | Druj | Saturday | A Curious Reprise |
| Skallahn | Prevent the spy network from being destroyed and stop a fane being constructed | Jotun Yegarra | Sunday | The Freezing North |
| Liathaven | Destroy keystones and make use of the Spring regio | Jotun Yegarra | Sunday | The Towering Pines |
| Bregasland | Rouse Old Marjoram and arrest a Marcher traitor | Jotun Yegarra | Sunday | The Encroaching Wetlands |
| Nation | Force Weight |
|---|---|
| Brass Coast | 15 |
| Dawn | 44 |
| Highguard | 17 |
| Imperial Orcs | 5 |
| League | 17 |
| Marches | 26 |
| Navarr | 48 |
| Urizen | 15 |
| Varushka | 10 |
| Wintermark | 57 |
The sides for the battles will be chosen by the generals in the Muster of the Imperial Military Council on Friday night. Each of the two battles must have at least 122 and at most 132 force weight sent on it.
Yegarra Battles
- The Sunday battle opportunities will involve large numbers of Jotun Yegarra as the main opponents
Whichever opportunity the Military Council decides on for Sunday , we will ask the majority of player volunteers to take on the roles of human warriors fighting for the Jotun. If you have your own orc mask however, we ask that you bring it along as we're keen to ensure we can field enough Jotun orcs to support the narrative of the battles.
In the Bregasland and Liathaven battles you can help make this battle even better by bringing along any Marcher or Wintermark-style kit or armour you have, as well as any iconic Marcher weaponry particularly a bill, spear or other pole-arm; along with any appropriate shield or buckler. This will help us create a dramatic battle opportunity where the Empire must face down a predominantly human opponent. You can find out more about iconic Marcher look here.
In the Skallahn battle, you can help by bringing along any Jotun-style kit or armour you have, as well as any iconic Jotun weaponry particularly axes, maces, and circular shields. Javelins are ideal if you have them. You can find out more about the iconic Jotun look here but the key element for portraying these northern Yegarra is plenty of leather and fur, over mail as their iconic look.
We understand the difficulty of getting to an event with additional kit at the best of times, especially as it will not be possible to tell before Friday night whether the military council will elect to take this battle, but if you are able to bring such kit along it will improve the experience as well as that of the players you are fighting against,
If you are already part of an elite monster unit that monsters as a Jotun warband, then please come to battle prep as you normally would for these battles. If you are part of such a unit but do not have your own orc mask then we hope that we will be able to supply an orc mask for you, but cannot guarantee one. If we do run out of orc masks for EMU on the Sunday battle then the Battle Team will make alternative arrangements at the time.
IMPORTANT - we will NOT be issuing any orc masks to players for these battle opportunities. Our orc masks will only be used once this event and then washed ready for the next event. We are continuing the provision of battle opportunities with non-orc enemies as part of our plan to reduce coronavirus risks until such a time as we have sufficient masks to run two fully orc masked battles.
Conjunctions
The Sentinel Gate also allows smaller groups of Imperial citizens to reach locations all over the Empire where their intervention might change the course of events. Many of these conjunctions involve fighting, but there are also a variety of other opportunities presented by the magic of the Gate.
For most conjunctions the Civil Service has identified the Imperial titles that are the most fitting to take overall responsibility for ensuring that an opportunity is organised. Whilst the named individual has been deemed the most appropriate by the Civil Service, there is no legal requirement for them to coordinate a response or travel on the conjunction. They may delegate oversight to another individual of their choosing. As always, Imperial war scouts will be on hand at the muster point by the Sentinel Gate to provide further information to any citizens wanting to know more. Further information relating to the nature of the large conjunctions might be available from the war scouts on duty at the Sentinel Gate. They can provide updates on barbarian movements, guidance on how to engage enemy troops or advice on how to avoid casualties and return back to Anvil in safety.
Sometimes it is necessary to make small adjustments to the timing or size of skirmishes, owing to delays or availability of crew that arise between the time of publication and when an encounter runs at the event. Details will be finalised on Friday afternoon of the event before time-in. Please do check the details of a conjunction you are interested in before using the gate to ensure that you have the full and up-to-date information. You can check a conjunction by casting Detect Magic (Discover Conjunction) on the Sentinel Gate in the presence of a ref.
It's very important to pay attention to the Accessibility note for each conjunction, which covers the likelihood of combat. Further details about the accessibility of a conjunction are available both before and during the event. You can learn more about this on the accessibility page.
Friday
| Time | People | Duration | Combat | Location | Responsibility | Overview/Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:30 | 80 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | The Barrens, Farweald, The Broken Glade | Apothecary of Orieb | Kill the Sleepless Nightmare |
| 19:00 | 70 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | The Barrens, Murderdale, Berena's Tree | Grandmaster of the Shuttered Lantern | Kill the Burnt Fist coven |
| 19:45 | 25 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | Broceliande, Terunael, Kay's Lament | Knight-protector of Spring | Recover the Tairiscint na Foraoise |
| 20:00 | 70 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | Sermersuaq, Stark, Vahne's Field | Senator of Sermersuaq | Force the Jotun to retreat |
| 20:30 | 70 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | Mournwold, Southmoor, Tollerton Green | Master of Sarcombe Metal Market | Rescue Wise Maggie |
| 21:00 | 70 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | Sermersuaq, Tanikipari, Siward's Folly | Weigher of Worth | Defeat Jarl Roneth and return the sword to Barien |
| 23:00 | 50 | 30 minutes | Unlikely | Zenith, Occursion, Ring of Solace Ruins | Senators of Urizen and the Archivist of the Echoing Obelisk | Lift spirits and investigate |
Saturday
| Time | People | Duration | Combat | Location | Responsibility | Overview/Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 | 70 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | The Barrens, Murderdale, Holt of the Mudchurner | General of the Golden Sun | Kill Garsnag Mudchurner |
| 15:30 | 70 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | Zenith, Iteri, Spire of the Everlasting Dusk | High Exorcist | Lay the tortured souls to rest |
| 16:00 | 70 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | The Barrens, The Untrod Groves, Soulflayer's Refuge | Champion of Vigilance | Kill Varag Soulflayer |
| 16:30 | 70 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | Zenith, Lustri, Spire of Twisting Shadow | Senator of Zenith | Destroy miasma pillars |
| 17:30 | 65 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | Kahraman, Serra Briante, Isabella's Track | Great Mine of Briante | Kill the Lasambrians before they ambush wagon trains |
| 18:00 | 65 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | Kallavesa, Skymark, The Cold Path of Kaisa | Mediator of Hyljehal | Kill the Lasambrians before they slaughter a group of Hylje |
| 20:00 | 65 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | Bregasland, Grey Fens, Orchard of Tom Wiscall | General of the Strong Reeds | Deliver resources to the Scraggy Bole |
| 20:30 | 65 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | Bregasland, North Fens, Dry Marsh | Blackroot Broker | Rescue Tall George, an apprentice of Mott |
| 20:45 | 30 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | Brocéliande, Elerael, Silent Copse | Avery Farkas, Navarr Egregore | Rescue a number of injured Marchers |
| 21:00 | 65 | 20 mins | Highly Likely | Mournwold, Southmoor, Friar Tommy's Grave | Bailiff of the Downs | Ensure that Little Robin doesn't make it to Liathaven |
Military Considerations
The following considerations should be borne in mind when discussing military strategies during the Winter Solstice.
- Adamant Gate: The Adamant Gate in Semmerholm cannot be reduced below 1,000 military strength. Link
- Barrens: Any Imperial army fighting in the Barrens except those from Dawn, Varushka and Urizen suffer a one-fifth penalty to territory conquered until the start of the Summer Solstice 385YE. Link
- Barrens (Dawn): Dawnish armies fighting in the Barrens suffer a three-tenths penalty to territory conquered until the start Summer Solstice 385YE. Link.
- Barrens (Dawn and Highguard): Dawnish and Highborn armies that spent the previous season campaigning in the Barrens receive an additional 20% natural resupply if they resupply in Dawnish territory until the start of the Spring Equinox 385YE. Link
- Billeting: Any Imperial army can take the Billet order in Upwold or Mitwold. Link
- Dawn: Dawnish armies cannot take the Cautious Advance order or the Give Ground order. Link
- Highguard: Highborn armies can no longer issue the Crusading Storm order; wherever they are on campaign there is a chance to generate a mandate for the Highborn assembly. Link
- The Marches: Marcher armies cannot take the Give Ground order. Link
- Urizen: The Citadel Guard will begin to deteriorate again after the Summer Solstice. Link
- Varushka: Varushkan armies involved in the same campaign as an army from the Brass Coast or Wintermark generate 10% fewer victory points. If armies from both nations are present, the reduction is increased to 20%. Link.
- Wintermark: Wintermark armies can take the Fight with Honour order. Link
- Wintermark: Wintermark armies fighting against the Jotun will gain 10% more victory points but inflict 20% less casualties. Link
- Zenith: Any Highborn or Urizen army attacking into Zenith from Morrow gains a 20% bonus to any territory captured and suffers a 10% reduction in casualties inflicted. Link
- Morrow: Any Highborn or Urizen army that defends in Morrow against an army attacking from Zenith gains a 20% bonus to defend territory and suffers a 10% reduction in casualties inflicted. Link