386YE Winter Solstice winds of war
Overview
Over the last three months, Imperial forces have 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 has been 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.
A Season of Stones
| Conflict | ExpandWind |
|---|
Autumn gives way to Winter, the nights lengthening and the days growing short. As the sky darkens, so does the weather. A season of rain and wind, hail and thunder, settles across the Empire from the southern sea to the northern peaks. War rarely pauses for the weather, however. From the western plains to the eastern forests, the embers of battle flare and hiss under the remorseless rain, as if the sky itself weeps for the folly of mortal folk.
There is a kind of peace on the Brass Coast for the first time in a long time. There is no fighting in Kahraman, nor in Madruga, nor in Feroz. There is an expectancy on the night air, a sense that this quiet time cannot last. With the kamkrag marching across Kahraman, there are few raiders and those who dare come down from the mountains are easily driven back. Imperial scouts pour into Madruga to explore the strange new land; for now the territory as a whole remains uncontrolled. The fearsome Grendel commander Gallum Fiersach still holds Morajasse, still commands the rock. Shortly after the Equinox the battlements of the fortification crackle and burn with colourless fire, as Wind Lord Saoirse uses her Sand lore in preparation for an Imperial assault that never comes.
Further north, the Empire's soldiers face the Jotun in battle, a three-fold strategy to hold Marcher land and cut the invaders off from their base in the forests of what was once Liathaven. A glorious and terrible war rages over western hills.
Across the Bay of Catazar from the Brass Coast, storms herald a war of a different kind. The Grendel armada retreating from Madruga seeks to take the shoreline of Redoubt. They find Imperial forces waiting for them, ready to repel boarders. The Children of Wrecks launch an attack of their own, a plague of ramshackle pirate fleets bent on looting the port of Elos. Battle is joined on southern sands.
There is no movement in Ayereed to the south, nor in Mareave. Even though Imperial armies have withdrawn, the gains they made in the petrified forest are unchallenged for the moment. The Grendel are on the defensive, while their ships and soldiers fight to the north.
North from Redoubt along the borders with the Mallum, there is fighting not only with the Druj, but between Imperial citizens. The Gryphon's Pride march north out of Therunin to capture the Fangs. They seek to take the mithril mine held by the Rahvin orc sept... a crime under Imperial law. A band of Imperial captains oppose them, and Imperial blood flows by northern shores.
Then, Therunin itself. Four Imperial armies, fighting in the tainted rain, facing the malice of the Druj and seeking to drive them back across the border. Poison at their back, hungry waters to the south, trackless wilderness to the north... and the armies of the Mallum before them. Under eastern skies they fight a desperate battle, one for which the ending perhaps has yet to be written.
Battle opportunities
Imperial prognosticators have identified several possible major conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate at the coming summit. The Military Council will muster on Friday night, and the generals will select two of them to be taken up by Imperial heroes. At the moment the full details of these opportunities are not clear; more information will be provided nearer to the event.
All battle opportunities are Combat Highly Likely environments.
| Location | Opportunity | Opposition | Day | Learn More | CS Briefing |
| Therunin | Take advantage of circumstances surrounding the sacrifice of Isaella's Dance and the Iron Helms | Druj | Option | Black miracles | PDF Link |
| Mournwold | Deal with Jarl Haakon without a lengthy siege | Jotun | Option | Not one more inch | PDF Link |
| Redoubt | Prevent a raid on the spires of Visten | Children of Wrecks | Option | Salt Burned | PDF Link |
| Nation | ExpandForce Weight |
|---|
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 TBC and at most TBC force weight sent on it.
Battle participation
TBC
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 combat, 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 appropriate to take overall responsibility for ensuring that a response is organised. Whilst the individual has been named 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 Sentinel Gate to provide further information to any citizens wanting to learn more. They can provide updates on the barbarians' goals, guidance on how to engage the enemy troops or advice on how to avoid casualties and return back to Anvil in safety.
Sometimes it is necessary for us to make small adjustments to the timing or size of encounters at the time of this publication and when an encounter runs at an event. Details for the conjunctions on Friday will be finalised on Friday afternoon of the event before time-in (18:00) whilst details for the conjunctions on Saturday will be finalised on Saturday before time-in (10:00). Please check the details of any conjunction you are interested in as soon as possible to ensure that you have the full and up-to-date information; it might also be sensible to check again shortly before the planned time of the encounter. You can check the details of a conjunction by casting Detect Magic (Discover Conjunction) on the Sentinel Gate in the presence of a referee.
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
Saturday
Military Considerations
Several territory pages now contain details of strategic obstacles presented or advantages provided by movement through or fighting in those lands. There are also several fortifications that follow different rules. Several armies or nations have special rules or opportunities related to the orders they can issue, which should be borne in mind when discussing military strategies during the Autumn Equinox.
- Billeting: Any Imperial army can take the Billet order in Bregasland, Upwold, or Mitwold. Link
- Dawn:
- Dawnish armies cannot take the Cautious Advance order or the Give Ground order. Link
- Imperial Orcs
- The Marches:
- Marcher armies cannot take the Give Ground order. Link
- The Strong Reeds receive an additional 1000 strength when fighting in Bregasland. Link
- The Tusks receive an additional 1000 strength when fighting in Mournwold. Link
- The Drakes receive an additional 1000 strength when fighting in Mitwold. Link
- The Bounders receive an additional 1000 strength when fighting in Upwold. Link
- Varushka:
- Wintermark:
- Wintermark armies can take the Fight with Honour order. Link.
- Wintermark armies fighting against the Jotun will gain 10% more victory points but inflict 20% less casualties. Link
- Wintermark armies fighting against the Jotun have their casualties taken reduced by 10%. This effect continues as long as the Winterfolk continue to fight honourably. Link
Click Expand to see military considerations that are less relevant at the current time but are still active.