A broken frame
Overview
Before each summit, the prognosticators produce lists of every conjunction that they have been able to identify based on reports compiled by the war scouts. These are not all the conjunctions, these are simply all the conjunctions that they have been able to find. Because of their focus, these conjunctions are usually very military-orientated; they are focused on the movement of the Empire's armies and the barbarian forces arrayed against them. Smaller conjunctions that allow groups to pursue their own personal agendas are only rarely discovered by the Imperial civil service.
It is important to note that the details of a conjunction are not fixed - in theory new conjunctions can appear and the destination or size of a conjunction are known to be mutable. The civil service strongly recommend that you check the size and timing of any conjunctions that interest you after you arrive at Anvil.
Depending on the number of skirmish crew available, the size of the conjunctions might be increased between now and the event. They will be fixed Friday afternoon at time-in. Please check the conjunctions early Friday evening to confirm the gate size.
Movement in the Marshes
- League, Navarr, Wintermark; those with an interest in defeating monsters
The civil service have received several reports in the lead up to the equinox that suggested of potential marshwalker activity. It has been several years since one of the strange creatures was encountered by the Empire, so reports of multiple sightings cause somewhat of a panic. Formed from small, shiny, black creatures that case themselves in mud, rotting vegetation and detritus, these impacable monsters are a great threat to any solid structure or edifice of civilisation that they encounter. Only through sustained and risky effort, or the wise application of magic can they quickly be stopped or destroyed. Three conjunctions have been detected to locations close to the marshwalker sightings, and the details below represent the information collected thus far by civil servants.
The first location at risk is the South Wastes Drain of the Great Pits of Ennerlund, Holberg. A worry over the past few years among the dredgers and labourers of the region has been the emergence of a marshwalker from the dykes and dank waters. Such an appearance poses a risk to not only the workers operating there, but also a massive threat to the elaborate pumping stations that keep the deep mithril mine in operation. It is unknown if they have been roused - intentionally or not - by the arrival of the Druj in Utterlund; or if this is finally the long-feared doom drawn to the pump houses by the rhythmic thumping of the machinery.
| Conjunctions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | When | Size | Time |
| South Wastes Drain, Ennerlund, Holberg | 18:15 Friday | 30 people | 20 minutes |
| Holt Outpost, Lower Tarn Valley, Therunin | 18:45 Friday | 30 people | 20 minutes |
| Raimo's Fast, Rundhal Marsh, Kallavesa | 19:15 Friday | 30 people | 20 minutes |
Two small marshwalker colonies have been reported in the area, and their paths are converging. It is expected that should they meet up and form a larger creature that would be impossible to stop before it reached the pumps. This opportunity represents a last-ditch effort to prevent the two colonies joining together which would threaten the wheels, valves and pipes that keep the mithril mine accessible. Should this attempt fail the water engines at the Pits will have to be turned off for weeks in the hope that the creature will leave the valuable equipment alone while the situation is dealt with. That will cause disruption to the supply of mithril emerging from the deep.
From a way to the south of Holberg, across the expanse of the Druj-held Barrens, in the forests of Therunin another report has been past to civil servants. This time the message comes from both representatives of the Great Forest Orcs at the Holt, and the Navarr that dwell nearby. Numerous small Marshlings have been sighted emerging from the swamps of the Lower Tarn Valley and heading towards Holt Outpost a small watchpost that guards the approaches to the Great Forest Orcs' stronghold of the Holt of the Oak. The orc trackers have engaged as many of them as possible, but have been forced to withdraw. Assisting the orcs that now dwell in Therunin and defeating the marshlings before they can form into a marshwalker colony will surely be appreciated by the orcs of Therunin.
The final sighting of a marshwalker comes from across the Empire in Kallavesa where the Winterfolk have completed a network of watchtowers and through which several Imperial armies have recently come to camp. It is likely that all this activity - the marching soldiers and toiling crafters - have disturbed the creatures. The watchtowers and guard posts around Raimo's Fast have been attacked by one of these natural abominations in recent days, destroying several small wooden structures among the mires and bogs, as well as injuring a number of locals. These citizens have suffered horrific injuries as a result of trying to stop the marshwalker and are in need of aid outside the village. Fortunately, due to the dispersal of the Beacons across the territory the effectiveness of the network is not at risk if the marshwalker cannot be stopped.
Ossium
- Varushka, Dawn; priests, Day ritualists
Ever since the armies of the Empire first crossed over the Golden Causeway into Ossium their progress was impeded by the network of pillars that anchor a miasma of fear and dread over the territory. Believed to be utilised by the Druj to subjugate and oppress the orcs under their control, the pall still covers large areas of the newly conquered territory. However, recent efforts by the Cardinal of Vigilance and the newly create spy network in Ossium have identified the locations of the stones that anchor the miasma in place. The remaining pillars in Imperial-held land are in the Scorpion Glades, in Echofell; at Red Lizard Point, in the Drownbark Forest; and Fang Tree, in the Webwood. The location of the pillar in Thule-controlled Bonewood is unknown at this time, there is no confirmation if the pillar is active or if the mystics of Otkadov have already made efforts to cleanse it.
The combined efforts to explore Ossium have led to the detection of conjunction to the Echofell and the Drownbark Forest this season. No conjunction to the Fang Tree in the Webwood has been detected.
The first conjunction leads to Red Lizard Point and a single pillar that stands in an abandoned slave pen of the Druj. Varushkan settlers have been able to investigate the pillar by avoiding the Chikad war party that leaves the area during the day. A priest among their number had the sense to conduct an insight on the spiritual effect that lies upon the stone and it has been ascertained that consecration of level 15 of greater would break the malign aura in the area. Otherwise, the Day ritual Chimes of Annulment could be cast as has been previously done to remove the threat.
| Conjunctions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | When | Size | Time |
| Red Lizard Point, Drownbark Forest, Ossium | 18:30 Friday | 60 people | 20 minutes |
| Scorpion Glades, Echofell, Ossium | 20:30 Friday | 60 people | 20 minutes |
The discovery of the miasma stone in the Scorpion Glades of Echofell presents a much harder prospect to deal with. Unlike the other pillar sites in Ossium, explorers have found two stones in the location. This makes the prospect of removing the miasma much harder. As learned through bitter experience during the Reikos campaign, and again during clashes in Zenith, when there are several of these pillars close together the miasma is harder to remove. Consecrate one stone but leave the other and the pall of dread will quickly return. Divinatory magics and the codification of the Chimes of Annulment ritual made it apparent that both pillars will need to be depowered within a minute or so of one another for the aura to be properly dispersed. Should either one be left alone, then the oppressive fear will quickly return. Another cautionary note is that the war scouts report a number of the orcs' Tortured Souls in the area that have been drawn to the misery of the area.
| Conjunctions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | When | Size | Time |
| Korlack Marsh, Drownbark Forest, Ossium | 21:30 Friday | 60 people | 20 minutes |
At the summer solstice a force of Druj and their tortured souls assaulted the colonists of Korlach Marsh, scattering them in terror. Over the past three months this shadowy force of skirmish warriors and dread spirits have plagued the marsh and those trying to settle there, whilst slipping away before soldiers from the armies occupying Ossium could respond. A new opportunity to engage these shadowy creatures and the twisted barbarians that lead them has been detected, provided a band of brave fighters and skilled exorcists can be assembled to combat the threat. Destroying this force should end this immediate threat to those trying to make Ossium their home, and also put to rest murmurs that if left to roam they would become the first wolves of this new Varushkan territory.
All characters on skirmishes in Ossium will be under a permanent WEAKNESS and experience a feeling of hopelessness and dread unless they:
- Expend a hero point upon entering the area
- Are subject to an anointing
- Overcome the supernatural dread using their Changeling lineage by becoming extremely angry
- Are bonded to a magical item or have a ritual enchantment that mitigates effects like these
Holberg
- League; free companies and bravos, mana site owners in the city
Over the past year the operators of mana sites across Holberg have benefitted from the additional mana produced by the Legacy of Courage and the array of red stone stelae that stretch out across the territory. With the arrival of the Druj armies in Utterlund there is concern for the safety of the network. The news that a Druj warband that has destroyed one of the remote red stones adds to the alarm. Wardens of the stelae network and intrepid bravos from the city are quick to track the warband and have reported that they are moving along the Uitgang Road seeking out more riches to pillage. It has been calculated that should a second stelae be destroyed the production of mana from the Legacy of Courage in the coming season will drop, causing widespread disruption to the price of mana in the territory and result in 8 fewer crystals being available until the network can be repaired.
| Conjunctions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | When | Size | Time |
| Uitgang Road, Ennerlund, Holberg | 19:00 Friday | 60 people | 20 minutes |
| Barrens Trail, Utterlund, Holberg | 21:00 Friday | 60 people | 20 minutes |
- Military Council; League; apothecaries
War scouts tracking the movement of the Druj armies in Utterlund have learned of a small party of elite fighters - Pakkad and Chikad orcs - that are providing an escort for a high-ranking Tepel apothecary. In the run up to the equinox the orcs have been shadowed from the border of the Barrens, roughly following the route the armies took in their pursuit of the Sand Fishers. Following up on this information the prognosticators have identified a conjunction to the Barrens Trail that will allow forces to ambush the orcs and potentially intercept what is suspected to be a shipment of potions destined for the armies engaged to the north. The war scout at the Sentinel Gate will be able to provide additional details to update those venturing through the portal at the equinox.
Feroz
- Brass Coast, Highguard, Navarr; those with an interest in fighting the Grendel
The tragic loss of Feroz has been felt across the Brass Coast and beyond. With the armies of the Empire being pushed back by the Grendel's assault from the coast most refugees have now been forced to flee inland. Making for Afarjasse, the stronghold at Mora or the border with Segura hundreds of refugees stream away from the advancing barbarians. Some carry only the little food they need, others are slowed with the tools of their trade, bundles of contracts or sacks of coins. It is a testament to the soldiers of the Navarr, the Highborn and the Freeborn's own Red Wind Corsairs that the majority of those fleeing have been protected from the Grendel's slave gangs. But the military cannot be everywhere, some citizens courageously stay to let others flee, while some are over burdened by their possessions.
| Conjunctions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | When | Size | Time |
| Fahran Wood Siegeworks, Morajasse, Feroz | 14:30 Saturday | 70 people | 20 minutes |
Grendel troops from the Iron Gulls army are reported to have taken captives as they were patrolling the approaches to Mora. A number of priests have managed to get a message to their egregore that they are being held at one of the Grendel's many siegeworks that surround the settlement. Trapped at the Fahran Wood Siegework they are close enough for the war scouts and the runners of the Red Wind Corsairs to have surveyed the camp and passed additional details about the camp to the civil service. The war scouts located by the Sentinel Gate will be able to assist further in preparations for taking a conjunction that offers a chance to liberate the priests.
Spiral
- Urizen; those with an interest in fighting the Grendel
The invasion of Grendel forces into southern Spiral and their subsequent annexation of Apstrus is a shock that ripples through all the territory and beyond. Whilst Imperial casualties have been limited due to the sparse and widely scattered population, there are those who were run down by fast-moving Wave Rider skirmishers or eventually defeated in heroic last stands against the indominatable Stone Born heavy infantry. Others have surrendered in the face of insurmountable odds, or been captured to be taken back to the Broken Shore in chains. One such citizen is Minicia of the Illuminated Circle of Bloodsilver Twilight who was captured whilst exploring Apstrus as part of a potential extension to the Block. A skilled engineer and expert stonemason, Minicia was one of the individuals that presented and then led the construction of the Block great work. This network of mithril traceries has been established in every populated spire in the territory, offering some level of protection against the effects of the Black Plateau.
| Conjunctions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | When | Size | Time |
| Forest of Xanthi, Apstrus, Spiral | 15:00 Saturday | 70 people | 20 minutes |
The Urizen egregore has confirmed that at least Minicia is still alive and is being taken south through the Forest of Xanthi and presumably back to the slave camps in Mareave or even the Broken Shore. It is unsure at this time if Minicia's expertise and knowledge is known to the Grendel. It has already been pointed out that should her captors learn of the Block and the sanctuary it offers then the Grendel might wish to replicate such a network for their own ends. The civil service have detected a conjunction on the Saturday that will allow a rescue mission to be mounted to return Minicia to safety.
All characters on a skirmish in Spiral will be under a permanent WEAKNESS and experience heightened negative emotions unless they:
- Expend a hero point upon entering the area
- Are subject to an anointing
- Overcome the oppression using their cambion lineage by becoming extremely stubborn and obdurate'
- Are bonded to a magical item or have a ritual enchantment that mitigates effects like these
- Navarr, Highguard; those with an interest in combating the vallorn and Heirs of Terunael
The efforts to prevent the vallorn from expanding into Elerael have been a success, but a new threat has emerged. A horde of vallorn husks have emerged from the depths of Terunael and are moving in the direction of Swift Watch Woods and a field hospital established there by the physicians of the Valiant Pegasus. The Highguard unconquered who first encountered the shambling corpses reported to their superiors and the civil service that a number of suspected Navarr thorns are moving among the horde. It is certain that these are agents of the Heirs of Terunael, and that their presence has led to the vallornspawn issuing forth from the deep forest. An opportunity exists to strike against the incursion before they reach the hospital and the vulnerable patients.
| Conjunctions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | When | Size | Time |
| Swift Watch Woods, Elerael, Broceliande | 16:00 Saturday | 50 people | 20 minutes |
| Heart's Watch Steading, Greenheart, Therunin | 16:30 Saturday | 50 people | 20 minutes |
| Bont Goch Trail, Deer's Folly, Hercynia | 17:00 Saturday | 50 people | 20 minutes |
- Navarr, Highguard; those with an interest in combating the vallorn and Heirs of Terunael
The Highguard egregore has reported to the civil service that a group of Grey Pilgrims have been attacked whilst they were walking the trods in the territory of Therunin. Initial reports suggested that the attackers were a group of Navarr scouts but it is evident that once again these are the Heirs of Terunael. They have apparently left their victims alive but trapped at the ruins of Heart's Watch Steading, in Greenheart to face an advancing force of vallorn and the foul miasma The pilgrims have been able to raise a ward to hold back the husks but it will not last forever. An opportunity exists to reach the stranded pilgrims, assist them, and if necessary help them on their way or back to Anvil.
- Navarr; those with an interest in combating the vallorn and Heirs of Terunael
In the northern territory of Hercynia there is another opportunity to counter the vallorn activity that has arisen through the rise of the Heirs of Terunael. A band of Navarr trackers and a vate have become isolated in a swirling miasma as they make their way along the Bont Goch Trail towards the sanctuary of the steading of the same name. It is apparent that whilst they are relatively safe at the moment, they can't risk leaving their current location without passing through the miasma and encountering numerous hordes of husks.
Whilst these might have been simple engagements in other circumstances, the nature of the foe and the environment in which they will be fought makes them all especially deadly. Preparations to combat the vallorn miasma, to procure vital blade venoms, and to source bladeroot for the treatment of those exposed to green lung will all likely prove useful. The Spring ritual Vitality of Rushing Water and the Abraxus Stone magical item will protect a warrior from the debilitating effects of the miasma.
Sermersuaq
- Wintermark, Imperial Orcs; those interested in the plight of Jotun thralls
| Conjunctions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | When | Size | Time |
| Varki's Camp, Suaq Wastes, Sermersuaq | 19:30 Saturday | 60 people | 20 minutes |
As reported elsewhere there are several opportunities to assist the former citizens of Sermersuaq and help them fight back against their Jotun oppressors. In addition, following reports filtering back after the great raid on the Pride of Ikka's Tears the civil service have discovered a conjunction to Varki's Camp in the Suaq Wastes. An icewalker that assisted with the raid has passed information to the Wintermark egregore that notes the large number of thralls that have been moved to the area in recent months. With the coming of the colder autumn months and the eventual onset of winter, this opportunity could allow a large number of those living under Jotun rule to escape into the wilds and either make their way to safety in Hahnmark or Kallavesa. In order to assist the thralls an attack against the camp is needed to sow disruption amongst the Jotun in the area. This would be especially favourable given the large-scale raid at the mithril mine, and the wariness of the Jotun in the immediate aftermath.
Segura
- Highguard, Brass Coast, Marchers; those with an interest in the actions of the Grey Pilgrims
| Conjunctions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | When | Size | Time |
| Brejah Crag, Anduzjasse, Segura | 20:00 Saturday | 60 people | 20 minutes |
Following the mandates over the past few seasons many citizens of Highguard have begun to walk the trods and visit far flung territories to bring the Way, and learn from the religion's adherents, to the corners of the Empire. This includes the war-torn expanses of Segura where a stand-off between the Lasambrian Jotun and armies of the Empire has endured for the past several months. One group of travellers took the lull in fighting to reach out to orcs from the Corazon, seeking to preach to these recent converts of the Way, and to learn how their culture has adapted since. Things have apparently not gone well. The Highguard egregore has made the civil service aware of their plight and it has been confirmed that they are being held at Brejah Crag in Anduzjasse, reachable by the Sentinel Gate. A surprising turn in this tale comes with a report from the Bounders army in Segura that a Corazon messenger arrived at their camp to demand 20 wains of mithril for their safe return...
Bregasland
- Marchers; fleet masters
| Conjunctions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | When | Size | Time |
| Cocklegullet, North Fens, Bregasland | 20:30 Saturday | 60 people | 20 minutes |
The Jotun's advance into Bregasland has been swift and sudden. Many small and isolated settlements knew little of the danger before it was at their doorstep, whilst others put up brave but ultimately futile resistance against a superior foe that outnumbered them a thousand fold. News from the North Fens is hard to come by, but the traders and ship masters who travel the waters of the Gullet up to Westmere are a reliable source of information on the Jotun's activities. Accounts indicate that a force of Jotun have established a base of operations outside the village of Cocklegullet near the mud flats of the inlet's southern coastline. From here it it is apparent that they are seeking to limit access to the Gullet for ships leaving the Marchers. While the western barbarians are not skilled sailors nor in possession of ships of their own, through floating pontoons and submerged trees they could quite easily slow merchants progress from Westmere, making it easier to attack their ships when they anchor each evening or are forced into shallower waters. If this threat cannot be removed then prognosticators predict that all the fleet-owners in the Marchers will suffer a 1-rank penalty to the profits they make over the coming season, regardless of which port they head to.
Liathaven
- Navarr
| Conjunctions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | When | Size | Time |
| Fallen Thorn Trail, Western Scout, Liathaven | 21:00 Saturday | 60 people | 20 minutes |
At the summer solstice the Military Council forwent the opportunity to utilise a major conjunction of the Sentinel Gate to reach Fallen Thorn Steading, one of the most remote settlements the Navarr once maintained in Liathaven. Since then the war scouts have liaised with a small group of Navarr that have assisted the civil service in monitoring the Jotun's activities in the territory. As already reported the military forces of the western barbarians have had little involvement in the area, presumably engaged elsewhere. However the Navarr in Western Scout have fed back word that a small band of Jotun warriors and thralls are at work along Fallen Thorn Trail that stretches out from the steading to the frontier beyond. The orcs, including the thralls, are felling lumber in the area on a massive scale. At first it was believed that this heralded the construction of a new fortification, but beyond erecting a small stockade in which to camp, none of the timber has actually been put to use. Felled trees litter several miles of the trail, left where they fell with no indication of what might happen to the wood. Leading a force of Navarr warriors to the location might well offer further insights into these unusual reports.
Shambling in the Sewers
- League, Varushka; bravos, wardens, priests, and adventurers of all nations
| Conjunctions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | When | Size | Time |
| Sewers of Sarvos, Cigno, Sarvos | 15:00 Saturday | 5 people | 5 minutes |
| Sewers of Sarvos, Cigno, Sarvos | 15:15 Saturday | 5 people | 5 minutes |
| Sewers of Sarvos, Cigno, Sarvos | 15:30 Saturday | 5 people | 5 minutes |
| Sewers of Sarvos, Cigno, Sarvos | 15:45 Saturday | 5 people | 5 minutes |
| Sewers of Sarvos, Cigno, Sarvos | 16:00 Saturday | 5 people | 5 minutes |
| Sewers of Sarvos, Cigno, Sarvos | 16:15 Saturday | 5 people | 5 minutes |
| Sewers of Sarvos, Cigno, Sarvos | 16:30 Saturday | 5 people | 5 minutes |
| Sewers of Sarvos, Cigno, Sarvos | 16:45 Saturday | 5 people | 5 minutes |
| Sewers of Sarvos, Cigno, Sarvos | 17:00 Saturday | 5 people | 5 minutes |
| Sewers of Sarvos, Cigno, Sarvos | 17:15 Saturday | 5 people | 5 minutes |
The combination of the Winter curse unleashed on the city of Sarvos, and the arrival of the Iron Helms with their shambling entourage has the citizens of the city on edge. Some fear to walk the streets at night, worried that they might be set up as they stroll home from the theatre or local taverna. It isn't as if the city's business suffer lost business, the merchants and providores are quick to adjust the hours they keep to ensure that life continues. Many cellars are emptied of fine wines and preserved goods, sewer grates are bolted shut, and clandestine meetings moved to the upper floors of tall town houses But still that worry lingers in people's minds. Unsettling and disturbing. Just what is going on beneath the sidewalks and plazas. Is there something really down there? Will it stay down there?
The developments in the city are unusual and one that the civil service initially has a great deal of problem with trying to collate and determine exactly what can be done. There are no war scouts available for miles around to explore the sewers. The League egregore is not entirely sure if those that are missing are dead or just missing. Most infuriatingly for the prognosticators is that nobody can actually locate a detailed set of maps and charts for the tangled network of tunnels, drains and covered gutters that criss-cross under the city. Whilst many city officials and burghers maintain that there always have been plans they are at a loss to actual produce a set. The only copy that anyone can recall was most certainly kept in the waterfront offices of the Sanitation Works that was thoroughly looted by the Grendel when they took the city. Beyond a list of ten conjunctions to the Sewers of Sarvos there is no indication from the Day mages of the civil service exactly where the Sentinel Gate might lead - long forgotten cellars? Stinking cesspools? One of the great tidal gutters? A narrow tangle of crawl spaces filled with the filth and excreta of the people above?
What is known is that a somewhat hastily prepared list of missing people and lost items has been passed to the civil service representatives in Anvil. The information is lacking somewhat, and what exactly needs to be done is far from certain. Yet there is surely no situation that a bravo would say no to if it led to a drink and a tale afterwards, or no mission that a member of a free company would not take should the price be right? Therefore it is widely held that the citizens that represent the city in Anvil, and those from the other great settlements of the nation should come together to explore, to locate the missing, and to deal with anything that is discovered in the filthy underbelly of the city. There are rumours that should the explorations be successful and records produce of those that ventured underground that the city might seek to further reward these brave adventurers.
One word of warning the prognosticators have been able to provide, is that the crawlways of the sewers are far too small for shields or long weapons or implements. Anyone who attempts to take such an item into the sewers risks quickly becoming stuck making themselves and their colleagues vulnerable. As a result they have advised that nobody take a weapon or implement longer than three foot into the sewers nor any shield larger than a buckler.
- The Four Captains Theatre Troupe, last seen entering a cellar to practice for an upcoming play
- Five cadavers of the recently deceased Lime Kiln Guild, lost from the Aveiro Mortuary
- Leonor Caravachi di Sarvos, debutante daughter of the Caravachi Family
- Fabio Modicci di Savos, famed mounteback, mime and children's entertainer, of the Ringwise Playhouse
- The Dockguard Watch free company, volunteered to explore the sewers
- A sack of ingots from the Benedicta Market office
- It is not possible to use bows or crossbows in these encounters for safety reasons, please do not bring them.
- be run in a darkened space
- involve large obstacles to move around and to block sight lines, but not require climbing or crawling
- involve combat