Blue flowers in the snow

A wild spray of iridescent hues tumbled over each other as they raced across the walls of the Endless Cave. A rich, strong purple, clawed its way ahead of a wave of verdant green radiance, both of them chased by a wash of flaming orange lustre that threatened to set the stone walls alight.

Drusa couldn't resist laughing at the sight, her spirits lifted by her friend's joy. The news that they were going to stay had sent the Dancer cavorting and spinning, launching a thousand shimmers and shadows to do battle with each other in every corner of the chamber. Their celebration was palpable and contagious, the strength of it almost impossible to resist.

"Yes, it's the best news. Felix says that so long as the Senate doesn't renege on their promises then we can stay here and prosper. Everything will go back to being just the way it was."

To her surprise the Dancer stopped immediately. The riot of colours flying through the air, crashed to a halt, stuck fast like thick paint on a canvas.

DISAGREEMENT.

"What?" said Drusa, confused by her friends rebuttal. "It's the best news. This is exactly what we hoped for!"

A golden cerise beryl feather swam lazily through the air between them to plant the lightest of touches on Drusa's shoulders. The embrace brought a crazed plethora of images, each one a moment of wild thought with no concern for the others in the train.

Drusa laughed again. "No, no, you're right of course. Nothing is ever the same, things always change. And yes you're right, so many opportunities, who knows where this will lead?"

In Urizen blue flowers traditionally represent a wish for Loyalty.

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Overview

The territory of Spiral remains split between the League and groups of Urizen rebels who will not countenance the Senate's decision to accept the proposal of (former) Salt Lord Kaliact. Some of the rebels have had their demands met; the Senate chose to meet certain costs for the Urizeni who wish to remain connected to their peers in the rest of the nation. Other demands are still being negotiated. The Urizen Assembly has upheld encouraging statements saying the negotiations are going well, urging the rebels not back down... but not to take precipitate action, either. Confidence grows among the rebels, due in large part to the mandate enacted by Aurum of the Nightingale Temple which warns that should the Empire send troops to root out the rebels, the whole of Urizen will rise to protect them.

The confidence does not, however, only come from the words of the Assembly. The rebels proudly declare that they have received scores of winged messengers from spires all over Spiral - all professing support for them and their cause in different ways. Not just Spiral either; magicians across Urizen respond to a powerful curse that has settled over Morrow and Redoubt which many see as an attack on their nation by jealous Imperial "peers".

If any of the rebels had any fears that their lack of representation at Anvil might harm their position, they are utterly reassured that their fellow Urizeni citizens are negotiating hard on their behalf. A view that is only strengthened by the decision of the Imperial Senate to pay for the mana needed to shield all the spires in the territory from the impacts of being in a foreign territory.

Meanwhile, the League continues settling in to their new home, with varying degrees of good grace...

The virtuous build up their fellows, they do not tear them down. Blue flowers bloom in Spiral, and if we are to hold true to the promise of this Empire we cannot laud one while cutting down another. Should the Empire shed Urizen blood in this matter, it will prove they value thieves and slavers over virtuous citizens. It will prove they are unworthy of the oldest nation. We send Aurum of the Nightingale Temple with 25 doses of liao to encourage all Urizen to stand in defiance of an Empire that treats our lives as an inconvenience, should they dare to enact violence against our people. Loyalty demands, and we cannot condemn the people of Spiral for having answered.

Aurum of the Nightingale Temple, Mandate Urizen Assembly, Upheld with a greater majority 267-75, Autumn Equinox 385YE

The Gone

• Those Urizen minded to leave Spiral have now almost entirely departed

Almost all of those whose greatest loyalty lay with the Empire, have now left Spiral entirely to establish new spires in Zenith and Redoubt. Some have gained additional finances for their departure by selling the buildings of their former spires to League citizens: given that the League still cannot build new structures that enjoy the protection of the Block, such real estate fetches a handsome price.

To establish an office to procure mana in Spiral, to allow the casting of Vale of Shadows on all Urizeni interests within Spiral so as not to disadvantage those who would keep their nation and their home. This costs the Senate 35 thrones a season, it is not a construction and requires no commission.

Genoveva Barossa d'Apulian, Senator for Spiral, Autumn Equinox 385YE

Price of Remaining

• The Imperial Senate voted to fund the purchase of mana crystals to offset the cost of staying in Spiral
• The Senate's budget is reduced by 35 thrones a season going forward
• The demands of those loyal to their spires have been met

Actius, Arbiter of the Deathless Cave was elected to represent those whose loyalty lies first and foremost with their spires and who wish to remain in Spiral if possible. Actius claims to be representing nearly a third of the rebels in Spiral, but he quickly claims to have the support of various spires across Urizen, including most notably the the Great Library of Ankarien who have pledged their unequivocal support for Actius' cause.

In response to those demands, the Imperial Senate agreed to support a motion raised by Genoveva Barossa d'Apulian, the new Senator for Spiral, to provide sufficient crystal mana to the Urizen of Spiral that they can take advantage of a boon offered by the eternal Sung; to help the Urizen inhabitants of Spiral maintain prosperous links with each other and with the neighbouring spires of Redoubt and Zenith.

As pointed out in the appraisal, there are two weaknesses to this approach. The first is that it means enchanting every Urizen resource in Spiral with Vale of Shadows - and while that provides a valuable benefit if the territory comes under attack again, it means that no Urizen resource in the territory can benefit from any other ritual. It also means that any Imperial magician attending Anvil who made separate arrangements to enchant their own personal resource with a different ritual would not benefit from the protection provided by Sung (and would experience the resulting penalty to production).

It also impacts the availability of mana crystals in Spiral. Having an Imperial office buy every available mana crystal means it is not possible for the Imperial Senate to construct a sinecure, ministry, or great work in the territory that provided mana crystals while these arrangements are in place (without an opportunity).

A few of the more militant Urizeni point out a third problem - that the Senate could simply stop funding the supply of mana at any time. The spires mostly don't consider this to be a likely outcome. If it did happen, it would be a very clear sign that the Senate cannot be trusted and that they should either join the rebels or start a rebellion of their own.

But, almost as if pre-empting these gripes, the Synod is already ahead of them.

Prosperity teaches that all that is worthwhile is shared with those who deserve it. We benefit from Urizen's sacrifice and we must repay our debts. Let us prove we hear Urizen's pain and that we are not the thieving bandits they fear us to be. Lorenzo's Legacies provide the League with ample mana, and our Urizeni siblings are in need. Let us send the mana from these Great Works to shroud the spires of Spiral.

Isaia Pavone di Sarvos, Autumn Equinox 385YE, Vote: Greater Majority 325-110, League Assembly

Since we raised a judgement refusing to aid the League until they proved that they were more than petty opportunists they have: 1) Paid mithril to erect statues that help to protect us. 2) Publicly acknowledged that a reckoning is due. 3) Assigned a reckoner and opened negotiations. The League have proven in word and deed that we are not just dealing with petty opportunists. The people taking these steps demonstrate a genuine intention to build a future for Spiral that benefits all of its residents. There is still much work to be done and our spires will remain apart from their city until it is complete, but it would now be appropriate to once again use the mithril block to defend their minds from the plateau, though we are not yet ready to share its secrets.

Tarquinius Ankarien, Autumn Equinox 385YE, Vote: Greater Majority 345-0, Urizen Assembly

The Urizeni National Assembly recognises the courage and loyalty of the people of Spiral. We are now at the negotiating stage with the League. Do not sacrifice what does not need to be sacrificed. I, as Convenor of the Urizen National Assembly, assure you we will get you the recompense you deserve.

Galene Netherwatch, Urizen Assembly, Autumn Equinox 385YE, Vote: Greater Majority (229-91)

All That is Worthwhile

• The great works that produce mana in the League could be used to support the shrouds in Spiral
• A single senate motion could be used to stop the benefit to mana site owners

Last summit Isaia Pavone di Sarvos called on the people of the League to use their ample reserves of mana crystals - granted to them by Lorenzo's Legacies of Virtue - to directly fund the cost of the shrouds. This wouldn't be trivial, but it could be done with the help of the civil service. The same infrastructure supporting the collection of mana in Spiral could be relocated to the four cities of the League where such legacies were built. They'd be transported to Spiral, and the newly-established distribution office would take over.

All that would be required is for the Imperial Senate to use a Senate motion that clearly stated that all mana crystals from the Legacy of Ambition in Tassato, the Legacy of Loyalty in Temeschwar, the Legacy of Courage in Holberg, and the Legacy of Pride in Sarvos be used to support the spires of Spiral.

If this were done, the four great works would stop providing additional mana to the mana sites of the League. They would still count as a level of investment in mana sites, however. The cost to the Senate would fall precipitously to 5 Thrones - mostly due to no longer needing to buy mana crystals in Spiral. It would also be possible to invest in Spiral's mana production again, now that every available crystal is not being bought up by the Civil Service.

The League would lose out, but Lorenzo's Legacies would still exist - only now they would be helping to build bridges between Urizen and the League. A fitting legacy, perhaps.

The Rebels

• Urizen rebels still control the regions of Ankra and Cinion
• A number of notable spires have offered support to the rebellion
• The rebels are no longer Imperial citizens but as foreigners they are protected by Imperial law

Then there are the Urizen rebels, whose spires still control the regions of Akra and Cinion. Their strength has been reduced by the Senate's decision to support those who simply wish to continue living in Spiral, but those represented by Tiborion of the Endless Horizen and Caela of the Tower of the Silver Flame remain strong in their convictions. Both groups claim to have received a number of winged messengers pledging support for their cause, although unlike Actius, they have not gone so far as to publicly name their backers.

There is still no appetite for direct conflict with the Empire, although they remain ready to fight if it comes to it (and if the Empire can find them). Thanks to the mandate enacted by Aurum of the Nightingale Temple however, the likelihood of open conflict has been even further reduced. If the Empire sends an army to suppress the rebels at any point before the start of the Autumn Equinox 386YE, the rebellion will spread to the rest of Urizen. Spires will take up arms and declare their support for the rebellion, and opposition to the Empire. For now, at least, the threat of open conflict has become more distant. Or more disastrous when it happens, depending on how pessimistic one is.

For their part the rebels are not interested in picking a fight with the Empire or the League - not at the moment at any rate. The faction represented by Tiborion of the Endless Horizen continues to urge caution. Their concern remains securing the presence of Urizen in the Senate, to make up for the voice they have lost by losing the senator for Spiral. Their demand was for Urizen to be granted the Master of the Imperial Mint, with the Imperial Mint relocated to Cargo.

Tiborion is clear that he does not believe that a statue or some other minor title is acceptable. The mages who chose Tiborion to present their demands are clear that they believe that Urizen has suffered in recent years because it has been politically sidelined. Without enough powerful voices to speak on its behalf, and crucially without the power to swing key votes, it has been left brutally exposed to the attacks of the Druj and the Grendel. Arguably, Kaliact would never have been in a position to make the offer she did, if Urizen's Prosperity had been foremost in the minds of the Empire's rulers. Having lost a senator, their political position has weakened further, the only way to compensate for that is with a position as politically influential and powerful as a senator.

However, there is one suggestion that has been made to Tiborion that does appeal. The War Mage is elected by the Conclave to a position in the Military Council. The title is often held by an Urizeni - a reflection of their influence in the Conclave - but that outcome is far from guaranteed. In recent memory both Dawn and the Navarr have held the title. If the Empire found some way to make the title an Urizen national position - that would ensure the seat was always heled by Urizen. That wouldn't improve their current position - it's held by Andronikos of the Lighthouse at Nikephoros at present, but it would ensure that Urizen always had a second vote in the Military Council - an important step given their difficulties in raising additional armies.

There are a host of practical, legal difficulties in making the warmage an Urizen position. But if those could be solved then the new Throne could ratify any changes.

The more militant faction that looks to Caela of the Tower of the Silver Flame for guidance are adamant that only the reversal of the Senate's decision to allocate Spiral to the League will satisfy them. Obviously, doing so would still be disastrous for the Empire's newest citizens, and the perceived authority of the Senate. With every passing day, such an outcome looks increasingly impossible - it seems likely another route will need to be found if one exists.

Or... perhaps not. There are some in Spiral who point out that the League - and thus the Empire - still control Apstrus, Apulus, Ateri, Ossuary (where the mithril mine is), and of course Screed about which the less said the better). With one or two regions in non-Imperial hands, control of the territory is a little more fragile than it might be, but so what? The Empire would need to lose two more regions before their control was in doubt, and that doesn't make Spiral much more fragile than a great many other Imperial territories. As long as the League remains vigilant against barbarian foes, the rebel spires could presumably follow the example of Actius, Arbiter of the Deathless Cave and just... get on with it.

The danger remains however that the rebel spires might make some sort of agreement with the Grendel. It's not viewed as particularly likely - the Urizen of Spiral have more reason than most to despise the orcs of the Broken Shore - but it's not impossible. If there's secret, magical communication going on between the rebels and the Salt Lords though, nobody has seen any sign of it. It would require the intervention of skilled investigators practiced at avoiding notice, like the Silent Bell or perhaps the Shuttered Lantern to determine if such contacts are being pursued. The Synod can guide the Silent Bell, of course, and the Grandmaster of the Shuttered Lantern could ask members of their order to carefully investigate the rebel spires with a suitable worded Declaration of Concord supported by the Conclave.

We invite League Bishops and Scholars to join in dialogue with Urizeni priests and mages loyal to the Empire and our Apulian brethren, to further our understanding of the Way and lift us all up in Virtue. Much as Temeschwar acknowledges its Varushkan heritage, so the city of Apulian should include the best of Urizeni culture, once the threat of rebellion has passed.

Lia Adelaar von Holberg, League Assembly, Autumn Equinox 385YE, Vote: Greater Majority 280-0

We invite the Urizeni priests and their congregations to join us in dialogue with the League bishops and the Apulians to further our collective understanding of the Way, and lift each other up in virtue. Much as Temeschwar acknowledges its Varushkan heritage, so the city of Apulian should also embrace the existing Urizeni culture now the League has committed to a Reckoning.

Lepidina, Urizen Assembly, Autumn Equinox 385YE, Vote: Greater Majority 263-10

Outreach

• Both the League and the Urizen Assembly have urged closer cooperation, albeit with caveats
• The Urizen Assembly could use this opportunity to build links with the Apulians and influence the new city
• If the Assembly took this option, then the timing of any mandate would be crucial in terms of who was affected

Both the League and Urizen national assemblies released statements of principle that look closely coordinated, calling for the city of Apulian to include the best of Urizeni culture. This statement seems to link to the call by Agathea for Urizen magicians living in Spiral to consider joining the League, taking their skills, their knowledge and their cultural sophistication with them. This would, in Agathea's view, be an important counterweight to the mass of kitsch philosophy, tawdry aesthetics, and cynical politics that the League have just embraced. Crucially if you care about Spiral, it would be a way to push the territory to continue to seek enlightenment and strive to be a place that brings light to the darkness.

The idea is at least theoretically feasible. Both Lepidina and Lia Adelaar von Holberg are right to point out that Temeschwar, for good and for bad, retains some of the qualities of its Varushkan heritage. There is still an opportunity for the Urizen who live here to influence the story that is written as Spiral turns the page on a new chapter. The cost of course, is high, if it means leaving behind the nation that pursues arete for one that values rings, crowns and thrones. Too high for some certainly, but perhaps not all.

Some Urizeni, those whose first loyalties were to the Empire, have already left the territory. But spires like the Deathless Cave are planning to stay for the long term and looking for ways to live with the new arrangements. They consider themselves to be Urizeni - and doubtless the plan of the majority is to remain so, but they could be encouraged to share the best of Urizeni culture with the Apulians, and some might join the League in time. Closer links with Apulian would benefit the League, the Deathless Cave and some of the other spires that supported Actius are renowned for their musical skills, their prowess with night magic and their love of mysteries, all of which could bring mutual benefits.

Of course the situation with the other rebels is more challenging. It's hard to imagine Caela and her supporters being in favour of closer cooperation with the League right now, but Tiborion of the Endless Horizen might be open to the idea. They will definitely never join the League, they are steadfastly Loyal to Urizen, but they have no quarrel with the League and they are perspicacious enough to understand that good relations with the Apulians could be a benefit Urizen.

Both statements of principle suggest in different ways that these matters can wait until the current strife is resolved. Of course that assumes it can be resolved - and that such possibilities still exist then. The Empire seems to have resolved one of the three key demands, but the longer the current impasse continues the more entrenched the sides are likely to become. If the Urizen National Assembly is serious about a cultural exchange with the League, they cannot afford to wait forever or the opportunity will be gone.

At the coming summit or the next, the Urizen National Assembly could pass the following mandate.

We welcome dialogue with the Apulians to further our collective understanding of the Way, and lift each other up in virtue. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to encourage those Urizen magicians who have decided to stay to share the best of Urizeni culture with the League. Let us share our values with them and make Apulian a city founded on philosophy, learning and a vision for a better future.

Synod Mandate, Urizen National Assembly

If this mandate were enacted, then the musicians and night magicians of the Deathless Cave, and others spires like them would look for opportunities to share the best of Urizeni culture with the Apulians. A few may even be tempted to leave the mountain spires and move to the city and settle there, possibly even becoming League citizens. It will have a slow but inexorable effect on the culture of Apulian, shaping the future of the newest City of the League.

If other Urizeni groups have been reconciled with the political situation at the point where the mandate is enacted then they will likewise be affected. Groups that remain hostile, notably those spires represented by Caeli and Tiberion at this time, would not be affected and would not be persuadable in the future.

The virtuous build up their fellows they do not tear them down. Urizen draws a knife to their own neck and call themselves cohesive. They call out the spilling of Urizeni blood as if by returning Spiral through diplomacy, we have not saved the blood of the Empire being spilled without need. Calls to violence came from Urizeni tongues, not the Empire. We wish to bring citizens from across the League - including Apulian Orcs - to open themselves to talk with Urizen and to match their threat of warfare with diplomacy that gives us the chance to discuss this, to push the logic of this choice with conversation. We will not justify rebellion with warfare. To subvert the authority of the Imperial senate and resort to armed rebellion is to lose the great game, we of the League instead invite Urizen to play as equals for all is prosperity.

Corrado Filiarchi de Regario, Autumn Equinox 385YE, Vote: Greater Majority 301-0

Unconstructive Commentary

• Some League citizens think its time to stop worrying about Urizen rebels and get back to what's important
• There are calls for an appraisal to determine how resources in Spiral might be exploited

Not everyone on the League side is being entirely constructive, unfortunately. Ludwig Bassilo von Temeschwar is a former bishop of the city who preaches about Pride, Prosperity, and Ambition. Newly arrived in Apulus, he has been calling for the League senators to commission an appraisal as to how the nation might best begin to exploit the new resources in the territory. He's been quoting very select fragments from the statement of principle of Corrado Filiarchi de Regario, and while most people are sensibly keeping their distance, not everyone thinks he's an ignorant blowhard. In particular, his call for the League to find a way to duplicate the protective measures of the Block given the Urizen are refusing to share its secrets. "What the Urizen can design, we can build better," he claims.

While Ludwig is obviously a bit of an ignorant bore, his words aren't entirely without merit. While the former Temeschwari bishop obviously intends for any appraisal to be entirely about the League, the Senate could take a more measured approach and look specifically for ways to draw on the best of the League innovation and Urizeni wisdom in bolstering the prosperity of Spiral. It would all depend on how the appraisal was phrased, and who was assigned to perform it.

The Jaws of Winter

• Redoubt and Morrow have been subjected to the Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence curse
• Mana sites in the affected territory have been halved
• The Citadel Guard has also been affected by the curse; their arcane consolidation has been significantly less effective
• If the curse continues for another season its cumulative effects may worsen

While eyes are on the political situation in Spiral, something is settling over Morrow and Redoubt. A cloying shroud of Winter magic begins to take hold as Autumn recedes. The weather worsens, and magicians across both territories begin to show signs of magical influence. Some become lethargic and morose, while others by contrast become short tempered and easily angered. Not a great combination for a nation with as many magicians as Urizen, obviously.

Fortunately, there are a great many magicians in Urizen, and they quickly identify the nature of the attack. The Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence curse has been laid over western Urizen. And indeed as the Winter lengthens, the mana sites in both territories fail to produce the bounty of crystal mana that might have been expected. Roughly half of the crystals rupture and crack when they are handled, like hollow crystals of ice, releasing a brackish, dark coloured liquid. Worthless.

The malaise and ill-temper the curse brings is treated by most as an exercise in poise. Identifying when such feelings come from outside, rather than from within, makes it easier to compartmentalise them and channel them into something constructive. Which is not to say that they are appreciated; it is clear that Urizen has come under some kind of attack; the last time was six years ago . Much as with that attack, it does not appear that the Grendel or the Druj are behind the curses, but rather they seem to be the work of another Imperial nation. The insult is clear, and whatever the reason or the intention, it mostly serves to increase support across Urizen for the rebels in Spiral, and frustration about the opprobrium with which magicians from the nation seem to be being treated at Anvil.

Also caught up in the effects of the curse are the Citadel Guard, which adds injury to insult. The Urizen army is in Morrow, engaged in arcane consolidation, and the curse is no kinder to them than it is to the spires. Half the expected number of crystals are gathered by the army.

Having the amount of mana reduced this season hurts, but there is some concern about what might happen if the curse continues through to Spring. If the mountains of Redoubt or Morrow (or both) are subjected to a second consecutive Icy Maw, the effects will worsen. They will extend to affect sinecures and ministries as well as personal resources. Not just ministries in Urizen, either. There are a number of markets that deal in mana across the Empire that are supported to one degree or another by Urizen sites. If the curse is maintained, the price of mana from such markets may begin to increase.

Participation: Icy Urizen

Any Urizen magician whose personal resource is in Morrow or Redoubt, who has spent time there this season, or who has accompanied the Citadel Guard, may be evidencing the lingering effects of the curse. They experience a roleplaying effect: either "you feel an unpleasant malaise that leaves you lethargic and disinclined to do anything that you feel requires a lot of effort" or "you feel short-tempered and irritable; being insulted or dismissed in particular makes you angry and want to lash out.” It's acceptable to switch between the two over the course of the event if you wish.

Any magician who does opt to experience the lingering roleplaying effect may call on their poise to gain a one-off benefit. By unleashing a burst of fury, one that has been carefully banked for several months, the magician may cast a single combat spell that costs 1 mana without spending any personal mana. The roleplaying effect starts to fade once the burst of rage is unleashed.

Regardless, the lingering effects of the curse will have faded entirely by the end of the Winter Solstice... assuming the curse is not replaced this season.

Further Reading

• Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence
• A question of loyalty - 385YE Autumn appraisal regarding the situation with the rebels in Spiral
• The fate of the many - 385YE Summer wind of fortune detailing the Urizen response to the allocation of Spiral